11/05/2008

A Day at the GM Meetings

Get 30 Major League General Managers together and there will be competition...
In his first competition as Mariners' general manager, Jack Zduriencik finished third in a six-team division.

The event in question was the annual bowling tournament at the GM meetings. Zduriencik teamed with Theo Epstein (Boston), Dayton Moore (Kansas City), Walt Jocketty (Cincinnati) and Neal Huntington (Pittsburgh) to take the bronze, but he had an excuse. All the balls were too small to fit his thumb — even one that the lane operators drilled for him.
Someone who spent time in Milwaukee should be able to do a little better than that by osmosis alone.

In the same story is this exchange through the media:
They listened to commissioner Bud Selig, via video conferencing, warn teams of the nation's troubled economic times.

"I view these coming months with trepidation," he told The Associated Press later in the day.

Much the opposite point of view, not surprisingly, was taken by agent Scott Boras, who represents Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira and Derek Lowe among 16 free-agent clients.

"The downturn in the economy shouldn't affect the kind of contracts offered to free agents," Boras said. "I think we have to look at the revenues today, which are historic."
Boras also provides the match that will light 1,000 posts at Lookout Landing, USS Mariner, and various other Mariner blogs with this:
Boras also represents Willie Bloomquist, one of three Mariners' free agents, along with Raul Ibanez and Miguel Cairo.

Boras claimed interest in Bloomquist is not limited to the National League, terming him a "30-team player. A lot of clubs want those versatile guys, particularly one that can play shortstop and center field. That's pretty valuable for a team."
There is also discussion about the holdout of '08 #1 pick Josh Fields...another Boras client.

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