LAT: Hamilton deal done.

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Angels reach an agreement to trade Josh Hamilton to the Rangers, source says: http://t.co/6su42Vx81w

[NJHalo]

Sounds like a fair trade to me

[Dick B Back]

Woo hoo! Another Hamilton thread.

[Blarg]

Not one word from Hamilton or his agent for three solid months.

[Lhalo]

And thus ends one of the worst free agent acquisitions in club history.

[NJHalo]

And thus ends one of the worst free agent acquisitions in club history.

It's not over. Something tells me there is more to come.

[Lhalo]

The Real Housewives of OC starts in about a month, so there's that.

[hen3ry]

How many buckets of baseballs are we sending to Texas to make the deal fair?

[fan_since79]

And thus ends one of the worst free agent acquisitions in club history.

And one of the worst in baseball history.

[fan_since79]

Question: If he relapses with Texas and is suspended, do we have to pay any more money?

[SoWhat]

Uh, isn't there a 20+ page thread on this already?

[2112]

It's about Hamilton! We should all post our opinions in different threads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shellback]

this entire mess has soured me on mlb. guys bust thier asses to be able to take the kids to the game, and then they get to watch the likes of josh hamilton? and explain to thier kids hamilton's behavior? and how its o.k.?

hamilton is the picture book example of whats wrong with pro sports and in a way our society. an ability to collect millions while lying, cheating and providing/producing nothing in return. and the system defends this and somehow attempts to justify it and even glamorize it.

i hate what this guy did to the angels, his family and ultimately the people that will have to care for him in the inevitable jail or instituition he will wind up in.

[Stradling]

Shellback teach your kids about the evils of drugs, teach them that he's not a good role model, teach them that life isn't always fair, teach them to be better than that, and teach them that unions suck because they protect people who don't always deserve to be protected.

[eligrba]

Nice union bashing opportunity.  The players union should be admonished for its stance on this matter, but to generalize that behavior to all unions shows a lack of knowledge and/or experience. For every "the union protects undeserved people story" that you come up with, I can match it with a story of an unfair dismissal or firing by a company for unethical reasons.

 

Merica would be a better place if all of the workers were treated like Wal Mart employees.

[shellback]

thank you, strad.

i have had alot of personal and professional experience with situations quite like hamilton's.  the guy will wind up dead, in jail or in an institution. but he will still be rich.

[Stradling]

No but there may be better personal responsibility if unions didn't protect the lowest level performers.

[gotbeer]

For a deal that is done.  It sure isn't done yet.  As per the second person familiar with the deal said.

[eligrba]

How is it a trade if the Angels receive nothing?

[fan_since79]

The Angels received peace of mind. The huge distraction is gone.

[eligrba]

Effective unions do not allow for low level performance by their members. It reduces their credibility at the barging table.

 

Effective companies do not allow for incompetence or unethical practices by their managers. It reduces their credibility at the bargaining table.

 

Unfortunately, these two conditions can only work when there are collaborative and mutually respectful relations between workers and management. For those of us who work for a living, this is our hope.

Edited April 25, 2015 by eligrba

[Stradling]

I only care about the money part because of the impact it has on signing other players. To me when people bring up how much these players make it just seems like jealousy. That's why when all the posts come up with "I wish I could do coke and get paid millions of dollars" I chime in with "step one: be very good at baseball" comment. To compare professional athletes to real life is silly. If the fact they get paid millions bothers people then watch women's sports or amateur sports, because this will never really change. I obviously don't get paid millions of dollars but if after 27 years on the job if I royally screwed up I would still get a severance package, because I chose a great company to work for. I know I'm in the minority here but the money is what it is and I choose not to let it factor into my enjoyment of a team, player or sport. I truly wish none of us knew what each player was paid.

[wopphil]

My experience with unions is that they will lie, cheat and steal to get whatever they want. The end justifies the means. The MLBPA is no different.

But I don't really feel bad for the owners. They brought this upon themselves by agreeing to the CBA.

[eligrba]

I can't disagree wopphil. At some point, a union transforms itself into a bureaucracy more focused on its own survival than the needs of its members.

[nando714]

I'm a union guy and they have my back. Worth every penny.

Feels good.