A-Rod’s manager Scott Boras.Photo: Getty Images
As we all know, living in the world, hubris never bites people in the ass the way we want it to. Karl Rove left the White House before anything brought him down, people still read Perez Hilton, and Donald Trump still retains the power of speech. But could it possibly be that Scott Boras, the man who thought he was bigger than the World Series, is finally getting thrown from his high horse? Since it was announced last night that A-Rod went back to the negotiating table with the Yankees — alone — everyone’s been speculating on what this means for Boras. L.A. Times columnist Bill Shalkin even calls today “Schadenfreude Day” (which is funny, because we thought every day was Schadenfreude Day).
FoxNews.com’s Ken Rosenthal speculates that this “stunning turn of events no doubt will embolden clubs in future talks with Boras — and may embolden other Boras clients to take greater control of their careers.” However Newsday’s Wallace Matthews, and many others, see it the opposite way. “If you really believe Alex Rodriguez is going to negotiate with the Yankees without Scott Boras in the room, you probably also believe Ali G is about to be hired as a correspondent by 60 Minutes,” writes Matthews.
Basically, the Yankees said they would talk to A-Rod if Boras wasn’t a part of the deal, and Rodriguez said, “I had to respond to certain Yankees concerns, and I was receptive and understanding of that situation.” Oh, snap! Friends report that Rodriguez was embarrassed by the whole publicity tempest that came along with his departure from the Yankees and just wanted to be able to stay in his home where he felt comfortable. For Boras, this might or might not be the biggest career stumble he’s ever made. In 2002 the Atlanta Braves convinced center-fielder Andrew Junes to negotiate without Boras for a $75 million contract, but that’s nothing compared to the potential $350 pile he could miss out on here. All we can say is, if Boras is out, does that mean Cynthia Rodriguez is in? That would be spectacular. She was at the Yankees’ meeting with A-Rod and is a big influence on him, after all. Could she be the boss now? Frankly, unlike Boras, she’s got the kind of cojones that we like.
Never Say Never [ESPN]
