Trade/Barter

Uhmm...

I've been frequenting the blog once a week or so for the last month and only 3 new posts. THREE!

Was truly becoming frustrating. There's only so much times I can check SLAMonline, NBA.com, and various shoe sites.

Then it dawned on me that I'm 50% of the blog's contributors. This sucks dread!

This blog started out as a cool idea, but then I realized...I don't care too much for typing. It may be therapeutic for some, but it's just an annoyance for me, but I agreed to this sh!t, so I'll live up to my end.

What's been going on over the 4-6 weeks?

Well, I've been doing the basketball thing as usual. My team has won 4 of its last 5 games. Which would be pretty good if it meant we were 15 of 23 or 18 of 23, but we're not. We're like 11 of 23. In the 13-14 team competition which is about to end, it's not good enough for a playoff berth. Thus, my team sucks. No, I'm not a player, I'm an assistant coach.

Coached my team for the first team on Saturday. 86-85 victory. Surprisingly, eventhough the opposing team were rallying in the closing minutes a sense of calm took over and I had no worries. Either this coaching thing could work out or a farted without realizing it. Who knows?

In my absence from this thing I've at times wanted to post things i've read, heard, seen, but honestly...do I need to share everything with you? What do you share with me? Why is this relationship soo lopsided? What do bring to the table? ...Shocks!

Anyhow, I'n really got nothing to talk about, but one thing that has been on my mind was this sad story I read about 6 weeks ago. 

The story was about a minor league baseball player in the US. Now, we all know that the economic times that we presently live in could be a lot better, but may get worse for many before any relief is felt. 

Baseball was the one sport America can truly call their own. Wait...I take that back. They lost the World Baseball Classic...again a couple weeks ago. Anywho, the sport is ginormous there. Rookie contracts can range from $100,000 to $2 million, respectable major leaguers can command anywhere between $5 million and $30 million per year.

Alex Rodriguez would currently be in year 9 of a 10-year $252 million contract, if he had not opted out of that contract 2 years ago.

For those of you out there that know anything about sports would know that it's both risky and beneficial to opt out of contracts. Risky in the sense that your future employer prospects think you aren't worth the dinero you made till that point and offer you less, beneficial if your game is tight...you stand the chance of making more. 

So dude opted out. New deal as of 2007....$10-year $275 million. I guess steroid abuse pays off after all.

Anyhow, A-Rod had nothing to do with my story. Simply wanted to paint a picture of the type of money that's out there and that is generated by the sport.

In just about every sport there's a minor league system. The Minor League for baseball, the D-League for basketball. And just like in every sport, an athlete is paid depending on individual production, merchandise sales, etc. It's a whole big sports economic thing. I read 35 pages of my Sports Economy 101 book, so I know about 10% of what I'm talking about

Baseball team rosters are quite large 20-30 men deep. So in order to make sure they have enough talent training and improving their skills, they got A, AA and AAA teams. AAA being the best, right below the majors.

The story I read on MSN.com news was about the death of a 26-year old A-division player. He died of a drug overdose. Now, drug overdoses isn't one that get sympathy from me or most people, but you haven't heard the full story.

We've all heard the saying, "It ain't worry ...peanuts" or ...pennies, or ...shit, or ...a Goddamn thing, OR whatever. But damn, the card this ball player was dealt was just down right wrong.

Trading and Bartering has been common practice probably as old as time itself. Bartering being the trade or goods and/or services for equal goods and/or services without the use of money. 

The definition of Bartering continues to say that bartering usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis.

Trades are made in sports at all times. It's a general managers job to assemble players that each bring a unique asset to a team and not just have a bunch of talented guys running up and down a court...*ahem* 2004-2008 New York Knickerbockers *ahem*.

Take for example the blockbuster trade of Kevin Garnett from the T-wolves to the Celtics in 2007. KG, by his lonesome and his $20+ million contract was exchanged for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes. 

Equal trade?

KG was the franchise's player for 11 long seasons. Quickly approaching 30 years, still productive, but it was him by himself.

Al Jefferson, plays PF/C, has the potential to be KG-esque in the coming years as his game develops. Gerald Green, high-flying youngster with raw skills. Sebastian Telfair, cousin of Stephon Marbury....all-round waste of a roster spot. Ryan Gomes...descent player. 

Individually none of these cats can match KG, but collectively they could build something in Minnesota that KG was able to do before Kevin McHale (the GM) lost his mind. Individually the made peanuts in comparison to KG, but collectively the sum of their contracts came close enough to be worth trade consideration and the ultimate trade or the fiercest player of this generation.

Now that you have an idea of how it's done, let's get back to baseball.

Barter: the exchange of equal goods and services for no money. 

Ok, back to the tragic story of this minor leaguer John Odom. John was a pitcher for some crappy independent team.  He wasn't on his way to winning the Cy Young award or anything, so dude was expendable. He wasn't worth much and his team really needed some new lumber.

Now athletes render services and in return they get paid. Not only them, everyone does it. People perform different services depending on the job. In sports, people are view, however, as commodities aka goods. Albeit that they are referred to as "goods", goods can't render services. Good are goods. It's like two guys trying to have a baby...it ain't gonna happen.

Now, John isn't the role model everyone thinks athletes ought to be. Dude had several known bouts with narcotics, but he pulled thru. Baseball was his dream and he wasn't gonna let that stand in his way.

But back to this trade...

His team ain't really care too much for him, he's a crappy pitcher, not really making it in their pitching rotation. Do what all teams do, trade and hope the next guy delivers. But there isn't much cash to throw around. You wanna get a player, you not only have to take over their contracts, but you must drive or fly them to wherever you may be. As this costs money. 

DAMN IT ALL THIS WASTED PAPER!!!

Hey, quick solution, instead of paying ALL that money to fly dude out, how about you just give us 10 Maple wood bats, double-dipped black 34-inch - C243 style and we'll throw in the pitcher for no cost.

Hmmmm....DEAL!

The trade of a minor league pitcher for 10 bats. These aren't no bats that'll guarantee winning and was priced at $1000 a bat. They were $69.99. Buy six and you get a discount of $4.49 per bat. 

WOW!!!

Baseball players eat peanuts and chew tobacco a lot, it's like a given in the world on baseball. You sit in the dugout, you chew peanuts or chewing tobacco. I'd feel better, if I were traded for peanuts...at least. Then people still wouldn't be able to say, "Dude, you ain't worth peanuts." I'd then pull out my contract and prove them otherwise.

But that was not the case with John Odom, he couldn't say that. Probably didn't even have a written contract made. Team probably received the bats and told John to go to the other team to thank them and while there they called and said, "Stay there, in case the need help with stuff."

To the General Manager that made that deal and to all other GM's out there, yes, I'll admit it was funny. But there's gotta be something else you could do for shits and giggles other than making a total mockery of some poor young man. 

Go quail hunting and laugh at the fat that you are on private property hunting birds that don't fly.

Go toss midgets cross a room and make them squirm.

Go...I dunno, do something else.

Shame on you and all the others that have made similar deals for Turkeys, or fish or whatever. SHAME ON YOU!!!

You know what, to be traded/bartered for not even peanuts, becoming the laughing stock of baseball. Not just of crappy A division, but of ALL baseball, sports as a whole and in general life. I, too, would have probably began experimenting heavily with recreational drugs.

Not to be mean or anything, but...better you than me pannuh.

R.I.P. John Odom