Is Scott Boras the Most Hated Man in Sports?

Uber Agent Points Out that There Are Two Sides to Every Story


By Mike Takeuchi

(This interview was taken on August 19, two days after Boras client, former San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg signed for a record $15.1 million over four years. The top three picks, Strasburg, Dustin Ackley, the former University of North Carolina outfielder(Mariners), and high school outfielder (Padres) Donavan Tate were the top three picks in the draft. All are Boras' clients. Boras was at Chavez Ravine checking up on Manny Ramirez and the Cardinals' then latest addition, Matt Holliday.)


While pundits have for better or worse named Scott Boras as the most influential man in baseball, owners and man fans have used language only printable in Penthouse to condemn him as the anti-Christ who is destined to bring Armageddon to their beloved pastime. A recent conversation with Boras at Dodger Stadium revealed a man who wanted to set the record straight.

Boras, who grew up in northern California while rooting for the likes of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, is a lifelong fan of the game whose fondest memory is seeing the athleticism of Mays close-up and the experiencing the kindness of another Giants great Willie McCovey in person.

The former minor league infielder, who began his current profession by negotiating contracts for a not-yet perennial All-Star Keith Hernandez in the early 1980’s, currently represents a roster of talent that could contend for the World Series. With a client list that includes Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez Boras has drawn admirers and detractors alike due to his aggressive style-most recently with the holdouts of draft picks that included the much coveted Stephen Strasburg.

While acknowledging that baseball, to the tune of 5% of players he represents, has been very, very good to him, the 56 year old pointed out that it is a two-way street in terms of player contracts. After Strasburg signed with the Washington Nationals for $15.1 million over four years, the calls for a salary cap along with Boras’ head on the blogs intensified. When this was brought up, Boras was quick to respond.

“My opinion is if they don’t put a cap on revenue, why should they put a cap on salaries?” Boras asked. “The quid pro quo of the game is that in 1990, baseball made $1 billion dollars, in 2000 they made three, and last year, it was a record $6.5 billion. No owner is going to put salaries into a player or players that will put his position in peril. That would be bad business. And the playing field, although not even, is made easier by revenue sharing of teams that aren’t as well managed or don’t have the market of others.

“Everyone is doing really well with that formula working. I don’t know why you would change it because the franchise values for each team have gone up.”
While Forbes Magazine verified that the revenue numbers back Boras statement, the article stated that the 2009 Major League Opening day rosters had a salary of just over $2.6 billion-not including minor leaguers. Also, in 2008, the Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays were the only teams that reported losses-but all three were profitable thanks to substantial media packages.

“In baseball we have an agreement that 50% goes to the players, who are hugely responsible for making the profits, and 50% goes to the owners in an equitable situation,” Boras said. “And because of this, I honestly don’t see any kind of reform happening soon because revenue is at or above last year’s record season.”

When it was pointed out that the revenues will drop off due to an expected 17- 20% attendance decrease (according to veteran baseball journalist Peter Gammons) due to the poor economy across the board, Boras thinks that the sport will be less affected over the long haul.

“In the economy you need to look at a specific industry as opposed to looking at the general economy, and baseball is doing very well comparatively,” Boras said. “Attendance is down, but I think baseball will bounce back.”

When I asked him about Joe Fan, I got the answer I was expecting from any media savvy spokesperson.

“Baseball continues to be more affordable than the other sports,” Boras said. “I think that, its frequency, more chances for a personal connection with the players will keep people coming to the park.”

I cynically said that I hope he was right. I'm not sure if he heard me.

Rays Manager's Cycle of Life

By Mike Takeuchi (Photo by Larry Goren)



In my travels, I found that whether one's choice of two-wheeler is a rusty old cruiser or the latest $10,000 carbon schnitzel road bike, the subject of bicycling is often a great icebreaker.

I will never forget the time when an initially crotchety elderly gentleman melted into whimsy when he was asked about a 50-year-old bike in the corner of his store

Recently, a similar discussion with a regular "Joe" occurred.

Perhaps Joe Maddon was tired about talking about the game the night before. Or maybe the Tampa Bay Rays' manager was done explaining the many moves of a roster that includes former Santa Barbara Foresters pitchers Matt Garza and James Shields and how they will keep them in contention for a playoff berth.

But as he sat in the visitor's dugout in Anaheim, Maddon's eyes lit up and his voice became animated when the subject of bicycling came up. An avid cyclist, the former bench coach for the Angels has taken a bike on the road with him for years much to the delight of Mike Scioscia, his opposing manager and former boss.

"Joe loves that thing," Scioscia said. "Whenever he went out on the road, he had to have it with him."

In addition to his ever-present laptop, an iPod full of eclectic music, and some books, Maddon always brought along a mountain bike that would require disassembling and reassembling with every stop. To his former manager's amusement, he would often ride from the team's hotel to the stadium.

Now, as manager of a World Series team, he can afford three bikes, a Trek 6500 mountain bike, a Trek 7700 FX hybrid, and a Bike Friday-a high end folding bike that fits in a suitcase.

The Bike Friday, which is made by Green Gear Cycling in Eugene, Ore., allows Madden to ride 80-100 miles a week when he's on the road.

"I really like the Bike Friday because it's a great bike and very convenient for the road," Maddon said.

Despite having first-rate workout facilities in the stadiums and hotels that the team visits, Maddon chooses cycling over the Stairmaster.

"It's great, people have no idea how good it is when concerning your stress level," he said. "You can go to the gym and ride a stationary bike, but it doesn't have the same feel of riding outdoors. When it comes down to feeling the wind and Sun on your face, it's not even close."

August 10, 2009: The Day I Felt Like a Journalist

Sitting in the quietude of Anaheim Stadium overlooking a darkened field with only the grounds crew and a few family members lingering, I felt a light bulb go off in my head.

Moments earlier, Vlad Guerrero hit his 399th and 400th home runs. Kendry Morales didn't have such a bad day either with two of his own. The Rays Jason Bartlett came up a single short of the cycle and his Tampa Bay team lost a thrilling 8-7 game against the Angels. To complete the spectrum, former Foresters player Matt Garza had a terrible day, one that had him ending up throwing things in the dugout.

To me, baseball was only part of what I tell my wife Munch was "a day and a half."

With two decidedly different projects going on-one, interviewing major and minor leaguers about their memories of playing with the Santa Barbara Foresters baseball team. The other, a tale about my cousin's original birth father who was a spy and covert operations specialist for the O.S.S.-the precursor to the CIA.
August 10, 2009 was a day that awed me in two senses, the first about the tale of my cousin's family just because it seemed so improbably. The second, about the awe in the form of physical prowess that caused this writer to gasp not once, but twice.
The fact that I have the privilege to write about them both in the present and the near future has awakened a spirit that lay dormant while writing meaningless pieces that paid bills, yet inspired none. All the while, being able to talk shop with the likes of former New York Times sportswriter and current Sports Illustrated writer Lee Jenkins and discuss cycling with Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon.
And lastly,I was not only able to interview someone (in this case Garza) who didn't particularly have a good day, but managed to get him to smile when getting him to think about something other than the game. Okay, the last thing is a bit over-the-top indulgent, but it's my blog after all.

In short, today was a pretty damn good day for this journalist.