Cliff Lee and The Deal That Revolutionized Professional Sports

Cliff Lee: Game-Changer

For many, December 13, 2010 is a day that lives in infamy.

On that most ominous of Mondays, free agent ace Cliff Lee picked up his Blackberry, placed a Collect Call to Rangers GM Jon Daniels and proceeded to tell him news that will reverberate through the very foundations of professional sports – perhaps for all eternity.

“I’m sorry,” said Lee, “But I’m taking this lowball offer from the Phillies. I will tighten my belt. I will apply for food stamps if I have to. But I am settling for 5 years, $120 million. I want to win. And I want to win in a city with great fans.”

The immediate aftermath of Lee’s landscape-altering decision unfolded in a series of sharp and dizzyingly unpredictable episodes: George Steinbrenner rolled over in his grave, Braves fans lit themselves on fire, gold futures jumped 15 dollars, Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s head exploded.

“New Yorkers will remember this as the day the Earth stood still,” said a headless Cashman via email.

Indeed, the fallout of the “The Decision: Part Two,” as it’s now being called, figures to deal a greater blow to the cash-flushed Yankees than their financially strapped opponents. New York offered $20 million more  ($50 if you believe the Post) and an additional year. By snubbing the Bronx, Lee has severely weakened the death grip of a franchise that, up until now, assumed it could simply buy players by outbidding the competition.

"I know how to stretch a dollar." ~ Cliff Lee

A “new normal” is upon us, and it is now all too clear that money means nothing to people like Lee. If Sprewell’s “I need to feed my family” was the rallying cry of the recklessly extravagant Oughts, Lee’s “My kids will just have to go to public schools” is a maxim for a new generation – one that’s felt the pains of evaporating IRAs, shopping at Winn Dixie, and now, a $120 million star pitcher.

Some even speculate Lee might’ve accepted $119 million. Said ESPN baseball analyst Jayson Stark, “It’s quite possible he might’ve accepted $119 million.”

To understand the magnitude of someone of Lee’s stature passing up $20-50 million on the open market, one must first grasp the time-tested tenets of inflation. When superstar pitcher and home run specialist Mike Hampton signed with the Colorado Rockies for $121 million at the turn of the century, it was widely assumed by financial experts – among them, Alan Greenspan – that the One Billion Dollar Athlete was not just a real possibility, but a foregone conclusion.

This notion was somewhat undermined by the Giants purchase of Barry Zito for a mere $126 million in 2006 and then further blunted that same year when the Astros could only muster $12.5 million for a half season of Roger Clemens.

But in 2007, the Boss stepped in, rescuing a tradition of excess by re-upping a 33-year-old third baseman with a history of steroid abuse for 10 years, $300 million.

"I roll my cigars with Benjamins." ~ Alex Rodriguez

For a second time in the span of seven years, the rarified 10-digit paycheck seemed a mere formality. And so the wide eyes of a sporting nation turned to Lee, the golden-armed unicorn who would bring his talents to South Bronx for amounts hitherto unknown.

That Lee turned his back on a fundamental American principle ushers in a new paradigm in which monetary compensation exists both an outdated vehicle for negotiation and the bulwark of an obsolete way of thinking.

“Capitalism’s just not for me,” Lee said in an abbreviated statement.

The former Ranger’s “less is more” mentality has already taken hold in MLB front offices to the point that even proponents of a salary cap and revenue sharing are beginning to admit that neither is necessary anymore.

“When a consummate competitor like Cliff Lee is not only content, but downright happy, with $120 million, small market clubs like ours are given a radically different lease on life,” said Royals GM Dayton Moore. “The real question now is: how low can you go? Is Zack Greinke worth 600 grand? We’ll see what happens. Are we crossing our fingers? Sure, we’re crossing our fingers. But let’s just say we expect Christmas to come early this year for KC fans.”

Others were not as enthusiastic, and in fact, the backlash from members of the Players Union’s “old gaurd” has been swift and biting.

“Glad I got mine,” said Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, while teammate Alex Rodriguez described the deal simply as “horsesh*t.”

Ex-Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan, when reached for comment on his compound in Siberia, said the contract “borders on communism” and that “it’s not a coincidence the Phillies wear red.”

(Many leftist activist groups have since endorsed Lee’s decision, offering communal housing free of charge should he run out of money before his deal expires.)

Just four days on, the sports world is already grappling with the repercussions of the Lee signing, but assessing the full consequences of “The Deal” is likely a job for economists and baseball historians of a future age.

Still, as of December 17, 2010, it is safe to say that we’ve come to the following irrevocable verdict: this is the end of greed, this is the end of money, and this is very possibly, too, the end of baseball as we know it.

- Robbie