 LYGHT AND THE TRANSITION TAG, BY RAMMED FOR
LIFE (Feb 10) |
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1. LYGHT. In an
article last week Lyght was quoted as being miffed about the idea of being named a
Transition Player. Did he want to be a wholly unrestricted FA? I don't think so. Here is the point. When the Rams turned it around, Lyght changed his attitude about staying. Half way through the season, he said he relished the thought of being Franchised. When you are Franchised, that means the team agrees to give you at least an average of the top five players at the position. So, Lyght figured he'd make great money and stay with the team which had become a wonderful place to play. The Transition tage, though, is different. Again, the team agrees to pay a minimum, and it is pretty good money. But, it is based, I think, on an average of more players at the position, so the money does not match what the Franchise tag guarantees. More important is the status, which is why players care about contracts anyway. 2. IT'S NOT THE MONEY PER SE. It's Status and "Respect"! I am neither approving nor disapproving here. Just observing. What you have to keep in mind with pro athletes is that they are motivated above all else by competitiveness! Dollars in the contract provide a scale of measurement. If you sign for 3.5 Mill and I sign for 3.8 mill, I get the upper hand on you. It has ALWAYS been this way. In the mid-1960s, Wilt Chamberlain signed for the unbelievable sum of $100,000.00. Bill Russell held out. He said, "I am either worth a dollar more than WIlt or I am not." He signed for $100,001.00. Really! When athletes get together at functions, golf tournaments, and the like, they establish a pecking order based on salary. High man gets privileges. I heard Charles Barkley talking about how he has come down in the NBA world because he is playing for reduced money. See, the MONEY ITSELF is not the point to most of these guys. It is a perpetually sliding scale. No matter how much Albert Belle makes in '96, Griffey is going to want more. It is the numbers and their ability to confer distinction. These guys are kids playing a game. Think about your typical foursome playing golf for 50 cents a hole. The money doesn't matter in the least. But paying up sure does! A guy to whom $1.25 is a completely negligible sum of money will be eating his liver if he has to pay it to the buddy who beat him 3 and 2. Very few of these guys relate to the money itself. Many piss it away as quickly as they get it. Rodman is frequently broke. Few of them think in terms of investing and long term returns on investment--all that stuff we think about. What they DO think about is the fact that 4-5 teams are going to bring them in on all-expense-paid visits to flatter them, tell them how great they are, and court them. it is like national letter of intent day when they were in High School. It is a pure ego-rush. Anyway, that's one angle on it. There are others. But as fans we must remember: These guys are pros. Mercenaries. They play for money. They are like the Swiss mercenaries of the late Medieval era who fought for one side until the contract ended, then switched sides. Let's enjoy what family-like feeling we can manage--but don't trust any of it. Money rules. 3. BACK TO LYGHT. So IMO Lyght feels insulted by being named a Transitional player when, a couple years ago, the Rams used the Franchise tag on Ryan McNeil, a lameass CB if I ever saw one. In the article last week, Lyght referred darkly to "other players who have been franchised who are not as good as me": i.e. Ryan McNeil. Lyght wants to be a Ram. But he wants money and stature, too. And the Transition rather than the Franchise tag is a step down from his expectations. Stay tuned. |
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