Thursday, January 19, 2012

Lincecum arbitration complication

Asterisk, arbitration and absolute zero, to baseball fans and astrophysicists alike, they are, in a word, "arbitrary". Their definitions and emcancipations elude the greatest minds of the sports world and beyond.

In a fit, and legal argument that could not be avoided Tim Lincecum got the worst of the deal.

He did get offered $17-million by the San Francisco Giants, but it feels like a slap in the face. Like getting hit by your girlfriend with a silk pillow. (But I guess I really wouldn't know. Beside the point, moving on.... Like always. Tear.)

But the two-time Cy Young award winner was asking for four-million dollars MORE, a whopping $21-million a year, deservedly or not, grander than the team was offering.

Arbitration is like the MLB divorce court. There is nothing pleasant about it; arguing the worth of a player using, in some cases, any means necessary to prove their value or rather lack there of. The inevitable tug-of-war, hurt feelings and testy in-laws.

And this legal off-season battle doesn't happen often but it should be taken notice of by the public. A good player, and agent cannot come to terms on an agreement with their team and are forced into court to resolve these issues. During the NFL Lockout the court went as far as to assign a mediator to try to loosen the grip of the school-age-kid-like-adults trying to swap pudding packs.

This won't end pretty for either side; it would be hard to iron out all four-million of those differences. The whole situation, including the conception of arbitration, between Lincecum and the Giants is a shady situation. A bit arborous if you ask me.

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