One of the great things about baseball is that it can make us feel dumb. You think you’ve got the game figured out, and it surprises you. You think Livan Hernandez is going to blow out his arm any day now, and years later you learn from scouts that Hernandez is one of the most notable “coasters” in the game, a pitcher who rarely throws his best fastball and conserves his velocity during the game - and oh, by the way, he hasn’t been on the DL this century.
I have no problem being that kind of dumb - it’s an opportunity to learn something. Sometimes, though, I’m just dumb. Like in today’s column, when I questioned whether Tim Wakefield had a no-trade clause in his indentured serv…er…contract with the Red Sox. I forgot that Wakefield has such a no-trade clause - it’s called the Ten-and-Five rule, something that’s applied to him since 2003 or so. Fortunately, half the members of Red Sox Nation were kind enough to bring this to my attention today. I think Curt Schilling was in there somewhere.
I apologize for the error. But I stand by the other 99% of the column; Wakefield’s contract is egregiously unbalanced towards the team, well above and beyond the call of duty that loyalty implies.
0 comments have been left for this post.
