Bedtime Fan Fuss - Flash of Greatness? (part 2)

Strike up the band and let the cymbals drop. On Monday night, I wrote about the possibility of the Phillies signing Tom "Flash" Gordon as their new closer. The very next day, ESPN.com reported that the New York Yankees were trying to keep him in the fold. I began to hope that the Yankees would outbid the Phils for his service, but it wasn't to be. Flash is now the bull in the pen waiting for the inning of glory.

The first thing that came to my mind was Kuni in the film "UHF" yelling, "stupid!" I've been doing some basic math, and figured out that the Phillies are going to save $9 million a year from Jim Thome's traded contract, and had the $10 million per year that they had offered to Wagner available to play with. That's $19 million, and the best guy they could get is Gordon. Not to mention, GM Pat Gillick offered Flash nearly double what the Yankees paid him this past season. All this for a 38-year-old guy who has, from 1999-2000, missed a season and a half in one stretch due to injury.

"Stupid! You are so stupid!" Another thing that got me was that the Phillies were offering around $10 million per year to Wagner, a proven closer with 284 career saves and eight seasons with more than 20 saves. The 34-year-old Wagner also boasts an ERA of 2.40 over his 10-year career. Instead, Gillick and the Phillies brain(less) trust offered $18 million over three GUARANTEED years to a guy with only 116 career saves, and only two seasons of more than 20 saves. The Phillies are saving only $3 million compared with Wagner's 2005 salary.

It's evidently clear that the Phillies are overpaying a "common" to replace an All-Star. What more can I say? Oh yeah, "STUPID!"