Baseball is NOT like any other business. There are not thousands of people outside my company who feel the same passion about my performance as they do with baseball players. Parents dont take their kids out on Friday nights to watch me work and if they did, those kids wouldnt look back on it as great childhood memories in 20 years. Thats why Beltran makes $119 million and I make well, significantly less. Thats why his contract is guaranteed for 7 years and I can get fired tomorrow if I dont perform. Thats why Kenny Rogers is still employed with the Texas Rangers where I would have been canned before the camera hit the ground.

With that in mind, those select people who do care about my employment status and job performance would be upset if I strung along my current company just to jack up the price of a competitor with whom I was going to sign with the whole time anyway. Its not illegal and its done in many other forms of business, but its dishonest, classless, and really shows that individuals true personality. Hes still a great ballplayer (although I agree he is overrated), but he brought this reputation on himself and he cant be that shocked by the reaction.

I say that this shows the passion that Astro fans have for their team and because of certain PR reasons, none of the players can really say anything, but Id bet that within that clubhouse there are more than a few players who are proud of how these fans have stood up for the team. Im sure they love the emotion that the fans are showing towards them.

So to borrow zzagman's tag line... Fire at Will!!