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First, you are assuming that these people have their identities wrapped up in their job. Not all of us operate that way. I want to be good at what I do, but what I do doesn't encompass me as a person. I work so that I can afford security for my family and to do the things I want to do.

While I agree completely that work is not all that is important I think you have a responsibility to do right by your company and the people that pay you. If you going somewhere else would help the customers that have so loyally followed you and that made it possible in the first place for you to make your money and support your family you have a responsibility to those customers. I am not advocating you hurt your family in the process but lets be honest. This is a business and while you have the right to stand by your contractual "no trade clause" you also have a responsibility to do what is best for the company and the customers... otherwise you are just as bad as someone who refuses to play or makes bad blood in the club house because you have a way to help and you refuse for your own concerns. See: Toohey, Ellsworth.

I agree with your general premise in the professional sense, but you are forgetting that these guys have personal and family lives.

That said I just do not accept that someone who is a millionaire tens of times over has to sacrifice anything to go play in another city (especially when that multi-millionaire can hand pick that city). His family can go live in that mansion in Beverly Hills for 2-3 years, or Manhattan, or San Fransisco or any other gorgeous city you choose. It isn't as if we would be sending him to Cleveland for cripes sake. These guys don't want to uproot the family then you can fly them back and forth or you can fly back and forth. It is a better deal than our Armed Forces get and they do something a helluva lot more important. We just watched a team publicly bash a manager for 3 months (to the point that one player had to ask them to stop speaking ill of Cooper in public)... do you really believe that those players gave a flying bleep about that guys family? Apparently family only seems to matter when it is theirs. The same could be said of us fans... we certainly don't seem to care that that guy we just yelled horrible things about on the radio has a family. We here on this board have said things we probably wouldn't have said had that players daughter been sitting next to us. So, he asks cynically, why start caring now?

Also, no one has come to them and said we are rebuilding, so maybe they believe THEY can be the pieces that lead this team to glory.

I completely agree and I never stated anything otherwise. All of this is an assumption and a hope that IF management came to them and said this that they would agree. I haven't said that they have or even that they would (personally I have 0 hope that they will trade any of these guys or even make the overture to them). My only statement was IF management did this I would hope that Berkman or Oswalt would consider it. It is no bigger assumption than all the people who assume they would NEVER waive their no trade clause. I was simply pointing out that I think there is a chance that they would.

Finally while I am comparing this to a "real world job" I think we can all safely agree that professional sports is nothing like the real world. I can make 20 paper balls into the trash can across my office but I don't get 10 million a year to do it daily. However I think all people at the top of their respective professions have three things in common (and these aren't necessarily bad or in any order).

1: An unbelievable ego. They have to believe they are the best. No one becomes CEO by thinking that guy over there is better suited to lead this company better than I can.
2: An unrelenting competitive desire to win. You don't get to be this good without a fire to beat the competition. You can never relax.
3: Pride in your accomplishments. If you are happy with only doing what it takes to get paid then you probably won't last long and you certainly don't stay at the top very long if you managed to make it there.

These guys are the top of their profession. They had to sacrifice everything to make it to this level. Do you really believe that they aren't wrapped up in their jobs? Do you think that you and I can possibly compare out feelings for our job to theirs? Also do I, as a fan, want to give my hard earned money to watch a bunch of guys who are only willing to play hard so that their earning potential and job security isn't affected? Do you want to watch that team?