So I've been thinking about these latest rounds of Roy-mors. And I can come to three conclusions/observations.
*This process - the long, drawn-out, two month process - of Roy asking to be traded, has shown that he isn't the most honest guy in the world. There's a possibility that Roy is kind of a douche. This shouldn't be a surprise, but it's caught me off-guard. From his initial "this isn't about the Astros not doing well, it's about wanting to win" argument was ridiculous to begin with. But to claim that he just wants to go to a contender, and then apparently wanting the Phillies to exercise that '12 option 18 months in advance shows that it's about money, too. Going back and being willing to play with the option for the Cardinals shows that it's not even about going to a contender. Roy said he wanted to win. The Phillies are set up pretty well to be even better in 2011, if they don't get it done this year. So not only does Roy want to win, he wants to win RIGHT NOW.
Roy also said that any deal has to work for both the Astros and him. The better deal for the franchise - which it seems like he doesn't care too much about, anymore - is the potential three-team deal with the Phillies and Rays. The Cardinals don't have the depth the Rays do. But by complicating that move, the clear decision he's made is What Works Best For Him.
*There's another possibility that his agent is the one calling the shots. With the Bob Garber post, he seems to have his clients maintain a trust with him (Boehringer, Martin), believing that he has the business side under control, and then doign whatever benefits him. This is somewhat sunk by the Roy going through Cardinal channels aspect of this rumor. Maybe Roy is complicating the move on purpose, because he's trying to pick and choose. Ordinarily, I would feel that a pitcher of his caliber deserves that right, but not in this case. We can't eliminate the possibility that Roy hasn't done anything to deserve the vitriol.
*There's another strong possibility that the media is being manipulated - on any and all sides - to create a market. Roy has very little to say. His agent has nothing public to say. The Astros don't have much to say, and despite how ramped up the rumors get, they say the same thing. Other front offices aren't talking, yet these little nuggets keep getting dropped like the dog had too many kibbles. So who is leaking the information? Could be anybody. Regardless...
*It has come to the point where Roy has to be traded. I was moderately okay with him going to the Phillies, although it's getting boring - this replacing the 25-man roster with Phillies. And losing Roy would be like getting dumped. But now that Roy wants to go to the Cardinals, it's gotten personal. Roy is running the risk of going all Lyla Garrity on us.
I feel like I am fairly representative of all Astros fans (if a little detail-oriented). I can't get on board with seeing Oswalt in a Cardinals jersey, even if the Apparatus does fleece what's left of the Cardinals' system. I've never understood how players (*cough* Clemens *cough*) could go from the Red Sox to the Yankees (though have you noticed how few Yankees go to the Red Sox) It's the business side of the game, and Roy is getting his money whether we like him or not. But for once, it would be nice for the player to realize that the fans provide the opportunity to make baseball a business. I thought Roy might have been that guy. He's not.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
