The worst season of Vernon Wells' career will be followed by the payment of an $8.5 million US bonus, the beginning of a seven-year arrangement that will see the outfielder paid a whopping $126 million.
Superstar money for a player performing nowhere close to that status.
While nothing about Wells -- personally -- lends itself to questioning, his lack of delivery, his lack of leadership this big-league season certainly puts the monstrous deal the Blue Jays signed him to as a dubious investment.
While his salary will come in at just $500,000 next season and $1.5 million in 2009, Wells will be paid $25.5 million in bonus money prior to the next three seasons, followed by salaries of $12 million, $23 million, and the last three seasons each at $21 million.
Wells cashed in at the right time, after the right kind of year. He doesn't seem like the kind of person or athlete who is about to cash out on his own career.
Here's hoping this season is the blip on the radar and that he hasn't robbed the Rogers baseball bank in the process.
THIS AND THAT
It's fine for John Ferguson to say he was keenly aware of the perils of trading for Mark Bell. But how would he have explained the deal had Bell been sentenced to jail immediately for his drunk driving charge, rather than getting the pro athlete you-can-serve-it-when-you-want-to treatment in California? ... Memo to newspaper editors: Mats Sundin's new squeeze isn't so new. She lived with Sundin in Toronto most of last season. She could have been photographed most days in Toronto ... If anyone in the NHL truly believes Andrew Raycroft is a No. 1 goalie, they'd make a pitch to the Leafs for him. At $2 million a year, the price is cheap for a starting netminder. But to date, no real offers of consequence ... Smart for Chris Bosh to limp away from Team USA. He needs his feet ready for the Raptors season. Just wondering: If he finished last season with foot trouble, why would the Raps even allow their star player go to high-end training camp in the first place?
HEAR AND THERE
Not hard to figure why the Blue Jays are so middle-of-the- road. The club is 14th in batting, 17th in runs scored, 22nd in earned run average ... J.P. Ricciardi isn't afraid to make the big move, just not necessarily the right move. He didn't care for Kelvim Escobar, but loved A.J. Burnett. Escobar is the better pitcher. He didn't care much for Orlando Hudson or Miguel Batista and traded them from Troy Glaus. Hudson, a defensive whiz, has more RBIs than Glaus, who has a bad back. Batista has 13 wins for a Seattle team fighting for a playofff spot ... Have to admit I'm cheering for Milwaukee Brewers to hang on in the National League. Canadian Doug Melvin is the general manager, his assistant is the York U grad Gord Ash, and the first baseman, Prince Fielder, was born in Toronto ... Also cheering for the Phillies in the wild-card race. I confess: Still a big Pat Gillick admirer ... Just how valuable is Barry Bonds? The Giants are 3-12 in games in which he has hit home runs this season.
SCENE AND HEARD
We have only one big-time women's golf tournament in Canada and one big-time tennis tournament. Do they really need to compete with each other on the same week? ... Can't remember a less inspiring week of tennis than what we've seen at the Rexall Centre this Rogers Cup ... Great to turn on the television yesterday and hear Buck Martinez doing a Blue Jays game from the Baltimore broadcast. All that was missing was Dan Shulman beside him ... This from Bud Geracie, acting sports editor of the San Jose Mercury News: "The season hasn't even started yet and already the Raiders have made their coach sick." ... From the department of one of these things is not like the other: Going into yesterday, the top three passers of this NFL pre-season week were 1. Tom Brady; 2. Donovan McNabb; 3. Casey Printers ... My all-geography team includes Joe Montana, Martin St. Louis, Nathan Detroit, David Boston, Tom Europe, and Tom Canada, the Winnipeg Blue Bomber who just happens to be from Indiana.
HERE'S WHAT BECAME OF...
Turner Ward, the former Blue Jay, is managing the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League (class-A baseball), a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team. Since retiring from baseball, Ward has worked as a youth pastor, a home-builder in Alabama, and for the past two years, a baseball manager.
AND ANOTHER THING
After he finds a way to suspend Michael Vick -- say, for life or maybe longer -- the next step for Roger Goodell, the hard-line NFL commissioner, is to find a way to rid the league of rookie holdouts. The new commish isn't about standing pat and is off to an impressive start ... Erik Bedard, a Canadian, may well be the best starting pitcher in baseball. This comes on the heals of Justin Morneau winning an MVP and Eric Gagne winning a Cy Young. Suddenly, in small numbers, this country is kicking baseball ass ... Definition of non-triumphant: Marc Boerigter's return to the Canadian Football League ... The Mookie Mitchell signing by the Argos didn't make much news or much impact but it sure did cause a divide in the club's front office. A consensus signing this wasn't ... Under the circumstances, hearing that "I prefer the whore that is your sister"might make me head- butt somebody or laugh. Not sure which ... Why is it news when an NHL general manager contacts Peter Forsberg's agent to inquire about the player? Shouldn't it be news if a GM doesn't contact Don Baizley to ask about the most talented free agent left in the pool?,... And hey, whatever became of Trevor Johansen?
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