Money, money, money

It tends to enrage me when I hear about athletes holding out, or just plain not signing, with the teams that drafted them.

This time of year, it’s usually a few NFL draft picks who haven’t yet signed with their first pro teams, presumably because said teams did not offer enough money. While baseball draft picks signings tend to fly under the radar a bit, one big one did not this summer.

Stephen Strasburg, a hard-throwing right-hander from San Diego State University, ended a lengthy standoff with the Washington Nationals just before Monday’s midnight deadline for draft picks to sign. He agreed to a record contract that will pay him $15.1 million — and he’s never thrown a pitch in the major leagues.

What is really, really irritating about these situations are quotes like this:

“It's an amazing feeling. I really wasn't sure if it was going to happen, but I'm glad it did.”

That’s what Strasburg told ESPN after the deal finally got done. I like how he implies he had nothing to do with the fact that he took so damn long to sign.

There’s nothing wrong with guys like Strasburg, or any highly touted draft picks, trying to get all the money they can when they turn pro. It’s not their fault the system is broken. But far too often, teams put deals on the table that are quite a bit more than fair, and these kids turn up their nose and demand more.

These players say it’s been their lifelong dream to play pro ball. Then, presented with the opportunity get paid millions of dollars while fulfilling that dream, suddenly, those millions aren’t quite enough.