Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook
Around SBN: Please, Someone Make Bob Sapp Stop Already

MLBPA Files Grievance On Behalf Of Francisco Rodriguez, Mets Respond

Earlier today the MLBPA filed a grievance on behalf of loose-cannon reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who was placed on the disqualified list on Tuesday for, as Jeff Wilpon put it, "conduct in violation of his uniform player’s contract." The player's association was none too pleased.

"The Mets' actions are without basis," said Michael Weiner, the executive director of the MLBPA. "I expect the union will file a grievance promptly."

To which the Mets promptly responded with

"We disagree with the position of the Players Association. We believe our action was justified and appropriate"

And on it goes.

Comment 42 comments  |  0 recs  | 

Do you like this story?

Comments

Display:

months?

you have more faith in them than I.

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 18, 2010 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions  

These things take a while

because lawyer fees are involved, so the lawyers have an incentive to delay, delay, delay.

by aparkermarshall on Aug 18, 2010 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

Mets stay firm and goes to a hearing

also this will kill any big name FA wanting to join the mets.
end result
we suck again in 2011

I hate Philadelphia so much.

by the caveman on Aug 18, 2010 7:39 PM EDT reply actions  

Eh

That might not be a bad thing based on several recent experiences

by deadspy3 on Aug 18, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions  

really?

1. do you really think this will even register on the top 5 reasons any free agents would come to the mets?

and 2. do you really think big names are going to object to cutting a player who beat up an old man in front of other players families, including wives and kids?

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 18, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions  

Can someone explain the John Maine hate on this site?

The post above seems to me to be a list of reasons to give him the benefit of the doubt.

by MookieTheCat on Aug 18, 2010 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions  

John Maine?

I don’t think there’s really any hate for Maine himself, there’s hate for keeping him around when he’s clearly done.

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 18, 2010 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions  

Ah ok....

But I believe I’ve seen a lot of folks blaming him for the circumstances of his exist, impugning his character etc. In fact I think I once saw someone defend Jerry and Omar for the handling of that situation.

by MookieTheCat on Aug 18, 2010 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions  

I don't think the union has a chance

I mean, KO-Rod did violate the contract

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Aug 18, 2010 7:41 PM EDT reply actions  

how did he violate it?

unless there was a specific old man beating clause

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 18, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions  

he got injured in an off-field incident

I believe that is a breach of contract

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Aug 18, 2010 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions  

only if the off-field incidents

are specifically outlined in the contract as being banned

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 18, 2010 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions  

Illegal incidents most certainly will have been banned in that contract

If Krod is found guilty of assault the Mets will have a fairly ironclad case

Reyes, Thole, Wright, Beltran, Bay, Davis, Martinez, Tejada...

by Stephen Schmidt on Aug 18, 2010 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions  

I would thinking assaulting someone is a crime, no?

Don’t you think that would violate a contract if he indeed ASSAULTED someone?

John Olerud, Hall of Famer. Got a nice ring to it.

by squid92 on Aug 18, 2010 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions  

there's also the fact after he assaulted someone was booked and released

we immediately let him back on the team and had him pitch. What are they going to argue that it took them a few days to realize he’d assaulted someone?

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 18, 2010 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions  

Also....

DUI is a crime. By that metric a DUI would cause a team to be able to void a contract. There is no way the MLBPA would allow this. So my guess is there is some unwritten nuance or construction going on here that helps to explain this.

by MookieTheCat on Aug 18, 2010 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions  

He is only been charged at this point

At this point I think that he has only been charged with the crime. I would think that when all is said and done he will plea bargain to something less. I’m not sure how that will complicate things.

by MatthewM11 on Aug 19, 2010 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions  

From the Uniform Player Contract
Loyalty
3.(a) The Player agrees to perform his services hereunder diligently and faithfully, to keep himself in first-class physical condition and to obey the Club’s training rules, and pledges himself to the American public and to the Club to conform to high standards of personal conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship.

(Source: MLBPA)

Your 2010 Mets, sponsored by Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods.
A dog's breakfast for a dog's breakfast of a roster.

by Doc Manhattan on Aug 18, 2010 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions  

well he broke the personal conduct one

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Aug 18, 2010 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions  

Problem with this clause is...

Both that it seems to be negotiated from contract to contract (and thus not really “uniform”) and that there seems to be little explanation for what these terms mean.

by MookieTheCat on Aug 18, 2010 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

It is uniform, vide Article III
During the term of this Agreement, no other form of Uniform Player’s Contract will be utilized. Should the provisions of any Contract between any individual Player and any of the Clubs be inconsistent with the terms of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall govern.

(All the negotiable specifics are enumerated in the UPC; none are discipline-related.)

It makes sense that the responsibility for conduct and discipline are uniform throughout the league—otherwise there’d be no fair basis for suspensions etc. I have the feeling managemtn may also make the case that he’s in wilful breach of the physical fitness clause.

Your 2010 Mets, sponsored by Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods.
A dog's breakfast for a dog's breakfast of a roster.

by Doc Manhattan on Aug 18, 2010 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions  

I stand corrected on that point.

But I still don’t understand whether there is any construction of these terms, which seem rather vague. My guess is that they are vague for a reason. There are plenty of players who are inarguably not in “first class physical condition” so I’m guessing that these terms are either defined somewhere or are terms of art. Any idea on the latter point?

by MookieTheCat on Aug 18, 2010 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions  

i dont think this looks good or the mets

looks to me like they want to get out off their obligations in 2011 and the vesting 2012 option. its good that they probably recognize that the original contract was bad and they want to get out of it, but if they signed him to a below market contract they would have fined him or suspended him while he was injured or whatever but then once he was healthy they’d have him right back in the line up and would expect him to finish out the contract. my guess is the union is going to go balls out on this one.

we’ll see though, i’m no legal expert.

HELLO HELLO MR WILPON... BUY THAT MANSION. WE DONT NEED A CONDO.

by kendynamo on Aug 18, 2010 7:49 PM EDT reply actions  

This

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Aug 19, 2010 1:27 AM EDT up reply actions  

VOID

The contract can be voided legally if the injury occurs while participating in an activity prohibited by agreement in the contract (skydiving, motorcycling, etc.) or occurs while committing a crime (not sure if the contract specifies or has to specify a class of criminal activity: misdemeanor or felony?) which is also be considered a prohibited activity. Someone on ESPN explained this a while back in a story about Michael Vick & Plaxico Burress. Ron Gant also had his contract voided (not for any crime, just a debilitating motorcycle accident).

by MDMETSFAN on Aug 19, 2010 6:58 AM EDT reply actions  

They both got jail time

making it actually impossible for them to fulfill their contractual obligations.

mediocrity thy name is Wilpon- jdon

by Gina on Aug 19, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions  

Be careful taking things that happened in the NFL and applying them to the MLB.

One has an incredibly weak union, and the other has an incredibly strong one.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Aug 19, 2010 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions  

Ron Gant

did NOT have his contract voided. Gant was working on a non-guaranteed contract at the time—he has awarded the contract in his last year of arbitration—and the Braves cut him in spring training, so they only had to pay one month’s salary.

by Alex Nelson on Aug 19, 2010 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions  

it is a process and has to be done, and was probably expected

the union has to grieve this. it is their job.I am sure the Mets expected it and I think in this case the Mets win

by Rickfansince76 on Aug 19, 2010 7:05 AM EDT reply actions  

We sometimes forget that "character" is a component of most winning teams

Since this management team has been at work, I can recall only epic collapse, disappointment, lingering injuries, terrible personalities, clubhouse turmoil, and abductions. Does anyone know if Jason Bay has been abducted?

I want an independent investigation into whether there is a conspiracy to intentionally destroy the Knicks, Mets and Rangers.

by Shivling on Aug 19, 2010 7:33 AM EDT reply actions  

Nonsense

Winning is a component of most winning teams. Character is a component of most non profit organizations.

Excellent - everybody knows that.

by borasblog on Aug 19, 2010 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

"Character" is a part of individuals.

Winning and losing are components of ball clubs dependent upon talent.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Aug 19, 2010 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions  

The Mets Were Correct...

…. to do what they did but will probably either lose the case or will negotiate some kind of settlement so Rodriguez will get some money, though not all of it, and the Mets can part ways with him. The Won’t-pons will save some money from this, I think, which is THE bottom-line, with some “Moral Crusader” kudos thrown their way by certain media-types.

This franchise is a mess.

"We praise or blame as one or the other affords more opportunity for exhibiting our power of judgment." Friedrich Nietzsche, "Human,All Too Human" (1878)

by wgarrett on Aug 19, 2010 1:01 PM EDT reply actions  

I wonder

Where he ends up next year, and what he gets paid. As hard as it is to think about, I think Philly is the best fit. One year, 6mm sound about right?

Excellent - everybody knows that.

by borasblog on Aug 19, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions  

Comments For This Post Are Closed


FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Ctm-logo_small
My dirty little secret: I was once a Yankees fan
Awesome_small
Sabermetrics and Me: Drowning in Objectivity
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #3

Recent FanPosts

Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #6
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #5
X-wing_small
BrooksBaseball Player Cards: An Amazing Resource For Mets Fans Who Are Curious About How Pitchers Pitch In The Major Leagues
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #4
Small
Sandy Alderson, @MetsGM, and getting ready for Spring Training
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #1 (edit: and apparently #2)
Small
Two New York Players of OBP Yore

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

FanShots

Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.

Recommended FanShots

Judging by the comments to Matt Callan’s ode to 1986 Mets: A Year To Remember from a few weeks back, the video has a devoted Mets fan following. Despite being too young to remember anything about that season, it has a special place in my fandom as well. It was part of a two video rotation (Ghostbusters being the other) which ran almost daily on my television for a few years in the early 90s. And it remained a once-in-awhile watch through high school and college. 

Unsurprisingly, the physical tape deteriorated over time, and the screen jumps and sound skips made for a less than optimal viewing experience. With sale of the video discontinued, my brother converted it to DVD and gave it to me for Christmas in 2010. See the picture above for the box and DVD. He even created a scene selection function which can be accessed from the main menu. "Get Metsmerized!" plays on loop on the menu screen. It is my favorite Christmas gift ever and is still nice to throw on for a viewing.

"How'd we do it? Mirrors!"
I was flipping through some of my parents' photo albums this afternoon in search of one particular shot of the sign my older sister made for Mets Banner Day back in the late eighties. Though I didn't find that one — I'll post it when I eventually track it down, and I can assure you that it's Keith-themed — but I did stumble upon this wonderful photo of my younger sister's stuffed animal menagerie spread out in front of a glorious rainbow-festooned Mets pennant, also from the late eighties.

She works for the HRC now and was particularly delighted to be reminded of this photo.

(click to embiggen)
Now that banner day is back, hopefully this years will look a little like this. I know it's not great, but i don't pretend to be a professional. embiggen!

Recent FanShots

Dickey is # 2 defensive pitcher
Yahoo Sports comments on Sandy's Tweets
Using hindsight to redo the Mets’ offseason | Mets360
Cespedes to the Athletics
Kevin Goldstein Top 101
Okay, there is no way this is Sandy Alderson
Ike & Duda fantasy stocks rising
Sabermetrics! Fantasy League is live.
What if the Mets Never Traded for Johan Santana? | Patrick Flood
[O]f the $136.7M the Mets spent on players in 2011, $72.8M was given to...

+ New FanShot All FanShots >

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Ctm-logo_small
My dirty little secret: I was once a Yankees fan
Awesome_small
Sabermetrics and Me: Drowning in Objectivity
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #3

Recent FanPosts

Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #6
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #5
X-wing_small
BrooksBaseball Player Cards: An Amazing Resource For Mets Fans Who Are Curious About How Pitchers Pitch In The Major Leagues
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #4
Small
Sandy Alderson, @MetsGM, and getting ready for Spring Training
Mets002_small
2012 AA Prospects List #1 (edit: and apparently #2)
Small
Two New York Players of OBP Yore

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >


THE BIG GUY

Aa_avatar_small Eric Simon

THE INCREDIBLES

Blackfish2_small Alex Nelson

Endy_small Rob Castellano

Img_1262_small Matthew Artus

Kanye_pekka_small Sam Page

Best_infield_ever_small James Kannengieser

Metsstitches_small Eno Sarris

48900_1085732804_4466_n_small Chris McShane

Lg_rocker_ap_small Matthew Callan

Billy_and_daddy_4th_of_july_small Bill Petti

THE NEWS GURUS

Mrmet_small Steve Schreiber

3_small Stephen Schmidt

159714144_040c6c1501_small Pack Bringley

124967042_crop_340x234_small Jeffrey Paternostro