“I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful." –Alex Rodriguez
“There’s no question I’m doing what I should have probably done earlier.” –Michael Heisley
Rose. A-Rod. Heisley. Three immensely successful men. Three men who struggled to admit their mistakes, but eventually did.
The Commercial Appeal reported earlier tonight that Grizzly management has caved in concerning the contract disputes with Xavier Henry and Grievis Vasquez and are now closer than ever to reaching an agreement. According to Ronald Tillery, all performance incentives in the rookies' contracts have been removed, and both Henry and Vasquez will receive the full 120% salary automatically if they sign. The New York Times has reported that Wallace and Henry's agent Arn Tellem will talk Thursday.
I ask that you go back with me a few weeks. Michael Heisley, for the first time ever, had decided to go on the Chris Vernon Show. When asked why he was the only owner taking this type of stand, Heisley said this:
Heisley: "I don’t know why they don't do it and quite bluntly I don't really care why they don't do it. I basically am trying to run my team. I'm trying to run my business. They're trying to run theirs. It's a good question. Why don't they do it? I don’t really care what the answer is.
As someone who has been relatively pro-Heisley for most of my fanhood, it was after comments like this one (ie the now famous, "I've never seen the collective bargaining agreement") that I threw my hands up in the air and finally joined much of grizz nation (country?) in their anti-Heisley sentiments. While it is extremely good news for grizzlifers out there that our owner has finally come around and admitted his stupidity, I'm afraid that the damage has already been done. It will be harder than normal next spring to get potential signees in to workout. Why would an agent want to work with Heisley?
But none of that matters to me right now. I'm excited to know that these two rookies will be in a grizzly uniform this season and that they will be contributors on what is becoming an average bench (compared to a horrible one last season). With our core returning, a better bench, and a weaker western conference, the grizzlies seem to be in the best position in recent memory to compete for playoff wins. It's year 3 of the infamous "3 year plan" and if the team produces like Heisley claims they should, this grizzlifer will be willing to forgive him for the gross misstep of this offseason.
More to come from grizzlife, stay tuned...
I live the grizzlife and love it,
Paul
