Going to be amusing watching a lot of folks reap what they have sown.

I do not make nearly MLB player salary, but I am considering a new job in New Zealand for the next few years for the same reasons. I used to think I was patriotic too.

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Pete's reply: I'm going to go out on a limb and say the taxes in New Zealand would be higher, but that's just a guess.

Pete,

With the passing of slots in Maryland, does this mean that Peter Angelos will get another windfall via his horseracing connections?

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Pete's reply: Only in the sense that purses might be higher, so if he has a good horse he'll make more, but for a guy like that, we're not talking about a significant difference.

Obviously, somebody is a little upset over the outcome of the election.

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Pete's reply: Who?

Very interesting perspective. Thanks for the post.

While I'm probably the biggest baseball fan west of the Mississippi River (at least the biggest O's fan), it is sickening to think that poor, underpaid ballpayers might have to struggle along with $400,000 LESS per year under a tax plan clearly intended to make sure the great majority of people who would just like to GO TO A GAME can get a little bit of a break. $400,000 less per year for me (a now retired 37 year veteran high school teacher) would mean I'd have been paying my employer around $340,000 for the right to work.

How will those guys squeal by?

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Pete's reply: I share your concern. Some will have to give up their second private jet.

awww jeff are you mad cause obama won or too stupid to realize that obama being elected is going to benefit you with his tax plan. it amazes me how people who are living in this damn near recession can go against a guy who plans on spreading the wealth to people just like me and you. i guess your rich cause the rest of us need the help. idiot.

oh yeah. GO RAVENS.

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Pete's reply: This really wasn't meant to be a debate about the Obama tax plan, which -- when implemented -- will make everybody happy and comfortable for the rest of their lives. I just thought it was interesting that the agents already are finding ways to steer around it and it isn't even in place yet.

Boo-Hoo. I really feel for those $10,000,000 over four year players.

Tough toenails--I struggle to get by on a combined income of about $77,000 this year--and my wife and I have 4 gigs between us.

I really feel for those players.

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Pete's reply: Well, it's funny, but when people ask me what I think of the high salaries, I always say the same thing -- that I'd rather my ticket money go to the players than the suits sitting upstairs in the luxury boxes. In this case, you could make a similar comment. That money's going to go into somebody's pocket and -- trust me -- when it's all over it won't be yours.

Pete--Perhaps Raffy also found it "patriotic" to play in Texas for his friend George W Bush.

Tax cuts for the wealthy, oh so "patriotic."

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Pete's reply: I'm just trying to balance the books here, Barry, but a guy who makes $10 million is paying $3.5 million in federal income tax. So the idea that someone like you or I, who pay maybe a 500th of that, can say they aren't doing their fair share, seems a bit ridiculous.

Its not the taxes I am worried about. I just kinda feel bad that a man whose entire family as well as himself have done nothing but serve the country, included a stint in a tiger trap, and the 1 time he asked his country to let him do more...62 million said "no thanks". I hate these protest elections.
Speaking of protesting, not that it matters, but I will be protesting OPACY if their is not serious investing this offseason.

it figures boras would see such a historic election through the narrow prism of his greedy clients.

it stands to reason.

it's pathetic. but it stands to reason.

What a great country agents sitting around trying to figure out how to screw uncle sam out of tax money. Most of them probably voted for obama. God Bless America

Hmmm...what have we been reaping for the last 8 years?

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Pete's reply: I don't now. I've been reaping for a lot longer than that and can find fault with just about everyone who has been president in my lifetime.

This is so messed up. Us little guys here who make in the 250 range are going to get (TAXED) hit hard. It is hard, already these days and they will just get harder for my middle class family. Must be nice a baseball player and able to hid and get away with out paying the amount of taxes they should be paying on those millions.

So instead of paying $3.4 million in taxes, these guys are going to pay $3.95 million in taxes. Instead of making $6.6 million PER YEAR they're going to make $6.05 million PER YEAR. How are they going to cope?

And by the way, that last little fraction in the $6.05 million figure is about what the average American HOUSEHOLD makes in a year.

This is the one thing that kills me about baseball players. You have guys who are already set for life talking about how they need these six, eight and ten year contracts so they have "security". I really would love to know what these $10 million plus per year guys do with their money that makes them so insecure about their future.

This brings me to the most recent owner/player match made in Hell: Scott Boras and Manny Ramirez. I don't know how Manny become so greedy and manipulative, but it that fact that his new personality came about when he signed on with Boras is no surprise. The only thing that would make me feel good about the Boras/Manny story is if Manny was unable to sign a contract this offseason because Boras's demands are so outrageous. Sure, Manny's an all-time great. One of the best, if not THE best, right handed power hitters in the history of the game. But if anyone honestly believes that he's going to hold up for six more seasons (he'll be 37 in May) certainly isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. That said, I'm sure that Boras honestly believes that Manny will continue to perform into his early forties. But that's because Boras's brain is actually made up of tightly wrapped wads of hundred dollar bills.

Just for for, here's some history on 40+ year old right handed power hitters (based on the top 20 players on the all-time home run list):

-Hank Aaron: After his 40th birthday, Hammerin' Hank never hit more than 20 home runs or batted over .268 in a season. His batting averaged in his last two seasons were .234 and .229, respectively. He played in 137 games in 1974, but only 112 in '74 and just 85 in '76.

-Willie Mays: Turned 40 in 1971, hit .271 with 18 homers and 61 rbi in 136 games. '72? 88 games, .250 average, 8 homers, 22 rbi. '73? 66 games, .211 average, 6 homers, 25 rbi.

-Frank Robinson: Turned 40 in August of 1975. 1976 stats: .224, 3 homers, 10 rbi in 36 games.

-Frank Thomas: Turned 40 last May. Hit .240 with 8 homers, 30 rbi and a torn quadriceps in 2008.

-Ernie Banks: Turned 40 in January of 1971. Hit .193 with 3 homers and 6 rbi in 39 games that season.

Jimmie Foxx, Harmon Killebrew, Mike Schmidt, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire didn't play into their 40's.

Of the lefties on the list, only Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson and Barry Bonds played well into their forties. While Williams and Jackson were still productive, they were shells of their former selves. And even a roided up Bonds never hit over .276, and didn't eclipse 28 homers or 77 rbi in his last two full seasons after five consecutive seasons of 40+ homers and 90+ rbi. And we're currently witnessing the massive decline of Ken Griffey Jr. And he's only 38.

Wow. That was long. And pretty off topic. Either way, I wish owners and GMs would read this instead of listening to Boras's garbage about how Manny should get a Bonds/A-Rod contract despite the fact that Bonds declined when he hit 40 and A-Rod's only 32.

Hey Pete,
I have to get a toilet repaired in my home. As you know there is no off season when it comes toilet repair. Would you recommend that I have this done by Joe The Plumber before the end of the year to avoid the higher hourly rate he will have to charge to offset the increase in taxes he will be responsible for come January 1st?

Dwayne, Matty,
I think the man doesn't respect the constitution and I think he has no idea now to govern. I also think he is a lot more liberal in his views then he lets on. I have lived in Germany and I can't say I prefer the european model.

Medvedev obviously has no respect for him, not after the way he insulted Obama and threatened the west yesterday.

Pete - two questions:

- do you know what tax percentage they have for signing bonuses? i got a very tiny one when i signed on to my new job but more than half of it went to taxes.

- do signing bonuses count against the luxury tax in baseball? i could see teams skirting around the 'cap' that way.

thanks!

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Pete's reply: Signing bonuses are taxes as ordinary income, but withheld at the highest possible rate. That will shake out for you when you file. I believe that the signing bonus is factored into the average annual salary for the luxury tax.

The point isnt that they deserve it or dont deserve it. The point is that THEY earned it and you didnt. The point is that turning 95% of the country into welfare recipients is not American. I don't mind paying taxes. I certainly avoid paying what I can legally just like everyone should. But it is a big difference between paying taxes to build the country, protect the country, create jobs, etc and to pay welfare to the middle class and a bunch of whiny pissants who think they deserve money tha someone else earned. I do not want to pay taxes to a family who cannot pay their mortgage because every kid from kindergarten on has cell phones with unlimited text packages, they have a big screen in every room, more cars than drivers and bought a new home they could never afford.

As for agents, they are paid to make and save their clients money. That is their job. I recognize that is a foreign concept to losers who post to a blog from work, ripping off their employers and seeing nothing wrong with it. Bring on the Lee Elia rant.

Lastly, there is no way any of what obama promised goes through. His own website admits his tax plan raises less revenue and his new programs increase spending. SO you do the math, is he gonna blow up the deficit even bigger or do away with military spending? Don't you go counting those welfare checks yet.

Hey Dwayne, before you call someone stupid, maybe you whould look at the voting record instead of what they "say" they are gonna do. Obama was 12 for 12 in rasing taxes for those over 22,400. Yahoo just had a story that Obama, has already said his tax cuts are gonna have to wait. I can not believe that 62million people fell for a Democrat who claims he will taxes. Thats an oxymoron if I ever saw one. Have you seen his proposals?

To all of you who are so thrilled to have wealth you didn't earn redistributed to you....

Brother, you asked for it!

"I just kinda feel bad that a man whose entire family as well as himself have done nothing but serve the country, included a stint in a tiger trap, and the 1 time he asked his country to let him do more...62 million said "no thanks". I hate these protest elections."

Ryan -

I'm not exactly sure how to say this, so I'll just come out with it... What in the world are you talking about!?! Since when was this a "protest election"? Obama has some new ideas, or at least ideas that differed from the current administration. He's an intelligent, rational man who intends to surround himself with people who will help him in his attempt to rebuild America's status in the world.

McCain, on the other hand, is old and stale. As much as he denied it, his administration would have been a fairly flawless continuation of Bush's. Furthermore, McCain's VP pick of Sarah Palin was probably one of the worst moves in the history of politics. As Palin continued to speak, it showed that McCain was just trying to get some women to vote for him. And the fact that he harped on and on about how she was qualified because of her "executive experience" and the fact that she's a "maverick" was unbelievable. Sure, Palin has executive experience, but she has that executive experience in Alaska, a Republican state that generally agreed with her every move. A state without many economic issues because of their status as an energy producer. A state that, population wise, is smaller than Albuquerque, New Mexico. If anyone, including John McCain, truly still believes that Sarah Palin was a better VP pick than Joe Lieberman, Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee, they have some serious issues.

Another thing about McCain was the nature of his attack ads. Sure, every presidential candidate in the history of this nation has put out attack ads, but they generally stick to past political history, voting record and that kind of stuff. McCain went straight to good old fear-mongering, attempting to link Obama to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and trumping up Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers. Then when Palin talked at her rallies about how Obama "pals around with terrorists" and when McCain/Palin supporters shouted in response things like "Terrorist!" and "Kill him!", she just stood there and soaked it all in without correcting those supporters or telling them they were way out of line. McCain finally realized what he had done when a woman at one of his Town Hall Meetings told him that Obama is an Arab, but the damage was already done. McCain supporters actually believed that Obama is a terrorist. That he's going to let radical Muslims take over the United States. Sure, Obama's camp may have scared a few people by comparing McCain to Bush so much, but at least that's a true comparison. McCain, Palin, Sean Hannity, Steve Ducey and several others cursed Obama because of his background. Because his father was Kenyan. Because of his supposed "extensive" relationship with Ayers. Even because of his middle name. And some of the people bought it and some of those people are still scared. And that's sad. Hopefully those people will realize over the next few weeks and months that Obama is not a radical Muslim terrorist and that his middle name does not in any way link him to Saddam Hussein.

Face it, my friend. McCain lost this election himself. He lost it with all the hostile attacks against Obama, with his stale policies and with his bad decisions. This 2008 Presidential Election was not a protest. It was a joining together of Americans who want the next four years to be at least a little different than the last eight years.

Wow. Another long comment. Sorry I'm taking up so much space on this page.

62 million completely fooled by a slick talker who never shuts up but says nothing. The second he won in his speech to the nation he stated that he may not be able to fix anything in his first term but it will get done. This after stating that the USA could only be saved my him and that he had the plans to do it. I have never heard a President elect in his first speech lower the bar and essentually hint at his need for 2 terms if we want anything done before he even started.
His only plan was to get elected. Good job to 62 million chumps. Don't hold your breath waiting for that tax cut. It ain't happening. God news though. There will be one in 4 years new your next new president Jeb Bush.

As for the O's please sign Tex. When we finally do get pitching you just know there will be zero available bats. Lock him up and when we do get pitching we will be there.

"The point is that turning 95% of the country into welfare recipients is not American."
-Lucky Horseshoe

I don't think you understand what a tax break is.

"To all of you who are so thrilled to have wealth you didn't earn redistributed to you...."
-FDCASdA

I don't think you do either.

Pete - It looks like you opened up a whole new can of worms by just mentioning Obama's tax reform plan.

Lucky Horseshoe—You might want to look under your shoe. Sounds like you may have a bruised frog or a cracked hoof. Next time you visit the paddock, ask King T, Frannie Campitelli, or Dickie Small if you can have another lucky horseshoe. The one you’re stuck with now seems to have brought you a lot of pain and bitterness.

Just looking out for your welfare.

Francisco--If I had 20 bucks for every letter in your name, I'd be a philanthropist and a prospective buyer of the Baltimore Orioles.

Jeff V--You said it was "going to be amusing" but I didn't hear much mirth in your reply to Dwayne and Matty.

In speaking of Obama and Medvedev, I believe you give the Russian puppet far too much "respect."

charles -

Obama wasn't "lowering the bar" in his victory speech. He was being realistic. Sure he said what he planned to accomplish may not be accomplished in "one year or even one term" but before he was elected, he never said that everything was going to be perfect immediately.

A few months back, in one single speech, McCain said he would end the Iraq war, end the war in Afghanistan, find Osama bin Laden, fix the mortgage crisis, fix the rest of the economy, bring millions of jobs back to America and create millions more jobs. In the debates, he said he knows how to win a war, he knows how to fix the mortgage crisis, how to fix the economy, how to create jobs. But he never said how he was going to accomplish any of that. And he mentioned that he would stay in Iraq for "as long as it takes" without any changes in strategy. His economic plans were the same as Bush's. His plan to fix the mortgage crisis was for the government to buy up bad loans, but he never said where that money was going to come from, and then he called Obama a socialist. His plan to create more jobs was to jump-start offshore drilling, a temporary fix to the energy crisis and a job force that would fall apart as soon as those oil reserves empty out. McCain had all these great things to say, but he rarely said how he would accomplish them, and when he did, he didn't make any sense.

All that said, I'm glad Obama was honest. I'm glad he said that it would take time for America to get back on track. Because that's realistic. I don't remember Bush's victory speech in 2004, but he probably mentioned some pipe dreams about winning in Iraq, jump-starting an economy in a downturn and lots of other crap for which he didn't have any plans. And I can imagine that McCain would have done the same thing and that in 2012, after four years of McCain/Palin, this country would be no better offf than it is today.

Barack Obama is an intelligent man and he's going to surround himself the best political, economic and military minds he can find. He's not going to be able to accomplish everything he set out to do in one year or even in one term and I respect him for understanding that and being honest with the American people. But I would bet you that in January 2012, this country is going to be in a much better position than it is today whether Barack Obama is about to start a second term or not.

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Pete's reply: I agree to some extent, but I wish he had been honest about that before Election Day. That would truly have separated him from your average politician, and he still would have won.

Barry, trust me I am laughing, it is a dark comedy that is unfolding but I am laughing. As for Medvedev yes I know he is a puppet, but the guy holding the strings must be taken seriously and I am quite sure he was behind the comments.

I am actually intrigued in what is to come. I know Obama is going to fail, what I do not know is what the responses of the masses will be. They make make excuses and still adore him or it might be the backlash of a spurned lover.

"I don't think you understand what a tax break is."

If instead of getting a tax bill, the federal government sends me a check, that is not a tax break. A tax break is where I pay $2,000 instead of $3,000. If I do not pay taxes, and instead get a check financed off the backs of higher income workers, that is welfare.

B- A protest election is what they call it when registered republicans vote for a Demacrat (or vice versa)because they are unhappy with their party. Not an opinion, fact. Thats the definition. That is what just happened. This is a center right nation. I still think it is. If a person takes economics 101 in college and then poli-sci, and are not at least fiscally conservative, then they are a dumb dumb socialist. That is opinion.
To make desparaging comments about McCain is simply ridiculus. Look at what the man has done in his life for this country. Then compare it to what you have done. I feel safe in saying that it might be a lopsided contest.
Way too many people in this country feel entitled. Too many people feel sorry for themselves and want a hand out. Sick. Unfair. Socialist. Fact. Definition of Socialism-redistribution of wealth.

Ryan: I know what John McCain has done for this country and I respect him for it. Comparing myself to McCain is just plain stupid. I'm not a politician and I've never fought in a war, so obviously my accomplishments aren't going to stand up to his.

But why would you elect someone for president based on their past and the fact that they've accomplished more than the average American? That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Especially with McCain, because over the last six months of his campaign, he seemed to be the exact opposite of the man I respected for so long.

And despite McCain's history, I don't have any problems making desparaging remarks about his 2008 Presidential campaign. He vowed to run a clean campaign and it was dirty from the beginning. He made a horrible VP pick in a poor attempt to gather some votes from women. He didn't offer anything different from what the Bush Administration has given Americans for the past eight years.

Jeff: What makes you so sure that "Obama is going to fail"? That's a pretty hefty prediction, my friend.

First off b, Obama promised to use federal matching funds and accept a limit on spending then chose not to, or did you forget that?

As for why he is going to fail..hmm here are some examples off the top of my head:

1-He isn't interested in being bipartison and doesn't have the senate numbers needed to break a fillibuster.

2-His economic plan is a joke.

3-He will find out that despite his election the U.S. does not want european style government, his fairly extreme liberal views will come to surface.

4-The Supreme Court sits in judgment.

Jeff and Ken -

We're obviously not going to agree on the political stuff, so it's pointless to argue.

Let's just stick to sports from now on.

B
Everything you say is based on opionion. You make no factual arguments. 77% of this country thinks the opposite when it comes to a dirty campaign. But which ones are not? And as far as not using someones life history as a guide for how they will run the country is plain stupid. So, if Hitler ran for election in 2012, but ran a clean campaign, you would vote for him? You dummy.