You may believe that Delgado was unsatisfied with his deal and with being dealt to the Mets (where was the no-trade clause?) -- not the case! David Sloane is just one of the most classless individuals in the game, and the following transcript proves why agents don't "bring" anything to the game; they only "take" from the game.
From 5/11/08's New Jersey Star-Ledger by David Graziano:
*****
This afternoon, I got an e-mail from David Sloane, who is the agent for Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado and had a problem with something I wrote in my Sunday Notebook. about his client.
Now, I had heard stories about Sloane being unbalanced and unprofessional, but I was dazzled when I finally saw it on display.
His first e-mail to me came in at 11:58 a.m. It read, simply, "You're wrong on both the money and the terms" and attached the passage from my column that referred to Delgado's 2008 compensation:
"The money is almost a wash -- the Mets are paying Delgado $12 million in salary this year plus a $4 million buyout on his 2009 option for a total of $16 million, and the Mariners are paying Sexson $14 million. Delgado has a no-trade clause, and could veto any deal, but maybe he's sick of the New York circus."
Now, as I understand it, Delgado is making $16 million this year and the Marlins are paying $4 million of it as a condition of the 2005 trade that sent Delgado to New York. So when I wrote "the Mets are paying $12 million," I believed that to be accurate and still do.
So I wrote back to Sloane: "How so?"
His response came at 12:20 p.m.:"Ask your unreliable sources to look it up again."
As I mentioned, I'd heard about Sloane being belligerent and unprofessional, so I smiled and wrote back:
"Real classy and helpful. Thanks. If you can't tell me what I got wrong, I will assume I got it right and you're just living down to your reputation. As I understand it, he makes $16 mil this year and the Marlins pay $4 mil of it."
Yeah, I was egging him on, and maybe I shouldn't have, but I think what I wrote was pretty innocent, compared as you will see to where he ended up taking the conversation.
His response this time was fairly civil. It arrived at 12:33 p.m.:
"But that isn't what you wrote, you said he's making 12 & has a no trade which is wrong. But then why let a little thing like a fact get in the way of your journalism. As for my "reputation" you know what they say about people that can't take a joke."
I'm still not clear on the no-trade. It could be my mistake, in which case, if the agent wanted me to, I would happily correct it in next Sunday's notes. In most cases, I'd ask the agent to clarify. But in this case, the agent is obviously mentally ill.
I wrote back: "Sorry I missed your 'joke.' This is what I wrote:
'the Mets are paying Delgado $12 million in salary this year plus a $4 million buyout on his 2009 option'
I won't hold my breath waiting for your apology."
Glad I didn't. Because it didn't come. What did come was a total descent into immature madness by somebody who purports to be a major league player agent. Sloane wrote back at 12:40 p.m.:
"Apologize this retard, he's making 16 this year WITH an option for next year @ 16 or a buyout @ 4. Nice research by you but then I guess that whole concept of fact finding escapes you huh? They didn't teach that on the short bus did they?"
Seriously. Not making this up. I cut-and-pasted it.
Couple of thoughts here:
1. I don't respond when readers call me names, but I'm not surprised when it happens. But this guy is an AGENT. I mean, somebody you'd expect, even if vindictive and hateful, to act like a professional in his dealings with the media. I guess we don't have to wonder why he has no other clients.
2. If he thinks there's a chance in hell the Mets are picking up a $16 million option on Delgado for 2009, he's delusional on top of everything else.
Anyway, maybe I should have resisted, but I couldn't. I wrote him back again:
"That a joke too? You're a funny guy."
And then, at 12:46 pm, in apparent celebration of Mother's Day, David Sloane, the agent for Carlos Delgado, wrote back the following e-mail, which I present to you in its entirety: "So's your Mom."
And there you have it, folks. "So's your Mom."
My final thought, and I'll leave the rest to you guys to ponder: It's pretty darned impressive that Delgado got the contract he did with a nine-year-old for his agent.
*****
In case you missed the overall point; yes, Delgado is making $16M this year, but the Marlins are paying $4M of it. The Mets are paying $12M to Delgado this year. Sloane thought that Graziano believed the deal was only $12M total (putting Delgado at the lower tier of higher paid free agents).Delgado ended up where he belongs... with the Mets, with one homer less than he should have after last night's blown call, and soon without a job after this year.
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