Sunday, February 25, 2018

When You Know You've Been Around These Bases Before - Free Agency 2018 Pt 2 of 2


continued.

The reactions of fans at the reality of their favorite team player leaving for greener pastures cannot be expressed appropriately.  The crying and sobbing gifs and cries of "Don't leave us, Hos!" on social media far outnumbered any excitement of Padres fans. Eric Hosmer was the calm of the storm for the Kansas City community and organization. He was an eloquently spoken representative, often sought out by the media, always with the right words.  That he would leave for a larger salary was anticipated, but when his departure became official that he was leaving for a team further down in the standings than the Royals, well let's just say that the baseball savvy observers did have to wonder at least a little bit about his choice.


 

There's the expected and then there's the unexpected. How about unexpectedly expected?


 


 

Super Agent Scott Boras seemed to have coined a meme at the press conference with the reference to the Padres' farm system as being a bed of hot lava talent.  



Hot. Talent. Lava.

Three words, uttered by new San Diego Padres player Eric Hosmer’s agent on Tuesday, have excited a city and fan base that doesn’t always have a lot to be excited about.

[edit.]

At Hosmer’s introductory press conference, Hosmer’s agent Scott Boras said the following:

“I think the organization is a volcano of hot talent lava. To turn that lava into major league rock, that’s a hard thing to do. It’s a very, very difficult thing to do. … What Eric Hosmer brings is he went through all that in Kansas City. He along with many people were all prospects. They were, too, that major league lava, and they turned into championship rocks. When you can have a young veteran champion, I think your chances of guiding lava into rocks are pretty good, and I think that’s the destiny and the plan.”

The quirky quote gained a lot of attention on social media and MLB Network Radio even turned it into a song.

The hashtag #hottalentlava quickly caught fire [get it] on social media, and the team was seen wearing shirts that said both #hottalentlava and #majorleaguerock at spring training in Peoria, Arizona on Friday.

Fans are loving the new motto. - "San Diego is Loving 'hot talent lava' as the Padres' New Motto"
 

Less than 48 hours later following the press conference?  

There were T shirts, all ready to go.



via GIPHY

 So things are cooking in San Diego by Friday the 23rd, two days after the press conference, time to move on.  Royals fans, time to also move - oops, not yet. Not quite yet.



A full-page ad taken out in the Kansas City paper, tears flowed all over again, while at the same time, the bruise soothed.

Aaah yes.  Well done.  Classy and also the #goodbye that never ends, lol.  Come on, Mr. Hosmer, let the jilted begin to heal!  

 And still, another free agent client of Scott Boras' is without a team as of February 25 - Mike Moustakas.  Yes, that's right, both Hos and Moose share the same agent.  Does the pairing of Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal ring a bell? Maggie left CAA in December of 2011, Jake followed very soon afterwards, the announcement of his departing for WME as well coming barely two months later on January 9, 2012.  But in this case, these two men will not follow each other to the same team.  They'll be separated professionally for the first time in their major league careers.

 As we look back at this free agency saga of Eric Hosmer's, there are many puzzling aspects Narnia would like to look back on:

 • Isn't it interesting that in late January, there was allegedly a "hacking" of the S.D. Padres' social media which hinted that the Padres had already signed Hosmer.  source

The Padres issued a denial and the proverbial "sorry for any confusion".

• That with such a carefully constructed description of "volcano of hot lava talent" by agent Scott Boras, T shirts, slogan and rally cry were at the ready. Car-Hopped and Ready to Go. #hotnready

•  Eric Hosmer changing his cell phone number during the off season.

 • Allegedly he never contacted Kansas City manager Ned Yost when he had been seriously injured during the off season and many of his other teammates had visibly reached out.  The explanation for Ned not being able to "get through" via text was that Hos' phone number had changed. 

• Hos stating at the press conference that he didn't realize he wouldn't get his jersey number #35 until a few minutes after signing on the dotted line with the Padres.

• The team of choice has an abysmal W-L Pct of .438. The only real selling point San Diego's weather.


 

 • The release of the story of who Eric's all-time favorite teammate was.  No mention anywhere of long-time friend and teammate Mike Moustakas, in either this story, interviews, or the full-page ad.
In stark contrast, Eric captioned this social media post: "not enough room on here to type out everything we've been through together". #family"  

As Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles followers, we'll also make note of that "my brother" mention in Hos' Instagram, won't we? *wink*


• The change in Eric's Twitter header, altering his physical appearance to one more rugged and hirsute.
• The beard, I mean "girlfriend" being flown into San Diego to make an appearance at the press conference.  Kacie McDonnell.  Remember that name because she's likely part of the bargain and trade-off* for the lucrative contract, with an established reputation for being arm candy to a variety of professional athletes.  The first introduction came on both Eric and Kacie's Instagram accounts in 2015.  Eric's:


In addition to random "private" pictures, McDonnell appears in high profile situations, i.e., following division or championship title clinches on the field, Gold Glove presentations in NYC, World Series win victory parades, well, you get the drift...



Just another note. I'm not quite sure how they met; the "how did they meet" story seems evasive online. All we know is that they both posted pictures on their Instagrams in late spring of 2015. She had "broken up" with (at that time) KC Chiefs' QB Aaron Murray in January 2015.  When she and Hos allegedly "broke up" in 2017, she immediately left her jobs as a KSHB-TV traffic reporter and network host of Kansas City's Major League Soccer team, Sporting KC and returned to the east coast.  Guess the idea of being in the same town as Hos was unbearable!

 She reappeared in Eric's social orbit via his Instagram in 2017 and now shown to be at the San Diego Padres' press conference.  Will wedding bells be part of this new chapter in Eric's life?  Don't be surprised when it is.  He is 28 years old now and San Diego promises exposure to a larger media market than Kansas City did.  Endorsements have become an important part of fixed income for professional athletes and celebrity entertainers.  An example of just how important endorsement money is and how social media plays into this can be seen in this article on Cristiano Ronaldo and how he was one of soccer's highest paid players in 2017:  source


Even though Ronaldo is gay, he makes sure to have female attachments at the ready.  
Will the change in scenery and leaving behind a successful tenure in Kansas City be worth it for Eric Hosmer?  Let's hope so for his sake.  And undoubtedly an eventual San Diego World Series win would help to offset the sober pictures from Wednesday, Feb 21.  Remember, this should have been a festive, celebratory event:



Which seemed to be only a continuation of this image from the last day of the Royals' season last year:



Narnia will continue to watch for what kind of deal Moustakas is able to obtain, as we wait to see how all this plays out both on and off the field. This is a big change in Hosmer's career and life and with Super Sports Agent Scott Boras one can only imagine how many other "deals" are in the making. 

collaborated:  PG & Methodical Muser
pic sources:  sportsmasher, busted coverage, KC Star
our playlist: Never Can Say Goodbye - The Communards
                    Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Steely Dan
                    Talk It Over - Grayson Hugh
                    The Heartbreak Kid - Icehouse            


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5 comments:

prairiegirl said...

Hos is a great player - he digs balls out of the dirt, stretches up, down & all around with his long frame to catch errant infield balls. He has a knack for the big hit, but not all the time. He didn't always come through with the big hit. But I will say that, in the very last game of last season, he came to the plate in his first at-bat and received a long, loud standing ovation. And then? He hit the ball out of the ballpark. Now you can't script that any better.

But Hos has slumps, too. He will go into slumps that will drive you crazy.

And one big slump that he had was two years ago, when Moose tore his ACL and went on the disabled list. He had surgery and had rehab. He was also in the midst of becoming a father for the first time.

And Hos did not do well during that time. I'm just sayin'. I watch nearly every game with these guys and I'll not forget it. When Moose eventually returned to the team, it seemed to take awhile for things to return to the way they were as far as what was visible during the games anyway. In the latter half of the season last year, Hos went on a tear and was hitting the cover off of the ball. He and Moose were also back to sitting next to each other on the bench and until the end of the season, looked as close as ever.

One habit they've had is after each win, they would meet at the pitcher's mound after the last out. They didn't congratulate anyone else first, they met each other first and had a hug. And they were the two who began the habit of pulling their uniform shirt tails out of their pants. You know, kind of like kicking off your shoes as soon as you get home from work kind of thing.

Moose and Hos were obviously very, very close. Our earlier post showed their ease with each other. Their displays of affection. And for an article to come out asking Hos his "best" teammate "ever"?? What???

That's the kind of nonsense you see with entertainment celebrities.

Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 6:16:00 PM CST
prairiegirl said...

It hurts really bad to lose Hos. But it is what it is. Small market teams just don't have the monetary resources that other teams do. I don't know if San Diego has anymore than Kansas City does, but it seems to me that Hos knew he was leaving even before last season was over. He knew.

Hos just wouldn't be able to get a lot of endorsements playing out of Kansas City. Endorsements are important for an athlete and his agent. Boras has always been known to be a hard drilling agent. And so he was going to get the most bang for his buck with Hos. Seems like Boras has big plans for Hos. I just hope this is a decision Hos was really happy with.

He sure didn't look happy at that press conference. That thing looked more like a wake, didn't it?

Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 6:20:00 PM CST
prairiegirl said...

Everyone who's gone away to college and away from home for the first time though, knows what it's like to go somewhere new and not know too many people, being away from what's familiar, from family and your old schoolmates, friends. Hos will be fine - he'll soon be comfortable and he's probably the kind who fits in wherever he goes.

I just think this whole thing was pre-planned. Whether it was all just about moving to a larger market and future endorsements? Was it also about separating him and Moose? And what's up with that opt out clause after five years? Is Hos thinking he may return to Kansas City if at all possible? Who knows, right? I hope I'm still here to see. I'll be very curious.

And let's hear three cheers for the obvious contract ending for Mr. Liam and the beard who shall remain nameless. Liam and Louis both deserve to finally be free of those weights. It's pathetic that she has to be painted as this poor individual though, right? smh.

Watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. I watched more this year than I have the past couple of times. A lot of fun and I so enjoyed the whole skating broadcasting team. They did great!


Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 7:29:00 PM CST
prairiegirl said...

Sorry I didn't update the music tonight. Too much time piddling around and also watching Restored on DIY, my new favorite show!! I just love that show and the guy who hosts it. He is soooo good.

I have a visitation to go to tomorrow night; my cousin. He was the same age as me, although several months younger. He drew a short card in life, although an aunt of mine looks at it in another way and maybe he would too if he were alive today, in that he was given an extended lease on life.

My cousin years ago got one of those infections in his heart or something? I think like Jimmy Smit's character did in NYPD Blue. And so he received a new heart and he did so well with that new heart. He lived for years with no problems that I knew of. And then several weeks ago, he came down with pneumonia or some kind of infection and was put in the hospital. Because of course, with a transplanted heart, he was already at risk.

And it was during his stay in the hospital that they discovered he had leukemia. :-( A heartbreaking diagnosis. And so they started chemo right away in the hospital and I just didn't know about that because you didn't know if his body could handle it and I guess he couldn't because it wasn't but about a week later, he was suddenly in ICU because he had trouble breathing and then it was quickly downhill after that.

I just can't believe it. It all happened that fast. And this guy was as sweet as you could find. Such a good guy. I don't understand these things but yeah, at least he had so many additional years with his new heart. It's hard to lose a cousin who was right at my age. Us cousins all grew up having played together and yakked and visited through so many reunions and get togethers. Then weddings and funerals. Very tough to lose him.

So bear with the same music for possibly another day, thank you for your patience!

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 9:45:00 PM CST
prairiegirl said...

I just wanted to let the anon know who emailed Narnia, I tried to reply, but was unable to. And that's okay, just wanted to let you know we received your email. I just am terrible at checking it on a daily basis, so that's why you didn't hear from me. I apologize for that! Thank you so much for reaching out. :-)

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 9:57:00 PM CST

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