Is this the stupidest man in the universe?Run time backward, and put yourself in young Renato Lacerda’s shoes. You’re 19 years old and the owner of an interesting 2.1 pitch arsenal, and the Yellow Springs Nine has drafted you in the first round of the amateur draft. Picture yourself sitting at your kitchen table with your agent nearby when the phone rings. It’s GM Ron Collins.
“Welcome aboard Renato!” he says.
“Not so fast,” your agent replies. “We still need to sign a deal, an my client deeply values an education.”
“Just how deeply?”
“Well, you’re going to have to totally blow us away,” the agent says, eyes turning green. “We’re thinking $4.6M.”
“Cool,” Collins replies. “I’m thinking I’ll write you a check for double that. Would $9.2M blow you away enough?”
“Not a chance!” replies your agent. Then he clicks the phone off. “Just wait until next year,” the agent says. “Those guys will come with the real money! Believe me, Renato! You’re gonna be rolling in the dough.”
You read about the reaction in the Yellow Springs blog you follow.
# # # Now run time up to the present. You’re agent and you are sitting at that same table. He’s smoking a big cigar when the phone rings again. This time it’s New Orleans GM Jim Roberts. The Crawdads have drafted you in the third round!
Third, you think?
I was a first rounder last year? But before the information sinks in, your agent says: “So, Mr. Roberts, we’re ready to play hard ball. What’s your offer?”
“How about $300K?”
“My goodness, but that’s a brilliant number,” says your agent…and then before you know it the deal is cut, and you’ve got a minor league contract heading your way.
“I’ll take my 25% now,” the agent says, blowing thin line of smoke up toward the ceiling. “That’s $75,000. I take cash or certified check.”
You do some mental math, and realize you’ll be carrying $225K into your bank account. Then you do some more mental math, which you could do even before taking in that extra year of college, and take 75% of $9.2M.
This is when you break out crying.
