FU Jim Thome

[pup]

Hey Cleveland fans, go ahead and boo the crap out of Thome. Why?

1. He plays for our biggest rivals. All White Sox should be booed at all times.

2. The guy refused to waive his no trade clause. Look, everyone knew he would not be back in Cleveland. Someone was going to make him an offer ha can't refuse and we were not going to match it. So man up, waive your no trade clause, and allow the team and city that meant soooo much to you to get something for you.

I actually don't have to boo him here in Cleveland. I took the oppurtunity to boo him while with Philly. Couple of guys headed down to Cincy, saw their new park, and sat on the first base line and let him have it for 9 innings. All the Reds fans wanted to know why we hated him so bad, and when we told them we were Tribe fans, the entire section heckled his every move. And when a groundball went between his legs, it was like heaven on earth.

[steviedifranco]

I agree with Dery. Thome leaving Cleveland was caused by our management not wanting to spend money. Same with Ramirez. Thome was always a great guy and everyone loved him. He did what was best for himself by a longshot. I don't disagree with it. If our management wanted to spend any money at all, we would have been able to keep him. I'm glad he's having such a great year. I only wish that he can have a great year and the White Sox still suck.

[Steve Buffum]

I agree with Dery. Thome leaving Cleveland was caused by our management not wanting to spend money. Same with Ramirez. ... If our management wanted to spend any money at all, we would have been able to keep him.

Do you happen to recall the offers made by the Indians to Thome and Ramirez?

By the way, did either of the teams who outbid the Indians at any point look to trade away the players at least in part because the contract was determined to be so loathesome?

I don't begrudge either player leaving for more money. That's MLB.
.

[pup]

I don't hate Thome for accepting more money. I hate Thome for refusing to waive his no trade clause. Who knows how it would have gone down, but maybe they could have gotten a stud 3rd base or outfield prospect ofr him. Maybe a quality starter and we would nao have had to sign Johnson or Byrd. The possibilities are endless, but we don't get to know because he wouldn't let them find out. That is why I say boo his ass everytime he steps to the plate in Jacobs Field for the rest of his career.

[Guest]

F him is right
I was at Monday's game and heard some good names and words I hadnt heard in awhile. It was great
F that piece of garbage

[consigliere]

Sorry, but Thome stiffed the fans.

People can say all they want about the Philly offer being too good to refuse, or Dolan being a cheap fuck......but Thome is a liar and he used us to get a better offer with Philly.

Fuck him is damn right!

[Todd Dery]

Manny and Thome were two different situations. When Thome was a free agent, we were starting our full re-building mode. The Phillies offered him an extra year and significantly more money, plus a chance to contend. They had to make a big free agent splash as they were heading into a new ballpark. As much as he loved Cleveland, he had to make this move. Don't forget about the union pressure. That is something that cannot be understated. As for Manny - Jeff Moorad used the Indians and the tv cameras to leverage the most money he could for Manny. I booed Manny for the way he handled the situation. I don't feel the same way about Thome. p.s. If we still had Thome - Hafner would never have seen Cleveland except on road trips.

[pup]

Your missing the point. It's not that he left. I don't hate anyone for taking more money. I would take more money.

That being said, they wanted to trade him to help that rebuild effort and he said no. He wanted to be here. Don't trade me? Don't help the organization that you so love? Don't reward those same fans that meant so much to you and get us a couple of players.

They told him they were not going to be able to afford him in the off-season and he said no. Why? Because with the Indians in the equation and having to make a legit offer to not totally piss off fans, that drove his price up.

There was only 2 teams in the running for him, so without the Indians involved, the Phillies would have had noone to bid against. That extra year we "forced" the Phillies to add is huge to Thome, but would he have gotten that without us involved?

[consigliere]

The Phillies offer was not THAT much more. He signed for 6 years and $85M....he turned down a 5 year $62M deal with the Indians that included a 6th year vesting option based on easily attainable performance measures. The amount of the vesting option is unknown, but even at $12M, that puts the Phillies offer only about $10-12M more.

Seeing how the original offer by the Indians of 4 years $48M was enough to make him go back to the Phillies and make them increase their 5 year $75M deal......it is clear as day that he was extorting the two teams for more money.

The first offer there was a $27M different in the two deals ($75M vs. $48M)....and the final deal there was only a $23M different in the two deals ($85M vs. $62M).....and even less (about $10-12M) if you include the vesting option.

Thome is a money grubbing whore. He is no different from Albert Belle. At least Albert Belle was dead honest on his reasons for leaving.....whereas Thome lacked any honesty whatsoever in his reasoning. Never ONCE did he acknowledge it was about the money....that it was for an opportunity to win and where his ROCK told him to go.

[pup]

Amen brother consigliere!!!!!

[Todd Dery]

they wanted to trade him to help that rebuild effort and he said no.

Is this true? for some reason, i dont recall this, but it could be a case of selective memory. But I do truly feel that at that time, he thought he would never leave, and that may be why he said that.

by the way - what a game tonight

[consigliere]

They never once approached him about waiving the no trade clause. That is what I have been told by Jim Ingraham in private emails....Shapiro never had a desire to trade him, and Thome never wanted to be traded.

And, actually, the Indians got a good haul in the draft in compensation for Thome. Because Thome was a type A FA, we got the Phillies #1 pick in 2003 and a compensatory 1st round pick. Those two picks turned into Adam Miller and Brad Snyder. So, essentially, we traded Thome to the Phillies for Adam Miller and Brad Snyder. Had we dealt him mid-season, we may have got likely the same in return....except maybe a little more advanced players (guys in AA/AAA).

You guys got me so fired up about this, I am writing a Thome article too.

[swerb]

Thome is a lying, backstabbing, two faced turncoat. It's that simple.

I have no problem with someone "taking the money".

I do have a problem with people that say the following things just before taking the money ...

"It can't be all about greed."

"The deal has to be fair for both sides."

"They'd have to rip the jersey off my back."

These are all documented statements he said more than once, including during an in studio interview with Trivosonno a month or so before this all came to a head. Triv constantly plays these soundbites.

Even worse, this stupid fucking hilbilly is a member of the Chicago White Sox, who are pretty much = to the Steelers right now to any true Cleveland sports fan.

Yes, Thome had some great years here, and played the facade of the all around good guy to the tee. But to sit in Jacobs field and cheer for this Benedict Arnold, now as a member of our arch rivals ... it's unfathomable to me.