Go for it, Fred; you deserve it

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By DARRELL FRY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 12, 2001

TAMPA -- You see the darndest things at the airport.

Take Wednesday, for instance. I'm on Level 3 near the C concourse when I see him near the magazine display. He's wearing a dark blue suit and black sunglasses.

Yep, it was Fred McGriff.

He is the last person you would have expected to see at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday, carrying a couple of magazines on his way to catch the Rays team charter to Montreal.

Maybe he got hit on the head during batting practice.

If you believe what you've heard, McGriff should have been on his way to Chicago, not Montreal. That's where success awaits. That's where the money is. That's where a league pennant, perhaps even a World Series title, is closer to reality.

This trade should have been almost a no-brainer. McGriff, who is playing his tail off this season, gets to go to a contender, and the Rays get to unload a whole lot of loot.

McGriff would get paid, too, what with a $6.75-million option for next season that the Cubs supposedly are prepared to guarantee him, and the Rays would get a couple of minor-league prospects to help the team's youth movement.

What's not to like about that deal?

Instead, you got McGriff at the airport Wednesday.

Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen with this reported deal to ship McGriff to the Cubs, but the fact that McGriff caught that flight to Montreal on Wednesday seems to suggest he is leaning toward exercising the no-trade clause in his contract and staying put.

My question is, why?

"I've got a wife and two kids to think about," he said, pulling out a wad of big bills and paying for the magazines. "And I'm tired of traveling."

Hey, you can't knock a guy for putting family first. For wanting to live in the same city so he can take his kids to school sometimes, eat dinner with them and read them bedtime stories at night.

If McGriff, 37, puts the kibosh on this deal for those reasons, all you can do is respect him for it.

But if there's anybody on the Rays who deserves this trade, it's McGriff.

Sure, it would be a shame if he didn't finish his career with his hometown team, but he'd be a lot better off with the Cubs. Not to mention probably a lot richer, too.

Let's face it. Bringing McGriff here to play for his home team sounded good, but it hasn't worked quite the way everyone hoped. He was supposed to be one of the cornerstones of this franchise, a veteran who would be the perfect complement to the Rays' young talent.

He was supposed to be a manager on the field, a calming influence in the clubhouse and a model of professionalism on the road. He was supposed to be a power source, a long-ball hitter who would get everyone else better pitches to hit.

But, truth be told, it hasn't worked out that way. Oh, McGriff has done his part. Sure, maybe he hasn't hit as many homers as the Rays would have liked since coming here in 1998, but he remains one of the game's most effective hitters and is playing so well this season he should have been on the American League All-Star team.

Now, he has a chance to jump off this sinking ship that is the Rays and latch on with a contender like the Cubs, but it looks as if he might pass on it.

So, what happens to McGriff now? If he squashes the trade, he'll keep his quality time with his family, but he'll be playing for a team that obviously doesn't think he fits into its plans. I mean, how long do you think the Rays are going to keep Steve Cox on the shelf?

And if the Rays cut McGriff's playing time to give Cox more action, McGriff may not get the 550 plate appearances this season (he has 331 with 75 games left) he needs to get the $6.75-million option for next season.

The money is virtually guaranteed if he goes to the Cubs. But if he stays with the Rays, he has to get the 550 to get it. Trust me, if he doesn't make it, the Rays aren't going to give it to him out of the goodness of their hearts. They're a baseball team, not a charity.

"I think I'll be all right," McGriff said just before heading toward gate C-37 where the team's charter awaited.

Let's hope so. Whether it's here or in Chicago.

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