Ahhhh, that’s why Rhi Rhi wants to be down again, huh? Mo’ money, mo’ pop stars it seems. I see you, Matt.
$160 million over eight years is easily the richest deal in Los Angeles Dodgers history, and it’s obviously well-deserved. The Dodgers just locked up one of Major League Baseball’s brightest young stars, an All-Star centerfielder who hit for .329, 39 home runs and 126 RBIs and challenged for the Triple Crown until the last week of what could be an MVP season. Did I mention he just turned 27 in September?
The Dodgers announced the deal at a press conference Friday morning. Frank McCourt, the embattled team owner, was effusive in his praise of Kemp, one of his rare good decisions lately.
“I just want to tell you I’m proud of you,” McCourt said, looking directly at Kemp. “You’ve really seen an opportunity and you seized that opportunity. Now it’s time to be that leader that you’re capable of being. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, it’ll come.
“If you continue to grow up as you have the last few years, there’s no doubt you’ll be the type of leader this franchise has been looking for, for some time.”
Kemp agreed to take less in the first year of the deal to give L.A. more financial flexibility, which is probably more about McCourt and his monetary issues in trying to sell the Dodgers. Still, the move is a good gesture by Kemp as he wrestles the title as the face of the legendary franchise from the owner whose done much more bad than good recently.
All in all, locking up Matt Kemp is one of the better decisions made in the City of Angels in some time. The Dodgers’ new owner will come in with a ready-made superstar to market and Kemp gets every opportunity to join the hierarchy of young, Hollywood sports stars, which apparently makes you a magnet for Barbadian beauties.