There is a statement that one of the truest things in life: Happy wife, happy life. There are many husbands and ex-husbands that can attest to this. Cliff Lee is probably one of them. According to ESPN.com, Cliff Lee has reached a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The New York Yankees and their unlimited funds couldn’t lure Lee to Gotham City. Yankee fans treatment of Lee’s wife during the 2010 ALCS could have played a part.
The idea of having your wife calling the place where Yankee fans spat and threw beer at her home was enough for Lee to turn down a potential extra $38 million. The Phillies won the Cliff Lee lottery, beating out the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. The off season bidding was mostly a two horse race between the Rangers and Yankees. According to sources, the last offer by the Yankees was a six-year, $138 million proposal with a player option for the seventh year. Texas’ best offer was a six-year deal with a vesting option for a seventh year. The Phillies made a late rally and won over Lee with a five year deal with at least $100 million and a vesting option for a sixth year.
Cliff Lee was traded by the Phillies in 2009 to obtain Roy Halladay. With Lee returning, the Phillies now have a starting rotation of Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. This is combination of superfriends should get just as much hype as the Miami Thrice, but have much better potential to living up to it.
So boys and girls, what’s the moral of the story? It doesn’t matter how much money you have or someone offers you, if the wife isn’t happy….you will end up somewhere unexpected.
