Scott, Bore Us

Scott Boras has about as much impact on baseball as any player, or manager for that matter.

This is because he is baseball's most obnoxious (i.e. effective) agent in major league baseball today. His big-named clients could form a All-Star team in and of themselves. Depending on who you ask, his clients are among the best players in baseball.

That is if you ask Scott Boras.

Just take a look at some of those players he represents and see if you recognize any names:

• Alex Rodriguez (3B, NY Yankees)- $28 million
  
• Manny Ramirez (RF, LA Dodgers)- $20 mill.
  
• Mark Teixeira (1B, NY Yankees)- $12.5 mill.
• CC Sabathia (LHP, NY Yankees)- $11 mill.
  
• Barry Zito (LHP, San Fransisco Giants)- $14.5 mill.
  
• Johnny Damon (CF, NY Yankees)- $13 mill.
  
• J.D. Drew (RF, Boston Red Sox)- $14 mill.
  
• Andruw Jones (CF, Texas Rangers)- $14.7 mill.
  
• Carlos Beltran (CF, NY Mets)- $18.6 mill.
  
• Matt Holliday (LF, Oakland A's)- $9.5 mill.
  
• Pudge Rodriguez (C, NY Yankees)- $12.3 mill.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka (RHP, Boston Red Sox)- $8.3 mill.
• Jason Variteck (C, Boston Red Sox)- $10.4 mill.
  

Those numbers next to the player's names are not number of home runs hit, rather their 2008 salary. If one thing can be said about Boras, he does his job. His job is to get his players paid. Whether or not his players deserve it, they get the most money possible.

Regardless of if he represents the best players in the game, he certainly represents the wealthiest.

Boras is notorious for gauging teams on the price of players. He is probably the most aggressive agent in the sport. I wonder if that means Boras has been taking steroids.

Managers hate him. Owners hate him. Fans hate him. We hate him because he is so gosh darn penny pinching. A few extra million dollars seem like a lot to non-athletes, but to a guy who is already getting paid ten million, what is the worth of holding out for an additional million?

You may notice from looking at the list above, many of the guys play for either the Yankees or the Red Sox. That is primarily because Boras' tough negotiating means that smaller budget teams are unable to vie for Boras players.

So many people hate him, but if any one loves him, it is George Steinbrenner. This is either because Boras funnels premier atheletes into the clutches of the Yankees, or because Steinbrenner is just than insane.

Like I said, his negotiating power with some of the most impactful players gives him a great influence in the sport. If only he would use his power for good.