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     Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is not happy with agent Scott Boras-- who is these days?  Leyland doesn't like the accusations that Boras makes about his client Magglio Ordonez.  He claims the Tigers are deliberately benching Ordonez so they do not have to pay his $18 million salary next year.  Ordonez needs 69 more games or 215 more plate appearances to guarantee his deal for 2010.  Leyland bristles at the accusation.  He says that has nothing to do with his decisions.

     But so what if the Tigers are benching Ordonez for just that reason?  It's their right isn't it?  It's their money and maybe they feel it would be better spent on someone else next year.  It's a business and that's the deal within the contract.  Agents have done plenty of harm to baseball.  But incentive contracts should not be approved.  They provide for just these kinds of accusations whether they have  merit or not.  As I say if that's the Tigers thinking it's their right to use their  personnel anyway they choose.  But if the contracts were outlawed and players paid for simply providing their best efforts, it would eliminate rough situations like this one is turning out to be.

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