Pay 'Em!

     Brandon Philips wants to get paid. He's the best Second Baseman in the game, he's just 30, and he's coming off a solid season where he hit for over .300. He has made it clear he'd like to stay in Cincinnati, but isn't giving the "homeboy discount". I can understand that. It seems like a lot of people can't.

     Fans use the argument all the time, "Boy, if I got paid a million bucks to play a kids game, I wouldn't complain and ask for more money". I hate that mentality. Any fan that thinks that is a hypocrite. There are a lot of problems I have with that sentiment and I'm going to address it here. *Gets on soapbox*

1. Players can't play forever - Sure, these guys make a TON of money, but they can't play pro sports forever. Most guys might not make it to 30, and with steroids banned, very few hit 40. Athletes need to make their money when they can.
2. Look at your peers - I worked at a gas station making 5.25 an hour, I was fine with it. Then another guy came in that I felt didn't work as hard as me and he made 5.75 an hour. 10% more than me? The rest of the time he worked there, I felt disrespected. We did the same work and he made more. If at your job a new guy came in and did the same thing as you and made 10% more and you had seniority, I bet you wouldn't like it.
3. It's all about your industry - If the good people in your industry made between 12-20 million dollars a year, and you fit in that category, don't you deserve that money too? 

     Look, it's real easy to see the astronomical salary figures and figure that these guys are overpaid. To me, these guys aren't overpaid because the teams make money. Call me crazy, but I'd MUCH rather see guys on the field cashing in instead of some already super rich old guy in a luxury box.

     Do the Reds want to pay @DatDudeBP? We'll find out. But whether they do or not, Brandon Philips deserves to get paid. We all do.