Hey … Who Parked in My Spot?
So Chris Baker, who had been sleeping in and not returning Lumbergh’s calls
might have taken another step at trying to punch his own ticket out of town at the OTAs last week.
Apparently it got a little bit worse when Chris Baker decided to stow his ride in former Team President Jay Cross’ parking spot during the OTAs the other week, according to Hutch on the Star-Ledger’s site last night.
During minicamp, Baker, who wants a new contract, angered the organization by parking his red Bentley in the “Team President” parking spot and refused to move it.
Ooops! He must have been late for his meeting with the Bobs! For a guy who has stated he wants to stay with the team, he sure has a funny way of showing it and to complain he isn’t paid enough, it’s SHOCKING to find that he’s spent more than $150,000 on a single car.
Filed under: Main Page
That reminds me of that great line from The Replacements, when one of the striking football players shouts, “you got any idea how much insurance on a Ferrari costs…?”
You’d be asking for a raise, too, if you spent that large a percentage of your salary on your car. Looks like Chris has done a nice job of mapping out his finances for retirement.
Goat- HAHAHAHA!!! Thanks for that.
I was going to echo something buddha said in the other thread about caring so much about ownership’s money while they’re trying to fleece you out of your very last dollar and all, but I’m going to go with something humorous (after all, it is Friday).
This clown-dog was a band teacher at my middle school!
“Do it Up America!” LOL!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cp5ioJ5nbw4
Here is the video
this guy is a joke.. i hope he’s good at used car sales, b/c he’s going to be hurting post-football. he’s a guy who thinks he’s wayyy better than he is.
“..he’s a guy who thinks he’s wayyy better than he is.”
That may be so, but tell me who was the last Jets tight end who was as good as Baker. Becht? Jolley? Kyle Brady?
If we unload this guy for nothing, we’ll be making the same mistake we did with Kendall. They need to sit down with Baker and his agent, and come to some kind of agreement (not necessarily an immediate raise).
I was hoping that he was just angling to get a new contract by complaining about his contract but stating that he wanted to remain with the team. Now I think it is blatantly clear that he does not want to be a Jet and just wants to be released or traded thinking that he’ll get the big bucks with some other team. I was hoping the team would throw him a bone so we could keep him, but now I think they should just throw him to the wolves. So, do you think he’ll be selling used Bentleys or Hyundais in a couple years?
By throwing him to the wolves, I mean the Jets should just bench him for the next two years so he gets fat and disappears from football, and then no other team would even be interested in him. His salary isn’t that big a deal compared to the cap. Then in 2010 he could then start earning the big bucks in his new-found career as a used car salesman. Players like him really bother me.
i appreciate his guts, but not smarts. if you’re pleading poverty, why draw attention to your Bentley?
are-tee,
baker is clearly the best TE that we’ve had in a while, however, is that really saying a whole lot? he is a middle of the road player at best. his blocking is decent, which is absolutely replacable and most of his receptions came when he was split-out. those receptions are not too hard to duplicate elsewhere. While the sitation mirrors pete kendall’s, baker is nowhere near comparable to him talent-wise. While i understand that bubba franks may not be starting-caliber anymore, is losing baker that detrimental?
Having him will make the JETS better this year. Period. Lets get this done with and put our BEST FOOT FORWARD FOR CHRIST’S SAKE… ITS ABOUT WINNING GAMES!
The Chad,
Sure, he’s replaceable -so was Kendall. But it took a year and a gazilion dollars to replace Kendall, who is also a lot older than Baker.
I’m not saying we should keep him at all costs, but don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.
How about instead of letting this guy go for free, we trade him for 3rd rounder or we keep him and make him suffer. People are saying that the Jets do not handle ugly situations the correct way but what can you do with guys like him?
3rd Rounder for Baker even if we suffer, its better than having a cancer on the team
Baker is NOT a cancer to the team. Yes, he has been a distraction with his contract issues … but if he were to be thrown a MINOR bone in this instance, he’d go back to being the consummate pro.
I’ve been supporting Baker for a while now and I think he has crossed the line. I think DanF is right that he CLEARLY doesnt want to be a JET. Players who force the team into a no win situation clearly dont want to be there. I wish they towed his car! If we could get a 3rd for him our draft next year is just going to be plain sick! You are talking 4 extra picks potentially between rounds2-4… Any one else getting a boner here or is it just me?
Dsmizzle, Can a TE really be a cancer? I agree they should have thrown him a minor bone when they took care of D-Robs cap number.
Baker is a mediocre TE and a distraction. But, more importantly, his situation from a football perspective is nothing like Kendall’s. There was only an injury-prone journeyman (Clarke) who never played a full season at LG to replace Kendall. To replace Baker, the Jets have a veteran and former 3-time Pro Bowler (Bubba), a rookie first round draft pick (Keller) and a hungry second-year player (Pociask). Another difference was that Kendall knew that he would be the only veteran LG on the market. As long as Shockey is out there, Baker is the second-best TE available. Moreover, there has been a run on LGs, especially veteran LGs, over the past 3 years in the NFL. But, TE, is a deep position. Last point, there is no friggin way the Jets get a 3rd rounder for Baker until Shockey is traded because Shockey might only fetch a 3rd rounder. My guess is more like a fifth rounder.
maybe he was trying to show jets management why he needs the raise?
this guy is trying 2 sho weveryone that hes the good guy but hes got a nice way of showing that ok i think the jets bench him and let him no either u play 4 us or u dont play at all if u can buy expensive cars like dat ur pretty much good 4 a yr and mayb contract yr then u can get some money
I’ve been dreaming of our next draft. This team is only going to get better.
I’m sure if Baker put his ego aside, acted mature and at the end of next season asked professionally to re-do his contract, he would get a lot further than acting like such a child
The Jets FO told Kendall that they would not renegotiate (tear up) a players contract that has more than one year remainin. They will infact extend a player, if valuable to the future of the team, but not renegotiate. Kendall and Baker want(ed) more $ NOW and the team will not open the door for other players when they feel “deserving” of a raise. I do not see any problem with that. Apparently they don’t see Baker as a Jet after his present contract expires.
Yeah, Baker has a Benley. So what? What does Woody drive? or should we ask what does Woody fly? A Gulfstream?
Please give me $2k to $12k per seat for a PSL so I can buy myself a Gulfstream. At least Baker is trying to get his money from the owner instead of from the fans!
Owner and fans are one in the same. Owner will just go to fans to get $. Customers pay my salary. As a customer of the JETS I pay the employee’s salary
It’s good to know SOMEONE read MC Hammer’s book on financial management!
buddha thats a joke baker is a joke woody can drive whatever he wants his name is on the check so as for baker you get rid of him and go with what you got or make him suffer and play he has no leverage if he dont dhow he dont get paid and looks bad there are plenty of guys who can play the position out there that would play for alot less headaches its not the money i believe its the way he is acting which i wouldnt give him anything for the way he acts i mean serious tony gonzalez he is not he’s not even on the level of second tier tes i say keep him and make him play if he chooses to be a distraction that will only show other teams what they are going to be getting when he hits the market in 2 years to hell with him
Baker is a loser and I don’t want losers on this team. Trade him while his value is high.
And how stupid is Baker spending $150,000 on a car which is probably worth only $100,000 now. And what kind of gas mileage does it get, 10 miles per gallon??
how about doing nothing, and seeing how long it takes him to earn 700k in the real world. He can play for the salary he agreed to, or he can sit out the season…..how about that?
he is a good football player, but he isnt that good, and since the jets drafted a te and brought in another one in FA, he isnt exactly irreplaceable……
Shut up and play ball already.
SackDance99:
Baker was doomed from the moment he spoke out to reporters about the poor game management last year
DSmizzle – Once you’ve parked your expensive car in the president’s spot (after crying poor), you can never be considered a consummate pro again. Consummate Ahole perhaps…
The Jets are one of the most valuable franchises in pro sports. Stop feeling bad for Woody.
The owners and fans are one in the same?!?!? We pay Baker’s salary? Give me a break. The value in owning a sports team is in the capital gain, not in the profitability! The value is in buying the franchise for $800 million, taking on cheap debt of $1.3 billion to build the stadium of every owners’ dreams – screwing the fans in the process – then ripping off the NJ taxpayer to get a state of the art practice facility while they foot the bill, and then selling the team for multiples on what you paid for it.
I don’t know how all of you can take it. Last year we went from having a decent offensive line to swiss cheese because of losing Kendall. Woody and the Jets were too damn cheap to give the guy $1 million (a pittance compared to the numbers above), and we the fans get screwed watching a piece of crap 4-12 team with the 25th ranked offense. Now the great Jets want to go forward with Bubba Franks who hasn’t been up to Baker’s caliber since 2002. Oh, wait we just signed Matt Schobel who had 11 catches last year with the Eagles – hold on, you mean that’s AJ Schable who has never played TE in the NFL? Huh?
Give Baker a raise already. Next time a DE runs around the great D’Brick Fergeson at LT and there’s no Baker to pick him up you’ll be screaming that Tannenbaum didn’t restructure his contract.
NYC Park:
I know all about being squeezed out of NYC Parking. And you are right on!! You can NEVER PARK IN THE PRESIDENT’S SPOT. Period
buddha;
The only thing I can say is GET A GRIP MAN, and enjoy the season.
Baker will sit and the president will remind him that SOMEBODY IS PLAYING IN HIS SPOT!
The Jets did the right thing w/ Kendall..and they’re doing the right thing w/ Baker now. Those who believe the Kendall situation ruined our season…Ask yourselves this: If an aging, injury prone 34 year old interior lineman made THAT much of a difference to our OL and our entire team’s well being..were we that good to begin w/???
We aren’t the only team in situations like this. this is a league wide thing. Briggs, Urlacher, Shockey, Burress,Graham,Boldin,etc. It’s everywhere.
You have to set a precedent within a franchise that guys can’t pout their way into a raise anytime they feel like it. It’s painful right now..but big picture…this is gonna pay huge dividends. Let Baker pout…he’s only making himself look bad.
LOL, they “did the right thing with Kendall” …
The absolutely did the right thing w. Kendall.
What would giving Kendall a raise done except worsen our cap situation for an aging, average injury prone player..and at MOST 2 more wins last season? I’d love to hear an educated aswer..