In his debut album, Jay-Z said, "Nine to five is how you survive. I ain't trying to survive, I'm trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot." It was Abraham Lincoln who said, "Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle."
Unconnected? Think again.
Hustlers come in all shapes and sizes. From a log cabin in the woods of Illinois to Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, history has spawned an elite few willing to do anything to make sure their lives are anything but ordinary.
The hustler that I want to dedicate this column to, however, isn't a rapper, drug dealer or a politician. He's a self-made man from Elk Grove, Calif. I'm talking, of course, about the ultimate hustler of the sports world - Scott Boras.
Boras, who defines the term "super-agent," represents Alex Rodriguez, David Beckham, Barry Zito, Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran and Daisuke Matsuzaka, among others. He's built his empire, the Scott Boras Corporation, by winning high-stakes negotiations with major teams. Players who sign with Boras know that he'll do whatever he can to make sure they get their money - even if it means holding out for an entire season.
Exhibit A: J.D. Drew. Drew was drafted second overall out of Florida State by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997. Boras made it known before the draft that Drew would not sign for anything less than $10 million. To the disbelief of just about everyone, Boras held fast to his earlier threats, and Drew did not sign a contract. He spent the next year playing for the Saint Paul Saints of the independent Northern League and was drafted the following year by the St. Louis Cardinals. To this day, Drew is one of the most hated men in Philadelphia, all because of the negotiating strategy of Boras. But hey, Scott and Drew got their money, right?
Exhibit B: Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, the man who once said that the reason people dislike him is because, "I'm good looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, and I play on the most popular team," used Boras to negotiate the largest deal in baseball history at 10 years and $252 million.
Because of deals he negotiated for players like Drew, Boras is credited with changing the dynamics of the amateur draft forever. Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf won't even consider drafting Boras' clients.
Most people are unaware of Boras' humble beginnings as a young agent trying to break into the game. After a failed career attempt in the minors, Boras began his career as an agent by representing his former minor league teammates as they made the jump to the bigs.
The first multimillion-dollar contract he ever negotiated was for Bill Caudill, an ex-teammate who had to retire three years into a five-year deal because of arthritic shoulders. Getting big-time money for overvalued, injury-prone players? A staple of the Boras hustle.
Yes, Boras has a financial strategy that would make the folks over at Wu-Tang Financial proud. He's a true American entrepreneur, a hero to slippery, Ari Gold wannabes everywhere. He also seems to be a pretty objectionable human being, a living example of capitalist greed and the embodiment of everything that is wrong with professional sports today.
So if you're an aspiring professional athlete, keep working hard! If you're good enough, you might be lucky enough to get Scott to represent you. But he's not selfless. After all is said and done, "Don't be surprised if he ask, 'Where da cash at?'"
Will Herberich is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at William.Herberich@tufts.edu.
