Don’t Let the Door Hit You…

Things change, I guess. Luis Gonzalez then:

I’m pretty much taking the approach this is where I want to be. But at the same time, if I have to move, I’m not afraid to move on…If I’m not involved in the direction the organization wants to go, I’m not afraid to move on…If we can’t work something out, I’ll be excited to play somewhere else.

And Luis Gonzalez now:

There was one door and that door said exit. That is the way I took it. I don't have hard feelings. That is the route they want to take. There are going to be teams out there for me…For me it is another challenge. The Diamondbacks didn't feel that I was worth bringing back and it sparks me another fire. It is another motivational thing to push me. I hope I get a chance to play against the Diamondbacks. (Manager) Bob Melvin knows that because every time I go to Houston (former team) I want to go ten-for-two.

I guess what Gonzo calls “excited” others might call “lust for revenge.”

I know Gonzalez is a great guy and everybody loves him…but even though he says he has no hard feelings he comes across as being pretty bent out of shape (he even made some oblique comments about the “new regime”). Could he really have expected that the team would pick up his $10 million option for next year?

The harsh facts of the matter is that Gonzalez is 37 years old and stood to make an inordinate amount of money for what he produces. His performance in the 2001 World Series doesn’t enter into the equation. His being to oldest player to tally fifty doubles in a season doesn’t, either. Not when the D-backs have two guys who are much younger and much cheaper than Gonzalez.