Pointless, Misleading Comparison Theater Presents...

...Dr. Phil in today's Tribune:

[Mark] DeRosa, a 31-year-old who hadn't driven in more than 31 runs before last season, was given a contract that will pay him more in 2009 ($5.5 million) than Mark Grace received in any of his 12 seasons in Chicago.

Not that I'm going to defend the DeRosa signing (see my post below...), but there have got to be about a bajillion better ways to criticize this deal than comparing it to the contracts Mark Grace signed back in the day.

Is Mark Grace relevant to the conversation at all? If so, I offer an abridged list of other Cubs who will soon be eclipsed on the annual salary list by DeRosa:

Ernie Banks Billy Williams Ron Santo Bruce Sutter Manny Trillo Keith Moreland Carmen Fanzone Dick Selma Don Cardwell Gabby Hartnett Cap Anson Rick Reuschel Oscar Zamora Rodney Scott Moose Moryn Burt Hooton Al Spalding Guy Bush Billy Jurges Charlie Wiedemeyer Jerry Martin Cole Liniak and all the guys on this team

Is DeRosa overpaid? Yes. Would DeRosa not be overpaid if Grace had earned $6 million in 1998? Hell, no.

But Grace is the sainted golden child of the Chicago media. His ciggie-puffing, beer-swilling, teammate-back-stabbing (off the record, of course) hijinks endeared him to all the Chicago media types. So it's no wonder Dr. Phil holds every new Cub up to the Grace standard.

So far, DeRosa comes up short. But he's one of the scrappy white guys that Dr. Phil loves so much. Perhaps with time (not to mention a few beers and sound bites), DeRosa will find his way into Dr. Phil's good graces...