Free Republic

It’s over. The long offseason of Manny Machado can end after the All-Star infielder agreed to a deal with the Padres on Tuesday. The Post confirmed San Diego will give Machado the biggest free-agent contract in history — if not the biggest deal ever, which belongs to Giancarlo Stanton — meeting his reported 10-year, $300 million ask. This ends the saga that included the Yankees, White Sox and Phillies, all who met with the former Oriole. The Padres, one of baseball’s youngest teams, are an odd fit, yet they must picture the 26-year-old will still be a star when their...

The Nationals have agreed to a deal with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Corbin, a client of ISE Baseball, has landed a $140MM guarantee over a six-year term, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. Patrick Corbin | Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports Deferrals will reduce the true, present-day value of the deal, but it’s still a huge sum. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the deferrals will be relatively minor, though details aren’t yet known. There will not be an opt-out opportunity in the deal, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com tweets....

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition Monday to hear an appeal by the Talk Radio Network in a lawsuit brought by host Michael Savage. The denial of the petition leaves in place the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in July upholding a federal judge’s decision to release Savage from a contract with his former syndicator. “After many, many years and over a million dollars of legal fees, justice has prevailed, Savage told WND. “TRN has never paid me one dime of the money they were supposed to pay me.” WND requested comment from TRN but did not receive...

Dodgers starter Zack Greinke opted out of his contract to become arguably the top free-agent pitcher on the market Wednesday. Greinke, 32, figures to command a significant raise from the $23 million he made last year. He went 19-3 with a major-league leading 1.66 earned-run average and a 0.84 WHIP, making him a favorite for the National League Cy Young Award.

In a ruling that is being compared to the case that led to free agency in baseball, a federal judge in California upheld an arbitration panel’s decision to release talk-radio host Michael Savage from a contract with his former syndicator, Talk Radio Network. Savage’s lawyer, Dan Horowitz, called it a landmark case for talk radio. “Michael is to talk radio what Curt Flood was to Major League Baseball,” Horowitz told WND, referring to the player who challenged baseball’s reserve clause, which kept a player bound to his team even after fulfillment of his contract. Savage told WND the ruling “should...

Taking a key piece from its rival New England, Indianapolis agreed in principle to a deal with Adam Vinatieri, the Colts said. Vinatieri, who twice hit winning kicks in the Super Bowl for the Patriots, will replace former Pro Bowl kicker Mike Vanderjagt.   Adam Vinatieri will try to create some historical moments for the Colts.     The deal was announced on the team's Web site, though terms were not immediately available. Messages left with the Patriots and agents for Vinatieri by The Associated Press were not immediately returned. The Patriots allowed Vinatieri to test free agency rather than...

(Excerpt) He (Kerry) added: "I'm not a church spokesman. I'm a legislator running for president. My oath is to uphold the Constitution of the United States in my public life. My oath privately between me and God was defined in the Catholic church by Pius XXIII and Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II, which allows for freedom of conscience for Catholics with respect to these choices, and that is exactly where I am. And it is separate. Our constitution separates church and state, and they should be reminded of that." Mr. Kerry apparently meant John XXIII, as there is...

WE propose in this chapter, to examine some of the principal objections which have been urged against the view taken in the preceding chapter of the freedom of the will. Those most worthy of notice are the following, viz.: I. It is said to be absurd in itself. II. It is said to be irreconcilable with the Scripture account of the divine prescience. III. It is said to conflict with the doctrine of motives. We propose a respectful attention to each of these grand objections. I. It is alleged that the view we have taken of the proper freedom of...

THE subject now before us—the moral agency of man—is one of great interest and importance. It has been said by an excellent writer, that "The proper study of mankind is man." If this is true, as it unquestionably is, when the terms are understood to relate to the true character, moral relations, and eternal destiny of man, it is likewise true that no question ever agitated in relation to man can be of greater interest than the one now proposed—his proper moral agency. This subject has elicited a large amount of philosophical research from the most acute metaphysicians in every...

Strike 4The baseball deal will either make the game worse for fans or it'll be a sham that won't hold salaries down. The owners came close to wrecking the season for this? - - - - - - - - - - - -By Allen BarraAug. 30, 2002  | Let's start with the short form. The crisis was phony, the issues were a crock and the deal is a sham. Well, it's about 50-50 that it will turn out to be a sham. No matter what anyone says, it has yet to be proven that the basic agreement worked out between...

Information BankruptcyThe Owners Ponder Reviving A Bomb by Jeff Kallman Have you seen Sports Illustrated's thumbnail review of owners-vs.-players issues? With memory decent enough, and a baseball library full enough, the final item listed will make you feel like a dog. The kind who earns his Alpo sniffing for bombs."We want a way to verify offers made to free agents," say the owners, as SI translates their brief for the so-called Information Bank. "This is the only way we can get a true handle on what the market is so we won't overspend on free agents." Actually, what they want...