PHOENIX — Because he said so.
That was more or less the reason Dodgers owner Frank McCourt gave Sunday morning for refusing to consider a proposal made to him by Manny Ramirez's agent, which differed from an offer the Ramirez camp made last week only in the timing of the payments.
McCourt said the latest phase of negotiations ended the moment agent Scott Boras made him a counterproposal instead of simply accepting or declining an offer the Dodgers made Wednesday of a two-year, $45-million contract with much of the money deferred without any added interest. By Thursday evening, Boras had made two counterproposals, the second one asking for two years at $45 million with an opt-out clause Ramirez could exercise at the end of the first year, only with no deferred salary.
McCourt on Sunday called that counteroffer "too little too late" and said negotiations would resume with "a fresh start." He said he stressed to the agent that he had wanted a resolution by Friday because he didn't want the negotiations to dominate conversation Sunday, the day the Dodgers opened the gates of their new spring training ballpark.
But why not consider the offer when the two sides appear to be so close?
"Because we're going to start from scratch," McCourt said.
But why start from scratch when you're so close?
"I answered it twice," McCourt said.
He looked away from the reporter who asked the question and didn't say another word until another question was asked by another reporter.
McCourt later apologized for ignoring the inquiry, saying that he wanted to field another question because a Dodgers spokesman had told him he could speak to the assembled media for only one more minute. He spoke for almost six more. The next question he took was from an MLB.com reporter who asked him about the joys of opening a new spring training ballpark and hosting the final rounds of World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium.
McCourt said negotiations would restart today at the earliest and intimated his next offer would be for less money. He said the offers he and General Manager Ned Colletti have made to Ramirez have remained in the same price range from the time they made their first pitch in November.
"And you know what? The world isn't anything like it was in November," McCourt said, referring to the downturn in the economy.
