After being introduced as the newest member of the Yankees, Mark Teixeira revealed to reporters how he was able to make up his mind: by listening to his wife:"We were really waiting for teams to drop out," Teixeira said. "I said to Leigh, we were sitting at dinner, 'Everything's equal. Where would you want to play?' Finally, she broke down and said, 'I want you to be a Yankee.' That's what did it for me."Smart man: life is a lot easier when you keep the missus happy. Up until that point, the Yankees were lingering in the background while the Red Sox positioned themselves as the favorite, but once Teixeira told Scott Boras to revive talks, a deal was struck within 11 days.
It's an amusing anecdote ... unless you're a member of Red Sox Nation. Leigh admitted her preference on Dec. 12; Red Sox owner John Henry, president Larry Lucchino and GM Theo Epstein made their trip to Texas on Dec. 18. Had they known they were suddenly the underdogs and not the favorites about to seal the deal, it's likely they would have re-considered the trip.
In hindsight, the trip did prove fruitful, at least from Teixeira's perspective: Boston's final offer provided the leverage Teixeira needed for the Yankees to step up with the highest offer on the table a week later, making Mark and (more importantly, for his sake) Leigh one happy couple.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-07-2009 @ 5:01PM
TheHulk said...
Yankee fans are going to love these two.
Matt what are you hearing regarding the fact that Mark T may have had it in for Boston for the way he was treated by them when he was drafted???
Reply
1-08-2009 @ 9:49AM
Mike said...
Let's look at honesty here. Tex states that he make up his mind on signing with the Yankees, or I should say that his wife made up his mind for him, a full week BEFORE the Sox braintrust went down to see him and the snake(Boras). So it looks to me like he "played" the Sox when he knew all along he wouldn't sign with them. That, my friends, is the mark of a "snake". Guess he's learned well from Boras. So here's the point----now that Tex has been exposed as a liar deceiver, just like Boras, I suppose that makes him the ideal candidate to play for the Yankees. While I'm at it, and based on the clip I saw of him and his wife, is that really Tex's wife or his daughter? Someone better check her license--if she has one.
Reply