When it comes to endorsements, baseball picks winners

David Wright is on billboards, magazine covers, even an airplane. And why not? He’s young, good-looking and a superstar athlete in New York.

“MLB, for me personally,” Wright said, “they’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. It’s something I enjoy doing. I think it has something to do with being in New York and on a winning team.”

Ya think?

But while Wright and a select group of baseball peers — Derek Jeter comes to mind — are marketed like superstars, there is a growing segment of ballplayers who think the game could do a better job of promoting its stars.

“You see basketball players all the time — commercials, doing endorsements for all types of different companies,” said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. “You get outside Derek Jeter, not a lot of guys (in baseball) are doing that. Reason being, it’s easy to sell basketball shoes. What are we gonna sell? Gloves and cleats?

“So it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but I think we could market our stars a little better.”

Lee’s logic follows, but only to a certain point. NBA players are a natural to sell sneakers, but what about the NFL? You see its stars selling everything from credit cards to wall posters to sports beverages.

Peyton Manning’s list of endorsements could take up most of this page.

So why can’t baseball players holler CUT THAT MEAT?

Inherent characteristics of the game, say some.

“Baseball is so big, it’s so long, so big, there’s so many players,” said Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. “The only marketable stars are the A-Rods and Jeters and Pujolses. Basketball, there’s not as many stars. And you can play that every day. All you need is a hoop and a ball. Football, everybody can play two-hand touch.

“Baseball, you need the space, the bases, the ball, the bat, gloves, and you need more than one ball because you’re going to lose it.”

There is a significant segment of baseball players who believe you have to be a member of an intangible club for MLB to turn its marketing power toward you.

Actually, Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford calls it “a circle” and says the sport does a good job marketing “the guys in that circle.”

“You gotta be on a winning team,” he says. “You gotta have a background of being a winner. You definitely have to have a marketable face, a cute face.”

Does Crawford think he has “a cute face?”

“Not for MLB,” he says. “I don’t think my face is one you’ll be seeing all the time.”

Actually, it very well could be. There are a lot of ballplayers who say the best way to endorsement money is through New York. Even the ones on the other side of that fence will admit as much.

Just ask Wright whether he’d be on airplanes if he played in Kansas City.

“Me?” he says. “Mmm, probably not.”

Ex-Rocket's troubled life ends in tragedy

Former Houston Rockets forward Eddie Griffin, whose athletic gifts and potential seemed limited only by their inability to carry him past his troubles, died last week in a crash with an oncoming train.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday identified Griffin as the man who died on Friday when the sport utility vehicle he was driving plowed into a moving train in southeast Houston.

Officials said Griffin, 25, drove his SUV through a railroad crossing barrier, past flashing warning lights and into a moving train in the 5300 block of Lawndale about 1:30 a.m. Griffin's vehicle burst into flames on impact, burning his body so badly that investigators were unable to identify him until Tuesday, when they used dental records to confirm his identity.

The medical examiner's office said a toxicology report will determine if Griffin was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the fatal crash.

"Eddie is free now," said former Rockets guard and NBA coach John Lucas, who worked with Griffin in Lucas' Houston-based rehabilitation program. "Eddie was just a special basketball talent. He was doing well for periods. He would go up and down mentally and spiritually. But Eddie was a good person.

"I'm just sad, just so sad."

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, who had believed Griffin would become one of the cornerstones of the franchise, described Griffin as particularly kind, though unable to overcome his problems.

"I found him to be a very quiet, sweet, charming, nice person," Alexander said. "It's a shame somebody this young has to die this way. The whole Rockets organization is devastated. Our wishes and thoughts go out to his family and friends. He must have been a very troubled young man and probably that trouble caused his death. It's just a very, very sad situation."

So great was Griffin's potential as a 6-foot-10 power forward, the Rockets sent three first-round picks to the New Jersey Nets for the draft rights to Griffin, selected seventh in the 2001 NBA Draft that night.

By his second season, however, his legal and substance abuse problems grew increasingly serious. He was suspended during the 2003 preseason after a series of unexcused absences from practices. While suspended, Griffin was accused of beating a woman and shooting at her in his home. The Rockets released him two months later.

"All the potential, all the dreams his family had for him for what his career would and could be, to see it end like this is just tragic," Rockets director of media relations Nelson Luis said. "He was a very quiet, introverted kid. But you could tell there was a current of trouble underneath the surface with him. It's a shame. He was trying. After he left us, he was trying to get his life together. It's a tragedy."

Griffin sought treatment for alcoholism during his suspension and several times thereafter.

"Eddie was like a man-child," said Rusty Hardin, Griffin's attorney. "He was a wonderful, gentle soul, but he was an alcoholic. Alcohol always got in the way. The one thing the Rockets didn't know and none of us knew was the extent of the problem. It's really tragic.

"What people don't know is Eddie didn't go out partying, he didn't go wild or was a jerk. He was secretly drinking. He would have been the savior power forward the Rockets needed if not for (alcohol). When alcohol wasn't involved, he was one wonderful, gentle giant."

Griffin signed with the New Jersey Nets in January 2004 but was released the following month. He signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves the next season and showed enough potential for the Timberwolves to sign him to a contract extension. Griffin played in just 12 games last season and — after a traffic incident and a suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA anti-substance abuse policy — was released in March.

"He was undecided the last I talked to him whether he wanted to play basketball anymore or what he wanted to do," Lucas said. "This is just really sad from a talent standpoint, it's sad from a personal standpoint, and devastating from a recovery standpoint. From a recovery standpoint — but for the grace of God goes I."

In 303 games from the 2001-02 season through the 2005-06 season, Griffin averaged 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.71 blocked shots. One of the nation's top freshmen at Seton Hall in 2000-2001 and an NBA All-Rookie second team selection in 2002, his playing career will be remembered for what it could have been.

"That's a true tragedy right there," Rockets vice president/trainer Keith Jones said. "He had all the ability in the world and was young enough to get his life turned around and affect people in a positive way, but couldn't get it turned around. You hate to say youth was wasted, but in this case, it really was."