[AgPete]

From: The Brady Brothers Agent
To: Mr. and Mrs. Brady
RE: 2005 Summary

Did you catch the Nike commercial? Wasn't it funny!? One of your sons approached me with a great idea. We're going to sell autographed pictures with all four of your sons to baseball card shows! Brady Fever, catch it!

Bob - Let me start by saying there is some good news and bad news. The good news is Kansas City replaced their pitching coach. The bad news is the replacement may not be an upgrade. Actually, I have two bits of bad news. Bob didn't get a raise. We lost our arbitration case again and Bob had to sign for $957,600 for a second straight year. I don't think Kansas City is the appropriate organization for Bob. Just between you and me, I think he's gone downhill since arriving here. He still hasn't purchased a house in the Kansas City area and lives like Joe Dimaggio, hotel to hotel. But this year may mark a change in the club's recent history. You see, the Royals were actually on top of the AL Central for most of this year. It was an intense race as Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago and Cleveland were all within five games of each other through most of the season. I'm sad to report that Kansas City had a small collapse in the end and finished the season with a respectable 85-77 record but only 3rd in the AL Central. Still, not bad for a team that has the fourth lowest payroll in baseball. I saw a fire in Bob's eyes that didn't exist before this year. Your son is always telling me how much he loves to win but I'm not sure what that did for his performance because he had a year very similar to last. Bob finished 11-10 with a 4.55 ERA and 93 K's. It's a career low ERA for him but not by much. I may have a tough time convincing Kansas City to keep Bob around if they're not looking to spend big bucks.

Denny - At the beginning of the year, Denny and I were not impressed with any of the new coaches the Indians brought in but the Indians turned both of our frowns upside down when they were forced to give Denny $2.8 million in arbitration! This means that Denny can now play at the high roller tables.....I mean give more money to charity! I'll have to work on the Royals and convince them pitching talent runs in the genes so I can get Bob a salary like this. By the way, did you see Denny's new Ferrari yet? Cleveland went on a spending spree during the winter and brought in one of the league's best pitchers, Derek Lowe, at $14 million a year. (Mama mia, I can't wait until one of the Bradys signs a contract like that!) We knew Cleveland's pitching staff was bound for a shakeup after the new free agent signings but I didn't expect Denny to be a casualty. I guess the Indians didn't feel Denny was a part of their future because they traded him to the San Diego Padres for a good veteran outfielder. At least we know Denny's trade value is going up. Denny doesn't seem to mind the trade. He told me the women look better and he's closer to Vegas in southern California. The Padres were 74-88 last year, so I don't think Denny will see much improvement around him. Denny was lucky enough to have a good pitching coach in Cleveland and San Diego's coach looks to be a downgrade which could hurt him. The Padres seem to think a lot about Denny because they made him their starting ace. Denny didn't disappoint them either because he finished the season with a team best 3.39 ERA. The boy pitched like a pro but he also had the misfortune of playing on the second worse team in baseball and had little run support so his 9-11 record doesn't accurately reflect how good he was this year. 9-11 records bring a pitcher's value down no matter how low their ERA is so I'll see what I can do if San Diego doesn't improve. By the way, Denny hit his first career and only (so far!) major league homerun this year! I think Mickey and Roger's influence rubbed off on him.

Mickey - I am impressed with the Cubs. They're cheapskates and only gave Mickey a small raise of $600,000 raising his salary to $2.8 million through arbitration but boy did they improve their coaching staff! Your son is now working with a legend who will probably help him work on his swing! Both of us are excited to see what he can learn from the new hitting coach and the benefits he provides for the Cubs' offense. Even though he was excited about the year, I think his exuberance has died down a little because once again the Cubs struggled to remain above .500. I know Mickey can feel the postseason on the tip of his tongue and wants to taste it in the worse way. The Cubs were actually in striking distance of the NL Central lead throughout most of the season, especially because it's such a weak division this year, but they never could get there. I had small scare when your son had to leave a game after coming up injured while diving for a fly ball but it ended up being nothing more than a broken finger. A minor injury for an outfielder but still something that can hurt negotiations for his contract next year. Mickey made due with the time he had and finished the season batting .309 with 19HR, 81 RBI and 75 RUN. Can you believe the Cubs are still trying their crazy theory that Mick can make a good leadoff hitter?! He still bats leadoff sometimes and I'm none too happy about it and the millions it takes away from his future contracts!

Roger - The Orioles are a team after my own heart. I was shocked when Baltimore offered Roger a $4 million contract for 2005. I think they're afraid they may lose their new star. Negotiating a long-term contract shouldn't be too difficult. Thanks to Baltimore, Roger was able to expand his farm by an additional 300 acres. Like his brothers and their losing teams, Roger's team also enacted a large coaching change but I'm not sure the new hiting coach will help Roger learn anything new. Oddly enough, both Mickey and Roger were placed in the exact same spot on their teams lineups. Both boys began the season hitting third against righties and second against lefties. That's where the similarities end though because Roger is clearly becoming a bigger star than Mickey. He was awarded with a second straight All-Star appearance this year and certainly earned it. Roger is Baltimore's MVP by a longshot! He leads the team in AVG (.320), HR (30), RBI (105), RUN (100) and OPS (.950)! The Orioles even showed some improvement this year finishing 80-82 and 3rd in the AL East. If the Orioles want to continue to win, they'll need to open their wallets and sign Roger to the monster contract he deserves!