SALT LAKE CITY -- The man who has it all, millions and millions and at least 40 more coming, is crying.
He's sitting in the lobby of a fancy hotel here, his hands curled into fists to fight away the relentless tears.
He cares so much he cannot speak.
You know him, of course: "WELLS" across his back when he's playing and you might be booing.
To everyone else in baseball, he's "Vernon Wells, the guy with the big contract who sucks." And he understands.
"That's my name," Wells concedes in acknowledging how it all runs together these days, seven years, $126 million and he cannot hit.
He's back, but sitting beside Angels Manager Mike Scioscia earlier this week in Detroit. Just the two of them in the dugout, Wells knowing what Scioscia is going to say, but it's still overwhelming.
"You are rehabbing to come back, but then you start watching two freaks on a baseball field take over with Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo," Wells says. "One side of you is like, that's awesome. Then you start thinking there's nowhere for me to play..."
He stops to settle himself, starts and stops again.
"I knew it, but hearing it ... That's the hardest thing for a competitor, knowing I won't have the chance to do what I love every day. I love this game, have so much respect for it and want so badly to be out there.
"But what do I have to argue? I'm Trout and Trumbo's biggest fan. You have two guys who will be in the top four when it comes to MVP voting. There's no room to make it work with Torii Hunter playing well along with Albert Pujols and Kendrys Morales. Peter [Bourjos] deserves to play every day; look how well he's handled things."
He uses a chunk of the money he's paid to help single mothers and homeless children, but such information does not come from him. He's just the bum who can't live up to what he's paid.
"I don't apologize for what I'm being paid," he says. "I know fans are focused on the outcome, but all I can control is effort and doing everything I can to get better and I've never stopped or backed off in any way doing that."
"I can't get upset with anyone but myself. I put myself in this situation."
Project regroup begins anew here. He's playing for the Salt Lake Bees, while his teammates are playing their biggest series of the season to date back home.
"I just had to get past the pride thing when I talked to Scioscia," says Wells, who is buying breakfast, lunch and dinner for the Bees every day he's here.
"Once I got that out of me, it lit a fire under me again. It's a motivator. Without a doubt I still believe I can perform at a high level, so I'm going to work to help the Angels or if something else crazy happens and I'm somewhere else, I'll be ready."
As a veteran, he doesn't have to be in the minors. But he's doing what the Angels have asked of him, getting three hits in his first six at-bats and making a tough catch.
However it goes, though, he will get $21 million next season, $21 million the year after that, atop the $21 million he's getting this year.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/ ... ull.column
Still a class act and a good guy but very overpaid. Hope things work out for him. I just posted excerpts. Check more out at the link.
