Been reading about  Jose Bautista-imposed deadline on a long-term deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and I really, really, really hate when players say things like this:

"My desire is to play in Toronto long term but, after the hearing, or during the season, I have come to the conclusion that it’s probably not the best thing for me to be negotiating any type of deal," he said. "I want to focus on the game and trying to win ballgames.

Isn't this what you have an AGENT for???  How much concentration do you need to have in listening to your agent tell you how negotiations are going??

You tell your agent, "hey, come to me when they've reached something close to x years and x dollars and don't talk to me until then, I need to concentrate on the season."  DONE!

I know that it's just one of those things that athletes always say, but this has never made any sense to me and it bothers me that they feel the need to use this line over and over again.