Good, and lengthy article in the NYT on Barry Zito and how the huge contract has changed his life and his ability to be an effective pitcher.  IMO one of the most fascinating things about sports, and baseball in particular is how pressure affects athletes' performance.  If i were a GM and had the resources, i'd employ someone to analyze which personality types flourish under pressure and which ones fold, and use that data to help decide which free agents to go after.  I guess that's some of what scouts do, and thus the school of thought that scouts have something to offer that sabermatricians don't. If that's true i guess it's a good thing that JD uses a mix of both approaches.  I'm not convinced you could predict how a player would respond to the added pressure of a big contract, but if you could, it would be a huge asset.