(W)Revs Wrap, 02.13.07: Twellman's Payday (Mystery)

So, what will Taylor Twellman really earn over the next four years? Depends on where you look. After posting the figures that appeared in yesterday's report in The Boston Globe - this is the "around $300,000 per year" figure - I've since come across reports pegging the payday a little higher. An Associated Press piece that appeared on ESPN reported:

"Twellman will make $375,000 in each of the first two years of the contract, more the third year with the total based on performance and $450,000 in the final year."

For the record, several non-AP sources cite the same numbers (LINK and LINK - at least with regard to the first two years). Against that, Boston's other daily - The Boston Herald - goes with the same numbers as The Globe's.

So...what to think? At first I thought I'd go with the most recent date-lines, but that didn't fly: the AP's report ran on February 12, the same day as The Globe's. The rest of the stories appeared on February 13, but I wouldn't be surprised if they just read the AP's numbers and reported from there. I suppose it doesn't matter, seeing as Twellman's reportedly "delighted with the deal."

Then again, unless I'm misunderstanding the whole designated-player deal - or, possibly, the league maximum - it seems like those AP figures would put Twellman in designated-player territory, something the original Globe report explicitly precluded.

Whatever. I'm calling this for the local media, greater detail in the AP's report and what this means for Twellman's pocket-book be damned.

In other Revs news....

Twellman & Noonan
An MLSnet.com article, the one about Twellman being delighted, thinks out loud a bit about what a healthy and active Twellman/Pat Noonan partnership could mean to the Revs' offense this season:

"After sharing 60 goals and 34 assists in their first three seasons together, the forward pairing badly missed each other in the 2006 regular season. Twellman's total of 11 goals was the second-lowest output of his career, while Noonan found the net just once."

In a word, said partnership would mean a lot, especially with Dempsey absent. Get well, both of you...we need you

Free Avery (or pay him, tightwads!)
If Twellman's delighted, there's another man on the roster feeling a decidedly opposite emotion: Avery John. Soccer New England caught up with the defender who sounds somewhat philosophical about MLS blocking a move to England's Queen's Park Rangers. Along with a few posters on the Bigsoccer thread (sort of) devoted to John's situation, I'm hoping the Revs front office makes up for blocking the trade by giving him a raise over the comparative pittance he earned last season. The Revs defense looked a fair sight better when he came on late in the season.

Miscellaneous
- This doesn't effect me so much, but there will be thorough regional TV coverage of the New England Revolution in 2007. Unfortunately, my Portland, Oregon (well...Beaverton, actually) cable package doesn't get TV38. Maybe when I go satellite....

- Here's the latest on the Revolution's preseason schedule according to MLSnet.com's grand round-up:

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Feb. 16-24: Training in Bermuda
March 8-16: Training in Cancun, Mexico

Matches scheduled
Matches in Bermuda TBD
Matches in Cancun, Mexico TBD

Remainder of preseason schedule TBD

Mmmm...still thin on detail, I see.