10 and 5 in '09-- What's the Real Story?

The latest on the Mark Buehrle soap is a real noodle scratcher.  In fact, I call shenanigans.  The latest reports say they had agreed on years and salary, but the hold-up was that #56 wanted a full no-trade clause for the duration of the deal.  Fair enough--if he's giving a "home town discount," that's a perfectly reasonable request.

The part that makes no flippin' sense is that the Maestro apparently wouldn't give it to him despite the fact that after '09--unless I'm mistaken--Buehrle becomes a 5/10 player and is able to quash any trade anyway.  So, what they'd have us believe is that this thing fell apart over a full no trade for the '08 and '09 seasons.  Something's not right here.

If that is the edict from ownership, it's terrible. There's really no excuse for it.  And, while I hate to use the "season ticket holder" card, since there are thousands of great Sox fans who, for any number of valid reasons, don't sit at the Cell 81+ times a season.  I'll have to use it here though.  What the heck are we paying for if management makes decisions like this?

Since I can find no rational justification for these reports--I'm going to do one thing: assume it is untrue. Smart people don't do things this stupid.