Matt Holliday's new Oakland teammates speak in reverential tones about his work ethic and his modesty. One general manager, who has known him since he signed, says, "Matt has to be one of the 10 best players in the game."Yet despite the numbers Holliday launched in his five seasons in Colorado, and as much as he enjoyed the Rockies' ride to the 2007 World Series, he knows he moves toward November as the headliner of the 2009-10 free-agent class. And that his trade to the A's might have been the best thing that happened, because of his numbers in Colorado.To refresh your memory, here are Holliday's Coors/road splits the past three years:"I'm aware of what some people might think, and I can't worry about it," says Holliday, who will be 30 when he begins his new contract. "I think most players are more comfortable hitting in their own parks. They get used to the routine, to the hitting background and so forth. That's all. Jason Giambi says Oakland can be a good hitters' park, especially during the daytime. But it is a chance for people to see that I'm not just a creature of Coors Field, which I know I'm not."For the record, the National League home/road splits last year were .265/.256 for average, .759/.729 for OPS. But Coors is another story, a story that Rockies folks thought often became exaggerated when teams went on the road because of the comfort factors. Since his rookie year, Holliday has batted .307, .326, .340 and .321, respectively. In those four seasons, he has hit 114 homers. His .956 OPS in those four years trails only Albert Pujols, Chipper Jones, Ryan Howard and Lance Berkman among National League players. Billy Beane has brought in Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra to help Holliday establish an offensive force as Oakland brings in its next generation of pitchers. With Justin Duchscherer likely to miss the beginning of the season, it is possible at least one or two of the Brett Anderson/Vin Mazzaro/Trevor Cahill group will be in the rotation before the first of June, if not the beginning of the season. Holliday's agent is Scott Boras, bringing an added element to the signing process, one that usually ensures a hefty raise. However, there is no question about Holliday's love of the game. There is a standing joke around baseball that Thanksgiving at the Holliday house usually includes a dozen baseball and wiffle ball games; his father, Tom, is the former coach at Oklahoma State and now at North Carolina State; his uncle Dave is a highly respected cross-checker for the Rockies and a prime scouting director candidate; and his brother Josh is an assistant at Arizona State. "It's fair to say that baseball is a major part of our lives," says Holliday.Before Game 2 of the 2007 World Series, Holliday marveled at the Fenway Park atmosphere. "Fans here don't react," he said, "they anticipate. This is the most tension I've ever felt. It's great, the way the game should be played."This week, Holliday said, "We played there that June, and it was the same way. We loved it. It's great to feel that kind of passion."Since Jason Bay can also be a free agent at the end of this season, Holliday could be pursued by the Red Sox; yes, everyone in baseball has six degrees of separation from pitching coach John Farrell, and Farrell was Tom Holliday's pitching coach at Oklahoma State and has known Matt since he was a little kid. There are scouts who believe Holliday's natural center/right-center power is best suited for Yankee Stadium. Many feel he will be a prime target of the Angels as Vladimir Guerrero becomes a free agent. But right now, Holliday is more interested in Oakland's pursuit of the Angels."This is a good team, and we have a chance," he says. "All the other stuff is for another time of year. It all comes after what I'm here for, which is to win and make the playoffs."Holliday and all the upcoming free agents will be going into uncertain economic waters if several teams experience recession downturns. Even the Red Sox have had a 45 percent drop in merchandise sales this spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. The Padres are down to 6,900 season tickets, a decline of more than 50 percent. The Indians are struggling to sell tickets. Pittsburgh is selling season tickets near the foul poles -- good seats in what may be the sport's best venue -- for $700; that'll get you two dogs and a beer at Yankee Stadium. The Nationals are down 50 percent in season tickets, and baseball is worried for the Rockies, Braves, Tigers and Astros.On the one hand, there are those negative economic indicators, ones that may get worse if and when season-ticket holders find they cannot sell unused tickets through agencies like StubHub and Ace Tickets. Agents will continue to try to convince teams that stars like Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia or Holliday will get their money; some club officials think that if Washington takes San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick, Boras will ask for Daisuke Matsuzaka money (six years, approximately $50 million) or take him to Japan for a year, a threat that may scare Stan Kasten into selecting a lesser prospect.The economics are to be determined. As is Holliday's financial future. But chances are, when this season is over, his home/road splits with the Rockies will be long forgotten.