Any hope of just getting through Spring Training without much distraction or hoop-la just left town. A-Rod tested positive for steroids in 2003. That's great. The one thing I've been looking forward to since September has just been tainted with the stench of scandal, sensationalism, and all the other fat, juicy, gossip-laced mass media-driven entertainment horseshit that sells papers, leads broadcasts, and stays in the public consciousness for eons.
Thanks, Alex. Thanks, Sports Illustrated. Thanks, MLB. Thanks, Players Union. Thanks, Federal Government.
What I want to know now is who else is on that list? There should be 103 more names to follow now that Alex Roidriguez (yeah, expect that and a ton of "A-Roid" chants this year) has been shoved into the spotlight. When are those 103 other shoes gonna fall?
Am I surprised? No. Once the Federal Government got involved I knew the sealed list of names would be opened. The Feds can't keep important military secrets concealed, keeping this collection of baseball cards out of the news would be impossible. Sports Illustrated is fighting for any sort of credibility in the world of new media and has no qualms with reporting a sensational story such as this despite any agreements in place between MLB and the Union. Major League Baseball knowingly allowed or blindly looked the other way for years as its players and marketable commodities bulked up and broke records. The Union made sure of it. And A-Rod averages like 120 and 40 hrs a season for his career as a SS, notoriously the least productive position the game has seen. This really shouldn't surprise anyone.
So what does this all amount to? More headaches for Yankee fans and more ammo for Yankee haters and little else. The players in the Yankee clubhouse have had to deal with such distractions before. They stood by Giambi's vague apology. They backed Pettite's admission. They're gonna have to embrace whatever A-Rod does too.
Third time's the charm?
Showing posts with label baseball news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball news. Show all posts
07 February 2009
Taking Aim at the Captain
I've wanted to write this one for a while now, but how do you even do it? I mean where do you start? He's all we've known for so long and he's done nothing but earn and deserve every NY Yankees fan's undying adoration, respect, and gratitude. Big plays? There' a library of them. I can close my eyes and see them. Key hits? Yeah, he's got 'em in spades. So many hits, really. More than any other Yankee -- at the old Stadium, to be sure.
Can you even imagine the New York Yankees without Derek Jeter?
I can. And I do. It's not that bad either.
The simplest way to state it is also the most obvious. In 2 short seasons, Derek Jeter's contract is up. One of the highest paid players in the league will run out of his multi-years and the Yankees' multi-millions. He will also be 37 years old in June that year. There is no plan, outside of silly daydream scenarios, in existence that actually addresses moving him from SS to any other position on the field. He's already, statistically speaking, the worst defensive shortstop in the game, and has been for a long, long time. See this, this, this, and this if you don't believe me. Something's got to give.
Forget for one second about who he is and what he's done. Instead, try to picture what he will be and will do, 2 years older and 2 years slower in all aspects of the game. Realize that over the past 4 years long-time Yankee mainstays we all thought we couldn't live without, Bernie, Torre, and Giambi, were all shown the door with little fanfare or remorse. Next year Damon, Matsui, and Pettite get little more than a pat on the butt for their service as their contracts run out.
Why should it be any different for Derek?
It shouldn't. Sentimentality has it's place. I want 90's grunge rock to come back, but it's not happening. Sooner or later you have to come to realize your heroes are human and the game has passed them by. No one wants to see Derek fall down rounding third a la Willie Mays in a Mets uniform, do they? I mean it's not even like Jeter provides pop or power to our lineup. His bat will be missed, no doubt, but how much? Last year he led the team in hitting into double plays and he hit second all year long. How many rallies did he kill? How many runs did that type of performance prevent?
Rob Neyer offers his perspective on the Jeter issue and comes to the conclusion that the Yankess would be wise to live through 2 more years of Jeter's ridiculous jump-turn-throw things and then let him walk in 2010. I have to agree across the board and on all accounts. I even think Jeter's performance last year was a major contribution to the team's overall failure and have given my reasons, see #6.
It's a tough decision to have to make and my dismissive attitude belies my overall appreciation of Mr. November. But you cannot hamstring the organization to avoid hurt feelings or uncomfortable conversations. My real hope is that Derek starts talking about calling it a career in 2010 by the All Star break this year. I hope he has enough of the "intangibles" we shower on him to understand that it's best to leave the stage before the curtain falls on your head.
Moving forward, replacement is obviously an issue. In hindsight, dealing Gonzalez for an arm last year was probably short-sighted as Angel Berrora is now the best in-house option in the event of Posada-esque injury. In the event of a Nady or Swisher trade, I fully expect a SS prospect or player to be in the deal. Unless of course Ramiro Pena advances his game in the next 2 seasons and lives up to his presence in last year's Futures Game.
Stay tuned to this situation though. More and more opinions, scenarios, and thoughts on Derek Jeter and his future with the New York Yankees will come out as the his contract comes to a close. You might even have the opportunity to take a peek into a crystal ball this Spring when Derek lines up in the opposite dugout when Team USA takes on the Yankees.
If I'm Davey Johnson though, I'm definitely going with Jimmy Rollins.
Can you even imagine the New York Yankees without Derek Jeter?
I can. And I do. It's not that bad either.
The simplest way to state it is also the most obvious. In 2 short seasons, Derek Jeter's contract is up. One of the highest paid players in the league will run out of his multi-years and the Yankees' multi-millions. He will also be 37 years old in June that year. There is no plan, outside of silly daydream scenarios, in existence that actually addresses moving him from SS to any other position on the field. He's already, statistically speaking, the worst defensive shortstop in the game, and has been for a long, long time. See this, this, this, and this if you don't believe me. Something's got to give.
Forget for one second about who he is and what he's done. Instead, try to picture what he will be and will do, 2 years older and 2 years slower in all aspects of the game. Realize that over the past 4 years long-time Yankee mainstays we all thought we couldn't live without, Bernie, Torre, and Giambi, were all shown the door with little fanfare or remorse. Next year Damon, Matsui, and Pettite get little more than a pat on the butt for their service as their contracts run out. Why should it be any different for Derek?
It shouldn't. Sentimentality has it's place. I want 90's grunge rock to come back, but it's not happening. Sooner or later you have to come to realize your heroes are human and the game has passed them by. No one wants to see Derek fall down rounding third a la Willie Mays in a Mets uniform, do they? I mean it's not even like Jeter provides pop or power to our lineup. His bat will be missed, no doubt, but how much? Last year he led the team in hitting into double plays and he hit second all year long. How many rallies did he kill? How many runs did that type of performance prevent?
Rob Neyer offers his perspective on the Jeter issue and comes to the conclusion that the Yankess would be wise to live through 2 more years of Jeter's ridiculous jump-turn-throw things and then let him walk in 2010. I have to agree across the board and on all accounts. I even think Jeter's performance last year was a major contribution to the team's overall failure and have given my reasons, see #6.It's a tough decision to have to make and my dismissive attitude belies my overall appreciation of Mr. November. But you cannot hamstring the organization to avoid hurt feelings or uncomfortable conversations. My real hope is that Derek starts talking about calling it a career in 2010 by the All Star break this year. I hope he has enough of the "intangibles" we shower on him to understand that it's best to leave the stage before the curtain falls on your head.
Moving forward, replacement is obviously an issue. In hindsight, dealing Gonzalez for an arm last year was probably short-sighted as Angel Berrora is now the best in-house option in the event of Posada-esque injury. In the event of a Nady or Swisher trade, I fully expect a SS prospect or player to be in the deal. Unless of course Ramiro Pena advances his game in the next 2 seasons and lives up to his presence in last year's Futures Game.
Stay tuned to this situation though. More and more opinions, scenarios, and thoughts on Derek Jeter and his future with the New York Yankees will come out as the his contract comes to a close. You might even have the opportunity to take a peek into a crystal ball this Spring when Derek lines up in the opposite dugout when Team USA takes on the Yankees.
If I'm Davey Johnson though, I'm definitely going with Jimmy Rollins.
04 February 2009
Payroll, Manny, and Future Considerations
The guys at River Avenue Blues went ahead and did my job for me again today and broke down the 2009 payroll and beyond. It's a nice and neat look at what the Yankees have commitment-wise well into the future. I definitely recommend taking a look at it if you have any interest whatsoever in figuring out what we've spent and what we can still get.
With that in mind, The New York Times has a key quote from Brian Cashman 1 day removed from Manny being Greedy and turning down, what?!, 25 million dollars from the LA Dodgers. (Doesn't he know Dunn and Hudson will basically give LA the same production at a fraction of the cost?)
Cashman had this to say in regards to the Yankees signing Manny:
“I fully expect to go to spring training with what we’ve got. And that’s a good thing. People expect us to get in on Manny, but it’s not going to happen. We’re in the nonroster invitee mode.”
So unless you expect Manny to go to Tampa as a non-roster invitee of the New York Yankees, competing for a spot on the team with no guarantees and playing purely out of his love for the game and the City of New York.... ah, I'll leave it at that, you get the point -- he's not coming.
Interestingly enough, or not interestingly enough at all, the author of that RAB article referenced above goes way out on a limb and just assumes the Yankees will target Matt Holiday at 5 years $85 mill going into 2010.
Why? I mean Matt Holiday in left just strikes me as another offense-first outfielder who is shuffled to a corner spot because of his bat and the fact that the DH spot will be used by our older players. The author even makes a few key points against his own Holiday projections when he says the Yanks 2010 payroll would be $177.35 for just 11 players and $146 million for nine players in 2011. He then says that things could clear up in 2012, but CC would have to opt out and the Yankees would have to hold options on Cano, Marte, and Swisher, but that’s still $85 million on four players.
Here's what I don't get. You're trying to write an article about payroll flexibility and you muck it all up by adding a guy who inflates the payroll to the same lofty heights we've all come to realize was our downfall circa 2001-2007. Why? Because he's got some neat offensive statistic that no one, outside of roto-geeks and stat nerds, has ever heard of? Why not project a homegrown product like Austin Jackson for 2010? He may not play left, but he helps you prove a point Cash has been trying to make for a year now. Younger, more athletic, payroll flexibility, have you guys even been paying attention?
With that in mind, The New York Times has a key quote from Brian Cashman 1 day removed from Manny being Greedy and turning down, what?!, 25 million dollars from the LA Dodgers. (Doesn't he know Dunn and Hudson will basically give LA the same production at a fraction of the cost?)
Cashman had this to say in regards to the Yankees signing Manny:
“I fully expect to go to spring training with what we’ve got. And that’s a good thing. People expect us to get in on Manny, but it’s not going to happen. We’re in the nonroster invitee mode.”
So unless you expect Manny to go to Tampa as a non-roster invitee of the New York Yankees, competing for a spot on the team with no guarantees and playing purely out of his love for the game and the City of New York.... ah, I'll leave it at that, you get the point -- he's not coming.
Interestingly enough, or not interestingly enough at all, the author of that RAB article referenced above goes way out on a limb and just assumes the Yankees will target Matt Holiday at 5 years $85 mill going into 2010.
Why? I mean Matt Holiday in left just strikes me as another offense-first outfielder who is shuffled to a corner spot because of his bat and the fact that the DH spot will be used by our older players. The author even makes a few key points against his own Holiday projections when he says the Yanks 2010 payroll would be $177.35 for just 11 players and $146 million for nine players in 2011. He then says that things could clear up in 2012, but CC would have to opt out and the Yankees would have to hold options on Cano, Marte, and Swisher, but that’s still $85 million on four players.
Here's what I don't get. You're trying to write an article about payroll flexibility and you muck it all up by adding a guy who inflates the payroll to the same lofty heights we've all come to realize was our downfall circa 2001-2007. Why? Because he's got some neat offensive statistic that no one, outside of roto-geeks and stat nerds, has ever heard of? Why not project a homegrown product like Austin Jackson for 2010? He may not play left, but he helps you prove a point Cash has been trying to make for a year now. Younger, more athletic, payroll flexibility, have you guys even been paying attention?
27 January 2009
Pettite Falls in Line
What did you want again? 16 mill? Umm, let's take the square root of your figure and add a million and a half, mmm'kay?
In a winter of low risk / high reward deals, Brian Cashman just trumped about every GM in baseball, after he already broke the bank of course, and got Andy Pettite, an experienced veteran with gobs of playoff experience, on the super-cheap.
One year, $5.5 million. That's a pretty impressive deal considering the last figure I heard floating around was one year at $10.5 million. Guess somebody wants to be a Yankee after all...
The amazing thing is that Andy was essentially our #2 starter last year considering how well Mussina did and the injury to Wang. Now he's our 4 or 5? That's pretty sick. C.C., A.J., Wang, Pettite, and Joba? Yeah, let's play ball. (I'm sure the Joba to the Bullpen crap will regurgitate itself again at this point, but let's just ignore it. Sound good?)
This rotation and the depth behind it is very reminiscent of a LoHud piece that came out right after the Yanks faced playoff exile for the first time in 13 years. Pete Abraham elaborated on a concept of a shadow rotation getting innings in and there in case of emergency. With Hughes, Kennedy, Coke, Wright, and Aceves possibly starting the season in Scranton, we have just that. A bunch of kids working to make a name for themselves only if they get the opportunity.
Depth is crucial. Looks like we finally got some.
In a winter of low risk / high reward deals, Brian Cashman just trumped about every GM in baseball, after he already broke the bank of course, and got Andy Pettite, an experienced veteran with gobs of playoff experience, on the super-cheap.
One year, $5.5 million. That's a pretty impressive deal considering the last figure I heard floating around was one year at $10.5 million. Guess somebody wants to be a Yankee after all...
The amazing thing is that Andy was essentially our #2 starter last year considering how well Mussina did and the injury to Wang. Now he's our 4 or 5? That's pretty sick. C.C., A.J., Wang, Pettite, and Joba? Yeah, let's play ball. (I'm sure the Joba to the Bullpen crap will regurgitate itself again at this point, but let's just ignore it. Sound good?)
This rotation and the depth behind it is very reminiscent of a LoHud piece that came out right after the Yanks faced playoff exile for the first time in 13 years. Pete Abraham elaborated on a concept of a shadow rotation getting innings in and there in case of emergency. With Hughes, Kennedy, Coke, Wright, and Aceves possibly starting the season in Scranton, we have just that. A bunch of kids working to make a name for themselves only if they get the opportunity.
Depth is crucial. Looks like we finally got some.
26 January 2009
Torre's Out Whoring
*I wanted to use "Say it ain't so, Joe", but that's pretty lame. I like this title best.*
"Classy" Joe Torre went all Jose Canseco on us and wrote a tell-all titled "The Yankee Years". The book, written with help from Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, contains a few juicy bits of gossip in regard to Brian Cashman and Alex Rodriguez. Apparently Joe felt Brian shortchanged him on the way and didn't fight hard to retain his services. Also, some players on the Yankees have called A-Rod A-Fraud. Ooooooh! Scandalous.
Whatever, Joe. Maybe if you stopped using Mo in the 7th and 8th inning you'd still be here. Maybe if you didn't wear out guys like Scott Proctor with daily appearances in game-changing situations you'd of won more regular season games. If Scott Proctor was a dog, Torre would be serving time with Mike Vick for animal abuse.
I respect the Joe Torre era. Don't get me wrong. But the success of the bullpen in 2008 was the forgotten story last year, especially after many years of late-season breakdowns under Torre's watch. Parts of Joe's book are pretty much in line with my thinking though. For example, Torre calls out “big boppers” like Jason Giambi, who the manager felt “wasn’t part of what we prided ourselves on: playing well defensively.” And the decision to get Giambi "made for a whole different dynamic in the Yankees’ clubhouse."
You'll never see me defend Giambi and it's both surprising and refreshing to see Joe take the dancing gold thong bear thing that was Giambi to task. But, at the end of the day, Joe really should've done his job as a manager and taken control of his clubhouse. There were many instances in which Jason, recovering from injury, could've been the DH exclusively and the defensive issue would've been alleviated. I was pretty much clamoring for it during and after the 2003 season. And if you want to talk about defensive pride, what the hell was Chuck "I can't throw the ball from second" Knoblauch doing out there everyday?
A-Rod does get a lot of abuse. From the book: “Whether hitting 450-foot home runs or sunbathing shirtless in Central Park or squiring strippers, Rodriguez was like nothing ever seen before on the championship teams of the Torre Era: an ambitious superstar impressed and motivated by stature and status, particularly when those qualities pertained to himself.” Fair enough. A-Rod's a primadonna, but he's our primadonna, nothing really surprises me about him anymore.
Surprisingly absent form the book is the number of Yankees form the successful Torre years who took steroids, HGH, and other PEDs. The Mitchell report was a who's who of some of my old Yankee heroes from the '96 - '00 run. I guess it's easier to slam the guys you couldn't win with than the guys who injected ability into their asses and won you some notoriety.
Let's remember, before the Yankees, Joe was nothing more than a .500 manager. 14 years later he's a legend. Now he's just an old guy in a LA Dodgers Halloween costume. Read the articles about the book. They have all the interesting stuff anyway.
"Classy" Joe Torre went all Jose Canseco on us and wrote a tell-all titled "The Yankee Years". The book, written with help from Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, contains a few juicy bits of gossip in regard to Brian Cashman and Alex Rodriguez. Apparently Joe felt Brian shortchanged him on the way and didn't fight hard to retain his services. Also, some players on the Yankees have called A-Rod A-Fraud. Ooooooh! Scandalous.
Whatever, Joe. Maybe if you stopped using Mo in the 7th and 8th inning you'd still be here. Maybe if you didn't wear out guys like Scott Proctor with daily appearances in game-changing situations you'd of won more regular season games. If Scott Proctor was a dog, Torre would be serving time with Mike Vick for animal abuse.
I respect the Joe Torre era. Don't get me wrong. But the success of the bullpen in 2008 was the forgotten story last year, especially after many years of late-season breakdowns under Torre's watch. Parts of Joe's book are pretty much in line with my thinking though. For example, Torre calls out “big boppers” like Jason Giambi, who the manager felt “wasn’t part of what we prided ourselves on: playing well defensively.” And the decision to get Giambi "made for a whole different dynamic in the Yankees’ clubhouse."
You'll never see me defend Giambi and it's both surprising and refreshing to see Joe take the dancing gold thong bear thing that was Giambi to task. But, at the end of the day, Joe really should've done his job as a manager and taken control of his clubhouse. There were many instances in which Jason, recovering from injury, could've been the DH exclusively and the defensive issue would've been alleviated. I was pretty much clamoring for it during and after the 2003 season. And if you want to talk about defensive pride, what the hell was Chuck "I can't throw the ball from second" Knoblauch doing out there everyday?
A-Rod does get a lot of abuse. From the book: “Whether hitting 450-foot home runs or sunbathing shirtless in Central Park or squiring strippers, Rodriguez was like nothing ever seen before on the championship teams of the Torre Era: an ambitious superstar impressed and motivated by stature and status, particularly when those qualities pertained to himself.” Fair enough. A-Rod's a primadonna, but he's our primadonna, nothing really surprises me about him anymore.
Surprisingly absent form the book is the number of Yankees form the successful Torre years who took steroids, HGH, and other PEDs. The Mitchell report was a who's who of some of my old Yankee heroes from the '96 - '00 run. I guess it's easier to slam the guys you couldn't win with than the guys who injected ability into their asses and won you some notoriety.
Let's remember, before the Yankees, Joe was nothing more than a .500 manager. 14 years later he's a legend. Now he's just an old guy in a LA Dodgers Halloween costume. Read the articles about the book. They have all the interesting stuff anyway.
24 January 2009
Front and Center
Just because there isn't a whole lot of news out there it doesn't mean there isn't something to gripe about. Today's New York Daily News turns it's discerning eye towards Centerfield and knocks Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera for not being more like Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle.
Wow. Really swinging for the fences on this one. Way to take on the only two position players you have under 25 and knocking them for their career numbers. What kind of research did this one take? Why do you need Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle in center anyway when you got Babe Ruth at third and Lou Gehrig at first? I mean, isn't there already enough production on the Yankees for people to allow two kids to play center and earn the spot outright? Isn't that something to appreciate? What's the point of watching baseball if you're not willing to allow young players from your farm system to develop? And didn't we win several World Championships with the likes of Shane Spencer, Rickey Ledee, and Chad Curtis in Left?
How many other guys on this team could you knock instead? And how many are more deserving as well? You got the newly, perennially injured Matsui playing out the last year of his contract. He's done well for himself financially during his tenure in the Bronx but is severely lacking rings. Derek Jeter is an icy persona of a New York sports hero who really can't play his position any longer. When does this soap opera get played out? Jorge Posada is diluted enough to think he can, should, and will play in the World Baseball Classic after a major season-ending injury. A-Rod is, well he's A-Rod, there's always something there. Johnny Damon is a wildly overrated player who may or may not hit, and is a shocking liability defensively. Xavier Nady played with us for only a few months. Nick Swisher hit .219 last year. Mark Texiera went for the most money. Robinson Cano needs to shape up or ship out.
The point is, everybody's got their baggage. Why target the two guys who will no doubt hit 9th everyday. What does that prove?
The worst thing about it is the poll the Daily News added to get a feel for what we, the fans, think.
And you f'n fans make me sick. When asked who the Yankee Fans think should patrol Yankee Stadium between Damon, Swisher, Melky, and Gardner, the overwhelming majority chose Bernie "I can't even hack it for the Puerto Rican National Team" Williams. Look, I love Bernie. I'll be the first to start the "Retire #51 Petition". But I love 1994-2002 Bernie. That old guy he turned into sucks. It's just the harsh reality of it all and the fact that most fans still pine for him is depressingly pathetic. Let it go. And let Melky and Bret play the game, ya bunch of know-nothing dicks.
Are they All Stars? No. Will they ever be All-Stars? Probably not. Neither will ever get a single vote for MVP in their careers as well. They do possess the ability to play the game though and both have the potential to be effective at the major league level. What more is there? All we're doing is considering a 24 year-old switch-hitter and a 23 year-old with game changing speed. Both are the best you have defensively and neither will get half as embarrassed as Johnny Damon, let alone Bernie f'n WIlliams, would on a daily basis out on that island in center.
What's the big deal?
Wow. Really swinging for the fences on this one. Way to take on the only two position players you have under 25 and knocking them for their career numbers. What kind of research did this one take? Why do you need Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle in center anyway when you got Babe Ruth at third and Lou Gehrig at first? I mean, isn't there already enough production on the Yankees for people to allow two kids to play center and earn the spot outright? Isn't that something to appreciate? What's the point of watching baseball if you're not willing to allow young players from your farm system to develop? And didn't we win several World Championships with the likes of Shane Spencer, Rickey Ledee, and Chad Curtis in Left?
How many other guys on this team could you knock instead? And how many are more deserving as well? You got the newly, perennially injured Matsui playing out the last year of his contract. He's done well for himself financially during his tenure in the Bronx but is severely lacking rings. Derek Jeter is an icy persona of a New York sports hero who really can't play his position any longer. When does this soap opera get played out? Jorge Posada is diluted enough to think he can, should, and will play in the World Baseball Classic after a major season-ending injury. A-Rod is, well he's A-Rod, there's always something there. Johnny Damon is a wildly overrated player who may or may not hit, and is a shocking liability defensively. Xavier Nady played with us for only a few months. Nick Swisher hit .219 last year. Mark Texiera went for the most money. Robinson Cano needs to shape up or ship out.
The point is, everybody's got their baggage. Why target the two guys who will no doubt hit 9th everyday. What does that prove?
The worst thing about it is the poll the Daily News added to get a feel for what we, the fans, think.
And you f'n fans make me sick. When asked who the Yankee Fans think should patrol Yankee Stadium between Damon, Swisher, Melky, and Gardner, the overwhelming majority chose Bernie "I can't even hack it for the Puerto Rican National Team" Williams. Look, I love Bernie. I'll be the first to start the "Retire #51 Petition". But I love 1994-2002 Bernie. That old guy he turned into sucks. It's just the harsh reality of it all and the fact that most fans still pine for him is depressingly pathetic. Let it go. And let Melky and Bret play the game, ya bunch of know-nothing dicks.
Are they All Stars? No. Will they ever be All-Stars? Probably not. Neither will ever get a single vote for MVP in their careers as well. They do possess the ability to play the game though and both have the potential to be effective at the major league level. What more is there? All we're doing is considering a 24 year-old switch-hitter and a 23 year-old with game changing speed. Both are the best you have defensively and neither will get half as embarrassed as Johnny Damon, let alone Bernie f'n WIlliams, would on a daily basis out on that island in center.
What's the big deal?
20 January 2009
Looking at Tax Free Bonds
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A lot has come out in regard to the new stadium deals for both the Yankees and the Mets. Lupica is in full weasel mode in regard to both deals and some minor political NY figures are taking on the Yankees, looking for political gain and press.
To me, the deals are already made. They're done. Votes were cast and the teams got the money. Both parks are built and season ticket sales are filling them. Some fines and penalties may or may not be levied, but what purpose, outside of proving to us all how corrupt everything is, does all this spilled ink for two baseball teams prove? Especially when former New York Senator and new Secretary of State of State Hilary Clinton did the same thing but with much less fanfare. (First and last politics related post, I promise)
An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton's foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman's mall project. Mrs. Clinton helped enact legislation allowing the developer, Robert J. Congel, to use tax-exempt bonds to help finance the construction of the Destiny USA entertainment and shopping complex, an expansion of the Carousel Center in Syracuse. Mrs. Clinton also helped secure a provision in a highway bill that set aside $5 million for Destiny USA roadway construction. The bill with the tax-free bonds provision became law in October 2004, weeks before the donation, and the highway bill with the set-aside became law in August 2005, about nine months after the donation.
This whole issue seems to be something much bigger than two baseball teams.
17 January 2009
News Droppings
On the Swisher and Nady front:
Tyler Kepner of The New York Times checks in today with some good stuff on the possible trades involving either corner OF, citing interest by the Reds, Nats, Braves, and Giants. From the tone of the piece, it looks like the Yankees aren't going to make a trade for the sake of clearing payroll or opening a spot on the roster. It makes sense. Nady and Swisher are two key guys who can play a meaningful factor in all 162.
Brain Cashman was quoted as well, saying:
“It depends on the trade talk, If we feel there’s a benefit, we’ll make a move. That’s basically it. We’re in a position where we don’t have to make a move, so that’s a strong position to be in. We could have them all year. We’re not going to do anything unless there’s a reason to do it.”
I wouldn't force the issue either. I think that this year will be the year of the mid-season acquisition. The free agent class next year is pretty weak and there's a lot of parity in the divisions these days. A lot of teams will be looking to pick up a key piece at the trading deadline and thinking they have enough to make a run.
The Yankees may find a better market for either player in late June than in January.
On the Spring Training front:
From mlb.com and the boys at RAB the Yankees have offered 20 players non-roster invites to Spring Training. The list is as follows:
Pitchers: Kei Igawa, Jason Johnson, Mark Melancon, Sergio Mitre
Catchers: Kyle Anson, Kevin Cash, Jesus Montero, PJ Pilittere, Austin Romine
Infielders: Doug Bernier, Angel Berroa, Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo
Outfielders: Colin Curtis, Shelley Duncan, Austin Jackson, Justin Leone, Todd Linden, John Rodriguez
Notables are of course Austin Jackson, Austin Romine, Jesus Montero, and Mark Melancon as they represent the best and the best known names of our homegrown talent. Keep your eyes on Ramiro Pena, Eduardo Nunez and Kevin Russo though. They will get more opportunities in camp than they normally would due to Derek and Alex's commitments to the WBC.
Jason Johnson, Angel Berroa, Kevin Cash, Todd Linden and John Rodriguez all have MLB experience and all more notable than Kei Igawa's, Justin Leone's, Shelley Duncan's, Doug Bernier's. Berroa was in fact the rookie of the year back in 2003 when he beat out Hideki Matsui for the title.
On the Jorge Posada front:
It's not looking like the Jorge will DH for Puerto Rico in the WBC. The Yankees are telling anyone within earshot that Jorge's just not ready for that kind of commitment.
I think we may get a pissing match yet though.
Cash has decreed:
"I am sure he would love to play [in the World Baseball Classic], but he is currently rehabbing from surgery and would not be ready."
"He wouldn't be able to perform. He won't start on time as a catcher in spring training. It's just a fact. There's nothing I can do about it or the player can do about it. We're hoping to have Jorge by Opening Day, but he will not be the opening spring training catcher, I can tell you that."
Jorge's retort:
"This will be my last chance to play for Puerto Rico, and I'm very clear on that. For that reason, I'll do anything possible to be 100 percent, because it is a dream of mine to wear that uniform."
Jorge's Dad even had this to say:
"He feels fine and wants to play for Puerto Rico."
Team Puerto Rico's GM, Lou Mendez mused:
"I would love to have Posada on Team PR. I am waiting to learn his status because of insurance issues."
And finally, Joe Giradi chimed in with:
"Obviously, he's very important to this club," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said recently. "We need him. I'm encouraged right now. ... You can talk about playing three out of four [games] or four out of five, but I think early on the important thing is that we don't abuse him, and allow him to continue to gain strength in that shoulder. I plan on him being our everyday catcher."
I hope this thing dies down and Jorge realizes that he's got to learn 2 new pitchers and needs to have much more of a commitment to the team that signs his paychecks than the country where his dad knocked up his mom.
Tyler Kepner of The New York Times checks in today with some good stuff on the possible trades involving either corner OF, citing interest by the Reds, Nats, Braves, and Giants. From the tone of the piece, it looks like the Yankees aren't going to make a trade for the sake of clearing payroll or opening a spot on the roster. It makes sense. Nady and Swisher are two key guys who can play a meaningful factor in all 162.
Brain Cashman was quoted as well, saying:
“It depends on the trade talk, If we feel there’s a benefit, we’ll make a move. That’s basically it. We’re in a position where we don’t have to make a move, so that’s a strong position to be in. We could have them all year. We’re not going to do anything unless there’s a reason to do it.”
I wouldn't force the issue either. I think that this year will be the year of the mid-season acquisition. The free agent class next year is pretty weak and there's a lot of parity in the divisions these days. A lot of teams will be looking to pick up a key piece at the trading deadline and thinking they have enough to make a run.
The Yankees may find a better market for either player in late June than in January.
On the Spring Training front:
From mlb.com and the boys at RAB the Yankees have offered 20 players non-roster invites to Spring Training. The list is as follows:
Pitchers: Kei Igawa, Jason Johnson, Mark Melancon, Sergio Mitre
Catchers: Kyle Anson, Kevin Cash, Jesus Montero, PJ Pilittere, Austin Romine
Infielders: Doug Bernier, Angel Berroa, Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo
Outfielders: Colin Curtis, Shelley Duncan, Austin Jackson, Justin Leone, Todd Linden, John Rodriguez
Notables are of course Austin Jackson, Austin Romine, Jesus Montero, and Mark Melancon as they represent the best and the best known names of our homegrown talent. Keep your eyes on Ramiro Pena, Eduardo Nunez and Kevin Russo though. They will get more opportunities in camp than they normally would due to Derek and Alex's commitments to the WBC.
Jason Johnson, Angel Berroa, Kevin Cash, Todd Linden and John Rodriguez all have MLB experience and all more notable than Kei Igawa's, Justin Leone's, Shelley Duncan's, Doug Bernier's. Berroa was in fact the rookie of the year back in 2003 when he beat out Hideki Matsui for the title.
On the Jorge Posada front:
It's not looking like the Jorge will DH for Puerto Rico in the WBC. The Yankees are telling anyone within earshot that Jorge's just not ready for that kind of commitment.
I think we may get a pissing match yet though.
Cash has decreed:
"I am sure he would love to play [in the World Baseball Classic], but he is currently rehabbing from surgery and would not be ready."
"He wouldn't be able to perform. He won't start on time as a catcher in spring training. It's just a fact. There's nothing I can do about it or the player can do about it. We're hoping to have Jorge by Opening Day, but he will not be the opening spring training catcher, I can tell you that."
Jorge's retort:
"This will be my last chance to play for Puerto Rico, and I'm very clear on that. For that reason, I'll do anything possible to be 100 percent, because it is a dream of mine to wear that uniform."
Jorge's Dad even had this to say:
"He feels fine and wants to play for Puerto Rico."
Team Puerto Rico's GM, Lou Mendez mused:
"I would love to have Posada on Team PR. I am waiting to learn his status because of insurance issues."
And finally, Joe Giradi chimed in with:
"Obviously, he's very important to this club," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said recently. "We need him. I'm encouraged right now. ... You can talk about playing three out of four [games] or four out of five, but I think early on the important thing is that we don't abuse him, and allow him to continue to gain strength in that shoulder. I plan on him being our everyday catcher."
I hope this thing dies down and Jorge realizes that he's got to learn 2 new pitchers and needs to have much more of a commitment to the team that signs his paychecks than the country where his dad knocked up his mom.
14 January 2009
Inmates vs. The Asylum
I alluded to this very recently in my Top Ten Reasons the Yankees Lost in 2008 post. This kind of primadonna crap gets on my nerves. Apparently Jorge Posada is gearing up to DH for Puerto Rico in the WBC. This report is coming from ESPN Deportes, but I'll give the hat tip to RAB for breaking it and the report can be reached here.
While this report is in no way confirmed, we can assume fairly easily that this is something Jorge wants to do. We can also assume, just as easily, that is certainly something that the Yankees do not want him to do. It's a tough call. I'm sure he's dying to play. He never wanted to go on the DL or even get the surgery in the first place last year, so I'm pretty sure he's itching to see some live pitches. I get it and normally I wouldn't have a problem.
The thing is, Jorge is 37 and coming off of reconstruction surgery in his shoulder. Naturally the Yankees want to keep him in-house so they can get their own readings on Jorge's recovery and rehabilitation. Also, they want to ensure that Jorge breaks camp healthy and with all his throwing strength. Any sort of head-first slide, collision at the plate, or what-have you could erase all the hard work he put in over the Winter. It's just a better way to keep tabs on a key player coming off of a serious injury. After all, the Yankees committed 4 more years to him and a bunch more millions before the injury-shortened '08 season. The least Jorge could do is obey the wishes of the team. We'll see about that.
In the interest of fairness though, if I was Jorge I'd stay as far away from any Yankee Spring Training. All the strength and conditioning work that gets done there leads to some horrific season ending injury for a hefty percentage of the team. Obviously I'd prefer Jorge to stay in Florida this Spring and root for Puerto Rico on TV, but all he's really doing is giving the Romaine's, Montero's, Molina's, Cervelli's, Cash's, and maybe even the Nutt's of the world to get some more time in behind the dish they wouldn't normally with Jorge in camp. If he does go to the WBC though, I'd just tell Jorge to get used to DH'ing. Once Matsui's gone he's got 2 more years where he'll be doing it exclusively.
13 January 2009
Honoring A Legend
You know you're getting old when your favorite baseball player gets elected to the Hall of Fame. Rickey Henderson was the first thing I ever noticed about baseball or the New York Yankees for that matter. It was pretty much over from that point on.
My Father used to go to baseball games with a guy named Red. Red knew an MLB umpire and once asked him who was the best baseball player he's ever seen. The umpire, without pause or hesitation said, "Rickey Henderson." Then the umpire did hesitate, but only before admitting "And he'd be even better if we gave him more calls."
That was Rickey Henderson. A brash, arrogant superstar of an athlete of a baseball player. Ridiculously gifted. A freak. Electrifying. A terror on the base paths and absolutely fearless. And the best damn lead-off hitter the game has ever seen.
He knew it too.
In Little League I was happy to patrol left field like Rickey used to in Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to show off my range or wheels. I was happy to dig holes in the outfield with my cleats though and I did that often.
I was also not much of a hitter. At the end of each season the coaches would give me my fielding average instead of my batting average -- surprisingly enough, it wasn't that impressive. But I could always draw walks. I went up there looking to for walks, actually.
Whatever. That ball was scary.
Anyway, whenever I was lucky enough to draw a walk, I'd be on my toes for any opportunity to swipe a bag. Second? Yeah I'm taking second. I'm taking second, then I'm taking third. I'd take home too if it wasn't against the rules in Little League.
In all my baseball fantasies I've ever had, I was to be Rickey Henderson. Too bad for us, there is only one.
Congratulations Rickey! You deserve it. And indeed you were, much like you told us all back when you broke Lou Brock's All Time Steals Record, the greatest of all time.
10 January 2009
Nady or Swisher
As we inch closer and closer towards the beginning of Spring Training, more and more reports are surfacing in regards to the futures of Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady. It seems that because of the Mark Teixeira signing, the Yankees now have a glut of corner outfielders and DH types -- an issue I alluded to when I incorrectly predicted why Teixeira wouldn't be a Yankee. Ideally I'd love to carry both and trade Damon instead and have listed my reasons why. That doesn't seem to be the case though as the Yankees are mysteriously satisfied with Johnny Leather. Whatever, just make sure you show him the door at the end of this season.
The Washington Nationals have most recently expressed interest in both players via MLB.com. Because they are the Washington Nationals, I haven't a clue what kind of prospects we could acquire via trade, but on first inspection the most likely candidates would be one of either Elijah Dukes or Lastings Milledge.
I really wouldn't mind acquiring either, as they are both very special players with that unfortunate combination of raw talent and personal issues that may prevent them from reaching their full potentials. I figure the leadership in our clubhouse would hopefully alleviate some of those pressures and issues though. Personally, I would value Dukes more, but not by much. I just remember him crushing, what was I think, his first professional HR at the old Yankee Stadium (that feels weird to type) and I've had my eye on him since. It's pretty much a wash though as either would represent an upgrade CF. I know, I know, I've lobbied against a CF upgrade, but these 2 represent the real type of upgrade I'd gladly accept. Besides, we need some brothas on the team.
There is also interest on behalf of the Cincinnati Reds. I am less inclined to consider this one as the rumored trade chips, on the internet at least, are starting pitchers Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang. I am fine with solving the 5th starter spot internally from either Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, or Phil Coke. I am also fine with not ever considering Bronson Arroyo for anything. Aaron Harang is certainly more intriguing, but I want to leave that 5th spot for a homegrown pitcher.
So who goes?
The most attractive trade piece is Nady as it would just be a one year commitment that would no doubt net 2 prospects when the player and his agent, the lovable Scott Boras, enter free agency at the end of the year. Swisher has 3 years and $22 million left on his deal. That plus his .219 average last year would prevent most teams from taking that entire deal on. Plus, Swisher's versatility makes him a necessary component on the 2009 Yankees.
Xavier Nady, we hardly knew ye.
The Washington Nationals have most recently expressed interest in both players via MLB.com. Because they are the Washington Nationals, I haven't a clue what kind of prospects we could acquire via trade, but on first inspection the most likely candidates would be one of either Elijah Dukes or Lastings Milledge.
I really wouldn't mind acquiring either, as they are both very special players with that unfortunate combination of raw talent and personal issues that may prevent them from reaching their full potentials. I figure the leadership in our clubhouse would hopefully alleviate some of those pressures and issues though. Personally, I would value Dukes more, but not by much. I just remember him crushing, what was I think, his first professional HR at the old Yankee Stadium (that feels weird to type) and I've had my eye on him since. It's pretty much a wash though as either would represent an upgrade CF. I know, I know, I've lobbied against a CF upgrade, but these 2 represent the real type of upgrade I'd gladly accept. Besides, we need some brothas on the team.
There is also interest on behalf of the Cincinnati Reds. I am less inclined to consider this one as the rumored trade chips, on the internet at least, are starting pitchers Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang. I am fine with solving the 5th starter spot internally from either Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, or Phil Coke. I am also fine with not ever considering Bronson Arroyo for anything. Aaron Harang is certainly more intriguing, but I want to leave that 5th spot for a homegrown pitcher.
So who goes?
The most attractive trade piece is Nady as it would just be a one year commitment that would no doubt net 2 prospects when the player and his agent, the lovable Scott Boras, enter free agency at the end of the year. Swisher has 3 years and $22 million left on his deal. That plus his .219 average last year would prevent most teams from taking that entire deal on. Plus, Swisher's versatility makes him a necessary component on the 2009 Yankees.
Xavier Nady, we hardly knew ye.
07 January 2009
Looking at the Burrell Deal
Tampa Bay defied convention yesterday by actually going out and signing a free agent. Good for them!
Buster Olney loves the deal and now sees Tampa Bay as the team to beat in the AL East. The best thing about his article is he has the audacity to talk about the injuries that plagued the Rays in '07. Injuries? Please.
The Rays opening day rotation started 154 games. The Yankees opening day staff started 99. Yeah, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, BJ Upton and Carl Crawford were dogged with nagging injuries. But so were Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada. Aki Iwamura hit .220 in April. Aww, poor Aki. Too bad I was busy watching Robinson Cano hit .151 in April.
Do your homework, Buster. Especially if you're seriously trying to make the claim that Tampa is the much improved team heading into '09.
There's no real fair comparison to make on paper. Assuming that C.C. and A.J. make around 30 starts apiece, 7 less than both Pettite and Mussina, and the rest of the rotation holds on a little longer than 99 games, I like our pitching more and I still don't know who the 5th starter is. In other news, bye-bye Andy.
And if you're measuring the Burrell acquisition against the Teixeira deal, the only place the numbers match is in on-base percentage. The guys a career .257 hitter. Tex is a career .290 and has played in 3 less seasons. The only people in Philly who'll miss the guy are little girls who think he's dreamy. Trust me. I lived in Philly, the people there hated him for most of his tenure, The monniker Pat "the bat" was used more sarcastically than earnestly, especially in 2003 when he hit .209 and played in 146 games.
Let's also conveinantly avoid the fact that the Tampa bullpen is virtually non-existant. Let's also avoid the fact that the Yankees beat the Rays 11 games to 7 in the head-to-head match ups last year. Why isn't anyone in the media clamoring for David Price to solidify that bullpen like they still do with Joba? This is the same team that couldn't hold a tie in a 3 inning elimination game.
Run for the hills, here comes Pat Burrell. Not hardly.
Buster Olney loves the deal and now sees Tampa Bay as the team to beat in the AL East. The best thing about his article is he has the audacity to talk about the injuries that plagued the Rays in '07. Injuries? Please.
The Rays opening day rotation started 154 games. The Yankees opening day staff started 99. Yeah, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, BJ Upton and Carl Crawford were dogged with nagging injuries. But so were Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada. Aki Iwamura hit .220 in April. Aww, poor Aki. Too bad I was busy watching Robinson Cano hit .151 in April.
Do your homework, Buster. Especially if you're seriously trying to make the claim that Tampa is the much improved team heading into '09.
There's no real fair comparison to make on paper. Assuming that C.C. and A.J. make around 30 starts apiece, 7 less than both Pettite and Mussina, and the rest of the rotation holds on a little longer than 99 games, I like our pitching more and I still don't know who the 5th starter is. In other news, bye-bye Andy.
And if you're measuring the Burrell acquisition against the Teixeira deal, the only place the numbers match is in on-base percentage. The guys a career .257 hitter. Tex is a career .290 and has played in 3 less seasons. The only people in Philly who'll miss the guy are little girls who think he's dreamy. Trust me. I lived in Philly, the people there hated him for most of his tenure, The monniker Pat "the bat" was used more sarcastically than earnestly, especially in 2003 when he hit .209 and played in 146 games.
Let's also conveinantly avoid the fact that the Tampa bullpen is virtually non-existant. Let's also avoid the fact that the Yankees beat the Rays 11 games to 7 in the head-to-head match ups last year. Why isn't anyone in the media clamoring for David Price to solidify that bullpen like they still do with Joba? This is the same team that couldn't hold a tie in a 3 inning elimination game.
Run for the hills, here comes Pat Burrell. Not hardly.
30 December 2008
What the Hell is Going on in Boston?
Obviously this is a New York Yankees site. I try to make this place as Yankee-centric as I possibly can, but recent news and events coming out of Boston has got me with Red Sox on the brain. I'm not going to be overly detailed, but I feel I am familiar enough with that club, it's fans, and their expectation to approach their 2008-2009 off season activities.
September
I don't know Boston. It seems the Yankees have closed the 2 game gap between 2nd and 3rd place and then some. When are you going to try and make that distance up again? Or are you? Do you even think you need to?
September
- First things first, make sure all key decision makers are on board. Theo gets his extension. Look out Baseball!!
- Nothing, but you can't really do much until 10 days after the World Series ends, so not a big deal.
- In a surprising move, the Boston Red Sox sign a young pitcher from one of the 4,000 teams in the Japanese Industrial league -- whatever the hell that is. In doing so, the Red Sox break a gentleman's agreement with the Japanese Nippon Baseball League by not acquiring him the proper and traditional channels. Essentially, the Sox found a clever loop hole to claim a marginal player who will spend the majority of the 2009 season and possibly his career in Class A ball. 3 years 6 mill. Nice. I guess Japan needs more hats.
- Winter Meeting in Vegas come and go with little movements from the Red Sox organization. Grumblings about Teixeira, Varitek, Lowe, and a rumored meet and greet with Andy Pettite prove fruitless. Tex emerges as the big off season target.
- This is embarrassing. New uniforms? Alternate road and home jerseys? What are you guys, the Mets or something? Anything to make a buck I guess.
- Knowing that catcher is a priority, the Sox fail to offer any contract to back-up Kevin Cash. I guess the fashion show was too important. This is a key move as he's the only guy with experience catching Tim Wakefield.
- Sox do get some pitching help though by signing 3 to minor league deals --- Yeah, I guess you're right, Enrique Gonzalez (7-5 - 4.44 ERA in triple A, or 4-7 - 5.96 ERA with Padres and Diamondbacks '07-'08), Marcus McBeth (2-1 - 4.38 ERA combined in AAA, or 3-2 - 5.95 ERA with Reds in '07), and Billy Traber (We know who you are Mr. 0-0 - 7.02 ERA) aren't much help, are they?
- Yankees sign #1 target Teixeira. Multi-year deal for Youkilis falls through. Yankees sign Kevin Cash. Derek Lowe closing in on a deal with the Mets. Catching problem now multiplied. Big offensive acquistion goes to rival club. No big deal. Really. I mean it. I'm serious. Why doesn't anyone believe me?!?!
- Sox sign pitcher Brad Penny and catcher Josh Bard. See, nothing to worry about. Pay no attention to the fact that Penny has been a NL pitcher his whole career and is coming off a pretty poor 2008 campaign making just 17 starts, missing all of September, and posting a 6.27 ERA. Josh Bard should sound familiar to some. He's the back-up backstop the Red Sox shipped off to San Diego with Cla Meredith in 2005 for Doug Mirrabelli, right before a big May day game with the Yankees. We all know how key those May games are. It seems Bard had trouble handling, finding, seeing, and catching Wakefield's knuckler... which is the same pitch he'll have to adjust to this year. Oh yeah, that's a good signing.
- And just as recently as today, the Red Sox again tried to turn the clock back to 2005 by failing to make a deal with the Florida Marlins for Hanley Ramirez. Don't get me wrong, if they got Hanley, this post would have an entirely different tone, but it's straight desperation time in Beantown right now. They still need a starting catcher and either have little faith in the SS tandem of Julio Lugo and Jed Lowrie or have no faith in CF Jacoby Ellsbury as he was a rumored trade chip and CF was the rumored destination for Hanley. The same lack of offense that stymied them in the playoffs may very well haunt them for the duration of the 2009 season.
I don't know Boston. It seems the Yankees have closed the 2 game gap between 2nd and 3rd place and then some. When are you going to try and make that distance up again? Or are you? Do you even think you need to?
29 December 2008
Looking at Finances
Disclaimer: I never took economics in college. I've never balanced a checkbook. In fact, numbers make my head hurt. I also have a very vague understanding of the rules in regard to baseball teams, their finances, the rules of profit sharing, and the salary tax. While this remedial knowledge is suspect at best, please bear with me and feel free to correct any mistakes, errors, omissions, fabrications, etc. Thank you.
Yesterday's New York Post featured an article on how the Yankees can spend so freely and not feel the pinch in these harsh economic times.
The outrage from team owners, rival GMs, and talking heads in the media has been well represented and discussed widely in the weeks since the Yankees first went out on this big name free agent safari. I will spare you those details here and (hopefully) be ahead of the curve in regards to the next big stink involving the New York Yankees and how much money they spend, or in this case, don't spend.
It's no secret that the Yankees are moving into new digs next year. A lot of questions have come up recently concerning this Stadium and how the Yankees plan to pay for it. Some sweetheart deals between the City and the organization have been discovered, but I think the most important thing to remember is that they will be paying for it. In fact they will be paying at least a hefty $1 billion over the coming years for this Stadium project.
The thing is, due to the rules of baseball, because the Yankees are paying a very large out-of-pocket expense to build their own Stadium, they can deduct at least $85 million dollars from 2009's revenue sharing expense. For the record, in 2008 the Yankees committed $100 million, or 1/3 of its revenue, to MLB's revenue sharing policy. When we put it all together, what this all means is that the rest of baseball will have to split and live on a paltry $15 million dollars in 2009.
It's also important to note that the luxury tax threshold is higher this year and will continue to rise as well. Last year the threshold was $148 million. This year it's $155. I'm pretty sure it maxes out at $174 million over the next few years. What this means is that while the Yankees continue to pay this tax every year they commit top dollar to their players, the amount will continually decrease in the coming years if the Yankees continue to cut payroll.
Basically, if they can avoid signing Andy Pettite and keep this year's payroll in the $190's, then cut 26 million plus in the salaries of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and possibly Xavier Nady for 2010, they could easily get beneath the luxury tax threshold and keep more money out of their hands of their competition. The $126 million extra the Yankees handed MLB will be considerably less in the coming years.
Take note small market clubs. The free ride you get from Yankee money may be coming to a close. If true, the Cashman quote of:
We have the most money, no secret about that. If we combine that with the best decision-making process on a consistent basis, God help the rest of baseball becomes much more of an ominous threat than a rallying cry.
Yesterday's New York Post featured an article on how the Yankees can spend so freely and not feel the pinch in these harsh economic times. The outrage from team owners, rival GMs, and talking heads in the media has been well represented and discussed widely in the weeks since the Yankees first went out on this big name free agent safari. I will spare you those details here and (hopefully) be ahead of the curve in regards to the next big stink involving the New York Yankees and how much money they spend, or in this case, don't spend.
It's no secret that the Yankees are moving into new digs next year. A lot of questions have come up recently concerning this Stadium and how the Yankees plan to pay for it. Some sweetheart deals between the City and the organization have been discovered, but I think the most important thing to remember is that they will be paying for it. In fact they will be paying at least a hefty $1 billion over the coming years for this Stadium project.
The thing is, due to the rules of baseball, because the Yankees are paying a very large out-of-pocket expense to build their own Stadium, they can deduct at least $85 million dollars from 2009's revenue sharing expense. For the record, in 2008 the Yankees committed $100 million, or 1/3 of its revenue, to MLB's revenue sharing policy. When we put it all together, what this all means is that the rest of baseball will have to split and live on a paltry $15 million dollars in 2009.
It's also important to note that the luxury tax threshold is higher this year and will continue to rise as well. Last year the threshold was $148 million. This year it's $155. I'm pretty sure it maxes out at $174 million over the next few years. What this means is that while the Yankees continue to pay this tax every year they commit top dollar to their players, the amount will continually decrease in the coming years if the Yankees continue to cut payroll.
Basically, if they can avoid signing Andy Pettite and keep this year's payroll in the $190's, then cut 26 million plus in the salaries of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and possibly Xavier Nady for 2010, they could easily get beneath the luxury tax threshold and keep more money out of their hands of their competition. The $126 million extra the Yankees handed MLB will be considerably less in the coming years.
Take note small market clubs. The free ride you get from Yankee money may be coming to a close. If true, the Cashman quote of:
We have the most money, no secret about that. If we combine that with the best decision-making process on a consistent basis, God help the rest of baseball becomes much more of an ominous threat than a rallying cry.
26 December 2008
Teixeira News Most Will Never Know
There's a lot of under-the-surface Teixiera stuff I keep coming across. It's substantial enough to post here. It also proves a point that's been lost, forgotten, overlooked, and ignored since Mark Teixeira reached an agreement in principle with the New York Yankees. That point is Mark Teixeira wanted to play for the Yankees. He chose us. I like that.
Don't believe it? Fine, but if you think its all about the money (like I did), you'd be surprised to find out (like I was) that the Washington Nationals had a better deal in place. In fact, Texiera turned down 5 million more of Washington's money to play for the Yankees. He never gave Washington a chance to go even higher as well as he ran towards Brian Cashman's outstretched arms once the first offer hit the table.
Not surprising enough for ya? Get this, one of the reasons Mark was difficult in negotiations with the Red Sox, so difficult that the Theo-Henry Man-Boy Love Association left the negotiating table and cried to the media, stems from a little draft day strong arm tactics Boston tried way back when Mark graduated high school in 1998.
Apparently Boston wanted to sign him in the first round of that year's draft. They offered 1.5 million (who knows how much over slot that was in '98?) and then bad mouthed the kid to 29 other teams when he turned them down by saying he wouldn't sign. Then Boston drafted him in the 9th round. Needless to say, Mark turned that one down and went to College, but something tells me a little piece of him has burning towards Boston for the past 10 years.
I tell ya, the 2009 baseball season gets more interesting by the day and were not even out of 2008.
Don't believe it? Fine, but if you think its all about the money (like I did), you'd be surprised to find out (like I was) that the Washington Nationals had a better deal in place. In fact, Texiera turned down 5 million more of Washington's money to play for the Yankees. He never gave Washington a chance to go even higher as well as he ran towards Brian Cashman's outstretched arms once the first offer hit the table.
Not surprising enough for ya? Get this, one of the reasons Mark was difficult in negotiations with the Red Sox, so difficult that the Theo-Henry Man-Boy Love Association left the negotiating table and cried to the media, stems from a little draft day strong arm tactics Boston tried way back when Mark graduated high school in 1998.
Apparently Boston wanted to sign him in the first round of that year's draft. They offered 1.5 million (who knows how much over slot that was in '98?) and then bad mouthed the kid to 29 other teams when he turned them down by saying he wouldn't sign. Then Boston drafted him in the 9th round. Needless to say, Mark turned that one down and went to College, but something tells me a little piece of him has burning towards Boston for the past 10 years.
I tell ya, the 2009 baseball season gets more interesting by the day and were not even out of 2008.
23 December 2008
HOLY #$%*&@!!!!!
Well, so much for my thoughts on why the Yankees won't get Mark Teixeira. Good thing I didn't waste my time trying to rationalize that concept again.
Am I happy? No, not really. I'm just not too psyched about 8 years I guess. He's a great player and fills somewhat of a need (what do we do with Swisher and/or Nady now?) it's just that in the long run I think this deal will hurt us as any and all infield flexibility just flew out the window. How much longer will A-Rod mishandle slow rollers at 3rd. How much longer will Jeter be hurting us at SS with his diminished range and errant throws? How much longer will the Jeter/Cano double-play combo extend innings? Our poor infield defense may have gotten better but it looks to get exponentially worse over the next few years.
In the long run, whatever. He is an outstanding defensive 1B and he has a very impressive offensive resume. Ideally, the 2009 Yankees should be somewhat of a juggernaut. The 2010 and 2011 teams should also figure to go deep into October. It gets murky after that, it really depends on C.C. does with that opt out. I know this much for sure, it's pretty rare when you see a team commit $424 million dollars and 20 years to 3 players in one off season, let alone one decade.
And a big whatever to the money too. Boston apparently wouldn't budge from $168-170 mill over 8 years and we got him for $180. I gotta think that Boston really screwed the pooch by not offering another 1.25 - 1.5 mill per year. That's a less than 8K per game. Looks like those guys needed to "Cowboy Up". Unless of course they never wanted him anyway. That's believable, right?
The thing that's going to get lost in the wash is the simple fact that Teixiera really only wanted to be a Yankee. He met with us first and made sure we made an offer as suitors dropped left and right. Something tells me that will be the most overlooked part of this story.
But who cares, now the Yankees do have that offense everyone felt we needed and now we got someone to protect A-Rod (whatever the hell that means), can we just play the damn games already?
22 December 2008
Manny, oops I mean, Many Questions Remain
Question of the day:
Why is it considered shrewd negotiating when the owner of the Boston Red Sox publicly fires off e-mails indicating they're no longer a factor in Mark Teixeira bidding? And when a spokesman within the Anaheim Angels organization says basically the same thing, the Angels are officially out of the race. Why is that?
The Red Sox are clearly the media darlings this millennium. They know no wrongs. When they "say" they're out of the Tex race it's seen as a coy strategy for dealing with a snake of an agent in Scott Boras. When they break a gentleman's agreement with the Japanese Nippon league, it's heralded as a new way to get talent. When they spit in the face of history and tradition by making a mad marketing cash grab by adding alternate jerseys, caps, and logos it's viewed as a progressive and unique maneuver.
And now that Anaheim is "out" of the Teixeira race, Boston will no doubt emerge as the desired destination. And if they do sign him, no matter what the cost, it will be considered a BIG get despite the fact that they don't need him. It will also be considered a moral victory when The Little Baseball Club That Could stares the big greedy agent/bully down and gets their man. That only happens course once they find a buyer for a 36 year-old 3B coming off of hip surgery or move the best 1B in baseball, Youk, out of town.
I still think this market is based on need. Anaheim needs Teixeira the most. Therefore they should get him despite the rampant rumors and assumptions that say otherwise.
The big problem is everyone in the media is trying to get the story. And they're missing it big time. The story isn't where Texireira goes. It's all based on who gives him the most money. Boras and Tex expect a certain amount of money to come their way over a set amount of time. No one has approached that amount yet. Why would teams drop out now? Why not get creative with opt outs or lower the deal to 5 years with a greater annual salary? It's called a negotiation for a reason. But the thing is the media only thinks that one team, Boston, is really negotiating.
A lot of this has to do with the notion that Teixeira want to play on the East Coast and reporters are running with this concept as if it's gospel truth and as if C.C. Sabathia and his "West Coast preference" never existed. You can't get a straight story on the numbers either. All teams involved have as little as 150 mill or as much 180 mill on the table. And Washington is out there ready to drop 200 mill in some stories. I don't think anyone's got a clue at this point, me especially, and anything could happen between now and when Mark Teixeira actually signs.
In other news, Holy Shit!!! Manny says we offered him a 3 year deal worth about 75 million dollars. I'd link it, but the paper of question is the Dominican Republic based Impacto Deportivo. I can't speak or read Spanish, so I linked the story that broke on MLB TradeRumors. Impacto Deportivo has a spotty record with breaking news like this so take it all with a grain of salt.
I'm pretty salty about it myself. All I can really say is "No Fucking way"! Damon in CF is a recurring nightmare I still have and Manny would get lost in the vastness that is Yankee Staduim's LF. I'm telling you, any offense we gain is lost defensively. While we win the 14-7 blowout game we still lose the 3-1 pitching battle, even with C.C. and A.J. The best thing for us going forward is a better defense, not a more potent offense.
Why is it considered shrewd negotiating when the owner of the Boston Red Sox publicly fires off e-mails indicating they're no longer a factor in Mark Teixeira bidding? And when a spokesman within the Anaheim Angels organization says basically the same thing, the Angels are officially out of the race. Why is that?
The Red Sox are clearly the media darlings this millennium. They know no wrongs. When they "say" they're out of the Tex race it's seen as a coy strategy for dealing with a snake of an agent in Scott Boras. When they break a gentleman's agreement with the Japanese Nippon league, it's heralded as a new way to get talent. When they spit in the face of history and tradition by making a mad marketing cash grab by adding alternate jerseys, caps, and logos it's viewed as a progressive and unique maneuver.
And now that Anaheim is "out" of the Teixeira race, Boston will no doubt emerge as the desired destination. And if they do sign him, no matter what the cost, it will be considered a BIG get despite the fact that they don't need him. It will also be considered a moral victory when The Little Baseball Club That Could stares the big greedy agent/bully down and gets their man. That only happens course once they find a buyer for a 36 year-old 3B coming off of hip surgery or move the best 1B in baseball, Youk, out of town.
I still think this market is based on need. Anaheim needs Teixeira the most. Therefore they should get him despite the rampant rumors and assumptions that say otherwise.
The big problem is everyone in the media is trying to get the story. And they're missing it big time. The story isn't where Texireira goes. It's all based on who gives him the most money. Boras and Tex expect a certain amount of money to come their way over a set amount of time. No one has approached that amount yet. Why would teams drop out now? Why not get creative with opt outs or lower the deal to 5 years with a greater annual salary? It's called a negotiation for a reason. But the thing is the media only thinks that one team, Boston, is really negotiating.
A lot of this has to do with the notion that Teixeira want to play on the East Coast and reporters are running with this concept as if it's gospel truth and as if C.C. Sabathia and his "West Coast preference" never existed. You can't get a straight story on the numbers either. All teams involved have as little as 150 mill or as much 180 mill on the table. And Washington is out there ready to drop 200 mill in some stories. I don't think anyone's got a clue at this point, me especially, and anything could happen between now and when Mark Teixeira actually signs.
In other news, Holy Shit!!! Manny says we offered him a 3 year deal worth about 75 million dollars. I'd link it, but the paper of question is the Dominican Republic based Impacto Deportivo. I can't speak or read Spanish, so I linked the story that broke on MLB TradeRumors. Impacto Deportivo has a spotty record with breaking news like this so take it all with a grain of salt.
I'm pretty salty about it myself. All I can really say is "No Fucking way"! Damon in CF is a recurring nightmare I still have and Manny would get lost in the vastness that is Yankee Staduim's LF. I'm telling you, any offense we gain is lost defensively. While we win the 14-7 blowout game we still lose the 3-1 pitching battle, even with C.C. and A.J. The best thing for us going forward is a better defense, not a more potent offense.
19 December 2008
Well That's Certainly Unexpected....Or is It?
The news of the day has to be this interesting piece out of Boston. In it, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry has basically come out and said there will not be a switch-hitting gold glove caliber 1st baseman under the team tree this year. This will probably be the most referenced quote of the day so get used to reading it:
“We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor.”
I'm assuming there just might be some truth to the Nationals rumors and the money must be in the $200 million dollar range. Or as the article suggests, publically announcing the fact that you're not in on the bidding is just a part of the negotiating process.
Yeah, right...
There will defiantly be a LOT of angry Red Sox fans on the internet this weekend. And there probably should be. The biggest deal they've worked out this offseason has been the Theo extension.
Sure, they got some crap arm from what basically amounts to a company softball team in Japan, in the process pissing off all the major Japanese teams -- and then they gave up their best defensive outfielder for a, at best, serviceable option out of the pen in the 6th or 7th inning. Now this. The guy they've been fawning over and drooling on since October has little interest in playing for what they're offering. Ouch!
This is also the same day they're all coming across this picture on the internet too. I wonder what's so funny?
To be honest, I feel for the Red Sox fan today. Maybe I'm just in the Christmas Spirit, but the Red Sox really didn't need Tex in the first place, so their fans can't be that upset. To me, Youkilis is THE GUY to have at 1st. I hate him, yet I respect the shit out of his ability. And to get Teixeira they'd have to move Mike Lowell (probably one of the better clubhouse guys and leaders in the game) or move Youk to LF. What they have is good enough already. And I don't really know how much better another #3 hitter makes that team.
Expect the hard push for Adam Dunn in the coming days/weeks. He fits that team perfectly and is the prototypical big, fat, slow, cumbersome, white guy who smacks singles off da' Monsta' and clogs the basepaths they've coveted for years. He can play left and first in a pinch though and is enough of a role player to fit that clubhouse and put up his numbers.
The Red Sox have,under the Theo regime at least, an organizational philosophy that they stick to in situations like this. They are ever-hesitant to lock someone up long term and rarely budge from the value that they give a player. Look at the Johnny Damon situation in 2005 for clues. This team isn't going to change its approach for any single player. I do admire them for that. And you should too, especially when we sign Pettite for $12-13 mill.
Take heart Sox fans. There's always Manny....
“We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor.”
I'm assuming there just might be some truth to the Nationals rumors and the money must be in the $200 million dollar range. Or as the article suggests, publically announcing the fact that you're not in on the bidding is just a part of the negotiating process.
Yeah, right...
There will defiantly be a LOT of angry Red Sox fans on the internet this weekend. And there probably should be. The biggest deal they've worked out this offseason has been the Theo extension.
Sure, they got some crap arm from what basically amounts to a company softball team in Japan, in the process pissing off all the major Japanese teams -- and then they gave up their best defensive outfielder for a, at best, serviceable option out of the pen in the 6th or 7th inning. Now this. The guy they've been fawning over and drooling on since October has little interest in playing for what they're offering. Ouch!
This is also the same day they're all coming across this picture on the internet too. I wonder what's so funny?
To be honest, I feel for the Red Sox fan today. Maybe I'm just in the Christmas Spirit, but the Red Sox really didn't need Tex in the first place, so their fans can't be that upset. To me, Youkilis is THE GUY to have at 1st. I hate him, yet I respect the shit out of his ability. And to get Teixeira they'd have to move Mike Lowell (probably one of the better clubhouse guys and leaders in the game) or move Youk to LF. What they have is good enough already. And I don't really know how much better another #3 hitter makes that team.
Expect the hard push for Adam Dunn in the coming days/weeks. He fits that team perfectly and is the prototypical big, fat, slow, cumbersome, white guy who smacks singles off da' Monsta' and clogs the basepaths they've coveted for years. He can play left and first in a pinch though and is enough of a role player to fit that clubhouse and put up his numbers.
The Red Sox have,under the Theo regime at least, an organizational philosophy that they stick to in situations like this. They are ever-hesitant to lock someone up long term and rarely budge from the value that they give a player. Look at the Johnny Damon situation in 2005 for clues. This team isn't going to change its approach for any single player. I do admire them for that. And you should too, especially when we sign Pettite for $12-13 mill.
Take heart Sox fans. There's always Manny....
17 December 2008
Cooler Heads?
Some relief today as more doubt appears to be creeping into this Mike Cameron situation. I wish it was over, but the tentative belief here is that Milwaukee and New York won't be able to find a compromise between now and the start of Spring Training at the very least. The Yankees really need to operate in the mindset that Milwaukee needs to dump Cameron way more than they need to acquire him and/or dump Igawa. I think that's course of action they're taking as you can't even get a straight answer in regards to the terms of the deal. Some have us taking a chunk of what's owed Igawa while others have Milwaukee picking up a portion of Cameron's deal. To me, the sticking point is who wants to rid themselves of which bad contract more.The Manny stuff still prevails, but the more I think about Manny, the more I come to the realization that the two parties will never reach a basic agreement. I'll take Manny for one year. 20 mill plus another 5-10 in incentives. That's it. I won't consider anything else. Let Manny and Boras pimp the Yankees for a better deal with another team in a better economy next year while the Yankees pimp Manny's bat (never his glove, he's the DH or nothing) for ring number 27.
Obviously this will never happen. The player and the agent won't make that kind of concession and there's the very tricky situation of moving Hideki Matsui and his no trade clause.
I said it yesterday and I'll say it today, a platoon in center between Melky and Gardner is the best decision. Melky was good enough to start in center last year. He's good enough to start this year -- especially when you're talking about replacing him with a man who's more than ten years his senior and hits for average just as poorly as Melky did when he was sent down to Scranton.
What I do is start Melky and keep Gardner on the bench. Then in the 7th inning of every game, regardless of the situation or score, I pull Damon from left, slide Melky over and put Gardner in center.
Obviously I value defense over offense in the outfield. But it's needed if you look around the diamond. Every other position on the field is occupied by a player who is expected to contribute more with his bat than his glove. And seeing how hits that fall in the outfield amount to extra bases, this late inning defensive upgrade will take more pressure off the bullpen and help ice games. You're also helping Johnny stay fresh when he hits free agency next year. Cuz he sure as hell ain't coming back.
16 December 2008
Et Tu Andy?
Somehow, somewhere, someway Andy Pettite has a 3 year 36 million dollar deal sitting on the table. Yeah, the same Andy Pettite who never fails to express his interest in only coming back to play as a Yankee.Despite every inclination I have towards thinking his agents, the Hendricks Brothers, are running a ploy straight from the Scott Boras handbook -- you know, the ol' interested, unknown, and silent second party with a big deal plan, it's a classic. I say go for it Andy! Go pitch someplace else for 3 years. Do it! I dare you!
It's funny. Over the Winter Meetings the only team I remember with any interest in Andy outside of us was the Boston Red Sox. And while I don't put it past them to push us and/or make this deal that much more difficult, they can have him. I say this really only because they don't need him or are probably even in on him and would be a horrible team with Andy Pettite for 3 years. Or any team for that matter.
3 years?!?! Who wants a 36 year old coming off a career low with injury and durability issues who's also linked to and admitted to using HGH in the past? For that matter, why do we at this point? The longer this goes, the less I'm apt to miss or want Andy Pettite.
I don't even understand the position he's taking. I mean after the A.J. and C.C. signings you'd think that Pettite would go back to the Yankees with his hat in hands asking if there's enough room in the rotation for him. The team just committed 250 mill in a bad economy for 2 pitchers, why not try just accept their generous 10 million dollar deal and go out on top in the hearts and minds of the one fan base that cares about you?
Well, did care about you.
Bye, Andy. It's been fun.
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