Today in The Journal News
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- October
- 24
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Don Mattingly interviewed with the Yankees yesterday and says he’s ready to manage.
Derek Jeter paused between models to comment on Joe Torre’s departure.
In case you forgot, the World Series starts tonight. We provide 10 reasons to watch.
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on Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 at 2:48 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
“4. At some point in the Series, Boston’s Manny Ramirez will either forget how many outs there are, run the wrong way or not bring his glove out to left field. Hilarity ensues.”
Lazy writing.
“You’ve never heard of any Colorado player other than Todd Helton.”
I have. If you haven’t, you’re not a baseball fan.
If you’ve never heard of any Colorado player other than Todd Helton, you’re not a baseball fan.
Boys, relax, that list was tongue-in-cheek
Selena Roberts with the Times had a good one:
She calls Manny’s cellphone and asks, “Is Manny home?”
Manny replies, “Nah mahn! Manny is still awn first base”
I’m not a Torre fan. I thought it was time for a change.
I also remember how The Boss wanted to fire Torre after the Detroit debacle and bring in Lou, so I thought Tampa’s contract shenanigans were weak.
And the same time, I thought Torre shoulda accepted the contract, if only to give the front office angina.
Anyways, with all this nuance, I thought Torre came off well, last night.
http://tinyurl.com/23shhe
The Bob Costas HBO interview (Runs 9:59)
Today’s Sport Pages
http://tinyurl.com/ywkb72
At the bottom of the 3rd one, Newsday focuses on the Sox’s inferiority complex.
Frankly, I don’t care what Giuliani or any other politician thinks about sports.
As Pete said earlier, isn’t it basically a politician’s job to be phony?
Politics has no place on this blog.
oops.
http://tinyurl.com/yug48m
Here’s the Torre-Costas Link (Runs 9:59)
Giuseppe Franco-
Ordinarily, yes. But this relates to the Yankees and it’s on the front page.
Among many things, it’s also funny.
It’s not about politics (public policy), it’s about the fidelity and the Yankees.
Buster Olney on The State of the Yankees
http://tinyurl.com/2kxjtb
(Clips runs 4:24)
1. Girardi’s interview was lights out.
2. Mattingly’s fame works for him and against him. They would like to have a big name to replace Torre, at the same time, Tampa doesn’t want another PR nightmare if a year from now they have to move Donnie out.
3. Boston’s pitching coach John Ferrell and former manager Buck Showalter have been considered, but are not scheduled for interviews at this time.
4. Pena, ARod, et. al.
Re: Olney’s clip Reviewing the Yankee Manager Situation:
If Pena is valued for his ability to get along with younger players – - they love him – - and the Yankees are getting younger, why is it still said that Girardi’s potential for ruffling the veterans is such a problem? Either someone is propping up Pena’s value or they are overstating Girardi’s limitations. It’s inconsistent.
Girardi will manage the team he has. If it is a young, marginally talented team like the Marlins, he manages with an iron fist. If, however, Girardi gets a veteran team to manage, why does everyone think Girardi will intentionally challenge those guys so much they become unproductive? What good would that do?
Besides, with Melky, Cano, Wang, Duncan, Joba, Hughes, Kennedy, Ohlendorf… the Yankees are not as old as they used to be and maybe they could use some more push. At the same time why doesn’t anyone think Girardi would respect the veterans and treat them differently than the kids who have yet to earn the right to do it their way?
If it’s change they want, then they have to pick the “change” candidate.
There are two fiery possibilities and one who is more staid, laid back – - the choice is clear, even if the eventual winner is not. If you are being objective, Mattingly represents less change than he does a passing of the torch.
I don’t know if they’ll make me watch the World Series, but those 10 reasons made me laugh, Pete!
Torre came off pretty genuine in the Costas interview – why don’t people want to believe him? It’s not the money!
Who looked better during the interview process, Joe Girardi or Don Mattingly ?
I want Girardi but my gut says they will name Donnie the next Yankee skipper. Is it the right move? No, not in my opinion. The reason: I just never liked making a Yankee icon a manager. Plus I like Girardi since he was a catcher and a smart baseball guy. I think Donnie is too laid back and that can hurt the ballclub as well. We shall see.
I couldn’t care less what Giuliani says when he is in Boston. He doesn’t deserve the nomination or the presidency for political reasons and this just proves he is no better than any other politician
BUT, this should put an end to the worship of Giuliani at Yankee Stadium. His face on the big screen saying “Let’s Go Yankees!” is so dated and — as Torre would tell us — an insult to the fans.
The body language, eye contract, and voice quality was more attentive on the part of the interviewers with Joe Girardi than Don Mattingly. Tony Pena will be somewhere in between.
Giuliani cooked his goose with Yankee fans. For the sake of votes he became a half-a$$ed Yankee fan. He can’t ever used the term tried and true ever again.
He should be denied from ever throwing a 1st pitch from a Yankee Stadium mound.
Let the phony suck up to John Henry in Boston.
The World Series rules, no matter who plays in it.
A showcase for the BEST GAME!
Speaking of Helton, he’s one of those “best to never…..” kind of dudes. The casual fan will see a possible HOFer who is in the top 30 All Time in BA.
My big question for the Series is who plays 1B for BOS in CO.
I don’t think Ortiz is such a slam dunk right now.
Dr. Acula, as usual thanks for the links!!!
i think maybe it’s because i’ve heard more of Girardi, either while on TV, doing press interviews when he was with the Marlins, doing radio spots on NY radio stations, etc… but to me, it just seems like he’s more of a fit than Donnie. Donnie seemes to skate around questions, and it was obvious what he was doing, and he didnt know how to answer some questions… i’m not saying that he will never be able to, but it screams of his lack of experience.
the old adage says that when you fire a manager, you have to hire his opposite… so if you want to hire the next manager of the yankees, you want to look at what Torre did wrong, which is why you let him go… and you can say that if they were offering him incentives to put a little fire under him during the playoffs, you didnt think his drive was still there… and we all know Torre wasnt the best in-game decision maker, and we all questioned his management of the bullpen. so when looking for the next manager, dont you want someone who has proven he can handle a staff over the course of a season?
you start breaking all this down, and it seems like Girardi and Pena are the more natural fit…
Other reasons to watch:
Rockies have a guy named Torrealba. Genius, they’ve combined a multi WS winning manager with a smoking hot actress.
Tim McCarver will make the brilliant observation that the key wo winning the game is scoring more runs than the other team.
* • Texas offered to keep Rudy Jaramillo as baseball’s best-paid hitting coach at something close to $500,000 annually. But with his contract expiring at the end of October, he told the team he would look around. Speculation continues to center on the Mets, whose GM Omar Minaya once was a coach on Jaramillo’s minor-league team.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....day/1.html
Rudy is supposed to be one of the best!! Should the Yankees tender him an offer?
“If it’s change they want, then they have to pick the “changeâ€? candidate.”
garardi has to be the guy if they want to get more intensity . i personally hope it’s giradi because the yankees need a strong manager to make up for a weak inexperienced ownership with the little steins in charge . it’s going to be a fact of life that the yankees are going to have to win despite ownership and not because of it. girardi is the best choice for standing up to bad owners. he showed it in florida. the problem is that the weak incompetent owners with a low baseball iq are going to be choosing the manager so i don’t think they’ll pick girardi because in the back of their small baseball minds it’ll occur to them that girardi will stand up to them. the little steins grew up at all levels with the “help” doing what it was told to do or else. i think instintively they’ll want someone who more fits their idea of “help”. mattingly is not a boot licker, but he isn’t confrontational. i think he’ll be the one they pick, but if they pick girardi, it’ll be because they are so baseball dumb they don’t realize they are choosing someone who’ll fight them. there is no way girardi will get along with hank steinbrenner or randy levine. but that’s a good thing . i’m hoping they pick girardi, but i don’t expect it. hank n’ hal will make some good decisions, but it’ll be an accident when it happens. hopefully giradi is one of those accidents.
I am really looking forward to the WS, for Pete’s 10 reasons and a lot more. On Pete’s tongue-in-cheek list, however, does Tim McCarver the announcer make anyone but me a little sad? My dad was a Cards fan and I followed them while rooting for NY from ‘64 on. I remember Tim as a very solid catcher and clutch hitter. I was a catcher myself, and he and Elston Howard were my role models. His goofiness now is more embarrassing than funny.
This is terrible!
http://tinyurl.com/2g9hn6
They’re brainwashing kids in Red Sox Nation
Thats just *WRONG*
LOL!
Randy just explained part of the reason why Girardi should NOT be the manager of this club.
Do we really want the manager and new ownership fighting on the back pages everyday? Girardi couldn’t get along with the timid Jeffery Loria, so how is he going to like taking orders from the Steinbrenner/Levin bunch?
Sometimes, the manager has to rise above all the bickering and do what’s best for his ballclub. The infamous incident with Loria happened in May of 2006 and it lingered all season.
As the leader of the club, Girardi should have done something to clear the air with Loria. Instead, he let it become a distraction for 5 months until they fired him. He also stopped talking to the front office because he was getting too power hungry and didn’t want upper management to tell him what to do.
Despite a successful season, the ownership chose to fire him because they didn’t think he was worth the trouble. People often tend to see his MOTY award and think he’s the guy to now run the Yanks. There’s some baggage that comes with him as well.
Many of the Marlins’ fans blame him for his overuse of the young arms like Johnson and Sanchez, who both were forced to have TJ and missed most of 2007 and will miss most of 2008. I think we can learn a lot from Marlins’ fans because they were the people watching Girardi closely on an everyday basis. Yankee fans did not during his tenure in Florida.
Do some research on Girardi. There’s some startling downside to him that people don’t know about or tend to downplay.
If only Mattingly was a catcher. Too bad he played first base, he’ll never be a good manager.[sarcasm]
my #1 reason to watch the series is that it’s possible that the rockies will beat the red sox.
whenever there is a chance for the red sox to have something bad happen to them, there’s a reason to watch.
the rockies took two out of three from the rockies in june at fenway.they won the two games against beckett and shilling. despite the long layoff, the rockies can do it. let’s hope they are one of those teams of destiny that go against conventional projections.
as an aside, one of the things that drives me crazy is days off during the playoffs. not only does this not test a teams whole pitching staff, it also penalizes a team like the rockies that sweeps a series. having 7-8 days off for one team makes a joke of the playoffs being an accurate identifier of best team. all these off days contribute to the playoffs being a crap shoot. that said, go rockies.
THE YANKEES WILL NEVER WIN ANOTHER GAME!!! THE 80′S ARE COMING!!!
_Do we really want the manager and new ownership fighting on the back pages everyday?_
Yeah!
I love drama.
We just had an 8 part mini-series based on the 1977 fireworks.
http://tinyurl.com/ysh2z7 (check it out)
Gawd, what I would do for another dugout fight in Fenway!!
“having 7-8 days off for one team makes a joke of the playoffs being an accurate identifier of best team.”
agreed. the scheduling has been ludicrous.
why did the Red Sox and Indians have an off-day between games 4 and 5? there was absolutely no reason for it.
Regarding Girardi and his “situation” in Florida. He addressed that in his Q and A by saying he’s learned from the experience. Unless he’s brainless, and I think most of us agree he’s a pretty smart guy, he did learn. And as far as people pigeon-holing his managerial personality and style, I also heard him say you manage differently based on what you have to work with. To me that doesn’t sound like an inflexible person.
Dr. Acula -
As always, thanks for the pix and the video clips. I tuned in too late to see the beginning of Costas/Torre, so I’ll be glad to catch up here. You make it very convenient, and I appreciate it.
Pete –
Hilarious list. Thanks for the laugh.
I don’t understand why everyone thinks Donnie Baseball will be a pushover. You guys are clueless. Remember the haircut fiasco in 1991, the Yanks(Stick Michael and Stump Merrill and probably The Boss) wanted Donnie to get a haircut or no play. Donnie said he’d get a haircut, but on his terms, in a few days. They told him to get a haircut an hour before a game and he said no and they took him out of the lineup. What a mess they were back then.
fly-on-the-wall: “The body language, eye contract, and voice quality was more attentive on the part of the interviewers with Joe Girardi than Don Mattingly. Tony Pena will be somewhere in between.”
What’s your source?
Girardi is stubborn, he didn’t learn anything. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
If Mattingly is made manager, what’s the over/under on Bowa becoming his bench coach?
If Girardi is named manager, who is the logical choice for his bench coach?
“Girardi is stubborn, he didn’t learn anything. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
what about a young dog like Girardi?
fly-on-the-wall: “The body language, eye contract, and voice quality was more attentive on the part of the interviewers with Joe Girardi than Don Mattingly. Tony Pena will be somewhere in between.�
Does that really mean he’ll be a better manager?
Girardi is stubborn.
Also, Donnie Baseball was just being himself during the interview and not being a phoney like Girardi.
I also don’t think the announcement will be by Friday… according to the Times article on Mattingly’s interview, they stated that Cashman and crew were doing two rounds of interviews for each candidate. That means the Tuesday break in the WS (if there is one) at the earliest.
hmmm-
I thought that extra off-day hurt the Indians a lot. Real momentum stopper, which, if you’re losing, I guess is a good thing – like for the Red Sox.
It’s so unlike the regular season — your games at home are played in clumps. Days off between teams, not in the middle of a series. I think it’s dumb. Especially since there’s a travel day coming up. I hope this was an experiment and they do away with it next season.
THE YANKEES WILL NEVER WIN ANOTHER GAME!!! THE 80’S ARE COMING!!! – hummm, this is totally not “hummm” speach, this is a troll impersonating him. pathetic
Dee …………..what’s my source ??? Just being a fly on the wall.
“If only Mattingly was a catcher. Too bad he played first base, he’ll never be a good manager”
it’s more than just handling the pitch staff that gives a catcher a different perspective than other position players. the catcher also knows exactly what each player is doing on defense all the time. he’s the only one facing everyone else. if there is a throw to home from the outfield , for instance, he has to know what each player involved is going to do and where they are going to be. the first baseman needs to know what he’s supposed to do. he might not have any idea specifically what the shortstop is doing. in mattingly’s defense he probably knows what other positions are supposed to be doing more so than other first basemen. you would be surprised how little outfielders know what other positions are supposed to do. that’s why it’s so hard to bring an outfielder in to even first base.
when catching a game, there are non stop strategic decisons being made on every pitch. the first baseman is not going through the same mental process. catching a game is a very different mental experience than playing first base.
mattingly is the exception to the rule however. he was such a student of the game, he went beyond the normal expectaions of his position. he’d be a good manager though i prefer girardi.
It may be me, but Donnie’s performance during the “Great Haircut Crises” of 1981 isn’t exactly proof that he’s ready to manage.
Girardi will be snapped up by another team if the Yankees blow this and hire Mattingly. Can the same be said of Donnie? Nope.
Jennifer :
Whether Rudy Jamarillo is tendered an offer or not will be up to the new manager and front office depending on how they feel about retaining Kevin Long as hitting coach.
Jeter was supposedly in Tampa at Legends field yesterday during Donnie Baseballs’ interview. Is the captain doing a little campaigning?
_He addressed that in his Q and A by saying he’s learned from the experience. Unless he’s brainless, and I think most of us agree he’s a pretty smart guy, he did learn._
This is an example of what I’m talking about. Sure, Girardi is a smart guy but Mattingly is not an idiot.
Basically, Mattingly’s biggest “weakness” is the experience factor and perhaps his laid back personality.
Why do people give Girardi the benefit of the doubt with his faults but won’t do the same with Donnie Baseball?
Girardi’s one year of experience tells me that he did some good things, but enough bad things that upper management didn’t want him back.
Also, his hard-nosed attitude and stubbornness is probably not going to change and will not mix well with the new owners. He is also not the great talent evaluator that people give him credit for because of his young talent in Florida.
The truth is that Girardi wanted a lot more vets coming out of Spring Training and the front office wanted the kids. As it turned out, the upper management was right in that regard.
Simply put, I think if people really did the research on Girardi during his days with the Marlins, they would be much more hesitant on handing him the reigns of the New York Yankees.
Sunny 615 -
Reports now say the candidates are now limited to the 3 we know of and the Yankees may seek permission from the Commissioner’s Office to announce by Friday.
This seems to be an indication of minds close to a decision and moving on to the player questions.
Donnie didn’t handle the haircut fiasco well. He pouted and sulked and basically threatened to take his ball and go home. That approach worked when he was the ballplaying icon and most popular guy on a horrible team. It won’t work if he’s manager and the team falls 5 back in April.
I hope he realizes that NY’s unconditional love for him will become completely conditional on April 1st.
Giusseppe Franco –
Don’t put words in my mouth. I did not even address Mattingly in my post. I was merely addressing the fact that Girardi was being boxed into a corner, so to speak, but that he addressed the issue in his Q and A, and I thought he addressed it adequately.
I never said Mattingly was an idiot. I listened to both interviews. My feeling is that they Yankees will have a difficult decision because they each have their pluses. I am taking care not to advocate one candidate over another.
None of us here was a party to the long interview process, and none of us here is responsible for choosing the next manager.
What??? You mean the Steinbrenners and Cashman are not consulting this blog to determine who will be the next manager? I’m shocked and dismayed.
Good for Jeets…I love the page 6 entries on him in the Post. He’s a young, successful guy and should enjoy the rewards that go along with being in that position.
(Love the parking story. Girls, if you get a chance to hook up with DJ, you should know that he validates parking – but only if you ask.)
Keith – that would be good for me – moving forward is better for this team if we know who’s coaching the team in 08.
Hey Doc Acula ! …. any chance of getting the goods about a Rorschach test ?
It’s not easy skipping breakfast and relying on bromides to get through the day.
I’ve been meaning to bring this up for a while, if only for my own validation, but completely forgot until they did a look alike comparison on ‘Bronx Liason.’ I noticed this during the ALDS but I think that Eric Wedge and Will Forte from SNL look so much a like. During the series I almost cracked up everytime I saw Wedge on TV.
http://www.clonehighusa.com/ba.....lForte.jpg
http://images.sportsnetwork.co.....e_eric.jpg
I don’t care if this doesn’t relate to the post. I’m bored as hell at work.
Who said the haircut incident made him a better choice to be a manager? I just used that to point out that Donnie would not be a “pushover” like some have suggested around here, no matter if you agree or disagree with how he handled the haircut situation, he’s no pushover.
What is with people still wanting that other guy to manage? It is over with, get over it! (just reacting to what someone just said on the radio.)
Enough enough, MOVE ON!!!
_Don’t put words in my mouth. I did not even address Mattingly in my post. I was merely addressing the fact that Girardi was being boxed into a corner, so to speak, but that he addressed the issue in his Q and A, and I thought he addressed it adequately._
You missed my point, Doreen. I never said that you were insulting Mattingly in any way.
My point was that a lot of people who favor Girardi are quick to dismiss his faults (and there are several we should be concerned about) but won’t do the same with Mattingly.
It’s not like we’re talking about Connie Mack. Girardi has more managerial experience but only one season and was fired the day after it ended.
Is there a way to ban this randy l guy? He posts the same irrational comments about the ownership everyday despite having no evidence for anything he says. It’s getting annoying, little guy.
Why are you so concerned with banning somebody? Don’t agree with him? Debate like an adult or ignore the posts.
They ban trolls here and Randy I is not a troll.
If you want a cheerleading blog, there are several you can go to.
This blog is successful because of differing opinions. I see no reason why that should change now.
ALRIGHT BABY !!! TODAY IS THE DAY TONY PENA GOOD LUCK
Whoever manages will inherit a good team but also a team who needs to fix its bullpen just a bit. Rivera will be back as long as the Yankees want him and I’m pretty sure that they want him back. It will be interesting to see who the Yankees use as set-up men. Vizcaino is also a free agent. Ross Ohlendorf may also fit into the equation somewhere. The Yankees will probably have to fix their bullpen from within since there aren’t many good options on the free agent market. Probably the best option is Brewers closer Francisco Cordero and he will be costly, plus he’s probably looking to be a closer instead of a set-up man. Farnsworth is a major question mark and the team is short on dependable lefties out of the bullpen.
Giuseppe Franco –
Okay. But you used my post to make your point, and my post was not meant to dismiss Girardi’s shortcomings at the expense of Mattingly. Or even necessarily to dismiss a perceived shortcoming of Girardi. I think they both have pluses AND minuses and no one guy is going to give you the perfect package.
I think we can agree that all three of the managerial candidates brings something different to the table; that each one has some really good qualities; that each one has at least a few question marks.
Girardi got his first managerial job after being a bench coach for one season. Willie Randolph finally got his first managerial job, after being a third base coach and bench coach for a few years. One of them won MOY last year, with the other coming close. I don’t think the fact that Mattingly has never managed will be a major factor. He’s been around baseball for almost forever. I do think it will be important for him to have an experienced pitching coach and an experienced guy as bench coach. He’ll have to surround himself with solid people. But frankly, a manager should surround himself with solid people no matter how much experience they have. Torre could afford to have Mattingly on the bench because he also had Bowa and Pena; Mattingly was an apprentice, not an advisor.
Top 10 Reasons to Watch the World Series
1. To see if all those pins I stuck in my Josh Beckett bobblehead worked;
2. To be prepared for next week’s spelling quiz. Fill in the blank: Troy __________ (winners get a chance to hear Chris Russo pronounce the name…oh wait, he’s still stuck on the tongue twister Matt Holliday);
3. To watch Kaz Matsui win his World Series MVP;
4. To get another glimpse of Matsuzaka’s “gyroball.” Oh wait…we haven’t seen it yet. Well, maybe he’s saving it for a special occasioin.
5. To listen to Curt Schilling expound on the wonder that is himself…and then watch him turn in another shaky effort;
6. To hear the Red Sox try to explain why they should be regarded as underdogs;
7. To cheer as Eric Gagne comes in for another “save.”
8. To see more of those awesome Fox crowd shots;
9. To watch Manny admire another single.
10. To…well, really, what else are you going to watch? Pre-season NBA?
Mr. & Mrs. Alka Seltzer-
http://tinyurl.com/yug48m
Skippy,
Don’t quit your day job.
Does anyone think that Girardi or Mattingly won’t be competent?
Does it really matter?
Unless they get some pitching either guy won’t be around long.
Trade Damon and $15.6M (60%) of his remaining salary ($4.7M cleared for 2008 + $4.7M cleared for 2009 = $9.4M total cleared). He has to go for not only being out of shape going into spring training through early in the year a year into his 4-year, $52M, $13M/yr. contract, but admitting it which is soooo easy to do when you have 3 years remaining. He had some nerve complaining about lack of playing time for what he made for the last 2/3rds of 2007, cuz he didn’t show up for the first third of it. Also he comes off like a guy who already got his World Series ring and is taking it easy. His days as a very good CF are over. Market him as a veteran leadoff-hitting LF who could play CF and not kill you there entirely. Whoever takes him has him for $4.7M in 2008 and th same in 2009.
Let go of A-Rod when he opts out of his current contract ($81M cleared). If playing 3B and batting cleanup for the Yankees and being the highest paid player in M.L.B. 2008-10 isn’t enough for him and he doesn’t want an extension, goodbye. He’s a postseason choker-cipher for the Yanks anyway.
Put Matsui on waivers so Seattle could claim him because they need a DH and would love to have all three everyday player Japanese stars in their lineup (Matsui, Ichiro, and Johjima). ($26M cleared). His days in LF are over. 2007 might’ve been his last productive year. He’s 33 going on 43 or he just looks like someone who’ll fall apart any time. Cut bait before it’s too late. Let Seattle think they’re stealing him away.
Use the $26M cleared with Matsui claimed off waivers to absorb the release of Giambi and his remaining $26M salary.
Giambi’s a $26M waste anyway, so why keep him? Humilate him.
Make him beg for a DH job somewhere. I could see the Angels signing him which is fine -see you in October, fatso…if you’re even healthy and good enough to play and your team makes it.
Trade Duncan, Betemit, Phillips, and Sardinha for similar players, maybe one or two of them will pan out. I just think new guys would inject some energy into the team. Duncan does that but he’s too strikeout prone and homerun-minded and he’s just not a good fielder. Market him as a cheap full-time or platoon DH, Betemit as a cheap full-time 3B or DH who can play some 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS, Phillips as a cheap full-time or platoon 1B, and Sardihna as a cheap #4 OF.
Re-sign Posada for ideally the 3 years and $40M I’ve read was the Yankees offer to him.
Re-sign Jose Molina and Mientkiewicz.
Pick up Abreu’s $16M club option.
With Damon, Abreu, A-Rod, Matsui, Giambi, Duncan, Betemit, Phillips, and Sardinha gone, the Yankees can start anew with a homegrown up-the-middle foundation of Posada, Cano, Jeter, and Cabrera, Abreu in RF and solidifying the 1-3 batting order, and two solid veteran bench players in Molina and Mientkiewicz. Here are the guys I want at 1B, 3B, LF, RF, DH, backup 2B/3B/SS, and #4 OF:
1B-Lance Berkman acquired via trade. He’s due $14.5M/yr. through 2010 and $15M in 2011 with a $2M buyout for 2011. He has a full no-trade clause. It doesn’t hurt to inquire about him and he could always waive his full no-trade clause if he wants to leave Houston.
3B-Joe Crede signed when the Chi-Sox nontender him.
LF-Time to trade for an M.L.B.-ready rookie and let him play as there’s no one in the Yankees’ farm system ready to play. Ideally he’s good enough to bat higher than the #9 slot, but he’s fine in the #9 slot just as long as he gets at least 140 starts and 500 plate appearances i.e. the Yanks get everyday player use out of him.
I’d sign Milton Bradley for a year and a mil to further rehabilitate from his torn a.c.l. I don’t see San Diego bringing him back after the incident he was involved in with the ump or anyone else touching him. I say sign him, have him rehab near where Reggie Jackson lives, and get Reggie to talk some sense into him – who’s not listening to Reggie? Bradley is too young (I believe still only 28-29 years old) and talented to not post at least 5 solid full seasons in M.L.B. I don’t think Bradley will fu ck up on the biggest stage in pro sports (the Yankees/ in N.Y.) cuz if he does, his M.L.B. career is over and that means the chance to make millions of dollars is over, too. If he can finally get his act together, he would be the absolute PERFECT leadoff hitting LF (Cabrera bats ninth). If the rookie pans out in LF, Bradley could take over CF, and the Yanks could put Cabrera on the trading block…or they could trade Bradley or the rookie. I don’t think Bradley is a lost cause.
DH-Moises Alou signed for a year and $10M. He hit .347 for the 2007 Mets and is a good guy, nuff said.
Backup 2B/3B/SS-Chris Woodward for a year and $1M.
#4 OF-Marlon Anderson for a year and $1M.
Woodward and Anderson played with the Mets/ in N.Y. before.
Cabrera CF S
Jeter SS R
Abreu RF L
Alou DH R
Berkman 1B L
Posada C S
Cano 2B L
Crede 3B R
Rookie LF L/R/S
(Ideally Cabrera bats here and Bradley leads off and if so, figure out what to do with the rookie, no big deal with Abreu off the books after ‘08.)
Bench: Molina, Mientkiewicz, Woodward, Anderson
Bradley rehabbing and getting his act together under the mentorship of Reggie Jackson.
Thanks Line Drive for making us all DUMBER for even attempting to read that.
Luckily I stopped after trade Damon and pay 15 mill of his salary.
Thanks!
thank god cashman is GM.
“1B-Lance Berkman acquired via trade. He’s due $14.5M/yr. through 2010 and $15M in 2011 with a $2M buyout for 2011. He has a full no-trade clause. It doesn’t hurt to inquire about him and he could always waive his full no-trade clause if he wants to leave Houston.
3B-Joe Crede signed when the Chi-Sox nontender him.”
and who are we trading for Berkman? just curious.
what happens if Crede is not let go?
“With Damon, Abreu, A-Rod, Matsui, Giambi, Duncan, Betemit, Phillips, and Sardinha gone, the Yankees can start anew with a homegrown up-the-middle foundation of Posada, Cano, Jeter, and Cabrera, ”
umm, that’s what they will have ANYWAY up the middle next year without getting rid of any of those guys so what you are saying really makes no sense.
“Trade Duncan, Betemit, Phillips, and Sardinha for similar players, maybe one or two of them will pan out.”
this just makes my brain hurt.
This is why smoking crack is bad for you.
This is why sniffing glue is bad for you.
Give the boob, Line Drive, credit.
He at least brought some comedy here today.
I like the waive Matsui one best.
hmmm,
Please.
There is no need to copy and paste that idiots ramblings and comment on them like they mean something.
something tells me a 3 page long rebuttal from Line Drive is about to happen…
sauct – egads I hope not.
Under my plan, the Yanks could still pursue Mark Texiera for 1B. If they sign him, simply let go of Alou and move Berkman to DH. Maybe Alou could be the Yankees hitting coach one day, the guy certainly knows how to hit. I’d be really suprised if the Mets let him go cuz he’s a keeper and a winner (1997 Florida Marlins).
Re: A-Rod. I want him to stay. He buries Crede but if he’s gonna be a jerk with this opt out, again goodbye. It’s like yo A-Rod, what’s the big deal taking an extension of say 5 years for whatever you want when you’re still making top dollar in pro sports the next three years? You’d be a Yankee through age 40. Who’s paying you top dollar when you’re 41 and 42 bro? Get a grip.
Could you imagine Damon, Matsui, and Giambi out of here and a batting order of Bradley Jeter/ Abreu/ A-Rod/ Berkman/ Alou/ Cano/ Posada/ Cabrera (I bat Posada eighth to break up the slower guys)??? Then Texiera batting fifth, Berkman sixth in 2009. Bradley finally getting it. And name me one bad guy out of the bunch assuming Bradley finally does get it.
HOLY SH IT!
You’re an absolute idiot if you’d rather have Damon, Matsui, and Giambi, basically three overpaid DHs masquerading as awful to lousy position players in place of Berkman, Alou, and a straightened out Bradley.
sorry saucy… didn’t mean to misspell ya.
Just watched Torre’s Costas interview off of the Tivo…it seems both sides have a point…but the issue needs to die down. The more the public bickering goes on, the more both sides look worse and worse.
Why is it neccessary to strip down and completely rebuild a 94 win team?
Bradley is constantly hurt. Hell, Giambi is in the line up more than he is.
Well, it looks like Don Mattingly will be the guy, unless Girardi or Pena overwhelms them. I don’t agree with it, but it looks like the end result.
It seems that we have a lot of people here that are under the influence of some illegal drug from what I’ve read.
Illegal drugs prescribed by a Florida dentist for a pituitary gland problem, no doubt.
In the real world, you can’t just get rid of everybody you don’t like and pick up a bunch of other guys like it’s Yahoo Fantasy Baseball.
Cashman made his bed with some of these moves and now he has to sleep in it. Several contracts will be off the books next season (roughly $50M) and they can sign some free agents next year when the market will be much better.
Baseball season has been over for 3 weeks. There is no world series this year.
If we’re going to play fantasy GM, here’s the ultimate one:
Trade Betemit to the Cards for Pujols and make them pay half of Pujols’ salary.
Trade Cano to the Phils for Utley.
Trade Matsui to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez.
Trade Damon to Detroit for Curtis Granderson.
Trade Giambi to the Angels for F Rod.
Trade Melky to the Sox for Ellsbury.
Trade Farnsworth to the circus for a box of popcorn.
Trade Mussina back to the O’s for Bedard.
and Trade Pavano to the Twins for Santana and a bag of chips.
ta da!
As a yankees fan in colorado, this has been a tough season, spending severak hundred dollars to watch the yankees lay down in front of the rockies like a timid dog, now having the damn Sox playing out here in the world series…ouch.
Peter, you need to do your homework though, it snowed on sunday, it doesn’t have to be Nov. 1 to snow here in CO, didn’t you see the pics of Coors field with snow on it last weekend?
Also, someone in the national media needs to pick up on the clusterfawk that was the rockies distribution system for WS tickets…utterly disgraceful, I am disappointed to say that the Sox actually did it the right way. Look on Craigslist Boston and Denver, look at the # of tickets available, says something about the fan base and the distribution system.
Hey Andy
So you’re saying a team will take Damon and $8M thus pay
$18M for him? Think again. In case you don’t know cuz you’re a dumbas s on your own, Damon/ his contract is untradeable if you don’t send at least half his salary away to whoever you want to unload on him hence why I came up with $15.6M (60%) of his remaining $26M. He’d cost whoever takes him over $4.7M/yr. through 2009 thus would be a low-risk high-reward bargain. The Yankees in turn would have $9.4M cleared and not an albatross in LF for the next two years esp. 2009. Then again, you’re too stupid to get the $9.4M cleared and Damon outta here part. I guess you like having a guy who shows up to spring training out of shape and plays like it for the first two months or so in the season then whines about lack of playing time when he’s making $13M/yr. through 2009. Gotcha.
The Rick -Rename yourself The Di ck.
Saucy-These mor ons can only come back with keyboard ba lls and zero knowledge.
sauce615-”Thank god Cashman is g.m?” Too bad he is: Igawa,
Giambi (he could’ve reduced the years from 7 years), Pavano,
Brown, Vasquez, not getting a decent bridge between the starter and Joba, Karsay, Farnsworth, 4-year contract to Damon, 4-year extension to Matsui, 2-year extension to Mussina, 3-year contract to Jaret Wright one one good year after years of nothingness, etc. Passing up on David Ortiz who was low-risk, high-reward. Passing up on Okajima when Myers and Villone sucked but paying $46M for Igawa. HE SU CKS AS A G.M. Most of the winning World Series under him was with guys he inherited. The Knoblauch, Clemens, and Justice trades were no-brainers.
Yo Giuseppe Franco (nice username and chimpazee haircut if it is really you). Come up with a better plan than mine or s.t.f.u. with your insults. Oh wait -you’re another idiot who thinks Damon, Matsui, and Giambi on their last legs as Yankees is better Bradley/ A rookie in LF, Berkman at 1B, and Alou at DH, who thinks Seattle wouldn’t claim Matsui off waivers in a heartbeat. ‘Know who was Seattle’s DH this year? Jose Vidro, a hasbeen with no power. Did you also know the Yanks have the stuff to get Berkman in a trade?
“Re: A-Rod. I want him to stay. He buries Crede but if he’s gonna be a jerk with this opt out, again goodbye. It’s like yo A-Rod, what’s the big deal taking an extension of say 5 years for whatever you want when you’re still making top dollar in pro sports the next three years? You’d be a Yankee through age 40. Who’s paying you top dollar when you’re 41 and 42 bro? Get a grip. ”
why are we criticizing the guy BEFORE anything has actually happened? if he opts out, there will be ample time to rip into A-Rod.
but right now, they are just negotiating.
relax. have a beer.
Line drive=Paul Byrd on HGH.
Just say no man. That stuff does nasty things to you.
You lost everybody with the “Put Matsui on waivers” nonsense.
Its not going to happen.
Go back to fantasy baseball and come up with something more interesting and more realistic than the drivel you are spewing today.
if you could *read*, you’d know that saucy and I are two separate people genius.
This is the same guy who wanted to trade Abreu for Dye earlier in the season and was CONVINCED Dye would only get a 1 year, 8 million dollar deal in free agency.
He got 2 years, with an option for a third at over 12 million from the White Sox.
He’s also the same guy who had the entire team traded numerous times during the season. Under different screen names, of course.
He’s had half the team put on waivers in all these proposals and they become more “out there” by the day.
Sunny615- You forgot one other trade, Igawa to San Diego for the San Diego chicken.
Line Drive, you never hit one, it`s a Pop up.
SO-WEET!! Gotta have the chicken!!
no responses yet from “pop up” …
I guess that means he’s busy crafting a carefully worded, intricately crafted response to intelligently respond to all the criticism to his ideas.
*OR*
the recess bell rang and he had to go back to class.
I particularly enjoyed the idea of trading young inexpensive players so we could get some young inexpensive players.
Brian Cashman’s job is secure.
Milton Bradley is out for a year with a torn ACL. Why do people here keep bringing him up like he’s an option for next season?
fly-on-the-wall,
I wasn’t asking about your source to be a jacka$$, I was genuinely curious if you were speculating or if you are a yankee insider who wants to remain anonymous.