Wang returns home to a crowd
-
-
- November
- 6
-
Chien-Ming Wang returned home to Taiwan today. He is so popular there that he holds a press conference after landing.
The basics: Wang was sorry to see Torre go. But he looks forward to working with Girardi and he wants to stay a Yankee “forever.”
He had a lousy playoff series. But Wang has given the Yankees 417.1 innings and 38 victories the last two seasons and he’s only 27.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 4:53 pm by Peter Abraham.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Lousy is an understatement. He almost singlehandedly eliminated us.
He and Jeter
I think Jeter did more damage in game 4 than CMW!
Who wouldn’t want to be a Yankee forever?
Wang’s been great – he’ll learn to pitch in big games. Every team in baseball would love to have him in their rotation – Jeremy you sound like George
mel – A-Rod
It will be a very good thing if Wang is able to stick around in the rotation for several more years. It may be easy to blame him for the loss, but looking back Mussina would have been a better choice to start Game 4. Wang will bounce back.
Wang stunk this post season. I don’t really care about the 19 wins. If Arod is a choker then Wang is a gagger. The most pitiful post season I’ve ever seen from a Yankee starter.
also read this quote from Wang today:
“I disappointed fans and caused Torre to lose an opportunity to stay with the team,” said Wang.
Mike R.,
Ding, ding, ding, you win the prize! He had the world at his feet. He had the fans eating out of his hand and the Yankees prepared to fill up his bank account. But we all have to make choices and I wish him all the best.
Well he may be right in that Torre’s decision to start him on 3 days’ rest looks like a terrible move in hindsight. But I never saw much criticism of that decision.
Give me a break! His 19 wins are a part of the reason we even MADE it there this year! Sure he stunk for 2 games but it took more than CMW to kick us out of the post season.
Why didnt someone ask him what happened to him in play offs? Never saw an interview with him explaining himself or even caring that he single handly cost the Yanks the play offs and he was just plain pathetic.
Mel – That is what we call a person with “Priority issues”.
Saucy–that reminds me of when Matsui apologized for breaking his wrist!
Wang is definitely under appreciated. I know he had a terrible series against Cleveland, but the man has 38 wins in the last 2 seasons and gives us a chance to win almost every time out. I think the long term fingernail issue he had caused him some problems this season that will be corrected next year (i.e. getting the ball down consistently).
I also think he began to work in the slider this year and it really was a transition year for him style wise. My belief is that he will improve as time goes on as he improves the third pitch. I don’t want to see him traded because he has proven he can pitch in NY and has upside.
“Who wouldn’t want to be a Yankee forever?”
Ed Whitson…
G. Love.
You don’t care about the 19 wins but you only care about the postseason? Don’t forget, the 19 wins was part of the keys for Yanks to be able to play in the postseason. You only want eggs but not chickens????
“Never saw an interview with him explaining himself or even caring that he single handly cost the Yanks the play offs and he was just plain pathetic.”
you’re right. i’m sure he doesn’t care that he pitched poorly and let down his teammates and fans.
seriously, i have no idea where some of the people here come up with this crap.
“Who wouldn’t want to be a Yankee forever?â€
Many players who put Yankees on the no-trade list.
G.Love
Real simple:
No Wang in 2006 and 2007, no postseason for the 2006 and 2007 Yanks. No Wang in 2008, no postseason for the 2008 Yanks, most likely.
The most pitiful postseason you’ve seen by a Yankee? When did you start following the Yankees, this year? ‘Ever seen of 2005 Randy Johnson? 2006 Randy Johnson? Now THOSE starts were pathetic. Or how about 2007 Roger Clemens?
Go away troll.
This may not be a popular sentiment around here right now but I have to say it, Wang is still my boy. I think Tupac best conveyed what I am thinking: “I ain’t mad at ya. I got nothing but love for ya.”
I do not deny the fact that Wang absolutely positively crapped the bed in the playoffs and it killed us. But I don’t think of him as a choker considering he pitched well for us in the playoffs the two previous seasons. As of now I’d assume he’d be the Opening Day starter for 2008 (unless it’s Hughes, who you could certainly make an argument for, but I think they will go with Wang.) All I will say is if I hear anyone booing the Wanger I’ll be pissed!
Rebecca, now that you mention it, Yes!
“Mel – That is what we call a person with “Priority issuesâ€.”
not really.
these are OUR priorities. b/c we are passionate yankee fans.
but A-Rod is NOT a lifelong yankee fan, believe it or not. he actually grew up a Mets fan.
he’s been a Yankee for 4 years and for 3 years, he was treated like garbage by these fans and the NY media.
you guys are making the mistake of assuming that what would be important to us is just as important to him.
to most players, except for the very small handful of players that are lucky enough to be drafted and retained and paid well by the yankees, the yankees are really just another team.
rip a-rod all you want for the awful way he has handled his decision, but if you look at it objectively, it was a pretty reasonable decision he made.
I was just about to mention Randy Johnson too – his postseason career with us DEFINED pitiful. Looking at Wang’s playoff stats from his first two years in the majors how can you call him pitiful?
At least Wang cares about getting better. The kid is very hardworking in his constant quest to make adjustments. He’s always taken accountability for losses and I have never seen him be anything but contrite in the face of defeat. So I am REALLY puzzled as to where this idea that he “doesn’t care” comes from.
I remember Randy Johnson’s face when Joe would go take the ball from him after he’d failed us in October yet again. What did he care? He already had a ring and he’d already made his money. Wang is nowhere near the same zip code as him.
I don’t think anyone is saying we should trade Wang or that he’s no good. He’s given us two excellent years. Some of us are still just a bit sore over losing in the ALDS, and if you had to point to anyone as a reason for our loss, it would be Wang.
O/T, but Torre was doing an interview, answering a question about the divided clubhouse that he’ll be walking into. He said they just have to get it done. You don’t have to hang out together everyday or go to their house for dinner, but when it’s between the lines you got to get the job done.
Sounds like he’s speaking from experience.
I’ve been a Yankee fan my entire life. I’m hardly a troll.
Wang was the worst I’ve seen. Clemens at least had an excuse this season. Randy Johnson only blew one game. Wang was supposedly healthy, a “Cy Young” contender and he could not pitch 6 post season innings in 2 starts combined.
He singlehandedly sunk his team in game one. In game 4 he did it again before he got the hook. He went out there with nothing. Nothing.
Not to mention as the season progressed we started to hear from the team how “he can’t pitch on turf”. Please.
Wang gets a lot of run support. All he had to do was come out and get a quality start. Go 6 innings. Give up 3.
Instead he made the Cleveland Indians look like world beaters.
I lived and died with team this season and I was so pumped for the playoffs after seeing this team come back like it did.
Wang killed them before they had a chance to get into it.
He’s right. He is responsible for Torre getting canned. Torre’s faith in him was hardly rewarded. Wang should never have been the game one starter. Pettitte should have.
I would trade him in a second if you could convince Minny to give us Johan in a package or convince SD to give us Peavey.
Hmmm, you don’t get it….it’s not really that he decided that he didn’t want to be a Yankee in 2008, IT WAS HOW HE DID IT, especially after saying to the fans recently how much he loved NY. The events of his leaving couldn’t have been executed in a worse way. Thats why NY doesn’t like him.
I guess I stand corrected.
“Hmmm, you don’t get it….it’s not really that he decided that he didn’t want to be a Yankee in 2008, IT WAS HOW HE DID IT”
no, i do get that, that’s why i literally said:
“rip a-rod all you want for the awful way he has handled his decision”
in other words, the exact same thing you said.
Some of these posts make it seem as if everyone loved ARod and he turned his back on his adoring fans. Ridiculous. He was treated with contempt by fans and sportswriters for most of his time in NY. Even this season, writers took shots at him when it took him an unusually high number of ABs to get his 500th HR. After the ALDS, we saw the predictable string of articles and comments condemning him as a choker who can’t get it done in the playoffs.
He is acting like an imbecile now by saying he wants to stay in NY and providing specious reasons for opting out the way he did. But he never had NY eating out of his hand. His treatment of NY since his opt out has been, if anything, quid pro quo.
hmmm,
You’re right that Alex has no real connection to this team. After all he was going to Boston, and for less pay!
But I’ve heard that Alex has a real connection to the history of the game which is why I thought that after finally being comfortable in New York he’d want to stay here and make some history himself by passing some of the greats in the Yankee record books.
Alex did fool a lot of people with his Oscar winning performances during his all-time career year. But to his credit he never uttered the words “I’m coming back” so he never led us on.
It doesn’t even matter to me. I’m glad he’s gone.
I went to the Yanks sole playoff victory in 2006. Wang pitched a quality game 6.2, 8, 3, 3, 1, 4. He was a different pitcher this year, but did Joe leave him in too long in Game 1 and go back to him too soon in Game 4? Who knows if starting Moose on a short leash with Wang backup would have made a difference? I would love to see a statistical analysis of the odds that a team would have as much success with RISP and 2 out as the Indians. There is no way to beat a team that has that many 2 out RBIs.
G. Love–
No, you want Pettitte starting game two because if the series goes five you want Pettitte pitching.
*****
Pete: John Heyman on the Micheal Kay show said he didn’t think the Yankees and Rivera were anywhere close to a deal. Care to shed some light? Thanks!
all i am reacting to are the comments like “who wouldn’t want to be a lifelong yankee?”
the answer is many, many players. not just A-Rod.
it’s hard for us to believe b/c we love the yankees, but for many many players, playing in NY just isn’t that appealing. the media is overwhelming, the fans are ridiculously demanding.
you don’t think other players on other teams took notice when A-Rod was booed relentlessly last year while still having a better year than 95% of players will ever have?
hmmm,
A starting price to negotiate of $350,000,000 is “reasonable”?
I think we just found the definition of the word “insanity”.
Arod would have signed with us for 8 years, started the season 4 for 30 and people would have booed him, called him greedy and 2007 would have been forgotten in a second. In a second.
Arod wasnt loved nor would he have ever been loved as Oniell, Bernie and Jeter were.
I give this guy ONE more PostSeason to stink like he did…if it happens again…then adios, dude !
hmmm,
I don’t know how many Yankee games you attend, but I can attest that from Saturday April 22 when he hit the walk off home run against Baltimore Alex Rodriguez was rarely booed in Yankee Stadium. He followed that home run with a second game winner the following week. Yankee fans did NOT boo AFraud from that point on.
I love how even a post on Wang in Taiwan can find a way to be about Arod:-)
Randy Johnson was absolutely hideous in his 2 NYY postseason starts.
Plus he was a tool to boot.
Screaming at Posada during games!
Screaming at photographers his first day in NY!
I’ll take Wang any day of the week!
Shilling whom I despise took a paycut(he should have) to stay in boston…Why did Torre not take a aycut to stay where he loves?? SHilling got incentives in his contrat also……
Torre let his Pride(whatever that mean) get in the way..
I am glad he left, the yanks have become the entitlement team with the entitlement fans..Now the oldline fans want the yanks to continue the insanity and overpay and trade youg potential for dreams…
mike and the maddog are on the dontrelle wagon.. Last time I checked he has stunk for 2 yrs. and makes big money!!!!!!!!
Again screw Jorge 3 yrs. if he wants 4 yrs. enjoy the Mets or whomever. If he can with a straight face say he is worth 4 yrs(he will be 40 yrs old) then he is delusional.
It’s not like Sabathia and Carmona were lights out either.
Wang wasn’t as bad this postseason as Kevin Brown in the 2004 ALCS. Wang will have much better days ahead as a Yankee, unlike Brown did. And CMW also doesn’t spend his free time punching walls with his left hand. He has given the Yankees two very good years and he has many more good years left to give.
Arod and mistreated nonsense.. When your ego is so damn large that you have to be the highest paid player when you play bad you get booed..
Again how can any moron feel sorry for him or root for the king of all Narcissists……..
Poor Arod is booeed… This is how the moron can eliminate ever being booed at home again. sign a 7 yr $20 mill. contract whereer you want to go. show that you do not live for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ alone and he will be adored not hated……..
stuart,
arod came to the yankees, wasnt the highest paid player on his team, changed positions and played very good for us, and was still booed.
Not that it has to do anything with booing, but who got paid more than Alex?
lol @ Dee. So true. You know, if ARod goes across town, all the calls on MMD and Michael Kay will be about the Mets!!!
P.S. Wang is awesome. Anyone who wants to dump him because of the ALDS is a complete, utter moron who thinks anybody and his grandmother could pick up a ball and throw a strong post-season game.
“It’s not like Sabathia and Carmona were lights out either.”
They were lights out against us. As far a Wang goes, he really gave us nothing, ziltch! He looked so uninspired. He is not an Ace.
Migames means paid by the Yankees, after figuring in the Texas subsidy. Jeter and Giambi were paid more. Pettitte made roughly the same amount this season. Clemens got more, of course. I doubt that’s everyone.
Mel, the Yankees only paid Alex 17mil a year I believe.
DC,
Carmona was, not Sabathia.
if you count what the texas was givin the yankees: Giambi, Jeter. If you dont count Texas, Roger Clemens made more.
Alex was paid $25M. That made him the highest paid player. But still, that’s nothing to get booed for.
Giambi made more than arod last year
I still think that getting blown up against Toronto really affect his mindset from then on – especially in high pressure situations – he just seemed like a different pitcher. In interviews he said that even until today he still cannot forget that game against Toronto. It was really unfortunate that the game against Toronto had to be so late in the season and it carried over into his post-season performance.
I read that he plans to follow a strenuous training routine even while back home in Taiwan. I think he’ll clear his mind about what happened this season and bounce back perfectly fine next year. He’s got many more years as a Yankee and I too hope he’ll stay as one “forever.”
Giambi made more than $25M? Un-freaking-believable. Did Jason get booed as badly in ‘07 as A-rod did in ‘06?
Considering that ARod was the MVP in 2 out of 4 seasons, and was merely the best 3B in the league in the other 2 (probably by a wide margin), he really didn’t deserve to be booed no matter what the Yankees paid him.
migames you are a member of that arod apologists club..
not having a RBI in last 57 Ab’s with men on base in the postseason what should that get???Should we applaud him???
The guy made $25 mill anyway you slice it… The guy with a somewhat stragiht face wants a 10 yr deal for a ton,,, porr old arod misunderstood and mistreated..
whenever he leaves a city they do not miss him but he is the best player in the game!!!!!!That is fantasy baseball or rotissire baseball but not major league baseball….
Jeter has played his whole career for 1 team not 4…..Poor poor arod, he switched postitions.. Hopefully in his new contract he will get his store at the stadium to sell his gear, his appropriate lodging arrangements on the road, and all his other little treats that a man of his stature deserves…..
You should all write a song about the poor, misunderstood alex rodriguez….
mel – i think he meant roger clemens got paid more.
his pro-rated salary worked out to a larget paycheck every other week
Pete -
Just curious – I realize Wang doesn’t want to make excuses, but wasn’t the nail problem a pretty painful condition? And wouldn’t it reduce the effectiveness of his sinker?
His best game was that Mets game – I think he went 8 2/3 and struck out 10. Didn’t his nail split around that time?
nate c,
I know. I’m just teasing. I think the premise is when Alex came to New York, so that would’ve been ‘04, not ‘08.
Prorated salaries don’t count IMO. If Alex had a prorated salary Boras would’ve gotten him $30M a long time ago.
Giambi DID not make more then Arod.. Giambi is a cheater but arod beats him by a huge margin in the liar, phony, and wierd department…
13 yrs in the league no WS stops and he was on the yanks for 4 yrs. let’s here from the arod fan club, why????????
Do not tell me about ted william and ernie banks and others, the yanks have the best talent overall and again 13 yrs…..
Rumor: Roger is to blame for Bo-Rod’s holdout for an unspeakable salary next year — he insists on getting an amount greater than Roger WOULD have received IF he had played a whole year at that rate, so that AR can’t be trumped as ‘highest paid EVER in baseball’. To do that he has to get more than 28 mil per. He will want it to be significantly more, not a dollar more.
S.o.S.27,
Thank you for making my point. And with very nice formatting!
mel,
I havnt done any work today trying to figure this out. Then came trying to find someone to quote. Tough day.
S.o.S27
LOL. Just so you know your reply has a nice horizontal fade from white to blue.
After all it makes all the sense in the world to boo someone who is an MVP.
Reading some of the comments here shows exactly why A-Rod opted out. Some of you would have chased Mantle, Ruth and DiMaggio from NY. Fortunately, you weren’t around during those years.
After the Yankees paid Clemens 28 million, even if it was pro-rated, it sealed it for A-Rod to opt out. If the Yankees were going to blow a ton of money on a player who only comes in once in 5 games, and who didn’t even make every one of those, then it shows that his worth should be higher.
The Yankees are as much to blame on the whole deal with A-Rod. They were stupid about it during the season, they are being stupid about it now.
I wonder how well his replacement will be recieved. When the next 3rd baseman comes in and hits .270 and the Yankees finish in 3rd place, I bet all will be turning on him and Girardi.
AROD was the highest paid player on the team, regardless of who contributed to the checks.
I don’t advocate gratuitous booing of any athlete. Most times its a waste of energy.
But what is a pro player owed by fans anyway?
What is AROD owed?
He loses me when he makes statements about it being cool to be the highest paid player. He likes the “responsibility” that goes along with that.
Is he a ballplayer or Trump?
And I’m all for the players getting their fair share of these record proceeds in MLB.
But, sometimes AROD, and his partner Boras, are too much.
He is a wonderful player, who has done as much, if not more than any Yankee the past 4 seasons to keep them in contention.
But his act gets old.
He is lucky he plays in the current era, where a certain segment of the fan population actually seems to care about his feelings, or his relationships with the manager and teammates.
Some of you seem to have the attitude that Wang pitched poorly on purpose. As bad as you all may feel that the Yankees did not win, I would imagine he feels many times worse. I guess it’s all about “what have you done for me lately.” I could maybe understand this attitude if Wang was a selfish type of person, or if he was the type of person who didn’t work hard. Or if your livelihood somehow depended on Wang winning those 2 games. Sure, it would have been awesome if he’d had even one good start. It just was not to be this time around.
And as far as ARod being booed. You know, not everyone booed him. I didn’t. I don’t believe in booing players on the team you root for – it seems counterproductive to me. Plus, you don’t boo a person who works hard at his job, which ARod always did. I don’t like that he left, and I don’t like the way that he left, and I’m not sure I’d want to go through ARod the sequel should he return to NY on either team. ARod’s stay here was by no means perfect, and though it would be nice to think he or anyone else would think it’s the best thing since sliced bread to be on the Yankees’ records lists, there are some other teams out there who have good long histories and who’ve had some really good players. Do they have as many championships as the Yankees? No. But don’t disrespect the fact that other teams have their own lore and their share of stars.
All Migames and I are saying is that ARod played very well for us and I think most fans took him for granted. He’s a headcase and I’m somewhat relieved to see him gone so we’re not stuck with an albatross of a contract, but to say we didn’t get more than what we paid for during his 4 years here is revisionist history. ARod lived up to every penny of his contract. You cannot say he’s a bust simply because he had a crummy streak in the playoffs.
mel – gotcha.
on that same point, i always wondered how jealous/annoyed/peeved a rod was that there were a few guys even close to his annual salary.
The fact that Jeter made $19, or Manny with $20 or Jason G with $20+. now we know he really wants to blow all those guys out of the water
I’d wager that the fans will go out of their way to embrace whoever takes over at 3B. Just to make a point.
Doreen- Thank you for what you said about Wang. You are 100 percent right. He is facing adversity but he will bounce back, just like the people ripping him need to get real. It’s not like Wang said, “I’m going to struggle so I can make people miserable.”
mel, you’re right. We will probably see a lot of “See, we don’t need ARod!” posts/articles/comments every time our new 3B gets a hit or makes a nice grab. Should be just as tiresome as the endless “We don’t need an All Star at every position” comments every time Phillips or Mientkiewicz did something good.
The real question is whether we can make up for ARod’s lost production during the regular season. Hopefully we can do it with improved pitching, because we might go into next season with some glaring holes at 1B, 3B, and C.
mel – to go one step further, i don’t see anyone wearing #13 any time soon. maybe that number should be black-listed
Jeremy,
You’re right on with your last post. But some people need to realize that it’s not all about stats, numbers, and production. There’s a human element to the team game. There’s some room for egos, all superstars have them, but there might not have been enough room for all those egos in the Yankee clubhouse over the last few years. As for the fans, they didn’t boo Alex because he failed, they just didn’t like him. You’re not going to boo a friend, you’re going to support him, no matter what.
This is a do-over for both Alex and the Yankees. Years later everyone will laugh and say it was the best thing that could’ve happened.
I often wonder if some of the folks on this blog have ever played baseball??? They talk as if were the ball in their hands they would have made that final strike or were the bat in their hands they would have gotten the hit that won the game. These baseball wonders think it is okay to pour their venom and disdain on Wang, on Jeter, on Torre. And I wonder how they would do in the clutch. I wonder how they would feel if Pete created a blog critiquing them on their job. This is what I wonder about — and yes how they would do in the big game with their big mouths.
MoPoRo, Yankees fans are not unusual in not warming up to Alex — he has never had a warm relationship with fans or teammates anywhere that he has played. His abilities and hard work are admired, but his personality has not attracted others. Many of us are sorry to see his HR’s and RBI’s leave town, but not his person. Since that has been the pattern throughout his career, I can see no reason to blame ourselves or each other for not warming up to him, as if we had some unique flaw.
And all that being so, perhaps it is wrong to blame him for focusing on personal stats and record-breaking salaries. Those are his rewards — the lifelong embrace of home fans and the lasting friendship of an inner circle of teammates are things he hasn’t had, so let him enjoy the money and the numbers. He earns them.
make that your 6:29 post
I can see the team playing better next year simply for the reason that he is no longer here to hit that 3 run shot. Also for the fact that their wont be the distractions that he brings to the clubhouse.
As for the next third baseman, he cant do worse than 1 r.b.i.in 2 years. He will be treated like Broscious.
Wang beat Detroit in ‘06(only Yankee pitcher) -He’s won 19 games 2 years in a row. Clevland had all our pitchers’ numbers and now some people act like he’s a bum. Before Clevland he was the go to guy and you all know it. He won’t let us down in the yars to come.
wang rules.
“Wang was the worst I’ve seen…..Randy Johnson only blew one game.”
In the two years that Wang and Johnson were both with the Yankees, Wang posted ALDS ERA’s of 1.35 and 4.05. Johnson posted ERA’s of 6.14 and 7.94. Never mind that Wang was a rookie and Johnson was this so-called Big Game Pitcher. Nevermind the difference in experience, salary, pedigree and attitude. The bottom line is that Wang has given the Yankees good playoff starts while Johnson has done nothing but failed miserably. Yes, Wang was awful this year and Johnson never fared that poorly in the playoffs. But how can Wang be looked upon as some sort of choker when he HAS helped us in the past? And how can he be compared negatively to Johnson when Johnson had never done us one ounce of good whatsoever in October?
“[Wang]’s right. He is responsible for Torre getting canned”
So CMW commanded Joe Torre not to even attempt to get the game called during the fly invasion in Game 2? mmkay.
He’s not a bum, he had a terrible series after a great regular season.
Oh, yeah, Wang! Who else has he worked with in the organization besides Gator? i.e. Has he ever worked with Eiland?
Beltre won the Gold Glove today. Maybe should look into having him at third. He would probably be the one player on the list that would cost us the least prospects.
Okay, I’m ragging on Jeter here because Jeter, Captain Clutch, was the G-d of double plays in the 07 ALDS.
I know being a baseball player isn’t easy, but dude, you’re Derek Jeter.
I realize ESPN has to report everything about A-Rod, but he’s not going to the Mets.
Maybe Derek was just imitating MR T. with the GIDPS!
I almost want Wang to re-invent himself as a pitcher. The league is starting to catch up to him.
Specifically the Orioles, RedSox, and Indians have.
His sinker is great but that’s when teams are actually swinging at it. What’s the point when you can just take it again and again.
One thing you’ll notice if you re-watch the painful games he started in the ALDS.
1-0
2-0
Counts.
He has such good stuff, remember that Met game? 10 K’s with mainly 4 SM Fastballs and Sliders.
Global,
Remember that great shutout game that Wang had against Boston this season? They asked him what made the difference and his very simple answer was “I changed it up”. I was very disappointed with the rest of his season because he didn’t change it up and got hammered on at least 4 occasions. I was disappointed with the fact that he knew the secret to beating teams to the punch and he didn’t use it. There must be some reason for it, but alls I know is that he got beat up pretty badly in Boston after that wonderful game.
Dave Eiland is the only player in Major League Baseball history to give up a home run to the first batter he ever faced and hit a home run in his very first at-bat.
Enough about Arod……..I could root for the Red Sox or Mets before I, a lifetime fan who witneesed Ted Williams last at bat in Yankee Stadium, would support this team if it digressed on there stand against the cancer named ARod. This piece says it all
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11.....498544.htm
Can anyone point me in the direction of where the codes for the blog.
38 wins means jack to me. My grandmother could win 38 games with that offense behind her.
Beating on Wang is humorous to me.
No Wang, no playoffs. He also pitched pretty well his previous two post-seasons. Its not like he was a perennial post-season underachiever. He pitched injured for most of the season. Unfortunately, he came up short in the post-season. It happens. Get over it.
Sabathia and Carmona, except for his Game 2 performance against the Yankees, also pitched poorly in the post-season. You think the Indians are shopping them this off-season? No way.
As far as Arod is concerned, here is the way I look at his 4 years in NY.
He is a GREAT player from games 1-162. I mean, GREAT. Works hard, plays everyday, has more good days than bad. From Games 1-162, he is a GREAT player to have on a team.
Once the post-season starts, for whatever reason, he struggles. The fact is, in his last 59 AB’s in post-season play, he has come up with 38 guys on base. He failed to drive in a single run.
When assessing how much you pay him over a 10 year period, that has to be a consideration. Obviously, not the entire picture, but a consideration just the same. Unless, of course, winning doesn’t matter to you. Then, you just give Scott Boras what he wants and Arod becomes a TV show instead of a baseball player.
Don’t you find it ironic that Boras is selling Arod based on his (mistaken) belief he drives TV ratings? Even Scott Boras can’t spin with any credibility the logic of tying up over 30% of your payroll on one guy. That’s why we hear the “iconic player” nonsense coming from Boras.
Nobody, not even Arod, can justify such an expenditure for any team.
Here is the overwhelming question about Arod.
Does he make your team better? Is he a guy that takes your team to the next level? I believe that answer is no.
Some of it, perhaps most of it, is not his fault.
Baseball is not basketball. One position player can’t change a teams fortunes that dramatically in baseball.
A shutdown starting pitcher, a la Josh Beckett? A premier closer like Mariano Rivera? A different deal.
Great position players can be pitched around in big games. A dominant starter or closer has the ball in his hands. Hence, he is in control.
If you add the total salaries of Rivera and Beckett, they fall over 8 million dollars a year SHORT of what Arod is asking for on the open market. Two guys, with 6 rings between them, dominant post-season (as well as regular season) resumes, and they don’t approach Arod’s asking price.
That’s the biggest reason why I would pass on Arod. Stats aside, his production isn’t worth tying up that much money for that many years.
You build winning TEAMS. You don’t just play fantasy baseball.
The Yankees have spent over 1.2 BILLION dollars on salaries since the end of the 2001 World Series. A LOT of that money wasn’t well spent.
Ironically, teams are now building their clubs in the mold of the 1996-2000 Yankees. Including, the Red Sox, their biggest rivals.
Finally, it seems the Yankees are going back to what made them a dominant team in the 90’s. Hopefully, they stay the course because its the right way to go.
Jennifer: It’s basic HTML.
Like, to bold, shift+, B Shift+. then the stuff you want in bold, then Shift +, / B Shift +.
Ed
Can’t say I’ll miss you.
I don’t know html.
I never went that far in my computer classes. I do a search on the web for it.
Jennifer,
Look on Girardi’s thread. We went through it all and sunny listed a link to his blog.
dontfirecash,
Howzit? Where’ve you been?
I think the key to Wang’s success is effectively mixing in his secondary pitches, especially against teams that see him a lot. I wonder if maybe part of the reason he struggled at times this year is that he feels less compelled to use his other pitches against teams that DON’T see him a lot. That strategy was often effective in the regular season against teams like the Mariners, who he absolutely owned, but didn’t work in the playoffs as the Indians just waited to get the sinker where they wanted it. I think he made some progress from 06 to 07 as far as making adjustments in this department though (example: Red Sox used to hit him fairly regularly, he had more success against them this year)and I expect that he will continue to improve in this area.
I’m looking forward to him working with Eiland this year. I know he had a great relationship with Gator and will miss him a lot, but there are certain areas of his game (the ones described above in addition to his pitching from the stretch) that I think can improve with a different coach’s insight.
Bryant
You must be very weak in the character department if You can live with Boras….Did You read the article?……You enjoy being made the fool?
mel,
good thanks. I’ve been around, just haven’t commeted. How about the Rainbow Warriors?
dontfirecash,
They’re doing good. If they can get through the next 4 games, they’re in. Colt’s also doing a blog at the New York Times site. First entry went up today.
mel which is his blog?
Jennifer,
LOL. A lot of us here got twice as smart today!
Jennifer,
He’s part of the Quad Blog at the Times. Here’s the link:
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.c.....he-dreads/
“He has such good stuff, remember that Met game? 10 K’s with mainly 4 SM Fastballs and Sliders.”
that may have worked in the mets game just because it was a surprise. it’s just as likely that he lost his sinker because he was throwing the slider too much.
deciding to go back to being a mostly sinkerball pitcher or to continue developing the slider is a key decison that the new pitching coach is going to have to make along with wang.
it is very possible that the more sliders he throws the more he will lose the sink on his sinker. it’s a different throwing motion and the pitches do bleed into each other. everything affects everything else. for those of you that play golf, it is very difficult(unless your name is tiger) to go back and forth between a fade and a draw and hit fairways consistently. by the same token, it’s hard to go back and forth between a sinker and a slider and have command.
wang is a question mark at this point as far as being a#1 starter. it’s going to take spring training and the first few months to see where he’s at.
“Always said the wrong things and looked fake in doing it. Giambi,Jeter, Posada all are guys who say very little to the media”
yeah, Giambi is a hell of a guy.
I hate the news is so slow to come!!
hmmmm,
Stop picking at the scabs that are healing. J/K.
I see your point, but besides hiding his roidal tendencies for years, Jason’s been very genuine and people are still drawn to him.
Wang should be packaged ASAP in whatever deal can be put together to get a Kazmir or Santana or Peavey. He’s hit his ceiling and, although he’s a nice story and upstanding citizen, really proved he cannot go much further than being a sinkerball pitcher. His secondary and tertiary pitches are not up to par with his sinker WHEN IT IS ON and it’s too much of a risk late in the season to count on him.
Now, as far as A-Rod, I don’t shed a tear watching someone making an obscene amount of money leaving. But let’s be honest here. This wasn’t like Boston embracing Manny during his years here. He was treated unceremoniously in his three of four years here, booed incessantly by fans, and hardly embraced or stood up for by the fearless captain, who really needs to get over that stupid New York articles from the beginning of the century.
Accept some accountability as “fans” for his exit. You know if it had been a love affair from day one, he’d still be a Yankee.
Sorry, that should read:
Now, as far as A-Rod, I don’t shed a tear watching someone making an obscene amount of money leave.
I like blogs.
Ed
Just the opposite. I don’t feel the need to put other people down in order to feel good about my self. I accept people for who and what they are instead of who and what I wanted them to be.
I don’t have to live with Boras. I’m neither married to him nor do I employ him. What he chooses to do or say has no direct impact on my life and therefore I don’t take it personally.
Wang is basic trash. Time and time again in big games during regular season or postseason, he has failed to come through. Can up recall ONE big game performance from him?????
Dave,
How about when he nearly no hit the blowsux earlier this year? I don’t think Wang sucks, I just don’t think the 38 wins is that impressive given the offense he had behind him.
mel
I’m not being sarcastic with this question. I’ve never been a big fan of Giambi and have never understod what he has ever done as a Yankee. When I ask people, all they ever say is he’s a nice guy. I know lots of people who are nice guys but nobody pays them to play baseball or for most of Giambi’s time in NY to not play. What exactly has he ever done for the Yankees that earned him a pass from the fans?
Dave: That game where he nearly no-hit the Red Sox?
pat: Jeter stood up for him…not for other people….
HR in the rain? Game 7 of the 03 ALCS?
I don’t know, he’s obviously grossly overpaid(who isn’t?) but he’s not quite Pavano. What pass has he gotten?
7 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks, against a lackluster sox team at the time. Really that impressive?
Ed
Not to be taking sides, but that article was in the NY Post.
C’mon. How can anyone value that tripe enough to post a strong opinion agreeing with it in a blog? Even if it makes reference to any valid points, it’s a given that it’ll almost always be sensationalized.
No, I didn’t read the article. Don’t have to, don’t want to.
Many years ago I actually tried to read that rag a few times. I found myself rolling my eyes part way through every article, having lost the interest to finish them. If I ever tried to read a NY Post article again, I wouldn’t admit it public.
Migames
It’s got to be more than the Good HouseJeter Seal of Approval.
Global
People rag on Jeter on here more than they do Giambi. I don’t agree, but can at least understand, if the guys who brought home the rings get a lifetime pass when they don’t perform up to expectation but with Giambi it’s like the Emperors New Clothes. Everyone knows he isn’t what we bargained for but nobody ever seems to say it.
I am appalled at the venom directed toward Wang. Not only is he– along with Matsui– the two most honorable members of the team, he is also one of the principal reasons we have made the ps the last 2 years. In addition, his first start was on 8 days rest thanks to the wonderful job St. Joe did in lining up the rotation (they had given up on the division and were resting regulars, couldn’t they have lined things up?). Eight days for a sinkerball pitcher = disaster as he is too strong and the ball does not sink as much. Then he pitches him on 3 days rest for the first time in his career. Anyone who rags on Wang for this ps is a dope.
Wang is back to Taiwan and his country…
He can not play world cup for Taiwan
Please do not trade Wang to other team …
He love Yankees’ fan and Joe Torre
He sent a mail to Joe Torre…he said Sorry to all …
the fans from Taiwan…
UN for Taiwan
People have a very short memory. Despite his lousy playoff performance, Wang has been a solid, steady starter for several years. There was a long stretch this season where every game was a big game as the yankees tried to dig themselves out of their early season mess. Wang and Pettite were huge.
That said, I think Wang is emblematic of how the yankees have been built over the last few years — for success in the regular season rather than the playoffs. Wang is an innings eater and usually keeps the team in the game where the offense can come through to win. That’s what you want out of a starter in the regular season when you have the kind of offense the yankees have had. But come play off time when you are facing the best of the best, you need some dominant starts. I think wang is very good pitcher, but I’d be much more confident about their chances of going deep in the playoffs if he was their #2 and they had a stud as ace. Maybe Hughes and/or Joba will become that in a year or two but I think its too much to ask of them this year. That’s why I still think getting a guy like Santana is much more important than trying to replace A-Rod’s offense.
I would be curious though what the deal was with Wang in the post season. Could he have been hurt? Was it jitters. He was uncharacteristically bad and wasn’t getting much sink at all on his sinker.
Bill see my post re Torre’s mishandling of what rest Wang had.
I would agree with all the criticism if Wang is as highly compensated as A-rod… Business is business, I think he has been outperforming based on his pitful salary. Anyone want to complain should do A-rod first.
Of course Wang has been the most consistent pitcher in the rotation for the past years so that why Torre trusted his capability. Under such a sophisticated environment of Yankees group, Wang is just a chessman with less than three seniority. How you guys judge Roger, Petitte, Mussina, and Pavano’s value with the salary they receive can tell how ridiculous the evil empire endlessly pursues “super stars”, and they never learn. I could hardly imagine how miserable Yankees would have been without Wang’s surge these years. Shame on the management style. A-rod’s ruthless actions are just a corner of iceberg under Yankees management. Honestly, we’d like to see Wang play in other teams because N.Y is never frinendly and fans are quite unreasonable. Let the most-wins pitcher be traded, and he must be shining more brilliantly.
Among the reasons why Wang performed badly in the playoffs, I think the most accurate one is “he’s been studied thoroughly by Cleveland and they know exactly how he pitched and understand his weakness”. Don’t forget Cleveland have a coach coming from Yankees’ minor league that understands Wang better than other teams.
Wang is going through a transition year and don’t forget this year is only his 2nd full season. If you want to say all the negative things about Wang, Try to look at other successful pitchers’ 2nd year in MLB…
i love the yankees, but this season, i’ve really started to understand why people hate yankee fans. you want to lynch a-rod for thinking he deserves more money and squandering the opportunity to wear the pinstripes. but wang leads the majors in wins since like july of last year, says he wants to be a yankee forever, and half the commenters don’t want him here. you people are disgusting.
Too bad Wang didn’t go home and stay there in early October.
According to some local Taiwanese news media, Wang did explain why he performed poorly during these 2 postseason games, He said: “I tried to throw the ball too hard and, as a result, it went too flat…”, “It took me a month to gradually recover from this frustration and depression…”. I guess the sinker ball stuff is a pretty weird thing. It goes wild if the pitcher is too strong (too many rest days), too flat if one throws it too hard, and not dominating enough if it doesn’t reach 94, 95 MPH. Wand certainly proved that he can be so dominant to have a game with 10K or a game nearly perfect when the sinker ball goes right and, on the other hand, performed poorly as the last few games he started when the sinker was out of proper control. So the issue that he and the Yankees should be dealing with is wheather or not he’ll be able to get more control over that stuff in the coming years.
yep,why people hate yankee fans..you people are disgusting.
Try to look at other successful pitchers’ 2nd year in MLB…OK! “TRY”
Agree, Ducky Bent.
Though it’s selfish to say that. I hope Yankess didn’t win the wildcard, so Wang didn’t have to bear his crosses for the blowup by the whole team.
carmona’s outing against the red sox was reminiscent of the outings wang had against the indians. red sox laid off the sinkers that often ended up outside the strike zone forcing the pitcher to throw higher in the zone.
when we played against him, our hitters made no adjustments hence choppin one ball after another to the ground where as they laid off the wang’s lower sinkers just like the red sox did against carmona. the bottom line is… both our hitters n wang did not or could not respond to the adjustments the opponents made.
coding for Pete’s Blog
NBC news – said that Wang said all that you said Peter but they also said he said that he blames himself not only for how badly he pitched but that he was the reason they lost and the reason Torre was gone. I don’t know if anyone here added that but it is important that Wang owned his part of the loss.
As always, thanks for keeping us informed and up-to-the-minute. Ah, I also heard Omar say he was willing to trade his young talent + pitcher for A-Rod or Santana. Young talent was meant to be Reyes according to SNY.
testing
>:>)blockqoute
>:>)/blockqoute
->:->)