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Yankees cool on Lowell

Peter Abraham
November
17

The reports of the Yankees wanting to give Mike Lowell four years never made much sense to me. Not given his splits, Brian Cashman’s desire to see what Shelley Duncan can do and the likely need to give Jorge Posada some ABs at first as time moves on.

Fear not, it seems that whatever interest the Yankees had in Lowell has all but vanished.

Meanwhile, has anybody seen or heard from Cashman? It seems like Hank Steinbrenner has become the team’s de facto spokesman and lead negotiator. If Cashman was involved in A-Rod’s return, nobody has mentioned it.

The relationship between Cashman and the Steinbrenners will be one to monitor. Now that Hank and Hal have the wheel, they seem determined to drive the car. Is Cashman just a passenger?

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at 11:47 am by Peter Abraham.
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483 Responses to “Yankees cool on Lowell”

  1. DHC

    It was reported that Cashman was present at the meeting between Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez and the Steinbrothers.

  2. Fleas

    I personally like lowell, is it a good move? Probably not. A 2 year deal at first would be awesome.. but giving up draft picks to Boston.. no thanks.

    I was wondering the same about Cash? Wtf? Where is he in all this?

    I can dream.. Miggy Cabrera at first, Johan SP, Mo .. whatever, Joba closer.. get some BP strength and wow.

    Like I said, I can dream.. not like this would ever be a reality.

  3. Jay Yankees

    Pete, good points on Cash. Perhaps he was pissed off that Little Stein chose to re-negotiate with A-Fraud? if this is true, then Cash may be on the way out as he sees that the little Steins (Hank primarily) will be at the driving wheel.
    I guess we won’t know until we know, but that’s my theory and I’m sticking with it.

  4. jk

    Before Hank, Cashman never gave out quotes at the rate Hank does. It sounds like Hank speaks to every newspaper at least once a day. Cashman never did that. I do not think Cash has been silenced, more like Hank is the mouth that roars.

  5. Josh

    Glad to hear it about Lowell. He wasn’t going to be worth it. The Sox can pay whatever to reward him, and he’s a good hitter at Fenway, but the 1B experiment wouldn’t have ended well, I think. Get Duncan in there, see what he’s got.

  6. east side yankee

    I don’t know if this article has already been posted but I wanted to share the Wall St Journal version of the circumstances behind ARods return to the Yankees.

    People will believe what they want; If you hate AROD or the Yankees you will believe that Boras planned this all along and that the Yankees have been duped.

    I for one will choose to believe the respected jounalists at the WSJ (They are the same people who exposed Enron) rather than a bunch of gossip columns masquerading as sports jounalists. The Daily News actually printed that Art Modell (He of the 5th tier sporting goods francise in NY Modell’s) arranged the get together between the Yankees and AROD

    How ridiculous

    http://online.wsj.com/article/.....whats_news

    I

  7. Hooog

    I think you are readining more into the Cashman/Hank & Hal roles. Hank has always refferd to the excellent baseball people the organization has and he has always referneced Cash as part of that.

    If a team is going go commit $275+ to one player over ten years, any owner will be heavily involved.

  8. randy l.

    “Now that Hank and Hal have the wheel, they seem determined to drive the car. Is Cashman just a passenger?”
    well , hank does love dragsters. they go fast, straight ahead, don’t back up, make a lot of noise, and don’t have room for passengers.

    http://www.dragracingonline.co.....ein_1.html

  9. Jeff NJ

    Actually I do find the dynamics interesting here. First of all, why couldn’t A Rod just call Cashman and say he wanted to come back? I’m sure he has his number. Unless Cashman rebuffed him. I find it amazing that A Rod could only get in touch with them via Goldman Sachs via Randy Levine. BY the way, notice how quiet Levine has been since the Torre negotiations? He came off looking like the bad guy there. So there is definitely something behind the scenes here to think about.

  10. mel

    How long before Hank forgoes the “patience plan” and starts issuing edicts like, “Anything less than a championship is unacceptable”?

    If Cashman feels like he’s getting neutered, he’ll be smart enough to get out. He’d have a job the very next day.

    On Lowell? Good news in that we don’t spend that big chunk of money. Just hope that Philly gives him what he wants. Don’t look forward to seeing him in Boston.

  11. Mike

    Yahoo Sports said that the Yankees and Molina have agreed to a two-year contract (worth $4 million).

    Great news.

  12. whozat

    “First of all, why couldn’t A Rod just call Cashman and say he wanted to come back?”

    Perhaps because Hank was the one saying “he doesn’t want to be a Yankee” and Alex wanted to make the personal connection to show that he was, in fact, coming back with hat in hand.

  13. Mike

    Apparently, until Mo comes back, Farnsworth is the closer. :/

    At least, that’s how all the current depth charts are listing him (I find that ridiculous and unlikely on all levels).

  14. Drew

    What kind of a vacation is this?

  15. Jimmy the Saint

    East side yankee:
    WSJ didn’t expose Enron. Fortune magazine did. Specifically a reporter named Bethany McLean did.

  16. Danny Biancalana

    Now that Rupert Murdoch owns the WSJ, you can expect a huge increase in some really great unbiased reporting.

  17. li

    They caved on AROD and JoPo, so likely the four years will come for Mo.

  18. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    danny:

    Amen ;)

  19. BBFan

    They will not go beyond 3 years for Mo. In the case of Po, they feared Mets will snag him. In the cae of Mo, it is higly unlikey that another team will top the $$45mil offer given he is 38 years old and he is not effective as he was in the past. If you watched the games last year, even when Mo got a save, number of times it was an adventure with men on base before the door was closed.

    The only thing I can think of is to save Mo’s face, they may give a fourth year option with low buy out like $1mil.

  20. east side yankee

    Jimmy you are incorrect

    The downfall of Enron is directly linked to a series of articles describing in excruciating detail the accounting shenanigans that were taking place at Enron.

    Ms. Mclean is a fine reporter and she and her colleague, Mr. Eichenwald, wrote a great book detailing the mess…but it was the reporters at the Journal who got the ball rolling. In fact they won a pulitzer prize for their efforts

  21. vrsce

    Hank loves to talk, he and Hal both recognize that Brian Cashman is an excellent GM.

  22. whozat

    “What kind of a vacation is this?”

    I don’t think the blog is a big stressor. Writing articles takes time and editing and rigorous fact checking. Blogs are just opinion. Read your mail, toss off some thoughts, go see Springsteen. Sounds like vacation to me:-)

  23. Taylor

    I could completely understand why a deal of A-Rod’s magnitude would be done through the owner. That’s not a surprise. Given the fact that there was the statement we wouldn’t sign A-Rod after he opted out, Cashman can’t have the authority to then sign him.

    If anything, Hank has been just saying exactly what Cashman has been saying all year long.

  24. J-Dawg

    It’s probably best for the Yankees to pass on Lowell. Besides all of the other factors, it’s also good that they won’t be spending any more money on first basemen. Giambi’s contract ends (thankfully) after next season, giving them the opportunity to pursue a Mark Teixeira or anybody else. Teixeira is MUCH better than Lowell.

  25. gayle

    Stein versus Cashman making all the statements.

    Correct me if I am wrong here Peter but is Hank calling all of these reporters himself saying I want to talk? I would imagine that the reason why we are seeing so many Hank quotes is that reportere see that he is willing to talk so they call him and ask for a quote. Unlike Big Stein who everyone had to go through Rubenstein. Until when they start calling and he says he has no comment there will continue to be Hank quotes all over the place. Also might is be a good thing so Cash can be the one doing the negotiations behind the scenes and not having to deal with the press. Hank did quote on the Mo thing that Cash was the one talking to the agnet not Hank.

    Also Cashman was part of the Arod stuff, he was there in Tampa or at least that what was reported. Also it seems to me that it was Hank that had the harshest words for Arod if you recall Cashman only had good things to say about him, remember the statement and the intervies where he said rememebr he gave up his no trade, remember he switched positions etc etc the ONLY thing he said negative was that they would not negotiate after the opt out and how his major regret was that they were not able to talk to him before the opt out.

  26. Buddy Biancalana

    Interesting read on the NYT about why Rivera will not get a 4th year added to his deal & he will likely resign.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11.....ref=slogin

  27. randy l.

    “They caved on AROD and JoPo, so likely the four years will come for Mo.”
    i think it’s the opposite. because the yankees have arod and posada, they can take the public relations hit of mo leaving. not that they want him to leave.

    three years at 45 million is a good offer. the way out of this stalemate is to do a vesting 4th year. so many appearances and it’s guaranteed. hank has painted himself into a corner again with his tough talk so he can’t give a guaranteed 4th year without looking weak. and looking not tough is to be avoided at all costs in hank’s head.

    mariano seems like he’s dug his heels in on this one too, so the innings or appearances vesting option gives him a way to get the fouth year. both sides will probably come out claiming victory. hank’s fans will say he made the great rivera blink when he is paying rivera a third more than any other reliever.

    i just want to see rivera back in pinstripes. the sooner the better.

  28. Bob

    It was reported that Cash was in Tampa when the Yanks were talking to Alex.Lowell should remain in Boston it`s an ideal park for him.

  29. Ted

    BORAS in a tailspin?
    Kenny Rogers has just fired him and is dealing directly with the Tigers.

  30. gayle

    The Journal article was very intersting to me on two front. First that Warren Buffet was involved, cant find a better business/investing recommend then him. More importantly that Arod reached out a day after the opt out, the timing of that seems very very strange to me.

    IN terms of Kenny Roegrs firing Boras. My opinion is that perhaps that might have something to do with attention then anything else. Kenny perhaps feels that Boras is so busy with Arod that he cant give him the attention he needs?? Rogers is not the first one to leave him and he will not be the last. Boras will surivive just fine

  31. randy l.

    “BORAS in a tailspin?”
    Kenny Rogers has just fired him and is dealing directly with the Tigers.”

    yup, that model of impulse control who has so much future income coming in is going to stick it to boras.

    how’s those anger management classes going kenny?

  32. #9

    You know you are in trouble if you get dumped by Kenny Rogers.

  33. BBFan

    Again, people are reading too much into Cashman not being visible. I really like how the Yankees handled the A-Rod situation.

    There is no doubt (based on the reports) that Cash was involved in the discussions. At the same time, given the stand they took, there was potential for backlash from some crazy media folks and some fans. So, they played it right by shielding Cash from unnecessary puublic visibility, especially given it was Cash who suggested not to negotiate with A-Rod if he opted out.

    One has to look at the circumstnaces before criticising Cash or Hank. The idea was that if A-Rod opted out it was to get the highest bid. Yanks did not want to be part of the bidding war and they stood by that stand. Once A-Rod came back to the table and offered to take the cut, the dynamics were different and it was not a bidding war. It was same as the situation before opting out. They worked together and made the deal both parties are comfortable with.

    After Torre was out, people like Pete wrote the same stories about Cash losing out and Randy Levine was running the show. I said at that time and still beleive it, that Randy took the bullets to protect Young Steins and Cash. Then he was out of the public eye and Cash ran the show. Now also, it is the same. A-Rod’s situation is very high profile and given Cahs’s original advice he is being protected. Hank has said numerous times about how Cash is running the baseball operations and past weeks prove that.

    Lot of people love to bash Hank. I think he is doing a good job, he is supporting baseball people and listening to them unlike his father, and above all he is an open spirit, which I like.

    Above all, he wants to win which is good for all of us Fans and spending money as needed. Initially I was not sure if he would do that.

    It is great to be a Yankee fan for the next decade or so, wiht all the propspects in the farm, new stadium and the revenue streams and willingness to spend on the part of Hank.

    And, it would be great to see A-Rod break the home run record and bring it back to Yanks which was held by Babe for so long.

    Hopefully this blog will be around for the next ten years, so that we all can continue to exchange ideas, including putting Pete in his place when he goes overboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obvioulsy, Pete puts in much more effort in to his blog than any body else out there and we are thankful to Pete for that.

  34. JimM

    Thanks, east side Ysnkee, for the link to the WSJ.

    It was quite an interesting read, and probably closer to the truth than anything else that’s been discussed/written on the topic.

  35. Buddy Biancalana

    Looks like Bonds will be turning himself in on Monday to get fingerprinted & a mugshot.

  36. RonH

    Pete, I was talking to a friend yesterday about the exact same Cashman angle. We have not seen any direct quote from Brian on the A-Rod situation or Lowell rumors!! Where is (Waldo) Brian!!??

  37. Motown Yankees Fan

    I think Brian has been spending his time working on deals to get Santana in pinstripes.

    Also, I agree with Gayle. Sounds like Hank is always available for a provocative quote, while Cashman is the master of saying not much while talking on and on.

  38. RGK

    Nice to see Hank step up and divert some attention/pressure so Cashman can concentrate on doing his job. Got to upgrade the relief pitching.

    Will Mo get 4 years if he’s willing to go back to setup in the 3rd or 4th? LA has a closer so where would he fit there? Can anyone get multiple innings and consecutive games out of Farnsworth?

  39. east side yankee

    JimM

    It was my pleasure. Just like everyone else on this board I LOVE the Yankees. It makes me mad when people who say they are Yankee fans espouse positions that make me think they actually hate the yankees.

    People do not make the same mistake you made in the 2006 season when you listened to all that yankee hate directed towards AROD and actually booed the greatest player on the planet. Yankeehaters everywhere cheered when that happened.

    When word of his opt out leaked in 2007 every Mets, Red Sox, Angel , Cub etc fan I know wanted him on their team. And it wasn’t only AROD…all the haters say we stink and yet as soon as a Yankee is available (even a 67 year old coach) they fall all over themselves trying to grab our players.

    I hope fans are ready to embrace AROD.

  40. Matthew Cohen

    I think that Cash is wisely using Hank as a seemingly blustery bad cop. He blabs hard line stances to the press. Cash is the good cop whose hands are being tied by his out of control owner.

    Classic negotiation technique and a smart one.

    Hank has said nothing that was truly stupid or harmed the Yanks.

    I think that it is all choreographed.

  41. Joe from Long Island

    Interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal. Appears to be good reporting, and very believable.

    Those of us on the outside (which is almost everyone on this blog) can only guess as to the relationships behind the scenes with the Yankees. It’s getting to be like the old Soviet Union, where Kremlinologists parsed every word to come out of Moscow, and people looked to see who stood next to whom on the reveiwing stand.

  42. ThatWasMe

    Mo will resign and leave his last payday and 45 mil. on the table. OK I believe that.

  43. Irabu's Son

    Please please please, for the love of God… will people please stop capitalizing the name A-Rod? It’s not AROD.

    Love this blog, but something about AROD in the comments drives me up a wall.

    /rant

  44. Tucson Ken

    While Hank is doing all the talking, my impression is that he is merely stating the decisions that have largely been made by his baseball people, whom he appears to be wisely allowing them to do what they are being paid for. Look no further than the GREAT hiring of Joe G. Do not mistake Hank’s brashness & outspokenness for Meddling. I love how Cashman has been giving Girardi an opinion & say in all matters concerning personnel. Cashman , whose future is probably dependant upon Girardi’s performance, seems to trust Joe G.’s judgement & I believe they will work well together along with the player development folks. I believe that Hank is merely being the spokesperson in baseball matters & is giving his baseball guys a free hand subject to his final say re DOLLARS. I think the Yankees are functioning better that they have in years, with Joe G.’s involvement a big plus. Future is looking great. Just need to fix the bullpen, & KEEP JOBA there.

  45. #9

    Report: Buffett advised A-Rod to go around Boras

    http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns

    NEW YORK (AP) — Warren Buffett advised Alex Rodriguez to approach the New York Yankees and go around agent Scott Boras, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

    The newspaper cited a person familiar with the matter, whom it did not identify.

    “A-Rod really loves being a Yankee,” Buffett was quoted as saying. He wouldn’t comment on the substance of any discussions with the player.

    The two became friends several years ago.

  46. Doreen

    I have a suggestion. When we are talking about a player signing a new contract with the Yankees, can we say he is re-signing or he will re-sign? That way, everyone can be sure that we’re on the same page. Because when I see the word “resign,” at first glance it suggests a player is leaving. I realize that when I continue a sentence, the context will most of the time convey the author’s intent, but just for clarity, can we all use the hyphen if we mean that, for instance, Mariano is going to re-sign with the Yankees, rather than, Mo is going to resign from the Yankees?

  47. logjam

    Lowell being the next Yankee 1B doesn’t make sense because Damon and Matsui will share LF and DH, Giambi will have to play 1B as much as possible along with get whatever DH at-bats are left over, and Giambi will not be a $26M total ($21M salary + $5M buyout) pinch-hitter. If you sign Lowell, you have to trade one of the three but two of them have no-trade clauses (Matsui and Giambi), one has a limited no-trade clause (Damon), and only one is tradeable (Matsui).

  48. ThatWasMe

    Irabu’s Son, the other night you were upset, because you felt Mariano needed to proclaim publicly how much he loved NY. Doesn’t take much huh? AROD, AROD, AROD.

  49. The D train

    Make no mistake about it, Hank Steinbrenner wants no part of the day in-day out duties that Brian Cashman has.
    Among his peers, Cashman has respect, longevity and good dialogue. Hank is just flexing his newly found muscles and making George proud. He recognizes and endorses the path of success that Cashman is in the process of.
    By now George may have already dealt Joba and Phil to Minnesota to get Santana. Hank has said no top tier pitchers are to be used as trading chips.

  50. #9

    “…will people please stop capitalizing the name A-Rod? It’s not AROD.”

    Do you have something against AROD?

    What did AROD ever do to you?

    Please stop picking on AROD!

  51. ThatWasMe

    The D train, I believe that what Hank said, referring to Joba, Hughes and Kennedy, was that they would not be traded for a position player.

  52. DVB Forever

    Pete….and how do you know this about Lowell, did your 2 year old nephew tell you ? :-)

  53. pat

    Pete

    If you want a money quote to use in a story for the Journal News are you going to Cash or to Hank? I’m guessing Hank. Cash is reserved in his comments and never gives you the headline. Hank is all sound bite, all the time.

  54. Tomaso Verde Gucci

    Thank GOD that Hank has arrived to counter Cashman’s penchant to over-analyze and seemingly obsessive need to outdo the big (and better) saber boys, Billy Beane and Theo.

    Yes, the little guy has a huge ego. Don’t let his little boy shyness and awkwardness around women (i.e. Damon’s wife) fool you into thinking he’s an “aw shucks” humble lil fella. Or gay for that matter.

    And to be quite honest, my little sister can evaluate major league talent, especially pitching, better than Cash. She’d also be just as patient at not trading the minor league talent that Damon Oppenheimer scouted and developed.

  55. randy l.

    joe from long island-
    thanks for the tip for the wsj article.
    this is how the article ends:
    “If the deal goes through, it’s a happy ending for most everyone involved. The 32-year-old Mr. Rodriguez gets a richer pay package, which includes incentives if he manages to reach goals like breaking the home-run record set by Barry Bonds. The Yankees and Goldman get to keep Mr. Rodriguez’s star power, which helps sell tickets and attract cable viewers.

    And Mr. Boras still gets his commission.”

    it’s interesting how goldman sachs is involved in the yankees. good reading.
    http://yankees.lhblogs.com/200...../#comments

  56. randy l.

    here’s the right wsj link;
    http://online.wsj.com/article/.....lenews_wsj

  57. RGK

    Here’s an obscure first move to bolster the bullpen:

    MLB Transactions

    New York Yankees
    Purchased the contract of RHP Scott Patterson from Double-A Trenton.

    Patterson was lights out in Trenton and the AFL. I believe he is 28.

  58. li

    A-Rod/AROD is a nickname I don’t think their is one correct spelling although A. Rod. might be the closest.

  59. li

    Make that: I don’t think there is one correct spelling.

  60. Donna

    Cashman is probably humiliated that his word obviously means nothing, and that he’s lost so much credibility and leverage with other teams and agents.

    Makes you wonder if Cashman really was in Joe Torre’s corner all along.

  61. TurnTwo

    Oh yeah; Cashman’s word means so little that Hank and Hal gave him full permission to pick his own manager, which is why we see Girardi back in pinstripes.

  62. east side yankee

    Actually “Donna” Cashman is probably thrilled that he doesn’t have to try to replace A Rod’s production which will allow him to concentrate on other matters.

    Once again another alleged yankee fan that sounds like another “hater”

    You seem to forget that we were entering an offseason where it looked like we were gong to lose not only our coach but our catcher, closer and third baseman.

    The winter meetings haven’t started and we have our catcher, third basemen and we are likely to get our closer back as well. That is a very successful offseason in my book.

    The poor Red Sox are probably enraged; They won the world series and all anyone can talk about is the Y

  63. randy l.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....tion_fast_

    “People see this as a money situation, which some people consider a white lie, but they’ll still be disappointed in him,” Paul said. “He needs to speak openly about it and do it quickly.
    “If he takes responsibility, is truly sorry and offers to make amends, I think he could put this behind him.”

    i think if the state says it’s sorry ,maybe jeter will spend some time in ny that he doesn’t have to in the future.
    in this guy paul’s world , it looks like if you’re guilty until proved innocent.

  64. DHC

    East,

    A ‘very successful off-season’ does not consist in one in which the team is not even as good as it was when it played and lost its last game. We still have not even signed our own FA’s, let alone picked up players to fill the holes.

    We will not begin to have even a moderately successful off-season until NYY FO succeeds in putting in place an IMPROVED team. Let us hope that by next week our own FA’s will be signed and rookie ownership and management can START the process of improving the team.

  65. OurKidsPlayDifferentSports

    In my opinion, its an improved team just with Clemens and Mussina out of the rotation.

  66. RosterRooster

    Musinna is still in the rotation without Andy back.

  67. Jim PA

    Where did Lowell get those eyebrows? He looks like a muppet.

  68. DHC

    This Paul guy is obviously not in touch with the real world. To be the target of the IRS is nothing like being indicted for a crime. How many of us have suffered the irrational swoops of the taxman? How many of us are going to have a lesser opinion of Jeter because the same has happened to him? If anything, those of us who have been in his shoes (though not to the tune of millions) have nothing but sympathy…

  69. east side yankee

    To DHC

    I’m sure that should the Yankees re-sign Mo and get Pettite back your next comment will go something like this

    What..this front office hasn’t done anything…all they have done is get us the same exact team that lost in the first round of the playoffs and finished second to the Red Sox.

    I’m also certain that if the Yankee traded for Santana (in an effort to make you happy and improve the team) you would then say this

    “Those dopes gave too much to get Santana…and they signed him to a ridiculous extension…no one was ging to give the Twins what the Yankees gave up.

    I have a feeling you are one of those fans who are only optimistic when the final out of the world series is made.

  70. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I shouldn’t be shocked but I can’t believe the Daily News went to Jeter’s moms house. That is just wrong, this is just between Jeter and NYS. Leave his mother out of it.

  71. A-Point

    On his own site he has it as AROD. A-Rod is how a lot of papers put it. Why should it bother you at all though? Seems a silly thing to get so upset about.

  72. Irabu's Son

    lol re: AROD/A-Rod

    To Josh (5th post from top): I agree about Shelley Duncan. If he got 500 at-bats, I think he’d be good for .240, 35 HR, 80 RBI, and about 200 strikeouts. But I’d take that production for the money he’s making.

    Actually I like Duncan in RF too, spelling Abreu occasionally. He has a cannon, probably even better than Melky’s.

  73. Irabu's Son

    A-Point: good point.

    I guess it just reminds me of my childhood a bit (circa 1989, I was 9 years old at the time). I used to write baseball lineups (dream teams) all the time. I always had Bo Jackson leading off and playing center field, except I’d just write BO (no last name) in capital letters, as if he was some god or something who needed no last name. The rest of the lineup would look normal:

    3. Don Mattingly, 1B

    So I guess AROD reminds me of how dorky I was as a kid.

    For what it’s worth, it bothers me that Ichiro Suzuki has his last name on his jersey. I like uniformity, damnit.

  74. BUCKEYES

    Warren Buffet and Arod friends?? i guess that shouldnt be that surprising considering Buffet and Lebron hang out in Vegas.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3115789

  75. Yankee VIP

    I do not hate arod, but i do believe all this talk of how he came to his senses is nonsense. Boras clearly was behind this. by opting out, Arod had the potential of getting over $30M per, but still gets the same package if he didnt opt out. there was no downside risk.

    doesnt lowell and posada have the same agent. could it be the yanks allowed the agent to use the yankees to help drive up the price for lowell if posada stays off the market.

  76. Yankee VIP

    doesnt goldman sachs still have an investment stake in the YES Network.

    its a huge benefit for them if the Yanks keep arod.. TV only cares about winners and superstars

  77. A-Point

    Irabu’s Son… regards to Irabu then. ;)

    I can understand your feelings about it. I think some of it is because we have gotten so used to abreviations – think text messaging and IM (See- there we go again), and typing AROD all caps, no space, seems just a little easier than A-Rod. There you have to use the dreaded shift key (as some posters here have yet to discover.)

    Plus, with your reason for writting BO, AROD/A-Rod Alex Alexander Emanuel Rodriguez is quite the player, I have been lead to believe. :D

  78. Waltzing Mathilda

    It’s always amusing to watch Peter desperately flail to create a story.

  79. Irabu's Son

    I agree Mathilda. Seems as though he isn’t happy unless he’s stirring the pot and trying to put a negative spin on something.

  80. Phil

    Cash is still doing his thing. He’s never been one for narrating his moves as he makes them.

  81. A-Point

    Yankee VIP (I tend to doubt that you really are a very important person to the Yankees, but I digress)…

    How do you know what A-Rod was going through? I would take a look at every thing he has said through the year, then look at the actions.

    I think its Bull that he couldn’t get a big deal elsewhere. This whole thing was starting to come together before A-Rod was able to talk to other teams about money. According to a number of accounts, and according to Hank Steinbrenner, A-Rod reached out within a short time of opting out.

    When all is said and done, Boras is the one who stands more to lose over this. Think about looking for an agent, while you want to get good money for your talents, I would think that you also want to retain your image while doing so. A-Rod looked like crud from all this. That isn’t something a good agent allows to happen if they are worth anything.

    But you will believe as you WANT to believe.

    Either way, I don’t lose sleep over it.

  82. Joe from Long Island

    RGK at 2:12 PM –
    You’re right, that is interesting, about the Yanks buying the Trenton contract of Scott Patterson.

    I think it was SJ44 (I might be wrong on that point) who pointed out a few days ago that Patterson had been picked up as a minor league free agent this past year and performed well beyond expectations at AA.

    I wonder if this move puts Patterson on the 40-man roster and protects him from the Rule V draft in early December. If so, it speaks volumes of what the Yanks see as his potential.

  83. Scooter

    To me, the most important thing is that there doesn’t appear to be a disconnect between what Hank says and what Cashman says.

    It just looks like Hank is determined to be the face of the franchise… but at the same time seems to simply echo the consensus of his baseball people – including Cashman, Oppenheimer, Nardi Contreras, and Gene Michael.

  84. whozat

    “rookie ownership and management can START the process of improving the team.”

    So…having three new starters, all of whom have already shown the ability to succeed in MLB (albeit in limited duty) and who have amazing minor league numbers AND are all 22 is no different than last season? The rotation is 3/5 different! How is that the same?

    Re: Shelley Duncan. 35 HRs is ridiculous. The guy’s a poor-man’s Richie Sexson. He’d K 200 times, have probably 20 HR and hit around .230. And walk a little. Used sparingly, he could be an asset by providing some alternative RH power.

    And, Abreu’s arm is very good. Not sure how Shelley’s would be an upgrade. But, I don’t have a problem putting him out there from time to time.

  85. Irabu's Son

    Fun & interesting question to toy around with:

    So AROD gets a 10 year contract worth $27m+ annually after posting .314, 54. Cool.

    Suppose a guy posted a .467 batting average with 60 home runs in his contract year. What kind of contract do you think he’d pull?

    For argument’s sake, let’s suppose he plays 1B and is 30 years old.

    The reason I ask is because my buddy and I sometimes play a game called Bases Loaded for old school Nintendo. There’s a guy on there named PASTE, he’s a first baseman for Jersey and his stats were listed as .467 with 60 home runs! He’d be getting crazy boy-band money.

    I think he’d be get 10 years at $50m a year for the batting average alone. The homers would be a bonus.

    What do you think?

  86. whozat

    “I wonder if this move puts Patterson on the 40-man roster and protects him from the Rule V draft in early December. If so, it speaks volumes of what the Yanks see as his potential.”

    I thought that too, but then someone pointed to a blog entry that was pretty certain he’s not eligible for the rule 5 yet. He’s only been in pro ball for two years, despite his age and independent league play. I guess that makes him the same as any other non-drafted free agent signing, who I think have four or five years until they’re exposed to the Rule 5.

    The same blog speculated that maybe they had to sign him to a major league deal to hang on to him, given that he probably had some offers elsewhere.

  87. Irabu's Son

    Whozat: I didn’t say Shelley was an upgrade over Abreu in RF, I actually just meant that he was fun to watch. Late in the year, he was in RF, and someone hit a liner into the corner, and Shelley threw a frozen rope missile to 2B on the fly, holding the guy to a single… and then just stared him down.

    I love Shelley Duncan.

    And yes I think he can put up 35 dingers over 500 AB’s. He hit 6 in like a week, so 20 seems awfully modest for a 6 month season.

  88. Bob

    USA & Cuba to meet in the World Cup final

  89. whozat

    “He hit 6 in like a week, so 20 seems awfully modest for a 6 month season.”

    Yes. He was certainly going to stay on that pace.

    Listen, there’s a reason he didn’t get to the show until he was 27. He’s got holes in his swing. Lots. If he gets overexposed, he’s not going to be hitting homers because the pitchers will figure out how to get him out with regularity. He was hitting those homers because pitchers were challenging him because he was a nobody. They’ll adjust, and he’ll need to adjust back. I hope he does, because he’s on my team and I want him to succeed…but thinking that all of a sudden we found our very own cheap richie sexson (before last year) is just unrealistic.

  90. Buddy Biancalana

    Doreen-

    Sorry I resign to stop using resign.JK

    Duncan looks to be like another reincarnation of Shane Spencer & Kevin Maas. No way he hits 35 HRs, pitchers will adjust to him, his energy is great to have on the team though.

  91. pat

    Betemit, Bruney, Cano and Wang are all abritration eligible this year. Cash might be smart to work out longer term deals with a few of them as the Mets did with Wright and Reyes.

  92. Irabu's Son

    Perhaps. I probably just have a man-crush. I’d still like to see him get a shot at 1B though.

    That being said, I also wanted Fernando Seguignol to get a shot in 2004 after he hit .341 with 28 HR in 400 AB in Columbus the year before. The Yankees instead signed Tony Clark, Seguignol went to Japan, and my heart was broken.

  93. Laura

    The truth is that we will never know what really prompted A-Sorry to come back to the Yankees. Was it because he couldn’t find the money elsewhere? Maybe. Was it due to his burning desire to “die” a Yankee? Possibly. Only A-MyCellPhoneNowWorks knows. And I have a feeling that if he held a press conference and told us the real answer, most people still wouldn’t believe him.

    In the end, the truth doesn’t matter. He is going to remain a Yankee and we as Yankee fans have to go back to praying that he can translate his monster regular season numbers to the postseason. A tall order, but maybe he can do. Maybe.

  94. Phil

    Win or lose, I hope the Cuban team escapes and signs with the Yankess!

  95. whozat

    “I probably just have a man-crush. I’d still like to see him get a shot at 1B though.”

    It certainly sounds like he’ll have a chance to take the bull by the horns in ST, like Phelps did this season. And, with Girardi managing, if Shelley continues to show a hot bat into April, who knows?

  96. rocky

    shelley’s a beast, give the guy a chance, I say. If nothing else, he dramatically increases the badass quotient in the lineup (stats irrevelant), but seriously, is an okay defender and is right handed with some major pop, sounds good to me.

  97. whozat

    Speaking of Cubans, anyone know why Juan Miranda got less than 200 ABs in AA this season? Was he hurt? He’s in the AFL now, right?

  98. Phil

    He’s done in the AFL. He got injured for awhile during the season going back on the flyball, I believe. He kicked butt in the AFL and now he’s off till ST.

  99. Bob

    I for ome am personally glad that Alex is back with the Bombers. The Home run record belongs to the Yankee tradition. I enjoy hearing the call, “It`s an A BOMB FROM A-ROD”.

  100. TurnTwo

    I believe Miranda finished with team high totals in HRs and RBIs, but most of his damage was done against RH pitchers… his numbers against the LH pitchers were not very good at all.

    for the time being, on paper it looks like a Duncan/Miranda platoon at 1B is the best solution for the Yankees in house, but i dont think they are going to rush Miranda up if he’s not ready. He could certainly be in line to play 1B in 2009 if he can continue to rake LHers and hover somewhere around league average against RHers.

  101. Shamus

    I agree with J-Dawg!

    Going after Mike Lowell made no sense to me, unless the intent was to drive up his fee to the Red Sox…

    After signing Jorge to four years, you know he’ll see a few ab’s in years three and four at 1B.

    Plus…

    Giambi and his final year (at $21 mil in 08, with a $22 mil team option in 09, OR a $5 mil buyout,which they will obviously purchase, he will end up costing them $ 26 mil for his final season, 08, including the 09 buyout) of that awful contract are about to be up.

    Hopefully, Shelley Duncan goes Albert Pujols (or Prince Fielder or name-your favorite young, slugging 1B here_____) on us and secures the 1B position for years to come. He has a great attitude and shown signs of power. Now let Tony Pena and Joe Girardi have at him, turn him into a monster.

    Of course, Mark Teixeira, especially ith that agent of his, will test the free agent market after the next season, ‘08. I wouls love to see the NYY get him in pinstripes via free agency in 2009, maybe a five year deal. He is young, switch hitter, good glove at 1B, tremendos upside.

    After Big Tex, after just reviewing Cot’s baseball contracts, guys like Pujols, Derek Lee, etc. won’t come up for free agency until after the 2010 season. Short of Justin Morneau or Prince Fielder hitting the trade market anytime soon, the 1B market will be thin.

    But still, signing Lowell had to be to ploy to increase his price to the Sox… They really had no use for him once Opt-Fraud made his return.

  102. whozat

    “He’s done in the AFL. He got injured for awhile during the season going back on the flyball, I believe. ”

    Oh, right, the AFL is over now. Yeah, I think now you mention it I remember hearing about that injury.

    It looks like he slugs adequately and takes his walks. If he can get his average up, or at least keep his OPS where it is as he rises through the system, he could be a useful piece someday.

  103. Shamus

    Or, Shelley Duncan could dwell in the minors untl he gives up in a few years to sell insurance… You just can’t project a guys MLB career without letting have at least 1/3 of a season at the MLB level.

    I say they play him as much as poss next season to see what they have with him.

  104. Wolf In Pinstripes

    As long as they are on the same page to make the moves for us to compete, I could care less who speaks in to the microphone. Cash may be the guy that gets most of it done, but I think it’s a good thing for H&H to develop a relationship with the media and the public at the same time.

    Besides, I think Phil was right on with his statement about Cashman not narrating his moves.

  105. CB

    Scott Patterson is a minor league free agent right now and could have signed with any team. The Yankees may have needed to sign him to a major league deal to keep him.

    Chad Jennings has a good entry on it today:

    http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.....fault.aspx

    Miranda only had 200 AB in AA because he played half the year or so at Tampa in A ball. For the whole year he got around 450 AB.

    AFL season is wrapped up. Miranda went home a few days early.

  106. whozat

    “I wouls love to see the NYY get him in pinstripes via free agency in 2009, maybe a five year deal. ”

    He’ll turn 29 at the start of the 2009 season. That’s solidly in his prime. I wonder if Boras will try to get him a big, short deal so that he can hit the market again at like…32, or if he’ll shoot for a Giambi-esque 7 year deal. I mean, 4 is exactly what I’d want as a team signing him, with a vesting option or a team option for the fifth year.

    I like Tex as a player. A lot. Then again, Jeter and Posada are going to need to get ABs SOMEWHERE in 2010…

  107. whozat

    “Miranda only had 200 AB in AA because he played half the year or so at Tampa in A ball. For the whole year he got around 450 AB.”

    I’m an idiot. I looked at his stats on thebaseballcube and saw that, but read it as two separate years, 2006 in Tampa and 2007 in Trenton. Duh.

  108. CB

    whozat,

    no biggie. i’ve done the same myself.

    miranda looks like at minimum he’ll be able to hit right handed pitching very well.

    the guy hasn’t played any baseball in two years due to the defection. there’s uncertainty about his age, but given the context of not playing against serious competition for a couple of seasons he had an excellent year. Just raked right handed pitching.

  109. Phil

    Miranda faced an unusual for anyone % of lefties and that depressed his numbers. He murders righties then buries them down by the train tracks. He may or may not get better at hanging in against lefties, but he can help the Yanks right now against RHP’s.

  110. whoa

    Actually, Peter, it’s in the Yankees’ best interests to have Hank discuss money issues publicly, which is really all that he has done, because affords Cashman the distance to maintain a better relationship with the players. Good cop/bad cop if you will.

  111. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    The Yankees are wearing a patch on their uniform next year.

    Here is a picture of it.
    http://static.zoovy.com/img/to.....osing_2008

  112. DHC

    To East and whozat, who found my comment too critical, remember I said the team has not improved ’since it played and lost its last game’. I would be glad to be proven wrong if you could tell me what improvements have been made SINCE THEN.

    Players who were added during the season do not count as off-season improvements. I am looking forward eagerly to seeing some of those happen, and perhaps by next week our (yes, I said ‘rookie’) ownership and manager will be able to focus making it so.

    ‘Rookie’ isn’t an insult. It just means that they are new and unproven.

  113. Vinny

    Being on the 40-man roster, the Yankees will want to see what they have in Juan Miranda other than what the reports say.
    He likely will get a fair amount of playing time in exhibition games and probably all of the “B” games.
    It will be interesting to see what kind of shape Giambi will be in health-wise in his final contract year as a Yankee.

  114. DHC

    Shelley Duncan seemed happy and rambunctious, but with skills at the AAAA level, and the appearance of Mitchell Report potential.

    Of course if it is true that those names will number in the hundreds, maybe the last part doesn’t matter much.

  115. Dee

    Can’t Warren Buffet recommend an attorney and financial advisor to Arod so he can fire Boras? Surely Buffet knows the best people on this planet who can do a good job advicing Arod in the future. I don’t care if Boras’s known Arod since he was in diapers this is a good times for them to part ways, especially if Arod doesn’t need another player’s contract ever again (hopefull no opt out clause this time).

    For the endorsement/marketing side of things there are sports marketing and celebrity agents out there who can do a better job. Boras sounds like a hardnose attorney and negotiator but please don’t tell me he’s a marketing genius too.

  116. whoa

    As one of the papers mentioned, this will be A-Rod’s last contract. His need for an agent like Boras in the future is limited.

  117. whoa

    btw, Even if it’s true that Alex is really pissed at Boras, he has made him a ton of money during the course of his career. So while he may feel he did him wrong now, he may not want to totally nuke him out of appreciation for what he has done in the past.

  118. Dee

    I think publicly firing Boras, if handled well, will help improve Arod’s image. But I can see him being conflicted given their history, there are many things Boras has done for him that he should be grateful for even though he did make Boras very wealthy.

  119. Thylo

    Pete,

    If Cashman were “just a passenger” then Don Mattingly would be the manager. Cash is still driving.

  120. Dr. Acula

    Hey, it not like Britney & Swindal are “driving”

    http://tinyurl.com/2qyz55

    Ding! Ding! Ding!

    Moms Jeter vs The Daily News

    Two outta three falls.

  121. Bryant

    Firing Scott might be easy but firing Boras Corp. would be tougher for a player who has gotten used to all they do for him. This isn’t a one man show. Boras Corp employs trainers, nutritionists, statisticians as well as PR people, reps and agents. They do alot more for the players than just negotiate contracts. If A-Rod is unhappy with Scott, cutting ties with him would mean cutting ties with lots of other people that he has worked with for many years. That would be a huge change for him.

  122. Dr. Acula

    I tell ya, C-Note sure is a Hottie !!

    http://snipurl.com/1tsum

    To quote Travolta from “Face Off” – HOOOOO-WEEEEE, you’re GooodLook’n

    This is from last week.

  123. Doreen

    I don’t understand everyone who’s saying the Yankees were going after Mike Lowell to drive his price up to the Red Sox. The Red Sox are notorious for not budging once they offer a contract. The Red Sox are going to offer what they’re going to offer regardless of what the Yankees offer. If Lowell does not sign with them, they will go another way. They seem to be a whole lot less sentimental than the Yankees are.

    That being said, I truly did not want the Yankees to have Mike Lowell, no offense against Mike Lowell. He’s certainly talented. But splits or no splits, green monster or no green monster, I did not want the Yankees to be locked into a 4-year deal with a person who was switching to 1B from 3B. It seemed to make no sense, since Cashman has been preaching flexibility these last 2 years, and that, since it seems ARod will be a fixture at 3B for a while, seemed to offer no flexibility whatsoever. It made sense to go after Lowell for 3B only, and I had every confidence that though he would not have duplicated his auspicious season with the Red Sox, he would have been more than adequate offensively while providing at good glove at the hot corner.

    I was a little afraid to listen to the sports news last night and this morning because some (troll) said the Yankees had reached an agreement with Lowell and I so did not want that to be so. My husband and I were talking and both of us are really excited to see Shelley Duncan have a shot. Neither one of us is deluded into thinking that he’s anything more than what he is. But he’s such a positive force, and such a personality on that team, that you have to wish him well and hope he at least gets a legitimate shot.

    I am also skeptical that Mark Teixeira will be available as a free agent. He likes playing in Atlanta, and well, now that Alex has shown that it is indeed possible to be a superstar and make your own decisions (yes, I know, it could still have been orchestrated by Boras — but that’s not what I think), he may choose to extend his contract with the Braves. I don’t think it is a good idea for the Yankees to put all their eggs in the Mark T. basket. I think they will do more than fine offensively this year and can again afford to have 1B be an “undecided” position. And who knows? Maybe someone (Duncan?) will claim it for his own.

  124. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Well, great news about Lowell. As far as I’m concerned, if Shelley continues to show that he can contribute, the more we see of him, the better. I see where some think he’ll be “exposed” if he plays too much, but I have faith in Girardi to use him correctly (as opposed to Torre’s ultra-conservative use of him in the playoffs) and the fact that Stick has been vocal about there being a future for Shelley, is more than enough to convince me that there is indeed a future.

    I also hope they give Juan Miranda a chance in Spring Training to make the team. IIRC he hits RHP pretty well, and doesn’t do much against lefties, so platooning him with Shelley could produce great results. I know Betemit could be platooned with Shelley too, but if Miranda can do it also, that frees up Wilson to be less of a 1st baseman and more of a “Miguel Cairo with power” type of utility man. Now if only he’d start getting the big hits with men on like Cairo did, rather than K’ing on 3 pitches, we would really be in business!

  125. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Oh and also, about Cash. I continue to believe that Hank is just doing the talking and Cash is still making the baseball decisions. So far out of everything the Yanks have done in the still-young offseason, there really isn’t a single move that I can point to and say “this doesn’t sound like Cash.” I hope I am right about this cause Cash being cut out of the loop would be a mess. Really though, it seems to me like even though Hank might be the one loudly announcing the stops, Cash is still driving the bus.

  126. Wolf In Pinstripes

    jennifer, thanks for posting the link to that patch. I’m planning to get a new jersey this season and I’m going to have to round up one of those suckers to put on the sleeve when they become available. Way cool.

  127. lil' m

    Tax issues: Whatever. It’ll work out one way or the other. Yawn . . .

  128. Bryant

    No matter who the Yankees play at 1B the majority of the time- Giambi or Duncan, they need to keep either Philips or re-sign Mientkiewicz for defensive replacements later in the games. Philips would be my choice because he gives them a little more flexibility in that he can play other infield positions as well.

  129. Joe from Long Island

    I think Lowell was primarily an insurance policy for 3B. Nothing against Mike Lowell, I really respect him, but he’s not a good fit anywhere but 3rd.

    As far as Miranda, I think he’ll get a look in ST, but spend this coming year in the minors. Shelly will lefty-righty platoon with Betemit and Giambi – if he shows he has problems with rightys. If he shows he can hit both, we’ll see a lot of Shelly Duncan.

  130. Doreen

    Jennifer –

    Interesting patch. I’m not sure I like it (not that my opinion counts :) ). It’s kind of like “Death of a Stadium.” Kinda creepy. I know it’s a tribute patch, but it feels kinda odd.

    Does this mean there will be a new patch in 2009 with “2009 – ?” ??

    Thanks for the link!

  131. Todd Drew

    Doreen,
    I agree. “Death of a Stadium” is kinda creepy, but it sounds like a good title for a novel.

  132. Todd

    Cashman is the only guy that can go to Florida & come back even paler than when he left NY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  133. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Doreen: I agree that there’s little chance Tex even reaches free agency. Even if he does, he will definitely re-sign with the Braves. He went to Georgia Tech I think, so he does indeed love playing there, and after his time with Texas I think he just wants to be on a team that doesn’t suck, and the Braves fill that requirement well enough. Also, supposedly almost all the money saved on Andruw will go to Tex and his new contract. I think with Andruw and Renteria gone, Tex becomes the offensive player they now want to build around. They’ll offer him a sweet deal and he’ll take it.

    And that’s better for the Yankees, cause not only do we have lots of cheap possibilities like Shelley, Miranda & Betemit, but we’ve made commitments to Posada and even A-Rod and/or Jeter that may necessitate an open spot at 1st in the future, so we really need the flexibility there, not another lengthy contract, no matter how good Tex is. 1st basemen are easy to find, it’s never difficult to sign a stopgap like Minky. So I hope the Yanks don’t give a big contract to a 1st baseman for quite some time. It’s just frivolous and unnecessary.

  134. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Oh and I agree about the importance of retaining a defensive replacement 1b, and that Phillips should be the one over Minky because of his versatility in the infield and not needing to give him a contract.

    The article that I read (on ESPN) that said the Yanks weren’t interested in Lowell also said that they were leaning towards playing Giambi at 1b as the lefty. I hope this isn’t true! I think we could get a good deal of production from Giambi as a DH (perhaps even more than Matsui, which is why I’d not be opposed to seeing if Mats will waive his NTC) and I see no reason to upset the apple cart and risk injury by throwing him in the field when he clearly can’t play there anymore.

    Also, while I do want to see a lot of Shelley at 1st, I’m still a bit nervous about his defense. It sucks that Mattingly will not be around to work with him and Betemit in ST but perhaps Tino wouldn’t mind coming in and showing them how it’s done with the glove?

  135. Doreen

    Todd Drew –

    You live near the stadium, right? What’s it like to see the new one go up right next door?

    I imagine it’s going to a little unsettling, both figuratively and literally, to watch the old one come down. I guess they’ll implode it?

    BBB —

    I was one who was hoping that Tex would at some point join the Yankees, but once he went to Atlanta, it was kind of easy to disassociate myself from that idea. I had forgotten about the years going forward when 1B is going to have to be left available for our aging superstars. And I LOVE the idea of having Tino come and do a 1B clinic in ST. That would be awesome. (Although why it would be awesome for me, I’m not sure — I won’t be at spring training, I don’t know Tino personally, and I sure don’t need to learn 1B).

  136. Todd Drew

    Doreen,
    Yes, I live six blocks from the Stadium. It’s a bit strange seeing the new ballpark going up, but I’m getting more comfortable with the idea. I still haven’t dealt with the fact that the old ballyard isn’t going to be my home anymore. I always feel empty at the end of the season and I don’t know how I’ll feel walking out of the place for the last time. I hope some of my sense of loss will be covered by a World Series title.

  137. Wolf In Pinstripes

    Doreen –

    Unless I’m mistaken, my understanding was that the old stadium was going to remain open as some sort of museum full of Yankee stuff.

    Here I was thinking it wouldn’t be torn down – I hope not!

  138. Todd Drew

    Wolf,
    The field and some portion of the lower level is supposed to remain, but the Stadium as we know it will be gone.

  139. Wolf In Pinstripes

    OK – thanks for the clarification, bro.

    I was planning on finding a way travel so I could hit at least one game in the old stadium this coming season. I guess there’s a little more urgency attached to my agenda now. ;)

  140. Doreen

    Todd Drew –

    A WS Title would really send the old girl out in style, wouldn’t it??????

    Are you planning on trying to take a little piece of the place? (A patch of sod, or something sentimental in nature?) My brother-in-law’s brother has, I think, a seat from the stadium from when they did the renovation. I don’t know how he got it, though. I’m wondering if they’ll have an auction or just dispose of the pieces. These days, it seems those kinds of things are so organized. Not like back in the 70’s, before the internet, before sports was as big a business as it is today. Before the memorabilia business exploded.

  141. willis

    BREAKING NEWS

    MARIANO RIVERA EXPECTED TO TAKE THE YANKEES’ 3-YEAR OFFER
    http://www.nypost.com/seven/11....._77957.htm

  142. Wolf In Pinstripes

    Doreen, I can see them auctioning off large or significant pieces. Of course, with the “emergence” of ebay I can imagine a lot of stuff being auctioned off by people outside of the organization after the stadium closes as well. That’s really cool about the seat from the pre-renovated stadium.

  143. Mike NYY

    Cool with Rivera. I still would like to see Cordero as a setup man but I know that’s not going to happen.

    I`ve got some dirt from the Stadium’s warning track

  144. Todd Drew

    Doreen,
    My wife thinks the Yankees should give us our seats since we’ve had full-season tickets since 1989. I don’t see that happening because someone will pay big dough. I thought about catching a Stadium rat and making it a pet, but that just didn’t seem right. I’m assuming my little friends will be relocated across the street. Ultimately, I think I’ll just take the memories. They should squeeze neatly into our 375-squarefoot apartment.

  145. Mike NYY- Welcome Home Alex

    I wish they`d keep the Stadium as a museum. I think they`re going to use the field for 3 public softball fields which is kind of cool I guess so people will be able to play where all the Yankees greats played but they could still do that even if it was a museum right?

  146. Mike NYY- Welcome Home Alex

    Also they`re moving the foul poles which were also part of the stadium before the renovation.

    The most dissapointing parts of it is that they`re losing seats and they`re basically making a clone of yankee stadium only without all the history

  147. catya

    Dr Acula
    about c-note,didn’t know you were a switch hitter!
    *Hehehe*

    I’ll bet no one finds “c-note” hot!!!! but you fo course.

  148. pat

    A-Rod interview/video from today

    http://kansascity.royals.mlb.c.....p;c_id=mlb

  149. catya

    Dr Acula, meant “of course”

  150. sunny615

    The Yankees would likely have to give up Wang and Hughes plus Melky Cabrera or Robinson Cano to entice the Twins, and it may still not be enough.

    ouch

  151. Doreen

    Todd Drew –

    Your wife is right. That’s what they should do – at least make them available to you first. What they should do and what they will do? But the memories — those no one can take, and I hope you put them down in writing for your progeny, if any. (I won’t talk about the “guests” who’ll be moving across the street!)

    Willis -

    Thanks for the link to the Post article. I won’t be sure about Mariano until they announce it’s done.

  152. Bob

    Bill Madden also memtioned Rivera agreeing to the three year deal on MLB TRADE RUMORS.

  153. Todd Drew

    Doreen,
    They might make them “available” to us, but I don’t think I’ll bite. I save every penny for my baseball tickets.

  154. Bob

    This Blog overestimates the value of Santana.

  155. Doreen

    Todd –

    You’ve got your priorities straight, I think. I guess those kinds of things (seats from a stadium) aren’t all that practical. And if there’s a choice, I’d much rather go to a game than sit at home looking at seats from the old stadium.

  156. Clare

    Did anyone watch that interview on MLB.com? I thought it was pretty lame. The interviewer seemed nervous, and too deferential. The interviewer seemed to be tapdancing around the questions rather than asking them.

  157. TurnTwo

    It depends on how much MLB-ready talent you are trading back. If you are trading Cano, you can get away with not having to trade back Wang, Hughes, or Joba.

    If you arent willing to trade Cano, then Hughes is going to have to be part of the package. You’re prob talking closer to Hughes, Tabata, and then another positional prospect with upside, aka AJax.

  158. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    And what happens if the stadium isn’t ready. It doesn’t look as far along as Citi Field is.

  159. TurnTwo

    you dont have to worry, thats not an option. believe me, it’ll be done.

    i was watching the Prudential Center construction, and if there was really anything that wasnt going to be built on time, it was that arena in Newark…

  160. gayle

    Jennifer –

    Citifield started a ways before the new stadium so they are ahead of where the stadium is.

    I would imagine that there will be some sort of auction or steiner sports something for some of the stuff in the old stadium

  161. gayle

    Also just watched the Alex interview one thing I found very interesting. When asked about the thought process about approaching the Yankese he said “it is the best way to do things. sometimes the messages can be mixed up and you may be getting some information that is not 100 per cent accurate and I took it upon myself to call Hank and have a hcat with him one on one”

    If that doesnt say something about what he was getting from Boras nothing else does. He says that at the appropriate time in the right forum he will tell the whole story. I imagine that will be when the deal is done.

    Also was very realistic about what his image is “I dont have the best image. Also talked about having a long term contract allows you to delve much into the fiber of where you are you dont want to show too much of yourself etc but with longterm committment that can change.

    I have a really good feeling that the next ten years we will be seeing a very different side of Arod.

  162. Reality Check

    The Post article saying we would have to give up Wang and Hughes and Cano or Melky is insane speculation. If the Yankees traded 2/5s of their starting rotation and one young star positional player, I would cancel my season tix.

  163. No. 4 train

    Fear not. The new Stadium is progressing on schedule.

    http://www.yankeetradition.com.....tadium.htm

  164. Joe from Long Island

    For those who are interested – Steiner, of Steiner Sports (or whatever it’s called) has already said that they will be heavily involved with the Yankees in selling whatever memorabilia that anyone wants to buy.

    So start making your lists and saving your pennies…

  165. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    So that means the seats from the stadium will be sold for 10,000.

  166. gayle

    Sorry for the multiple posts but just saw this now and I know it is not a Mets blog but once again the Mets seem to m,uck it up the Torealba deal is off no reason given. Not that the deal they were giving him made sense but the same thing happened the last time they went after a catcher

  167. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I just read that. Someone thought it was because he had a bad shoulder.

  168. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I just read that people went to the Joba signing waited 4 hours and left empty handed. :( Am I glad I didn’t drive down, I would have been very angry driving that way to get shut out.

  169. pat

    A-Rod seemed skinnier in the video than I remember from this season.
    Was nice to read on the mlb.com story that Kevin Long flew in from Arizona to help him with the kids clinic at the Boys and Girls Club in Miami. Maybe they got in a little adult BP as long as he was in town anyway.

  170. PK

    Jennifer,

    Where did you read about the Joba thing?

  171. In Joba We Trust

    just saw on pinstripealley somehow proposing santana for ipk+ prospects not on the major league radar….never happening. keep dreaming if anyone thinks it wouldnt include 1/3 trio and melky/cano. also vote for joba on espn “who’s next” feature in the mlb section. it seems as though theyll run a feature on him if he wins in the dec issue. random thought- what kind of package would we need to put together for mark teixeira?

  172. TurnTwo

    the Braves just morgaged their fam system for Tex, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. If the Braves arent in the NL East race come 7/31/08, he may be on the market then, if an extention has not been reached.

  173. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    on phil hughes message board.

  174. TurnTwo

    jennifer- link?

  175. Wolf In Pinstripes

    OK, that’s some weird timing. I had just finally registered at Phil’s site an hour or so ago. I had no idea it existed until I saw a link at Bronx Banter a few weeks back. I finally get around to registering and then I come here to check on new posts and see this.

    Here’s a link, turntwo –

    http://philiphughes.net/

  176. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    philiphughes.net

    He posts on there himself, not very often though.

  177. TurnTwo

    so i just went to pinstripealley for the first time, and they lost me the minute they tried to argue that Clayton Kershaw could come back to NY for Hideki Matsui. just pure awfulness.

  178. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Geez someone really flipped out on Joba.

  179. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    Jesus Montero went 4 for 5 with a double, home run and 3 runs scored. His avg. now sits at .394 and a .497 OBP % :D

  180. susan mullen

    Remember Randy Levine? He’s back, was mentioned in the NYT as part of the relay team in the rebirth of Arod. The Goldman Sachs guy placed a call to Levine. A day or so later, Levine nemesis (as he complained in his phone call to the NYT’s Sandomir) Verducci is relieved of Levine having to see him on YES anymore.

  181. GreenBeret7

    DHC
    November 17th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
    Shelley Duncan seemed happy and rambunctious, but with skills at the AAAA level, and the appearance of Mitchell Report potential.

    Of course if it is true that those names will number in the hundreds, maybe the last part doesn’t matter much.

    ____________________________________________________
    Shelley Duncan is the same size as his brother at 6′5″ and 215. His father, Dave was a big guy, especially for a catcher back in the early ’70s. I wouldn’t be concerned about him being on the Mitchell list. He’s always had huge power, but, could never stay healthy, and had a lot of holes in that big swing.

  182. whozat

    “I would be glad to be proven wrong if you could tell me what improvements have been made SINCE THEN.”

    Well, first of all, they replaced one of the starters with a flame throwing 22 year old righty that has a dirty slider, a good curve and a good change.

    Also, another 22 year old starter will gain back the 3-4 MPH on his fastball that he lost rushing back from a hamstring injury.

    Those are two big differences. Also, instead of a Giambi that doesn’t have his timing, the Giambi who was one of the top ten offensive players in the league in 2006 will be back.

    Those are all big changes, if you’re going to talk about the team that ended the season.

    Also…you make it sound like the other teams have all set their rosters already and the yanks are screwing around. That’s not true. At all. The Tigers are the only ones who’ve made any appreciable moves.

    In short…you’re looking for things to whine about. Get your instant gratification somewhere else, the baseball offseason is not the place to be looking for it.

  183. pat

    Somebody asked when the Yankees/VA Tech game would be the other day. Scheduled in the middle of spring training for March 18 at VA Tech. Tickets will be free and distributed to students and faculty only because the stadium only holds 4000.

  184. E-ROC

    Hank S. does sound like a guy who wants to be involved in every transaction which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Hopefully, his brother make shut his trap. I have to think that Cashman is still running things. I pray to God he’s still running things.

    The whiner known as Rivera finally signed the contract. This will keep Joba in the rotation which is always a good thing. Hopefully, Pettite comes back and we trade Matsui for Broxton and something useful.

  185. kasey

    explain to me why the giambi from 2006 will be back? what leads you to believe he’ll be even remotely healthy next season? the guy can’t play a full season anymore. give up the ghost.

    and good to see the shelley duncan fanclub back in action. “why not just throw him out there, see what he’s got.” how about because they already KNOW what he’s got?

  186. GreenBeret7

    kasey
    November 18th, 2007 at 2:55 am
    explain to me why the giambi from 2006 will be back? what leads you to believe he’ll be even remotely healthy next season? the guy can’t play a full season anymore. give up the ghost.

    and good to see the shelley duncan fanclub back in action. “why not just throw him out there, see what he’s got.” how about because they already KNOW what he’s got?

    ______________________________________________________
    Do you know anybody else that’s going to take that contract? It’s not just a matter of sending him to another team for a minor leaguer. Baseball will not allow another team to let NYY pay 90% of the contract, and, that’s about what it would take. This isn’t the Red Sox getting Selig to buy off on it. It’s the Yankees, and, eveyone knows how that works.

  187. GreenBeret7

    kasey
    November 18th, 2007 at 2:55 am
    explain to me why the giambi from 2006 will be back? what leads you to believe he’ll be even remotely healthy next season? the guy can’t play a full season anymore. give up the ghost.

    and good to see the shelley duncan fanclub back in action. “why not just throw him out there, see what he’s got.” how about because they already KNOW what he’s got?

    ______________________________________________________
    Do you know anybody else that’s going to take that contract? It’s not just a matter of sending him to another team for a minor leaguer. Baseball will not allow another team to let NYY pay 90% of the contract, and, that’s about what it would take. This isn’t the Red Sox getting Selig to buy off on it. It’s the Yankees, and, eveyone knows how that works.

    ______________________________________________________
    Sorry…My mistake. I misread to first part, but, you are correct. Giambi will be not much better that the 2004 or 2007 version.

  188. Kevin

    Pete, if that were the case, Mattingly would be our coach right now.

  189. Dr. Acula

    Today’s Front Covers

    http://tinyurl.com/2au3rt

    Mo and ARod

  190. UtilityMan

    Who is THAT????? DR.A???

  191. UtilityMan

    OH..I see you fixed it….I was talking bout the blonde in the short dress!!!

  192. UtilityMan

    pat

    Where did you get your information from,in regards to the VA Tech Exhibition Game???

    Do they have an indoor facility,that they play Baseball in down there???

  193. BBFan

    “A day or so later, Levine nemesis (as he complained in his phone call to the NYT’s Sandomir) Verducci is relieved of Levine having to see him on YES anymore.”

    I am not shedding any tears about this.
    Verducci was vitriolic in his criticism of Yankees based on his closeness to Torre. Why should he be employed by Yanks for his ingrate attitude.

    Yanks made a business decision, Torre did not like it, so be it. Why should this reporter should be so nasty and still expect to be employed by the same party he scorched in his article?

  194. BBFan

    “I would be glad to be proven wrong if you could tell me what improvements have been made SINCE THEN.”

    The biggest change is now we have a better manager who will not be outmanaged in the playoffs. That will make the biggest difference even if the team does not change much. He is going to lit up fire under the bellies of some of these lazy players who were quite comfortable with the failures under the loyalty first manager before.

  195. BBFan

    I think the rumor Cano + Hughes for Sanata may have some legs for the following reasons.

    1. Big Stien is hoping for another WS in his lifetime and he may not have much time left. It looks like Little Steins really love him and want his wish fulfilled.
    2. With Sanata and an improved bullpen, Yanks will be the favortires to win WS. Add Girardi to that equation as well as a positive factor.
    3. As much as I do not want to lose Cano, it is not a bad idea. The team is still, very left handed. If they can replace Cano with a good righty hitting 2B, there will be good balance in the line up.
    4. To that effect, I would not be surprized if Yanks still pursue Tejada to play 2B. I did not hear this rumor yet, but you never know, it can happen.
    5. If that happens, look at this lineup and rotation:

    Damon LF
    Jeter SS
    Abrue RF
    A-Rod 3B
    Tejada 2B
    Matsui DH
    Posada C
    Giambi/Duncan/Betemit 1B (Giambi will DH some)
    Melky CF

    Rotation:

    Santana
    Joba
    Wang
    Kennedy
    Mussina
    If Andy comes back, Kennedy will start in minors or in BP as long releiver. Over the season, Mussina may be replaced by Kennedy or Horne, depending on how they do.

    At this time, it is difficult to see how the bullpen will evolve. My guess is that they will trade for at least one good BP arm and fill the rest internally. One or two of Sanchez, Cox, Horne, and many other good BP arms in the monors, will evolve into good ML BP arms by the middle of the season.

  196. catya

    Dr Acula scroll up to your post about c note,then scroll down to my name.I was joking with you about your post,and you left the blog,it’s gonna make you laugh, especially with your sense of humor.

  197. BBFan

    Sorry for the typo. I meant Santana (not Sanata!).

  198. pat

    Utility Man

    Here’s where I read about VA Tech
    http://www.roanoke.com/sports/college/wb/140236

  199. Frankie D.

    If the Dodgers would be willing to part with either RHP Jonathan Broxton or LHP Joe Beimel for Matsui then the Yankee bullpen gets stronger. Matsui gets to be reunited with his old manager and closer to Japan. The Yankees replace Matsui with Brett Gardner.
    Now, all Brian Cashman has to do is see if Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is in a dealing mood in December.

  200. BBFan

    Matsui is not going anywhere.
    This is due to business reasons. Because of Matsui, Yanks have great following in Japan and resulting revenues.
    Also, Matsui as DH is a good option.

    If there is any thing, they have to find an option to ship Giambi by paying at least 50% of his salary. I would not rule it out. If Angels fail in thier other attempts to improve thier offense, they may be interested in Giambi as a DH and they can offer a good releiver.

  201. Frankie D.

    BB fan:

    The Yankees might stand a better chance of dealing Giambi at the July 31st trading deadline when he has half of this years salary of $22M paid out.
    The Yankees would have a lot less to eat at that point. No team will want to pay the full $ 11M for only 2 or 3 months worth of his services.

  202. Jax

    I hope that kid Jesus Montero is clean. The Yankees where a bit worried when they signed him cause his test didn’t come out completely clean.

  203. Mike NYY- Welcome home Alex

    The time to trade Giambi was last year when he still had some value. THe Yankees are stuck with him now. Think about it for a minute. Suppose the Yankees paid half of that 24 million dollar deal and get nothign at all in return. Would you want Giambi for 12 million for even one year? MAYBE the Angels would and that`s a big maybe. The yanks also get nothing in reutrn other tahn some salary relief.

  204. Mike NYY- Welcome home Alex

    Cano+Tabata+Horne? Or would it have to be Kennedy instead of Horne?

  205. Mike NYY- Welcome home Alex

    for Santana I mean

  206. Andrea

    Mike NYY: Giambi to LAA, or some other team, would also free up a roster spot though. Is $12M worth a roster spot?

  207. BBFan

    “I hope that kid Jesus Montero is clean. The Yankees where a bit worried when they signed him cause his test didn’t come out completely clean.

    How do you know that.
    Is there a link?

  208. Mike NYY- Welcome home Alex

    Mike NYY: Giambi to LAA, or some other team, would also free up a roster spot though. Is $12M worth a roster spot?

    What i meant was how does that make sense from the other team’s perspective?

  209. E-ROC

    I hope we don’t trade for Santana. Why pay twice? Would u really want to see Mussina in the rotation next year? Yikes. Wang, Pettite (hope he signs), Joba, Hughes, and Kennedy is a better rotation, IMO. Who would play second? Attorney General?

  210. Jax

    I don’t have a link but since I follow the minors closely it was said in various places like Yankee minor league sites and places like Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus that his test weren’t 100% clean.

  211. yanks61

    I’m among those who thinks the Yanks should give Duncan a good shot at first (at least as the RH component of a platoon with Betemit.) I saw him at Scranton twice last year when I was back in the states, and on both occasions he hit lasers out of the park. I know that, and his rather auspicious ‘cameo’ with the Yanks, doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be an asset as a starter, but I certainly think he at least deserves a shot.

    Also, I really believe that Hank taking on the PR function, as the voice of the Yankees, is not only an improvement over the ‘official’ press releases from George’s mouthpiece over the last year or two, but in fact is actually a welcome development in every respect. He’ll pull some ‘boners,’ I’m sure, but overall I love his upfront, totally engaged style. At the same time, I think it’s perfectly obvious that he and Hal are relying on the Cashman,Michaels,Contreras, Damon Oppenheimer, etc. team of baseball pros to make the baseball decisions. The Yankees couldn’t be in better hands. The Little Steins fully committed with the resources and the baseball people knowing how to handle the resources.

  212. LathamJoe

    If Giambi can get himself in reaosnable shape and have a decent ST, Oakland could be in the running for the Giambino.
    They were rumored to be interested in Barry, until the indictments likely took him off of their radar screen.
    Yankees would likely have to pay a hefty part of the salary and settle for a “B” prospect.

  213. The D train

    No Santana deal involving Robby Cano. Fill one spot while creating another makes no sense. Cano has a future with lots of upside. No quality 2nd baseman to deal for without weakening the team further by adding other prime prospects to complete a Santana deal. No team is dumb enough to deal good prospects for a possible 1-year rental of Santana.
    Wait until he goes on the FA market and use Giambi/Mussina money to get him.

  214. BBFan

    Yanks61, I fully agree with your assessment of the Little Stiens. I think, Hank is a fresh breath of air.

  215. --------

    Even without a no-trade clause, or being a 10-5 guy, Giambi isn’t going anywhere this year. Right now, who would want him? And if he returns to Giambino slugging, then the Yankees won’t want to trade him.

    Also, why do people want to trade Matsui? He is a significant bat (his 2007 down year was accomplished on one leg), good teamate, and media draw in Japan.

    As to Shelley Duncan, who we all like and root for, hasn’t that already been discussed to death? He’s a good kid, and had a few good moments. Used sparingly, he can contribute.

  216. E-ROC

    Trade Giambi to the Twins for something useful. He could be their DH. They need one.

  217. Mike NYY- Welcome home Alex

    No Santana deal involving Robby Cano. Fill one spot while creating another makes no sense. Cano has a future with lots of upside. No quality 2nd baseman to deal for without weakening the team further by adding other prime prospects to complete a Santana deal. No team is dumb enough to deal good prospects for a possible 1-year rental of Santana.
    Wait until he goes on the FA market and use Giambi/Mussina money to get him.

    Any Satana deal would come with an extension so it wouldn’t be a one year rental. It would be filling one gaping hole hole (pitching) and opening up a not as important one (offense)

    WHo says he`ll be a free agent? The Twins are getting a new stadium and can probably afford hin

  218. LathamJoe

    Nobody on this blog has mentioned the name of Andy Phillips as a first base candidate. Granted, his offensive (power)numbers don’t project well for a 1st basemen, but he is eons ahead of Shelley defensively and makes better contact. I like Duncan very much, love his attitude, but he is a role player. Obviously, AP likely is too, but he deserves his shot after last season’s performance before his injury.
    His MiLB numbers of pretty decent and he is the best defensive alternative now that Minky is gone.

  219. BBFan

    Not sure if the roster will has space for all these 1Bs: Giambi, Andy Phillips, Duncan, Betemit,….
    Something has to give.

  220. mel

    USA won the World Basehall Cup 6-3 over Cuba.

  221. Enoch

    Pettitte: P-E-T-T-I-T-T-E. Just a pet peeve. Yankee fans should spell it right, and so many don’t.

  222. yanks61

    BBFan, I think there are more and more of us out there warming to Hank’s style. Good to know that you’re among them!

    LathamJoe, I totally agree with you that the situation is certainly a dilemma and I suppose will, at least initially, get sorted out in ST.

    ——– also makes a good point that over use of Shelley may ‘expose’ him, but I just love his RH power, his gun for an arm (kinda wasted though at 1BB, isn’t it!) and his enthusiasm.

    Hopefully, the Yanks can keep both Andy and Shelley, but along with Betemit, Matsui and what’s left of Giambi, 1B/DH is getting rather crowded. The one thing all this does highlight, I suppose, is that the Yanks won’t be looking for a 1B, probably not even if Tex becomes available next year (thou everyone seems to assume that ATL. has him wrapped up anyway), because, as is being pointed out quite a lot, future years may see either Jeter or Posada taking a turn there (though I would guess more likely Derek, with Jorge going into the DH slot.)

    Great to read all your comments. Gotta run now. Will check back later!

  223. Andrea

    Latham Joe: I’ve mentioned Andy Phillips as a 1B possibility. And I got shot down.

  224. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I think it is a great idea that it is just for the students. That is what the intention was, and that is how it should stay.

  225. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Enoch
    November 18th, 2007 at 11:00 am
    Pettitte: P-E-T-T-I-T-T-E. Just a pet peeve. Yankee fans should spell it right, and so many don’t.

    _________________________________

    MINE TOO!! I hate it!! It has 2 TT twice!! How hard is that!??

  226. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Andrea me too!! I’d like to see Andy back at first. He started to swing the bat when he had consistant playing time. I was at the game when he got hit and was lost for the season. I was so upset for him! Knowing everything he has gone through in his personal life I felt so bad.

  227. TurnTwo

    and its not as simple as saying that you fill one hole, but you create another. you need to compare the pressing concerns/issues that surround the team, and figure out the best way to fill them

    we know that this team scored a million runs last year, but when they fell in the playoffs, again, everyone saw that it was the postseason ace that the team really needs.

    so it hurts to have to trade Robby Cano, if it comes to that. but you can find 2nd baseman.

    you can give the position full time to Wilson Betemit in Spring Training and let him win it, you can plug in Alberto Gonzalez if you want a more defensive presence, you can trade some lower level prospects for a player like Orlando Hudson, who is expected to be let go by Arizona as a FA after the 2008 season, or you can sign a Mark Loretta-type player as a stop-gap.

    you cant just as easily find an legitimate ace.

  228. mel

    From the Post:

    The future Hall of Fame closer isn’t happy about Hank Steinbrenner talking as much as he has about the contract offer that will make Rivera the highest paid closer by $4 million, but that doesn’t appear to be a deal killer.

    Hopefully, Hank will learn there’s a time and a place to talk. lol.

  229. mel

    Just remember it’s 4 T’s, as in 40, as in almost 40. :)

  230. BBFan

    I do not see Hank did any thing wrong with Mo.
    Mo was being greedy here and Hank stated the facts to put pressure on him to act. Nothing wrong here. As much as we love these players, there is no need to pamper thier selfish attitudes.

  231. Andrea

    Enoche: in my 12th grade Calculus class, it was a bonus on my test to spell Pettitte. I am proud to say I got that question right.

  232. Andrea

    Jennifer: I didn’t see the game where he got hit and I heard about it and I got so sad. Poor Andy Phillips.

  233. mel

    BBFan,

    Hank didn’t do anything wrong, he just lacks tact.

    Mo is old, that’s a fact, but no need for Hank to use that fact in public to defend his position.

    I can see it now. “Yeah, we want Miguel Cabrera, but he’s a little too heavy right now for us to give up our best prospects for” Absurd, yes, but I could see it happening with Hank.

    Like Hank, but I think he offends people sometimes with his comments. He’ll learn, though, he’s just a “colt” yet.

    And yes, I thought Mo was greedy and crazy to ask for a 4th year after such a slam dunk offer.

  234. BBFan

    TurnTwo,

    Well said.

    It is the team that wins not individual players.
    Trading Cano for Santana and then getting a decent 2B, makes the team better and increases the chances of going to WS.

  235. BBFan

    Mel,

    I agree with your perspective with respect to Mo and Hank.

    What I do not agree is Pete and many others here bashing Hank blidly wihtout giving him proper credit for what he is doing or not giving him chance until we know him better.

  236. whozat

    “Trading Cano for Santana and then getting a decent 2B, makes the team better and increases the chances of going to WS.”

    And trades away our only young all-star caliber position player. And we’re not producing any more in the next year or two.

    If the Yanks had more player position depth, ok. But they don’t.

    And, again, all that matters is what other teams are looking to give. Are the sox giving Ellsbury and/or Pedroia? Are the Dodgers giving up Kemp? Are the Angels giving up Kendrick?

    If not…why are we giving up Cano? And, even if the Sox are giving up Pedroia or Ellsbury, Cano’s shown more than either.

  237. whozat

    “I’d like to see Andy back at first. He started to swing the bat when he had consistant playing time.”

    Go look at the numbers. Even when he was hitting for average, it was soft. All singles, basically. That’s just not good enough.

  238. lichessnut

    Mo’s coming back!

    http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7460538

  239. BBFan

    whozat,

    At this time we do not know what Sox, Angeles or Dogers are willing to give up for Santana.

    Also, Sox do not have the same SP need we have. There is price for every thing. We have to give quality to get quality. As TurnTwo said, it is easier to replace a 2B than getting a lock down SP for the post season.

  240. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    When I hear the conference call I’ll believe it. I think they are all picking up on one article written in the Daily News.

  241. Vince

    In his heyday, George was far and away more vocal than No. 1 son Hank. A week couldn’t go by in season or out without George making a big splash on the back pages of tabloids.
    The true test for Hank will come if the team has a losing streak or a player performs far below expectations thus showing his father’s lack of patience. In a short space of time, Hank is showing that he must have done his homework in the background with anticipation of being the voice of the Yankees. Any rough edges will be snipped off this year with the closing of the old Stadium and the All Star game on the agenda in his first year. Brother Hal is busy at work across the street with the new Stadium as his project.

  242. Hector the Projector

    The G-Men will tame the Lions on their carpet in Motown.

  243. LathamJoe

    Regarding, the trading of Robbie Cano…This 24-year old is not merely another 2nd basemen, he has the real potential to be a future No. 3 hitter in the Yankees lineup, a 30-Hr per year power threat and perrenial all-Star. Yes, Santana is the “ace” we need, but perhaps Joba, Hughes, Wang even Sanchez or Kennedy will develop into that guy. I’d rather so patience, particularly in dealing away potential great position players, evenif it means waiting a season or two. Pitchers are much more susceptible to injury than position players. Trade for Santana, but leave Cano off the list.

    By the way, the 90s Yankees did not have a traditional “ace”, but had a group of Big-Game pitchers who knew how to win under pressure. Cone, Wells,Pettitte,Key,
    Hernandez, Clemens, were either a few years beyond their “Ace” status – but they knew how to pitch.
    The only pitcher that you would classify as having “shutdown stuff” in those years was…Mariano Rivera.

  244. TurnTwo

    “If not…why are we giving up Cano? And, even if the Sox are giving up Pedroia or Ellsbury, Cano’s shown more than either.”

    you’ve got to give talent to get talent. In essence, building a package around Cano sacrifices a young, top position player, but on the flip side, you’re keeping your own top-of-the-rotation pair of Joba and Hughes intact.

    And building a package around an already proven MLB player is worth more to a team than shipping any number of prospects. Ok, so you dont want to give up Cano? Then you’re now trading away probably Hughes, plus Tabata and Austin Jackson (who are projected to be really the top 2 positional prospects the Yankees have in the system), and maybe even another lower level arm.

    to put it into context, what did the Yankees trade to get the best player in baseball? one player, Alfonso Soriano. granted, it was also a salary dump to the Rangers, and the Yankees took on a large portion of that salary. But, a trade for Santana, while he doesnt have the contract right now, will get an extention. So you give up one proven MLB player, and you might be able to pull the trigger without giving up much more in the upper levels of the system with him.

    So who would you rather part with: Joba or Hughes in a package, or Cano?

  245. DVB Forever

    Speaking of Andey Petet, I think that ( LOL ) :-)

  246. whozat

    “So who would you rather part with: Joba or Hughes in a package,”

    Joba or Hughes, no brainer. We’re getting pitching. I’d rather trade pitching for pitching, especially since the Yanks have depth in pitching prospects.

  247. E-ROC

    Who is going to be packaged with Cano for Santana?

  248. Just Sayin'

    I have noticed that it’s mostly women that want Andy Phillips to start at 1B.

    I can’t help but wonder if he looked like Enrique Wilson if he’d have so much support.

    He’s not a good player. But he’s good looking and nice and loves his momma.

    Just sayin’

  249. Andrea

    My suggestion for Andy Phillips at 1B was trying to find someone from within. I choose defense over offense, especially with so much offense at 3B. Therefore, I choose Phillips at 1B, with an occasional Duncan/Giambi platoon/PH type situation.

    I hate being accused of liking players based on looks. I have an affection for Brian Bruney. Gonna base that on looks too? Sometimes I have weird reasons for liking someone (though I admit that my liking of Bruney has fizzled since everything good I saw in him is gone. I’ll finally admit that now), but it is never based on looks. I’ll never invent baseball prowess based on looks.

  250. mel

    Vince,

    I agree with you that Hank seems to be pushing the right buttons.

    But in regards to Mariano, I think he may have been a little impatient (o.k. acting like a spoiled brat). He couldn’t imagine why Mariano didn’t snap up his new offer right away. Then Hank felt compelled to defend his offer and put the onus on Mariano just days into free agency. A nice tango became a mangled mosh pit. Totally unnecessary.

    Someone here mentioned that Mariano always made it difficult for the Yankees. As the senior player (I mean, literally) of the Yankees he just wants respect and some love. Joe G. reaching out is a good thing. If Hank had allowed negotiations to run its course, Joe G. may’ve been there to seal the deal. Instead Girardi probably had to smooth the ruffled feathers.

    If Mo comes back and things go on as usual, then it’s all good. Business is business, but you never know with Mo, huh?

  251. mel

    Just Sayin’,

    Not me. He’s not that good looking, either.

  252. Andrea

    mel: I wasn’t gonna go there, but I agree. I don’t want to be mean! I’m sure someone finds him pretty!

  253. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    He is a good defender. We don’t need all stars at every position.

    It doesn’t hurt that he is nice looking. :mrgreen:

  254. Cuz

    It seemed like we could have had this coversation 4 yrs ago when we had another allstar 2nd baseman. We traded him for ARod. Not the end of the world without Cano

  255. mel

    I think that Pete needs to put up a “Do you think Andy Phillips is cute, and should he be a starter because of that?” poll. lol.

  256. Andrea

    mel: I’m pretty sure the men on this board would sabotage that poll…

  257. mel

    Andrea,

    lol. Yeah, I think it’s pretty much split along gender lines for the most part.

  258. Stephen King's The Mist - they paid me to advertise this

    The Mist – Opening Everywhere Weds. Nov. 21

    Go See It.

    Go Yanks.

  259. randy l.

    after grading players on the five tools old time scouts used to add at the bottom of their scouting reports ” good face”.

    http://findarticles.com/p/arti.....i_17603495

    Old baseball scouts believe you can look at a kid’s face and see if he’s got the thing to make his dreams real. “You ever hear of `the good face’?” the Dodgers’ Al Campanis used to say. “Some scout would give me a report on a boy, and I’d say, `Tell me about his face,’ or `Does he have the good face?’”

    “People see Chipper Jones and say he looks like the young Mickey Mantle. Hold the photographs side by side. Mantle at 23, Jones at 23. You can see it. Or you can put Jones alongside Eddie Mathews. “Reminds me of Eddie,” Bobby Cox said. “The lips, the eyes, the face, the way he moves. Eddie Mathews.”

    The best part is, we’re talking about a look and we’re talking about more. We’re talking about a kid who can play. He has the good face. There’s maturity there, determination. There’s the look of a kid who knows what some of us a lot older never know. He knows who he is. He even knows what makes him the player he is: “It’s a necessary arrogance.”

  260. Rusty

    oh hell yeah. spring training schedule:

    http://tinyurl.com/ys5opz

  261. mel

    randy l,

    Thanks for the article. It must be one of those “intangibles”. Wonder what the scouts wrote about Jeter, Alex, Mariano, & Joba?

    And what did they write for Manny? “Nobody’s home”?

  262. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    There are no off days listed.?

  263. jonathan

    I Wouldnt put one cent in steven kings (red sock diehard) pocket. screw him and all red sock fans

  264. randy l.

    mel-
    if you google: “good face” baseball scouts ,
    you’ll get a ton of articles. it’s one of those things that separate old time scouting from sabermetrically based scouting.

    there’s definitely a joke in there somewhere how youkillis was the poster child for the moneyball philosophy.

  265. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    They aren’t very up to date.

    http://www.springtrainingonlin.....kees_6.htm

    Flash is still our back up catcher. :roll:

  266. In Joba We Trust

    we cant trade cano, he is the only young position player we have with power. keep all the kids and let them develop. cano almost won the batting title 2 yrs ago, melk is our only speedy outfielder and can throw, and we have 3 of the best pitching prospects that are ml ready…everyone talks about how much they love jeter, posada, mo and pettitte cause they were in the yankee system but since then weve had nobody who can say that

  267. ray

    jonathan
    November 18th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
    I Wouldnt put one cent in steven kings (red sock diehard) pocket. screw him and all red sock fans

    Oh Jonathan us sox fans are just so disappointed that you are not going to put a cent in our stockings. We are just so devastated we will just have to be happy with the World Series title!

  268. dontfirecash

    Heard Baseball America’s John Manuel on the old radio this morning. He was discussing Yankee prospects. He said a few things that I found surprising. First off, he said Alan Horne features four(that’s right 4!) plus pitches. If that is true, that is freakin’ insane. Horne has to work on his control, but he sounds like he could be the real deal. Manuel is also very high on Mark Melancon, not so high on Brett Gardner, and he didn’t seem to know what to make of Jose Tabata. Overall, he said what most people say about the Yankee farm system: It is heavy on pitching prospects and aside from Jackson and Tabata, it is light on position prospects in the upper levels of the minors.

  269. Dave

    ray == Stephen King? We’re so honored by yur presence.

  270. Irabu's Son

    Man… I am SO EXCITED for next season to start. It just hit me. We have a manager with fire and spunk. We have a coaching staff with something to prove. We’ve locked up A-Rod and Mariano and Posada. Abreu and Giambi are in their contract years. Joba is going to start. Shelley and Betemit might get a ton of at-bats in a nice-looking platoon (Betemit beats up on righties, maybe Shelley will do the same to lefties). Damon and Matsui will be healthy at the start of Spring Training. Hughes, if he isn’t packaged with Cano in a deal for Santana, is going to be healthy and ready to roll. And if he is traded for Santana… that just means we have JOHAN SANTANA, a once-in-a-lifetime lefty stud. It’s the last year for the Stadium.

    There’s a lot to be excited about.

  271. Irabu's Son

    Another thing that might be great: no more Barry Bonds to hear about about. Maybe if he’s not in the slammer, he’ll be retired (in shame?).

  272. JBRO

    Moe is reportedly excepting the 3 year deal…

  273. Andrea

    My friend from Paris came to some games with me and decided that Matsui was her favorite player, so we got her a Matsui tshirt. She sleeps it in pretty much every night. Her dad finally saw her in it and she realized her dad knows who Matsui is–he is WORLD famous, even in a country that does not have baseball and as a whole does not care about baseball. They bonded over the Yankees.

    See? the Yankees bring families together!

  274. LathamJoe

    “It seemed like we could have had this coversation 4 yrs ago when we had another allstar 2nd baseman”

    Robbie Cano was already in the Yankee MiLB system and was the Atlantic League player of the year in 2002. and to call Soriano “a second baseman” is indeed a stretch!

  275. Dave

    Remember gloomy, fear factor, Best team in BB? I wonder what those posters are doing over the winter. This site is getting desolate without them LOL.

  276. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Dave please don’t call them out!!

  277. Andrea

    Fear Factor always made me laugh. I think he/she thought he/she was making us worry. Oh, the hilarity of some trolls.

  278. Dave

    Hope they all keep hibernating and forget to come back in the spring.

  279. spell check

    JBRO :

    Do you mean to say that Mariano took exception to the deal or accepted the deal ? Inquiring fans need to know.

  280. 27for27

    Irabu’s son: I feel the same way. I’m counting the minutes until pitchers and catchers. On the down side, the Yankees have just committed $350M+ to the same team that couldn’t get out of the first round of playoffs this year.

  281. yanks61

    Andrea,

    I lived in Paris for years (I’m now living in the Loire Valley near Blois) and I have to say that while the French know nothing about MLB, they are, nonetheless, fascinated by baseball in general. Last spring, the ‘junior’ high level kids in our little town were out for weeks playing (well, trying to play) ball. It was great fun watching them – boys and girls together.

    I’m in Paris often for business and the ONLY baseball hat you ever see is the one worn by the one and only New York Yankees!

  282. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I thought Reggie Bush was supposed to be the next great running back. He has done nothing for me all season!!

  283. Andrea

    yanks61:oh, I know. My friend and all her friends know what the Yankees are. They all have hats. I thought I’d have to let her borrow a hat when she came to visit, but she came with 2 different ones, depending on what outfit she wore. They know Derek Jeter (partly because “jeter” is the French word, to throw, or something, so they remember him, and also because he’s Jeter). My friend and her friends, and apparently a lot of Parisians are obsessed with New York. The Yankees are a big part of that. Her father was just impressed that she, a girl with no interest in sports at all, had any clue what the Mastui and #55 on the back of her tshirt were.

  284. Andrea

    yanks 61: I think I skipped that whole first part of your comment. You live in France? I’m not really familiar with the geography.I just know where my friend lives, which is just outside the ring road that goes around Paris. You basically drive a few feet, hope on the ring road and hop into the city. Where do you live compared to Paris? (Since that’s all I know…)

    When I was there it was impossible to catch games. How do you watch, if you watch at all?

  285. yanks61

    Andrea,

    I live about 150 Kms from Paris. I used to live (for about eight years) in the 15th arrondissement, in the south west of Paris. The southern most part touches on the Peripherique (the ring that you mentioned.)

    Unfortunately, I catch only a few games a year when I’m back in the States. I stay in touch with the game and the Yankees through the Internet (NY papers and a couple of blogs.)Missing,family, friends and the Yanks are the toughest part about being away.I’m the oldest of eight boys and one girl and we’re all big Yankee fans! I played ball from Little League through semi-pro (northern Jersey.) If I ever retire, maybe I’ll open a baseball clinic here – they’d be plenty of kids who’d take me up on playing!

  286. Andrea

    yanks61: wow, I forgot those words….all of them. I’m a terrible tourist! I also forget which arrondisement my friend lives in. I’m bad at this. I just know to go and buy a ticket to central Paris and I know what the train station looked like that I needed to get off the train in, and then my friend would meet me there.

    That’s rough, missing your family. That’s why my friend hasn’t moved here yet. She loves America, and could easily get a job here because her English is amazing. She has a lot of family in Montreal, and some in northern New Jersey, so it would be easier for her I think than if she just started alone.

    A baseball clinic would be fun! Do it! You have my vote :)

  287. sports R us

    Yanks61 :

    Further proof that there’s a Yankee Universe. People worldwide know the most recognized logo in all of sports is the interlocking NY.
    Boston has their silly nation thing. The B could stand for a number of teams.

  288. mel

    Have fun with this one guys…

    http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....able_papi/

  289. whozat

    “the same team that couldn’t get out of the first round of playoffs this year.”

    ::shakes head::

    You REALLY think that a team with 3/5 of the rotation made up by Joba, Hughes, and Ian is the same team?

    Are you worried about the regular season, or the playoffs? If the former, this team is WAY different than the one that started last year. If the latter, then the team is still very different. After a year of MLB starting, Andy (if back), Joba, Wang and Hughes would be pretty sweet as a playoff rotation.

    Also…go point out a team that’s made a significant move so far. The Tigers? Maybe the Phils?

    If you want instant gratification, go play a video game.

  290. yanks61

    Thanks Andrea, we’ll see what happens!

    The big myth about the French is that they don’t like Americans, but in my 20+ years here I’ve had virtually nothing but good experiences. Like your young friend, most of the French youth would adore to live in the States – at least for a while. I say for at least a while, because my wife, who is French, went to NYU, where we met, and we lived for years in central Jersey. Then there came a day when she just missed home too much! But I work here and enjoy it, so it compensates to a some degree for missing the the family, friends and Yanks.

    And on that note, I’ll call it a night. Have a good day thinking about the great Yankee season to come!

  291. Ed FL

    Who is the agent for Johan Santana? Please not Boras

  292. Mark McCray

    Johans agent is Peter Greenberg

  293. Ed FL

    Mark,
    Thanks

  294. Ed FL

    Team USA beat Cuba.

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....;fext=.jsp

  295. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    I’m back, having just acquired a sister-in-law.

    What did I miss?

  296. MGW 27 in '08

    The bouquet?
    Go get a nap, Bec! :-)

  297. Hector the Projector

    As said earlier, the G-Men will tame the lions. Past tense.

  298. Tommy

    Inspirednumbers has a great response to the Globe article that Mel linked to earlier.

    Peter links to Inspirednumbers on his Blogroll.

  299. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    yes my G-MEN have bounced back nicely

    P.S. THE JETS WILL UPSET THE STEELERS BIG TIME TONIGHT

  300. Jaewon

    ya’ll know MO’s back?

  301. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    needs to sign that sheet first, then we go crazy :)

  302. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Barrels of LOLz at that Boston.com article. Delusion lives in Beantown! They didn’t seem to mention who had more walk off and game winning hits this year. I wonder why? And what a joke for them to even mention defense. Even Miguel Cabrera at 3rd trumps that Gold Glove bench that Big Sloppi plays! Also, no mention of Magglio Ordonez at all? As if Shrek was 2nd in line behind A-Rod for the MVP anyway. Keep hitting that crack rawk, Boston Globe!

    Anywho, in other news, BIG win for the G-Men today, rebounding nicely from last week’s heartbreaker (which has always been their achilles heel in the past) and handing the Lions their first home loss of the season. Woo Hoo BIG BLUE!!!!!!!

    And, fantastic that MO is rumored to be accepting the 3 yr deal. Hope that gets done soon! I wonder if Girardi’s visit with him has anything to do with this, cause it seemed we started hearing he’d accept right after Girardi visited with him. And I know I don’t even need to say how much it warms my heart that Joe G. was in the DR doing scouting in the first place. I’m feeling great about having a mgr that is so involved!

  303. DC

    Newsday’s blog is reporting Mariano will sign. They will give an update in about an hour.

  304. DC

    It took alot of work to get last year’s team back. Have we improved at all? Especially if we lose Andy!!

  305. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    Joba to the starting rotation where he is suppose to be , Humberto Sanchez on the cusp of ST , Ohlendorf and Christian Garcia will likely be healthy.

    Kei Igawa a trade chip, Farnsy a trade chip… yup we have improved in SP now we need to land the Ace Santana or Kazmir or continue w/ our two and improve OF defense.

    so yes we have improved for 08′

  306. BBFan

    “It took alot of work to get last year’s team back. Have we improved at all? Especially if we lose Andy!!”

    Yes, we did with the new manager alone.
    He will not be out-managed and will handle the bullpen well.

    Remember that we will have Joba and Hughes for the full year. Also, last year we had atrocious bench, especially backup catcher, in the first half. This year, we will have a very potent bench for the full year. It helps that Damon and Matsui will be healthy for the full year. Also, Abrue and Giambi are in contract years and some how contract years have a way of getting the best out of the players.

  307. BBFan

    …The only need I really see needed is improvement in the bullpen, which I am pretty sure will be taken care of shortly.

  308. Buddy Biancalana

    The contract year thing didn’t work for Andruw Jones.

  309. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but I would say we have improved over last year just by virtue of a full year of Hughes, Joba and IPK. Losing Andy would be going backwards though. But losing Pavano & Igawa from the rotation is a definite step forward! Besides, I feel like now that the rest of the gang is returning, theres a good chance for Andy too.

    Plus, I think our 08 pen will be much better than 07. We’ll get a good lefty reliever, Girardi will smack some sense into Krazy Kyle, and Olie will contribute all year, hopefully with some help from Sanchez and Cox too. Finding a reliable spot starter/long reliever in either Karstens or Ras (or T-Clip, but he is valuable trade bait) would be the cherry atop the ice cream sundae.

    Also, since I keep hearing all this stuff about an Oakland fire sale, if I’m Cash I would look into Rich Harden. Haren will cost a lot but Harden could end up working in our favor as a low-risk/high-reward type deal.

  310. DC

    Who replaces Joba in the bullpen? That is a big lose. Will Humberto Sanchez pitch well this year? Is he still one year away after the surgery he had?

  311. Buddy Biancalana

    BBB-

    I live in the Bay Area & from what I have read that since A Rod isn’t going to the Angels, the A’s will not be having any fire sale, unless the Angels acquire Cabrera. The feeling is Oakland won’t have such a big gap to catch the Angels.

  312. Buddy Biancalana

    Vizcaino will probably be back & there are high hopes for Veras as well in the bullpen.

  313. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    DC, Humberto had better numbers than any SP per 9 IP in the minor league system the year he was pitching w/ a torn cartliedge imagine him healthy, he’s already throwing off flat ground he’s on the fast pace return. And yes he has dominating stuff.

  314. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    correction cartilage

  315. Wolf In Pinstripes

    Don’t forget also that the coaching of the pitching staff should be greatly improved this coming year with Eiland at the helm. As much as I loved Gator as a player, he wasn’t the best fit as pitching coach in hindsight. Not horrible, just not the right fit.

    That change alone is something that will make a big difference in the coming year, IMO.

  316. Buddy Biancalana

    Great point on Eiland, Wolf.

  317. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Buddy: interesting, thanks. That’s good news in the sense that none of our main rivals will be able to acquire Haren. But I’m guessing the A’s current mentality about there not being that big a gap between them & LAA would change if LAA traded for Cabrera?

  318. Buddy Biancalana

    BBB-

    I think A Rod would have really been the deciding factor, not so much with Cabrera but Harden & Blanton can be had a lot easier than Haren.

  319. willis

    wow…I just realized Zeppelin is on itunes now….

  320. Thurman

    Am I allowed to dream a little?

    Cano, Kennedy and Alberto Gonzalez (plus cash) for Santana.

    Melky, Farnsworth and Igawa (plus cash) for Haren.

    Sign Aaron Rowand for CF and use Betemit for 2B until a better possibility emerges, even as late as the 2008 trading deadline.

    Pull both Santana and Haren in and I’ll have a man-crush on Cashman!

  321. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Hey, just saw Lloyd Carr is retiring

  322. Bobcat

    I haven’t been around the Blog lately, due to lots of pressing things, but a few random thoughts:

    1) Mariano Rivera – We said it here last week: the deal has been done, Mo has been busy with a religious retreat and his baseball camp. He also took some extra time to just make sure he couldn’t get a fourth year elsewhere, with the Yankees’ encouragement.

    2) A-Rod vs. Boras – We also said here, in response to the speculation as to who encouraged A-Rod and helped broker the resolution to the impasse, and we indicated that it was someone who had “access to the ivory tower”. Now that the information has been authorized to be made public, Warren Buffet is appropriately receiving credit for being the impetus. Clearly, baseball transcends the highest levels of power in this country.

    3) Winter Leagues are wrapping up:

    a) Clearly Juan Miranda is in the mix for the left-handed 1B position in 2009. He can’t hit lefties (and never has), but he mashes RHP. In the AFL, he hit .295 overall, but .400 vs RHP (4 HR, 12 RBI, OBP of .530 in 45 AB) and .152 vs LHP (1 HR, 5 RBI, OBP of .250 in 33 AB).

    He projects to share the 1B role with Shelly Duncan in 2009, after Giambi’s contract expires.

    b) Austin Jackson is wearing down. He’s had 625 AB’s this year, and hit .176 over the last month. He’s 20, so fatigue is not unexpected. Otherwise, he was fantastic in 2007.

    c) Ross Ohlendorf accomplished the things he wanted to in the AFL. His focus was side-work, and got in games once a week to see where he was, progress-wise. His numbers ended up skewed due to a bad last outing, but otherwise, a huge success. Look for good things from him in 2008.

    d) Brett Gardner was outstanding in the AFL (.343 BA, .433 OBP, 16/17 SB).

    I’ll try to check in tomorrow with more, once I check to see what information’s been cleared.

  323. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Bobcat–That is a great update, thank you!

  324. Adrian

    Harden would be a risk as a injury.But I think Haren making $7 million would cause the A’s to trade him since they traded Scutoro and his $2 million contract for two crappy pitching prospects that made Alan Horne look like Joba.

    I alaways thought we should do what the Red Sox did last year with the Marlins and give up good prospects not the farm for a Ace pitcher but the main thing of the deal is the Red Sox picked up Lowell crappy contract.Hey I’ll take Chavez 9 Million at 30 years old for a Ace pitcher.As long as Joba not in the deal.I think the LAA will get Cabera they need a good hitter for Guerreo.He’s like A-Rod no one to protect him in the line-up like Manny makes Ortiz hit way better.

  325. --------

    Rebecca, What a nice photo! Charming *and* pretty — they shold be beating down your door!

  326. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Thank you =)

  327. Buddy Biancalana

    Nice photo Rebecca, send it on it to Joba’s website, & maybe you will be the future Mrs. Rebecca Chamberlain.

  328. --------

    Wrong tribe, Buddy (smile).

  329. Buddy Biancalana

    Adrian-

    No need for Chavez now anyway, besides he just had his 3rd surgery in 2 months.

  330. Anthony

    Check out this little piece of idiocy from MSN sports:

    “David Eckstein, Cardinals

    When he signed his three-year, $10.25 million free-agent deal after the 2004 season, some experts ripped the Cardinals for giving him too much money and too many years.

    After all, Eckstein was really a second baseman playing shortstop. He didn’t possess great fielding range and his arm strength was famously poor. He was a decent hitter, but he had no power and little speed on the basepaths.

    But Eckstein was the perfect fit in St. Louis, where he moved into the lead-off spot. He earned two trips to the All-Star Game and became the MVP of the 2006 World Series, on the strength of his three doubles in Game 4 against Detroit.

    In many ways, he is the anti-A-Rod —a low-budget, low-glamour signing that produced maximum results.”

    He’s also the Anti-A-Rod in that he’s not very good at baseball.

  331. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    I believe Mr. Chamberlain is currently unavailable ;)

  332. Buddy Biancalana

    —–

    That’s right, Rebecca is of Iroquois decent.

  333. Enoch

    Brandon – Kazmir’s a cost controlled #1. That is exactly what teams like TB need. He’s not moving.

  334. Buddy Biancalana

    descent, dang!

  335. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Nope.

  336. Buddy Biancalana

    Kazmir’s unavailability has been talked about on this blog. for a while now, not sure why his name keeps getting mentioned

  337. Eternal Optimist

    On the good news front, Pavano will not be the starting pitcher on opening day.
    In fact, Pavano has thrown his last pitch wearing a No. 45 Yankee uniform.

  338. Buddy Biancalana

    So who is more powerful, Eternal Optimist or Optimist Prime, or does this need to be decided by Optimist Infinity?

  339. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Hmm who would I rather have David Eckstein or Alex Rodriguez? David Eckstein or Alex Rodriguez? hmmm That is a tough one. David Eckstein who has hit 30 homeruns in his career, or Alex Rodriguez who hits that in a bad year. David Eckstein whose career high ba is .309 and low is .252 or Alex Rodriguez whose career high ba is .358. Hmmm this is a TOUGH choice!:roll:

  340. Buddy Biancalana

    Eckstein does have 2 more WS rings than A Rod.

  341. Andrea

    Buddy: I think that’s something for the Cobra Commander to decide!

  342. Buddy Biancalana

    Andrea-

    Lol

  343. Buddy Biancalana

    Andrea-

    Was Steven Seagal in that?

  344. Buddy Biancalana

    Hopefully Mo will make it official shortly.

  345. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Yes, well, Optimist Prime is a geek pun.

    So there.

    =D

  346. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    David Eckstein has two more rings than, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez combined. But in their prime who would you rather have playing on your team?

  347. Buddy Biancalana

    This just hit the wire, whew!! I am so relieved, not about Rivera either.

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html

  348. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Why should we care what Rudy has to say, he is no longer a Yankee fan. :(

  349. Buddy Biancalana

    Jennifer-

    A Rod by a longshot, he’s due for a ring or two or three.

  350. Andrea

    Buddy: lol, I don’t know. But somehow that makes a lot of sense.

  351. mel

    Austin Jackson had 2 rbi’s to help save his team’s season in yesterday’s 7-6 win in an elimination game.

  352. Boston Dave

    Mariano Rivera has agreed to accept the Yankees’ three-year, $45 million offer, a friend who spoke with Rivera today told the Bergen Record.

  353. Boston Dave

    That’s it Mo….

  354. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    where do you see this? I just went on their website?

  355. Boston Dave

    http://njmg.typepad.com/yankee.....-back.html

  356. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I’ve never seen a team try to find more ways to lose a game. :( I’m torn I know the Jets aren’t going anywhere, and they need the high draft choice. But I don’t like rooting for my team to lose.

  357. mel

    Rebecca,

    Nice picture. I was expecting an Animal House type of picture.

    p.s. The ‘brows look nice!

  358. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Either way, Rivera would have returned to the Yankees. “He would have taken two years and an option,” the firend said, adding that Rivera did not really want a fourth year.

    HAHA I knew it!!

  359. mel

    TO just caught his 4th TD…of the game.

  360. mel

    jennifer,

    I feel for you, you’re 1st and goal on the 5 yd line and not one single run play?

  361. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    mel: Thank you!

    Jets/Pitt is tied.

    Rivera news made my day. Thank you!

  362. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Why did he have to spike it? He had a t.o. That was stupid. I guess you can call it a rookie mistake?

  363. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    jennifer: I’m guessing he didn’t want to burn the Time Out? I’m not exactly sure why.

    Hopefully now they can win…my teams have a habit of not winning in extra innings.

    I mean, overtime.

  364. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Yeah we actually won a game, and against a very good team!!

  365. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    MIKE NUGENT MY HERO!

  366. Doreen

    Rebecca –

    You look lovely! Congratulations to your brother and his new wife.

    I think it might be time for me to call the “geek squad.” My computer is getting very cantankerous. It takes forever and many attempts to go anywhere! So much for high speed broad band — more like “bored band.” :roll:

    I hope Mariano signs tomorrow. Because the rest of the week – forget it. I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner, among a few other things, so Yankees are going to have to go “back burner” for a couple of days. Anyway, I wish everyone here a pleasant Thanksgiving Holiday, wherever it finds you.

  367. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Doreen–Well, the Record is reporting that the deal’s done…

  368. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Oh god don’t remind me it is Thanksgiving.

    I have to clean the house, bake cookies, bake apple pie. UGH!!

    Good thing it is a short week at work.

  369. Anthony

    Jeff Weaver also has a WS ring, does that mean you want him in your starting rotation? lol

  370. Adrian-Retire21

    Good to hear Mo signed up.But I’m very scared the Yankees were gonna have Codero as a Plan B.Codero should have Codero as Plan Y.

  371. KevinKM

    Doreen,

    Download Ad-Aware SE to get rid of spyware if you don’t already have it, that should clear up a lot of the troubles you have.

  372. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    ….I am the only person in the world that hates Thanksgiving food?

    I love Thanksgiving, I just hate the food!

  373. Anthony

    I hope the Yankees will talk to some of those Japanese relievers as well as re-signing Vizcaino.

  374. Adrian-Retire21

    Rebecca-

    Never heard that before someone hating Thanksgiving food.I love it.But what I hate the most is I’m givin it to eat three days after Thanksgiving as lunch and dinner because theres so much leftovers.Then I hate Thanksgiving food.

  375. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Adrian–That would make me hate any food, even something like Chinese food, which I LOVE

  376. Adrian-Retire21

    I think Mo really never want a fourth year or at least demanded it.I think because there’s still two weeks before the winter meetings and the only good team in New York is the Giants the Media needs something to stuff in the newspapers.I mean how man times can they talk about A-Rod and how much the Knicks are a crappy team.

  377. Adrian-Retire21

    Rebecca-

    I use to love Chinese only when I’m in New York.I’m from New Jersey where Chinese really does suck.I would know I’ve been to every single one and they all the same.It gets worst the more south you go.

  378. J-Dawg

    Hopefully the report about Mo accepting the three-year deal is true, because I am really looking forward to Joba being a starter.

    Congrats on the Jets’ win, folks. That one was a shocker to me! My team takes on Denver tomorrow night.

  379. Adrian-Retire21

    J-Dawg-

    I think Mo after his trip to Dominican Republic.He had more imporant things to take care of.

    And in two years those Titans are gonna be scary.

  380. J-Dawg

    Adrian- It will definitely be a welcome sight when Mo arrives to sign the deal. That will ease a lot of minds.

    The present and future are bright for the Titans. Vince is just struggling a bit, and we desperately need some help at wide receiver. Our defense has been a tremendous improvement from last season. If the run defense continues to dominate like it has all season, we definitely have a shot at making the playoffs.

  381. GreenBeret7

    Jennifer – HIP HIP JORGE!
    November 18th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
    Oh god don’t remind me it is Thanksgiving.

    I have to clean the house, bake cookies, bake apple pie. UGH!!

    Good thing it is a short week at work.

    ______________________________________________________
    Email the food to me and I’ll store it for you until you’re ready for it.

  382. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Adrian–I live in North Jersey, and there is an EXCELLENT Chinese place by where I live.

  383. J-Dawg

    My least favorite Thanksgiving food is cranberry sauce. Ugh!! :(

  384. Doreen

    KevinKM -

    Thanks for the “ad”vice. I will look into it once the holiday is over and I have some time.

    I have prepared Thanksgiving dinner for my family almost every year since my husband and I bought our first home. I love the whole idea of having family over, and I actually do love to cook. But I have to tell you, that my least favorite thing to do is to cook a turkey. There’s just so much you can do with a turkey and I am not interested in deep frying, so, there ya go.

    But I love to play with the side dishes. You can get really creative. The problem is, at Thanksgiving, everyone expects things a certain way. Wasabi mashed potatoes just won’t fly at my house! Unless I ALSO make regular mashed potatoes. And believe me, I’ve done two types of stuffing, two cranberry relishes, and “too” many veggie sides to count, just so I can keep everyone traditionally happy, but fulfill the creative side of me. Every other holiday allows you to be a little different. But darn those pilgrims!

    At least no one in my family is partial to those fake onion rings on top of green beans!!!!!!!!

    Thanks for bearing with my Thanksgiving rant. Now that I’ve gotten it out of my system, I can have fun with it.

    Is Mo signed or not?!?

    We’ve found a couple of good Chinese restaurants here in central NJ, but they’re a little on the pricey side. There’s no such thing as good Chinese take-out here. And don’t even get me started on PIZZA! (Although I have to say, we are lucky to have 2 pizzerias in town that serve excellent pizza, and both have owners hailing from Brooklyn, of course!)

  385. Adrian-Retire21

    Rebecca-

    Really.I also live in North Jersey.Clifton to be accurate.I went to Mr.K’s once and China Grill in Midtown and fell in love.I guess going to those plac es might have made me spoiled here in Jersey.

    To make sure I talk something sports related…Lets Go Yankees

  386. marc

    The yanks are waiting for the official Mo signing to have a gala press conference feat. Arod , Mo and Po, altho Arod might have to have his own. Would be a good touch if he shares it w/ Mo and Po tho.

  387. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I think the Yankees should hold a press conference to announce all 3 together.

    One of the best pizza places in Bergen co. is Brooklyns brick oven.

  388. mark

    Now that Mo is signed, Whats the next big signing in the Yankees future? I am sure there are a lot of things being mulled around but what is the most likely to come to fruition?

  389. VEE

    I have to say, I have been following this Blog for the last few days, I just came across it some how and i never knew that there were people as interested in the Yankees as I am. I have really enjoyed this blog and can not seem to take myself away from it. Thak you to all who have posted and keep people like me in the loop about what is going on with the greatest team in sports history.

  390. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I think they should set their sites on the bullpen. Since Joba will be in the rotation we need a 7th inning guy. I am assuming that Krazy Kyle will get his act together.

  391. murphydog

    Like Chinese? If you’re in Midtown gotta go to Tao at 42 E 58th. Giambi mentioned it in his 10 Questions with Pete earlier this year.

    Been there recently, friend from the old neighborhood works there. Very cool, very crowded, excellent food. The place used to be a theater. The celebs party upstairs in the old projection room. FYI, my friend tells me that Gossage shows up occasionally, eats solo at the bar, getting a good load on.

    Be sure to have a Tao Tini.

  392. GreenBeret7

    mark
    November 18th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
    Now that Mo is signed, Whats the next big signing in the Yankees future? I am sure there are a lot of things being mulled around but what is the most likely to come to fruition?

    ________________________________________________________
    Bullpen help. FA’s Affeldt and Herges from Colorado are cheap, and no draft choices. Joe Kennedy of Toronto is a FA, left handed, starts and relieves, had good relief numbers in Toronto, no draft picks, Marte of Pittsburgh and Fuentes of Colorado are on the market and left handed.

  393. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Adrian–Clifton? Wow, that’s close to me!

    Anyway, check out Empire Hunan in Fair Lawn. Trust me, it’s worth it.

  394. UtilityMan

    Thanks pat

    It looks like the Yankees will indeed be playing that exhibition Game against VA Tech in Virginia on 3-18-08.

    I really thought with the weather being still chilly at that time of the year,and the risk of a star player getting injured,that the game would be played at Legends Field.

    For thoose that missed pats post earlier around 930AM,you can click on the link.
    So this is what we know
    March 18th Time (TBA) Yankees versus Virginia Tech @ Virginia.
    Lot of flying that day,and a luncheon the next day!

  395. Doreen

    Okay Murphydog –

    What’s in a Tao Tini?

    I had a Sicilian Tini the other night (limoncello was the “sicilian” ingredient). Pretty good.

    I may have to put this on the list for when we go into NYC, although it’s not very often the hubby and I get to go sans daughters.

    And, just to stay on-topic — Let’s Go Yankees!

  396. VEE

    GreenBeret7,
    Are those pick ups actually realistic or is that just a kind of wish list? I have to first admit that i have loved this team since i was a little kid growing up in NY. My brother was a Mets fan, I am a Yankee fan. With all sports, he was one, i was the other regarding NY teams. But, I can not say that i see the future the way people on this blog do, you can tell from what teams we should pick up prospects from and who from what teams we should pick up to play for the 2009 season. It is amazing. I have read this blog religiously for the past week or so and plan to learn a lot from it.

  397. Doreen

    You know, if the Yankees can really build up their bullpen, I’m not so sure a Santana is an absolute necessity. I’m so reluctant to let anyone go, and now that Cano seems to have entered that discussion, I’ve really cooled on the Santana thing. I’m hoping no deal is made so he can be obtained via free agency. (Though I doubt that will happen)

  398. mel

    Hey, the blog’s odometer is about to roll over, almost at 200,000.

  399. pat

    Do the Yankees do press conferences for returning players?

  400. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Rebecca where is that resturant?

  401. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Should we give a prize to the person with comment 200.000?

  402. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    jennifer: It’s on Broadway.

  403. murphydog

    Doreen:

    Tao Tini: Absolut Mandarin, Stoly Rasberry, Malibu Rum, Cranberry and lime juice. (I had to look it up). My friend recommended it, and they went down way too easily. Had to switch back to the Tsing Tao. The Desserts are interesting and verrry yummy too.

    Hey if Giambi mentioned it, and Gossage goes there, that’s baseball related, right?

  404. Adrian-Retire21

    Rebecca-

    Yeah that is close all the good resturants by me are Italian so Empire Hunan guess I’ll have that for dinner tomorrow.Thanks.

    Murphydog-

    When I go to work Tomorrow I’ll pass by Tao and have a late lunch.

    Never thought I get good Chinese at a Yankees site.Thanks guys.

    About the Yankees I don’t think the bullpen is a big problem.Think about it The Red Sox had a great bullpen because of there pitching depth starting pitching in the 6th and 7th innings all the time.I mean in April and May Pettite sucked every once i awhile and Chien-Ming Wang also sucked.I mean once in May 5 days straight not one stater went past 5 innings.Get healthy and get a 200 innings stater.

  405. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Is that right near the McDonalds?

  406. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    Anyone know of any good Itailan places that make dishes you can buy and cook. I heard someone leaving the pa talking about it. Didn’t get a chance to ask them where it was.

  407. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    jennifer: I’m not sure :(

    About the Italian places, La Strada in Ridgewood or Midland Park is an Italian gourmet place, my brother swore by it before he left home.

  408. Jennifer - HIP HIP JORGE!

    I”m kicking myself for not asking them. They were talking about what they were making for Thanksgiving. it sounded soo good.

  409. Thurman

    Mo apparently has accepted the Yankee offer.

    http://www.mlbfleecefactor.com

    That leaves Pettitte….and Rowand….

  410. Boston Dave

    ive never heard a team say that their bullpen had too much depth. and even if you did, you can always get a ton of value in a mid-season trade for middle relief. the yanks need to sign a few guys (riske) and worry about it later.

  411. Boston Dave

    thurman, you’re a couple hours late. and rowand would be the worst signing of the offseason (well, maybe after kyle lohse)

  412. whozat

    “I love Thanksgiving, I just hate the food!”

    Come to my house. We start thanksgiving off right…with a nice antipasto. Prosciutto, salami, sopressata, sliced provolone, cappicola. Then, we usually have a lasagna or baked ziti during dinner.

    In addition to all the regular stuff. It’s gotten to the point where I literally have one small scoop of everything and I’m full. Two stalks of broccoli, five green beans, a shot of mashed potatoes, a jigger of sweet potatoes, a sliver of turkey, a hint of stuffing, and a small side of ziti. And a roll. Oh, and corn. And gravy. But screw cranberry sauce, that stuff is disgusting.

    And then a slice of each kind of pie. And some cookies, brownies. Oh, but before that, the fruit and nut course. And before that, fennel to cleanse the palette.

    Re: Bullpen –

    I looked at Affeldt the other day, and I don’t want him. This was supposed the year he “put it all together”, but his peripherals are still real bad. He walks LOTS of guys in addition to his strikeouts, and we already have plenty of guys that can do that. Herges, I hear the rox really want to sign him back. Also, he’s one of those smoke-and-mirrors guys. Fuentes I like, but I’m sure lots of teams want him. Worth exploring a trade for him, certainly.

    Joe Kennedy also walks a lot of guys. And I don’t think the “swingman” appeal is really something we need. We have SO MANY young guys that could come up to spot-start, and also Rasner and Karstens could fill that role.

    I’d love to get Fuentes. But the Yanks also have a lot of young arms that should get shots at the pen this season. Bruney, Veras, Ohlendorf, Sanchez, Britton, Ramirez, Kozlowski, Scott Patterson, and perhaps even Wordekemper.

    Adding Fuentes and re-signing the Viz (and getting rid of Kyle) would make me feel good about building the rest of the pen from the arms above.

  413. whozat

    “The Red Sox had a great bullpen because of there pitching depth starting pitching in the 6th and 7th innings all the time.”

    And because they lucked out with Okajima.

    There are a few Japanese righties coming to the market as FAs (no posting fee) this year. I’d assume the Yanks were looking at them as well.

  414. Boston Dave

    fuentes will be too much but worth exploring. otherwise, sign someone like linebrink or riske. i honestly dont think vizcaino is worth the deal he’s likely to get either. but he’s still among the better free agents (just not worth close to 3/15)

  415. GreenBeret7

    VEE
    November 18th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
    GreenBeret7,
    Are those pick ups actually realistic or is that just a kind of wish list? I have to first admit that i have loved this team since i was a little kid growing up in NY. My brother was a Mets fan, I am a Yankee fan. With all sports, he was one, i was the other regarding NY teams. But, I can not say that i see the future the way people on this blog do, you can tell from what teams we should pick up prospects from and who from what teams we should pick up to play for the 2009 season. It is amazing. I have read this blog religiously for the past week or so and plan to learn a lot from it.

    ______________________________________________________
    VEE, those are legitimate choices. All are young except for Herges, all are left handed. Only trading for Marte or Fuentes would cost players or draft picks. The rest are cheap contracts but better than decent choices, and much better than what the Yanks have below Rivera and Ohlendorff.

  416. pat

    whozat

    “fennel to cleanse the palette.”

    My grandparents used to do that too. You are the only other person I’ve ever heard say that. We used to use the fennel like a straw. Depending on your choice of beverage, it can speed up the buzz and make certain relatives more tolerable.

  417. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    At the Bergen Record, Pete Caldera reports that Mariano Rivera has indeed agreed to re-sign with the NY Yankees. This comes as no surprise, as it had been stated throughout numerous media outlets over the last 24 hours. The deal has been reported for some time now, and is estimated to be worth $45 million. Short term, Rivera is still one of the best in the game. He is getting up there in age, however. How will years 2 and 3 play out? He will be making $15 million annually. Kudos to the Yankee front-office for holding strong at 3 years.

    YES !!! NOW SIGN THE DOTTED LINE LINE MO !!! :D

    According to http://www.impactodeportivo.com.do, the New York Mets have signed free agent 2nd baseman Luis Castillo to a 4 year deal worth $25M

    LOL !!! ME RIO POR DENTRO :)

  418. GreenBeret7

    whozat
    November 18th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
    “I love Thanksgiving, I just hate the food!”

    Re: Bullpen –

    I looked at Affeldt the other day, and I don’t want him. This was supposed the year he “put it all together”, but his peripherals are still real bad. He walks LOTS of guys in addition to his strikeouts, and we already have plenty of guys that can do that. Herges, I hear the rox really want to sign him back. Also, he’s one of those smoke-and-mirrors guys. Fuentes I like, but I’m sure lots of teams want him. Worth exploring a trade for him, certainly.

    Joe Kennedy also walks a lot of guys. And I don’t think the “swingman” appeal is really something we need. We have SO MANY young guys that could come up to spot-start, and also Rasner and Karstens could fill that role.

    I’d love to get Fuentes. But the Yanks also have a lot of young arms that should get shots at the pen this season. Bruney, Veras, Ohlendorf, Sanchez, Britton, Ramirez, Kozlowski, Scott Patterson, and perhaps even Wordekemper.

    Adding Fuentes and re-signing the Viz (and getting rid of Kyle) would make me feel good about building the rest of the pen from the arms above.

    ______________________________________________________
    Kozlowski is a minor league FA, now and unprotected. Keep in mind where Affeldt pitched, where his breaking pitches didn’t break, and, he’s still young and left handed, throws hard. Kennedy would be a good pickup for several reasons besides being young and left handed. There’s no guarantee that Pettitte returns, and NYY will try keeping down the innings on the three kids. That’s a guarantee. Mussina will be 39 and can use a miss through the rotation on occasion. Fuentes is arby eligible this year and wants 7 million, and Colorado’s almost at their budget limit, now. They were also looking at Farnsworth around mid-season, so, a trade of players plus a little cash and somebody like Rasner or DeSalvo may make a possible trade.

  419. Adrian-Retire21

    Yep the Mets probaly won’t be getting a good pitcher because they have been invovled in two bad deals already.

  420. grafxkid

    sadly, i’m watching the wwe pay per view and they just showed Damon and his kid at the event in Florida

  421. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Oh man, I had an entire ballroom full of drunk relatives last night.

    My very first open bar, too…

  422. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    I scared everyone off again?

    WTF?

  423. Adrian-Retire21

    Rebecca-

    Yeah open bars are pretty cool.My uncles when I was 16 use to sneak me a shot at the weddings when all the guys came together to have sjots together.It was pretty cool at that age to be with your older brothers and uncles.I always loved Weddings espacially my older brother who got married in April my first as a Groomsman and best Wedding ever.

    Soco and Lime or CrackHouse best shots.

  424. Jim PA

    400 plus posts… Seems like everybody is chipping in writing Pete’s blog for him. Good Job!

  425. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    that we can keep the blog going when Pete’s relaxing in the sun is almost a scary thought.

    Almost.

  426. whozat

    “Keep in mind where Affeldt pitched, where his breaking pitches didn’t break, and, he’s still young and left handed, throws hard.”

    So? He was bad every year until last year…how would his pitches not breaking change that? We have plenty of young guys that throw hard and can’t find the strike zone. Adding more isn’t going to help.

    Kennedy:

    Joe Kennedy? He’s 28, which isn’t that young. I repeat, we have plenty of spot-starter/long-man type options. There’s not really a reason to bring in another mediocre pitcher. He had one good year, 2006 with Oakland. He was let go twice last season.

    “Fuentes is arby eligible this year and wants 7 million, and Colorado’s almost at their budget limit, now. They were also looking at Farnsworth around mid-season, so, a trade of players plus a little cash and somebody like Rasner or DeSalvo may make a possible trade.”

    They were looking at Kyle when Fuentes was on the DL and the new guy hadn’t established himself. They wanted insurance. I don’t think they’d want Kyle now. Maybe if the Yanks ate half his money, I guess. I’m sure Cash is checking into it. He’d be my top choice, though.

    As for limiting the kids’ innings, obviously Andy’s return or not makes a big impact. If he does come back, I think they have enough depth in the system to bring guys in and spell the starters for periods, if they want. I don’t think a guy like Kennedy is really called for.

  427. Adrian-Retire21

    Yeah we are doing his job while he is away.When he comes back I bet there won’t be anything to write about.

  428. whozat

    “You are the only other person I’ve ever heard say that.”

    I think it’s an italian thing. Are you of Italian lineage?

  429. JB

    For anyone considering the recommendation to eat at Tao on E.58th St., do yourself a favor and don’t. It is a hot spot for celebs (who you won’t see because they are in a VIP room) but has the absolute worst Asian food you will ever experience.

    I am a food critic and have eaten there a number of time (mostly via an invite) and I’m dead serious when I tell you that your local carry out probably will have better food and equal quality.

    Here is a old review 2001 (not mine) by a Village Voice critic and colleague. I’d say he’s spot on. Things haven’t changed, if anything, they’ve gotten worse.

  430. JB

    Sorry. Here is the link to that review.

    http://www.villagevoice.com/ny.....79,19.html

  431. Wood Is Good

    BUTTERY NIPPLES!

  432. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    JB: Did you see Ratatouille?

  433. Adrian-Retire21

    Thanks JB.Always looking for good chinese places.Almost went.Guess it’s McDonalds for lunch Tomorrow.

    You know what since Pete’s on vacation les talk about everything but the Yankees until Pete gets back.

    Or until Santana trade is done:)

  434. JB

    Rebecca:

    Yes, I did. I enjoyed it immensely!

  435. Buddy Biancalana

    I’m shocked Pete has been able to not post anything today. Kudos Pete, enjoy your vaca!

  436. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    The review was a very interesting read…

  437. J-Dawg

    Pete’s Patriots have had seven drives tonight. All seven have resulted in touchdowns. They have a 49-10 lead. Yikes.

  438. J-Dawg

    Uh, make that 56-10.

  439. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    J-Dawg: But hey, the Jets won!

  440. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    OK, I was just reading the comments I missed and I had to chime in on the best pizza in Bergen County thing – Turvino’s in Glen Rock all the way!! Great eggplant parm heros, too.

    As far as lefty relief. While he did have a very good year this year Affedlt does scare me a little bit too. I remember him being pretty bad when he was with Kansas City. I would give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s just now finally starting to “put it all together” but he had a good year in the NL West, in what has become more of a pitchers park since they started using the humidor. I wouldn’t be completely opposed to giving him a chance, but if other teams are going to offer him multi-year contracts, I think we should fall back on that one. Especially since, am I the only one who thinks Villone still has something left in the tank?

    Last but not least, excellent news about MO!!!!! I knew it was coming but every report that puts his pen a little closer to that dotted line is a huge load off my mind. Not to sound like a broken record, but, hope this gets done soon! :)

  441. Adrian-Retire21

    Wonder what team gonna beat the Patroits.

  442. UtilityMan

    One thing that has surprised me this off season,besides the A-Rod drama,is the market for Kyle Farnsworth!!

    I have heard that the Orioles,Tigers,Rockies and Reds have interest in him.

    But why trade him to the Tigers,and help them out???
    Didnt we do that with Sheff???I mean hopefully Sanchez and Whelan will do well this upcoming season,but swap him for Fuentes if you have to,throw in Tyler Clippard to free up a roster spot,to protect another minor leaguer.

  443. UtilityMan

    BBB
    I’m with you on Villone as well….Plus didnt he pitch for the Marlins while Joe G was the manager???
    Another relief pitcher that sat around for days in the bullpen sometimes,and didnt get used properly.
    Plus Villone is from Bergen Count…so that is a good thing.

  444. J-Dawg

    BBB- Yeah, Affeldt definitely should come with a disclaimer of “let the buyer beware.” :) Those walks are definitely scary. There just aren’t that many lefty relief options on the market. Maybe the Yankees can get lucky and find a good option. Sometimes just a little good luck is all that it takes. Boston was fortunate to find Okajima. Maybe the Yankees can catch a break similar to that one.

    Rebecca- That was a terrific win for the Jets. I think that we’ll have some fun when their December 23rd game comes around! :)

  445. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    BBB–ever been to Arturo’s in midland park?

    It is LITERALLY down the street from my house. I could walk there…it’s walking back that’d be the issue. $#!$ hill…

  446. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    I know they’re Pete’s Pats, but word of warning they go vs my Giants in week 17, that line isn’t as strong as Dallas is so Brady you might as well wear red on that day. ;)

  447. Krusty

    Pats took Brady out of the game.

    Belichik is going soft.

  448. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    he’s just resting him for Rebecca’s Jets

  449. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    My Jets?

    Am pretty sure I’m not the only Gang Green fan on the blog…though I could be the only one still willing to admit it ;)

    Anyway, Brandon, I need your email address, or you’re not getting your prize, so shoot me an email.

  450. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    woops sorry got it mixed up, where do I send it where it’s not so public Rebecca..

  451. Krusty

    Prize?

    Hey! Hey!

  452. Andrea

    BBB: I just read on Yankees.com that Mo has now overshadowed Billy Wagner and is now the highest paid reliever. That makes me happy. Any thunder taken away from that assclown is a-ok with me.

  453. JB

    Adrian: You’re welcome. Nothing wrong with sinking your teeth into a Big Mac!

    If anyone is interested in a high end Asian restaurant, instead of Tao, I’d highly recommend Buddakan, 75 9th Ave., NYC.

    If your travels are taking you to Hong Kong this weekend, be sure to eat at perhaps the best Asian restaurant on the planet, Felix.

    Come to think of it, a Big Mac and fries is sounding very appetizing right now. I need to remind myself that it’s 11:15 PM.

    Rebecca: The reviewer, Robert Sietsema, does have an interesting style of writing.

  454. YankeeJosh

    I’ll always admit to being a Jets fan! No shame there. No one can call you fair weather if you root for gang green!

  455. Andrea

    Hey, I think I suddenly became a Jets fan this season. Someone explain how that happened…

  456. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Utility Man: I think Villone was with the Marlins for a while, but it couldn’t have been the year Girardi managed, cause he was already with the Yanks by then (06) wasn’t he?

    One thing I have noticed about him is that he will often have a great 3/4ths of a season but then struggle badly for a month or two. But for the months that he is “on,” he’s pretty effective. Maybe we can give him a deal similar to what he got last year, where he spent part of the season in the minors, in order to combat against the whole “wearing down” or “becoming hittable” thing.

    And, since he is from Bergenfield, maybe he will even give us a hometown discount! :) I would really like to see him back provided it doesnt prevent us from having another lefty in the pen.

    J-Dawg: Boston did get really lucky with lefty relief this past year, not only Okajima but that Javier Lopez guy did pretty well for them, and he kind of came out of nowhere. But Okajima did start to look very vulnerable toward season’s end, so maybe it is all a crapshoot and the luck will swing away from their direction & towards ours in 08!

  457. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Rebecca: My mouth just watered merely from reading the word Arturo’s. Good stuff!

    Between pizza, delis, semi-edible Chinese food and good ole diners…Bergen County is just the best!!

  458. Adrian-Retire21

    Andrea:As retaliation The Mets are gonna play “Enter Sandman” as loud as they can.

    JB:Thanks I’ll try Buddakan one of these days.Also McDonalds ain’t the worst thing to eat at this time.I once ate White catstle at 10:00.Lets say I didn’t sleep good that night.

  459. BBB (Damn The Man, save the Empire!)

    Andrea: Total slice of heaven to see Mo leave Wagner in the dust! Haha, I hate that assclown too. I hope Mo imposed a surcharge upon his contract w/the Yanks just for the mere injustice that Billy EVER made more than him!

    Perhaps Mo can even contact Lars Ulrich about suing Wagner for copyright infringement for the use of Enter Sandman! Cause, I mean, Lars seems to like to sue people for using Metallica songs.. :)

  460. Krusty

    Try a Krusty Burgerâ„¢

    New and Improved!

    Now made with artificial meat-by-products!

  461. JB

    Back to the Yankees. All this tossing, turning and sweating over the past month or so, just to field the same group of players that ended the 2007 season, minus 1 (Pettitte).

    I do like the addition of Girardi. This particular team needed a manager with a different style and work ethic than Torre, who was getting stale and going through the motions, in my opinion; a “celebrity manger” if you will.

    It will be interesting to see what Joba will bring to the rotation. Can he be that dominant stopper that is sorely needed in the playoffs?

  462. Adrian-Retire21

    I think Joba can be a strikeout player.Other a Strikeout Pitcher and 8 innings guy.We need to stay healthy.That also means the kids like Chien-Ming Wang and Phil Hughes.

  463. JB

    Adrian: Ahhhh…White Castle. The best damn burger at 4 am after a night of partying. Not that I do that anymore, mind ya. ;) They go down as smooth as silk, but exit pretty darn harshly.

  464. Andrea

    Adrian: have you been to Shea? They play EVERYTHING as loud as they can. And when Wagner comes out, this queer video montage comes on their screen…..in sepia tone. it’s seriously awful. So my problem isn’t as much that he uses “Enter Sandman,” but that it’s used so poorly. You don’t use a badass song when you’re totally not a badass, when use it with a video that looks like it’s a Western.

    Lars Ulrich should sue him for making his song sound totally lame by associating it with a purple stadium and a dude with Billy Wagner.

    BBB: to be honest, I am surprised Lars hasn’t tried to sue any stadium using Metallica music. I understand why stadiums are allowed to use music–so I’m not asking someone to explain it to me, but I’m surprised he hasn’t tried. And Mo should charge Billy Wagner a surcharge. And then a “get the hell out of my face and stop using my freaking song” surcharge. Or something similar :)

  465. Krusty

    Ahhhh…White Castle.

    The mix-in just the right amount of saw dust and kangaroo.

  466. JB

    Andrea,

    I agree; Shea is gaudy and tacky.

    Regarding Wagner and Mo, are you aware that Wagner came out to “Enter Sandman” prior to Mo?

  467. JB

    Kangaroo? I thought road kill. How disappointing.

  468. Adrian-Retire21

    Andrea:Not only don’t they use the song right but the place it’s in Mets Staduim the Arm pit of Baseball Staduims is also wrong.

    JB:Papa Johns pizza in garlic sauce yes also dangerous.

    Also speaking of pizza my friend who is Arabic owns a pizza shop called Aladdiens pizzera that was scary to me at first but I tried it and not better then the Authentic Iltalian pizza near me but was not bad.I heard that since Muslims can’t keep or use diary products after 1 day is maybe why there bread was so soft almost better then any other Pizza shops.

  469. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    BBB–

    Ah, you know where I live! Like I said, I could walk there.

    Seriously, Arturo’s is a family tradition. After ever high school graduation, before or after every Bar Mitzvh, any big event, it’s Arturo’s.

    I love that place.

  470. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    …what the hell is it with me and killing the threads?

  471. Adrian-Retire21

    WElcome to my world REbecca

  472. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    IDK ? ^^^

    Here’s something that I know will start the thread up again

    AROD SPEAKS

  473. whozat

    “Regarding Wagner and Mo, are you aware that Wagner came out to “Enter Sandman” prior to Mo?”

    They started the same season, playing in different leagues a couple thousand miles apart (back in ‘97, Wagner was with the Astros). The Enter Sandman thing is such a trumped-up issue. Neither one of them cares. Mo doesn’t even know the song. They picked it for him.

  474. whozat

    “…what the hell is it with me and killing the threads?”

    it’s not you, methinks. We’ve pretty much argued everything to death…we need more stuff to happen so we can fight about it:-)

  475. J-Dawg

    Rebecca- Don’t worry, you’re definitely not killing the threads. If the threads can survive my gibberish, then they can survive anything. :)

  476. Brandon (WELCOME BACK ALEX !!!)

    J-Dawg
    November 19th, 2007 at 12:11 am
    Rebecca- Don’t worry, you’re definitely not killing the threads. If the threads can survive my gibberish, then they can survive anything. :)

    I bet if Isiah Thomas were here that’s something he might challenge ;)

  477. Wolf In Pinstripes

    You guys are killing me with the talk of the pizza joints. I grew up in Metuchen, NJ (Middlesex County) and one of the things I have missed for years has been the pizza, the hoagies, really good bagels, etc.

    I remember when Pizza Hut came out with their “Big New Yorker” pizza a few years back, I got all excited. Then I tasted it and said “WTF is THIS???”

    We did finally have a place open up here in Lexington, KY a couple of years ago named Brooklyn Pizza, and they are pretty damned good. The pizza is spot-on for NY-style pizza, but the rest of their stuff (while still very good) is not quite “it”, you know what I mean? I’d kill for a really good authentic hoagie right now, believe me.

    I swear if I come up to see games this year like I plan to, I’ll gain 15 pounds in a weekend just hitting all the restaurants I’ve missed for years. And I don’t gain weight easily.

  478. Rebecca--Optimist Prime

    Need a new topic?

    Okay then, who’s winning NCAA March Madness?

    Ready, set, GO!

    (I’m going to sleep…see yah all tomorrow!)

  479. Krusty

    Don’t forget – FrankTv debuts this Tuesday!!

    I love train wrecks.

  480. Adrian-Retire21

    I really don’t like those Frank TV commer.ical

  481. Andrea

    NOt that anyone is here, but my point was not Wagner using “Enter Sandman.” My point was HOW Shea uses it, and that Wagner is SO not a badass and should not be entering to a badass song.

  482. Bronxbyte

    The funniest thing of all with Metallica’s Enter Sandman being used as an entrance song is that Wagner is from West (by God) Virginia and probably likes hillbilly stuff and Mo is from Panama and probably enjoys Latino music.

  483. jennifer- Hip Hip Jorge

    When I went down to fla on vacation I found a pizza place run my guys from brookyn well you’d figure they’d know how to make pizza. Well it wasn’t very good. I guess it was the water from Fla.

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New York Yankees baseball fans cheer during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) New York Yankees baseball player  Mariano Rivera, bottom, waves during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.  (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Floats carrying the New York Yankees baseball team make their way along Broadway during a ticker-tape parade celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.  (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) New York Yankees baseball players Alex Rodriguez, second from left,  Francisco Cervelli, third from right, and entertainer Jay-Z, left, celebrate on a float  during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez, right, and entertainer Jay-Z celebrate on a float during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) Floats carrying the New York Yankees baseball team make their way along Broadway during a ticker-tape parade celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.  (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) New York Yankees' Hideki Matsui, the World Series MVP, celebrates from a float during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) Baseball fans cheers as the New York Yankees were honored along Broadway in New York on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, with a ticker-tape parade celebrating their 27th World Series championship. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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Thoughts and discussion on the 27-time World Champion Yankees.

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About the authors
Chad JenningsChad Jennings joined the The Journal News in October 2009, having spent the better part of seven years covering baseball in Scranton, PA. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and an award-winning beat reporter and features writer. E-mail me at cjennings@lohud.com
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Sam BordenSam Borden is an award-winning journalist who joined The Journal News and LoHud.com in January 2008. He covered the Yankees for the New York Daily News from 2004-06, and has also worked as a columnist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. E-mail me at sborden@lohud.com
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Sam BordenJosh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. E-mail me at jthomson@lohud.com
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