It won’t be long now
-
- January
- 4
I made my flight reservation for spring training today. It’s hard to believe but pitchers and catchers will be here soon. Given the weather, can’t say I’m broken up over the idea of going to Florida.
Now that Oakland is in full “build for the future” mode I was trying to figure out if the Yankees could pry a useful piece off their roster. But there doesn’t seem to be a good fit. Maybe a reliever? I’m sure Brian Cashman and Billy Beane will at least talk about something.
——————
A few words on the guest blogger program. I’m not dogging my duties here. I’m just donating some bandwith and exposure to some fans who have Yankee blogs. I’ll continue blogging.
I’m all for good baseball discussion, but try to treat these people with some respect. They’re not getting paid for this and they’re fans, just like you. Personally, I give them credit for trying. Thanks again to Maureen for her post today.
Of course, there will be clowns. This guy Joe, who pesters me with nonsensical e-mails, wrote today that, “women should not get to blog about the Yankees.” Welome to 2007, 2008, Joe. Must be a popular fellow with the ladies.
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on Friday, January 4th, 2008 at 1:54 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Pete, my man: it’s 2008 now….
Astounding
I wouldnt mind a “yankees chick”.... half of the girls I meet in Boston are useless because they’re bandwagon Sox fans.
should, welcome to 1982, Joe.
08 Pete…but ive made that mistake about 20 times now!! haha its cool..
Pete please take me! I need out of Canada!!!!
Pete should highlight the sexist person remarks, so the women can rag on him about what he doesn’t know.
Women don’t know baseball, I think I can hold my own.
i’ll openly admit to knowing a lot less about baseball than a good amount of the ladies who post here…
What are the chances Cashman lands Street from Oakland?
What about Huston Street.Oakland will probably ask for the world but could be interesting. IN terms of guest bloggers good for one and all why not I say.Joeplease crawl back into the cave you obviously just came out of.
Oh sure, a woman can write about baseball competently, but don’t expect her to throw one with any success.
RIP Cotton Hill!
Have the Yankees announced what day pitchers and catchers report? Anyone know what it is?
Sexist people exist.
I’ve lived with one of them for twenty-one years, and his wife’s got no problem pretending it’s still the 1950s.
It says something about our society that we’ve never had a female leader while India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, the UK, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Finland, Chile, Argentina, Liberia, the Ukraine have all had elected female leadership in the twentieth century.
We see women as sex objects and only sex objects and it bloody STINKS.
Just because I’m female doesn’t mean I can’t tell the difference between a fastball or a breaking ball, or that I don’t enjoy my share of hockey fights.
Joe, grow the bloody hell up and get the f—- out of NY. We have no room for scum like you.
wow this has struck a chord, not to make light of it but petes blog did provide me with a chuckle that people in 2007 could be so stupid
another day where this blog provided a helpful break from work
nice job by the YC, like a bunch of the other posts mentioned, it opened up the forum for discussion
You could also try to compliment Maureen’s writing rather than just saying she’s hot. However if the ladies want to say that about me, I’m good with it
The fantastic woman who later this year will be stupid enough to marry me is a huge baseball fan, albeit for the Red Sox.
And she loves golf…
And she tries a good German altbier or dunkel and finishes the bottle.
Seriously…I hit the lottery.
Reporting Date is generally around Feb 14Th.
I cant wait to feel that Florida sunshine,and all that Tampa traffic!
CashMoney—-Go get Affeldt.
I wasn’t thrilled by her post, but she has some good stuff on her blog.
As for Huston Street, I would love to get him, but Billy Beane will ask for our Double A roster in return. I like Billy as a GM, but he’s really unloading that team. Haren and Swisher were both key peices to that team, and with them gone they really have no one. That team will not be competing in the short term. I just hope it works out for them. The Marlins unloaded and got Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez among other players. When Sanchez is healthy he’ll make that deal look good.
I am insanely jealous of anyone in florida this time of year…
There is now a baby UtilityWoman in this world!!!
Kellie Maris 8 pds 11 ounces 20 inches 1-2-2008
Do you think we could steal away Huston Street from the A’s? Who would it take? Do you think Alan Horne and Brett Gardner and a lesser prospect would get it done?
im hitting florida in march, gonna be at some games. if anyone else is going to be in town and wants to meet up i am more than happy to see ya.
I will admit to surprise at not the knowledge but the number of regular female posters that are here.
I think it’s great and gives us a wider perspective.
And Joe, just a word of advice. You might not want to P-off Rebecca again. She’s feisty.
jay destro
I will be there 2-29-08 thru 3-5-2008 and again
3-15 thru 3-22-2008.I sit right next to Yankee Bullpen.
Women don’t know baseball, I think I can hold my own.
Jennifer thats an understatement. You are in the BLOG OF FAME for being impersinated by others more than 3x. That speaks volumes. Im not there yet(im a guy),but i hope someday im good enough to be cloned.
I guess I am a little feisty…
sorry for losing my cool…some things just don’t sit well with me
Rebecca,
I am insanely jealous of anyone in florida this time of year…
It was 30 Degrees in Jacksonville this morning and we were all in parkas. BRRR! We have thin blood down here.
Sorry to double, but I just saw this on ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3180666
Hingis banned two years after positive coke test.
NOOO!!Not a Red Sox wife!!! How can you. I mean who will your kids root for. They cant have a choice. My 2 kids can root for any football,basketball or any other sports team but when it comes to baseball. Wife and kids have the Yankees or the door.GOOD LUCK.
I don’t know what it would take to get Street, but Beane is known to hold out, and he usually rakes when he makes a trade. Personally, I would back off the Santana tip for a moment and try to pull Joe Nathan away from the Twins. Either way, the presence of a young closer on the team may seem hostile to our newly signed long time closer Mariano Rivera.
congrats to you, UtilityDad!
and I think Beane is going to ask for the moon for prospects in return for Street, although i dont know many other organizations that can offer what Cashman can in terms of quality young arms.
They reportedly asked for Gardner when Cashman was kicking on Dan Johnson last season… i dont see why that wouldnt realistically be enough.
UtilityMan
Congrats!!!
S.o.S.27
Thanks your sweet!!
From what I’ve heard, Melancon and Sanchez should be more than able to fill the void when Mo retires.
Swisher was traded yesterday for 3 players.
Congratulations UtilityMan!! Hope Mom and Baby are doing well. Love the name.
utilityDad: Congratulations!
Kellie Maris 8 pds 11 ounces 20 inches 1-2-2008
Congrats. Great name. For your next child try Babe as a middle name.
Dont worry rebecca, no one sees you as a sex object.
“Hingis banned two years after positive coke test.”
What a dope..and she knows nothing about baseball either.
fernando,
the yankees longtime releiver would probably LOVE the presence of a young reliever (or an old one or a dead one) if he was able to carry a lead through the 7th and 8th innings. Mo’s getting a little old for these 5 our saves
Two former Yankee Farmhands——Andy Cannizaro and John Rodriguez signed to minor lge deals with THE RAYS!!!!
Oooo nice name!!!
UtilityMan:
Congratulations
Its really cold here in California. 53 degrees and it might rain. Tough times.
congrats utility!!!!
now you too will know the feeling of doing your best to raise a smart, free thinking woman who will grow up and break your heart by marrying a mets fan!
53?
Dude, I’d kill for that.
UtilityMan
I hope you already have a Yankee outfit, hat, bibs, bottels etc. Teach them young!!
My cousins daughters favorite baseball team is the Yankees, no matter how hard her grandfather tries to get her to be a Met fan. Her fav player is Jeter, and when she sees a game on tv it is YEAH YANKEES, BOOO METS. She hasn’t learned the whole Yankees/Soxs thing yet.
i miss paulie too,
You’re right, who wouldn’t want a quality arm for the 7 and 8th inning? But Nathan and Street are two guys who will look to close, and if last year was any indication, Rivera is starting on his decline. Nathan or Street wouldn’t be seen as the set up men, they would be seen as the eventual replacements.
Baby and Mom are doing great!! Thanks to you all….
I guess we are gonna get that California 53 degrees on Monday and Tuesday like the weatherpeople are saying.A yr ago this Sunday 1-6-07 it was 70 degrees in New Jersey.
Rebecca-
So the sexist guy in your life is your Dad huh?
S.o.S 27,
I hope you weren’t planning a trip to the Sierra’s this weekend… Rough weather. I have a sis-in-law in Northern Cali I will be checking on later.
UtilityMan,
Congrats, you are truly blessed.
sos
didnt i hear something about a foot of rain heading your way and everybody’s worried about killer mudslides? thats not to mention the earthquakes, having a PED posterboy for governor and having to watch west coast baseball
Kellie came home wearing her Yankee pink booties that Mariano signed the carton they came in last March!!
Forget about the MUTS!!! It thoose pesky,REDSUX guys Im gonna have to watch out for!!!
Jennifer,
We raise em up right in my family. My great-nephew who is 8 months old already has had two Yankee outfits. We had my wife take pictures of us in our Yankee gear and they came out great.
Huston Street??? Are you out of your minds?
a) he is 24 – how does Oakland reloading mean even the young guys go?
b) he is great – beane would prob want Kennedy and more for him
c) he is the most popular player on the team… Would be like trading jeter
Dude, I’d kill for that.
If you dress like we do here.Shorts,T shirt and flip flops you would understand. Its cold.lol
I live in SF, lots & lots of rain, it’s been raining nonstop since yesterday & won’t stop until Sunday.
Swisher was one of the most popular & he’s gone. Blanton is probably next.
I dont see Cash and Beane doing a deal any time soon. They have some guns though, so who knows.
Utility Man –
Congratulations and best wishes! Hope you are all doing well. Are mom & baby home? And are you waiting on them hand and foot?????
Rebecca—
I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom for 20 years. I often joke that I’m a throwback – the joke being I went to college to find a husband. Now, that’s not the full story, of course, it’s just the way my life turned out. However, it’s a source of much angst for me, primarily because I’ve found out that women can be just as sexist against women as men are.
Buddy B-
Wasn’t Nick Swisher the guy who cut his hair and donated it?
I hope you weren’t planning a trip to the Sierra’s this weekend… Rough weather. I have a sis-in-law in Northern Cali I will be checking on later.
No thanks. Too cold up there. Ill stick to the congested freeways hot one day cold the next SO CAL weather.
Not all of us are fortunate enough to live in Malibu(mudslides). West Coast baseball does sucks until New York comes to town. Arnold took b-12 thats it!!
and i believe Pete gave him a “nice guy” all star vote due to that…
oh, and congrats to UtilityDad!
Buddy: My Dad likes to tease me. I’m the middle child with two brothers at the ends, and sometimes he goes a little too far.
Doreen: From what you’ve told me, I understand why you do what you do.
I can’t really get into my own situation without beginning to sound like I’m on the psychiatrist’s couch, but my mother considers it a busy day when she has to go to the cleaners.
UtilityMan,
I bet your baby mama’s glad it wasn’t a boy. She would probably refuse to name him Miguel Cairo Utility-Man.
Congratulations!
There I have a new name…...
Doreen
Thanks….all is well….....Baby came home today and is sleeping.Mommy is resting….....
Buddy B and other CALIFORNIANS
Best of luck to you and neighbors during this time.
“Nick Swisher had grown his straight brown hair to 11 inches long over a 10-month span, and did so for good reason.
Swisher partnered with Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths and donated his hair to the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, which creates wigs for women living with cancer.
Swisher’s grandmother, Betty, passed away after her battle with cancer in August 2005, which inspired Swisher to grow his hair long and donate it.”
Swisher was popular and an above avg player…. That’s why it took Chicagos top 2 pitching prospects to get him. Street is a far hotter commodity and 3 years younger.
Actually she wanted a boy to name after her brother Mark…
But she actually picked out Maris for a middle name,and I quickly agreed!!!Because afterall in my opinion he is still the HOME RUN Champion at 61…..until A-Rod breaks it.
sos, loved the b-12 line. i was just working you, i used to live in L.A. I gotta say it was always a party when the yanks came to anaheim, we may not have been the majority but those O.C. fans couldnt come close to us in making noise for the bombers!
best time at the park was watching wade boggs strike out the side in an angels blowout, another reason never to leave before the last out!
I want to know what teeth whitener Huston Street uses.
When was the last time the Yankees did a deal with Oakland? Don’t hold your breath for any deal to be done with Billy Beane.
Doreen-
I have a 16 month old girl & I have gained so much more respect for my parents & anyone who has kids. It’s truly a life changing experience.
Congrats Utilityman! Your life will never be the same.
And if the Yankees dont bring in Miguel Cairo in on a Spring Training Invite…....We have agreed to adopt him!!
Mel-
The 3 way deal for Jeff Weaver, Ted Lilly & Carlos Pena. It worked out well for the Rays.
Beane Traded Haren, and he was the most valuable player on the team, who was still reasonably priced for 3 seasons… if he can get above market value for his closer, he’ll move him, guaranteed.
For the Yankees, it would prob make the most sense to package a couple of the lower level, higher ceiling guys. Beane isnt looking to compete next year, but rebuild his depleted system, develop and compete in 2 or 3 years… he wants guys with like 1 year or less MLB service time.
Street still hasa couple years left of arbitration, so i think i read that he’d be around for 3 years, minimum… so for the next 3 years, you could have a cost-controlled, proven bullpen stud in front of MO.
does that warrant the price of IPK, plus a low-level guy? tough call… but if the Yankees dont want to move Hughes, but upgrade the pitching staff, assuring Joba stays in the rotation would be best, no? and if you get Street, you spend almost no additional money, and lock down the back end of the bullpen.
IPK, Alberto Gonzalez, and a prospect for Street? seems reasonable to me
Yes, it would be nice for your wife to have a real utility man around the house. lol.
Meaning how the Rays ended up with Pena 5 years later & were not involved in the trade.
strange thing, the yankees used to use the A’s (k.c. and oakland) as thier own personal farm team.
Thanks, Buddy. Anything involving Jeff Weaver is unforgettable.
oops. forgettable
jeff who?
mel: LMAO!
Yes we were always the rowdiest. They have since started using those annoying thunder sticks to keep up. Times have changed, it seems that Arte has gotten more Angel fans to show up. Its been tough to go lately with our bad track record(losing) and all. Time is now to change all that and start owning them so they stop with their 02 crap.
Well guys, I mean ladies and gents, have a safe weekend. See ya monday. Going to the store and buying b-12 pills to get bigger, i mean healthier.
I would really enjoy an in depth analysis of the Detroit Tigers and a comparison between the Red Sox, Tigers, and yankees.
It would be good to see a very measured analysis that shows the Yankees are the better team (or whatever conclusion can be arrived at).
I am just sick of hearing the REd Sox are the undisputed best team after the performance the Yanks had in the second half of last season.
Pitching is probably the biggest point to argue on.. since our offense is considerably better.
I think beane wouldnt settle for less than ipk and tabata for Street.
Beane is ROBBING teams in his latest deals… he doesn’t need to move street. Only a killer deal would get him to.
Yeah…um about the A’s…who do we want off their roster? Do they even have a roster? They are like a AAA team without Haren.
Mark Ellis from Oakland would make a nice utility infielder who would provide more than Cairo or anybody else we have had for a while and he shouldnt require us to give up that much.
Huston Street for Ian Kennedy
A few years ago we went to Disneyland and we could see the Angels’ stadium from our hotel window. I don’t think it was baseball season, though. Or at least there were no home games. Anyway, if we ever go again, I’m definitely going to take in a game there.
“I think beane wouldnt settle for less than ipk and tabata for Street.
Beane is ROBBING teams in his latest deals… he doesn’t need to move street. Only a killer deal would get him to.”
What he got from Arizona was more quantity than quality. And you don’t rob a team when you never have a plan to compete, but just to survive. Being an A’s fan has to suck.
just because Beane seemingly robs other teams doesnt mean he’ll get exactly what he wants from Cashman.
For what its worth, he took more quantity than quality in the deal for Haren. Beane didnt get any guarantees there for his most valuable commodity, and he got like 5 prospects back.
ha!! nicely done, Drew.
what used to be called the “Big A”, (the stadium in anaheim which has had many corporate names since) is a great place to see a ballgame! it has the exact same shape as yankee stadium where the seats are close to the field. the O.C. fans are cool (they are califonians after all) and the weathers always perfect. Ive been to around 18 stadiums (several now defunct) and i always liked seeing a game in aneheim
Being an owner (in all the sports) on the West Coast must be nice. The press and fans don’t get on you for gutting your team. Can you imagine if the Mets or Yankees did what the A’s or Marlins do?
The A’s have had some major injury problems, but beane is still one of the best in the business.
He got what quality he could from Arizona…he got three of their top five prospects.
It’s not so bad with the A’s, compared to the Marlins
Beane knows that next year is lost with how stacked the AL is, so he’s willing to sacrifice this year (maybe the next too) to reload the farm system
The Marlins, on the other hand, are perfectly willing to take apart championship teams
The Marlins aren’t on the West Coast…they’re just not in the media capital of the world.
Didn’t he also get the White Sox’s top 2 pitching prospects for Swisher? It’s not Beane’s fault he gets so much for his spare “parts”. I would say something about getting fleeced, but every club’s gotten robbed at some point or another. Even the Yankees. lol.
the pirates and the orioles seem to get away with it pretty easily too. the orioles will finish dead last in the division and maybe the A.L. this year
Harden and Street for Kennedy and Tabata
i want what ranger rob is smoking
“The A’s have had some major injury problems, but beane is still one of the best in the business.”
I don’t know about that. I think he’s vastly overrated. Yes, he’s a good judge of talent, but this moneyball stuff doesn’t build a consistent winner. Him and his protege Ricciardi rely too much on walks and the big hit. Not stealing bases, not giving outs up to move runners, etc. doesn’t win ball games.
Though miami is technically west of Syracuse…
“Harden and Street for Kennedy and Tabata”
What are you smoking?
turntwo and drew –
Carlos gonzalez is quality (ranked higher than ipk). Brett anderson is also a very highly ranked lefty. But im not going to argue that with two casual fans.
I didnt say the yanks would sell the farm for street… Just that theyd prob need to overpay quite a bit.
turntwo and drew –
Carlos gonzalez is quality (ranked higher than ipk). Brett anderson is also a very highly ranked lefty. But im not going to argue that with two casual fans.
I didnt say the yanks would sell the farm for street… Just that theyd prob need to overpay quite a bit.
Guys,
I would stay away from what ranger rob is smoking. He said Pete was hotter than Yankee Chick. lol.
“Not stealing bases, not giving outs up to move runners, etc. doesn’t win ball games.”
Yeah, look at the Yankees! A team built around OBP and SLG, and they NEVER win any ballgames!
come on…Harden is damaged goods. Anybody got a light?
ranger, pass it over, im looking to trade tabata for andrew jones
joba fell to the yankees because he was damaged goods
“Carlos gonzalez is quality (ranked higher than ipk). Brett anderson is also a very highly ranked lefty. But im not going to argue that with two casual fans.”
Gonzalez is also one of those guys that’s ranked more on projection than results. He could definitely be a star, but there are scouts that are worried about his strikeouts, and some that feel he regressed last year (I think I read that on a link off mlbtraderumours, but I definitely read it somewhere). And Anderson is a 19 year old pitcher that’s in A+ ball.
No one said Beane got bums for Haren, they said he got a load of prospects, some with a lot of potential, but only one guy (maybe) who’s close enough and good enough that you can feel confident that he’ll be a plus MLB player.
Jason O- vI work with a woman who grew up in Boston and was a Red Sox fan, well she comes to Vermont falls in love with and marries a die hard Yankee fan. She’s now a Yankee fan(much to the chagrin of her side of the family). She has two kids named Mattingly and Mickey. There is hope for you yet.
On another note, I remember there was a time when the commish used to step in not allow deals that gutted teams. The good ole’ days it seems.
If it reached 30 degrees in VT we’d be out in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops, too :).
“come on…Harden is damaged goods.”
Yeah, he’s high-risk, but he’s also high-reward. He costs 4.5 mil next year with a 7 mil option for 09 that has no buyout. I dunno…I’d take on all the money if I could get him for some interesting A-ball players.
IPK for Street straight up ain’t gonna fly. BB would want at least 2 superstars in the making plus one other guy to do that deal. I’d like to get Street so that we could dump Farnsworthless, but I doubt it will happen.
“If it reached 30 degrees in VT we’d be out in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops, too :).”
Where in VT? I went running today outside up here. It wasn’t TOO bad. I had planned to go yesterday, but I decided to wanted to keep my digits and nose attached to my body instead.
I remember it being 13 degrees my freshman year in Syracuse, and we were celebrating how WARM it was, after two weeks of not getting above 0 degrees.
And when I mean celebrating, by the time it hit 30 we were walking to class in sweatshirts.
And by that, I mean when it hit forty, we were in shorts.
whozat- Rutland- yeah I think yesterday’s high was 5(much colder with the wind chill. Today got up to 25 I think. Its this Yankee Hot Stove talk that’s helping me through the cold snap. Anyone got any good rumors like Billy Beane and Cashman exchanging AA rosters just for the sake of making a deal? Santana for Michael Kay and Jon Serling? I need to stop now.
“Carlos gonzalez is quality (ranked higher than ipk). Brett anderson is also a very highly ranked lefty. But im not going to argue that with two casual fans.”
LOL..thanks for the insult dude. Typical Beantown lack of class.
Gonzalez is highly touted and highly suspect. If you read up on him, you’d know that.
ha! seriously, whats with the riff raff on the website today, Pete?
“whozat- Rutland”
Ah, I’m basically straight across the state from you, at the eastern end of route 4. I was driving home last night, and my car told me it was -6.
WOO!!!!
It’s cool. It’ll be up to like…45 next week, in a bizarre turn of events.
“This guy Joe, who pesters me with nonsensical e-mails, wrote today that, “women should not get to blog about the Yankees.”
unbelievable.
It was just reported on NBC news in NY that Clemens has been asked to testify in front of Congress on Jan 16th as a part of the Mitchell Report findings.
mcnamee is being asked to testify too
Okay, since the weather has become a topic…anyone here from the LA area? My daughter is going to Santa Monica on Sunday and staying for a week. What’s it like out there? Should she pack clothes for spring weather or fall weather (shorts no shorts)?
Rebecca— You krazy kollege kids!
Re: Clemens—
This is getting interesting.
So, Pandora’s box has now been opened.
i’ve driven thru Rutland a few times the past 2 years and was happily surprised to find the Yankee game on local radio.
Is there a lot of yankee fans up there or just the opposite?
I would prefer that Clemens swear on Bess’ grave, but this works. It’s going to get really nasty with Roger and McNamee. Who testifies first?
some of us are lucky enough to live in tampa (and right down the street from some folks you have discussed)-
I’d love to welcome the bloggers when you visit-Maybe YES will cover the hearing. Why do you supposed Knoblauch is included? Do they know of something he has specific info on?
Clemens asked to testify to Congress
Panel also requests presence of former trainer McNamee
Associated Press
MLB Headlines
WASHINGTON—Roger Clemens and the former trainer who said he injected the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with steroids and human growth hormone have been asked to testify before the House Oversight Committee at a Jan. 16 hearing, The Associated Press learned Friday.
It’s the same congressional panel slated to hear the day before from baseball commissioner Bud Selig, union leader Donald Fehr and former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, the author of last month’s report on doping in the sport.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Why not ask Joe Torre to join the tea party?
you think they’d ask pettite to join in
well there’s your answer, the FAN is reporting that pettite has been asked to testify
“If it makes you feel any better, rest assured that I most certainly do not find myself attractive, so I’m with you guys!”—- Yankees Chick, 4:19pm.
First of all, I hesitate to dignify the discussion about Maureen’s appearance by contributing to it because it’s sexist and offensive.
Were it a man inaugurating the role of guest blogger, I seriously doubt anyone would have commented on his comeliness. Instead, we’d be arguing the merits of his post. It’s disconcerting to see the tenor of the discussion here degenerate to the bar room incivility that prevails over at nomaas.
That being said, it hurts me even more to realize the blow sexism must deal to women’s self-esteem. Because if someone as attractive as Maureen could actually suspect herself unattractive and worse, express it, there’s something profoundly wrong with how woman form their self-image in our society.
Maureen, please excuse the sexism my following comment reflects. But, trust me, every male chauvinist pig who contributes to this site, me included, would be proud to call you his girlfriend. Especially, when like every man, he’s compelled that first time to show you off to his friends.
And if he’s a Yankee fan, well then, he should also consider himself the luckiest man alive to have a girlfriend as passionate and as knowledgeable about, and as devoted to, the Yankees as you are besides.
Don’t let the jackals discourage you.
“Why not ask Joe Torre to join the tea party?”
or selig, or the rest of the 70 some odd names listed…
good lord…
i miss paulie,
I think they assumed that Andy would be there. Conjoined and all that.
Just kidding guys. Roger and Andy probably aren’t hanging out too much.
Hope Andy’s doing his thing and getting ready for ST.
If Clemens is asked to testify and put under oath, he’ll be forced to tell the truth, or face perjury, and go down the same road as Bonds, and face possible jail time. He’s in for a load of misery.
Well, Andy’s got himself covered. They’ll probably try to use him to figure out who’s telling the truth.
Drew – most prospects outside of the top few have question marks. that doesnt mean they’re not quality. you said the A’s got quantity and not quality. they got 3 of the top 5 prospects from a team considered to have a solid farm system. but go ahead and criticize billy beane’s deals. i guess the guy has no clue what he’s doing.
as for “typical beantown lack of class”... ignorance at its finest.
Glad I’m not Roger Clemens right now. Talk about being caught between a needle and a hard place.
It’s too bad Andy’s wrapped up in all of this. The only reason McNamee even gave his name was because he knew Andy would tell the truth and give credibility to what he said about Clemens. Now Andy’s going to be the middle man in all of this and he’s probably going to unintentionally give up Clemens if he goes to this hearing.
Or he can pull the Sosa once he gets there. “I don’t speak English! Ask Roger!”
Who will be the first to plead the fifth?
Hasn’t congress got more important things to do?
you arent looking at Carlos Gonzalez and saying, “now there is a potential superstar.” can be be a good player? sure, he’s a good prospect, but when you talk quality, you’re talking Jay Bruce, Adam Jones-type players… For Dan Haren, he couldve had a top-quality Grade A prospect, but hten he was prob only getting 2-3 players in the deal… what BEane did was to go the next level, take a B+ prospect with upside, and bunch of other lower level, high ceiling guys to replenish the system because that cupboard is bare.
when I say quantity over quality, thats what i mean.
ive been saying all along that this is just what the clemens team is looking for. i think they are practically baiting mcnamee to sue them for what he says on 60 minutes, bacause its much easier to defend a suit against clemens then to sue mcnamee for slander. at the hearings, after all the congressmen have asked rocket for his autograph, it’ll be he said/ he said and who do you think is gonna come out looking better rocket or this weasel?
rockets plan
#1 60 minutes interview
#2 congressional hearing vs mcnamee
#3 beat mcnamees slander suit in court
#4 pass the olympic drug test in Beiging
none of these things would actually prove rocket correct but in the court of public opinion right doesn’t mean much
and it’s back to the ‘roids again…
TurnTwo – Rotoworld disagrees with you about Gonzalez not having star potential. Thats just one site… but obviously his B+ is just your opinion and not a consensus. Everyone has an opinion on prospects and clearly Beane, a pretty good talent evaluator, thinks he is a potential star.
A comparable deal – IPK, Betances, and 2-3 other good lower level guys for Haren wouldnt have been a bad deal on Beane’s part.
Drew-
“Yes, he’s a good judge of talent, but this moneyball stuff doesn’t build a consistent winner. Him and his protege Ricciardi rely too much on walks and the big hit. Not stealing bases, not giving outs up to move runners, etc. doesn’t win ball games.”
———————————————————————————————
The A’s made it to the playoffs 5 out of the last 7 years, going to the ALCS in 2006, so I guess Beane’s concept really doesn’t work. The A’s have always lacked the killer instinct in the post season over the last 7 years.
I’ve done the 2008 thing too on a dozen checks. I totally agree too on the pinch hitting. Pete said what he was going to do so peeps…RELAX and stop spewing the hate if you don’t think the guest is good enough.
However Pete, sign in on this. It’s being reported that the Senate asked Rocket, Andy, McNamee, and a Mets employee to answer questions. Rocket’s lawyer already said they welcome the opportunity as long as schedule permits.
What’s your thoughts?
This is patently ridiculous. Even IF Clemens used, there are how many other names in the report? And how many other users who were not in the report? This is where the unfairness and conflict of interest comes in. Yankees will be called to testify in Congress because they are, well, Yankees. A BIG name. It allows the appearance the this scandal lies only within Yankee Stadium.
This is precisely why names should not have been named. And once Congress is involved, who the heck knows where it goes, because, as everyone knows, those Senators and Representatives salivate at the idea of being able to wave the Flag, especially during an election year!
(as usual) good points Doreen
Oh, c’mon, Doreen. I’m sure everyone will be quite clear on the fact that Mitchell could only dig up 2 people who were willing to talk, and those 2 people worked for the two New York baseball teams as well as the Blue Jays (McNamee).
The Yankees’ penchant for hiring “name” sluggers and pitchers the past 7-8 years puts them in the same spotlight as the players themselves. Would you rather have the Center of the Universe on the West Coast, and New York and the Yankees be some backwater franchise like Seattle?
Noname – so Mitchell at least interviewed other former clubhouse attendants, former trainers, or team officials from the other MLB teams?
seriously Noname –
“could only dig up 2 people”
how much digging did he do?
Really. It’s not like he had access to Boston’s personnel or anything . . .
Cash talk to Beane? Like cash would actually make a useful trade for a piece to use next season in order to improve the ballclub – i thought that type of stuff was only in my dreams. The yanks dont get any new pieces, they just re-sign the ones we already have because the exact same team that was beat in four in the first round of the playoffs minus clemens does not need anything else to win. And the A’s dont have any useful pieces to trade us? So if the Athletics offered us any player of our choice, we would say no thanks we are all good billy but thanks for the offer? How about a guy named Huston Street? We dont need him with a 38 yr old closer and a bullpen full of rejects and nobodys. Id take Harden as well if we didnt have to give up anything very useful and he can pitch out of the pen. Id take kiko calero, ron flores and joe blanton as well as all of those would probably be better than almost any one we have in our pen. Alan embree is a better lefty than any of our lefty options as well. I def would have taken swisher or haren. We really need to make a trade for someone to put in the pen – getting hawkins and albedejo didnt turn it around for us in my mind. They arent enough and i dont even think hawkins will be effective. I dont see any legit options for the eighth and what if Mo falls apart this season? We wont even make the playoffs with our other options trying to close games. I would make a play for another closer but at the very least we need a quality setup man.
the only reason he got anything out of anybody is that law enforcement helped out. Mitchell had no subpoena power so nobody had to tell him anything, it just so happened that radomsky was on the hook and had to talk as part of a plea barain and because of him they were able to threaten mcnamee.
im as big a yankee fan as any but to say they went after the yankees is just paranoia.
they got what they could from 2 jerks who were on the hook for possible jail time, it just so happened that the guy that had to help was from the mets and knew the guy from the yankees.
So Dave, what would you give Beane in return for the guys you want from the A’s, and would Beane accept your proposal?
Dave,
You lost me at Embree. lol.
Dave –
while the yanks could always stand to improve their bullpen, the “If we don’t have to give up much” line doesnt really fly. Put yourself in Oakland’s shoes and ask why they’d sell low on Harden unless they got something decent or another high risk high reward low contract guy. They wanted Buchholz for him early last year. I’m not saying they’d want Kennedy or Ajax… but something decent.
All of the other options you mentioned would require giving up some of the Yanks prospects. The A’s arent taking any of hte Yanks contracts. So if you want to be trading guys like Horne for slightly above average relievers that’s one thing. I think of the many Yankees minor league arms, at least a couple will surface as pretty good bullpen options.
Stay positive… the Yanks have a ton of arms. The ones that dont make good starters might make excellent relievers.
The Yankees are virtually the same as last year & won 94 games. I am not that concerned. Sure, a proven lefty in the pen will help. The kids will come up in the 2nd half if not earlier & make a difference.
As far as Street, the A’s will get a lot more in return for him from a team that will use him as their closer. No way he goes to the Yanks.
Boston Dave tells it like it is.
i miss paulie too –
realizing that you could only get 2 NY guys when this is clearly a league-wide problem, why not leave hte names out of the report?
also, would it have been so hard to do a more thorough investigation of other teams?
I dont think they intentionally said “lets get the yanks”... but they definitely botched the thing when they included names in an incomplete report.
Clearly there are two camps of people here. Those who are psyched and those who are worried.
I’m in the psyched camp. We may crash and burn, but I’m psyched. New manager, new coaches (miss ya Larry Bowa), new kids on the block, new faces, old faces that we’re almost rid of, AND last year at the old Yankee Stadium.
Although I’m a little worried about Andy. This Congress thing is just the kind of thing to drive him over the edge. Pray, pray, pray, Andy! lol.
boston dave
couldnt agree with you more that they shouldnt have listed such an incomplete list of names but looking for other guys wouldnt help unless they could find one who was under indictment from law eforcement and i havent heard of any other trainers in that predicament except for bond’s who went to jail to avoid testifying. too bad for yanks and mets that the guy happened to be from n.y but that doesnt make it a yankees witch hunt
”(miss ya Larry Bowa)”
My favorite thing about Bowa was his relationship with Robbie. Robbie knew he was a great infielder, so he sought Bowa out when he signed up to be the 3B/infield coach, and they worked HARD. And they built the kind of relationship where Bowa could (and would) get on the kid when he ole’d a play or made a mental mistake—not in a mean way, but in a you’re-better-than-that-keep-your-head-in-the-game kind of way.
I just hope that whoever takes over infield duties fits just as well with Cano as Bowa did.
mel –
unless the Sox land Santana for Lester… there is no reason not to be psyched for the 08 Yanks. Even if the Sox do get him, I cant wait to watch Joba ring up Youkilis and see how the young guys develop. Things will be interesting either way.
If you need proof that calling Andy Pettitte is political, why wasn’t Paul Byrd called? He refused to deny injecting HGH up to and including his 2007 post season performances. I’ve said for a long time the Yankees are in the dark regarding their public image and its far reaching negative effect on players. This heinous act is further proof that the Yankees aren’t taking market forces seriously enough.
No, no, no.
I’m saying that if only Yankees are called to testify before Congress it gives the appearance that the scandal has mostly to do with the Yankees. Look, a lot of people already don’t like the Yankees; this just gives them more ammunition.
I, as an intelligent individual who actually read the report, know that it’s not only players who were on the Yankees who were involved. I and many other people realize that when you only get information from two people who were based in New York that that information will be skewed.
Also, if you want attention paid, and you want to show how bad steroids are for the sport, what do you do when your biggest name might not ring a bell for anyone who doesn’t follow baseball, or when the majority of names were of players whose careers certainly don’t show that steroids can turn the average Joe into Superplayer? My gut feeling is that once McNamee was willing to sell Clemens, that’s when the decision was made to name names. Clemens’ alleged use had no more “evidence” attached than many more players in the report, yet, his “story” accounted for many more pages than any one particular player other than him.
And people like to scapegoat. If people can point to the Yankees as an infected team, it takes the light off their own teams. Also, it serves to taint the success the Yankees enjoyed in the early 90s. Any doubt? Well, just look at the “news” stories that listed all the Yankees named in the report who played on the 2000 team without regard to when their alleged steroid/HGH use actually occurred. It’s all in how you put it out there, my friend. And fiction can easily become “fact” if it’s repeated often enough by sources that many people have come to respect.
I’m psyched
We got as good a chance of any elite AL team to win it all; can’t be depressed about that
i miss paulie –
agreed (to an extent). but all things considered, i cant say with certainty that if David Ortiz was the headliner in the report that things wouldnt have been handled differently. isnt that a problem?
I cannot discount that there may have been some bias and that Selig and Mitchell had no problem including the names because of who the players were.
Doreen needs her own blog. Good stuff.
It seems that Jose Canseco’s proposed new book is in trouble. The man who was supposed to collaborate with Canseco pulled out because Canseco does not have anything on ARod or any other good material. I copied this article from the Daily News website posted this evening.
Ghost writer quits Jose Canseco book
By CHRISTIAN RED
DAILY SPORTS STAFF WRITER
Friday, January 4th 2008, 5:20 PM
Jose Canseco’s sequel to his 2005 best-seller “Juiced” has hit its first snag.
As the Daily News first reported last weekend, former Bash Brother Canseco has finalized a deal to publish “Vindicated” with Penguin Books, with a planned release date to coincide with Opening Day. But former Sports Illustrated associate editor Don Yaeger, who was scheduled to collaborate with Canseco on the book, has passed on the project. Yaeger said Friday that Canseco does not have the goods on Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez that Canseco alluded to in media interviews last month.
“I’m passing,” Yaeger told the Daily News. “I had a chance to review the Jose Canseco (material) that he provided me. I don’t think there’s a book there. I don’t know what they’re going to do. I don’t think he’s got what he claims to have, certainly doesn’t have what he claims to have on A-Rod.
Susan Mullen –
Are you referring to baseball’s master plan for “parity” among the teams? Because if you are, I would agree that penalizing the Yankees, specifically, had to have been number one in the listed, yet unpublicized” reasons to levy a luxury tax and revenue sharing – also known as, how to make sure free agents don’t automatically go to New York.
Fran – that would be very good news
Doreen,
There’s a couple of strange phenomena in America. First, people like to build up there heroes only to knock them down. I personally don’t subscribe to this mentality because I don’t wish ill upon anyone (well, almost anyone. Beckett and Schilling are on the cusp). That being said there are many, many people including media types that are taking great pleasure at watching the downfall of Clemens. The higher they are on the pedestal, the harder they fall.
The second phenomenon is that people in America are extremely forgiving of their celebrities…if they own up to their transgressions.
Speaking of celebrities, did you hear the latest about Britney? I’m not one to advocated sterilization, but…
mel –
the phenomenon in America is jealousy and greed.
The latest post on www.NYYStadiumInsider.com:
Parking prices? How about TICKET prices!
Really sheds some light on the recent ticket price increases:
http://nyystadiuminsider.com/2008/01/newsflash-not-so-much-parking-rates-to.html
Boston Dave – I agree. I really thought if Canseco had anything on ARod he would have put it in his first book.
well, stepping away from the past, i am also VERY PSYCHED about this year’s team. these past few years when the yanks have tried to put an all star at every position left me wishing for older times. i saw bernie, posada and jeter play in the minors and couldnt be prouder to watch home grown talent blossom. Id rather go in to next season rated 5th in the AL and keep these guys ive been watching in trenton and scranton turn into a championship team even if it takes a couple of years for it to happen. YOU GO CASH! and tell HANK to back the hell off!
Mel,
You are exactly right. Build ‘em up to knock ‘em down, but happy to build ‘em back up if they come crying on their knees.
I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Heck, I even have a straw of a thought in my head that goes, “but what IF Bonds DIDN’T use?” (Crazy and naive, I know.) Many times, I’ve been wrong. But I’d rather be wrong thinking the best of people than absolutely positive that mankind is rotten to the core. (I’ve got “cusp” people, too
)
Sigh. Britney. Sigh. I don’t see where this ends for her, do you?
I don’t know if Clemens used. If he did, and he’s now lying, he stands to be the most villified sports hero in history—even more than Pete Rose, I believe. However, in this case, I don’t know that telling the truth would help him (if the truth is that he took steroids or HGH). These people are out for blood and out to make an example. There would be NO Hall of Fame for Roger, even if he cried a river of tears; even if he apologized from now until his dying day; and I’m not sure that would be wrong. Because kids have looked up to him and tried to model themselves after him.
The only way out, I guess, if he did it and wants to tell the truth, is if it was a “limited trial,” so to speak, much like Pettitte’s confession. In Roger’s case, “I was desperate; my mother was dying and I wanted her to leave happy; I made a poor decision, but I realized it almost immediately and put a stop to it; I have since privately advised many younger players not to get involved with that stuff.” THAT might work.
Doreen,
If Roger did it, and basically any player, how does he look his Kooky K Kids in the eyes? His own son is a ball player.
Although, kids are smarter than we give them credit for. Kids know if the parents are alcoholics or drug users. (not talking from personal experience, but you know what I mean.)
I feel bad for Britney. She needs major help, but instead of getting help we’re all just kind of laughing at her…
Doreen, if you had a blog, I’d read it.
Thanks, Rebecca. I’m not organized enough, and I’m afraid I’d end up being preachy. I know that sometimes when I read the stuff I right here, it’s already borderline preachy!
Mel,
Even if the K-Kids have a feeling, it would still be more than difficult to get a confirmation from their dad.
One thing I will say about Clemens, whether or not he took steroids, he did the work involved to keep himself pitching. And he did it at a pace that younger players found grueling. I guess at least he would have that to say to his sons. I made a mistake, but I always worked hard. That’s why, I hope if he did use, it was a brief encounter. Again, my naivete comes out.
Congratulations, Utility Man and Wife.
If Britney is bipolar she can get situated on meds and do okay. This hospitalization is just a first step for her not the last.
Thanks li
Saucy- There’s a fair amount of Yankee fans up here, more Saux fans, but I’m not stranded on an island or anything. The next time your going thru the Rutland area during the summer the Yank games are carried on 105.3 FM-WEBK. God, I sound like some kind of promotion, but really its great being able to get the games.
i love you yankees chick – i didn’t write the e-mail!! lol