That’s a wrap from Legends Field
-
- March
- 22
Here’s a roundup of postgame news:
Robinson Cano: His “general body stiffness” turned out to be a stiff back. Joe Girardi said Cano would play tomorrow. “I feel good, I’ll be able to play tomorrow,” Cano said.
Pitching plans: It’ll be Mike Mussina vs. Kei Igawa tomorrow morning in a thrill-packed minor-league intrasquad game. Jeff Karstens will start against the Pirates in Bradenton at 1:05 p.m.
Refunds: Tickets have to be mailed back to the Legends Field ticket office. Make sure you include your name, address, phone numbers, e-mail and credit card info if that’s what used to purchase the seats. Refunds will be in same method of payment as was used at the time of purchase. No refunds will be accepted after Dec. 31, 2008.
The numbers game: Wilson Betemit doesn’t want to give up No. 14, so Morgan Ensberg is still wearing 21 for now. He plans to find a new number before the season.


Celebrity sightings: Ron Howard was in the clubhouse for a while as was Richard Gere. Opie more or less kept to himself but Zack Mayo walked around the place for a bit and chatted with A-Rod, Girardi and Giambi.
Best Ron Howard movie: Has to be Apollo 13. Has to be.
Best Richard Gere movie: Now this is a tough one. If only for the presence of Diane Lane, Unfaithful is in contention. For pure campiness, First Knight is pretty good. Can’t go wrong with Sean Connery as King Arthur. An Officer and a Gentleman has its moments but hasn’t aged well. The same is true of Breathless. Internal Affairs? Nah.
So it’s Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts at her hot best. A pre-Costanza-being-famous Jason Alexander as the bad guy. It merits being on cable three times a week. Good date movie. But if you choose something else, I can’t argue with you.






Peter Abraham






Wow, you are nuts. First Knight? Seriously? That makes your list, let alone any list, campiness and all? You are forgetting Primal Fear. That’s the best movie he’s been in.
Apollo 13 is great, so is Cinderella Man, but I’m gonna go with Parenthood for his best. I love that movie. A Beautiful Mind, however, is one of the all-time most overrated films I’ve come across. Cannot stand it.
that’s right Wilson you keep strong w/ that #14
How could you not ask Ron Howard about the rumored Arrested Development movie?
LOL… thats funny Betemit doesn’t want to give up his number. There is alot of Ensberg fans on this blog, so I rather not say anything.
But this is the best blog. I get info I can’t get on Espn. lol
Betemit: (channels Martin Lawrence in Life)
“you can’t have my nummm-ba”
Richard Gere is a hack! and yes Ron Howard is overrated
My guess is Ensberg wants the number for free. He should take Betemit out for dinner or something.
Ron Howard is as overrated as Chase Utley is.
whoever has Duke winning today
NANANA NANANA SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY GOODBYYYYYYE
Pete,
How you can rate a Gary Marshall movie (Pretty Woman) over a Taylor Hackford movie (Officer) is blasphemy.
Officer and a Gentleman has most certainly aged well. It’s a great film from top to bottom. Way better than Pretty Woman which was basically a pop soundtrack constructed around scenes of a hooker finding true love.
Frankly, I’m stunned.
Gere was also excellent in Malick’s Days Of Heaven, but that film is way above most people’s heads.
Especially people who like Pretty Woman better than Officer and a Gentleman.
But he was excellent as Billy Flynn in Chicago. Perfectly cast and a knock out performance.
Gary Marshall’s heavy handed sentimental treacle should be forgotten, not remembered.
As for Opie, I’ll give you Apollo 13, although you’d be remiss to not mention the joy and simplicity of Splash.
Pretty Woman. Bah!
I think Apollo 13 was very good, but how about Backdraft? I think that was a better Ron Howard film.
Gere’s best movie: American Gigolo (we all wanted to be Richard after watching that movie admit it guys), and an underated movie: The Hoax
Little Ronny Howard’s best movie as a director:
Gung Ho (is hilarious), underrated: The Missing
Little Ronny Howard’s best movie as an actor :
The Shootist, underrated: American Graffiti
http://www.mymonavie.com/TimBaumgardner
G.Love:
As I said, I can’t argue with any choice on Gere. Offier just doesn’t do it for me. It’s a great movie to see a few times, no doubt. Debra Winger as the romantic interest? Eh.
I have to agree with G. Love about Gere’s appearance in Chicago –
“But he was excellent as Billy Flynn in Chicago. Perfectly cast and a knock out performance”.
What about a few movies that Ron Howard was actually in? American Graffiti was a damn good movie and The Shootist, while not the greatest, was John Wayne’s last movie. Add in working with Jimmy Stewart and Lauren Bacall. Not too shabby.
As a director, I actually like Night Shift with Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton and whats her name from Cheers.
Gere’s first role, as Tony if I remember correctly, in Looking For Mr. Goodbar. Still a very creepy film.
Summersby was one of the best Gere movies even though the premise was totally implausible. I mean, you’d know someone wasn’t your husband, right?
As for Howard, I’d much rather see him behind the camera than in front. As for Richie Cunningham, that was such a wimpy character.
“Sit on it” mel.
Night Shift was very funny, and one of the first Michael Keaton movies. I though Cocoon was very cool and had an awesome, premiere ‘older’ cast… some great names. And Tahnee Welch is sweet. And Ron gave little brother Clint a small role.
Pete,
American Gigolo. Tim is right. That movie spawned everyone wanting to wear Armani and work the room.
Big East is rolling. No doubt the best conference in tha nation.
Gere films?
(I guess this is what you do when the Yanks get rained out)
“The Hoax” ??? Horrible. You want to see a great film about clifford Irving? Orson Welles’
“F for Fake.”
“Days of Heaven” was a beautiful film.
“Primal Fear” wasn’t a great film. It was a good film. And Edward Norton was amazing.
OldYanksFan,
Ron gives his brother Clint a small role in most of his movies.
Cinderella Man, no doubt his best film.
Bad Scooter,
Hey! Up your nose with a rubber hose! (Welcome Back Kotter)
Not a big Gere fan here, but I loved Primal Fear. That was Ed Norton’s breakthrough role.
American Gigolo’s a big thumb’s up. Great, great soundtrack.
Pete, “Primal Fear”—> best EVER
Nice mel. What was Juan Epstein’s (the Puerto Rican Jew) full name?
Richie Cunningham – “I found my thrill, on Blueberry Hill”
IMO:
Days of Heaven- Best richard gere movie
definitely Apollo 13
Bad Scooter,
Don’t know that one. Speaking of the Cunninghams, Mrs. C’s going to be in the new Superhero spoof movie as Peter Parker’s aunt. She swears up like a sailor!
That Laura Linney in Primal Fear is hot!
I had to look it up mel, I could never understand when he said it.
Juan Luis Pedro Philippo DeHuevos Epstein
Duke, what the heck just happened?!
First Knight was terrible Peter. Everything was wrong about Connery as King Arthur.
Dude! I just got Sox-Yankees for my birthday on April 12th! Guys, I’ve never been to Fenway, what should I look out for/do?
Our seats are first base line, ten rows backish.
have you read the books Show Of Evil, or Reign in Hell ?
Rebecca Joe Alexader and Joe Mazzulla is what happened to Duke
oh and on another note
when a pitcher is over used
get well Gorzo
“American Gigolo. Tim is right. That movie spawned everyone wanting to wear Armani and work the room.”
And buy gravity boots.
Personally, I thought Unfaithful was a great movie. Even apart from Diane Lane being hot.
You can tell what age group some of the posters are from on here when it is suggested that Gere and Howard have no talent. Amazing.
try # 2
oh and on another probable sad note
when a pitcher is over used
get well Gorzo
Sorry if this was said already but another great Richard Gere movie is Primal Fear. Ed Norton’s performance in it was outstanding but Gere did a good job as well.
How about their worst movies:
Gere “Dr T and the women”
Howard Acting “Eat my Dust”
Howard Directing “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
Howard’s best directed
Cinderella man, Apollo 13, splash, Nightshift.
A beautiful mind =very overrated
Gere: Officer and a Gentlman, Primal Fear, American Gigilo, Days of Heaven (Malick is not my cup of tea) Internal Affairs,Looking for Mr Goodbar is a forgotten classic.
Pretty woman is fine fluff – that’s it
why does Micheal Beasley look like the stupidest player on the court today
Good News!
“Adam Scott picked up five shots in five holes against a faltering [yeah!] Tiger Woods , then Geoff Ogilvy came to life and regained the lead.”
Anyone Loving This? I Am.
no on beats TIGER
Ron Howard ? I liked “Night Shift” and “Ransom”, “Apollo 13” was excellent also. Richard Gere ? I liked his role in “The Mothman Prophecies” and “The Jackal”.
Morgan Ensberg’s $5,000 Pitch for No. 14
I wouldn’t either, 5K com’on Morgan
anyway anyone interested Jesus hit a line drive HR to CF today and was smashing atleast 8 of them in BP
Chad Jennings spoke w/ J.B. Cox on the 1 R he gave up and his status.
“The more I pitch the less and less sore I’ve been getting, so that’s a good sign,” he said.
Coming back from elbow surgery, Cox pitched a perfect inning on Tuesday in his spring debut. On Friday he pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing two hits, a walk and a run.
“Obviously the results weren’t as good, but yesterday I felt I don’t know how many times better stuff-wise,” Cox said. “My fastball came out of my hand good. My breaking ball was nice and crisp, and sharp. And I also threw three or four good changeups. Stuff-wise I was really impressed.
“Obviously right now health’s the main thing and that’s the closest I’ve felt to normal since the surgery.”
Rebecca:
Fenway is a hostile place, for real. As a Yankee fan in there, it’s definitely got an edgy vibe. The closer you are to the field, the better behaved the people are around you, but you are definitely in enemy territory. Keep your head down, your eyes up, and your cheers to yourself.
You’re all wrong. Howard’s best film was THE MUSIC MAN!
Yankee Fan: Thanks for the tip! My friend’s a Sox fan, so it should be interesting. We’re supposed to have good seats so he tells me I shouldn’t worry too much, but I’m bringing my fleece to wear over my yankees t-shirt just in case!
If you’re talking Ron Howard directed movies, you have to mention Night Shift!
The word I would use to describe Ron Howard as a director is “workmanlike,” and I don’t meant that in a demeaning way. What I mean is that he’s really competent and professional—you can give him any kind of material from any genre and he’ll give back a polished, lucid, solid piece of work. I don’t think he’s ever made anything that I would label as extraordinary, but I wouldn’t say he’s embarrassed himself either (and of course, he was tremendous on The Simpsons and, need I even remind everyone, The Andy Griffith Show).
Pretty Woman? I hated it so much I nearly walked out. If I hadn’t been the one driving I would have left. Ugh.
The thing with Richard Gere’s career is that he’s never (as far as I can recall) made one really great movie that he was great in. He will always give a good to very good performance, but he won’t make the movie great. He was good in Primal Fear, but Edward Norton’s the reason to see that movie. He was good in Chicago but he’s not the reason why that movie is great. He was fine in Internal Affairs, but that doesn’t make the movie good. See what I mean? At risk of playing too much with the venue where this will appear, he’s kind of like Bobby Abreu—he’s a great addition to a winning team, but he won’t take an average team and turn it into a playoff contender.
Morgan’s next target Jose Veras? He wears 41, than again if he doesn’t make the team Morgan won’t need to give up anything.
And to the person who said Morgan offered nothing. Check out the bats blog, it states that he offered 5 grand.
I love that we almost turned into a movie blog today.
On a side note, I worked on a project that was at Ron’s company (with Brian Grazer) Imagine.
They were talking to me to rewrite/remake the Don Knotts film “The Love God?” which is about a nebbish who writes a magazine about bird watching and then the magazine is bought by an unscrupulous publisher who wants to turn it into the equivalent of Playboy Magazine. Knotts ends up on trial for indecency.
Yes this movie actually exists. It’s not very good.
I think at this point they’re not planning on remaking it anymore.
I go to 1 or 2 Yanks/Sox games a season at Fenway, and I’ve never had issues. I wear my Yanks cap and shirt, and have sat everywhere from the fourth row from the field to the bleachers, and have NEVER had any problems. I cheer as I would at the Stadium, and while I might get a gentle ribbing, that’s about it.
As I’ve found with Sox fans at the Stadium, other people’s reactions are only as hostile as yours are. Popcorn and beer is usually thrown at obnoxious fans, not polite ones cheering their team.
That’s been my experience, at least.
My claim to glory: I lived in the same dorm complex as Ron Howard did in 1973 at USC. As I recall, at the time he drove a VW Beetle…The next year he quit school cuz of Happy Days…..
apollo 13 is the best, no doubt
rebecca-
I lived in boston last year and def agree you are in enemy territory. People tended to be very rude, and physically confrontational, whenever I saw someone with some yankee gear on. Speaking for myself i wouldn’t advertise my loyalties. Someone in my apt building had his car defaced just because he had NY license plates.
So then i moved back to brooklyn this year, and see people here wear boston hats and jersey without any problems. Go figure
Ron Howard makes entertaining movies. Cinderella Man was excellent. I can’t believe I’ve never seen Apollo 13, though.
Richard Gere – I agree with Skippy. But I love Unfaithful, and thought he was good in it, but it’s Diane Lane’s movie. Hated Officer and a Gentleman, but I don’t like Debra Winger. Thought he was really good in Chicago, but he’s not the reason I like the movie. Never saw American Gigolo! I also don’t like Pretty Woman.
Clearly, I have a lot of catching up to do.
Officer and a Gentlemen was shot near Bremerton Wa where I lived at the time, so I always enjoy watching that for the nostalgia.
My wife’s favorite movie is Pretty Woman, but I can’t get past the whole glamorization of prostitution thing, call me old fashioned I guess.
Apollo 13 is a fantastic movie and almost equals “The right stuff” as the best movie about the space program ever.
Okay. So far I’m oh-for-2 tonight in my brackets. Purdue and Duke. Ah, well.
jonnycat: thanks for the info.
Hopefully I can use my feminine charm…
Rebecca—
Have fun at Fenway. Just remember, you’re the guest in their home, and you’ll be okay.
Check out this blog: www.saberscouting.wordpress.com
Some good analysis on there. Some relating to some possible future Yankee draft picks, and AL East foe Matt Garza.
Andrew Stebbins: Funny you should link to that and the first entry is Shooter Hunt. He’s the son of my middle school math teacher—the man who is almost single-handedly responsible for me being a Yankees fan at the level I am in the first place.
Rebecca ;
New York envy is easy to see while in Boston. It’s inbred for generations. The little brother / sister syndrome. That applies to baseball and otherwise.
jonnycat-
That reminds me when I used to live in SF. I had Oakland Raiders plate frames on my car and one morning I went out to my car and I had the front plate frames ripped off. Fearing any further damage to my car I just took them off.
Fellow Yankee fan, anyone of you live near the El Segundo, California area?
StNR – I live in Ventura not really close to El Segundo though.
Rebecca…
For your first trip to Fenway, you should take your Yankees cap. Wear a Number 20 Yankees jersey. (The old timers will remember.)
To be on the safe side, wear a fake Manny wig under the cap.
Take a very big friend, though. Or several.
I did a little research and found that Betemit wore #24 with Atlanta.
And then wore #10 with LA Dodgers.
It wasnt until last July that he started wearing #14 when traded to Yanks.
Pete,
What ‘bout “The Paper” – that’s right up your alley.
Let’s not forget the 1970s classic “Grand Theft Auto”
“Wear a Number 20 Yankees jersey. (The old timers will remember.)”
I remember Bucky and his homer – and I don’t consider myself an “ole timer”. Great game.
#14 was Sweet Lou’s number.
G. Love- “Haaaaay, Sit on IT”
Rebecca – early birthday wishes!!
ps need a bodyguard for the sox game
When I went up to Fenway with a friend we were incognito at the game. Than we went to Cast and Flanigons and found Yankee fans. Well we weren’t incognito anymore!! It was a lot of fun. The only thing that stunk was we left Cast at 11pm with the other Yankee fans and the area around there was dead! We hoped in a cab and found a bar that was near our hotel and they weren’t serving food anymore, they gave us dirty looks really didn’t want to serve us and practically kicked us out! Everything closes very early there, nothing like NYC.
Heh, I wasn’t born when Bucky went yard. Heck, even Buckner is barely my time… (I was about six months).
Karma: Thanks! It’s not till the 12th, but I can’t wait.
Rebecca, you are soooo young…Bless you!
And Rebecca is making us feel so old!
Yeah, so I’ve been told…
why is bucky dent still a sore subject (to say the least) in Boston? Why do they largely overlook Aaron Boone ? After all, the Bucky Dent game is 30 years ago, the Boone game is 5 years ago.
Pretty Woman a date movie? Huh. Very interesting 20/20 special on Prositution in America last night. Spitzer got some face time. The brothels in Nevada was just some crazy stuff.
Another good Gere movie, with an unsatisfying ending was “Intersection”.
Karma so we should make up shirts that says I love Aaron F’in Boone.
Mel-
as date movies go, “Pretty Woman” is no “Splash.”
as sex work industry, “Pretty Woman” in no “Night Shift.”
jen: I think they already exist!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3307289
Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers reached a preliminary agreement Saturday on an eight-year, $153.3 million contract extension, a source close to Cabrera told ESPNdeportes.com on condition of anonymity.
the Knicks are just playing w/ us now, Mardy Collins literally passed the ball to the rim, not by mistake he literallly passed it to the rim
So what’s the best date movie? Considering that some of us haven’t been on a date in years, this will probably be a generational thing and more philosophical than anything.
mel: Try Enchanted if you’re looking for a good date movie.
Best date movie: “Fever Pitch”
About an hour ago I watched The Hills Have Eyes….yuck
Mutants living in the desert!!
Sixteen Candles or Breakfast Club
I refuse to watch Fever Pitch!
Rebecca,
lol. I’m looking for a date movie discussion, not a good date.
Is that the one with Amy Adams?
Miguel Cabrera just signed an 8 year 153 million dollar extension with Detroit.
Initial thoughts – obviously a lot of money but it seems like a very good deal for Detroit. $19 million per for Cabrera – I’m honestly surprised he didn’t get more.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3307289
Sleepless in Seattle or When Harry Met Sally.
oh, speaking of Billy Crystal, ”*61” is a GREAT movie, even if you’re not a yankee fan.
how doesn’t fall in love with mickey.
How long before Brandon Inge is traded???
Dodgers-Giants???
Well the dream is over Marquette losing has dropped me from 14 to 142 in the ranks. It was good while it lasted.
Didnt have time to scan through the earlier posts comments did anyone have interest in filling out the last team needed for the blog fantasty league??
Breathless could have been ok but for the life of me I don’t know why anyone felt it needed (or needs) to be remade. I say could have been ok; the brutally inept performance of Valerie Kaprisky makes it nearly unwatchable. The sound track and title song by INXS were ok.
You want a great date movie; try Jean-Luc Goddard’s Breathless (1960) I can’t remember the French name. It’s great stuff. It still plays in most major cities at art houses and on most DVD players.
I was just scanning before going to bed – sunrise Mass tomorrow morning – and I saw CB’s post about Miguel Cabrera’s deal with Detroit. Yeah, he’s a real good player and hitter, now. But I remember how, this past fall when A-Rod was in his opt-out phase, the discussions about acquiring Cabrera were flavored by talk of his weight and work-ethic in the near future, let alone the next 8 years.
I think this is a risky deal for Detroit.
CB: Well, I think they’re expecting Miggy to put up A-Rod like numbers at bat, which he very well might, but there is an issue of his defense becoming a liability.
I wonder if there’s an opt-out clause.
Is Scott Boras his agent?
Actually, I think so.
Cabrera has come into camp in much better shape after working out with Carlos Guillen the entire off season. He seems to have taken all the criticism of his weight to heart and really started working out for the first time.
There’s risk involved – but remember he’s only 24. It’s not a 10 year deal (as many assumed he’s demand) so he’ll be 32 when it finishes.
Also – he signed for $150 million – many people assumed he’s want at least 10yrs/ 200 million.
There’s always risk with long terms deals and his weight/ work ethic is a concern.
Nonetheless – think about how much less they are paying him than ARod.
ARod’s career OPS is .967. Cabrera’s is .930 and his prime years are still to come.
Mark Texeira at age 29 is going to demand a 7 year $140 million dollar deal.
This is a very good move, as usual, by Dombrowski.
Cabrera fired Boras i believe. I think Fern Cuza is his agent.
Also – just as a caveat – this report is coming out of ESPN deportes. They’ve reported several wrong rumors in the past so maybe this isn’t legit.
Don’t know – but it’s now on the ESPN homepage so they must think it’s sourced well.
Bill Porter-
if ya wanna go foreign, there’s always Bertolucci.
Nice ménage a trios dynamic (two guys, a girl, and pizza) in “The Dreamers” – the many uses of butter in “Last Tango” and the sexiness of toe-cleavage in “The Emperor”
Karma, I don’t necessarily want to go foreign I’d rather just go good. Marlon Brando’s fat ass in Tango still leaves me queasy; I haven’t been able to tie a square knot without dry heaving since. If we want a food theme for date night I guess I’ll stick with ‘Eating Raul’. Toe cleavage huh? Sorry I missed that.
This was posted on NYT blog. I wonder if this is our Utlityman? Who ever it is makes a good point. Why be a *ss about not giving up the number when you’ve worn a number of different numbers in your career.
Betemit wore #24 with Atlanta
He wore #10 with Dodgers
Hopefully he relinguishes it to Morgan and takes 11 or 12.
If not,I will be disappointed in him.
— Posted by UtilityMan
Did everyone catch the story on YS on NBC? My fav place Yankee Tavern was on it.
Bill Porter
Breathless = A Bout de Souffle
jennifer
That was me…...I did some research earlier tonight before I watched that horrible The Hills Have Eyes movie.
Im wondering if Betemit has some attachment to #14.
I loved Paulie O for the way he played,I wear #21 myself in SB
And after speaking to Morgan last Monday,I was hoping he would get his wish.
Jennifer-
you like the tav more than Stans or the bowling alley?
To be honest I’ve only been in the Bowling Alley bar once, and never into Stans. But I love the Tavern.
No way,
No mercy was Gere’s best movie. He played that one better than any I ever saw. Check it out if you haven’t seen it. First knight was a joke. I can’t believe Sean Connery playd that part who is one the best I think I’ve seen in movies.
A for Ronny, American Grafitti says it all.
woooooooooooooooooooh my bracket still intact
Jen, no I was too busy tearing up my brackets.
Great ending to the UCLA game. I bet you bracket guys are breathing a sigh of relief!
I’m done.
I have 1 team left in the final 4 and none left in the final game.
damn it! Now I have to return those 5 carat diamond earrings.
mel- Texas A&M has themselves to blame for that one. How many times did Darren Collison have to burn them on the pick and roll down the stretch? They couldn’t stop it. And also, if you listened closely enough, you could probably hear a collective scream after Pittsburgh lost.
Darren Collinson is a quick nimble PG he hits that J when he’s on. He and Joe Shipp plus Love is why I got UCLA winning it all
J-Dawg: That was me.
Happy Easter everyone!!
Jennifer & Utilityman,
Disagree on Betemit and the number. Wilson had a guaranteed spot on the team, Ensberg is a walk-on. Factor in that they’re basically competing for playing time and it seems to me that Ensberg has balls asking for his number.
Also, if you’re gonna offer cash, make a man-sized offer. Five grand would have been insulting 20 years ago.
Rebecca- I breathed a sigh of relief when Pitt went down, because Memphis would have REALLY had trouble with them in a Sweet 16 matchup. But the focus is on Mississippi State now and then hopefully Michigan State.
Brandon- I have UCLA losing to Memphis in the Final Four. I’m a homer!! Either way, it looks like the Bruins could have an easy game next. I didn’t have Western Kentucky and San Diego in that 2nd round matchup in my bracket, that’s for sure.
I disagree. He doesn’t want to wear Paul O’Niells number. And I think he is showing a great deal of respect. Players ask other players for numbers all the time. I don’t have a problem with it. It isn’t like Wilson is a star? It isn’t like Morgan is asking Jeter or Alex for their number? He is asking Wilson!! Wilson has no attachment to #14 based on the 12 other numbers that he has worn in his career.
I have no idea why I put question marks after my statements!! Don’t mind me.
Ensberg needs a tan or atleast some tanning cream.
Interesting Hal interviw in Newsday just put online.
Still reading but couple of things caught my eye.
if the brothers dont agree they dont do it. They have to agree.
Hal is a year by year guy
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-sphal0323,0,6108855.story
SOrry by year by year he was specifically talking about Cashman and how when its time to sit down and analyze everything that is when he would do it not a year before
Randyhater: I’m with Jen on this. Ensberg has earned points for not wanting to wear Paul’s number. $5,000 might seem small, but I think Phil Hughes took Sean Henn out to dinner for his number.
What’s wrong with this sentence?
“Jessica’s husband, Felix Lopez, is involved with the Yankees, but she spends more time running the family horse farm in Ocala, Fla.”
J-Dawg I had Marquette making the Final Four upsetting Memphis to do it.
DAMN YOU LOPEZ’S
Rebecca-
sounds like Jessica is down with Katherine the Great.
The one thing Hal was famously against was trading for Twins ace Johan Santana, who wound up going to the Mets. The Twins were asking for centerfielder Melky Cabrera, righthander Phil Hughes and righthander Ian Kennedy, and a hefty contract extension for Santana also would have been necessary.
“I was against it, there’s no doubt about it,” Hal said. “Personally, for me, it was an easy decision to say no to. Economically and financially, there were reasons I’m not going to get into. But even from a baseball standpoint … I’m no expert on baseball matters, believe me, but I didn’t want to get rid of the centerfielder, and I didn’t want to get rid of Hughes.”
—————
why do I get the feeling that Hank is the decoy and Hal really is the brains
When Hal watched the Giants upset the Patriots in the Super Bowl, he felt the Yankees’ decision to build with youth was validated.
“The Super Bowl was great,” Hal said. “I think it showed New Yorkers that if you’re patient with a young kid [a la Eli Manning], good things can happen.”
Yankees fans can only hope that the so-called silent son—now not-so-silent—will prove to be right.————————————————
interesting
Brandon,
Also, what’s up with “the centerfielder” – he can’t remember Melky’s name? Like his dad, “the thirdbaseman.”
I admire Ensberg for nixing #21. Classy move.
But isn’t it a bit rude to expect someone to give up something that’s theirs?
Isn’t imposing on a teammate a bigger deal than just taking an available number—even if you feel it’s “too high”?
Great “get” by Kat O’Brien. She talks to Hank all the time – I wonder if that helped.
Also, why is Kat the only beat writer with a blog that’s not on Peter’s blogroll?
Jennifer & Rebecca,
As a point of etiquette, you need to be higher than a guy on the team hierarchy before you start asking him for his number. Likewise, if you’re coming in and trying to take a guy’s job (Ensberg and Betemit will be competing for playing time) it seems to me like bad form. If the number’s only worth five grand to him, you would think he’d let it ride rather than make waves.
Funny you mention O’Neil. When Clemens came over in ‘99, he wanted No. 21 and made public overtures about buying it. Paulie promptly shot him down and there was definitley a vibe that he was annoyed that Clemens would even ask, considering that O’Neil was a team fixture while Clemens, future Hall of Famer or not, was just a blow-in.
Yaz,
No harm in asking for it. But, I bet Betemit isn’t too pleased that his refusal is now public.
Clare that’s what makes me think Hank is the decoy, because if you think about it Hal is a quiet guy could you imagine how many beat writers would rip him for being a quiet GM, remember the guy is the heir to the owner of the Yankees, in July I remember plenty of stories of Hal being taken to our minor league affiliates and talking to the scouting department from the core up, it’s something that has me thinking now.
Brandon,
I don’t think it has to be that complicated. I see no reason not to take them at their word – that they have equal power and have to agree on big decisions. There are obvious personality differences and difference in their tolerance/seeking of publicity, but I don’t read anything more into it than that.
What irks me is the family’s public sexism. By some accounts (I’m way too lazy to look for the link now – but I read this last year) Jennifer is the one most suited to running the franchise, except her dad’s a proud chauvinist.
ok Clare hmmm… on another note
Maybe it was jetlag. Maybe it was culture shock. Maybe it explains why he went 0 for 5. But, Dustin Pedrioa got a dose of what the atmosphere is like at a baseball game in Japan, and he didn’t dig it, according to Jeff Passan.
As choreographed drums and horns, chants and claps blared in-between at bats, Pedrioa looked up from dugout.
“What the (expletive) is that?” Pedroia asked.
When it was explained to him that it was all part of taking in a game in Japan, Pedrioa continued the part of the ugly American.
“Shut up!” Pedroia yelled toward the fans, some 400 feet away.
This coming from a guy that gets an earful of expletives at Yankee Stadium each time the Red Sox visit. Apparently, “different” doesn’t sit well with “Mr. 0 for 5”.
source
Brandon,
I can’t stand that obnoxious runt.
I would also agree on the obnoxious runt thing
Not that anyone’s keeping track, but Pitt was one of my Final Four teams. Oh well…
Tough day for the Dukies. As a duke grad they are the only team that can come close to competing with the yankees for my love [If I had to pick it would be NYY – loved them since 6th grade, and Duke only since 2002 when I went there]. But the good news is Duke is only losing one guy (Nelson) so they should be pretty loaded up for a run again next year.
By the way I’ve been lurking on the blog since about August last year – love reading it and the comments (other than the occasional troll). Helps me keep up with the team since we don’t get as many games out here as when I got YES network.
BTW does anyone do the satellite radio for games? How is it? Been thinkin about doing that since the games are always on at 4pm when I’m at work
WestCoastYankee – do you mean XM radio?
Mike Silva interviews Brett Gardner
You lost me when you said Julia Roberts at her hot best. Time to hit the optometrist my friend. She belongs more in Horse n Hounds than on the cover of vogue (you like how I just threw in that Notting Hill reference ha ah heh?).
Clare, are we going to have to take that runt to the pound?
My two cents on Pretty Woman: it is one of the most insufferable movies I have ever sat through.
Julia might have the nicest soul in the world in person but two things absolutely make it impossible for me to watch her. First, that face… I agree with Mehdi, the girl is horse-faced. After seeing her brother Eric over the years, I understand why she got that radical nose job, but it just makes her look like Secretariat. Second, it’s her “explode a laugh,” that body shaking, window rattling guffaw she lets out when she’s trying to make it look like she’s genuinely laughing, not screen laughing. Unforgivable.
As for the plot, in a word: offensive. Prostitutes are not nice people. Sorry. These ladies are not nice little girls who have just made unconventional life style choices and who just need a little extra money or a little real love with the right man. And Gere’s character is Gordon Gekko, but without the self-awareness to make his character believable enough – even for comedy.
Hollywood takes these two thoroughly revolting, sociopathic characters, puts “pretty” actors in the roles (but see, my objection to horse-faced, explode-a-laugh Roberts above), leaves out the disgusting truth about both their lives and “fixes” everything in the end. Lo and behold: a greedy shallow woman changes her life because she has the love and buying power of her greedy shallow man. And the greedy shallow man is able to give her the love she needs to change her life because she gave him the one thing he was lacking in his life, i.e., a great, well… it rhymes with “snow job.”
Until I read that Pretty Woman was really supposed to be a black comedy, I intend to go on despising this movie.
Richard Gere ?
UNFAITHFUL is the best (Diane Lane was superb in it and as sexy as Hell!)
PRIMAL FEAR a close second. Then INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
Richard Gere movies are the equivalent of Kyle Farnsworth pitching performances.