A few random things . . .
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- May
- 8
Ken Griffey Jr. said he wanted to be traded earlier this week. The going-nowhere Reds might as well deal him. There are going to be other players out there, too. Many of the usual suspects (Kevin Millar, Xavier Nady) but maybe some new names will pop up.
Would you want the Yankees to obtain a veteran player and plug him into the lineup to aid the cause? Alex Rodriguez will be back soon but Jorge Posada remains a month away. Jason Giambi looked better today, but it was one day.
Or do you stay the course, suffer the growing pains and battle through it?
Obviously some trades would make great sense, others not. But the Yankees made a significant move at this time last season when they added Clemens.
————
It’s not everyday you can do a good thing for only $7.50, but here’s your chance.
There’s a Yankees fan up in Connecticut named Steve. He’s a great guy, a former sports writer who got out of the business and now teaches social studies and coaches high school basketball in a little town. He got married in 2002 to the nice girl he met in college, Lyndsay.
Short version of the story: They would very much like to a baby but Lyndsay has a heart condition and doctors advise against it. Her heart, while plenty strong for everyday life, might not support a pregnancy.
They’ve decided to either adopt a baby or to have a surrogate mother carry their baby. The problem is the cost, which is astronomical and the insurance company isn’t helping out.
Lyndsay’s mother is an artist who is selling magnets of her work and donating the proceeds to help the cause. For $7.50, you get three magnets of some classy artwork. Shipping and handling included. Go to this site if you’re interested.
If you want to read a better version of their story, check out this column by Mike DiMauro, a sports columnist in Connecticut.
Full disclosure: I used to work with Steve. He took over coverage of the Double-A team the Yankees once had in Connecticut after I left for The Journal News. He e-mails me regularly, usually distraught after the Yankees lose.
He’ll probably complain that I’m doing this, but when I heard their story I wanted to share it. If two people deserve to be parents, it’s Steve and Lyndsay. And I can tell you this much: the little tyke will be a Yankees fan.
Thanks for considering it.
————
I know we have a lot of Springsteen fans on his blog. In case you missed it, check out Backstreets.com for a report on last night’s charity benefit show at the Count Basie Theater in New Jersey.
Bruce and the band did the entire Darkness On The Edge Of the Town and Born To Run albums in order for the first time. It must have been great to see.
The best part? There were 37 wounded veterans who came down from the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington for the show.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 4:12 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Is it leagl to advertise on the blog…. just kidding ! peter - you are one of a kind!!!!
this lineup has to many LHBs the only name on that list I’d think about is X other than that nope not really.
too *
by the way i heard that you were on 660 2 nights ago! tony page said some stuff in your name yesterday. cant remember what but i think it was about giambi
LOL Brian Heyman said in ST a Yankee veteran when he was asked what do you think about Igawa, he said “this guy is s—-”
ahh how fast things change lol Just a few weeks ago there was a post about trading matsui at some point because at the moment he was only “spare parts”
giambi has 5 of his six hrs off of timlin and byrd… im not impressed.
anyone else think english is johnny damon’s second language?
not another lefty
especially one who has said numerous times that he would never want to play for the yankees
and im not intersted in any of that arroyo garbgage either.
now if they want to talk about jay bruce, edison volquez or johnny cueto, im all ears…
Best of luck to Steve and Lyndsay.
berniepaul&tino
Damon had a studdering problem when he was growing up I believe.
Trading for Griffey is tempting because well he’s Ken Griffey Jr. but I wouldn’t do it. The Yankees already have enough DH/mediocre outfielders. Even without A-rod and Posada in the lineup where would he play? If LF you have to sit Damon who is one of our best hitters thus far. DH then Matsui has to sit who is another of our best hitters. Unless Griffey can catch or play third I don’t want him.
We need a real first baseman!! Johnson,Mienktouljiks,Kouzmanoff. Heck ask Marinez or Mattingly to comeback and bring a glove.
Just having fun here and wanted to know if i missed something.
Manny being Manny
1.going in the left field wall for a pee break.
2.cutting off the Damon through for no reason.(laughing while i wrote that)
3.Staring at looong singles.
4.Pointing with both hands to the dugout after a big hit.
5.Sit out for part of August and October.
6.Ask to be traded in the offseason. Then when the season starts. He loves being in Boston.
7.?
i know everybody laughs at a guy like igawa. its an all or nothing society, igawa either sucks or is great, anything that delves into the grey areas is dismissed. do u really think its impossible for igawa to pitch one good game vs. a slumping detroit team whos never faced him? remember that he beat the red sox despite walking 4. i didnt say he’s a good pitcher, i said if they score, he’s got a shot for a win. mussina got the win today didnt he?
S.o.S.27
Never coming to spring training on time.
Dynasty,
Watch the highlights on espn news (tv). He goes into the dugout and he knocks over all the coolers. The dugout’s empty except for guys making their getaway.
Wanted to post the video, but of course anything negative about the Red Sox is quickly sanitized. ESPN highlight on the recap doesn’t show it (even though they use the same video clip for the tv highlights) and youtube’s clip has already been removed by MLB Advanced Video. And of course you won’t be able to find it at mlb.com.
But he basically took it out on the cooler.
the cutoff was THE BEST PLAY since the homer that bounced off canseco’s noggin!!!!!!!
SoS,
Thanks for the kind words. I know it killed your soul just a little.
I’m cheering for your Spurs. Please shut down Chris Paul. He’s great, but I’m so tired of hearing about how wonderful he is. Some analysts are saying he’s the best PG. Ever.
They could def use another bat somewhere in this lineup but they could use another SP more.
when you can strike someone out in the big leagues.. you can do whatever you want.. he’s not showing people up…. i’ve really had enough of this same conversation over an dover
What about Millar for 1B? He’s a better option than Giambi. He’s still got some pop in his bat. Yes, he’s a former Crock Sox, but Damon is too and we learned to live with that.
OK - so YES just went to the crazies and they are all over Joba’s fist-pump…good lord.
mel,
Thanks for the info…
yeah, damon overcame stuttering and a noticable lisp and became a really cool, outgoing person who’s not afraid to think outloud or make an idiot of himself.
and hes a huge contributer and fundraiser off the field. they dont make many as nice as damon.
TRIPLE TWIRL PUMP NEXT TIME JOBA !!
What are the Pirates looking for these days? Grabow and Nady could be one of those smaller-scale deals that really shore up the team, if they think that neither Duncan nor Ensberg is the answer as part of a 1B platoon and aren’t ready to cut Giambi.
“What about Millar for 1B? He’s a better option than Giambi. He’s still got some pop in his bat. ”
I just looked at his numbers this season and he’s AWFUL. No pop whatsoever this year.
Gosh darn it, Pete, you’re just a good guy.
After seeing my daughter give birth to a son (our first grandchild) yesterday, this story really hits home. My wife and I have two adopted daughters, one adopted locally in North Carolina and the other from Russia. I encourage all your blog readers to help with this cause. I’m off to order my magnets now.
Thanks for sharing this story.
phillips is buried in the minors for CIN and could be had for practically nothing. he was solid with the glove and knew his place was to move runners or bunt if needed. also could pinch run for posade/molina/giambi
Millar only has pop against us.
Sleeper candidate: Matt Diaz of the Braves.
The guy kills lefties. He’s hitting over .450 against lefties this year.
He can play first base and also be a backup OF.
He’s a journeyman guy and the Braves want to play younger players. They need young pitching and the Yankees have a ton of it.
If you want an under the radar guy who kills lefties, I’d like to see if they could pry Diaz away from the Braves.
No on Griffey. They have enough brittle guys on the team and they are already too top heavy from the left side.
He’s going to end up in Seattle anyway. Chuck Armstrong (Mariners President) loves Griffey and that’s a likely match soon.
“phillips is buried in the minors for CIN and could be had for practically nothing. he was solid with the glove and knew his place was to move runners or bunt if needed. also could pinch run for posade/molina/giambi”
You know why he’s in the minors? He’s not actually a very useful player. If you’re going to carry someone to pinch run, you can get someone WAY faster than Phillips.
“phillips is buried in the minors for CIN and could be had for practically nothing. he was solid with the glove and knew his place was to move runners or bunt if needed. also could pinch run for posade/molina/giambi”
we’ve been through this King of Bloop is not the answer, and he was not a good baserunner 730 games w/ a SB/CS of 23-12
Yes mel i feel like i sold some of my soul to compliment ball hog(some not all). But im not blind. They are darn right scary. Whats scarier than that is next year they will be even stronger with Bynum. Speaking of Bynum. They are saying that they are going to give his knee 5 more weeks. If it doesnt get better. They might have to go in again.
Ummm yeahh. We arent going to stop Paul. That me being a realist. But all the other players should be. Hers to a Lakere/Spurs matchup. All we have to do is hold our end of the bargain.
Manny’s cuttoff>Conseco’s noggin homerun
SJ good call, Griffey returning to Seattle is a perfect fit. Seattle has the pitching but their offense is terrible, he could definitely help them out.
“He’s a journeyman guy and the Braves want to play younger players. They need young pitching and the Yankees have a ton of it.
If you want an under the radar guy who kills lefties, I’d like to see if they could pry Diaz away from the Braves.”
Who do they have to play left in his place? I kind of doubt they could get him away from them without providing at least a replacement level guy out there. I mean…they’re in the thick of the race over there.
Not sure about Griffey with his injury history, still…
When they’re all healthy, A-Rod, Griffery, Posada, in the middle of lineup sounds pretty imposing…
whozat how about Damon for Diaz
No on Phillips!! Do we have to see mr.aaaa on our team again? Now Phelps is another story.
“whozat how about Damon for Diaz”
I don’t think they’re looking for a leadoff guy
I’m also not sure I’m ready to hand Melky the leadoff job, though he’s been having a good season so far.
If we got Griffey one of Matsui, Damon or Abreu would have to sit.
So far this year..
Damon OPS: .892
Abreu OPS: .805
Matsui OPS: .922
Griffy OPS: .695
Yeah I’d say no to Griffey.
i’d honestly prefer Miguel Cairo over Phillips - that guy did everything and was playing great defense. It would also let us get rid of Betemit - AG and Cairo over Betemit!
Damon for Diaz? no way in heck
Here is my idea: Platoon 1B with Matsui and Duncan and sign Bonds for DH. We have lost our two best offensive players from last year and we desperately need some pop in the lineup b/c without A-rod and Posada, nobody in this lineup can hit 25 homers. Cashman should have Bonds on speed dial right now but you can bet he would rather pinch pennies rather than do something actually helpful.
Diaz doesn’t play everyday in Atlanta. They can go in a couple of directions.
They can move Omar Infante or Ruban Gotay in at second and move Kelly Johnson back to the OF.
Or could take back an OF, someone like Jason Lane for example, from the Yankees for in a Diaz deal.
Until Jordan Schaeffer is off the restricted list and ready, they can mix and match. Their real weakness is pitching.
They could use help on the hill and the Yankees have a glut of pitching at the minor league level. Especially bullpen arms. A real weakness of the Braves.
Just a thought.
Miguel Cairo is terrible the AG is a much better player…
no to griffey, no to all these old, slow, brittle guys.
NO NO NO
Id much rather have Barry instead of Ken.
fatcessa just WON”T shut up about the g-damn fist pump
AG and Cairo is redundant.
By the end of the season I can see our bench being Molina, Gonzalez, one of Betemit/Ensberg/Duncan, and Gardner. We don’t need Gardner or Gonzalez yet so I’d rather see them get regular playtime down in AAA right now.
Later on though I think that would be a very good bench, it covers every possible need the Yankees would have: pinch hitting, pinch running, bunting, defense behind the plate, infield defense, outfield defense.
I’d rather shoot myself w/ vodka instead of having Barry
SJ good thought..
again guys like veras, ramirez, britton, etc are worthy of major league innings but will the ystick is the big question..
imagine if the yanks could unload hawkins on ATL.. Hawkins contract is only this yr. and in the $3 mill neighborhood far from unmoveable………If hawkins got moved some of the guys mentioned above would be given the chance to produce…..
Matsui has never taken a groundball in his life at first base.
You can’t just plug him in there cold. Not how it works.
Not going after Bonds has nothing to do with penny pinching.
It has to do with the fact they don’t want a guy whose currently under Federal Indictment and a huge distraction to be their DH when their current DH is hitting .345.
If he signed tomorrow, he can’t play for 6 weeks. That’s how it would take him, or any guy who hasn’t played any baseball since last September, to get ready.
It makes no sense to sign him.
I haven’t read the game posts. I half-watched and half-listened to the game today since I had lots of “stuff” to get done today. But what a nice win for the team. Very happy about Robbie Cano’s day. I think it was a nice break for Damon’s and Giambi’s HRs to find their ways out of the park - simply because it’s nice to get a break now and again. Moose did a great job through 4, and I thought he was going to escape the 5th giving up only 1, but at least he maintained the tie and a GREAT pick-up in the very next inning.
I had a feeling Betemit would do something today. Insurance runs are always good. And what can you say about Joba?? And Ollie??? And Mo???? The pen’s been really, really good this season.
On to Detroit. Pete said it above, and the guys said it on the broadcast, that Detroit is a great town to be in. What, besides baseball, is there to do in Detroit???? (I passed up including Detroit on a long road trip this summer, because aside from a game I couldn’t find anything family-oriented to do.
But the best part was how he went on and on about not wanting to talk about it…
“By the end of the season I can see our bench being Molina, Gonzalez, one of Betemit/Ensberg/Duncan, and Gardner. We don’t need Gardner or Gonzalez yet so I’d rather see them get regular playtime down in AAA right now.”
I would have said that earlier this season but guys like Ensberg, Bet, and Duncan need to pick it up.
Patrick youre absolutely right that would be a beautiful bench.
re: Barry Bonds I go back and forth with him. His OBP is just what the doctor ordered in the middle of this lineup right now. You want to talk about a lineup ask me who you pitch to when A-Rod comes up followed by Bonds? I know the clubhouse issues but for a one year deal if Barry is willing to give us a good price… pull that trigger.
Bob Raismann: “this guy has a lot of hot dog in him”
Why are people so offended with a stupid fist pump?
Geez it’s not like he does it all the time.
I bought some magnets…good luck to them.
i just dont see why the bench spots have to be full of hitters. how many times do we pinch hit and is ensberg really that much better a hitter than duncan? we’ve got all the offense we need in the starting lineup and when healthy we have at least one lefty on the bench and duncan from the right side. the other 2 spots should be gozalez, gardener and someone who can play stellar defense at 1B.
So this week in NY, our esteemed talk radio hosts have made the following issues of the day:
1. Joe Torre calling Yankee players.
2. Joba Chamberlain’s fist pump.
Just when you think they can’t get any dumber, they actually exceed the low expectations I place on them each day.
Amazing.
Wow, Pete. You are a great friend.
I will visit the site and buy a magnet or two.
I can only imagine how difficult their situation is. I do wish them well.
“Just when you think they can’t get any dumber, they actually exceed the low expectations I place on them each day.”
Slow news day? Nah, that’s giving them too much credit.
Great Post Pete….count me in on that…I’ll go to the site and help out, friend.
steve sommers cracks me up…even though he hates the yankees, guy is funny.
sorry i cant count (or at least edit correctly) today…
SJ
You are probably right about the time it would take for Bonds to get ready but why did Cash have this as a backup plan. Once it became clear that Posada’s shoulder was bad, he should have contacted Bonds’ agent and said “Start your client getting ready, we are going to need you soon enough” Also, if Cashman is letting the indictment or any of the other crap stop him then he is an idiot. None of that matters as long as he can hit the ball. The Yanks have tons of distractions, what is one more? And if Hideki cant play 1st then just keep giving guys days off to keep them fresh. You could have Damon in there one day, Matsui the next, maybe rest Melky every couple weeks, and give Abreu a day off here and there. I dont see a downside to taking a shot at Barry.
I left out one. Mike Francesa wanting Joba to act like Mariano Rivera.
I bet Mike’s wife would want him to look like George Clooney. As Mick Jagger once sang, “You can’t always get what you want”.
You can’t clone people. You let them be themselves.
Something Fatso and Fruit Loops can’t comprehend.
Bonds/A-Rod/Abreu batting 3-4-5 makes my mouth water
Steve,
Nobody is touching Barry Bonds. Its not collusion, IMO, its the indictment. Nobody wants to be a part of what he brings to a clubhouse.
It just doesn’t work. If it did, teams would have taken a shot on him.
He’s just not the kind of guy you go out on a limb to acquire.
The negative far outweighs the positive.
“Would you want the Yankees to obtain a veteran player and plug him into the lineup to aid the cause?”
No, not really. It would have to be one amazing player. Like Abreu or Molina. Of the trades in the last few years, these two are the exceptions.
But Clemens? While he did help out, we are forever connected to him and his indiscretions because he played for us last. I would rather not shoulder anymore PR nightmares.
There’s no collusion. Half the teams are out of the bidding since Bonds can’t play the field anymore. That leaves the AL teams, most of which have established, good designated hitters aleady.
SoS72 - Don’t forget manny selling his grill on eBay.
As for Griffey - bringing on Ken Griffey to help out for injured hitters would be like hiring Melky Cabrera to be the english translator for the president of Spain.
SJ
I just dont understand why we would care about an indictment. You sign him to a 1 year deal and if he gets indicted then oh well, you are out whatever money you paid him. We are wasting money on Pavano, Giambi, and plenty of others but why not Bonds. He would at least produce on the field unlike those other guys. I also think Bonds wouldnt expect a huge deal since nobody else wants him and he wants a shot at a ring.
mel
Toronto is in need of a DH and it makes no sense to me that they are not moving ahead on getting Bonds. It may not be collusion, but I’d like to understand their rationale for not going after him. It makes little baseball sense for them to ignore him.
Steve,
He is already under indictment.
Here’s why it matters….
You bring Bonds in and the Feds are right behind him.
All of a sudden EVERYBODY connected with the Yankees are under the watch of the government because they want to nail Bonds more than a vampire needs blood.
What good does that do? What good does it do to have US Attorney’s interview Yankee players during the season as they prepare for Bonds’ trial to find out anything they can that will help them prepare their case against Bonds.
In other words, EVERY Yankee player now becomes a potential witness in Barry Bonds’ trial.
Make no mistake, that would happen if they signed him.
I’m not even factoring in the media distraction it creates.
If folks think Girardi is uptight with the media, could you imagine Barry Bonds with the NY media?
The Daily News would hire more reporters just to stake him out.
Its just something in which the cons outweigh the pros.
Its not just about baseball. Its about all the other stuff and its something the Yankees don’t want any part of and I can’t blame them one bit.
Whatever the Yankees do, they should not even consider Millar or Griffey. Both of those guys are on their last days. There is no sense bringing old, past-their-prime players into the fold. Let’s face it, those guys are only collecting a paycheck, they are not going to be improving anytime soon.
I’d love to work a deal with K.C. to get Brooklyn’s Ross Gload to be the lefthanded platoon with Shelley at 1st base.
Offer Chris Britton and either Edwar Ramirez or Jeff Marquez who all are destined to be gone as Mark Melancon, J.B. Cox, Daniel McCutchen, and David Robertson rise in levels.
I don’t want Bonds for many reasons. As far as the indictment goes, isn’t he going to be due in Court before the end of the season, or at the very least it’s uncertain when he’ll be needed in Court. So, aside from the sideshow having Bonds around would entail, what, exactly, would you end up getting from him?
Ken Griffey, Jr. Also no, thank you. Not at this time. I don’t really see him as much of an improvement over what’s already here, given his propensity for injury.
No one that’s available is doing much better than what’s already here, so why not give it a couple more weeks at least to see if Giambi really is getting ready to turn it around. I mean, he’s already here, we know him, he knows us, there’s no breaking-in period - you know?
Why not just take Bonds? We wouldn’t have to trade a thing.
I’ve heard a rumor that Giambi is released if Jorge can’t catch and is forced to first.
My best to Steven and Lyndsay, and I’ll look into purchasing a magnet.
The magnets are beautiful! Bought some Good luck to them!
Thanks to everybody who purchased the magnets. Very kind of you. It’s nice to know that there so many good people out there. Your generosity is appreciated.
Hopefully they’ll have a nice healthy baby and I’ll post a picture of the kid on the blog.
C, 1B, and starting pitching are the only three areas we need help in right now. I have a feeling Cano is starting to come around, and Giambi maybe too. Posada will be back soon enough, and Molina has been solid defensively. So we’ll just wait it out for now as far as the offense goes. Though I sure as hell wish we had traded for Conor Jackson in the offseason as some on other blogs suggested. He’ll stay put this season. So will Cliff Lee, who was also targeted by bloggers this past winter.
I think our rotation will shape up too. As is, we need to work Joba into the rotation, so adding another innings-eater will hamper his (and Hughes’ and Kennedy’s) long-term growth, even though it will add stability in the short term. I like Tom Corvacci’s suggestion that we piggyback Joba with someone like Dan McCutchen (or even Darrell Rasner), letting Joba start and then go as many innings as he can, followed by someone else for 5 or more innings until Joba can go at least 5 innings consistently and that other person is relegated to the pen in Joba’s 2007/early 2008 role (or as a long reliever if it’s a Rasner or Igawa).
I forgot to add that Xavier Nady is very tempting; he can play 1B, though he does tend to play RF (and is better there defensively than is Abreu).
Damaso Marte and Doug Mientkiewicz. Yankees have enough young pitching (”B” prospects) to make this deal with Pittsburgh. Dougie is a superb defensive first basemen, who’ll hit better (for this year) than Shelley and the washed up Giambi.
No Griffey. We don’t need a prima donna in the clubhouse who can’t hit.
If they were to make a trade I’d prefer we get Dunn.
Anyone have trouble buying the magnets?
I’ve had no trouble and just got a confirmation email.
Thanks Pete. Now I can both feel good about myself and get an actual Mother’s Day gift in one shot.
I was wondering around a soulless Hallmark store at lunch today, looking for something to give my mother and the mother of my godson. I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t horrible, cheesy, and (to be honest) meaningless. Now I can give these gifts and tell them the story - that through their Mom’s Day gift, another woman will be able to join their ranks. I got three sets. Thanks for the info, Pete.
This is Steve, of Steve and Lyndsay who Pete posted about. First off, I want to publicly thank Pete for blogging and linking to the website.
Secondly, Lyndsay and I want to say thank you to all of you who have checked it the site, bought something, passed the link on to others, or some combination thereof. We don’t know any of you and we will likely never meet. But believe me when I tell you that we are forever grateful for your thoughtfulness and generosity. Our appreciation for all of you goes beyond words. And you will all be part of the child we are eventually blessed with. Thank you again.
Since when is 6-6, 4.18 “significant”?
Not to mention leaving in the third inning of a postseason game…just like he left EARLY in his 2005 WS appearance for Houston.
Bought the 3 magnet deal thing.
Good cause and it’s hard as hell to find nice magnets anywhere.
I don’t really get the Griffey bashing. I don’t want the Yankees to get him (because we already have Melky/Abreu/Matsui/Damon), but he’s a fine player still.
Off to a slow start, as always (check his game log from last year, he was crap in April then solid from there on out, yet again). Still solid defense in RF.