Blog poll: Who will you root for now?
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 01, 2008 
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Here’s a question for you: With the Yankees out, who will you root for in the playoffs? Let’s review the choices:
Angels: Long-time tormenters of the Yankees. But you have to respect them.
Brewers: Fun, young team. Can get to know future Yankee CC Sabathia.
Cubs: Ex-Yankees Lou Piniella and Alfonso Soriano will make them a popular choice.
Dodgers: Ex-Yankees galore here. Torre, Donnie Baseball, Larry Bowa.
Phillies: Interesting enough team. Tom Gordon, remember him?
Rays: Their spring antics aside, you have to respect what they did this season.
Red Sox: I can’t imagine they get many votes.
White Sox: Ozzie Guillen is flat crazy, so they’re fun to watch.
Cubs >> Phillies >> Brewers >> Rays >> ChiSox >> Angels >> Dodgers >> BoSox
I’d like to see Jr. win one time.
im going for Dodgers, Rays, And White Sox.
Phillies. They’re the least painful choice. Go Victorino! (Cashman-make it happen…)
Brew Crew for me. Love the Hebrew Hammer, Ryan Braun.
Fantasy baseball has caused me to become a supporter of the Angels and the Rays.
Dodgers, for Torre, Donnie and Bowa
Dodgers/Sox series, Dodgers winning. As painful as it will be to see, Donnie Baseball deserves a ring, even if it has to come as a coach. Also, I’d like to see Manny torment the Sox a little bit.
If it has to be an AL team, I’d pick the White Sox. I’m not ready to hand the crown to the cellar dwellers. I’m tired of hearing about the Angels. And another title for the Red Sox would send the talking heads into an orgasmic frenzy and their fanbase would be even more insufferablt.
I’m the only one pulling for the Cubs?
Wow.
I mean, I won’t be too upset if the Phillies or Brewers win it, but 100 years, dang!
Cubs baby! hell yeah!
Ted Lilly should get a mention as an ex-Yankee Cubbie.
And where’s the love for past Joe Torre torture victims Scott Proctor and Tanyon Sturtze in LA??
when does Spring Training begin?
Rebecca,
I wouldn’t mind the Cubs winning if it means we can stop talking about the 100 yr. curse. I mean c’mon, why are they any more deserving than the other teams who haven’t won, like ever?
Mel –
I know that you are a Victorino fan. I went to see who could be possible gold glove candidates this year. I found out that Victorino is leading the NL center fielders in gold glove candidates.
Phillies because im; originally fom PA, and my GF is from Phily and a diehard phillies fan
Soriano is one of the reasons I won’t be rooting for the Cubs. All I remember of his time in NY was his bad defense, lack of hustle, meaningless stats and refusal to change positions.
I am pulling for the Dodgers myself, even if they have Manny and Nomar.
Dodgers.
I want to see Torre and Donnie win a ring in another uniform and I want Randy Levine and whatever other idiots who disrespected the man have eat it all off season long.
I’d also love to see Manny get a ring with the Dodgers which would mean the Red Sox didn’t get another one.
Ed,
That’s great. I know last season he led the league in OF assists.
And you always hear his name on the highlights.
Good story of a kid that took advantage of an injury.
There are lots of good ball players from HI, but they don’t fit the mlb prototype so they get passed over.
G Love,
Are you bitter about everything, or just the Yankees?
I’m one of two people pulling for the White Sox. I have a lot of friends from Chicago and the area, and I love Ozzie’s sheer craziness. I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing the Cubbies win, so I’m rooting for Chicago all the way. Anyone but Boston!
Mel –
just to think that Victorino was almost traded because Werth emerged as an everyday OFer and the low numbers he put up. After Jenkins went down, the Phillies were glad he wasn’t traded since he was back to form.
Pete, there should be a “I don’t know, this poll just reminded me that the Yanks aren’t in the playoffs and it’s hitting me in a depressingly new way right now” option.
I hope the Brewers get knocked out in the first round so they don’t have the opportunity to keep starting Sabathia on 3 days rest and potentially damage his arm for us. He has thrown enough this year.
Its gotta be the Dodgers… Gotta admit that rooting for a team with Torre, Mattingly, Manny, and Nomar is weird though.
I don’t care who wins between these two, but I would love to see the Angels vs. Cubs in the WS.
I hate going for a NL team but, the Dodgers. I know Joe can do it!
Anybody but the Angels. They may have the best team, and will probably win it all, but I’ll never hear the end of it.
I’m now rooting for the Cubs or Dodgers. As much as I dislike the Red Sox, a Fenway-Wrigley World Series setting would make for a good series.
I’ll vote for anybody except for the Angels and Red Sox.
I hope the Cubs take it.
I predict that it’ll be Cubs over Angels in Seven.
Besides the Red Sox, the only team I’d be angry about seeing win is the Phillies. I really don’t know why, but I just can’t stand that team. They never bothered me until I moved to Philly, now I hate them like the plague.
Cubs for sure
then brewers
Angels will be my favorite team in the first round though
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....017.column
I don’t know how much of this is true, but here’s the back-story of the Santana deal. This is the first I’ve heard of Hal saying they could only afford one of the two lefties. Doesn’t make sense because Andy would only be a 1-yr deal.
Welcome back to the Bronx Zoo, Cash…
Red Sox.
They have a nice team full of good guys.
guys like Bay, Kotsay, Byrd, Lowrie, deserve rings
Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, White Sox (only because I don’t want the Brewers to go more than this one round). I really don’t care between the Dodgers and Cubs, either would be prefered to the Rays, Angels or Red Sox. I don’t like Ozzie at all and win or lose he is out of his mind.
Never ever ever would I root for the Red Sox. Sorry, its just not in the DNA.
While I am an AL fan, with the Yankees out and no teams in this league that I like, by default I go with any NL team winning over them.
Mel — Just the Yankees.
I despise the job Brian Cashman did this year. I tried to get myself to believe in it but he really flunked the GM exam this year and this organization did a horrible job at correcting mistakes. They waited too long to do anything this year and that’s unacceptable.
If George still had his marbles, this season would have went in a different direction from the outset.
I don’t expect them to be perfect, but I was vocal in the off season about keeping Torre and trading the prospects at the height of their value for pieces to help a team that was in a win now mode.
You don’t re-sign Arod, Abreu, Pettitte, Mo and call it a transitional year. The core of your team has about 3 good season left in them.
It would make me very happy to see Joe Torre win a title with another team and prove that he had something to do with it and it just wasn’t happening because the Yankees were on auto-pilot.
All of you kool aid drinking fans can sweep this year away a lot easier than people like me who saw the problems last winter and watched the worst happen all across the board.
And please don’t give me this 89 wins BS. This season was a complete failure.
I am hoping most for a one and done for the RS. Rays can knock off the White Sox, which is more likely given they have HFA. Angels over the Rays.
mel,
That just further dispels the myth and confirms our worst fear— it wasn’t Hughes that stopped the Santana trade, it was money. Since when do we have a budget? That is alarming. Hell, I would rather they traded Hughes than have a budget.
mel: That article’s going to stir up something awful.
G. Love, for the sake of your sanity, I hope you never become a Nets or a Jets fan.
Dr. J, since the economy started tanking. Yeah, even the Yankees have limits.
I’m rooting for the Dodgers and Cubbies. I would be happy with either one winning it all.
Kevin
G. Love,
Just because you were right doesn’t make you better than us.
I enjoy reading what you write, but damnation it’s downright depressing sometimes. Not that you’re a “woe is me” kind of fan, but that you can’t just let things go.
I hope the team is improved to your liking. I want to see you write about good stuff one day.
So Hal gave A-Rod $300 million and overpaid for Posada but couldn’t afford Santana?
There was no way for him to bite the bullet for one year with a bloated payroll, knowing we have $88 million coming off the books and the payroll would be way under control in 2009? And isin’t the money that was supposed to go to Santana likely going to CC? So the same money concern will manifest itself, just a year later. Santana’s money would have been on the payroll this year, CC’s would be next year. And isin’t there no luxury tax with the new stadium?
Something doesn’t add up. Hal cannot be that dumb.
Nitro,
To be fair to both Cash and Hal, I don’t think they brokered the deal with Alex. They’re two smart guys.
I can’t imagine a blank check for CC when we have so many needs.
The Rivera and Posada thing they had to do. They were the best free agents and life-long Yankees. It’d be a slap to Yankee fans to see Posada in blue and orange (shudder).
The Alex thing was oh so stupid IMO because Alex opted out and they fell over themselves throwing $$ at him.
Gotta go with Soriano and the cubbies… if not them i’d like to see Griffey get his ring
That is nothing new— Hal cited money last winter when he nixed the Santana trade. We knew that was the reason for there not being a trade.
However, the prospect groupies, who are provincial thinkers thought Hal was the one who ‘saved Hughes’ and was a ‘Cashman ally’. They latched on to Hal as a result and painted him as the Anti-Hank and the guy who was flawless who would team up with Cashman to have a 25 man homegrown roster. They put two and two together to connect Hughes with Hal and Santana with Hank.
As always, it comes back to money. Hal is no different than the rest of us. He couldn’t tell you the difference between Hughes and Austin Jackson— he nixed the trade because of money.
cashman wants to run the yankees like a small market team anyway so this is music to his ears
Rebecca — I am a Jets fan. But the difference is I’m happy if the Jets pull one out and squeak into the playoffs.
We’ve had horrible drafts in the past and never (at least until the Tuna years) ever had the most talented team on the field.
The Yankees should be in the playoffs right now.
Outside of Anaheim which is a superior team talent wise (mainly in the dugout and the pitching staff), the Yankees have more talent on their team than any other AL team in the playoffs.
And they’re home.
I’m not one of those “oh gee, it was a fun season anyway” types.
It bothers me that this team failed this year and that the architect of it all gets a 3 year extension.
We haven’t a ring in 8 years. Boston might win their 3rd in 5 years.
If that doesn’t bother you as a Yankee fan, I don’t know what will.
I hope Torre gets one this year because I think a lot of jerks in the Yankee hierarchy like to float the idea that the team managed itself.
It didn’t.
mel,
Wasn’t Hal the one who approved the A-Rod trade? After all, he does have all the “power” right? Hank couldn’t do it by himself. He may have helped facilitate the deal but if Hal didn’t sign off on it, it wouldn’t get done. Not to mention we severely overpaid. No other team came even in the same vicinity of the money we gave him.
Nitro,
I agree that Hal may have rubber stamped it. But I think someone else (Boras) fleshed out the details. Once they went down the slippery slope, kind of hard to climb back up, no?
Once again. Alex’s fault.
That article was an opinion piece that made a lot of assumptions. According to him the decision on Santana was limited by Hal. Yet he goes on about how Hank was the one to set up the A-Rod deal.
I don’t really buy it. I think Hal and Cashman both were leary of what the Santana deal would have cost and both balked. The one year would have cost a lot, and would have meant that the prized arm of Hughes would be gone. I don’t think Cash was willing to give up on that.
Some quick math.
If the Brewers win the NLDS, NLCS, and WS and take each series to the max, CC will pitch a total of 8 times more the rest of the season. Assuming he goes 9 in each start, he will then log 72 postseason innings. He has pitched 253 currently and will then pitch 325 total innings for the year.
Hal and Hank – good cop, bad cop. Works like a charm.
mel
October 1st, 2008 at 1:26 am
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....017.column
I don’t know how much of this is true, but here’s the back-story of the Santana deal. This is the first I’ve heard of Hal saying they could only afford one of the two lefties. Doesn’t make sense because Andy would only be a 1-yr deal.
Welcome back to the Bronx Zoo, Cash…
___________________________________________________
One only needs to read the byline to realize that this is 95% BS. Mathews is the third worst writer (and that’s a term that I would use loosely) behind Lupica and sherman. Mathews hates baseball and hates the Yankees more. He’s a gossip columnist who for some reason gets placed in the sports section of Newsday.
I will root for the Dodgers and Red Sox’ demise, ditto Angels though not to the same extent.
Anyone else winning is fine.
I don’t see anything wrong with that article— it is true that Hal nixed the trade due to money, not Hughes. He even said as much.
However, this year with $80+ mil off the books there are no excuses. You can sign CC, Tex, Manny and still have less payroll than last year.
Would like to see the Brewers win the WS because they are the most deserving. No playoffs for 26 years and don’t have this fabricated ‘storyline’ like the Cubs do.
However, I also want to protect our player (CC), so I will root for them to have a quick exit.
Phillies can win— it will tick off Mets fans to no end and they have a scrappy bunch.
does anyone believe what Joel Sherman says? This article was from last month.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08.....htm?page=0
I’ll be rooting for the Twins. Gardenhire is a great manager and they are just a solid organization top to bottom. Nathan is a great guy too.
Nitro, the luxury tax is still there, its the revenue sharing that is out for a year. That is actually something that will affect all the other teams a bit next year.
The Mets and the Yankees both get that, and that means two high income teams not sharing their earnings.
It was bad timing more than anything else that kept that trade from happening. That plus the Twins going on too long with trying to play the RS against the Yankees.
In the article it also said that with Santana they would have had 5-6 more wins. That might have been there if Wang had not gotten hurt. More than likely even more.
There was also doubt at that time that both Hughes and Kennedy would go winless. Sometimes things just don’t work out as you think they will.
Ed,
Do I have to cut up my Yankee fan card? I agree with that excerpt.
Too afraid to click the link. In fear of finding more stuff I agree with.
Really? Sherman? Maybe he’s smarter than we give him credit for.
AJ YANKS
October 1st, 2008 at 1:54 am
I don’t see anything wrong with that article— it is true that Hal nixed the trade due to money, not Hughes. He even said as much.
However, this year with $80+ mil off the books there are no excuses. You can sign CC, Tex, Manny and still have less payroll than last year.
__________________________________________________
Get it straight. The closest anyone from the team said about that trade was they wouldn’t pay the money and the amount of talent, especially when smith started playing screw around and decided that Wang needed to be included.
And, your plan is to sign 3 players to long term contracts worth more than 80 mil a year…and one is for a total misfit in Ramirez? I suggest you go play GM on your MLB 2008.
Rooting for Cubs. It’s Lou after all!
But for some reason I think Phillies take it all.
i don’t think sherman was actually talking about acquiring vicorino, it was probably just a suggestion for the type of player we need.
Mel –
8)No you don’t have to cut up your fan card. Sometimes Sherman speaks out the truth that we might not know about or being in denial of. darn….
The Brewers won’t last. They just don’t have the team to go all the way and CC can’t pitch every game.
The White Sox just scraped in, against the Rays at home they aren’t going far, even though I wouldn’t mind seeing the Rays go home after one.
The Angels should handle the RS especially with Beckett, Lowell and Drew questionable, not to add how balanced a team they are.
But this is baseball, so you never really know what will happen.
I’ll root for the Cubs if they make it to the World Series, but, in terms of who I support overall, it’s got to be the Brewers. How can you not like Ryan Braun, CC, Corey Hart and, of course, Prince Fielder. Those guys are great.
If the Dodgers can somehow face the Red Sox this year, though, that will be my team.
Ed even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Green,
There was a direct quote from Hal saying he didn’t want to add payroll. Nothing from him about Hughes and I’m a Hughes fan. I suggest you search the archives. It was from Kepner. Stick to Charleston, please. You are delusional.
And to those wanting to sign CC, Manny and Teixeira, I actually don’t know if that’s possible, according to the MLB’s rules. Isn’t there a policy on signing top-tier players? Wouldn’t you have to lose 3 to sign 3 (A-level)? I’m not sure what the exact ruling is…
G. Love: I don’t know why not being in the playoffs isn’t bothering me as much as I thought it would.
After all, this is the first time I remember not playing baseball in October, and it’s a huge void.
And yet…
Maybe it’s something to do with the fact that I don’t think my heart could get more broken than it was in 2001 and 2004.
I want to win, no question.
I’m not sure if it’s a numbness on my part, if I’m steeling myself to better absorb the blow, or if it’s because whatever happens this year I know that they’ll play baseball again next spring.
But whatever it is, I’m not exceptionally bitter about it.
89 wins leaves a lot of room for improvement, yeah. But it’s not nearly as bad as a 70 win season or whatever the hell Seattle put out there.
It’s not what I wanted for 2008, not at all.
But it could have been a lot worse.
Of the front-office officials who have responsibility for baseball decisions, Hank Steinbrenner was the lone Santana advocate. Gene Michael, a longtime executive and now adviser, joined him.
Cashman and the rest of the baseball operations people opposed giving Minnesota a hefty package of young players. Hal Steinbrenner opposed giving Santana a ton of money.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/f.....A96E9C8B63
We’ll find out soon enough about Hal’s willingness to win and spend money. I can’t imagine Cashman would re-sign here if now the one advantage he had over every other team, the unlimited budget, is gone.
Hal was probably against the Santana trade for money last year but hopefully it won’t carry over into this year
How can you not like Ryan Braun, CC, Corey Hart and, of course, Prince Fielder. Those guys are great.
speaking of Ryan Braun, who knew left field would be his best position? He made no errors for the entire sesaon.
You gotta be rooting for one of the Chicago teams. Griffey deserves a title, I was so happy for him that he had a major assist today in the playoff. I long ago forgave him for 1995 when I realized he was one of the best players ever, played hard, kept his mouth shut, and took a huge paycut to play for his hometown team that ended up costing him well over $100 million. I truly respect a guy like that. The Cubs have a long-suffering fan base and Soriano, so I like them. I respect the Angles as deserving it the most; they’ve been the best team all season and play the most complete baseball (remind me of a poor man’s 98 Yankees). The Rays are a great story. The Mets are my NL (i.e. second) team, so I can’t root for the Phillies. Even if I didn’t like the Mets, Philly’s too close; we’d be hearing all the time about how great Philadelphia sports fans are. I have mixed feelings on Tampa and LA; Tampa is a great story, but they have half-hearted fans and all of a sudden look to be a division rival for years to come. LA obviously has Torre; they also have Manny (who I personally always liked cause of his NY roots and disregard for Red Sox mania, but many on here I’m sure hate him), but no member of a NY family that stretches back past 1958 can ever, ever root for the Dodgers to win; that’s their punishment for deserting Brooklyn (I’ll never understand why they weren’t cursed like the Giants). Milwaukee? I feel for their fans, but all of the above options are better than seeing a member of Bud Selig’s family win a ring.
Of course, so long as Boston doesn’t win a playoff game, I’m happy.
Ed,
You’re sure about Braun having no errors? Remember the game last week when they blew a 6-0 lead to the Cubbies? Braun should’ve had that ball that came right to him, and it went right between his legs or something.
How can anyone want Soriano to win a ring?!? Does anyone remember him getting run out of town for turning into a prima donna?
im voting for the stadiums to collapse on those teams, but thats just me.
mind you, without any fans being hurt.
Mel –
Yeah, I double checked. 149 games no errors.
http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/indiv.....statType=1
mel
October 1st, 2008 at 2:20 am
Ed,
You’re sure about Braun having no errors? Remember the game last week when they blew a 6-0 lead to the Cubbies? Braun should’ve had that ball that came right to him, and it went right between his legs or something.
____________________________________________________
Mel, he’s right. Braun was a lousy 3rd baseman last year but in 149 games in left field this year, he wasn’t spectacular but he made zero errors.
GB 7 –
like i said, who knew LF would be his best position? Remember when Soriano refused to play the OF when he was traded to the Nationals? After he transitioned to the OF, he led the league in assists during his first year in the OF and made less errors.
Ed, Soriano still gets a few of the clowns from this board yammering about his outfield defense, but, he’s not that bad. I’d put him somewhere in the area between Matt Holliday and Raul Ibanez, but, with a strong and accurate arm. He’s been in the top 3 in outfield assists since moving to the outfield. Not sure why he balked at playing left field when Frank Robinson first brought it up. His first year was rough, but, he’s gotten much better.
GB 7 –
it was his ego that he didn’t want to play the outfield because he played the middle infield all his life.
Maybe so, Ed…just seems strange because of it being Robinson who asked him. Robinson is one of the most respected baseball men around. only owners disliked him because they couldn’t call his bluff and he was honest in his evaluations. Players loved him, though.
Thanks, guys. Guess it looked uglier than it was. The announcers said Braun should’ve had that ball, but I guess the official scorer was too busy watching guys round third. Nice that Braun was able to adjust to the position as well as he did.
If your dad was the greatest Yankee ever, but passed on a long time ago, would you become a casual Red Sox fan because you live in New England?
GB 7 –
could you clarify this for me? Soriano played 1 game with the Yanks in 99, and 22 games in 2000. Would that 2 time world series champion or 1 time?
would that make him a*
Mel –
for me, it would have to be my ego. I would still become a Yankee fan no matter what.
I could actually relate this, my brother was a die-hard Yankee game. I had the chance to be a Met fan but didn’t. When I moved to Florida for high school for 2 years, I had the chance to be a Marlin or Ray fan but didn’t. It was my brother that kept me being a Yankee fan because he took me to my first Yankee game and their history he told me about.
Ed, I don’t think he ever got a ring. He wasn’t ever on a post season team. Technically, he was, but, in actuality he wasn’t.
die-hard Yankee fan*
it’s late and I don’t know what i’m typing. lol…
GB 7 –
I looked him up on wikipedia and it didn’t list World Series champion under his accomplishments. I guess he never did got a ring.
i’ll be rooting for joe torre’s team. just like i did for the last decade-plus. go blue.
big thanks to the brewers for likely destroying sabathia for next season. yikes.
good news about cashman. hopefully he rises to the occasion and meets the challenge he spoke of head-on.
I’m rooting for the Cubs and against the Dodgers and Red Sox. I don’t root for ex-players and managers. What’s the point?
whats up with the pword here
Torn between the Cubs and the Dodgers
As long as the Angels beat the Sux, nothing else is all that important to me. Best of luck to Torre & Pinella. They did us proud as Yankees and deserve support from the fand here.
SD to make Jake Peavey available, per Buster Onley.
mentions Hughes/Melky. Didn’t know Buster was still a yankee fan. It will take more then that.
Ryan Joseph Braun is Jewish?
I’m an AL fan, so I’ll say the Angels. (Which would also mean that they beat the Red Sox.) The Cubs would make a good story if they win. But if the Brewers win, CC might be too tempted to stay in Milwaukee to defend the title. We need him here!
Phillies. Good bunch of guys.
Can’t root for the Dodgers. My hate for Manny transcends my love for Torre.
Can’t root for the Brewers as Don pointed out, it makes CC tougher for the Yanks to sign if they win.
Can’t root for the Angels. I just hate their team.
Can’t root for the Rays. The whole AL East thing…
Can’t root for the White Sox. I hate Ozzie Guillen.
Can’t root for the Cubs. I hate Lou Piniella.
Can’t root for the Red Sox. Their fan base is already 75% bandwagon fans that jumped on board in the last 4 years.
Dodgers (for Torre and Donnie) and The Rays because when they’re on, the one of the most fun teams to watch. Cubs are a back-up.
Rooting for the Sox is sacrilage. I really hope the Angels send them packing.
Milwaukee Brewers so thaey can be the first team to represnt each league in the WS.
The Cubbies!
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
I spent a lit of time in Chi-Town this year, it’s hard not to root for the lovable losers. This is the year we break the curse of the goat!
Rays in the AL, Brew Crew or Cubbies in the NL
CUBS ALL THE WAY….any other answer is INSANE !
Cubs >> Brewers >> ChiSox >> Dodgers >> Rays >> Angels>> Phillies >> BoSox
Living in Philly can’t stand the fans so they go to the bottom. Like the Dodgers but Manny?
I lived in the suburbs of Milwaukee for two years, so the Brewers are my adopted playoff team. If they get knocked out, I won’t have a rooting interest, but will enjoy the games either way
The Dodgers because it would probably make Hanks’ head explode.
Anybody but Boston.
I’ll pick Cubbies #1, just because we’re in the age of cursebreaking.
Only reason to root for the White Sox is Ken Griffey Jr.
who cares!!! Baseball is over ’til 2009…
The Phillies, just to irritate Mets fans.
Heard Buster Olney say on the radio this morning that the scuttlebut among GM’s is that the Padres will make on Jake Peavy available in trade. Interesting. He’s a year younger than Sabathia. Every bit as talented. And signed for the next 4 years at $56M (plus a 2013 option at $22M or $4M buyout). He’d cost quite a bit in terms of propects. Think along the lines of the A’s/D’backs deal for Haren. But 4 years of Peavy at an average of $15M per beats the hell out of CC at 7 years and $22M.
NYPOST.com
“As badly as we want him, you have to ask yourself, ‘Is this how your want to begin a marriage? By bribing someone to come here,’ ” a Yankees official said. “I think it sets you up for a bad relationship if you have someone here who doesn’t really want to be here and came only because of the money. And I think if you pay him a contract that blows away the last record (Johan Santana’s six-year, $137.5 million deal), you are putting unreal pressure on him from the outset.”
The Yanks might have to go to $150 million or more, maybe even a seventh year. As an AL executive said, “I don’t think the Red Sox will sign him, but they will have a very public meal with him because it will be in their interest and that of Greg Genske (Sabathia’s agent) to see just how high the Yanks will jump if they publicly court CC.”
I’m not rooting for anyone except for whomever plays the Sox. I won’t be watching the playoffs. I will say that I am also rooting against the Dodgers.
fredo, i heard that too and i cant believe they’re even thinking about moving one of the best picthers in the game with a ‘reasonable’ salary, but i guess they’ve dedided they just have too many holes to fill through free agency. anybody wanna take a stab at what it might take to get peavy from the padres?
Pat:
Agree to a degree with that piece from the Post, but at the same time let’s not delude ourselves into thinking that players haven’t come here for money in the past.
Yankees have a few appealing features to free agents. If you ranked them, money would be numbers 1, 2 and 3. Then you get down to things like opportnity to win and even further down than that you’ll find tradition/history.
If Sabathia comes to New York because they offered the most money (and make no mistake, that will be the reason he comes here), I have absolutely zero problem with that.
Red Sox trade their best hitter, the team he is traded to wins the World Series and the Sox don’t win another title for nearly a century thereafter. History: Repeat! Go Dodgers and long live The Curse of the Manny.
It amazes me how someone’s hatred totally blinds them to logic. Take G.Love for instance:
“Outside of Anaheim …. the Yankees have more talent on their team than any other AL team in the playoffs.” — “It bothers me that this team failed this year and that the architect of it all gets a 3 year extension.”
So, in the SAME post, G. tells us that the Yankees “have more talent on their team than any other AL team”. We all know the architect of this talented team is Cashman. Then he says “It bothers me that this team failed this year and that the architect of it all gets a 3 year extension.”.
So for G, putting together a talented team is NOT enough for a GM. He ALSO must obviously pitch, hit and magically avoid injuries in order to do his job. Being the architect is not enough.
Anyone can see by these statements, that OBVIOUSLY this talented team, the PLAYERS, underperformed. Anyone else see that his 2 statements 100% contradict each other?
Here’s another brilliant statement by the hater:
“It would make me very happy to see Joe Torre win a title with another team and prove that he had something to do with it and it just wasn’t happening because the Yankees were on auto-pilot.”
Lets see… out of 30 MLB team, the crappy Yankees, who were riddled with injuries and underperformances, tied the Mets for the 7th best record in MLB. Remember, 8 teams make the PS. Now, the great Dodgers, lead by Torre, finished with the 15th best record, 5 games behind the Yanks. The Yanks had a better record then both the PS bound White Sox and of course, the PS bound Dodgers. The Yanks also played a majority of their games in what is by far, the best division in MLB. The Dodgers played a majority of their games in what is by far, the worst division in MLB.
Now I am a big Torre fan and was sorry to see him go. Nonetheless, it’s easy to see more logicless logic presented by Mr. Love.
Here’s more intelligence: “And please don’t give me this 89 wins BS. This season was a complete failure.”
Now what does this mean? That the Yankees didn’t really win 89 games? Is this truly BS? Anyone know how many games the Yankees really won this year?
More insanity from Mr. Hatred:
“You don’t re-sign Arod, Abreu, Pettitte, Mo and call it a transitional year. The core of your team has about 3 good season left in them.”
Very true. Look it up. Its says in Websters dictionary, under ‘transition year’, you can NOT resign the best Player in the game, or the best closer in HISTORY, or a solid LF’ed innings eater Pitcher who is beloved by the fans.
Nope can’t do it. Forget about Wang, Cano, Melky, Veras, Bruney, Edwar, Gardner, Coke, Geise, Chamberland, Rasner, Hughes, AA, Ransom and IPK. That’s 15 players either home grown or on our farm in 2007 that saw more playing time then a cup of coffee. Can some stats geek tell me the last time our roster had 15 young homegrowth/farm hand players on it? What do you call it when a team has for years been made up of veterans and then suddenly has a ton of kids playing?
Having G.Love on this blog is a bit like having sensitivity training meetings with Jack the Ripper included. What a shame that real fans need to read through his imbecilic rantings.
id want an extra few mil to have to deal with us and the media in new york too. over the years the yankees have paid a premium to bring players into the new york market, and they will continue to do so….
but hey, we’re worth it!
I have a huge issue with Matthews saying the Santana deal should have been made. That’s it – I intend never to click on a link to an article again. Not one of these sportswriters have any foresight at all, nor do they pay any attention to what the Yankees say. If Mr. Matthews wants to assume that Johan would have led the Yankees to the playoffs, it’s his right, but it’s just his opinion and not fact like he makes it out to be. We already know why this deal wasn’t made and the team knew they were going to take a hit for 2008.
Oops… the previous rant is mine (with Hanks’ approval)
“We haven’t a ring in 8 years. Boston might win their 3rd in 5 years.”
You do realize that Torre had a lot to do with that through his inept management in the playoffs.
Rooting for the Dodgers to show up the Yankee FO is spiteful.
Skeptic:
Hughes, Jackson and a few 2nd tier prospects like Marquez, IPK, Cervelli, etc. It would take a ton.
Doubt Cashman would want to do it, but it’s not quite the same as the Santana situation because the financial commitment and length of contract in Peavy’s case is far more appealing.
“If Mr. Matthews wants to assume that Johan would have led the Yankees to the playoffs, it’s his right, but it’s just his opinion and not fact like he makes it out to be.”
——————————————————–
1000% correct Betsy. Just because the Mets sold the farm for Santana, and Santana led the Mets to the PS this year… err… I mean…. well…. ya know….
Dr. J, why are you trusting Wally Matthews over your own GM? Why is it so hard for people to believe that yes, the Yankees love Phil Hughes? I don’t have time to do this now, but I can post at leat 2 links from no further back than a few months ago where it is obvious that the Yankees think of Phil as a front of the rotation type starter.
LOL at the anti-Phil folks who are desperate to latch onto anything that shows that the non-Santana move was primarily not made because of $$$……so desperate (because they hate Phil) that they will believe the so-called journalists like Wallace Matthews.
I was gonna root for the twins but they choked again. I HATE THE WHITE SOX
Time for the Cubs pain to end.
Following Rebecca’s format…
Brewers >> Cubs >> Phillies >> Dodgers >> Rays >> ChiSox >> Angels >> BoSox
I like the Brewers so it’d be cool to see them go on a run. However, it’d be nice to see the Cubs finally win a world series just so we could stop hearing about their futility.
thats funny fredo i was thinking hughes, ajax and kennedy too. problem is that if they lose jackson, they will really be heading into uncharted territory in the of when damon, matsui and nady all become fa’s after this year. once again it comes down to what is the long term value of phil hughes. after passing on santana if they let hughes go and he turns out to be a top of the rotation guy somewhere else, they you’ve lost on both ends of the santana deal. i think at this point you’ve gotta stick with phil and see what he turns out to be.
Lets Go Phils! the most exciting team in baseball! also the team with the best bullpen in the PS.
Yanks aren’t trading Hughes – I’m going to try and post the links I referred to above later, when I get back from work. Phil is just the name that everyone throws out there – Buster knows nothing and I feel that more strongly than ever when he bashed the Yankees farm system on that Sunday of the last game at YS
“Yanks aren’t trading Hughes”
Probably right Betsy. We’re just talking about what it would take to get Peavy. Olney never mentioned him. He only indicated that Peavy may well be available.
One more point Betsy. Olney’s piece on the Yankees farm system was centered around position players moreso than pitchers. Fact is, since 1997 they’ve been historically weak in produding position players. That may well change over the next few years, but right now, it’s a fact.
btw, speaking of the phillies, here is clutch:
ryan howard in sept: 26R, 11HR, 32RBI, .352 avg.
we need cluth.
If you guys are getting ticked off at what a hack like Matthews has to say, read Bill Madden this morning.
I’ll give you the cliff notes version:
Trade Hughes and Cano, get Hudson, Holliday and 2 starting pitchers and spend every cent you have.
“Brilliant” (I say sarcastically) baseball logic.
Fredo,
If Peavy goes on the market, I’d definitely check it out.
In fact, I’ll go one further. I would go DEEP into the system to pull Peavy and Gonzalez off that team.
SD is in a strange place this off-season. John Moores, their owner, is going thru as nasty a divorce as I have ever seen. He has already moved lock, stock and barrel back to Houston.
Before this banking crisis, there was a lot of buzz in the investment banking community that he might sell the team.
There is also some talk that Kevin Towers power may be marginalized or he may leave the organization.
**Side note. If Towers leaves, Cash ought to scoop him up as an advisor. He’s got a great baseball mind and he and Cash are very good friends.**
Anyway, if SD goes into blowup mode, Peavy and Gonzalez are guys who would look great in pinstripes.
Go Dodgers!!
What time are the games?
“He only indicated that Peavy may well be available.”
If Peavy is available, Hughes should be made available for him.
Peavy is what people hope Hughes can develop to be, only he’s that good now, and is still young enough where he’s in his prime.
I think Cashman and Towers know each other well and have a good relationship, too, if i’m not mistaken. it would just be a matter of what Cashman would be willing to give up to get him
hypothetically speaking, of couse, but if you can sign Sabathia, and trade for Peavy, along with bringing back Pettitte, Wang, and Joba… thats one hell of a rotation for next year, and minus Pettitte, for the near future.
I still don’t understand how the Mets offer to the Twins was better than ours – but the hard thing to figure out is how an organization like SD values our prospects.
I think Hughes is going to be really good – but better than Peavy? Hard to say. I think Peavy’s performance are about where Phil’s ceiling is. It is an interesting option – at least it gives us a non-CC caliber pitcher on the market as an alternative.
“hypothetically speaking, of couse, but if you can sign Sabathia, and trade for Peavy, along with bringing back Pettitte, Wang, and Joba… thats one hell of a rotation for next year, and minus Pettitte, for the near future.”
That is a rotation that you could feel good about for 2-3 years easy – and by then who knows where Brackman, de la Rosa, Marshall and lots of other potential arms are?
Here’s something I always wonder whenever there is talk about the Yankees’ attempts to land Santana:
Do we really know what the Twins demanded for Santana? Or is it just speculation on our part?
SJ:
I think they’re looking at Peavey in large part because the salary climbs a ton in ’10. He’s on the books next year for a little under $9M. I think ’10-’12 are $15M, $16M and $17M respectively.
Adrian Gonzlaez’s contract is just so team friendly ($13M from ’09 thru ’11) that I can’t see them moving him.
If the Padres went that way and packaged the two, I think the Yankees might be too easily topped by teams with a superior stock of position prospects.
RE: Beware of injury and another NLer coming over to pitch in the AL East
Wallace Matthews still writes for newspapers? Seriously? I don’t know why but this makes me really angry.
anybody know what the fa market for outfielders looks like for next season? if we dont sign abreu, we may be in the market for 2 outfielders after 09.
Its important to realize that the key to all this stuff is improving the overall team.
Some fans get fixated on one player and think that’s all it takes to win. Last year it was Santana. This year its CC.
Fact is, the Mets got Santana, he pitched great, and they still missed the playoffs.
They finished with the same record as the Yankees (in a weaker league) and the Yankees had half their team hurt this year.
The great thing about baseball is, its not a one man game.
How the Yankees remake the overall team is more important to me than fixating on one guy.
I’d love to see the Yankees get CC but not at the cost of not remaking other areas of the team that need to be fixed.
“Adrian Gonzlaez’s contract is just so team friendly ($13M from ‘09 thru ‘11) that I can’t see them moving him.”
To clarify, Gonzalez gets $13M total over those 3 years, not $13M per.
NY Media loves to say ‘I told you so’ about Phil Hughes. Can everyone give this guy a chance to pitch for a whole season, injury free before passing judgement.
It’s also funny since it’s so hypocritical…these were the same guys praising Hughes over the past 2 years.
Fredo,
True but, that list shrinks because a lot of teams with superior depth in their system won’t want to carry the salaries of Peavy and Gonzalez.
I hear all kinds of stuff out of SD and its hard to determine fact from fiction.
If they put the team up for sale, then everybody is available. If they are still interested in running a logical baseball operation, then its tougher to pry those guys away.
Gonna be a wild off-season though. I think a lot of guys are going to be available on the trade market than we would have thought to start the year all over baseball.
Couldn’t agree more…
“It’s also funny since it’s so hypocritical…these were the same guys praising Hughes over the past 2 years.”
personally, i have no problem praising the ability and potential of Hughes, and differentiating that with improving the ballclub if the right opportunity should come up.
Y’s Guy:
Matt Holiday
Aubrey Huff
Jason Bay
Damon
Matsui
Nady
Chone Figgins
Link: http://www.mlb4u.com/freeagency09.php
Again people, the suggestion of trading Phil Hughes is NOT an indictment of him. Look at the guys we are talking about in trade talks when his name comes up. Santana, Peavy, etc. These are ELITE pitchers in their prime. That Hughes’ name comes up when talking about these guys is a good thing.
You have to give something good to get something good.
First – on topic – I’m rooting for the Cubs. How can you not? They’re the latest team that needs to settle a beef with time. 100 years? Great story, great history. Why not?
Obviously, I want the Angels to beat the Red Sox. I don’t really care which of the White Sox or Rays move on, though a Chitown Series could be cool (lived in the area for a couple of years).
The ONLY reason I wouldn’t loudly support the Dodgers is because I would have to avoid the newspapers for weeks, because the angle of all the stories would be anti-Yankees, and not necessarily pro-Torre. I have no problem with anyone lauding Torre for the job he’s done over there, regardless of the division he’s in, but I DO have a problem with all the “drama” that surrounds it.
G. Love -
It’s not so much I’m “okay” with the Yankees not making the playoffs this year, but it wasn’t unexpected for me. I realized that for a team to be transitioning and contending is a difficult endeavor. I was entirely more upset when they did not win against the Angels, then Detroit, and then the Indians in the last three seasons. Each year they got to the playoffs and, especially in the Detroit year, they just died. That was way more upsetting than this season to me. 2004 was the most devastating, because they had the best team, no doubt, that year.
However, I will agree with you that the 89 wins that the Yankees had this year, while 7th best in MLB, was a very unsatisfying 89 wins. Many, if not most, of the games were uninspired affairs. The most boring baseball season the Yankees have played in quite a few years. That’s what upsets me. Not that they didn’t make it, but the WAY they didn’t make it. Injuries account for some of it, and I will certainly say that losing Wang, Posada, Matsui and then Joba were death-blows, in my mind. But the underperformance was a lingering malady all season long. And while I would never question the “heart” of the players or their desire to win, they couldn’t translate their desire to performance. Very few satisying games this season.
I am encouraged that they did not “phone it in” for the last 2 weeks of the season. I know you could make an argument that there was no longer any pressure, so of course they played well. I prefer to see it as their having played some pretty good teams in those final weeks and they had a winning record. They played the games. It counts and I believe it sets a good tone for next season.
the key is to improve the overall team. the mets did do that in the santana trade but it wasnt enough. and the mets had big key injuries like alou out for the season and church’s concussion along with wagner. im not making excuses for the hated mets but you cant blame any of what happened on johan, he turned out to be all he was advertized and will make the mets better for years to come.
There is a long term plan in place…it started in 2005… rebuild the organization from within, develop young arms instead of paying for other teams past success.
You have to let the long term plan play out before you call it a failure…and you don’t abandon it for short term gain.
Peavy has a full no-trade so while the Padres might want him moved, Jake could have a say in where.
“Gonna be a wild off-season though. I think a lot of guys are going to be available on the trade market than we would have thought to start the year all over baseball.”
Wild offseason indeed SJ. Should be interesting to see how Cashman plays it this year.
I’m just throwing it out there because its early and what the heck: If both Moose and Andy retire does Cashman sign a John Smoltz to a one year deal? I don’t think so but who knows….
thanks tom
really makes you think twice about including ajax in ANY deal. where are you gonna get OF’s from? i wouldnt go 3 yrs for abreu, but that may mean you need to commit to nady as your RF for the next 2 years and think about an extension.
Fredo,
Exactly re: Hughes.
That’s why I hate to use the word “untouchable” when describing a young player.
In many ways, its unfair to the young player.
If the Cardinals ever wanted to trade Albert Pujols for example and they wanted Phil Hughes, do you think the Yankees would pass on that? Of course they wouldn’t.
That’s not an indictment of Phil Hughes.
If Phil Hughes ever got traded (along with others) to the Padres in a Peavy trade, that’s not an indictment of Phil Hughes. Its something you do (if you are the Yankees) because Peavy is one of the 5-6 best pitchers in the game.
NOBODY is off limits these days. Its all about the deal and how it fits into what they are doing.
I think its more accurate to say the Yankees PREFER not to trade Phil Hughes. However, if something comes across their desk that’s too good to pass up, they won’t hesitate to deal him.
Fredo -
100% agree.
After this season, I’m ready for just about anything to happen this off season. I’ve said before that I tend to be sentimental about players – you get attached, or “I” get attached – BUT I’m also fairly pragmatic and realistic when push comes to shove. Sometimes short-term sacrifices need to be made for long-term success.
Also, the more players you set aside as “untouchable,” the fewer opportunities you are going to have to improve your team via trade.
Y’s Guy:
I was looking at that list earlier and thought the same thing. You never who will become available in trade, but there are no centerfielders on that list that I’d be comfortable with.
Respectfully disagree…the plan is in place…you stick to the plan until it is apparent it was unsuccessful…
1 year of not making the playoffs while finishing 16 games over .500 is not reason enough to give up on it.
Y’s Guy: It’s become much more important to develop talent now a days because most teams are becoming proactive in signing their kids. The only ones who don’t sign seem to be Boras guys.
The Yankee’s should not trade Ajax because they need him and they need him to become an impact player because, like you said, where are they going to get OFer’s from.
The “plan” is to win championships. No successful GM in sports sticks to a plan and not modify it from year to year.
Market conditions change from year to year. Players change. Sometimes, certain players (Kennedy for example) show less than you thought and become more available in trades.
Others (Phil Coke for example) show you more and become part of your future plans.
Certain players come on the market that you thought wouldn’t come on the market.
Stuff happens and you have to be flexible enough to adjust your plan to market changes. If not, your plan fails.
The plan is flexible…they have traded away expendable parts to get pieces needed for right now…Karstens, McCutchen, Ohlendorf and Tabata for Nady and Marte is one example.
But the Yankees are not going to abandon the plan for short term success…they are just not.
If they didn’t trade Hughes for Santana, the best pitcher in baseball, they are going to do it for anyone else.
That would be abandoning the plan and to say they have to do it now since they missed out on Santana is short-sighted and reactionary.
***aren’t*** going to do it for anyone else.
Cashman’s public stance has always seemed to be no one is untouchable but some are less touchable than others. The difference may be between what he has said and what he’s done.
I’ll be rooting for the Dodgers. I spent 14 years of my young life in LA, and my parents first took me to see them when they were new to LA. I was thrilled and couldn’t believe that they had drawn basically no support for years in Brooklyn (if all the people who now claim that their families were die-hard supporters had had even one family representative attending per game Ebbetts would have collapsed from overload, not from the wrecking ball). Now after spending many years in NYC as a Yankees fan I have the further motivation of wishing Torre/Mattingly/Bowa well. And imagining the rage of the Red Sox sitting home watching Manny win — delicious.
Cubbies as backup.
“But the Yankees are not going to abandon the plan for short term success”
Trading for 4-5 years of Peavy cannot possibly be construed as abandoning the plan.
Peavy = gold
Hughes = hill where the prospects for finding gold are high
Given a choice, I’ll take the gold.
Jonathon -
But what a difference a year makes. At this time last year, or approximately, Hughes was pretty much rolling right along and performed excellently in a high-pressure situation (playoff game). This year was a roller coaster ride as far as Hughes is concerned. I still don’t think they will actively market Hughes; but I don’t think he’s a deal-breaker in the right deal.
SJ44 is correct. A plan has to be flexible or it is doomed to failure. You set a goal and then adjust the plan as needed to reach that goal. You have to re-assess the particulars as you go – the plan doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Fredo -
I like your Hughes/Peavy analogy.
First, I’m a Yankee fan. If they don’t win the World Series I don’t care who does. I’m not rooting for anyone.
There is no quick fix to the team. After years of paying no attention to the draft (Dave Parrish) the infrstructure was in tatters. At that point you have 2 choices, continue to try to buid a team through free agency and pick up older pleyerson the decline (Damon, Giambi) or take astep back and restock the minors. Unfortunatley this second step takes time to show a result on the Major league level. If you look back at the team of the late 90s the core of the team (Posada, Jeter, Williams, Rivera etc) were home grown and supplememted with players from other teams. It seems that the Yankees are trying to get back to that format but it takes time and patience.
Rev—big picture thinking…love it.
Absolutely ANY team but Boston.
Rooting for the Cubbies
Since the Yankees aren’t playing, I could give a rat’s behind who wins. I despise the Cubs and BOS so their winning would make me hurl. I don’t think LAD has a chance so I’m not going to waste my time. If forced to choose, I’d go for LAA because they play the game the right way.
Cubs >> Dodgers >> phillies >> angels >> rays >> white sox >> brewers >> red sox
i’ve liked the cubs for some time now. pretty much my 2nd favorite team.
dodgers for mattingly/torre/bowa/proctor/manny.
phillies, they beat out the mets and i’m an ex PA resident, so i guess i have to reprezent here.
angels – this is kind of desperate reasoning, but if they win it all, i think it will kind of dilute the fact that the sux have won 2 world series this decade.
rays – kept the sux out of first. have to like them for that, i guess…
white sox – umm, same explanation as the angels, if i have to pick something.
brewers – at the bottom of my list because we need CC to get some rest.
red-sox – #$*(@()$**@# $#$@**@ $%$#()#!@ *#**#8
Peavy is a better pitcher than Idle, but he’s a 3.80 era (4.28 this year) road pitcher in a weaker league. Temper your expectations. If Sabathia is really a workhorse, he will be worth the $$$.
I’d say Rays>White Sox>Angels>Red Sucks and Cubs>Brewers>Phillies>Dodgers
also, can’t believe i’m reading that some of you are rooting for the sox to make it to, but lose the world series.
the sooner they’re out of it, the better. no AL for them!
Does it bother you that everything the Bugs and Cranks Yankees writer blogs about originates from one of your blogs? I guess stealing your ideas is the biggest form of flattery.
im qoinq for the cubs or white sox. Brewers? Na qotta protect C.C i like their core players thouqh.
anyone but the red sox
jamie moyer deserves a ring
no one. I’ve stopped watching baseball… it’s too painful
Gotta go Dodgers and Rays…Rays have earned my respect and the Dodgers have the old skip in charge.
No offense to the Cubs, but I’m not going to cheer them just because of a curse.
Dodgers vs the Sawx in the Series with Manny absolutely tormenting (actually destroying) Theo and the Gang….my wish.
Angels, b/c they are playing the Red Sox 1st. If they lose however, I reserve the right to root for who ever they play next.
I ticked off for the Rays, but on second thought I think I would love for Torre to win it all. Just so he could say, I told you so.
I don’t didn’t care much for Girardi (small sample)this years performance didn’t do much to change my mind. He rubs me and I think to many players in the wrong way. Haven’t yet put my finger on it. This first year did nothing to change my mind about him. Sure he was good sometimes but mostly lacklustre. What I won’t forgive is his failure to place Knady behind Arod and leave him there. With the injuries he didn’t have much choice other than Gman but after Knadys arrival that excuse is gone. Don’t know if in the long run it matters, but the attempt to win, would have been good to see. jmo
I won’t really be watching without the Yankees in the playoffs but I guess if I have to pick then I’d go for Lou and his Cubs or even the Phillies because it would make Mets fans happy.
Honestly, anyone but the Red Sox and maybe Phillies. But if I had to pick, it’s be the Rays and Brewers. Although, I wouldn’t mind seeing Griffey finally get a ring.
I’m half pulling for a Chicago only WS. That would be neat. Other than that I think its cool to root for the Rays. What is all this respect for the other teams though. The players, yes, the franchises, NO!
I want the Brewers out in the first round in a sweep so that CC can rest up.
CUBS baby, that is the only team I would watch for in the world series. i hope they beat the red sox in the WS
Old Yanks Fan —
I’ve never read a single one of your posts until today. You’ve never written anything remotely interesting or worth commenting on until you decided to dissect my opinion with the skill of pre-schooler.
However, thanks for taking the time to address me point by point, although your rather myopic and idiotic view of my post almost isn’t worth the time and effort to refute.
The only thing I will address is a good GM realizes the plan isn’t working and fixes it. Like Theo traded Nomar in 2004 knowing his role on the team was holding the team back…maybe even this season trading Manny which might result in another championship.
Brian Cashman has none of those kind of moves in him. This team needed a shake up move and needed starting pitching other than retreads like your homegrown boy Rasner, who by the way is a Washington Nationals/Montreal minor league product and not a Yankee product.
Cashman had ample opportunities to get pitching. In fact, it was reported the Indians would have traded CC here if he would have included Hughes.
So while he had assembled a very talented team, he still neeeded to do his job besides sitting back and watching the ship sink with his feet on the desk. I gave him credit for the Marte/Nady deal. I just don’t understand how he lets Paul Byrd slip to Boston while we’re still in it and throwing Ponson/Rasner every 5th day.
And as for the 89 wins meaning nothing — they do mean nothing. We’re not in the post season. We could have won 60 games and had the same result.
Most of the late wins were all when the pressure was off and the post season was out of reach.
Which gets back to my initial point — you can have tons of talented players, but when there is something wrong with the mix of the club you have to make bold changes. He could have traded Abreu, Damon, Cano, anyone this season to try to shake things up and he didn’t after a winter spent protecting prospects who roundly failed this season across the board with a few exceptions.
You don’t like the truth? Don’t read my posts. No one is making you.
Since I don’t think Torre was mistreated (you realize there are two schools of thought on this) I am not rooting for the Dodgers.
I want the Rays because dammit they deserve it for what they’ve accomplished being cellar dwellars forever. Next I would want the Cubs. Then the Brewers. Well, they’re tied for next. After that I want nobody.
Andrew OH, I see I kind of went the way you did.
Anybody but Boston will do. Other then Boston I’d like the Dodgers to not win so I don’t have to read too much crap about how Torre would have led the Yankees into the playoffs.
“Absolutely ANY team but Boston.”
I can imagine that only the most nueuvo of Yankee fans could find their way to wanting the Sux to win, as no self- respecting Y fan with any sense of this team’s history would even go there!
I could care less who wins, the baseball season was over when the YANKEES did not make the playoffs.
Dodgers. Give the rings to Donnie B and Joe. They deserve it. Plus, if Manny beats on the Sox, that’ll be fun.
I subscribe to the school of thought which indicates that Joe Torre was treated in an embarrassing fashion. I couldn’t be happier that he will be in the post season, and I hope, against great odds, that he can take his team all the way. GO DODGERS! Since I despise the Red Sox with ever fiber of my being, I couldn’t root for them against any team.
Rooting against the Red Sacks. Pure and simple.
Phillies maybe i dont really care. I want brewers to lose in first round so CC has less of a load on his arm incase we do sign him. and Ray to go to the series and lose so that there pitchers get more innings on young arms but arnt declared champions.
Originally I thought Phillies because it would irritate the Mets fans. I’ll add the Rays also, so that they will then have to start shelling out some of the big bucks also. They won’t be able to nickel and dime it anymore.
let’s go Cubbies!
I’ll root for Rays in AL and Dodgers(Torre) and Brewers in NL. More importantly I’ll root AGAINST the Red Sox. Also having the Cubs as 100 year losers gives me some sort of perverse pleasure.
It’s hard to root for any particular team right now.
I’ve disliked the Dodgers since the ’70s when I started being a Yankees fan. I will not root for Torre. I want to see him mishandle the postseason as he had done for the Yankees for so many years. It’s like the player who gets traded away; he wants to beat his prior team at all costs. Since Torre is no longer with our organization, he has to be beat!
Since 2002, I’ve despised the Angels. I’m rooting against them in the ALDS. It’s not a case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” since they’re playing the Red Sox. There’s no lesser of two evils here!
Can’t root for the Rays because if they win, they’ll get even more bandwagon fans and then become the newest arch enemy of the Yankees.
White Sox won a championship recently and Griffey Jr. doesn’t deserve to win a thing.
Cubs need more years of misery to make their plight more interesting. The fans probably blamed Steve Bartman for Wednesday’s loss, too.
Fans of most New York teams don’t like Philadelphia teams, so no them.
The Brewers are innocuous and the dark horse but they probably won’t make it past the first round despite their strong push at the end of the season.
i’m pulling for the cubs and the dodgers
Joe Torre all the way,the best revenge for the dis in NY.
Joe show them you don’t need a 200 million payroll to win,and that it;s coaching that wins games.