It’s not as bad as some people think
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 23, 2008 
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To read the comments on this blog (and others) and listen to WFAN, an unknowing observer would think that the Yankees won 69 games this season, not 89.
This just in: Only six teams in baseball won more games than the Yankees.
People also seem to have forgotten that Chien-Ming Wang started 15 games. Or that Jorge Posada had 168 at-bats. Or that Hideki Matsui had 337 at-bats. Or that they changed managers for the first time since 1996. Or that Joba Chamberlain pitched only 100 innings. Or that Phil Hughes pitched only 34.
Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson started 35 games. That’s 22 percent of the season.
To be sure, the Yankees have issues. They need at least two starters and a first baseman and maybe a center fielder. They need Joe Girardi to relax a bit. They need far more attention paid to defense.
But they do not need to move Robbie Cano to center field, which somebody just suggested on the WFAN. Or spend $90 million or trade all of their prospects.
If this panic-in-the-streets attitude was in place in the mid-90s, the Yankees would have given up on Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and a sore-armed kid named Mariano Rivera.
It’s October 23. The season starts in 168 days – about six months. Trust me, the Yankees will have a contending team by then.
————
There was a bit of news today:
The Yankees have hired Bill Livesey as a pro scout. Livesey worked with the Yankees from 1977-95 as a minor league manager, area scout, national crosschecker and farm director. He served as the Yankees’ Vice President of Player Development and Scouting from 1992-95. He has since worked with the Tampa Bay, Toronto and New York Mets organizations.
“But they do not need to move Robbie Cano to center field, which somebody just suggested on the WFAN.”
remind me again why so many listen to this station? is it the comedic value?
Yankees have the potential to have 5+ picks of the first 75 picks next year. Hopefully they don’t blow it all on aging free agents. They need to let their farm system flourish.
Yeah, I think we are just fine. As Pete said, we won 89 games which is not too shaby. The two teams in our division who finished ahead of us played to 7 games in the ALCS, so it is not like we lost out to mediocre teams.
Losing focus on the farm system now is not going to happen with Cashman, nor should it.
Pete, is there some kind of flap going on between Mike F and Carton. I heard a caller intimate that. I think Carton is THE WORST on NY Radio.
Anyhow thanks for all your work this season.
i hope they pick the right players in the draft.
ajax,montero and others look good.
sign a few pitchers,a stopgap first baseman and or centerfielder and save the money unless it is a great fit.
The Yankees farm is much improved obviously but it has a a long way to go. They have the potential to pick up several picks but what the Yankees need are young bats. They aren’t around when they pick.
“mel from Taco Bell
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 am
So in my eyes, CF should be looked at as a defensive position. See if we can get some production at 1B.
I like Gardner, and he was definitely getting it at the end. You can’t undervalue a veteran presence, but sadly, we have too much “veteran†presence. Posada, Jeter, Damon, Matsui. Old, old, old, old.
Where’s the energy going to come from? We need a sparkplug. I can’t see slogging through another season. I’m willing to gamble the bat, which may or may not come around for the other things that Gardner can offer”
mel: well stated. I see it exact same way.
if Cameron will get CC to the bronx, then get him.
otherwise, Gardner needs to add bunting to his game, and prefer to have him in CF. Let Cashman work overtime, to upgrade RF, 1b, and the bench.
by the way, you make a hella volcanic taco
All you need to know about WFAN -
Somebody called and suggested that we sign Manny and platoon him with Matsui.
“they need Joe Girardi to relax a bit”
I don’t get it. Very confused.
allegedly the veterans were upset at Girardi for not getting after players/disciplining them, when they needed it. Example, Cano.
does Girardi need to lighten up and be less strict? Or be more strict? Which is it?
Bill Livesey is one solid step in the right direction in the Yankees quest to upgrade their front office.
He would have never come back into the fold if Cash didn’t return.
He has a real good eye for talent and is very well respected in the game.
Never trust September numbers. How many times do teams need to be burned before they stop doing it?
Melky was a huge sparkplug for us too for a while, how did that work out? And he was a better hitter and better outfielder than Gardner.
from what Mortenson said, Mike Singletary is hired to be fired, and Mike Holmgren is positioned to be the next 49ers coach.
Mr. Singletary: you personify everything which football should be. Were one of the 3 greatest middle-linebackers, to ever play the game. And a class human being.
please consider the Jets.
“Bill Livesey is one solid step in the right direction in the Yankees quest to upgrade their front office.
He would have never come back into the fold if Cash didn’t return.
He has a real good eye for talent and is very well respected in the game.”
Thats good to hear. I clicked on the comments link to ask you what your opinion of Livesey is. I’m glad that Cashman is looking at every facet of the organization in an attempt to upgrade the team.
vinny-b
It sounded to me like Girardi perhaps needs to re-arrange his priorities a bit. In areas where he was too strict, he might need to relax a bit (ice cream, anyone?), and in areas where he was more hands-off (Cano), he needed to be more hands on. If that helps.
Pete – some of us didn’t jump off any bridges yet, and most of us don’t want the Yankees to have a firesale.
Girardi needs to stop being a dictator, IMO.
Eliminate the boot camp ST and this nonsensical no candy in the clubhouse rule. He had opposing teams take it out of the road clubhouse too? That went too far. That’s no way to earn the respect of the veterans. It’s not a big deal to them, they can afford to buy their own candy store if they wanted, but the dictatorship mentality probably turned off a lot of guys.
He was too hard in areas which he shouldn’t have been (candy) and too soft when it came to handling his players (Cano). Not communicating with his coaches or his players were a red flag as well.
He needs to emulate Joe Maddon more than he Buck Showalter.
The Yankees are on the right track. They’re a couple years behind Boston, Tampa and Philadelphia, but they’ve finally figured it out and now are heading in the right direction.
YHou know what they day.
Better late than never.
SJ: thank you for the word on Bill Livesey.
positive news.
C’mon Pete, you can’t expect to last in sports journalism by being rational instead of ranting and raving and making knee-jerk comments!
He’s another calm voice in a sea of noise Patrick. Someone who will tell Cash the truth instead of what he wants to hear.
Next, I’d like to see Cash bring Pat Gillick in as a consultant. He and Cash are VERY close. Pat is retiring as GM of the Phillies after the WS. Perhaps he would be willing to consult. It would be great if Cash could bring him aboard.
Then, I go after Gordon Lakey, Gillick’s closest ally in the game. If you add Gillick and Lakey to the Yankees braintrust, you have one helluva baseball organization, well positioned for the long haul.
Clap your hands.
Clap – CLAP……Clap – CLAP
Everybody’s talkin about Cameron and Damom and Rowand and Jackson and Melkmman and Mac Clouth and Matt Kemp Matty Matty Matt Kemp…….
All We Are Saying …. Is Give Brett A Chance
How is a .230 hitter supposed to provide a ‘spark’ to a veteran laden team? Is he going to make A-Rod in the clutch or Jeter stop grounding into DPs? Is he going to make us hit in the clutch and make Cano go back to 07 Cano? There is nothing a fringe 9th place hitter can do to rally a team.
That is almost as foolish as the ones suggesting that the team would rally around Shelly Duncan and take their cues from him after the ST brawl.
If you want Brett, you have no choice but to sign Teixeria.
Where is the offense going to come from? You can’t be way below average at 1B AND CF. Remember, we scored 250 less runs than last year and we will certainly lose 50 HRs/200 RBIs from Abreu/Giambi.
“Next, I’d like to see Cash bring Pat Gillick in as a consultant. He and Cash are VERY close. Pat is retiring as GM of the Phillies after the WS. Perhaps he would be willing to consult. It would be great if Cash could bring him aboard.
Then, I go after Gordon Lakey, Gillick’s closest ally in the game. If you add Gillick and Lakey to the Yankees”
SJ: please forward/email these recommendations to Brian Cashman. I am serious.
I agree the ice cream/candy thing was simply insulting and demeaning to a group of adult men. Insist on having healthier snacks available. That’s fine. But banning the other was silly.
Most on this site are more rational than the man who basically wanted Edward turned into a gelding after every bad outing.
I wonder if Pete is a gemini or has a lot of planets there. This is the lead-in Pete Abraham that I’ve grown to adore. The optimistic, positive, level-headed keep em off the bridges version.
Nothing to add but absolutely spot on.
I wonder if Pete is a gemini or has a lot of planets there. This is the lead-in Pete that I’ve grown to adore. The optimistic, positive, level-headed keep em off the bridges version.
Nothing to add but absolutely spot on.
without Wang’s injury, I think we make the playoffs. Joba, A-Rod, Posada, Matsui, Jeter for 2 weeks, and Bruney are all just icing on the cake
“Jeff
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Where is the offense going to come from?”
aquire Blalock, to play 1B. Then, work overtime to upgrade RF. Maybe a trade for Kemp.
SJ–
Did you see my earlier post a few threads ago about the interview with Lakey this morning on XM175. It was so interesting and insightful as to how important the scouting department really is and it was Lakey who urged the Phils to go after Lidge big time.
I believe that Lakey was with the Phila prior to Gillick coming in I think he was there under Ed Wade as well not sure if he would leave Philly at this point but one never knows. As a Phillie fan would hate to see him go as a Yankee fan it would be GREAT if he would lol.
The worst thing in the world they could do is guarantee Gardner a spot next year and then when he is hitting .240 and we’re not scoring any runs and struggling offensively, they rush Jackson up here to try and get a spark.
That why I agree with you Jeff, they need to sign Tex (or Manny even though they won’t) so they can really bolster the offense and withstand Gardner’s subpar bat for a while, and if he does well then that will only make us better.
By the way, I think it is going to be a c-c-c-cold winter. The weather has really turned cold and tonight it’s going to be 32. Squirrels are going crazy trying to find food.
Peter do not think rationally..
Yeah the Yanks have no options clowns, sign old aging crap for long term contracts that has worked so well in the past….
the phillies and rays have made all those big offseason signings the last few years!!!!!!!!Zippo….
Pete its time to wake up and smell the coffee.
I know you love Wang, and he’s a great guy like Andy Phillips, but he’s not an ace who dominates lineups. And with the Rays throwing another potential ace in their rotation in Price next season, and the Yankees still without one, there should be some panic with Yankee fans.
Also plan on Giambi and Abreu both elsewhere, and your number 3 hitter is who? Xavier Nady? Matsui and his new Forest Gump magic legs?
There are huge problems with this team. If people think this year was the worst to come, fasten your seatbelts. 2009 is going to be brutal.
Trisha,
The Rays may very well be the Goliath.
So let’s talk for a few minutes about the season that Jeter had. Admittedly it was an atypical season. He was the antithesis of clutch and GI more DP than Carter has pills. How many games did we lose just based on Jeter’s unclutchness alone? The only reason I bring this up is because it makes me think more and more that Girardi was actually a tremendous manager. Now hear me out. The Yankees came close to winning 90 games in a divison that was loaded with competition for the first time in ever. That was in spite of all of the injuries Girardi had to contend with, and in spite of being presented with something Torre never confronted: a relatively ineffective Jeter, a relatively ineffective Cano (first half of the season certainly), and a relatively unclutch Arod. (well every other season he saw it, but usually not in tandem with all the other stuff.
GO GIRARDI!
Trisha, until you spend a winter in upstate NY, you don’t know what winter is.
Trust me on this.
“The Rays may very well be the Goliath.”
Bronx, ain’t that the truth!
Francessa said that Livesy was with the Mets and was one of the big proponents of the Kazmir-Zombrano trade because he knew Zombrano from his time in Tampa before he joined the Mets.
I hate when I have to wait 6 months for baseball…
The only problem with getting Manny is that A-Rod might not like the fact that he might make more per year than him.
We might have to restructure A-Rod’s deal before we sign Manny to make sure A-Rod still makes more per year than Manny does for the length of Manny’s contract.
Rebecca, I hear that all the time, and I actually remember seeing pictures of Syracuse U in the snow when students couldn’t even get out of their cars! And that was supposedly commonplace!
Because we don’t have the kind of winters that are crippling, save for a storm here and there, I pretty much look forward to it – less so this winter only because our PUC gave our utility companies the right to raise our rates TWENTY TWO PERCENT!!! That was before the market tanked, but it’s a done deal. So I cannot imagine what my heat and electric bills are going to look like. I have a cousin who lives in Maine, near the Maine/NH border and she assures me that if I lived there I would absolutely grow to hate the winter.
Not to throw cold water on the fire but Livesey was the Mets special assistant to the GM when Kazmir was traded for Zambrano. I hope that wasn’t his idea!
ABOUT MANNY
If this is old news I apologize since I typically don’t get to read all of the preceding posts when I join up.
Reports are that the Dodgers are going to offer Manny 27 mil, but for two years.
If I am wrong about this, I will allow posters to decide on the most depracating tagline, and I will use it for two straight months.
THE YANKEES DO NOT WANT MANNY SO GIVE IT UP. IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!
Thank you.
“We might have to restructure A-Rod’s deal before we sign Manny to make sure A-Rod still makes more per year than Manny does for the length of Manny’s contract.”
This might be my favorite post of all time.
I got a contact high just reading it !
West Side,
Who cares what Alex thinks about other players’ contracts? I bet none of his teammates do.
THE YANKEES DO NOT WANT MANNY SO GIVE IT UP. IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!
well said, Trisha.
sick of hearing the Cano trade talks, and now I’m definitely sick of Manny should come to NY talks. sigh!!!
I like Manny. He’s like the runt puppy in the pet store window. Kind of ugly, but kind of cute. Then he grows up to be a beast that can hit the ball for miles…
I’m not as optimistic as Pete that the Yanks will be competitive in 2008, Nevertheless, they should not trade their young players. It’s not affordable to have highly paid established players in every key position.
Consider 9 starters, 5 SPs, and a closer. Suppose these 15 key people are each getting between $10 million and $30 million — say averaging $18 million a piece. That would be $270 million. Add another $10 million or more for the other 10 players and you’ve got a team payroll of $280 million.
That’s too much, even for the Yanks. The moral is that in order to succeed a team must have several good key players who are still making low salaries. Put another way, Hughes, Acevedo, etc. have considerably greater value to the team as compared with equally good highly paid pitchers. In other words, if the Yanks pay too much to their pitchers, they won’t have enough money left over to sign Teixera or a top center fielder.
“Also plan on Giambi and Abreu both elsewhere, and your number 3 hitter is who? Xavier Nady? Matsui and his new Forest Gump magic legs?”
Patrick, that is an excellent question. Too many people are living in the past regarding Matsui and thinks he is the 30/100 guy who hits .300 with a ton of clutch hits. Fact is, he is a shell of himself after his wrist injury. He never stays healthy and is very streaky. Those counting on him next year should proceed with caution. He is a mere role player now.
And Nady is a .260 hitter with a .320 OBP and tons of strikeouts and groundouts to SS. He has been on 4 teams in the last 4 years and traded mid-season in 06 and 08. Posada is 37 and coming off shoulder surgery too– who knows how that will affect his bad speed.
Offense is a major concern next year.
And come to think of it, if the Yankees are thinking about bringing a player in, they’ll probably ask Jeter and Posada what they think.
You think they ask Alex? Is he in the inner sanctum?
Bill Livesey was Al Leiter’s first manager in Pro ball. He managed the Oneonta Yankees 24 years ago in upstate NY. He’s been around the block and is a smart baseball man.
Trisha: That sounds about right. There were days we’d go to class where it didn’t get above 0 F all day, and snowing.
So yeah, I don’t pity anyone that considers the 30 degree weather cold.
Blustery, sure, but you’re not going to get frostbitten on your way to class!
David,
If you’re saying that our pitchers can give you what a #4 or #5 can for a fraction of the cost, I agree with you.
Wang is a great value, I’d like to see us develop our own pitching so we won’t have to rely so heavily on the FA market in the future.
“To be sure, the Yankees have issues. They need at least two starters and a first baseman and maybe a center fielder.”
Is that all? These gaps are serious problems for the team. Sure, if we can sign Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira, and Cameron, and all of them have healthy and productive seasons, then the team is a World Series favorite. But the chances we sign four FAs of that caliber are miniscule. If Cashman doesn’t get real creative with a combination of signings and trades, and we don’t get a surprise breakout season from a lower-tier player like Gardner or Miranda, then we’ll be seeing far too much of the Andy Phillipses and Darrel Rasners of the world. That could keep us out of the playoffs again.
“They need Joe Girardi to relax a bit.”
That is probably number #500 or so on the Yankees list of “needs.” Also, if Girardi relaxes, doesn’t that mean Cano will have another terrible season because he won’t focus? Or are we supposed to bring in Bowa to act as the enforcer so that Girardi can relax? So confusing.
“They need far more attention paid to defense.”
We likely won’t see Abreu or Giambi back. Anyone replacing them will be an improvement defensively.
If we don’t get Cameron, Gardner will likely be our CF, and his defense should be decent.
After that, what else can we do? Move Jeter to CF?
Rebecca, just for the record so I don’t sound like a total wuss! It isn’t that I consider 30 cold. I’m just surprised that it has dropped to that temp this quickly. That’s why I’m predicting a c-c-c-cold winter. I will admit that when it gets to 5 to 10 degrees with the wind chill factor bringing to below 0, I don’t want to be anywhere but in front of a fire!
Did they ever call off classes?
“John
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Too many people are living in the past regarding Matsui and thinks he is the 30/100 guy who hits .300 with a ton of clutch hits. Fact is, he is a shell of himself after his wrist injury”
a bit much. Matsui was the best hitter on the team, when he went down with injury this year. Defensively? Yes. He have proven he can still hit, tho.
If Manny is amenable to the type of contract the Dodgers are giving him, I could definitely see us involved.
I don’t think Cashman would have a problem giving him a bunch of money for 2 years. If his option is that or Teixeria for 8, I’d bet he goes Manny for 2.
The problem is, I doubt he will accept that. Some team will give him 4 yrs. But if Cashman has taught us one thing its that never underestimate him. He is a snake when it comes to these type of moves.
Matsui was one of our most consistent producers. Yes, he’s been injured, but he’s going to give you something when he’s healthy. He also stretched the lineup when he came back.
Matsui for one last hurrah.
if it were a 2yr contract, Manny would stay in LA then.
an ignorant team, will prolly give him 4yrs.
About Manny – the announcement also said that they didn’t think Manny would take that.
My opinion is that they do not want to take on the contract of a KNOWN loose cannon. Again, and read my lips: THE YANKEES DO NOT WANT MANNY.
Depracating tagline on the line!
Manny would hit .400 with 14 HR’s and 25 RBI’s in April, demand an extension, then whine cry and quit when he doesn’t get one.
Having Matsui shouldn’t preclude them from adding more bats.
Agreed.
If a 2 year deal is the best Manny could get, he’d stay in LA and say it’s because he loves it there.
If he can still hit in 2 years, then he can hit the junior circuit.
The Dodgers had to have some desire to re-sign him when they got him.
But two go two rounds beyond what they would have otherwise was probably worth it.
Manny rejuvenated Dodger Town. It’ll be interesting to see who else steps up.
The thought of listening to Trisha rant and rave all off season gives one a good headache.
trisha,
What’s your point about the tagline? Are you saying you’ll do it if the rumor’s false or if the Yankees show interest?
The Yankees won 89 with a starting pitching staff that had 4.58 era and averaged 5.5 innings a start.
15 more starts from Wang
15-20 starts from Joba
30 starts from CC
Throw in Pete’s info on Matsui and Posada, along with better years from Jeter (who had his worst OPS ever) and Cano, and the Yankees will make the playoffs.
“Manny would hit .400 with 14 HR’s and 25 RBI’s in April, demand an extension, then whine cry and quit when he doesn’t get one.”
But that would only be after he watered the outfield grass in the new Stadium, rolled over on a ball he missed and laughed about it all the way back to the dugout, styled at home plate whenever he hit a homer, chugged down to first base with the speed of a snail on marijuana, and backhanded Jeter in the dugout.
The Royals had the same record as us in September BTW, both had 18 wins in the month.
89 wins is a cosmetic stat. They played great when the pressure was off. We were a .500 team for most of the year. A late surge when it didn’t matter shouldn’t change that. Well, the pinstripe glasses fans can, but not the organization.
The thought of listening to Trisha rant and rave all off season gives one a good headache.
NO. the ranting of trading Cano and signing Manny is the headache.
“If this panic-in-the-streets attitude was in place in the mid-90s, the Yankees would have given up on Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and a sore-armed kid named Mariano Rivera.”
There are no Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte or Mariano Rivera caliber prospects in the system. Maybe Austin Jackson and Melancon but nobody wants to trade those kids anyway. Trading Hughes should be looked at, ignoring a potential trade that could significantly benefit this team would be silly.
Fraidy, I mean Freddy, awww, sad that the players you want don’t have a shot of coming to the Yankees? That’s your problem not mine. And obviously you are not of really high intelligence or you wouldn’t need me to tell you this. If you don’t like my posts, DON’T READ THEM.
Okay little WAH!!!!! ??
Okay!
“Tom
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Throw in Pete’s info on Matsui and Posada, along with better years from Jeter (who had his worst OPS ever) and Cano, and the Yankees will make the playoffs”
what-up, Tom.
where does Tampa and Boston, fit?
Why would Manny ever take 2 yrs?
He’ll have plenty of teams that want the BEST HITTER on the market.
What you people don’t get about free agency is that no one signs discounts.
The highlight of Trisha’s day: Deciding what jersey to wear. Igawa or Pavano.
You want cold try living in Syracuse. Or western New York.
“The Yankees won 89 with a starting pitching staff that had 4.58 era and averaged 5.5 innings a start.”
Where have you been since 2003??? That’s every Yankee team. They’ve had crap pitching for years.
Ed, thanks. Fraidy is obviously a crybaby who doesn’t like that we’re not blessing some player he is praying about.
YAWN!
Mel, what I am saying is that I am so positive that the Yankees will not try to get Manny that if I end up being wrong, I will be happy to let the most vile poster on this forum (now that’s gonna definitely be a draw numbers proposition) suggest the most hateful (read, boy that made him happy!) tagline he can think of and I will happily use it for two straight months.
Al,
did you read the Post today about David Lee testing the market free week? wassup with that?
next year****
I think Cashman is going to have some surprises this off-seasons. Just like nobody saw the Nady trade coming (and most on this board were Tabata apologists and thought there was no way he would be traded). Who saw A-Rod coming? Damon? Clemens for $28 million in May? Pettitte in 06?
You guys need to stop thinking you know whats going on his his head. He also appears to be rounding up a nice supporting cast, all it takes is a convincing suggestion from one of those guys to change the course, especially if he brings in a Gillick advisory or Gillick himself like SJ suggested.
Manny would take 2 years @ Alex’s AAV.
But, you’re right, Hart. People think that Manny’s a leper. He still has game, and he’s going to make a difference on his next team.
Ah, I recognize “Freddy” now! Only his screename has changed multiple times.
LOSER with a capital L!
Trisha, in 130 years they’ve called off class twice.
Ed, thanks. Fraidy is obviously a crybaby who doesn’t like that we’re not blessing some player he is praying about.
no problem.
I seriously cant wait till the Dodgers or some deseparate team signing Manny.
mel, I don’t think anyone thinks Manny’s a leper and I think most of us realize he certainly still has game. I can only speak for myself here, but I personally don’t want all the baggage that goes with Manny being Manny!
I agree Pete— 2 starters, 1B, CF, and concentration on defense.
Except there is no guarentee we get any of that. If we miss out on CC, our off-season is pretty much ruined. Burnett is not an adequate consolation prize for CC, either is Lowe.
Rebecca, do you know what the circumstances were????
“Al,
did you read the Post today about David Lee testing the market free week? wassup with that?”
Well Lee is the only all-star caliber player on the Knicks. I would hope that they could sign him long-term but their salary cap is a complete disaster.
Who saw A-Rod coming? Damon? Clemens for $28 million in May? Pettitte in 06?
which A-Rod coming? 2004?
The signing of Damon, Clemens and Pettitte returning was all expected.
Vinny, I honestly believe that if Wang, Matsui, Joba and Posada were healthy and had average seasons the Yankees would have made the playoffs this year.
Al,
if Lee does infact become a free agent next year, I hope the Nets sign him, if not then he should stay with the Knicks. Who knows, he might be the face of the franchise.
I don’t remember Pettite and Mariano being any great prospects.
I didn’t call into WFAN but I do suggest a LF/DH platoon between Matsui and Manny in which they would both bat but only one would field. Plus, we don’t know if Matsui will be able to be a full time player next year so it’s entirely possible that he will be a platoon player (just not with manny).
Lord help the people on this board if we don’t get CC.
You think Jeter, Posada, Mo aren’t going to show up and play?
Wow. Just, wow.
Tom -
you mean if Wang never injuried himself while running right? Running and staying healthy is 2 complete different things.
I don’t think Cashman would discount Manny. It all depends how the rest of the off-season goes. We might have to alter our plans if things don’t work out the way we expect or if he’s “there for the taking”, per se after we’ve got our pitcher(s).
A-Rod might endorse him too and convince them that he can control him.
But I kind of hope Manny stays with LA because that should effectively take them out of the CC sweepstakes. Same with Tex and the Angels. Those teams are not giving out 2 mega deals in one off-season. Then the Giants will be our only main competitor for CC.
Tom.
Please explain an average season for Joba?
Ed,
They were all surprises. Especially Clemens ’07.
I mean, even Suzyn Waldman didn’t have a clue. {giggle}
“Who saw A-Rod coming? Damon? Clemens for $28 million in May? Pettitte in 06?
which A-Rod coming? 2004?
The signing of Damon, Clemens and Pettitte returning was all expected.”
I gotta disagree Ed. Perhaps Clemens/Pettitte but Damon was supposed to go back to the Sox and we signed him away from them at the last minute.
“Al,
if Lee does infact become a free agent next year, I hope the Nets sign him, if not then he should stay with the Knicks. Who knows, he might be the face of the franchise.”
I think the Knicks would match any offer for Lee, the only reason they haven’t signed him yet is because they want to make sure they can fit Lee’s paycheck under their stiff cap.
They especially wouldn’t let him go to your boys out in Jersey lol. Lopez and Jianlian look pretty good why do you need Lee have mercy hes our only decent player
But they do not need to move Robbie Cano to center field, which somebody just suggested on the WFAN.
Wait. Someone actually called up and suggested that?
Their dealer must have the good stuff.
Re: Rivera being a good prospect
For those who didn’t know, Rivera was almost traded to the Tigers in 95.
mel – Why do you hate CC so much? Most good players are going to be mercenaries and not want the Yankees as their 1st choice. If he helps us win, does it really matter?
The Yankees have operated like that for years, its not going to change now. Especially if you listen to all the media reports that we’re prepared to blow him out of the water when we make our offer.
an Average season for Joba would have been 120-140ip. with an era between 3.5 and 3.90.
He was a Rookie after all.
Ed,
Most of those guys were pretty big surprises. It was figured that Damon was a lock to go back to the Sox and he himself had no interest in the Yankees.
Clemens was widely assumed to go back to Houston. And Pettitte coming back here was kind of out of left field, most assumed that he too would go back to Houston.
A-Rod both times were huge surprises, but the 2nd time involved Hank, so Cashman can’t really take credit for that.
but Damon was supposed to go back to the Sox and we signed him away from them at the last minute.
ok, now that I didn’t know. thanks for correcting me.
I was shocked when they got Damon.
Trisha: Both involved multiple feet of snow falling at such a time that the roads could not be cleared before the start of class.
And multiple feet I mean at least three feet.
S.A. -
Yes, I heard that too. Then Francessa suggested moving Jeter to CF instead.
Red Dragons,
I don’t hate CC. I’ve said I would like to have him. If he wants us.
I just can’t believe the “blank check” talk and “we’re doomed if we don’t get him talk”.
He’s great. He’s a lefty ace. But 7 years? 30% above premium? Before luxury tax? We’ve operated for years without him, too.
I’ll cheer for him when he’s a Yankee. I never once said I hate him or that he’ll suck.
Basically, everybody in the media said Andy/Clemens would go back to Houston in 06 and didn’t want to come back to the AL.
I was more surprised about that than Damon, who I had a sneaking suspicion would come here because he would chase money. And the A-Rod saga in 04 was just surreal how it went down.
Remember when Clemens made his return announcement from the booth during the game?
he said. ” I’ll be talkin to yuall real soon.”
I was like really? does that mean he’s coming back to pitch? Why is he going to be “talking to us”? Is he going to be taking Bob Shepard’s job?
What did he get 6 wins? He battled though.
And to this day, we don’t know what Clemens told George.
Urban legend.
I say he confessed.
Yes, I heard that too. Then Francessa suggested moving Jeter to CF instead.
Oh my lord.
I think the Knicks would match any offer for Lee, the only reason they haven’t signed him yet is because they want to make sure they can fit Lee’s paycheck under their stiff cap.
they just need to remove Marbury’s contract and they could lock up Lee. the thing is, who in the world have be dumb enough to take Marbury and his contract? hmm….
Yes, I heard that too. Then Francessa suggested moving Jeter to CF instead.
Jeter would burst out laughing in his face.
E,
As long as their is perspective involved. Burnett is going to be like Oliver Perez/Brett Myers. Guys who can dominate on any day but will always have that question lingering. They are just as likely to get shelled. I don’t think you can ever fully trust them, especially in a big game. Plus he is injury prone. Boston can take the risk on him because they don’t need an ace. They are setup very well, they have three under 30 top of the rotation pitchers who can throw 200 innings. They only need him to shore up the back of the rotation.
He is a huge risk, the drop off from CC is significant. We won’t be doomed, but we’ll be a 3rd place team that needs a lot of help to get to the playoffs. Burnett or Lowe don’t put us ahead of the Sox/Rays.
It’s never what they say.
It’s always what they don’t say that tells you what you need to know.
“I think the Knicks would match any offer for Lee, the only reason they haven’t signed him yet is because they want to make sure they can fit Lee’s paycheck under their stiff cap.
they just need to remove Marbury’s contract and they could lock up Lee. the thing is, who in the world have be dumb enough to take Marbury and his contract? hmm….”
This is Marbury’s last season with us after we lose his 21 million off the cap then we can pay Lee. Donnie Walsh is a smart GM unlike Thomas I have faith in him.
If Curry and Crawford opt out of their contracts after this season then I can see the resigning Lee.
if we need some offense mid-season, we can always sign bonds and move damon to CF.
so we can go with gardner to start the year and if he doesn’t hit, then we can sign bonds.
Question: We all want CC in the Bronx, he’s relatively young, entering his prime, a big game guy(won the Pepsi Clutch Award) and only costs money…however he is a big guy, as in big in heart and waste size. Anybody think Girardi’s candy policy will deter him from the Yanks? haha. Also, I like cash getting a veteran scout, but would it be a good idea to create his own advisory board(not a board for Hank, but a board for Brian) and bring in some statisticians and the like. Maybe he could have small roles for JC Bradbury(Sabernomics.com) Sam Walker(author of Fantasyland), Pat Gillick, Tino Martinez(Already an adviser, but would be a part of this board) and maybe a master statistician or writer( A Bill James of Ron Shandler type) maybe look at Jayson Stark of SI.com, Ken Rosenthal(foxsports.com), Buster Olney(ESPN). These guys don’t neccesarily have experience working in a front office, but having a writer’s perspective would be interesting as they know best how transactions will be written up by the media and how fans will react to such moves. By bringing in an Economist, a Fantasy Guru and writer, a brilliant former GM, a former Yankee and WS champion, and then a writer, the Yankees would have an interesting mix of views and opinions. Thoughts?
I liked Mariano as a starter. I thought he could be alright. Him and Mendoza did a decent job spot starting in 95′. I was a little disappointed when they put him in the pen. Obviously that was a case of misplaced emotion.
yeah the yanks will miss Giambi and his 203 BA with RISp and Abreu and his great D.
You did not know they are playing next year without any 1B and Rf those positions will be vacant..
Yeah Wang is no ace, who give a crap if he is a 16 game winner is that not better then Ponson?
Yeha the all star at every position is a winning strategy.
Yeah Tampa is Goliath; bartlett at SS, zero in RF, Iwamura at 2B, bad DH’s, Pena and his 240 avg at 1B, and a bullpen that until this year did nothing and a starting rotation that had zero injuries.. Yeah the Yanks should just give up; zobrist, gross, bj howell, and the rest are too much to overcome, give up Yanks..
wolf man (2008 is over)
________________
That’s a great idea…if Bonds gets hurt can we bring down Reggie?
Humberto Sanchez in the AFL today -
6 hits and 6 runs without recording an out.
“Yes, I heard that too. Then Francessa suggested moving Jeter to CF instead”
Francessa was screaming about moving Bernie to first base. It was his pet topic that he spent way to much time on. Then he asked Torre if it was possible and Torre said no it’s a really stupid idea. Mike then took no responsibility for the idea and called those who did idiots.
“if we need some offense mid-season, we can always sign bonds and move damon to CF.
so we can go with gardner to start the year and if he doesn’t hit, then we can sign bonds.”
I think Bonds is where everyone wants him right now, out of the game.
Tom
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
The Yankees won 89 with a starting pitching staff that had 4.58 era and averaged 5.5 innings a start.
15 more starts from Wang
15-20 starts from Joba
30 starts from CC
Throw in Pete’s info on Matsui and Posada, along with better years from Jeter (who had his worst OPS ever) and Cano, and the Yankees will make the playoffs.
Jeter’s wrist injury was the culprit; behind the lack of power, the chronic hitting into DPs and the offline throws. This is a bitch of an injury.
Let’s not forget ARod missed significant playing time, too.
Sosa hasn’t retired yet. Neither has Clemens. Bring them in too.
stuart — picking the worst players from a good team to try and rationalize that they suck is mindless.
yeah and the rays should be afraid of the yankees with dan giese, gardner, jose veras, and molina
or the sox with wakefield, javy lopez, varitek, mark kotsay
you are grasping at straw my friend
“I think Cashman is going to have some surprises this off-seasons. Just like nobody saw the Nady trade coming (and most on this board were Tabata apologists and thought there was no way he would be traded).”
The big surprise is going to be when Cashman sees that he sold Tabata too low for a 4th outfielder.
Robbie Cano, Doncha Know acts like a complete idiot on the major league level, yet Tabata screws up in Trenton and is one of the youngest players in AA and Cashman packs his bags and sends him out.
Bartlett’s the mvp of the Rays. Or Howell. Depends on what day of the week.
And we won 89 games with the likes of “dan giese, gardner, jose veras, and molina”
The point that Pete’s trying to make is that the team’s not total trash. Even though he trashes the manager.
My point is that NOT getting CC will not doom the Yankees for all eternity. It’ll certainly be more challenging, but it won’t be fatal.
“The big surprise is going to be when Cashman sees that he sold Tabata too low for a 4th outfielder.
Robbie Cano, Doncha Know acts like a complete idiot on the major league level, yet Tabata screws up in Trenton and is one of the youngest players in AA and Cashman packs his bags and sends him out.”
Ridiculous statement. Nady drove in nearly 100 runs with 25 HR’s yeah hes a 4th outfielder. Cano nearly won a batting title and is a tremendous fielder who occasionally mentally lapses. Please stop over-hyping Tabata. When he actually gets to the majors and is an offensive threat then this argument can be made more efficiently.
and Tabata was incredible in Pittsburgh’s organization…
http://www.c2cbaseball.blogspot.com/
“nicksf.
Please provide your 5 star pick this eve….
I am leaning towards the opposite of last night. TB and over.
Will you touch the WV/Aub game?”
Since you asked, I agree with you however I don’t like the price on TB and I do like the Phillies at +160, so that’s how I went. With a little on the run line too and I guess the over again. Hopefully they can all hit with RISP tonight.
I don’t like either side of the WV/Aub game, two underachieving teams that I don’t like, both going nowhere… I might tease Auburn a little bit on the superior-conference theory, but that’s about it. Kids, don’t try this at home.
yeah John, Guys like melancon, hughes, jackson, gardner, cano, chamberlain, and others have no upside.
Again John the expert you think; Balfour, Howell, Aybar, Navarro,Sonnenstine, and others will repeat there performance next year? I do not…
Wang is a very good pitcher the guy is 28, he will win 14 games in his sleep next year……..
“and Tabata was incredible in Pittsburgh’s organization…”
So he had a few good months in Pittsburgh double A. I would make that trade today. Nady is a great player who will allow the Yanks to not resign Abreu if they choose not to.
i agree completely Al, but i’m just pointing out that he was actually good in their organization, though it was for a short period of time. (and i still love the trade for the yankees)
http://www.c2cbaseball.blogspot.com/
“Bartlett’s the mvp of the Rays. Or Howell. Depends on what day of the week”
Are you drunk?
Tabata had what 100 at bats in Pitts system? Lets calm down.
“i agree completely Al, but i’m just pointing out that he was actually good in their organization, though it was for a short period of time. (and i still love the trade for the yankees)”
Out of the two (Austin and Jose) I think Ajax has the brighter future. The Yankees didn’t NEED to make that trade but in the short term it made a lot of sense for us and about 90% of the posters on here were excited.
Reno,
LOL. Not a drinker.
Let’s see Miller and Morgan have said that Bartlett’s the MVP of the Rays this season for shoring up the defense up the middle.
And the Fox crew said during yesterday’s game that Howell’s been the MVP of the team. But that’s probably because he was, you know, actually making an appearance.
That’s why I meant to say depends on who’s talking or basically what day of the week it is or which producer wrote up their crip notes.
I don’t make stuff up. I just pass it along.
“Out of the two (Austin and Jose) I think Ajax has the brighter future. The Yankees didn’t NEED to make that trade but in the short term it made a lot of sense for us and about 90% of the posters on here were excited.”
I think it was a great trade for the yankees still, and i was one of those who were excited too, lol… (even though i did like McCutchen) Tabata didn’t really have a great attitude for baseball either… Ajax had the brighter future with the yankees, i totally agree
AL: I believe you right.
will Tabata be a decent player? We don’t know yet. In NYY he proved he was a 1 way player, with no power.
we’ll see.
NickSF.
I went with TB -175 and over 8.5.
Aub +3.5 and over 38
I pounded the over in AF/NMS 45.
I would say 1-4 is a good night.
I hate the -175 w/TB but what the hell…
-dpf
“Pena and his 240 avg at 1B”
When are people going to stop believing Batting Average is such an important stat. This BA doesn’t matter when he walks 100 times a year and hits for good power.
the MLB attempting to apply pressure, for the Rays to get a new stadium built.
thank you, Bud. And hopefully, they don’t get one.
DPF,
Is that Air Force & New Mexico State? If it is, good call. NMS piles on the points, but they give up even more.
SJ44 or anyone else – Bill Livesey seems to be very highly thought of throughout baseball. Further, he seems to have had a pretty important position with the Yankees in the mid-90s – Why was he let go in the first place? Does anyone know? I’m just curious what the thought process was that led someone who was apparently highly regarded to be canned in the first place?
Organizations that flourish get the correct pulse from the top down and Bill Livesey is a step in the right direction with others to follow.
This will loom large in the grand scheme of things. Cashman was taking on too much with too little good advice.
DPF, TB opened last night at -150, so the public certainly likes the Rays!
I do like the over in Colorado Springs, I did an Auburn/UNM/over teaser (it’s UNM, not NMS, btw). Good luck.
Reno,
Ignore stuart little. Pete has called him out numerous times for his outrageous and ignorant statements.
He knows nothing about baseball.
Mel. Please cheer for points>
Nick. Good Luck to you as well. WVU is moving the ball but you have to get points early…
-dpf
Livesy is nice, but he is no Josh Byrnes.
We need a Josh Byrnes. A young brilliant mind that comes from an organization with top notch player development.
Is the world baseball classic starting in this offseason? or next years? sorry, just wasn’t completely sure.
http://www.c2cbaseball.blogspot.com/
The Lobos put up 70 last week, so they can score points too.
Auburn has gotten lucky on 2 reviewable plays already…
Tabata was a product of the Cashman-Yankees hype machine. He was a 1 tool player, that was billed as Manny Ramirez. He follows the likes of Hughes, Kennedy, Horne, JB Cox, Duncan, Ohlendorf, Gardner etc.
Nady is a very adequate return for him.
in celebration of Joe Buck announcing tonight’s game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9IilLW1aEw
needed 7 there….that does not bode well for either side of the bet.
Oh mama.
“lokomo
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Is the world baseball classic starting in this offseason? or next years? sorry, just wasn’t completely sure”
this winter/spring. Apparently coverage will be on ESPN and the new MLB Baseball channel.
alright, thankyou Vinny
http://www.c2cbaseball.blogspot.com/
Mark Grace: we snatched that trophy away from the New..York..Yankees in 2001!! (said it with a smirk)
I seriously wanted to smack him across the face when he stretch out “NYY”.
Pete – the Rays and Sox had many injuries too.
Tampa lost their closer Percivil to the DL basically every 3 weeks. They lost Longoria for a month and Crawford for 2 months. That to a lineup that was average as well. And they lost Kazmir for the first month of the season.
Boston lost Lowell for a good portion of the year and played hurt. Ortiz missed 6 weeks and was not even close to the same player he was in previous years. Beckett was on the DL a couple times. Dice-K was on the DL for a month. They lost Schilling, one of their WS heros last year for the season.
Every team had injuries. If we want to pound our chests and say we won 89 games and would have win more if we were healthy, BOS and TB can do the same and be optimistic about their chances next season as well.
““lokomo
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Is the world baseball classic starting in this offseason? or next years? sorry, just wasn’t completely sureâ€
this winter/spring. Apparently coverage will be on ESPN and the new MLB Baseball channel.”
Wonder if any of the Yanks decide to do it? Maybe Jeter or A-Rod but I doubt the Yanks let any pitcher near that exhibition.
I think Jeter and Damon put in their apps for the classic.
Not to fear, DPH, UNM is driving into the red zone.
“Wonder if any of the Yanks decide to do it? Maybe Jeter or A-Rod but I doubt the Yanks let any pitcher near that exhibition.”
i just can’t see any of the yankees allowing anyone of their young guys pitching in the WBC. but i still can’t wait to see it… it will be our first site of baseball in months
http://www.c2cbaseball.blogspot.com/
THE YANKEES DO NOT WANT MANNY SO GIVE IT UP. IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!
Read My Lips! Oh that’s right you can’t. Manny will not come to New York. If he didn’t like being in the city of Boston he won’t like NY. Manny and Boras are all about “SHOW ME THE MONEY.” Once Manny gets his long term deal, expect him to be the player Boston witnessed in the last months and not the one you saw in Dodger blue.
Again, our objective is to fix the starting pitching to compete in our division. Sabathia and Burnett will be the primary objectives. If both obtained, 1st base will be filled with a Casey Blake or a Garko, but not a 200 million 10 year Teixeira. Matsui is our DH, and is untradeable until he can prove himself and waive his NTC. Center field will work itself out.
There will be players not offered arbitration and thus become free agents. The Marlins have a slew of them. We might find a starter and some players there.
Getting 89 wins in our division with the lousy starting pitching, the lack of spark in our offense, some 60′some games scoring 3 runs or less, was actually a miracle.
We will be a better team in 2009, in a brand new stadium. Let’s hope Jeter, Rivera and Posada go on the “campaign trail” to drum up some quality free agent starters!
Scratch that. The Lobos just went for it on 4th and 1 inside the 15 and got stuffed. Oops.
And scratch that ooops, AF fumbled the ball back to UNM on its first play. UNM ball inside the AF 10.
In regards to the Tabata-Nady trade, it obviously was a smart move for the Yanks. But do you all remember that the originally reported trade had us giving up Coke and Kontos instead of Ohlendorf and Karstens. I think it was great to get rid of Ohlendorf and Karstens, they had no future with the club. Luckily we kept Coke, who even though he only had a small time in the bigs, did fairly well, and will be a good starter or lefty specialist at some point. Tabata was a knucklehead who most certainly would have clashed with Joe Girardi, whereas Nady is exactly the kind of guy that thrives in New York. The fans have loved him since his first day. Marte didn’t pitch as well as we expected, but turned it around as the season progressed, but the Yanks and Yankee fans have wanted him forever, and we needed a lefty. It was a great trade. Without it we would have had much less of a chance at the postseason. And Cash didn’t give up Ajax, Hughes, or Kennedy. You can not possibly argue that that wasn’t a smart trade at the deadline. Same with the Pudge trade. Even though it didnt work out as we hoped we needed a catcher that could hit, and we had enough bullpen strength to be rid of Farnsy. Let’s have some support for Cash here guys.
I guess that is why the line is 45.
3-0 at halftime most likely and I am pacing the halls…
-dpf
UNM TD 7-0.
“Tabata was a product of the Cashman-Yankees hype machine. He was a 1 tool player, that was billed as Manny Ramirez. He follows the likes of Hughes, Kennedy, Horne, JB Cox, Duncan, Ohlendorf, Gardner etc”
^^^^ ignorance at its finest
Needed that TD.
Auburn TD.
Hoochie Mama…
Thou shalt not speak ill of the Infant of Trenton.
“In regards to the Tabata-Nady trade, it obviously was a smart move for the Yanks. But do you all remember that the originally reported trade had us giving up Coke and Kontos instead of Ohlendorf and Karstens”
definitely. Part of what made it a very good trade. Had to make room for the Rule 5.
NYY was beginning to make a run, and Cashman gave them the pieces. It were the players who decided to fold-up shop.
Gardner Fan – completely agree that the Sox had tons of injuries (Rays not so much though).
Lowell had to have surgery after missing many weeks and trying to play through pain. Ortiz missed two months and still had not fully recovered. Beckett dealt with several injuries during the year the pain from his strained oblique was so bad that he struggled to put his shirt on after Game 6. Schilling didn’t even throw a pitch. Lugo has been out since the summer. Dice-K missed a month back in spring. Colon only made a few starts. Wakefield missed a few weeks. Drew’s back kept acting up and also missed a lot of games. And then there is the rest of the guys who eventually went on the DL at some point: Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Ramirez, Sean Casey, David Aardsma, Mike Timlin, Kevin Youkilis, Manny Delcarmen, Clay Buchholz, Alex Cora and Coco Crisp.
And, the Globe has reported that replacement rookie SS Lowrie has been playing with a broken bone in his hand since May which got worse every month. Lastly, even their manager was hurt – he’s having back surgery soon so that he can stand up straight again w/o pain. Apparently it has been hurting for many months.
Point is, yea our guys will hopefully be healthier next year. But chances are, so will the Sox. It’s not going to be any easier. The Sox big guys had a lot fewer ABs, Clay was just as bad as Hughes, and their starting rotation missed a lot of games too.
Hope Auburn wins. Guy in my probgram is an Auburn alum.
“NYY was beginning to make a run, and Cashman gave them the pieces. It were the players who decided to fold-up shop.”
Very true, I think that most of us Yankee fans thought this team would be a 95 win team when that trade went down. Also Joba through a gem that night up in Fenway only to injure his shoulder a week later.
Is Jhonny Gomes on the roster or is just a mascot? Goon?
ATLANTA (AP) _ General manager Frank Wren insists the Braves won’t trade their most valued prospects, apparently not even to bring Jake Peavy to Atlanta.
Buyer beware on Peavy. His mechanics are a serious injury waiting to happen.
Are we going to make fun of the kids that just sung the National Anthem?
Should we resurrect Kate Smith from the dead to sing it at the next game instead?
That was my favorite game of the season, Joba’s 7 inning 9k… 1-0 shutout win over the sox at fenway. Such high hopes at that point….
am i the only one who thinks that pudge might have thrown pettite’s mechanics outa whack? this is just my opinion, but the idea has crossed my mind a few times.
http://www.c2cbaseball.blogspot.com/
I’ll make fun of them. If I knew who they were.
Los Lonely Boys? If they are indeed lonely, I can take a guess as to why.
That Joba game vs. Becekett (the greatest postseason pitcher of all time, btw) was probably the emotional high point of the season. It all seemed not just possible but probable… so sad.
10-0 Lobos. Not the Aggies. The Lobos.
Like Sheriff Lobo but more than one.
http://epguides.com/Misadventu.....o/cast.jpg
“Al from BK( Make CC a Yankee. Explore the trade market.)
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Very true, I think that most of us Yankee fans thought this team would be a 95 win team when that trade went down. Also Joba through a gem that night up in Fenway”
yup. Trade went down Friday. As NYY was on way to defeating Boston Saturday, Buck and McCarver referred to the shift in power in the division (over Boston) and used the word “sea-change”
I want the Rays to win – but Pete’s right – if I hear James “big game” Shields again I’m gonna go crazy
James “Big Game” Shields?
Um..okay
“Nick in SF
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
That Joba game vs. Becekett (the greatest postseason pitcher of all time, btw) was probably the emotional high point of the season. It all seemed not just possible but probable…”
definitely. Even Buck/McCarver, were convinced.
10-0 Lobos and AF just fumbled for the 3rd time. It’s still the 1st quarter. This makes me pretty happy, I’m on the Lobos along with the over.
That’s the Lobos. Now the Aggies, the Lobos.
Like Sheriff Lobo, but more than one.
Oops, as I was typing that the Lobos fumbled and AF ran it back for a TD. Oh well, good for the over. 10-7.
Nick: That was also the night we got Marte and Nady. And our 7th win in a row.
No question emotional high point of the season.
mel from Taco Bell
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
“Is Jhonny Gomes on the roster or is just a mascot? Goon?”
I was trying to guess which might be higher, his IQ or his waist size. I’m thinking they are pretty close.
Jon Gruden with the Rays line-up
oh and John Grudden does it for me – James Big Game Shields
chucky !
go Rays
I’m rooting for the Phillies sweep because I’m not ready to here WORLD CHAMPION TAMPA BAY RAYS all next season. Also the faster this series is over the faster I get my beloved hot stove
Get it together Myers
Al: how about 3 fewer opportunies to hear Buck/McCarver do that voodoo they do so well?
Where did “Big Game” Shields come from and why? Before this year, the Rays had never played a big game. Shields post-season record is 1-2. Kinda sucky.
It’s funny, I’ve never heard anyone refer to Josh Beckett as “Big Game” Beckett (or at least say it multiple times within a few minutes) even though he is the most recent star in October. This year, Cole Hamels deserves that name way more than Shields.
“Al: how about 3 fewer opportunies to hear Buck/McCarver do that voodoo they do so well?”
Another good reason.
Why not set up the DP with one out, Charlie?
That’s because “Big Game” Beckett wouldn’t really hint at Beckett’s greatness. His talent transcends mere “Big Game” pitcher status.
“am i the only one who thinks that pudge might have thrown pettite’s mechanics outa whack? this is just my opinion, but the idea has crossed my mind a few times.”
Probably not, since Molina continued to catch all of Pettitte’s games after Pudge was traded here.
Ryan Howard looks like Soriano in the playoffs right now – just throw anything that moves and he’ll swing and miss!!
I take that back
that was terrible – but I’m still a real big Victorino fan.. any team would be very lucky to have him in the outfield every day
Nick – very true. I wonder if this year will affect his legacy in October. I almost feel for the guy – he pitched on pure guts in that last game. I read an article on him after they were eliminated and it really gave an insight on how much pain he was in. He had to recieve an injection to help the pain, lost a ton of speed in his fastball, and had trouble putting on his shirt near the end. He said he would’ve needed another injection – a bigger one – if he were to pitch again.
We need alternatives for James “Big Game” Shields..
Maybe we can call him James “Big feet” Shields?
James “Big Ears” Shields?
James “Big Cowbell” Shields?
“Big Game” can be loosely translated to Big G in Yankeese.
That was a ‘Big Game’ wild pitch at 0-2.
Shields continues to show why he is considered to be a big game pitcher. Nice wild pitch.
Hmmm, how about Josh “Big Injection” Beckett?
Nick,
LOL. Big Unit. Big Injector?
“Big Injection” is definitely spoken for.
They keep giving all the negative stats of the Phillies from last night’s game, but they’re kind of irrelevant, no, since the Phillies DID win, right?
And the RISP thing, well, did the Rays not just score 2 runs without a hit – 2 runs scored, 0 hits with RISP. Sigh. RISP BA can be a little misleading, no?
Nick – haha reminds me of “Bloody Sock” Schilling (ugh). Or maybe I shoud simply refer to him as “Big Mouth” Schilling. That’s a little more appropriate I think.
Late to the party… Cashamn inked Livesey, very nice move….A few more like that would help….Missed the start of the game but the Rays scored 2, 7 more and I get well from last nights donation……
Doreen: perhaps irrelevant, the win counts the most. On the other hand, did the Yanks’ 89 wins make their RISP woes irrelevant?
Baldelli
What the heck..
is this Naked Gun ?
Phillies defense isn’t helping Myers at all.
why did the home plate umpire appealed after he made the call?
Enrico Palazzo?
Terrible call. What a joke. Let’s go defense.
He struck out!! What the heck kind of call was that by the ump. AWFUL
This is not good for Philly
Huge break for the Rays.
Ump didn’t appeal, Ruiz asked and got “no swing” from 1b ump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-S-eeInJVk
That’s what happens when you let Frank Thomas be the home plate umpire.
Meacham?
“Tabata was a product of the Cashman-Yankees hype machine. He was a 1 tool player”
I can’t stand Cashman, and will look for every opportunity to bury him, but this is a moronic statement. You’re probably one of the nitwits who judged him when he was playing with the hamate injury.
The catcher can ask for appeal from a base ump? I thought the ump had to ask for it.
Oh Jennifer, thanks for the memories.
How can they call Shane crashing into Navarro? Please
No problem, one of the best movies, as was airplane.
Why would Ruiz appeal on a strike call, even if he could?
Nick in SF -
Not my point. My point was strictly regarding a game having already been played and won, does it matter if the team that won didn’t get hits with RISP? They scored enough runs to win in whatever manner they did, and that’s the ultimate goal – outscore the opponent.
But, the Tampa Bay Rays did not have a great BA with RISP all year. But as you can see, they won anyway. The Yankees, in addition to having their troubles getting hits with RISP also did not get a lot of “productive outs.”
nick, don’t let trisha see you call beckett the greatest postgame pitcher ever!
If it’s just one game and it didn’t affect the outcome, it doesn’t matter. If it’s indicative of a trend, it matters. That was my point.
(and the trend is the reason they brought it up and keep harping on it)
Bad instincts? Catchers do it all the time don’t they? Usually HP umps just “2nd the motion”
I guess 1b ump was acting on bad instinct as well.
Really it’s very embarrassing for this crew. They haven’t exactly shined so far with last nights “sort of but not really” non-balk.
What’s the over/under on bone headed calls this series?
Here’s something that really pisses me off. The Yankees have this huge bad rep about “trading young, promising players for old, washed up veterans.”
My question is this: WHAT YOUNG, PROMISING PROSPECTS HAVE WE TRADED?!? Where are these SUPERSTAR prospects we gave up on for an old veteran? Navarro, who had his first good season? Or the injury proned Juan Rivera? Isn’t it safer to say that Cashman holds onto the ‘promising’ prospects like Melky Cabrera, Eric Duncan, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and they ALL have busted pretty damn hard?
We need to sign Texeira and Sabathia and Lowe. At minimum.
Unreal.
“Isn’t it safer to say that Cashman holds onto the ‘promising’ prospects like Melky Cabrera, Eric Duncan, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and they ALL have busted pretty damn hard?”
who got Cano, Wang, & Joba, George Weiss?
it cracks me up when people bury Kennedy, Hughes based on one bad stretch in rookie seasons.
Hey all. Looks like Shields is getting the job done. I’ll check the scoreboard to see how the 3 runs scored.
GO RAYS!
“We need to sign Texeira and Sabathia and Lowe. At minimum.”
———————————————————–
Yup. Pujols, Bonds and Mantle too.
When I read posts like the one Anthony just posted it makes me want to take a Tylenol. A complete example of someone who reads what the Bill Maddens of the world writes and doesn’t know the first thing where these prospects come from, how they become legit players, and what levels and restrictions they have.
Eric Duncan for all the talk against him is 23 yrs. old you know there has been alot of late bloomers in MLB Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth just to name a few. Ian Kennedy, Philip Hughes book is still not written on them experience is going to be key for them. Melky has never been highly touted so don’t even go there, Juan Rivera was not a can’t miss, Navarro is an allstar and it has already been stated Steinbreinner didn’t know the Tampa factor was skimming money and drafting badly until Cashman took over around 05′ and restructured the whole system and it’s still a growing system.
“it cracks me up when people bury Kennedy, Hughes based on one bad stretch in rookie seasons’
And yet those same people LOVE Jose Tabata and use his 100 at bats for AA and AAA as proof he will be great.
I don’t get it…
Dionner Navarro. Nobody can say we don’t scout well.
who got Cano, Wang, & Joba
They don’t count they’re busts before they hit 30.
And yet those same people LOVE Jose Tabata and use his 100 at bats for AA and AAA as proof he will be great.
I don’t get it…
And then it there are those people who don’t understand he was 19 yrs. old in AA one of the youngest in the whole league but no he can’t struggle, because Bernie never struggled, Jetes never struggled, you have to an OPS 900 + to ride in this system as a legit player.
Brandon -
heard about David Lee testing the market at the end of the season?
Brett “Not so Big Game” Myers?
And then there are those people who don’t understand he was 19 yrs. old in AA one of the youngest in the whole league but no he can’t struggle, because Bernie never struggled, Jetes never struggled, you have to have an OPS of 900+ to ride in this Yankee system as a legit player. Your a bust once you struggle in AA or AAA it doesn’t matter which year. Man now that I think of it people ripping him for wanting to quit should check on another player who almost quit baseball for a Mickey D’s his name was David Price *
heard about David Lee testing the market at the end of the season?
He’s gone after this season I don’t see him staying in NY at all not w/ the lack of direction the fact Marbury is still here and there is still nonsense going on in that locker room.
guys, dont trust brandon. he once posted that he thinks marquez will be even better than wang. look it up im sure its in the archives somewhere
He’s gone after this season I don’t see him staying in NY at all not w/ the lack of direction the fact Marbury is still here and there is still nonsense going on in that locker room.
Marbury will be gone after this season. Curry and Crawford will have the chance to opt out. I think he will stay depending on the situation. I personally would like the Nets signing Lee but it’s best that he should stay with the Knicks.
guys, dont trust brandon. he once posted that he thinks marquez will be even better than wang. look it up im sure its in the archives somewhere
CPYanks from Prosportsdaily I have never said that about Marquez. Never have I touted that kid that highly.
Brandon, it’s not that he can’t struggle. It’s how he handled himself at the first sign of adversity. He quit.
He’s also a 20 year old who has had wrist problems. Wrist problems reaccurring problems. Surgery or not. Nick Johnson has had wrist problems his entire career-minors included. David Ortiz had the same bone removed as Tabata and he still has wrist problems.
Gary Shefield. Nomar. All of these players have wrist issues. Tabatas wrist may never be healthy enough to develop any power what so ever.
In the four seasons he has played in the minors he has shown no signs of developing power. He’s the same player at 20 as he was at 16.
yes you have brandon. i still remember your post. it went something like:
“i really think marquez will be better than wang…”
“marquez is wang with more strikeouts”
Wow. Just wow.
At least the Phillies are failing in interesting, diverse ways.
Anthony,
Thats a nice thought but the truth is the yankees haven’t really had any bright prospects to give up before last year. Look at the first and second round draft picks since jeter They haven’t away bright talent but they also have not had any bright talent to trade away. of course, we are now holding on to hughes, chamberlain and ajax for good reason but that has only been for the last year or so that any of them have had real trade value. You cant say the yanks dont trade away their bright talent now – you can say it in five years when Hughes is winning the cy young if you want though.
i DONT think we have to trade the farm or buy every big fish on the market. But i certainly do think this season was disgraceful and a pathetic goodbye to the house that ruth built. Further, we cannot go into a season in a new stadium a yr removed from disgrace as significant underdogs. I think we should make the biggest splash this winter for a bunch of reasons. Mainly, because it is a sign of good faith that the yankees are not going anywhere. Two, it shows the fans that we dont have to have our ticket prices double and get worse seats just to watch the yanks have a losing season. Three and probably most imporantly, THE YANKS HAVE THE MONEY TO SPEND. We are saying goodbye to giambi and pavanos ridiculous contracts. Mussina significant sum is out too and if he comes back, it wont be for an aces salary. Not to mention, pettitte and abreus contracts are over. That is a lot of money and the yanks are going to break new attendance records this yr with more expensive prices and amenities. Point is, there is no point for the yanks not to spend – they dont need to save. What they do need to do, is put a team out on the field that looks like solid contenders. I looked at the roster last yr and wondered how this team could cost over 200 million in payroll and still look so bad on paper and that was in april. Cashman doesnt have a fresh start in terms of salaries and payroll but this is the closest he will ever come to it in ny. Time to start signing the right pitchers for once.
yes you have brandon. i still remember your post. it went something like:
why don’t you post it then? duh.
In the four seasons he has played in the minors he has shown no signs of developing power. He’s the same player at 20 as he was at 16.
That’s not about his power that’s because of the level he played at. A ball mistake pitches and AA mistake pitches are way different in minor league ball there is a learning curve between levels you can’t expect him to get it yr. 1 in a new level it’s not realistic.
i will look for it after the game
Hey CCWANGWHATEVER: you may be correct, but since you have no particular credibility in this forum, instead of making a claim and saying “you can find it in the archives”, why not go find it in the archives yourself and post the link? Then you won’t come across as a guy making a cheap, baseless shot.
Yeah, no linky you stinky
Nick in whatever: why dont you go f*ck yourself?
i will look for it after the game
..and yet you have time to come to this blog. interesting!
Man I doubt I said that about Marquez, maybe I said Wang w/ more strikeout ability but never did I say better than Wang, Wang is a 19 game winner per yr. as a ground ball contact pitcher, I would have tooted Marquez like that GB or CB or SJ or whozat would have put me in my place comment wise.
DUDE thats not me. It’s a troll copying my name again.
See, that was a a more uself reply; we all learned something about you.
Nick, are you playing this game ????
yes, I remember you saying wang with more Ks! So I interpreted it that you think he’s better than wang.
im g@yboy
PAT M: I am and I’m losing all 3 bets. The one I really care about is the over and Philly ineptitude is once again killing it. But there’s still lots of time.
So I interpreted it that you think he’s better than wang.
Your confusing me now, you said I said that Marquez was better than Wang now your telling me you interpreted it, which one is it did I say it or did you misinterpret what I said ?
CCWANG-the-rotation-i-want-in-my-game
Pete isn’t dumb. He knows its you by knowing your IP and your e-mail.
I’ just playing the overs ( 8 1/2 ) The line on Tampa was just out of sight…I suspect your on the Phillies, a much better buy…
PAT M: yeah, I liked the price on the Phillies more but the public may have been right. Now I just want runs.
Looking forward to that link, CCWAHWAH. Until then, stay classy.
“That’s not about his power that’s because of the level he played at. A ball mistake pitches and AA mistake pitches are way different in minor league ball there is a learning curve between levels you can’t expect him to get it yr. 1 in a new level it’s not realistic.”
Brandon. I don’t understand your logic. It’s not realistic to expect a prospect to show progression?
It could also be he does not have any power. After 1280 at bats he has shown no ability to hit for power. He has 21 homruns in the minors. That’s one homerun every 60 at bats.
Do you work at Fox News or in politics because your great at spinning…
Disappointing game. I was really rooting for the Phils sweep.
Tom if you take in account his age, his experience level in AA and his injury then yr. 1 in AA should not have been if he’s not a top 20 player then deal him type yr. I understand the HR drought but giving up early and selling him cheap was not wise.
Disappointing game. I was really rooting for the Phils sweep.
agreed. turd!!! (am i allowed to say that?)
“Disappointing game. I was really rooting for the Phils sweep.
agreed. turd!!! (am i allowed to say that?)”
If it got through the filter, then your allowed. I’ve said “crap” on here and as you see it gets through.
Al -
lol ok, thanks bud.
it’s my understanding that the only things filtered are a certain website and any pete a. is a fat a** comments
The closeup of Matt Stairs ( minus the cap ) looks like he plays in some beer league for the over forty crowd on Staten Island…..
I hate to root against the up-start Rays but I won’t be able to tolerate 12 months of WORLD CHAMPION TAMPA BAY RAYS as I’ve stated previously.
7 hits zero runs, just like the Yankees.
I told you guys Phillies in 6
If the Phils were to sweep how could they stage their Rocky-like comeback?
Oh wait Rocky lost that fight didn’t he?
Rocky IV was always my favorite
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10.....134776.htm what do ya’ll think about this?
Was that the one vs Ivan Drago aka “The Machine”
“7 hits zero runs, just like the Yankees.”
Its sad that when I see other teams failing immensely in the clutch I immediately think about our boys in the pinstripes. This team needs a makeover on both sides of the ball.
Hopefully Christopher Smith joins that RBI alumni status one day.
Was that the one vs Ivan Drago aka “The Machineâ€
Yup!
All I am saying is that the Yankees have had a tremendously bad reputation of trading away young prospects for old, washed up veterans. Well, I want someone to show me a prospect we traded that, in the end, we regret trading? I can’t honestly think of any since Cashman has taken over.
One of my favorite scenes from that movie It’s also great motivational music.
That is so insane! Imagine if that is true! Wow.
mike lowell.
“Was that the one vs Ivan Drago aka “The Machineâ€
Yup!”
Correct. USA USA USA USA!!!!
Anthony
Some would say Ted Lilly
July 5, 2002: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the New York Yankees with Jason Arnold (minors) and John-Ford Griffin to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent a player to be named later, Carlos Pena, and Franklyn German to the Detroit Tigers. The Detroit Tigers sent Jeff Weaver to the New York Yankees. The Detroit Tigers sent cash to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent Jeremy Bonderman (August 22, 2002) to the Detroit Tigers to complete the trade.
Whether the Yankees finished with more wins than all but 6 teams is not the point for a team which has the highest payroll in baseball, bears the interlocking NY, and represents the City. The Yankees are expected to win, not every year but it’s been 8 years since 2000. Taken together with the hype that continues to surround the team and its players (e.g., “Generation Tre”) the fans have every reason to be disappointed and critical. Of overriding concern is the ongoing depreciation in talent and absence of athleticism (a euphemism for horrible defense) which varies indirectly with the aging of the team. In this regard, Bill James, in his 2009 publication ranks the Yankees among the lowest based upon its absence of prospects and the abundance of over-the-hill position fills. The future does not bode; this is what concerns, or should concern, the fanbase, taken together with an absence of sound management at the ownership and executive levels.
“All I am saying is that the Yankees have had a tremendously bad reputation of trading away young prospects for old, washed up veterans. Well, I want someone to show me a prospect we traded that, in the end, we regret trading? I can’t honestly think of any since Cashman has taken over.”
Maybe Navarro this year but thats the only one I can remember. Mind you the Yankees haven’t had a blue chip in the past 5 years until Phil/Joba/Ajax.
Oh that’s a good scene
Ted Lilly was pedestrian in the AL East. Of course he is dominating in the NL.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka’s claim that the Rays move the pitching mound 6 inches closer to first base when right-hander James Shields starts at Tropicana Field found its way into the Phillies’ universe yesterday then to MLB offices.
That is just nuts
David Price time
Brandon- Great scene, I bookmarked that for future motivation
Eh..Ted Lilly is… eh.
AL- That is why I say some.
People were on here wanting to trade for him.
“No, maybe I can’t win, maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he’s got. But to beat me, he’s gonna have to kill me, and to kill me, he’s gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me, and to do that, he’s gotta be willing to die himself and I don’t know if he’s ready to do that. I don’t know, I don’t know.”
-Rocky
(best quote from Rocky 4)
Big Daddy Howard vs The Price Is Right
I really need to watch Rocky IV again. lol It was so good.
Though the beginning with Apollo…
Maybe Moyers is going to have to reverse the energy flow and will have to summon the powers of The Moose.
Does it matter that it wasn’t a strike 3 times ?
OK that was just ridiculous. Even Kate Smith beats that.
SA –
I got the whole collection. My sister-in-law got gave it to me as a gift X-Mas 2 years ago. I was shocked and surpised that my sis knew I was a Rocky fan. It was truly an awesome gift.
Ed in that scene Adriana look like she wanted to slap him w/ a pot for being stupid.
All in all, a poor night for sports.
So I’m not looking forward to facing Price as a starter. Though I’d love to see Joba vs. Price – that could be an amazing game
Ed-did you see the last movie? Rocky Balboa(Rocky VI?)? How was that one?
One day it will be Brackman vs Price
Brandon,
thanks for reminding me which scene it was. I just think through out the whole movie, that was just the best quote.
SA -
sadly no, i havent. my brother brought the dvd when it came out but i never got the chance to watch it. I heard it was well done though from those who saw it.
“One day it will be Brackman vs Price
”
Fingers crossed.
Meyers has pitched pretty well, in spite of his defense.
Running to first base doesn’t seem to interest Upton much in the last 10 games or so. That DP was turned a little slow and he still wasn’t much over half way to first base….again.
Ed-Ah I see. That is the only Rocky movie I haven’t seen yet so I was just wondering.
Are they stretching Price out to start game 7?
(insert winky emoticon here)
Betances vs Shields
De La Rosa vs Kazmir
Marshall 2-3 yrs. away
Dunn waiting in waiting for BP or SP debates.
One day it will be Brackman vs Price
next year, maybe?
Are they stretching Price out to start game 7?
He’d make a great weapon out of the BP in the 7th inning.
Burrell looks like a Mike Mussina who ate too much ice cream.
SA -
you just inspired me to watch it later tonight. good thing i’m done with classes for this week.
lol
Price sorta looks like Tim Duncan.
next year, maybe?
Depends how ST goes. Uhoh …
Go figure. The worst hitter on the Phillies and he takes Price out.
Mel -
now that you mentioned, i could see the resemblance. it never came to mind, thanks for pointing it out.
Hahaha! Ed-Lemme know how it is after you watch it.
Please, please don’t overhype Brackman. He’s our super secret weapon of future destruction.
I don’t think people understand Hawaii Winter Baseball is his first level of professional ball.
“One day it will be Brackman vs Price
next year, maybe?”
At the absolute earliest Brackman is a September call-up. However that would mean he would have to have a Joba-like ascent. Given his size, he will take til spring 2010.
the Rays still don’t have a closer right?
the Rays still don’t have a closer right?
Sure they do Price.
mel from Taco Bell
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
“Please, please don’t overhype Brackman. He’s our super secret weapon of future destruction.”
Brackman has better stuff than Cy Young, CC, Wang, Beckett, Joba, and Price!!!!
Sorry mel….I couldn’t resist.
Sure they do Price.
Price is being used. So I’m guessing its a 2 winning save?
If Utley had not been able to make the play by virtue that the ump couldn’t waddle out of the way fast enough, what’s the ruling?
Brackman still isn’t better than Bucholz and will never reach what Dice K does. Sorry ray… I couldn’t either.
Brandon,
I know what you mean. It takes skill to do what Dice-Kriss-Angel does.
Though Brackman should have at least one year of minor league experience under his belt before he is ready, look for big time hype if things are not going well for the Yankees and a pre-mature call-up; if he is not “Joba-ready” but more like Hughes, the “not ever ready for prime time chants” will be in ….with kudos to Cashman for doing it again.
It’s all good…I had it coming Brandon.
mel from Taco Bell
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
If Utley had not been able to make the play by virtue that the ump couldn’t waddle out of the way fast enough, what’s the ruling?
_______________________________________________________
If the ball hits the umpire, the ball is still live. He’s part of the field.
Maddon pull him now, I’ve seen this before from Price.
Can the Phillies get ONE call? Just one?
Tampa Bay gets a break there.
wow, this HP ump is “flicking” playing games.
Can’t they check the ball for cotton fibers????
All in good fun ray.
This crew is ump’s an amateur.
Did this umpire crew with the gig in a Taco Bell contest?
This ump has given Price some geenerous calls, I mean very, very generous calls.
That’s: This ump’s an amateur.
*WIN the gig*
Nick,
Call in the CSI: Miami crew.
Rollins should be standing at 2nd right now. 3rd if he stole a bag.
mel from Taco Bell
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 pm
That’s: This ump’s an amateur.
_____________________________________________________
His name is Kerwin….you expected more?
hhhhmmmmm
Was that a strike ?
Brandon,
I’d love to see a pitch trax of all these at-bats.
Come on, one more run!
GB7,
I’m convinced the man behind the mask is Frank Thomas
Its K time for Howard.
Booooooooooooo.
Congrats, Rays.
and of course, Howard swung at the first pitch.
That a boy Price!
If your the Phillies immediately send in that tape to the offices. Get the umps on your side for game 3.
Ah man! Now we are guaranteed a game 5
Guess they don’t have a David Price Bible.
Way to go, Maddon. Way to abuse the kid. Haven’t you learned? Wheeler hasn’t been the same since that long outing.
He’s got a rest day tomorrow and he uses 2 relievers.
Jeez.
mel from Taco Bell
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
GB7,
I’m convinced the man behind the mask is Frank Thomas
________________________________________________________
I was thinking maybe Wilbur Hackett decided to umpire the game. He likes being part of the action.
Francesa to be paired up with Benigno? Maybe?
I could live with that.
When they were together for those 2 shows, I thought they were oddly entertaining.
http://tinyurl.com/6cyndm
This series is definitely coming back to Tampa.
How bad is ESPN baseball coverage when the best guy on the show is John Kruk?
“Francesa to be paired up with Benigno? Maybe?
I could live with that.
When they were together for those 2 shows, I thought they were oddly entertaining.”
2 of WFAN’s most hated. I doubt many would tune in, doggy was annoying but a good contrast to Mike. Mike/Benigno= 2 guys who can’t shut their mouths for 2 seconds.
I will vote for the candidate who can make them stop saying “Big Game James”.
“I will vote for the candidate who can make them stop saying “Big Game Jamesâ€.”
Agreed. Where did that even come from? The Rays haven’t had a big game in their franchise history. Most nick-names are just terrible ESPN creations.
He probably showed up to the clubhouse one day with the game “Candyland” and said it would come in handy during rain delays during a big game. After they figured out that there are no rain delays inside the domed Trop, they dubbed him “Big Game James”.
Well, it’s a working theory.
I know this may sound ludacris to many in the audience, however, I believe strongly in tearing the team apart to build for the 2012-2013 season. Trade Matsui, Damon, Posada, A-rod, Jeter, Cano, Mo Rivera, and anybody worthwhile with a large contract and is an aging player. You could trade all of these guys by picking up a substantial portion of each of their contracts and then build through your draft and trust your scouts to identify premier talent in other teams farm systems when you trade these guys. Trade Posada by the July deadline if he can establish his health again. All this talk about the Yankees having money, well use it to get win-now teams to trade for these players. Being a New York team in a new stadium will make this idea highly unpopular, and many of you believe that Yankees to be a win-now team themselves. However, if you dismantle the team you would most certainly field an intimidating and dangerous team in the year 2013 and beyond. Does anyone honestly believe that the Yankees could have played deep into October against a team like the Rays with outstanding depth in their starting rotation? Dismantle the team and trust your scouts to produce an athletic, pitching oriented team for the future that could actually stand a chance of going deep into October rather than these overhyped sluggish Yankee teams that flame out in the playoffs because of their lack of depth in their starting rotation. Remember, those championship teams of the late 1990′s had El Duque, Cone, and Clemens starting game 3′s and fours of the playoffs compared to having Jaret Wright or an ineffective Randy Johnson pitching crucial must-win games. As a devoted Yankee fan, one must learn to swallow the truth and build effective teams to compete with the ultra-talented ball clubs of MLB.
Mr. M-
Insane idea you can’t turn the Yanks into the Marlins for the next 5 years and expect the fans to return. Telling the Yanks fans to not expect a contender for several years will alienate a fan base used to winning and turn many away from the team possibly for good. Trying to recreate Tampa is not the only way to get a winning product on the field, mind you in order to get the team they have now they had to suck for the past 10 years and that was in Tampa. Having a 60 win team in an empty 500 million dollar new stadium is not in the best interest of the Steinbrenners or the team.
IPK wants to be called “Big Game Ian”
Al from BK. You make many good points that are the prominent reasons why my plausible idea would never be carried out. However, remember that we have tons of money at our disposal compared to the rays who basically had to only really on their top 5 picks to get franchise players to build around. Not only would we be getting legit prospects with a top 5 pick for the next 3-4 years, but we would also be able to do something that the Rays could not do; draft players in later rounds who would require first round pick money to sign. I understand this plan will never come to fruition for the simple fact that these are the New York Yankees. However, what is a better scenario in the minds of bseball fans, a team that will flounder for several years and than become a legitimate year in and year out world series contender with a strong defense, fundamental hitting, and a starting rotation with power and depth, or a over-priced aging club that playoff teams covet as an opponent in the playoffs because of a lack of dominant pitching, too mcuh reliance on the three-run homerun against elite litching, and a defense lacking the range to hold those important runners to singles and first to thrid situations rather than a man on second and a runner already in. Seeing that this is New York and immediate results are needed, this fundamental plan to field a dangerous play-off team will surely be met with equivocated support with the fans and the Yankees themselves.
Mr. M –
You do know Jeter, Posada, and Rivera is the face of the franchise. If Cashman ever become stupid and trade them, the fans will riot and the Steins will fire Cashman. Their venue, tv rating, and merchandise selling will drop sufficently. Rivera is nearing retirement, and there is a chance he might retire before his contract ends, and is a first ballot HOF. They are Yankees for life!!
Mr. M,
That’s certifiably insane.
This is the New York Yankees. We don’t need to do what Tampa and the Marlins did. They did that for lack of money, not because they enjoyed it!
We can play to win now AND build the farm. The key is to have a GM that can make wise decisions to get the most out of the farm system without mortgaging its future entirely.
I trust Cashman to be that guy.
“Remember, those championship teams of the late 1990’s had El Duque, Cone, and Clemens starting game 3’s and fours of the playoffs…”
These players weren’t acquired by tearing down the team as part of some 5-year plan. They were acquired to ‘win now’ and that’s what they helped the team do; ‘win now’.
The Yankees can having pitching depth in the 2009 rotation by opening up the checkbook; they don’t have to trade position players to have a solid rotation.
Dang, now where is my “AMEN!” button on the keyboard.
Agree 100%, Pete!