Bundle up for Game 7 next season
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- October
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There was an idea floating around a few years ago to play the Super Bowl at Giants Stadium. It was quickly shot down when people remembered it gets cold in New Jersey in the winter.
Than we have baseball, a sport allowing the Minnesota Twins to build a stadium without a retractable roof.
Thanks to the international marketing scheme known as the World Baseball Classic, the 2009 season will not start until April 5. As a result, the World Series will start on Oct. 28. A potential Game 7 would be Nov. 5.
The WBC is not an unreasonable idea. But in those seasons when the tournament is held, why can’t baseball give up some revenue and schedule six or seven doubleheaders over the course of the year so the playoffs can end in October?
Why aren’t teams in cold climates required to put retractable roofs on new stadiums? The Yankees are spending $1.3 billion on their new place and somehow that doesn’t include a roof. If a team decides to build a new stadium, MLB should find a way to help them afford a roof. The more stadiums with roofs, the less likely we’ll have 10 p.m. start times during the World Series.
Baseball never makes it easy on you. Games start late and go on all night. They make fans stand around in wind-swept rain or numbing cold. The umpires for big games are apparently picked out of a hat. They get in bed with low-rent outfits like TBS. The commissioner changes the rules on a whim. It’s one stupid thing after another.
But we always come back. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 14 and it can’t get here fast enough.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
And that is the point, the fans always do come back. There is something about late fall baseball that is wonderful. Perhaps I am being overly nostalgic, but a roof on Yankee stadium, albeit practical, would just not be the same.
Forget the roofs………this is baseball and it shouldn’t be indoors. For rain I say deal with it, its part of nature. As for the WBC I’m not a fan and can do without it.
Let the trades begin!
It’s an afternoon game. If they played most of the games in the afternoon, there wouldn’t be half the problems.
There would also be many more kids at the games. The number of kids interested in baseball is declining. Eventually that’s going to come back to hurt these guys. The Cubs have to play most of their games as day games, and they have an huge fan support despite being losers.
The free agency clock starts today. 107 days until spring training.
General Manager’s meetings in Dana Point, California November 3-6.
I am not a roof-guy either. But at some point, it seems to be @Oct 20 or so, the weather starts becoming so nasty that they are playing a different game than they were all summer. The old WS were over by Oct 7-12. Those days aren’t coming back, but by eliminating some post-season off days, flexible scheduling, and doubleheaders during the season, they could be finished by Oct 20-22.
All logical points, Pete.
I agree with Mark in Tampa – schedule some DHs and get the WS done by late October.
There was an article in Newsday today, where the CEO (I think) of FOX said the late start times of games was due to baseball’s desire for maximum TV dollars, hence the need for primetime advertising. He further said he would “love” to discuss earlier start times, for the fans’ sake, if baseball would take a few less dollars.
Think any of this will happen?
Lets play a game of “remember when”
the dot.com bubble…
the housing bubble…
Now there seems to be a baseball bubble and like all other bubbles, it will eventually burst.
The Yankee mgmt has put their team on the leading edge of this bubble.
Personally I can’t wait for the those fans sitting in the front row of the new Yankee Stadium to realize they’re paying 2500$ a game to watch big, rich children throw and hit a white ball.
And somebody should call Guinness and find out if they’re interested in creating a record for the world’s most expensive structure that doesn’t have a roof.
TBS did a far, far better job of broadcasting the playoff games than FOX this year. One mistake due to an act of god shouldn’t damn them. FOX misses as much total time by coming back from commercial mid-pitch etc.
Also, put me in with the no-roof crowd. I’ll put up with the occasional bad weather for a truly outdoor stadium on the far more common beautiful summer days. Even retractable roof parks are claustrophobic compromises.
Stadiums with retractable roofs are hideous. Remember that model for New Yankee Stadium in 2001 with a retractable roof? Awful!
What upsets me most about the World Series is the 8:30 start time. Um HELLO. The game doesn’t get over with until past midnight and I have to wake up for work at 5:50 AM.
Imagine paying $2500/seat to sit there and watch Ponson, Rasner, or Igawa pitch, while the lineup flails away like they have 10:15 dinner reservations? That could get old REAL fast.
What happens during the season when the East Coast games actually start at 7:00? Does nobody in LA watch the Dodgers or Angels when they come east?
The best solution is to cut the season to 155 games, expand the division round to seven games, and play it the last week of September. The LCS could begin on Oct. 1st and conceivably end on Oct. 9th. You can have two days off before the Series, so it would start on the 12th, and end around the 20th. I think that’s perfectly reasonable. Baseball gets an expanded playoffs, that goes through two thirds of October, and the fans don’t have to watch players dressed in wool hats and fleece sweaters.
Pete-
One thought floated out there is to start the season earlier, but with this caveat- play the games in the smaller stadiums in the Arizona and Cactus leagues where the weather is warm amongst teams in your own league. No days off since travel amongst teams in the state of Florida or Arizona.
The owners more likely to buy into this plan, where some revenue is generated, than by shortening the season, generating no revenue.
What I think that most of us are missing is that common sense is only for us. Baseball doesn’t seem to care about “the fans” but only the fans’ wallets.
As far as the late start time goes, baseball trying to maximize the dollars from the advertising during prime time. That is a great strategy if people actually watched the damn games. This world series was by far the lowest rated because of the teams involved.
I would actully like to seen a comparison of the numbers at the beginning of the game versus those from the 6th inning on when most of the people on the East Coast go to bed. I also bet that most left coasters didn’t care one bit about this series.
Since when is baseball (MLB) reasonable?
Oh, well.
Anyway, as far as a 7 or 7:30 first pitch time (actually starting the game) and the west coast – I would think that even if the the left-coasters were missing all the pre-game extravaganza and the first couple of innings, at least they’d get to see the last several innings and know who won the game before going off to sleep! Here on the east coast – we get to experience the Back Street Boys and watch the grounds crew put the final touches on the field, but are more than likely sound asleep before the 7th inning. Not only that, but many morning editions of the paper don’t even carry the score of the previous night’s game. (Although, thanks to the internet, that’s not as much of a problem for those of us with a connection.)
I think making the start times of the games earlier would be a vast improvement. I seriously doubt there’ll be a day game, even on a weekend, anytime soon, especially if they do anything about shortening the regular season via doubleheaders or lopping games off the schedule, thus losing revenue.
And as far as doubleheaders go, I know the players hate them, so the PA would probably squawk, but wouldn’t day/night doubleheaders, or at least split admission doubleheaders, address the lost revenue problem? It would no doubt create other complications, but it seems to be the closest thing to having one’s money and spending it, too.
And, Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Now, on to matters of much more interest to most of us!
braintrust:
you have it right. Reduce the schedule to 154 games and the other changes you mention.
Lineup for ‘09
Damon, Jeter, Arod, ManRam (RF), Texeira, Matsui, Posada, Cano, Gardner (CF)
I could never understand why the Yanks didn’t put a retractable on the new place.
“Imagine paying $2500/seat to sit there and watch Ponson, Rasner, or Igawa pitch, while the lineup flails away like they have 10:15 dinner reservations? That could get old REAL fast.”
HAHAHAHAHA! Meanwhile the Tampa Bay Rays come in with their 24-year-old roster and go to town
Bronx Resident
_______________
Is that your fantasy lineup?
far as the retractable roof debate.
NYY did it right, with the choice of stadium design. Have to have a true open-air/replica of the former yankee stadium.
however, i will give credit to Seattle. At least from TV, the park appears beautiful. And every person have known who have viewed a game there, says the same.
incidentally, the adverstiing (outfield billboards/ads) in seattle are the way they should be done. No trademark colors for each advertiser’s logo. Only a white script is used (similar to Japan ballparks). Aesthetics are maintained this way, maintaing the look of a major league stadium (instead of a minor league park)
NY POST: YANKEES MAY GUN FOR MANNY
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10.....135928.htm
Manny Ramirez doesn’t fit the Yankees New York Yankees ‘ desire to get younger and more athletic, but several industry sources believe the Yankees will make a serious push for the free agent to play right field next year.
article about those flap caps:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10.....f=baseball
testing
“NY POST: YANKEES MAY GUN FOR MANNY”
by the reliable George King
vinny-b -
We went to a game in Seattle. It’s a gorgeous park, and since it was a beautiful day/night, the roof remained retracted. Frankly, I forgot there was a retractable roof. You never felt like you were in an indoor/outdoor arena.
We also went to a game in Toronto this summer. The roof was on the night we went. It does feel very strange – the atmosphere, the air, the sounds, all quite different when you are inside. We stayed at the hotel annexed to the stadium, and were able to watch part of a day game from inside the hotel while the roof was retracted. While the sun was gloriously shining, that stadium just has a weird look to it, probably due to the fake surface. I wish I had been inside the stadium itself, though, to see if it felt different – it probably did – nothing like fresh air!
Rain delays, rain-outs and re-scheduled games are all part of baseball. Perhaps we’re all just a little too impatient these days, a little too used to so much “convenience” that we get bent out of shape when things don’t go smoothly.
But I think if the technology exists to build a park like the one in Seattle – practical and beautiful – why not use it?
It probably would have meant an entirely different design for the new Yankee Stadium, however. Does the new Citifield Park have a retractable roof?
Lets get Manny!!!!
Have we signed CC yet?
the headline for the George King article could have very well just been written:
“the Yankees may or may not be interested in a big name free agent, but noone really knows, and i’m going to run with this anyway because I have a deadline to meet and I need the Post to sell papers so I can keep my job in the dying newspaper industry”
little wordy, but just as informative.
Doreen:
I bet having a hotel room in Skydome, was a unique experience. kewl. Enjoyed your take on the stadiums.
btw, Citifield doesn’t have a retractable, either
I agree with braintrust and vinny-b. The solution that makes sense is 154 games, 7 game division series, and end by mid-Oct. Maybe if folks stopped supporting baseball’s absurd current schedule, MLB would seriously consider changing it. Incidentally, a balanced schedule wouldn’t hurt either.
That might be as much of a non-story ever written considering the volatility of the headline. The headline could just have accurately read:
“Cashman doesn’t rule out trading A-Rod for Arroyo” or perhaps
“Cashman doesn’t refute rumors of affair with alien warlord.”
It should have said, “I gotta write something, but I got nothing so here it is”.
“NY POST: YANKEES MAY GUN FOR MANNYâ€
Might those “several industry sources” be Scott Boras? If NY is not involved, the dollars are smaller.
yes. The ‘Manny to NYY’ article is a trip. No quotes from Cashman, or any other living individual. Yet, the Yankees now want him to play right-field. Okay, George.
“(Matt Holliday —– NOT Tex)”
btw, id love to hear the rationale for this.
off-topic: this Craig Carton really is a jack@ss
turn-two: rather simple. NYY have a greater need for OF’ers in the system. And yes, am referring to beyond next year. And Holliday’s production is on par with Tex, and is the same age (Tex is 4 months older)
What MLB should do and will never do is go back to the 154 game schedule. That way we would not see World Series games in November.
typeo: Holliday is 4 months older
Wanting Holliday over Teixeira is nothing more than a visceral reaction.
For as long as greedy owners and the spineless Selig exist, little if anything will get done for schedule changing.
There can and should be a shortened regular season of 154 games with attempts to make weather conditions more fan friendly by starting the season one week later and ending the World Series one week sooner.
“Tom
October 30th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Wanting Holliday over Teixeira is nothing more than a visceral reaction”
ok
Just have every team play 1 double header a month. That’s 12 games instead of 6. It the equivalent of playing a 150 game season.
AJW-
At least a 154 game season would trim down the 18 times a year we have to look at AL East teams with this unbalanced schedule nonsense.
“NYY have a greater need for OF’ers in the system. And yes, am referring to beyond next year. And Holliday’s production is on par with Tex, and is the same age”
and this is factoring in all the value in prospects and player the Yankees would have to give up to get Holliday as opposed to Teixeira?
and where is the glut of up and coming 1B in the system that i dont know about?
No Manny to Yankees! signing any player over 30 is not getting younger this season.
Vinny—- I don’t think so.
Holiday’s numbers are Coors Field inflated. At home he’s a .357 hitter, but on the road just .280. He has almost twice as many HR and RBI at home (84/307 to 44/176).
He has two 30-HR seasons to Teixiera’s five. He has two 100-RBI seasons to Teixiera’s five.
Holliday is a fine hitter and decent left fielder. Teixiera is a more productive hitter and Gold Glove fielder.
Advantage Teixiera.
Also, the Yankees don’t have a young 1B any closer to the Majors than they do OFs. If you’re going to count Miranda, you gotta count Chirstian and Gardner.
FOR THOSE WHO WONDERS ABOUT WHEN FREE AGENCY BEGINS:
Players may file for free agency, and teams have an exclusive 15-day period to negotiate and sign them. On November 14th, free agents can negotiate and sign with any team.
——–
In another words, players on their respected teams may resign them starting today.
You guys have it right. Cut the season short by some games. Division rivals don’t need to play each other 18, 19 times a season. Get rid of the non same city Interleague games. Do we really need to play PIT, CIN and HOU?
Also, the network should at least consider having one of World Series games be a day game. How about a 4pm Saturday start? Makes sense to me.
Woo-Hoo!
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/200.....ent-574746
great points by Pete.
there is no way that they should let the WBC push back the postseason into November. Selig is so greedy.
I’ll never buy into this alarmist response to the bad weather in this series. Did we immediately call for retractable dome stadiums after the ‘07 ALDS? Hell No, because that would’ve been the most irrational response in the world to something that happened, but doesn’t happen every day in the same way in the same place all the time.
Either play through it, delay it, postpone it, or suspend it. Let the umps & the commissioner make those decisions. That’s the rational response. To me, at least. That seemed to be what baseball was doing, anyway. It works. It’s not broken. It doesn’t need fixing.
And screw mandatory domes and retractable roofing.
And screw a neutral site World Series. Eat me.
However, to prevent November baseball, besides starting WBC earlier, consolidate the all-star break into ONE BUSY DAY.
On the calender, schedule it like this:
one day off in between the end of the first half of the season and the all-star DAY, and then one day off between the all-star DAY and the beginning of the second half of the season, immediately getting back to work.
Then, when it comes to the postseason, start every postseason game no later than 7PM, and remove all but one day off in between each series. Voila, something, something, something.
The fact of the matter is that Teixeira is the better player. Holliday is very good; however, his stats do get inflated by Coors field. Offensively at home he’s Manny Ramerez (1.003 OPS at home last 4 seasons) and on the road he’s Bobby Abreu (.872 road OPS last 4 seasons).
great phillies article:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer.....ments.html
“Offensively at home he’s Manny Ramerez (1.003 OPS at home last 4 seasons) and on the road he’s Bobby Abreu (.872 road OPS last 4 seasons).”
and my point is that having a younger, improved defensively version of Bobby Abreu isnt a bad thing… itd be a good thing, actually.
and i would trade pieces from the farm to obtain him and extend him.
but if you had to draw a line in the sand, one or the other… to me, its clearly Teixera.
“and my point is that having a younger, improved defensively version of Bobby Abreu isnt a bad thing… itd be a good thing, actually.
and i would trade pieces from the farm to obtain him and extend him.
but if you had to draw a line in the sand, one or the other… to me, its clearly Teixera.”
TurnTwo, I agree with both sentiments. Holliday is a very good player, both in the field and at the plate. But, if I’m going to pay top dollar, and you will because they are both Boras guys, I’d rather have Teixeira.
looks like the Marlins and the Royals trade will be the first trade of the offseason next week.
Preach! Bud’s a dope!
Teix only costs money. Holliday will cost money and prospects, I’m thinking Hughes and Ajax. To me there is no discussion.
If you’re going to have to pay top dollar anyway you might as well get the guy that only costs money and use your prospects to upgrade in different areas.
From Dan Patrick’s site:
Dan thinks that Manny ought to think about where he’ll be happy. Not the richest offer. Scott Boras is probably pushing Ramirez toward the most lucrative contract. That didn’t work for Alex Rodriguez — he appears to be less than happy for chasing the money.
————————————-
Does A-rod look happy to you guys? Has he ever looked happy? Or is he just a serious guy?
I don’t get the Holliday love.
And if Boras is his agent, he’ll declare for free agency like a good little client.
And yes, the OF will be of concern. But after Giambi, it’d be really nice to have a real 1B.
Seattle is by far the best baseball facility I have been to- plus they have great concessions, namely great beers. One thing I learned about moving out to the Left coast is they really do beer right up here, but when you realize 8 months out of the year will be shrouded in rain and clouds, high amounts of alcohol followed by coffee in the morning is the only way to get by. Well, there’s meth too.
The one complaint out here is the fans are such dead asses. There is this code of conduct they have at the stadium that reads like a disclaimer on a car commercial (or the Happy Fun Ball disclaimer)- no swearing, smoking, t-shirts or signs that are inappropriate, etc, etc- and the fans sit in their seats until the big scoreboard demands they clap in some creepy Orwellian fashion. If you make noise there the reserved Ecotopians will shoot you looks of bewilderment and disdain. If you yell at a player or fire off a random f-bomb, you’ll get tossed.
Oh, and the team sucks.
mel -
Most times when they show Alex in the dugout during a game, he appears to be, if not happy, pretty content. Onthe field and at-bat, he seems to be serious. To me, that’s pretty logical.
I think Alex is where he wants to be. Otherwise, he’d be anywhere else.
“I think Alex is where he wants to be. Otherwise, he’d be anywhere else.”
I think that Alex wants to be a Yankee despite how some fans treat him.
Mel – I agree with Doreen. Many times you see Alex laughing and joking in the dugout. I also think he takes the games seriously as evidenced by his hard work and his usually being one of the first to arrive at the ballpark.
Alex is a great student of the game and is well aware of the Yankee tradition. That’s something else that he always talks about.
Doreen,
I can accept the first part, but the last part? No.
I don’t think the rich offers were out there. That’s why he’s back.
In his press conference he said something about he’s always wanted to play in New York [regarding opt-out, free agency situation]. But was there any serious interest from other teams?
Doesn’t make him a bad guy, but I think we need to consider the possibility that Alex, like most red-blooded ballplayers, followed the money. And that he’s very lucky that the Steinbrenners are so generous. He might’ve been forced to play elsewhere for peanuts ($20M range!).
That didn’t work for Alex Rodriguez—he appears to be less than happy for chasing the money.
I don’t know if that is a fair statement. Alex had dealt with being the highest paid player for 7 years (4 with the Yankees and that atmosphere) If he where that unhappy with his situation he could have easily gone elsewhere for a little less money, pressure and more relaxed environment. But he chose to come back to the Yankees on his own. I get the impression that he loves New York in general and likes playing for the Yankees (and the history). Like someone said he usually seems content in the dugout most of the time and I think very serious (almost too much) on the field.
Where he wants to be is the best answer.
Perfectionists are often happy or content in the moment but don’t sustain it because they are focussed on “next”.
mel,
Many in the media refuse to let that meme die, but it’s just not true that there weren’t any other offers out there for ARod. The facts are that we (and he) don’t know what was out there, because he came back to NY before the end of the exclusive home-team negotiating window. You know that teams now have a 14 day window to negotiate with their own free agents before other teams can. The weekend before this period expired ARod had already told Hank that he wanted to come back and the main structure of the deal was done.
I think he always wanted to come back to NY, but let Boras convince him that the way to get the most money out of the Yankees was to opt out. After he got killed in the media for the opt-out, I think he said the hell with Boras and went back to NY on his own. Just my theory, of course. But he did say all of 07 that he wanted to be a Yankee.
Through the little I have seen of Alex I have concluded that it is impossible to judge a persons level of happiness when seeing him only in a public spectrum.
Either that or Alex has issues with his mother and that is why he has gone running into the arms of an older more dominate female figure in an effort to find happiness.
There’s some second-guessing about Maddon’s pitching decisions yesterday, but there really shouldn’t be.
The odds were stacked against the Rays from coming all the way back to win. Pete asserts that if this went back to St. Pete the Rays would win. Not necessarily true. The Phillies were picked to lose, but they won with pitching. And they seemed to have no problem getting on base against the Tampa starters the whole series.
The scouting by the Phillies and the execution by their pitchers was textbook. Great job.
With Alex, I suppose it’s always more complicated than it looks, I guess. But I think if he was absolutely miserable, he wouldn’t be in New York.
I will say, though, that if any person (athlete or otherwise) thinks that money alone will make them happy, it’s not going to happen. It’s one reason I’m a little leery of CC Sabathia coming to New York solely due to whatever pressure the PA puts on him to take what will most likely be an offer that far exceeds the other offers on the table. If he gives in to the union’s demand, and plays in a city not of his own choosing, don’t you think that deep down there is a bit of resentment that even as a “free agent” he wasn’t free to choose his destination?
That’s not to say I don’t think he’ll do a fine job. He’s a professional, and he’ll do his best. But how will it affect his demeanor? How will he deal with the entirety of the situation? How will he be with the press? Will there be pressures from home, from a less-than-happy wife and family who will be living somewhere not of their choosing?
Of course, he could sign with New York and come to love the place. But I think if initially it’s a shove from the union that gets him here, it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens.
The Phillies did just enough to win. Plus, they got stellar, absolutely stellar (and unexpectedly so) pitching performances from Moyer and Myers. Those two games were key. I think most people had those games going hands down to the Rays.
Clare,
If indeed that’s true, then I can accept that.
I think all parties would have been better served, though, if Alex could have convinced Boras to work with the Yankees on an extension before opting out.
If Alex could take a mulligan, I’m sure he would’ve done things a lot differently.
mel
“But was there any serious interest from other teams?”
The question that will never be answered. Nobody could negotiate with him for 2 weeks following the end of the series and he re-engaged the Yankees prior to that. Nobody saw the Rangers offer coming in 2001 and Tom Hicks isn’t the only owner capable of dreaming big and writing checks.
For the next 2 weeks, the Manny rumors will continue to fly with people saying the dollars and years are not going to happen but until pen goes to paper, the real final destination in the Manny sweepstakes will not be revealed.
The new stadium won’t need a retractable roof if CC will bring one of his rain ponchos.
Domes are terrible.
Retractable roofs are cool.
Doreen,
You’re right, the Phillies did just enough to win. There should’ve been more 10-2 scores when you look at how many men the Phillies left on base.
The Rays defense also let them down at some critical times.
Anyone who was at the Yankees series in Houston this year will agree that a retractable roof in that climate is a godsend. Of course things were looking so good for us there until Chien Ming Wang pulled up lame rounding third, the beginning of the end of ‘08.
Nick,
So CC’s nickname will be “The Big Top”?
I AM A PROPHET:
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/200.....ent-575351
King’s article in the Post regarding Manny is an example of irresponsible journalism. Not necessarily his unnamed source references about Manny in RF for the Yankees, but clearly the Dodgers’ offer for 2 years at 30MM per….he gives no unnamed source for this relevant tidbit.
In today’s LA Times, Colletti is quoted to the effect that he has not had any discussions with Boros with only 2 voice mail messages; the question is open as to what offer, if any, the penurious McCourt would make when he is through counting the Dredlock sales profits. Does King simply fabricate for publication’s sake?
Irabu’s Son,
Most impressive young toad.
Now please tell us next year’s rotation.
mel -
I think that was the biggest disappointment – that the Rays defense was not what it had been all year. You can run into hot pitchers, and your own hitters can get cold, but at least I never think about the defense going into a slump of sorts.
Last night, the first double looked like it might have been playable by Baldelli – although, with the wind, who knows. But the pop-up that Iwamura dropped – that was just awful.
“I think all parties would have been better served, though, if Alex could have convinced Boras to work with the Yankees on an extension before opting out.”
I agree. However, it’s not really the Boras way to go into these things without maximum leverage. Opting out gave it to him.
Doreen,
Here’s a great article by Rosenthal (the best hind-sight writer in the biz~giggle).
Very nice that he mentions the advanced scouts by name. They deserve a lot of credit.
The first sentence of the last paragraph will send many here into a tizzy.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/s.....0/Phillies‘-rotation-was-the-Series-difference?MSNHPHMA
Signs point to KC trading for Mike Jacobs. Billy Butler could be made available if the Jacobs trade happens–Moore isn’t fond of Butler, apparently, and they have a prospect that is fast approaching the bigs that could jump over him.
I don’t think he makes a ton of sense for the Yankees in that he is not a real 1B (it’s the only position he COULD play, but he seems like a natural DH) and he isn’t athletic in any way, which is what Cash has said are two focuses. But, he is only 22 and he can straight-up hit–granted, KC would probably want an offensive prospect in return, but maybe they’re interested in some young live arms instead…maybe worth a couple of phone calls, no?
Fredo,
I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the Alex wanted to play here all along thing. So if he really did. And the Yankees said they wouldn’t negotiate if he opted out, did he not think they were serious?
So only after the Huge PR backlash, Alex makes the overtures and and does it in the exclusive negotiation window? And then stands up to Boras by ‘firing’ him?
That’s what I’m saying. If Alex believed in his heart of hearts that he wanted to be a Yankee, then he should’ve worked with them in the first place.
Yes, I believe that Alex had a very good idea that he wanted to play here, but when things went horribly wrong the original plan (IMO) of getting other teams involved was abandoned.
“The first sentence of the last paragraph will send many here into a tizzy.”
Consulting will most likely be with Seattle or Toronto.
One should never under-estimate Boros. It is quite probable that last year’s A-rod scenario was orchestrated by Boros to extract the most $$$ for A-rod, and derivatively for himself. When he realized there was no viable non-Yankee “A-rod market” following the opt-out, it is quite likely he structured the “parting of the ways” with A-rod looking like a real stand-up guy, seeking the advice of Warren Buffet, the Goldman contacts etc. Curiously, he was never terminated as A-rods’s agent/lawyer just “shielded” from the direct $$$ discussions., so we are told.
A public pie in the face for 5% of 300MM would well be worth it; any short-term hit would be recoupable in the mind of the irrepressible Boros. It certainly was, and it did not take long. Did he lose any clients as the result of this gambit? No…Kenny Rogers (strange in his own right) left because he could re-up on his own and stiff Mr B., and Sheffield did the Sheffield thing, but that was actually positive, not only because one cannot lose being on the other side of Sheff, but also since Boros did receive his commission. He added a number of clients, the gambit notwithstanding, or perhaps because of it.
Boros remains, looming larger than ever, as he orchestrates the Manny, Tex scenarios, among others. often spewing silly notions (e.g., the economy won’t affect free agency $$$$ since the teams all made money LAST year (08) and the fans expect them to spend it on FA signings this year). Spurious, yes—-but it works, or it doesn’t hurt.
I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the Alex wanted to play here all along thing. So if he really did. And the Yankees said they wouldn’t negotiate if he opted out, did he not think they were serious?
Honestly I think Arod trusted Boras a little too much (on the business end) and Boras convinced him that this was the right approach to get the max deal he could get. Boras is someone Alex had trusted for 1/2 his life.
I don’t get why the Yankees brought him back at the salary they did but I’m not too worried about it.
I wonder how Abreu feels today after watching his former team reach the ultimate baseball glory.
mel -
The article truly speaks to how important it is to do your homework, but also, how important it is for the execution of the plan to be spot-on.
And, oops, I meant to mention Blanton in my above post as having pitched very well, also, perhaps even more so than Myers.
Has anyone else seen the pics of cars flipped over in Philly?
What is the logic behind destroying things because your team won?
“What is the logic behind destroying things because your team won?”
I have no idea. PHI should be embarrassed by their fans’ behavior.
“And the Yankees said they wouldn’t negotiate if he opted out, did he not think they were serious?”
Probably not. Turns out he was right.
“And then stands up to Boras by ‘firing’ him?”
1st of all, Boras, while not in the room, was very much involved in the negotiations. Secondly, he let Boras go AFTER signing the biggest contract in the history of the game and what will be his last contract as a player. That’s like firing your doctor after the successful heart transplant.
“That’s what I’m saying. If Alex believed in his heart of hearts that he wanted to be a Yankee, then he should’ve worked with them in the first place.’
Where’s his leverage??? As it stood, the Yankees had a sweet deal. Texas was paying roughly 1/3 of his salary. It was only three years, which would have brought Arod to age 36 (read the back nine of his career) and left the Yankees with flexibility both roster-wise and payroll-wise. Where was the Yankees incentive to extend his contract into the twilight of his career?
“Yes, I believe that Alex had a very good idea that he wanted to play here, but when things went horribly wrong the original plan (IMO) of getting other teams involved was abandoned.”
He probably did. I think there is as much a chance that Boras called the Yankees bluff as anything else being true. Only took a phone call to get them back to the table.
Tom,
I don’t understand the obsession about Philly fans.
Philly is hardly the first city to get excited about a championship.
Other cities have had arrests, riots, and damaged property.
It’s not you, but lots of people have talked about it here.
Yankee Diva,
Absolutely. Someone needs to tell Alex that the key to happiness is to relax!
And if anyone remembers this is how the Phillies season started
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPB9IglzxG8
“Philly is hardly the first city to get excited about a championship.
Other cities have had arrests, riots, and damaged property.”
Well, there’s excitement and then there’s stupidity and vandalism. I don’t remember Yankee fans turning over cars in ‘96, ‘98-00. This isn’t typical celebratory behavior. I can understand running through the street drunk or honking your horn as you drive by. But to damage another person’s property just because your team won is ridiculous.
“Tom,
I don’t understand the obsession about Philly fans.
Philly is hardly the first city to get excited about a championship.
Other cities have had arrests, riots, and damaged property.
It’s not you, but lots of people have talked about it here”
Yup, we we should be spending more time talking about real important issues- like psychoanalyzing Alex Rodriguez.
Amazing how Hot Stove hasn’t even begun and George King saids “Manny to Yanks” and 1/3 of the fans here believe that stuff. I’m not going to overstate this but I’m betting he’ll end up elsewhere, what I mean when I say elsewhere Toronto, Philly or you might see a wild card team like Florida finally open up the wallet since his home is in Miami, Florida. I’m going more w/ Philly and w/ Gillick gone possibly even Burrell they’ll want to add a legit bat to defend thier title. I can’t believe I used “thier title” while refering to Philly.
“Amazing how Hot Stove hasn’t even begun and George King saids “Manny to Yanks†and 1/3 of the fans here believe that stuff”
Better than 2/3.
Much better than 3/3.
Manny to the Mets. Bank on it.
Pete you got it right–as baseball fans, we will always come back.
That’s why teams like Minnesota and New York can build stadiums without roofs–because they know fans will be back, anyway.
I guess as long as the Packers play in the open at Lambeau in December, no one really has a right to complain about the cold…
Laura,
I’m not condoning the behavior at all. It’s just hardly unique to Philadelphia. The arm-chair psycho-analyst in me just senses a negative Phillie/New York vibe here. That’s all.
Whoa! None of the 12 Japanese professional teams drafted that Japanese pitcher who wants to play in the states.
would like to see Manny remain with LA Dodgers. It seem like an ideal fit.
its time for baseball to start dealing with the time and weather issues. i dont think you can force retractable roofs for one thing because the tax dollars are already being shamefully taken from our budgets and these roofs seem to cost about a half a billion or so each.
what they can do, what they NEED to do is fix the schedule.
they have to bite the bullet and shorten the regular season to 150 games. Then start the season on the first thursday of april and end the season the 2nd week of september.
OH MY GOD! TEAMS CANT LOSE THAT REVENUE!!!
i’d predict a few things:
a)per game attendence will go up (much higher profit margin there)
b)overall attendance will only go down slightly(people will go to the same # of games per year as they do now)
3)television revenue will go up because the playoffs and WS will be in beautiful fall weather during the first month of the nfl season.
O MY GOD!! what about the RECORDS?
its about time the Babe, Lou and Mickey got a more even playing field anyway, 150 is closer to the 154 they used to play than the current 162 is.
its time.
“Manny to the Mets. Bank on it.”
Not saying it won’t happen but I don’t see that happening at all. If Manny is in the NL he’s made comments to his friends he wants to be remembered as a NY killer.
a little behind here, but for the Tex vs Holliday debate up there ^ ^, Holliday’s VORP blows Tex’s out of the water…
*Meanwhile trades have begun*
Mike Jacobs has been traded to the Royals for Leo Nunez.
and again, no retractable roof necessary. just get that old guy with the giant red umbrella. send someone with a pick up truck to help those kids with the bwoken bicycle…
I’ve always wondered why both the Mets and Yankees did not put a retractable roof on their new stadiums. It seemed borderline illogical for them not to do it.
I wonder if there is some accountant in both organizations who tell them that the money you make from games that get delayed and/or called for rain after opening the gates (and collecting parking and refreshments sold) isn’t worth giving up since in many cases people who come to those games spend a lot of money on concessions during the delay.
Especially in the new Yankee stadium with all the restaurants and such you can go to now to wait out the rain.
Especially, if the game gets canceled, then the team conceivably gets 2 cracks at making money for one game.
Obviously, if they had a roof they could have a full house every night and that should be more profitable but I’m wondering if there’s some study that supports rain/inclement weather since it made no sense to me why the Yankees didn’t a build a roof like they have in Seattle.
So i read that Manny rumor. Im starting to think it might be a good idea. Not to play him in right field but as a dh. Trade Matsui and let him take over the dh spot. Having a 1-2 punch of Arod and Manny in the middle of the lineup will argueably be the best in baseball. Maybe it would also make Alex relax a bit get better pitches to hit and have another one of his monster years. Besides it is an odd year coming up. And we know what that means. Arod MVP. Thoughts?
Anyone wish we would have made a run at Lidge when he was available. Not sure if we had anything that Houston wanted. But man that would have been deadly. Rivera/Lidge/Joba.
Raymagnetic: I wouldn’t do Hughes/AJax. The only outfielder in the NYY system, not in low-A.
Hughes, Veras, E Ramirez, and Colin Curtis; for Matt Holliday
I love Hughes. Frankly, if his mechanics are not fixed by NYY instructors, he is not of tremendous use to us. Betances, DeLaRosa, McCallister, Brackman, and others will be knocking on the door.
if Hughes were the pitcher he was in Trenton, i would prefer to keep him. However instead of improving he have taken steps back and i lack faith in the NYY instructors to correct the damage they did to him.
Hey all! Just checking in to say hey all!
Since I have always made it a point not to really give much of a care what happens during the offseason, I have not much to add. Since I have no choice other than to root for the field that ends up being fielded, I can’t see the percentage in getting into a frenzy about who should come and who should not.
BUT – I would be happy if Moose came back. I would also be happy if Abreu was re-upped.
If not, my life won’t change dramatically. I will always be a Yankee fan, so who’s there automatically becomes mine!
On another note – George King is a horse’s ass. How anyone pays attention to the rumor crap anyway is beyond me.
“Hughes, Veras, E Ramirez, and Colin Curtis; for Matt Holliday”
Matty is a FA next yr. why do this ?
S.o.S.27
When he was on the market, I always thought that we should go after him. I thought a change of scenery would do him good. I’m very glad to see he had a great year, this year.
As for the WBC, I really like the idea of the tournament but the timing is all wrong.
As for the All-star game, I really like the idea of the game but unless someone pulls a Josh Hamilton in the HR Derby (which really REALLY needs to be re-formatted) then all the BS leading up to the all-start game has become totally useless in a circus-like way.
As for the Olympics, it’s a shame the pros can’t play and the Olympics have dropped baseball.
And, as Pete inadvertently points out, there are no more double-headers unless there’s a make-up game on the same day as a regularly scheduled game. Even then, it’s two games with separate admissions.
IMO there’s a way to improve the whole situation without having different seasons virtually starting and ending in … well … almost different seasons.
First: No more WBC in spring training. Because its too early in the season pitchers are limited to a couple innings anyways, so you can’t really see a gamer in action. The rest of the guys are playing themselves into shape.
Second: Reformat the whole all-star break. Give everyone a 2-week mid-season break (14-18 days, whatever works with what’s outlined below) every year. This would allow teams to rest & regroup. Coordinate the timing of this break with other nations’ professional leagues. I know this isn’t the way it’s been done for a century, but bear with me for a few paragraphs.
Third: Our all-star game happens at the end of the break every year. The HR Derby is the day before the all-star game. The whole contest is what the first round of the contest is now. The second & third rounds are eliminated.
Fourth: The WBC happens every 4 years during that mid-season break. Everyone plays a game every day. Take a 1 or 2 day break. Then the HR Derby and the next day is the all-star game. Other nations which have professional all-star games can have them at the same time (just because its convenient) in their own nations or they can just resume their pro seasons … its up to them.
Fifth: If other countries want to arrange a player or players to participate in the HR Derby, it can be worked out.
Sixth: Notice I suggested the WBC would be every 4 years not every 3. The Olympics are every 4 years too. Stagger the two so they alternate every 2 years. This way baseball can get in the Olympic stage again, and there’s a continuity to the seasons because the Olympics and the WBC happen during what turns out to be an annual break. The 4 year cycle would be vacation-Olympics-vacation-WBC.
Seventh: To allow this sschedule, have every team schedule 7 or 8 (or whatever) double-headers every year. Make them 2-for-1 double headers. Don’t charge fans two separate tickets or one higher-priced ticket for the two games. More people will come. Make them on weekends or mid-week I don’t care. There are tons of empty seats mid-week in every stadium anyways. Double headers will allow the mid-season break. They would also: a) Keep the regular season between April 1 and Sept 30. b) Keep spring training between mid-Feb and the end of March. c) Keep the playoffs and WS in October.
Eighth: Unless there’s a rain delay, also keep the 7 World Series games within the scheduled span of 2 days in one city, 3 on the other city and the final 2 in the first city, with 1 travel day between cities. If you stretch it out, pitchers get more rest days so the importance of a full rotation (what it takes to get through the season) is supplanted by just having 2 strong pitchers who can (almost) now pitch 3 games each.
what a party here in philadelphia last night!
there were people everywhere! spontaneous parades right down the middle of the biggest streets! a city-wide celebration like i’ve never seen before!
It was still so loud at 1:30 i had to put on headphones to get to sleep!
I’ve been in ny for yankees and mets WS victories and they were great, but that was nothing compared to the this!
Alot of that has to do with the # of ppl in NY who are not NY’ers and the # who arent sports fans, and alot has to do with the constancy of the Yankees winning.
but my god WHAT A PARTY!
and fortunatly it stayed peacefull and everybody had a great time!
it was really amazing!
cant wait to check out the parade tomorrow!
Philly (and the Phillies) really impressed me last night!
“Especially in the new Yankee stadium with all the restaurants and such you can go to now to wait out the rain.”
Last rain delay I was at I spent an hour in the bathroom. It was less crowded than the concourse.
In the new Stadium I’m sure all the elite holders will be ballroom dancing in their various clubs and lounges.
If its too expensive to add a retractable roof. How about saving 50% of the bill and do a half retractable roof? One that goes from the backstop to the end of the infield(where all the dirt is at)? With good draining systems in the outfield i would think we would have many more games played in the rain.
Y’s Guy I’m glad you had fun you guys deserved it.
Brandon: the trade/offer is dependent on a 72hr negotiating window. In today’s economy, i expect Holliday would jump at signing longterm with NYY.
SoS,
What happened? I was cheering for your Spurs. Did not having Oberto! make a difference?
“If Manny is in the NL he’s made comments to his friends he wants to be remembered as a NY killer.”
Really? I guess that beats being remembered as a hitting savant who dogs it whenever he see fit.
So risk losing Hughes for a guy that is willing to hit FA next season how exactly is that smart ?
Oh goody Francesa is going to boast about the 97 mph slider Price has.
Joe Maddon for Manager of the year. No question.
Uh Oh-Madden didn’t do what Francesa planned yesterday. Get ready for 5 hours of this.
“Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
October 30th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Matty is a FA next yr. why do this?”
btw, personally i don’t mind another year of re-building. However, the NYY media (and fanbase?) will not tolerate this. And this would mean goodbye to Girardi/Cashman. I don’t wish to see this happen. From my view, they need another bat in the lineup to compete/win the division next year, and i don’t want Tex.
Madden=Maddon
“Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
October 30th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
So risk losing Hughes for a guy that is willing to hit FA next season how exactly is that smart ?”
as i said, i don’t make the trade/offer unless the 72hr extension is granted. In which, i would expect Holliday to come to terms on a long-term extension. If he doesn’t – No trade.
Francesa doesn’t understand why Hamels won the MVP over Ryan Howard was he watching the same World Series ?
Thanks mel. I think it did hurt us not having him. Didnt watch the game(pop warner football). But im glad to see Duncan scoring(thought he was declining a bit last year) and i think Mason was a great pickup. Even if we play slightly above .500 till Manu gets back. Ill be happy.
Soooo. 2 blowouts. 70 win season a possibility?
“as i said, i don’t make the trade/offer unless the 72hr extension is granted. In which, i would expect Holliday to come to terms on a long-term extension. If he doesn’t – No trade.”
His agent is ?
Seventh (revisited): Have every team schedule 2 double headers each month. This opens 12 days. Over the season there could be a couple travel days saved too. If they’re mid-week games maybe its better. Those games won’t sell out anyways. If more people come to them as double-headers, it could balance out.
SoS,
Two guys scoring 32 each, and the rest of the team barely broke 30 total. Tough.
You’ve got to see Pop fouling Shaq 5 seconds into the game. It looked like a practical joke. But Pop was not laughing after the game.
Sorry, no predictions from me.
Fun fodder on Boston.com.
-Boras wants to find Manny a new home before Tex so Manny’s contract can drive up Tex’s value.
-Varitek to the Tigers/Pudge to the Sox?- Tigers offense is strong enough to carry Varitek. Pudge/Anyone is an offensive improvement over Tek. If Tek stays, Sox might be interested in trading for Laird so they have a younger catcher in the pipeline.
-Sox have scouted and might have interest in the Japanese pitcher that wants to play in the US. They may also have interest in another Japanese pitcher (Kawakami-33 yr old righty)
“btw, personally i don’t mind another year of re-building. However, the NYY media (and fanbase?) will not tolerate this.”
Put me on the “not tolerate”list.I dont think i can handle another one of these M.I.A. post seasons. Pure Torture. Especially back to back. And im not even a bandwagone fan(fan since 86).Rebuilding is for small market teams. I prefer the word RELOADING.
“Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
October 30th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
His agent is?”
the economy is on the verge of collapse, and the richest team in professional sports is offering a longterm 100+million extension. I would expect to him to accept. Assuming he has a brain. Regardless, of Boras.
what did I do to make the line through Varitek to the Tigers/Pudge to the Sox?
@ANSKY
i love your idea of blowing up and redoing the all star break. dont know if you can really slide the wbc in there, unless you play half of it around springtime and then finish it at the asb but its a great idea to play with.
btw, the WBC is going to be every 4th year from here on, they did it that first year then realized they wanted it aligned to non-olympic years so the next one is in 2013.
however the problem at hand is the lateness of the WS and your plan left the end date of the season right where it is now.
you could do all you said PLUS end the regular season 2 weeks early if you use the scheduled separate admission doubleheaders to create the space for a midseason break and then shorten the season to 150 or so games to start the playoffs in mid september. Then eliminate the extra off days and expand the 1st round to best-of-seven and you still finish before Oct. 20th.
“S.o.S.27 -FINALLY!!SHOPPING SEASONS HERE!!
October 30th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Put me on the “not tolerateâ€list.I dont think i can handle another one of these M.I.A. post seasons. Pure Torture. Especially back to back. And im not even a bandwagone fan(fan since 86).Rebuilding is for small market teams. I prefer the word RELOADING”
exhibit A
nyy fans = spoiled (no offense SOS)
Boston won’t sign Pudge. No way they part with a 1st round draft pick for a guy who’s as bad or worse than Varitek. They’d just keep Varitek and their 1st rounder and be much better served.
I’d rather rebuild, reloading just continues the same trend. Name one team that reloaded into success w/o a young core other than the 96-00 Yankees.
I’m putting $100 on the Florida Marlins winning it all in 09!
“You’ve got to see Pop fouling Shaq 5 seconds into the game.”
Thats pretty funny. Youd think after all these years of bricking free throws. They would try to teach him the underhand shot. Seriously. Even Hakeem learned how to finally make em.
So the Angels decline to p/u Anderson’s option.
The Tigers decline to p/u Renteria’s option.
I’d expect the Angels to try to come to terms with Anderson. I don’t think they’d unceremoniously kick him to the curb.
“nyy fans = spoiled (no offense SOS)”
Yup.
I have the patience for this team to rebuild. If we struggle next season, so be it.
I’ll still be here..though I might be more cranky.
The NY media can go poop on themselves
Mel:
Agree on Anderson. I was 100% certain they’d decline the $14M option, but I can see them trying to lock him up for a short term deal for $7M per or so. I’d consider the Cubs a potential wild card in this. If they can’t Abreu in FA, they’d have to turn elsewhere for a decent lefthanded bat.
*can’t GET Abreu in FA
“I’m putting $100 on the Florida Marlins winning it all in 09!”
I just read the lines for 2009- Marlins are 30/1
Pete, you are such a wuss. You’re complaining because the window in the press box is open and it’s cold in late October? The rain’s blowing in? And you got in free? Come on man! Retractable roofs are only bought with public money anyway. It’s an outdoor sport, man up! If you want to maintain ridiculous payroll levels (without which I think it’s arguable whether the Yankees could maintain good teams), the price is cr*ppy hours to accommodate TV.
Comment on the double headers….can you imagine back to back Yankee double headers….they would play forever 8 hrs of baseball in a day is a little much for me to sit there for especially if its really rainy or hot weather. And don’t let the stadium run out of the precious beer before the second game LOL!!
Y’s GUY –
I may be wrong but I think the first WBC was 2 weeks. Add the current 3 (4?) day all-star break and you get 17 or 18 days. Scheduling 12 double headers should come close … all you’d need to reduce is a couple travel days over the season. If the WBC is a couple days longer maybe it can be done, but if I’m off by a week on the length of the WBC of course it wouldn’t work. but I’m sure it could be formatted to fit within 2 weeks. Maybe they just keep the ’round robin’ style first round (maybe they do it with fewer but larger groups) and only 4 teams make the playoff round instead of 8. I’m sure there’s a way it could be done.
Vinny b,
I doubt an offer of Hughes, Veras, Edwar and Curtis gets you Holliday. They are going to want two prime prospects for Holliday in my opinion.
Holliday is also going to want to be paid handsomely in any extension. Why pay twice when you can have Teix for money only?
TRADE VARITEK??? WHAT??? NO FREAKIN’ WAY!!!
I THINK THE RED SOX SHOULD DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO KEEP VARITEK!!!
WHY???
BECAUSE HE SUCKS!!!!
Congratulations to Pat Venditte for winning a MiLBY.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....p;c_id=mlb
Afternoon games, that’s the answer.
Fredo, you are dead on on Pudge. Far too reminiscent of the corpse of Javy Lopez who was brought up when Varitek got hurt in 2006. (What does it say about your career when the Orioles DFA you….?)
If CC doesn’t accept our $160 million dollar offer then I would take it a step further – Let him have part ownership of the team. Come to some kind of terms with his agent on that. I’m sure that will interest him and may convince him to come here.
“Rusty John
Oct 30, 2008
The one complaint out here is the fans(in Seattle) are such dead asses. There is this code of conduct they have at the stadium that reads like a disclaimer on a car commercial (or the Happy Fun Ball disclaimer)- no swearing, smoking, t-shirts or signs that are inappropriate, etc, etc- and the fans sit in their seats until the big scoreboard demands they clap in some creepy Orwellian fashion. If you make noise there the reserved Ecotopians will shoot you looks of bewilderment and disdain. If you yell at a player or fire off a random f-bomb, you’ll get tossed”
this is why i have no use for the California, Seattle, and the left coast in general. To tell the truth, i don’t necessarily do things things at a baseball game. However, i relate to those who do. A natural atmosphere, rather then foreign.
nor do i get jealous, when seeing weather reports on the west coast. 91 degrees in october? No thank you. Today, is a pefect fall day, 42 degrees and sunshine.
typeo: *those things*
Ys Guy –
Actually, if the 16-team WBC had two 8-team round-robin groups with the top 2 teams in each group making the playoff round (bracket style), the WBC could be played in 10 days with 1 day off before the playoff round.
If they made it so the top 4 teams in each group made the playoff round, the WBC could be done in 11 days with 1 day off before the playoff round.
That would require only 9 or 10 double-headers which means scheduling 1.5 per month.
Add the current all-star break and a travel day or two … you have anywhere from 14-16 total days. Currently the season can already fit between Apr 1- Sep 30, so it should still fit.
“nyy fans = spoiled (no offense SOS)”
No offense taken. Its true and im proud to be spoiled by an orginization that continues to give us a competitive team year in and year out. Better than the 80’s. Thats for sure.
Brandon,
You can reload without excluding some talented young players. A good mix is what we need.
If CC doesn’t accept a $60M offer, then give it up already.
Watch Pudge go to Boston and start hitting like he did with Detroit.
Oops. $160M.
Uh..there it is the Diet Coke bottle, he must have a brief case of that stuff.
“The more stadiums with roofs, the less likely we’ll have 10 p.m. start times during the World Series.”
Pete can you explain how this is true?? I don’t follow that logic. Wouldn’t a team with a stadium that had a roof WANT to make their games start later since they would be playing indoors and the weather would not be a factor.
Ys Guy -
Still maintaining a 162 game season BTW …
raymagnetic: maybe you right. I don’t know what value they place on Hughes. It basically come down to that.
personally, if Hughes were offered i wouldn’t be willing to offer another key prospect.
update
“TRADE VARITEK???”
I wonder if that actually happened if he would be allowed to take the letter “C” with him?
Unlikely that Boras will sign up Holliday until he has placed Manny and Tex. That said, no trade unless it conditioned on a long term deal being reached other than “a give away” which the Rockies will not do. Boras would “love it” if both Manny and Tex are signed by other than the Yankees and the Red Sox, and then have the two bid against each other for Holliday. Boras has all the cards and he knows what to do with them.
So how hard will the Yankees and Red Sox go after Teixeira? The Yankees’ top priority is clearly starting pitching, as they’re prepared to pay Sabathia whatever he wants so that he’ll forego his love of the West Coast and the National League.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....439.column
SoS –
I don’t think he’d want to take his little ‘C’ with him. Everyone knows that outside of Boston, it stands for something else.
I’ve gone to games at Safeco with the roof open and closed. Obviously it’s nicer on a sunny day to have the roof open, but closed is ok too. The place still feels open air, with an umbrella. It doesn’t do much for the temp, but you don’t have to worry about a rain out. I think the point is that you can have a really nice park with a roof if it done well.
I agree that the fans are a little ho hum, but to be fair they have to sit and watch replays of Edgar and Griffey and Buhner and then see the actual current team play a game. I think it hurts them deep down. I’ve sat with some die hards. It doesn’t bother me much since I’m there to watch baseball anyway.
Espresso–I was just about to post the same thing! roof doesn’t = enclosed space w climate control. Good point, Safeco roof is like an umbrella. Chase Field in Phoenix I’m pretty sure is an enclosed space w climate control where the roof slides off, but that stadium is really horrible!
p.s. replays of Edgar and Griffey… and Buhner?
Right on Pete, the season has to end earlier if we want the World Series to be enjoyable.