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Live-blogging the Mark Teixeira press conference

Peter Abraham
January
6

Here we are, live from my sister’s living room watching the Mark Teixeira press conference. Sudden Sam Borden is on hand for The Journal News in the Bronx.

1:11 p.m.: Joe Girardi has presented Teixeira with his uniform. Randy Levine, Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman spoke first.

1:12 p.m.: Teixeira got No. 25. It seems The Big G won’t get it retired.

1:13 p.m.: Randy Levine always has a good tan. … You think the Yankees get a discount on those flowers they give to the wives of new players?

1:16 p.m.: Teixeira says Don Mattingly was his favorite player. That will play well with the masses.

1:14 p.m.: Tex say he wants to win the World Series. That’s a relief.

1:15 p.m.: Now comes the general questions from the media. Very rarely do any of the actual baseball writers ask questions at this time, we save them for later. Usually only the TV and radio types ask questions during the formal part of the press conference.

1:17 p.m.: Teixeira says the process was confusing. But he and his wife decided they wanted the Yankees. “Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me,” he said.

Right, that $180 million was just a detail.

1:19 p.m.: Joe Girardi will love Tex. Short hair, family man, nice guy, military father. He’s a perfect Girardi player.

1:20 p.m.: “Most lineups will hate facing our pitching and most pitching will hate facing our lineup,” Tex says.

1:21 p.m.: The formal part of the press conference has ended. Back with some more later, including the photos.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pm by Peter Abraham.
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174 Responses to “Live-blogging the Mark Teixeira press conference”

  1. GBOOF

    he looks great in those pinstripes!

  2. jennifer

    ha-ha Pete, give those of us at work the play by play.

  3. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    This organization brings tears of pride and admiration to my eyes. Man they do it right!

    *GREAT JOB CASH!!!*

  4. gayle

    He certainly does looked pleased as punch

  5. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    jen, it’s live on yankees.com!

  6. Tex's new best friend

    what number did he take?

  7. Spike Owen

    Very smart move. He is reminds me of a rich-man’s Tino

  8. YankeeRay

    25 it is

  9. jennifer

    trisha I tried to open it, but it is asking me to download something.

  10. S.A.-Brian "The Ninja" Cashman: Showing free agents lots of love

    looks good in pinstripes. :D

  11. Mike

    LETS GO YANKS !!!!!!!!! Man i’m pumped !!! i wish the season started today !

  12. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    jen, hmmm!

    (can you download it?)

  13. Al from BK

    Mark looks great! and 25 I called it! His wife is very petite for such a big guy.

  14. jennifer

    I probably shouldn’t. :lol: I am dvr’ing it. So I’ll have to wait till I get home. :-(

  15. grafxkid

    try: http://www.justin.tv/lakerkb

  16. Ed - American League, prepared to be scared! CC, Aj, and MT!!

    Mark sounds like he had everything we rehersed with Boras.

  17. S.A.-Brian "The Ninja" Cashman: Showing free agents lots of love

    He so loves the Donnie

  18. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    I am always a sucker for players who come to the Yankees and admit the truth – THERE IS NOTHING LIKE PLAYING FOR THE YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!

    :)

  19. will fl

    he looks so happy . genuinely

  20. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    wow jen, that link works!

    http://www.justin.tv/lakerkb

  21. jennifer

    I like him already. He sounds very charismatic

  22. ham fighters

    ok i change my vote, tex’s wife is the best of them all!

  23. ham fighters

    but id still rather party with aj’s wife!

  24. YankeeRay

    Thank the lord for Lee as she wanted him to be a yankee

  25. grafxkid

    good for mrs. tex for saying for him to be a yankee!!

  26. Nick in SF

    “Being a Yankee, there’s nothing better.” :)

  27. Tex's new best friend

    It is possible some people want a lot of money AND to play for the Yankees. He looks legit.

  28. S.A.-Brian "The Ninja" Cashman: Showing free agents lots of love

    Cash made a video for Tex? I hope it uploads it to youtube soon.

  29. jennifer

    thanks for the link!

  30. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    A little scripted, a little real. I’m hoping he continues that blue chipper like attitude on the field and doesn’t become a robot. Alex and him better squash whatever happened in Texas.

  31. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    Mark’s wife – “I want you to be a Yankee!”

    Smart woman.

    Nothing enthralls me more than players who truly want to be here. Like AJ.

    This is nice.

  32. S.A.-Brian "The Ninja" Cashman: Showing free agents lots of love

    it=he

  33. Tarheelyank

    Can we add Lee to the roll call.

  34. Ed - American League, prepared to be scared! CC, Aj, and MT!!

    Teixeria said Devil Rays. :shock: lol

  35. Lost in Tex-is

    :)

    Nice to have a Yankee with passion.

    Interesting that he is giving all the credit to his wife to just maybe not offend any of the other teams.. (think Boras influence)

    handled very well. It’s obvious that he always wanted this day to pass, it was always his dream to be a Yankee.

    I for one am very happy.

  36. Al from BK

    Thanks Mrs. Teixeira!

  37. YankeeRay

    Cash gets kudos for his recruiting and this time it wasn’t just about the money. He wants to be a yankee and that is awesome

  38. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    “Nick in SF
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
    Teixeira didn’t mention Chien-ming Wang. ”

    We’re dealing him Nick :lol:

  39. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “I for one am very happy.”

    And I for one am in my office crying – happy tears.

    The other link is obviously ahead of yankees.com since you made some comments I hadn’t yet heard.

    Just wow, our New York Yankees.

  40. al arodien

    Mrs. Teixeira! is cute no?

    Now PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!

  41. Ed - American League, prepared to be scared! CC, Aj, and MT!!

    Brandon,

    I second that. LOL

  42. Al from BK

    He wanted to be a Yankee all along. I knew it!

  43. Ninja Burglar

    Any official word on who’s being removed (I think the term is non-tendered at this point in the offseason?) from the 40 man roster? My guess is Duncan…

  44. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Cash gets kudos for his recruiting and this time it wasn’t just about the money. He wants to be a yankee and that is awesome”

    Seriously I can think of nothing better. Again, that’s why I was so happy to get AJ – besides the fact that I think he is going to be phenomenal for us. He really wanted to play for the Yanks.

    I’m in love with life and with the Yankees. What a very good day. What a very good feeling.

  45. Tex's new best friend

    So back to reality, for the middle infield need to go with ransom, how bout Nomar? Cheap because of all the injuries, as a back up he wont play too much.

  46. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    “Cash gets kudos for his recruiting and this time it wasn’t just about the money. He wants to be a yankee and that is awesome”

    Your talking like we gave him 90 – 100 million bucks, we paid him $180 mil, lets be honest about this most of it is $$$

  47. Lost in Tex-is

    Al:

    Mark needed to say it was his wifes ultimate decision to save face for Boras. He did it well. He also did let you know his affinity towards the Yankees his entire life.

    Make no mistake, when he hit free agency the Yankees were always his #1 choice. I said this all along.

  48. ham fighters

    that looked like a virtual new yankee stadium at the end of the highlight clip on mlb network , it was pretty cool!

  49. Nick in SF

    Congrats again, Lost in Tex-is, you and PAT M were very solid on the whole Teixeira deal when the naysayers were saying nay.

  50. Patrick

    Lee Tex is definitely a hottie.

  51. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    Oh and stop shaking your head Mark !

  52. john

    Did he say 2 weeks before Xmas he made the decison? Wasn’t that before the Red Sox made their little visit. That would be classic. Make them even more upset.

  53. MikeEff

    he looks and sounds genuinely thrilled to be a yankee. i see no reason for the sarcasm pete.

  54. Lost in Tex-is

    Brandon:

    “Your talking like we gave him 90 – 100 million bucks, we paid him $180 mil, lets be honest about this most of it is $$$”

    Yes, of course it is always about the $$$ in many ways. However, you are wrong here.. this is about a dream coming true. It’s what Tex always wanted at all costs.

  55. Al from BK

    “Mrs. Teixeira! is cute no?

    Now PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!”

    Very cute and a Yankee fan no-less :)

  56. Mike

    Now all we need to do is resolve that last spot on the roster . . Pettite . Sheets. Perez , Hughes ,

  57. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    I know it sounds schmaltzy, but I really like it when our new players automatically say “our”. It’s like they have already assimilated their roles and feel a part of the team.

  58. Bob(The Original)

    Seriously, maybe he did always want to be a Yankee, but do you guys always beleive players when they say stuff like this?

    Has anyone ever said,”Well I always wanted to be a Brewer, but I came here because they gave me more money.”

    Don’t get why everyone always gets all giddy when these guys say it.

  59. YankeeRay

    trisha – CC and AJ and Sheets – OH MY!
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
    “Cash gets kudos for his recruiting and this time it wasn’t just about the money. He wants to be a yankee and that is awesome”

    Seriously I can think of nothing better. Again, that’s why I was so happy to get AJ – besides the fact that I think he is going to be phenomenal for us. He really wanted to play for the Yanks.

    I’m in love with life and with the Yankees. What a very good day. What a very good feeling.

    ——

    Trish, can we get married now?

  60. Betsy

    I think I’m in love, lol. First, I think it’s wonderful that his whole family came up here – it’s obvious that he’s close to them and that it was important that he be near them.

    Second, whatever you want to say about the $$$, IMO Tex showed genuine passion about being a Yankee. Let others be cynical and never believe that a player has an honest desire to play for a particular team – that’s not me. I don’t care if Tex didn’t verbalize, like Burnett did, the $$$ issue. All I know is that he confirmed today what I thought – that he wanted to be a Yankee.

    Loved his story about wearing a Yankee cap in Baltimore – it’s true that it wasn’t a good thing to do (he should be thankful he didn’t grow up in Boston, lol). He picked the right player to idolize – he sure wasn’t alone in doing that.

    Overall, I thought Tex sounded absolutely wonderful; I just couldn’t be happier. Is he married? LOL

  61. Al from BK

    ““Most lineups will hate facing our pitching and most pitching will hate facing our lineup,” Tex says.”

    :)

  62. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    “Yes, of course it is always about the $$$ in many ways. However, you are wrong here.. this is about a dream coming true. It’s what Tex always wanted at all costs.”

    I too have a dream that 180 million is a big reason.

    - Brandon

  63. MPC23

    What was the roster move? Who was DFA?

  64. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Your talking like we gave him 90 – 100 million bucks, we paid him $180 mil, lets be honest about this most of it is $$$”

    Well seeing that there were several teams willing to pony up the big bucks, I think we are safe to say that a high-paid free agent made his decision based on the team he wanted to play for.

    That works very well for me all the time.

  65. Patrick Bateman

    Hopefully Sam Borden has a load of stuff like he did with Sabathia and Burnett.

    The Teixeira press conference to the public was kinda weak.

  66. ohh mo its cano!

    sombody tell dem guys to get of of al’s bank on the mlb network

  67. YankeeRay

    Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
    “Cash gets kudos for his recruiting and this time it wasn’t just about the money. He wants to be a yankee and that is awesome”

    Your talking like we gave him 90 – 100 million bucks, we paid him $180 mil, lets be honest about this most of it is $$$

    ——

    Youre wrong here Brandon. He was getting his money no matter where he went but in the beginning and in the end he wanted to be a Yankee. Put the money aside for a while and enjoy the purity of his being a Yankee.

  68. ham fighters

    mlb has:

    damon
    jeter
    teixeira
    arod
    posada
    nady/swisher
    matsui
    cano
    cabrera/gardner
    as thier projected lineup….

    harold reynolds and leiter put arod third and tex 4th.

    i have jd, dj, tex, arod, godzilla, jorge, nady, swisher, cano

  69. ohh mo its cano!

    bank=back

  70. Betsy

    He has yet to reach his full potential. He’s still trying to get better. He has no WS ring, so he hasn’t accomplished anything yet.

    ***That was my favorite part of what Tex said. He’s just outstanding.

  71. feefoo

    who cares if they overpaid him, brandon? oh yeah no one except you who think you’re cashman jr.

  72. ohh mo its cano!

    i want to fight everyone except al on that network

  73. Nick in SF

    I hope Theo enjoyed that as much as we did ;)

  74. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    MY god people listen yes it’s a beautiful thing, he spoke well and even told you about his team love, lets not forget the Angels closed the door on him (I don’t care about that) but being (brutally honest) it was alot about the paycheck. Now lets talk # 3 or # 4 ?

  75. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Trish, can we get married now?”

    YankeeRay – I’M THERE! I DO!!!

    :)

    Besty, he’s married. I would have recommended YankeeRay but he’s already spoken for!

    :D

  76. no.27

    I wanted the Yankees to get CC and Tex the whole time. To be honest, Burnett took a tiny bit away from the CC press conference for me, but I’m just cheesin right now seeing Tex in pinstripes.

    I’ll say it one more time about Abreu. It’s easy to speak in absolutes about whether or not Abreu would have accepted arbitration because this is a situation where we’ll never know. The problem is the same people saying he would have definitely accepted arbitration are the ones saying Tex would never be a Yankee.

    If Cashman was as committed to building the farm as he says he is he would have offered arbitration to Abreu and Marte. If Abreu accepts, you don’t go after Swisher and you trade Nady. $5.3 for Swish, $6 for Nady, and $4 for Marte and it’s about what Abreu is getting in arbitration and you’ve got a better team. If he doesn’t accept, you’ve got 2 early picks in the draft plus the picks for Marte and basically the same team you’ve got now.

  77. Peter Abraham

    Some of you guys are funny.

    Yes, it was all Cashman’s recruiting and Tex’s love of the Yankees that made the difference. The fact that he got one of the four largest contracts in the history of the game was incidental.

    Tex seems like a nice guy and I’m sure he has good intentions. But a player does not hire Scott Boras to be his agent if money is not paramount.

    These guys are professional athletes. They have a limited time period to be employed playing baseball. If all else is equal, a player will make decisions based on emotions. The Yankees made sure all things were not equal.

    And that’s great, I think the players should get whatever they can get. Better them than the owners.

  78. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    Brandon, in the words of my dear father, you jig your way, I’ll jig mine!

    If it works for you to believe the paycheck was the thing, go for it. But stop trying to be a wet blanket for those of us who believe that the Yankee organization was the major reason.

    Thanks!

  79. Tom

    Hal has his father’s cadence

  80. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    “who cares if they overpaid him, brandon? oh yeah no one except you who think you’re cashman jr.”

    Do you think I really give a rat’s a.. about that right now, it is a big money based decision, I just rose color these glasses. You can be honest and live w/ it or just not accept it. W/E I could care less.

  81. Nick in SF

    Careful, YankeeRay:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

  82. Al from BK

    Hal is very similar to his Dad, same voice and mannerisms its funny.

  83. Betsy

    Lost in Tex-is, you were right on the money so to speak. Tex absolutely conveyed his desire to be here. I’m sorry it’s all about $$$ for some people. Did you expect him to sign an 8 year, $90 million contract? He took all of $10 million more to come to the Yankees, which is barely over $1 million over the course of 8 years more than the Sox offered. That’s chump change. I’m glad I’m not that cynical, to be honest. I recognize the part $$$ plays in these things, but if Tex wanted to be in Boston or Anaheim or wherever, then he would have been there.

  84. Teddy Vercetti

    Does anybody else think Hal Steinbrenner looks like Rob Lowe? Dead ringer if you ask me.

  85. Laura

    Tex is going to be a good fit for the Yankees. I can’t wait for the season to start.

  86. Nick in SF

    Hal: “We’re excited by these three acquisitions.”

    Hey Nick Swisher, are you one of the three????

  87. Tom H

    Hey Pete-

    Weren’t reports out there that all things were equal or bettered by the Nat’s? A lot of money but I heard he left some potential $ on the table-

  88. Ninja Burglar

    Damon
    Jeter
    Teixeira
    ARod
    Matsui
    Posada
    Cano
    Nady
    Swisher

    For the days when Damon plays CF, that is a nicely packed lineup. Posada as a switch hitter breaks up the lefties Matsui and Cano. I think Matsui’s hitting picks up right where he left off before his injury. Cano and Swisher will need to earn their way to bat higher in the lineup.

  89. S.A.-Brian "The Ninja" Cashman: Showing free agents lots of love

    Back to Francesa’s search for a new HC for the Jets on WFAN.

  90. Chris from NJ

    He really did look very happy, I think this is a great move all around. I have to be honest, i didn’t think the yankees would make another big money move to sign him, but given next years weak FA class, and all of the yankees with expiring contracts this year and next, it seems they made the right move. Tex is the consumate professional, a very good fit for the Yankee clubhouse.

    Please don’t sign Perez, he is Javier Vazquez. If the braves are interested in either Nady or Swisher, get one of their stud OF prospects back if you can. We’re going to have plenty of room in the OF in a couple of years. (or maybe a SS prospect???)

  91. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “I’m glad I’m not that cynical, to be honest. I recognize the part $$$ plays in these things, but if Tex wanted to be in Boston or Anaheim or wherever, then he would have been there.”

    Uh yep.

    But of course, he’s lying when he said that it was playing for the Yankees that pushed it over the top. It was one big lie, and the psychics on this forum know better.

    I cannot imagine carrying around that much cynicism to the extent that you are willing to call a guy a liar because YOU KNOW THE REAL DEAL.

    Have much ego????!

    Geesh.

  92. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    “I’m glad I’m not that cynical, to be honest. I recognize the part $$$ plays in these things, but if Tex wanted to be in Boston or Anaheim or wherever, then he would have been there.”

    Oh sure I bet if Anaheim didn’t close the door on him he’d still be fielding offers in the 200 million range, it is what it is. He’ll be a great upgrade defensive, good addition offensively but Scott Boras love…Oh god some of you :lol:

  93. Tarheelyank

    I think most of us have dreamed of playing for the Yankees. So we can relate to Tex wanting to be a Yankee.

    Of course it’s also about the money. If Boston offered the same amount, or the Natonals offered a little more, Tex would still be a Yankee. I love that.

  94. Betsy

    Pete, if you want to believe that Tex is in NY ONLY because of $$$, that is your prerogative. I’m sorry that you have to be so condescending in expressing your opinion, as if your opinion is the only one to have. LOL You make it sound as if the Yankees blew his field of suitors away. The Yankees offered barely more than the Red Sox did and the Nats offered more – if it was ALL about othe $$$, why didn’t he go to Washington?

  95. S.A.-Brian "The Ninja" Cashman: Showing free agents lots of love

    Tex on with the diet coke king in about a half and hour

  96. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Youre wrong here Brandon. He was getting his money no matter where he went but in the beginning and in the end he wanted to be a Yankee. Put the money aside for a while and enjoy the purity of his being a Yankee.”

    Etch this one in stone.

    GO YANKEES!!!!

    GO YANKEE FANS!!!!

    Glory be, enjoy this moment!!!

  97. SJ44

    Brandon,

    Jeter and Arod had bigger differences than Tex and Arod ever did and worked it out. Its a non-issue.

    If there are grades for PC’s, Tex certainly got an “A” for that one. That was not a phony smile (pull up the Randy Johnson PC to see one). The guy seemed genuinely happy to be in NY.

    Good for him. Yes, its a ton of money. However, he was going to get a ton of cash wherever he went.

    The guy seems genuinely happy to be in NY. Good for him.

    Everybody under the sun seems to want to knock the Yankees and any player who signs with them. Its PROFESSIONAL baseball. They ALL care about the money in every city in the game. NY is no different than any other market in that regard.

    Yet, its pretty easy to tell guys that are genuine when discussing how happy they are coming to NY and guys that are just “happy” because the money was there.

    JMO but, in CC, Tex and AJ, those 3 guys seem genuinely happy to be in NY.

    Now, its up to the media to, paraphrase Bobby Bonilla, “knock that smile off their faces”. lol

  98. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    She does not look Reese Witherspoon whoever said that needs to get kicked in the eyes.

  99. Nick in SF

    Leigh Teixeira looks/sounds like she just stepped out of a Georgia Tech sorority chapter meeting.

  100. Betsy

    So Brandon, anyone that thinks differently than you deserves an “oh god”?

  101. GreenBeret7

    Tex’s new best friend
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
    So back to reality, for the middle infield need to go with ransom, how bout Nomar? Cheap because of all the injuries, as a back up he wont play too much.

    ————————————————————

    Garciaparra can’t even play for a Dodger team that had nothing or nobody to play 3rd, SS or 2nd base. The best option is Alex Cora.

  102. Gus G.

    Most lineups? What teams are saying “Aw, I can’t wait to face them Yankees!”

  103. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Of course it’s also about the money. *If Boston offered the same amount, or the Natonals offered a little more, Tex would still be a Yankee.* I love that.”

    Shhh! Don’t tell that to the cynics and lemon suckers here!

    Actually I think most of us are on board with what you just said – AND WHAT TEIXEIRA SAID!

    I didn’t want the guy, so I have no reason to gush effusely about what he said or what appears to be the truth.

    You know, sometimes it really is just as it appears.

  104. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Staying to write the story

    I pick great times to take showers, don’t I?

  105. Sal Cipriano

    Tex left me with a good feeling. Excellent intro.

  106. YankeeRay

    Nick in SF
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
    Careful, YankeeRay:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

    —–

    Nick, I’ll take my chances with Trish. Die hard yankee fan women are good to have lol.

  107. S.o.S.

    “Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me,”

    Did he mean witch Swiss bank he was going to deposit his Quann in?

    Bob makes a good point, no one would come out and say i really wanted to be a Royal but they swooped me out of my feet with all the cash they threw at me. Im sure he liked the Yankees being a Mattingly fan. But its not like he did a Beltron and took less to come here. All i care about is that he gets us to the promise land and #25 can finally turn two.

  108. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    “So Brandon, anyone that thinks differently than you deserves an “oh god”?”

    Betsy you miss the part that I said I really don’t care, but I’m not buying rose colored stories, his agent Boras, one of the best story tellers or creators in baseball, you choose to believe it then go ahead I don’t. I can say “Oh God” what’s wrong w/ that ?

  109. Bob(The Original)

    What differences did A-Rod and Teixeira have?

    Are him and Jeter gonna be putting “Kick Me” signs on A-Rod’s back all summer?

  110. Nick in SF

    I’ll throw the rice, YankeeRay. But watch your back.

  111. pat

    Brandon

    I said it and yes she does. She’s got the southern, angular features, classically tailored sorority look working the same way Reese does.

  112. Al from BK

    We play look alikes-

    Leigh Teixeira- a bit like Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the line”

    Hal Steinbrenner- Michael J. Fox

    Scott Boras- William Shatner( I kid!) :)

  113. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Yet, its pretty easy to tell guys that are genuine when discussing how happy they are coming to NY and guys that are just “happy” because the money was there.

    JMO but, *in CC, Tex and AJ, those 3 guys seem genuinely happy to be in NY.*”

    Oh yeah. And to paraphrase Kato Kaelin, “WOULDN’T YOU BE????”

    :D

  114. ham fighters

    “The problem is the same people saying he would have definitely accepted arbitration are the ones saying Tex would never be a Yankee.”

    first of all, what does any of that have to do with what actually happened?

    the yankees obviously believed abreu would have accepted arbitration because thier reading of the market was that abreu woulnt be worth $17M. thier reading of the market was obviously correct, so the only variable here was whether abreu would have accepted or not.

    once again, if his agent, working on the same information available to cashman (unless you believe there is collusion) read the market correctly or if bobby just wanted to stay in NY, bobby would be a yankee now and tex wouldn’t imo.

    why would the yankees make an offer which in thier estimation would be in abreu’s best interest to accept to a player they didnt want to retain? that would be counting on abreu’s agent to badly misread the market and take a pass (and likely cost bobby $5M in aav) in the hopes of getting draft picks. picks are nice but hoping for a guys agent to misread the market is a losing game.

  115. Betsy

    SJ, thanks for confirming what I thought (and I just heard the PC – I’m at work, so I couldn’t watch it). Just hearing Tex, you could hear how happy he was.

    It’s getting so that no one believes any player when they say they want to play for the Yankees. If it’s the Sox, then the players comments are to be taken at face value. If it’s the Yankees, it’s a baldface lie. hmmmm

  116. Nick in SF

    Wait, Gil Meche didn’t talk about how he always wanted to play in the City of Fountains in his press conference?

  117. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    pat No she doesn’t, she looks good but she definitely does not look like Reese.

  118. SJ44

    Brandon,

    That’s just it, he did take less money to play in NY. Not a lot less but, less just the same.

    Geez, the guy can’t catch a break from some of you. What do you want him to do? He was a free agent, left the Red Sox at the altar, and took less money to come to NY.

    He’s one of the 3 best players at his position in the game and all of this is not good enough for you?

  119. Confucius

    “Please don’t sign Perez, he is Javier Vazquez.”

    The Yankees brought in Vazquez to be a front end starter. Perez would be a back end starter. He also has better raw stuff. The ability to utilize it consistently has been a big issue. But he is 27 years old, and the Yankees might just provide the perfect atmosphere for him.

  120. pat

    “What differences did A-Rod and Teixeira have?”

    A-Rod said he wanted to play on a team that spent money on players and was in a position to win rather than just build a team through a farm of young kids. Tex took offense to it when he was just off the farm but you see what he did when the opportunity to escape that happened. I’d say it’s a non-issue at this point.

  121. CB

    “I hope Theo enjoyed that as much as we did ”

    Nick caffardo was at the press conference to cover it in person for the boston globe so at least theo won’t have to rely on new york coverage alone.

    The old AP newswire story wasn’t going t be enough to satisfy the boston craving to find out what really “happenned” (to this end caffardo’s column today was great – highly recommend it).

    Imagine if the yankees had targeted a player for two years and lost him to the sox at the last minute. I don’t think people would be giving cashman much benefit of the doubt.

  122. ham fighters

    tex is gonna like it here, so is aj and so is cc, no matter what they really wanted in september. they are yankees now, they are going to play in the greatest baseball city in the world for the greatest team in sports history.
    they are at the pinnacle of atheletic and financial success and they are in the city that celebrates sucess better than any other.

    they’re gonna like it here…

  123. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Staying to write the story

    Of course Tex is happy to be in New York–look at what we’re paying him!

    I’m all for optimism, but I’m too jaded not to believe that the money has just a little bit to do with it…

  124. Nick in SF

    Cashman: “I got the sense that if all things were equal, he wanted to be a Yankee.”

    And he is saying they’re still in negotiations with Andy Pettitte, this could be the team they’re going to spring training with, but they’re still engaged, no one has accepted anyone’s offers, blah blah blah

  125. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Nick, I’ll take my chances with Trish. Die hard yankee fan women are good to have lol.”

    Thanks YankeeRay. We both know we won’t regret this move.

    And since you have never given any indication that you have to rule the roost – and as long as I can watch the Yankees I don’t care about much else – this will be a match made in heaven.

    I would think that Nick needs a more, say, submissive woman – not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    I uh guess.

    :D

  126. Laura

    I can’t believe that people are on here debating whether he was genuine or not. Are you kidding? What was the guy supposed to say? “I really didn’t want to come to the Yankees, but they offered me so much money that I couldn’t turn it down”. Or was that supposed to be CC’s press conference?

    I like Tex. I believe that his first choice was NYY. Does that make me naive? I don’t know and I don’t care. That smile looked natural to me; not forced at all. Whether he’s smiling because he’s going to make 22.5mil a year or because he’s going to don the pinstripes, it really doesn’t matter. He’s ours now and I’m going to back him 100%.

    P.S. I do feel a little sorry for the Big G. Could not have been easy watching Tex put on his number.

  127. Betsy

    Brandon, I understand what you are saying. I don’t believe that I have rose-colored glasses on. $$$ is a big factor in everyone’s life, let’s face it. If we had to choose between jobs, $$$ would be a serious consideration. In this case, though, as the $$$ differential wasn’t that great between the Sox and Yankees (and the Nats were the highest bidder), I don’t think $$$ played all that much of a factor in this.

    IMO, the most important thing is that Tex wanted to be a Yankee. Boras did his job to get the most $$$ out of the Yankees…but he only got so much as the Yankees were not going to $192 million (they would have let Tex go to the Sox for that). Boras had to stop his “games” as soon as it was obvious that the Yankees were not going for it .

  128. Al from BK

    Yankeeray, Trish- What is going on in here? ;)

  129. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “I’m all for optimism, but I’m too jaded not to believe that the money has just a little bit to do with it…”

    Rebecca, a shame you were in the shower. Had you watched the entire press conference I am guessing you might be humming a little different tune.

    Just a guess.

  130. feefoo

    no athlete wants to live in boston….. its a **** hole

  131. YankeeRay

    Hey Ham, time for my daily Manny blog.
    So Tex had his mind set for a long time and it was 2 weeks before christmas that his wife like Adrain in Rocky 2 when she said “win” to Rocky, said “I want you to be a yankee”. Tex said it was a done deal right here, game over.
    So that means Henry and fellow little sockies flew to Texas as lame ducks and didn’t even know it. How good does that make us feel right now? Feels great to me knowing that Tex wanted to be a Yankee all along.

    Now to Manny, what do yo think he is saying to Boras on a daily basis? In spanish he is probably yelling at him saying “get me to the Bronx now” lol.
    Who knows if Cash and Boras could have a side deal in place while cash tries to move Nady and Matsui.
    Thats my dream Ham and I just had to throw in my daily shot.
    Go Yanks

  132. ham fighters

    just thinking about the yankees playing in kc makes me miss bobby murcer. i always looked forward to the yankees playing there, one of my favorite ballparks, mostly because it was always kenny and bobby doing the games, kay’s head is too big to fit through the airport terminal there apparently. so i always knew it was going to be 3 days of bobby and kenny and i was in for all 27 innings.

    RIP bobby!

  133. Mikey

    His dream come true was getting a team to bid about $40 more than any other team. Great GM work Cash, way to stave off those “mystery” bidders.

  134. Confucius

    “I can’t believe that people are on here debating whether he was genuine or not.”

    He looked more loose and genuine to me than any guy we’ve seen in these press conferences in the last decade. Whether he was telling the truth or he’s just a really great actor doesn’t really matter. He’ll thrive in NY either way.

  135. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    Al from BK – we arranged our own cybermarriage. Our strong love for the Yankees conquered all!

  136. ham fighters

    ok man, its cool with me although im as against manny in pinstripes as you are for it.

    but were all from the same tribe so its all good.

  137. Lori

    Bottom line – I don’t care if these guys “always wanted to be a Yankee” or not. CC, AJ and Tex are all Yankees now and I couldn’t be happier. :)

  138. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Staying to write the story

    Laura: I have no doubts Teixeira is happy to be in New York.

    It gets a little fuzzy though when you ask _why_ he’s happy to be in New York.

    Not that I care–if he’s happy, I’m happy, and as long as he’s not murdering babies, I’m pretty much okay with it.

  139. Brandon (CC & AJ now Marky Mark (they stilled over paid him) are Yankees)

    Ughh…change subject I don’t care !…. Now do we put him in the 3rd slot or 4th, I think we put him # 3 slot to get pitched to and start off hot in the beginning of the season you know how Arod helped Abreu see good pitches he can do that for Tex. And then later on in the season switch Alex to # 3 and Tex to # 4.

  140. Ed - American League, prepared to be scared! CC, Aj, and MT!!

    update >>>>>

  141. Nick in SF

    Wow, Trisha doesn’t make the usual unsly suggestion that my preference might not be for women; that’s progress in 2009!

    ;)

  142. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    Lori, but for those of us who always feel it is a bonus to get a player who really wants to play in NY or who has always wanted to play for the Yankees – well that just makes it extra special.

    So we in that group are especially enjoying this moment.

    Is all.

  143. ray morneau

    I cannot WAIT for the start of this glorious season! Tex, AJ, CC… So many sexy new guys to fawn over this spring. My Fruit of the Looms will be in bloom for sure!!! ;P

  144. Mikey

    I suppose he really wanted to be yankee just like CC did, i could definitely tell from this press conference without taking any other factors like contract figures into account.

  145. Anthony M,

    Yay! Grumpy Mike Franseca!

  146. YankeeRay

    trisha – CC and AJ and Sheets – OH MY!
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
    Al from BK – we arranged our own cybermarriage. Our strong love for the Yankees conquered all!

    ——

    Thats my girl, to think your ex would try and negotiate an argument in the middle of a yankee game? No wonder he is out now.
    Trish, call me later ;)

  147. no.27

    “first of all, what does any of that have to do with what actually happened?”

    It’s almost the same situation. People are looking at the same information and some are saying, “Cashman definitely made the right move. You’d have to be an idiot to think otherwise.” What I’m saying is that if the Yankees were truly committed to building the farm system, they could have taken the risk that he and Marte would sign for the draft picks.

    At worst, Abreu takes the 1 year deal, and the Yankees don’t go after Swish or Marte and trade Nady and keep the pay roll would be $2mil higher and the lineup is better. How is what Cashman did better? Because then they DEFINITELY wouldn’t have gone after Teixeira, just like most said they DEFINITELY wouldn’t have anyway?

    I’m not saying that Abreu definitely would or wouldn’t have accepted arbitration because I understand that I can’t see into the future. I’m saying it was worth the risk. Who taught you guys how to read tarot cards anyway? GET YOUR MONEY BACK!

  148. YankeeRay

    Nick in SF
    January 6th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
    Wow, Trisha doesn’t make the usual unsly suggestion that my preference might not be for women; that’s progress in 2009!

    —–

    Considering your location I guess that would be the assumption lol

  149. ray morneau

    Is it just me, or did the Yankee pinstripes make CC look slimmer? They really do wonders, on and off the field!!!

    But, back to baseball, I’m really worried about Scott Kazmir in the east this year. He is the only player that is sexier than any of our pitchers!!! ;)

  150. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    YankeeRay -

    You got it! And it isn’t like the fool didn’t know the rules regarding the Yankees! We’d been together a long time.

    Okay, we’ll talk later.

    To wit:

    “Hal said the the only formal offer the Yankees made was the one Teixeira accepted back on Dec. 23. It came together quickly that day. So while Cashman met with Teixeira and Scott Boras, the only offer came on Dec. 23.”

    So much for it being about money. Looks like Boras didn’t take the time to play around with the other teams and then make a decision.

    Oh well.

  151. trisha - CC and AJ and Sheets - OH MY!

    “Considering your location I guess that would be the assumption lol”

    See? I don’t marry no dummies!

    :lol:

  152. Nick in SF

    It’s a pretty cheap way to go YankeeRay, but that’s how some people roll. Former commenter ‘fleas’ was a top offender.

  153. YankeeRay

    ham fighters
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
    ok man, its cool with me although im as against manny in pinstripes as you are for it.

    but were all from the same tribe so its all good.

    ——

    Ham, not so much Manny in pinstripes but THAT BAT, how good would that be?
    Listening to Francessa talking about how good Manny would be on the Mets and that it would take so much of the luster off of our off season, jacks me up. That is not why I want him but the fact that the Rays are probably better than last year and the Sox are still good. I’m just looking for the haymaker at this point. And Manny is the HAYMAKER IMO.

  154. Mikey

    Tex’s favorite player was Mattingly? I would have thought it was Mel Hall? Now there was a guy who wanted to be a Yankee all the time.

  155. ham fighters

    your premise is still that the yankees should have taken a shot that abreu’s agent would badly misread the market and pass. this is a very low percentage play imo, especially when you know the player wants to continue playing for you.

    the yankees didnt want abreu back, certainly not for $17M. asking them to gamble on badly overpaying for a guy they didnt actually want back just to get draft picks is not a wise move.

    didnt swisher come aboard before they declined to offer arbitration?

  156. ray morneau

    Tex saying he wants to win the World Series is like Patton saying he wanted to invade Russia after the fall of Berlin. A bold proclamation that should have probably happened, but ultimately didn’t.

    AM I RIGHT OR WHAT?!?!? ;)

  157. Hi-Dee

    “What differences did A-Rod and Teixeira have?”

    Does everyone who’s so happy about Tex harbor the same feelings for the best player on the team, A-Rod?

    Also, what about CC? He acted like coming to NY was like getting teeth pulled. Will you “boo” him?

    A-Rod wanted to go to Boston, but the union wouldn’t let him play for less, so he took the cash and came to NY. It sickens me when A-Rod is playing well how you all fawn over him, then trash him when he merely plays to all-star levels. They are all mercenaries and you know it.

    Tex $$ motivations certainly also played a part. Boras made sure of that. Theo knew this and probably didn’t want to waste the time getting into a bidding war they wouldn’t win.

  158. Mikey

    Tex saying he wants to win the World Series is like A-Rod saying he wants to buy Madonna CDs and be seen in public with man-ish women.

  159. ham fighters

    patton was psychotic

  160. ray morneau

    ham fighters,

    Not quite is psychotic as Cashman, what with all the money he is throwing around to people like that hottie AJ Burnett. Am I right or what?!

    High five.

  161. rover

    Won’t tex stand to make far more money endorsement wise in NY than anywhere else, not called LA or CA? I would think that matters to the higher echelon players? No?

  162. Mikey

    Is Cash crazy like a fox or crazy like a guy who negotiates by throwing cash at players like its water?

  163. ham fighters

    i dont think the local of a player changes thier marketing anymore. i dont think albert pujols is starving for off-field income just because he’s in st louis, the sponsors go find the guys they want to market these days.

    what does increase tex’s value is being a YANKEE. the yankees are one of the most recognized brands in the world and joining them instantly increases a player’s visibility and thus, marketability.

    in the abstract, any player is going to be much more marketable as a yankee than a met, because of the yankees much higher visibility both in NY and nationally and internationally. so no, its not new york that brings in the bucks, its the pinstripes.

  164. Garym(Yanks and More)

    I think you guys are funny, it really is mostly about the money. I say who cares though, however it happened he is here now and will be outstanding for them. Joe Girardi will love this guy,crew cut, well spoken, from a military family. I personally would bat him 4th behind Arod.

  165. David

    Tex looked great in pin stripes, came across as a true PR pro while still being sincere and, most importantly, really seemed to be happy to be a Yankee. That makes three for three happy Yankees. So much for the talk about the Yankees losing their allure. Great catch, om the field he is one of the top three 1st baseman in all of baseball and off the field he is relaxed, confident and respectful!

  166. Mikey

    I hear that Tex will not only hit 4th but will also get behind the bar in the new Martini Bar at the new stadium. Seriously wasnt this the exact same stuff said when Giambi was signed? Same uni number too.

  167. rover

    ham fighters
    January 6th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
    i dont think the local of a player changes thier marketing anymore. i dont think albert pujols is starving for off-field income just because he’s in st louis, the sponsors go find the guys they want to market these days.

    what does increase tex’s value is being a YANKEE. the yankees are one of the most recognized brands in the world and joining them instantly increases a player’s visibility and thus, marketability.

    in the abstract, any player is going to be much more marketable as a yankee than a met, because of the yankees much higher visibility both in NY and nationally and internationally. so no, its not new york that brings in the bucks, its the pinstripes.

    I guess I said that Badly, I hate the mets so I have a tendency to forget they exist. By playing in NY, I meant the Yankees specifically. I agree with all you said!

  168. ray morneau

    If I may shift gears here for a minute (or two, LOL!), can we talk about Derek Jeter (Gag! Aw-ful!)? How many more years am I going to have to look at dated hairstyle in the post game pressers? Thank goodness they make him wear a cap all the time on the field! LOL!

    But seriously, his numbers are way down, his range is gone and it just seems like he is pressing all the time now. He needs to go, STAT! We need some fresh blood in here. Can James McAvoy play shortstop?! LOL! ;)

  169. Sal Cipriano

    Tex on the Fan was very good. I liked that he spoke about not worrying about what other teams think about his signing. He’s seems pretty genuine about his reasons for being here.

  170. dennis-costanza(Sox fan)

    Good Afternoon.

    Congrats on a great day to be a Yankee fan. Reading some past threads I have to say I am tired of hearing about the money.

    Baseball is a business.

    The Yankees have a very successful business that they have reinvested in time and time again. There is no professional sports team that has understood the meaning of ROCE like the NYY. Good for them and you, bad for us as Sox fans.

    Its business. Deal with it.

    The Yankees set out to improve themselves in the offseason and have don so tremendously…….AND the 2009 payroll will be less than 2008 and did not give up a meaningful prospect.

    I am sick over it however it makes me sicker to hear people complain when the Yankees are playing under the same rules as every other team in MLB.

    Respectfully -dennis

  171. Mikey

    Any talk about Sergio Mitre? I heard something happened concerning him missing some games.

  172. Michael Kei (Igawa)

    Mikey
    January 6th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
    Any talk about Sergio Mitre? I heard something happened concerning him missing some games.

    ________________________________________________________________________________________

    I see what you did there…

  173. Ryan J in NC

    I say put Arod 4th and Tex 3rd. I can’t WAIT for this season. Glad to hear Phil Coke’s prepping for a starting position, i was really empress with him.

    Is there anywhere I can see the complete Press Conference online?!?!?!?!??!

    Help me out please

  174. Ross

    DISGUSTING – WCVB COVERAGE

    I have just turned off the local WCVB-TV (Channel 5, Boston) due to their DISGUSTING coverage of the Yankees Press Conference.

    The station showed a smiling Mark Teixeira being welcomed into the Yankee family, and ran a ‘ticker’ underneath with the title ‘Teixeira Joins Evil Empire’; this was followed by about 5 seconds of speech, with Mark saying he was delighted to be joining ‘the most historic sports franchise’.

    The coverage then switched to a shot of the WCVB reporter (if I might use that term loosely), who was rink-side at the TDBanknorth Garden; this person then sarcastically said ‘The most historic sports franchise? The most historic sports franchise? What about the Red Sox?’

    I was enraged…….

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Chad JenningsChad Jennings joined the The Journal News in October 2009, having spent the better part of seven years covering baseball in Scranton, PA. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and an award-winning beat reporter and features writer. E-mail me at cjennings@lohud.com
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Sam BordenSam Borden is an award-winning journalist who joined The Journal News and LoHud.com in January 2008. He covered the Yankees for the New York Daily News from 2004-06, and has also worked as a columnist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. E-mail me at sborden@lohud.com
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Sam BordenJosh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. E-mail me at jthomson@lohud.com
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