Pinch hitting: Yankees Daily
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jan 07, 2009 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
January is traditionally a slow month for baseball news. So for the second year in a row, we will showcase other blogs with a series of pinch hitters.
Next up is Sean from Yankees Daily.
Sean lives in Livingston and has been blogging for about a year despite being disabled by Lupus. His entry is about the 2001 World Series:
————
Game 7 of the 2001 World Series was the worst experience I’ve ever had as a Yankees fan, specifically the ninth inning. Imagine a game where the best reliever of all time in the playoffs is on the mound. He’s on your team and all you need is three outs to win your fourth World Series title in a row. What do you think the outcome would be?
Let’s go back in time a little.
The Yankees were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series and it was tied three games apiece and it was down to one game, Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. Winner takes all. New York City was suffering emotionally from Sept. 11. It seemed like the whole country was backing the Yankees because of the tragic events.
There was that magic in the air that you knew the Yankees would win. Destiny was on their side. They would win and help heal New York. It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The Yankees were winning 2-1 and the great Mariano Rivera was pitching. I was getting ready to celebrate another World Series title.
Then something weird happened, the Diamondbacks tied the game and the bases were loaded with one out. And there it was, that typical bloop single that Mariano gives up. The Diamondbacks won the game 3-2 along with the World Series.
I stood up from my chair and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I stared at the television. I felt my heart drop. I’ve never felt this way before in my entire life during a sporting event. I was desperate for answers.
Why? Why would the Yankees be allowed to lose such an important game in New York history? It was their destiny to win this game. They “had” to win this game. It was in the cards. It was a done deal, right? No.
I went outside and started pacing back and forth outside my apartment complex. I then went for a long walk. I came back but I didn’t feel any better. Usually long walks help clear my mind. Not this time. I would suffer from this defeat for a long while.
I wanted to blame someone, but the only person that came to mind was Mariano. But he’s been great in the postseason. Still, I was mad at Mariano for days. I was mad that he only developed one pitch and I started blaming him for the loss. I then started blaming fate for the loss. It felt like a cruel joke was played on the city of New York.
I’ll never forget how lousy I felt during the end of Game Seven of the 2001 World Series. They say time heals all wounds, but I’m still hurting, especially since the Yankees haven’t won since. If you watched that game in 2001, do you remember how you felt afterwards?
————
Thanks, Sean. Coming tomorrow: Mike Silva from New York Baseball Digest.
From the previous thread….
I’m getting the increasing feeling that the final slot in the rotation is going to be Andy Pettitte or Phil Hughes.
I don’t think they are going to target another veteran starter if Pettitte doesn’t return.
Now I like Hughes as much as any Yankee fan and I believe he’ll be a good one for many years, but he did miss three months of the season in 2007 and another three months in 2008.
This cannot be ignored.
Given the injury history of Burnett – the Yanks are just one DL stint away from having both Hughes and Kennedy/Aceves in the rotation and starting 40% of your games with Joba on an innings cap.
Seems to me like a pretty big gamble, especially after what happened last season with all the injuries and subpar pitching by the youngsters even when they were healthy.
Whether it’s Pettitte or someone else, they really need that innings eater at the back end of the rotation.
Pettitte would give the Yanks an edge over either the Red Sox or Rays pitching staff and that’s very significant in the toughest division in MLB.
What I remember about 2001 was how upset I was that first hour or so, after the Yankees lost, crying (What?) because Mo had blown it…
It took me a while, but eventually I came to a realization.
What was important about the 2001 World Series, all things considered, wasn’t that the Yankees lost or the Diamondbacks won.
What mattered, in the end, the _only_ thing that mattered was that the Yankees _played_.
When so much of the rest of the country was still in a daze, when, face it, a lot of people were living in the grips of an untennable fear, the Yankees basically said “screw that” and went about _living_ again.
Games Four and Five will, of course, always be storybook and the World Series as a whole is one of the most dramatic moments in baseball history.
But you know what?
The 2001 World Series doesn’t hurt me. It really doesn’t. Not the way 2004 does.
In 2001 the Yankees played, and thus, in that regard, they won.
I can’t read this post…I’ve blocked 2001 from my memory and it would be potentially devastating if I were to have to read about it again.
I hate being reminded about 2001.
Buzzkill!
I havent watched the 9th inning in its entity, and wont until they win it again.
Hey, guys.
Just wanted to let you all know I’m alive and well. Still check in for the latest Yankee news, but I haven’t posted even though sooooo much has happened.
Just trying to be a good role model for the kiddies. How can I tell them not to talk to strangers online if I do it myself? Well, you guys aren’t strangers. Just strange people. But you know what I mean.
Keep up the good work, guys! Happy New Year!
I agree with Rebecca. Those games helped heal a nation. Actually playing the World Series (in NY of all places at the time) was an amazing thing.
It did seem like destiny might be on the Yankee side – but when they make the movie they can have a Hollywood ending. (I vote for Rob Schneider to play Byung-Hyun Kim – Mo plays himself)
In reality the Yanks got outplayed in that Series. Check out their team batting average for the entire series – .183 !!
Schill and RJ pitched like Koufax and Drysdale. Every home team won. Too bad the All Star game wasn’t in effect then. (AL won that year 4-1)
One of the worst days EVER – thanks for bringing it back up for us.
Discussing such a horrible memory really isn’t a good idea if you want to get people to like you and check out your blog.
2001 World Series…..Game 6 back in Phoneix, and Andy Pettite gets blasted….Game 7, Soriano drills a Schiling splitter into the LF seats and the Yanks take a 2-1 lead….Mo hits Council , throws a cutter to Jeter on a sca bunt, Scotty B. fails to turn two on bunt to Rivera up the 3rd baseline, Torre pulls the inf in, Gonzo bloops a sandwedge for a game winner, Dynasty over,,,,,I’ll never forgive Torre for pulling the whole inf in…..
Pat-
So true, still can’t believe the infield was in & watching Jeter flail after the blooper made me sick, b/c I knew it was game over.
rebecca you are living up to your name tonight – 2004 prolly hurt more because it was the sox and we had a 3-0 lead but 2001 definitely hurt bad because it felt like fate was on our side, Mo was on the mound in the ninth and it was the seventh game – so close yet so far. i DEFINITELY think 2004 was a worse feeling but i certainly didnt like the feeling i got after game 7 either. I would not say i was happy hey lost because atleast they made it – i was miserable they lost because they were sooo close to winning it all.
Everyone remembers the MO inning – but the Yanks scored 14 runs the entire series. 14 runs over 7 games! (with 6 homers no less – that’s pretty hard to do)
To even be playing that 7th game was a feat in itself.
Pat – every manager has to bring in the infield in that situation to prevent the run coming in on a little ground ball…which is far more likely than a bloop single just over the shortstop’s head. Can’t blame Torre for that.
dave: That’s what the optimism is about.
$h1t happens. It’s how you handle it that determines how you see the world, and, in turn, how the world sees you.
Losing in 2001 sucked, but, you know what? There were other things that sucked a hell of a lot worse that year than losing the World Series.
And I’m not referring to the Giants losing the Super Bowl or the Devils losing the Stanley Cup (also in Game 7), either.
DT: You know, I never actually knew that. I knew three of the four AZ games the Yankees got blown out, but I hadn’t realized it was that extreme!
I took a tour of Chase Field (aka Bank One Ballpark) when I was out in Phoenix for the Superbowl last February. I never should have gone on it, it made me sick to my stomach seeing the pictures from that world series as soon as you walked in and the World Series trophy. It felt like I got kicked in the stomach walking in there.
It was 7 years ago. Let it go.
It’s ok Marc atleast the GMEN won
That 01 WS was tough for me too. I personally find it worse than the 04 collapse.
I watched every game that season.. Every game. There were 2 that didn’t air on TV against the Angels.. I listened to both of them on the radio. I’ll never be able to pull that off again but it was fun.
If the Yankees had won the 2001 series it would have been like the Yankee-Pirates World Series in 1960. The Yankees outplayed the Pirates the entire series but Pittsburgh came out on top in the 7th game.
I ask friends who moan that 2001 loss – if you had a choice of one or the other – would you have rather lost to the Mets in 2000 and won the Arizona series? The answer is of course no! (we want to win both..lol)
Things I’ll remember about 2001 (besides the last inning):
The Yankee late inning comebacks at home
Jeter: Mr November (he actually had a horrible series tho)
The ripped flag from the WTC flag flying over Yankee Stadium
George Bush throwing out that first pitch
God Bless America in the 7th inning when it actually meant something.
I’d rather see the dynasty end that way than simply by bowing out to the Angels in the first round as happened in 2002. 2001 is my all time favorite World Series, one of the best ever, and I’m proud my team was a part of it. The D-Backs had a great team and were a deserving World Champ. Anyone still hung up on that needs to get over it.
My memory is a bit hazy so please correct me if I’m wrong, but to top it all off, didn’t the D’backs win off of bloopers?
That bothered me particularly.
PS- Just as I was about to post this, MLB Network just showed the bloop hit that will live in infamy.
;_;
AK, under that situation, bases loaded and the Diamondbacks top power hitter who hits from the leftside….The corners play in, the middle infielders play half way,,,Softlt hit ball you go home for the force out, hard hit ball you still turn the duece because the ss & 2b are still in double play dept…And they can still have range to catch up to t=a short popup…Torre had the whole inf in, that takes away all of thoes out optins an dyiur left with only play at the plate when ball is hit right at you…..It was a scared reaction to the situation….Corners in, middle plays half way…he didn’t call for and he lost…The final screw up in that inning,,,,there were at least 4 other blown and costly miscues….
2004 hurt more.
It was always hurt more to me. Seeing my team make history by choking up a 3-0 lead like that to the team I hate the most on the planet was and still excruciating.
By 2001 we had won so many times I chalked it up to the baseball Gods intervening.
2004 though was a colossal collapse by a team that was one game away from the World Series.
I understand some people look at 2001 and it stings, but I look at the series and think of some of the most amazing home WS games we had ever seen in the Stadium.
I was a baby when Reggie hit 3 HR’s and when Chambliss and Dent had their dramatic moments.
Those games in 2001 were the loudest I have ever heard Yankee Stadium in my life so I look back at that series with some perspective and fondness.
2004 I look back with pure venom. I can’t sit there and say we had a great first 3 games. I can’t pull a single positive out of that series.
In fact I’d place the disappointment against the Marlins as number 2 on my list after 2004.
I actually attended that game and was interviewed by “1010 Wins” afterward. I remember the reporter sticking the microphone in my face and I could hardly even speak. Walking through downtown Phoenix in all of my Yankee regalia made it even more difficult as all the bandwagon D’back fans were out en masse and they were completely bush league in their dissing of the Yankees. These dipsh*ts couldn’t name 3 players on the D’backs and they had the audacity to pawn themselves off as fans. The gut wrenching thing was that it would have been one of the greatest comebacks of all time and at a time when this country, especially New York City, was reeling in the aftermath of one of the most devastating events the U.S. has ever seen.
I still live in Phoenix but we may as well have no pro baseball team here because I have no interest in anything but the Yankees. In fact, none of the fair weather fans go to the games here either…except when the Yankees come to town.
G. Love: I think you can speak for me there, as well.
I remember that I was on vacation in Singapore and had to wake up at 8:30 in the morning to watch. That part was surreal for me. I ended up watching it at the hotel with a few Japanese Yankee fans. We won 4 championships, to be bitter about the one that got away is very greedy. Should have lost the series earlier if not for the two worst closer meltdowns in history by Kim. Without question the most exciting world series I’ve seen. It’s hard though because it signals the end of the dynasty..which is why Buster Olney wrote a whole book about it.
To be honest, I have a VERY good feeling #27 is gonna be this year. Just smells right to me.
I can’t believe some of the idiots here are actually blaming Torre for that loss.
Get over it already.
How can you write about that game 7 and being let down by Mo, yet skip the fact he threw away that double play?? We’re talking Mo here, a great fielder, that’s the play I remember much more vividly than gonzo’s bloop (well just as much), it should have been a sure thing.
Looking back now, I am over it, I was probably over it after a week to be honest and game 5 was the best game I have ever attended. Overall it was a great series, with plenty of big, “pro-yankee” moments that I can only look back upon fondly (Paul O’neill chant, B.Y.Kim and the stadium literally shaking), perhaps if we had suffered a long drought without winning a ring it would have stung more. I’ve probably watched game 4/5 of that series on yankee classics a half dozen times; in comparison, no yankee fan will ever want to watch any games from 04…
Rebecca,
Ever since you’ve had that boyfriend of yours, you’ve changed a lot.
If anybody else is up at this ungodly hour, and if you receive the MLB Network, their showing Epic Moments.
Jeter’s Dive is coming right up, and at the very end of the program they show the bloop WS win in ’01
*they’re* no their
OMG! *not* their
I need some rest.
after the glory of the previous 3 seasons, i didnt have much trouble accepting the loss in 2001. also there were alot bigger issues going on at the time, plus it was mariano, so how could i get pissed.
a couple of other things passed by here i wanted to comment on:
first off, big G signed for $4.5M! wow! he made something like $22M last year didnt he? andy pettitte take note.
secondly it was big of pete to admit that everyone including himself was buffaloed by hank the bufoon. i find it funny how only the boston fans seem to think he has any power in the organization at this point.
I felt terrible after that game…in utter disbelief. I was so used to the Yankees winning the World Series…losing it, it was just not possible…I still have not recovered from that loss and won’t until we win #27 this year…..I still give partial blame to Cashman for going cheap on Jeff Nelson that year..we had no real set-up man (Witasick was traded for and was putrid) and Torre had to use Rivera for too many 2 inning saves which tired him out throughout the year and was why he didn’t get the 2 inning save in game 7…..Nelson had an all star year and we eventually got him back in 03…….great post Sean!! Yankees World Series Championship #27 in 2009!!!!
James beat me too it. Mo didn’t ‘blow’ the save. He pitched OK… with 2 or 3 broken bats. What he blew was throwing a perfect DP comebeacker into CF. No outs instead of 2 outs. 2 men on instead of bases empty. That’s what hurt so much. Mo had it, and gave it away. All those 9th inning heroics blown on an error… a throwing error by Mo.
Honestly, it’s good that Mo has a strong sense of God. That play may have killed an ordinary man.
We seemed so destined to win.
Such a tremendous let-down,
48 years old, and I cried.
Oddly, I wasn’t that upset after 2001. It was such a great series and the Yankees comebacks made me proud of them anyway.
2001 was interesting. The comeback wins at the Stadium were awesome and really fed the need that most of us had at the time to believe the country would rebound from 9/11. I remember feeling shocked that they lost game 7. It seemed like a sure thing. But ultimately, it a one-hit punch that leaves you reeling but you can recover from.
2004 was worse. Much worse. It was slow torture. After going up 3-0, you felt very confident they would win just one more. But with each passing loss, slowly, one at a time, to Boston – the “idiots” who “cowboyed up” – that will haunt for a much longer period of time. Mind you, I do not go about my days lamenting that championship series. It’s not my life or my livelihood. But it is by far the most depressing memory of Yankees baseball I have.
I had a feeling that some fans wouldn’t want to be brought back the memories of the game. It’s something I had to do. When the Yankees win again, the pain won’t be as bad.
One more thing because I have to leave. OldYankFan says this…
“Honestly, it’s good that Mo has a strong sense of God. That play may have killed an ordinary man.”
Some relievers would of never recovered. It shows Mariano’s greatness.
G.Love -
Losing to the Marlins didn’t bother me as much I thought it would, probably because of the series versus Boston that preceded it. That series was better than most World Series. It was so emotional, so hard-fought and hard-won that I think they (and the fans) were emotionally drained. The World Series seemed an afterthought. I know, on some level, you figure, if they can beat the Red Sox, the lowly Marlins should have been chum. But the fact is, the Yankees and Red Sox will never play in a WS against each other, and the 2003 ALCS was the closest to knowing how it would feel if they did defeat Boston in a WS. (Now, 2004 totally blew that!)
Sean -
By the way – good post.
I also wanted to add that 2001 showed us that Mariano was human after all, and taught us not to take his success or the Yankees success for granted. And yes, his ability to blow off those kinds of bad days (that being a particularly bad day) is what makes him the GOAT.
2004 was MUCH worse than 2001. Not even close.
2003? To me, that was the beginning of the end for Joe Torre in NY. The team was overconfident and got outplayed by a younger, hungrier team.
That told me he was beginning to lose the grip on the team. There is no way the Yankees should have lost that WS.
After 2004, even though it would have been Non-PC for many, I would have fired him. The managerial mistakes he made in that series were unforgivible. That’s when he really went into a Professor Emeritus Role with the team.
It seemed that the hunger and spark for the job began to leave him and it became about making sure his legacy was in place. I also believe that began the beginning of the end in his solid relationship with the Yankees. That’s when the behind the scenes bickering really took place, turf wars ensued, and the relationship between Torre and the Yankees suffered major damage.
Fundamentally, the team began to play much worse and, truth be told, really hasn’t been a very fundamentally sound team since. They got away from the formula that made them great and it pretty much wasted 2005-2007.
That’s why I’m holding out hope for this season. For the first time in a long time, there seems to be more balance with this group. Good solid pitching, solid offense, much better defense and, if they keep Nady or Swisher, a much deeper team.
They just need Girardi to lighten up a bit and they have the makings of being a very tough team.
Still some work to do (getting a 4th starter, rounding out the bench) but, its been a great off-season thus far.
Pete,
i’m a relatively new reader and have liked the blog thus far. i read one other yankee blog (replacement level) and have added yours to my bookmarks.
my only issue is with these guest blogs. they are a bore. why does each feel the need to recount why they became a yankee fan or what their best or worst moments have been as a yankee fan? its as if your blog has become a therapist’s couch for these guys (and gals). As i recall, your guidance was, ‘write whatever you want’. Will someone please write about baseball? (here are a few topic cues: is cody ransom an adequate back-up middle infielder? a retrospective on/analysis of girardi’s management of the team in 08. how will he change going into 09? (lets hope he does.) is it realistic to expect guys like sanchez to contribute this year?)
I’ll put this out there: to the next guest blogger who can refrain from submitting a weepy sentimental piece and actually write about basebal, i promise to check your site once a day for the season.
1995,2001,2003 were the most exciting to watch even though we didn’t win it all those years.randy killed us in seattle and arizona.i really dislike mr johnson.leyritz 15th inning homer.soriano’s 8th inning homer off schilling.the boone homer.which was by far the most exciting baseball moment of my life.the tino,scotty and jeter homers.
Sean. What is your point? I prefer to remember and focus on the good memories and the joy that this team, my team, has brought to me over the years. I like to wallow in the feeling that a win gives me. I tend to ignore and not analyze a lose.
I have always felt that one of the problems that the Yankees have, and that may be unique to them, is their obsession with winning. It is interesting, to me, to consider the difference between passion and obsession, and how it effects the game.
I just clicked a link to an article titled, “Yanks Still Living Ugly American Dream”. I didn’t read past the first paragraph.
Why does every sports writer have to write the same article? I know it’s always popular to bash the Yankees for the way they spend their money, but come on…
Tom -
Boy, do I agree with you there! It’s almost impossible to tune in to any baseball program, or read any baseball article without having to suffer through the constant knocks against the Yankees. It’s as if because they’ve won in the past they’re no longer allowed to try to win in the future. It’s somehow a sin to spend their own money to try and improve their team. They are d-ned if they do, and d-ned if they don’t. Even the new MLB network’s hot stove seems to be doing the same.
I was watching last night and they were talking about the Yankees spending money and, as happened in the Joba debate discussion, when Al Leiter was trying to “defend” the Yankee point of view, in comes Reynolds with his soon-to-be-patented, “I have to cut you off, we’re out of time.” Of course, his (Reynold’s) point of view being the last word on any subject.
It’s tough to be a Yankees fan sometimes.
lohud couch time
the guest posts that stuck to current baseball issues, (rab ‘damonisgod’ and sam i am ‘cashman sucks’) were easily the worst of this year’s crop of guest bloggers so far. also, what do u expect for ametuer bloggers in january.
personally i like them, even the ones i disagree with. it gives me some insight into the people we interact with on this blog. i have no expectations of greatness for them, only of differentness, which is welcome at this point in the year. i also went to the lohud scranton outing last year and greatly enjoyed meeting some of the other posters, it makes it more personal when you are aquainted with other posters and thier thinking.
however if u dont find the same satisfaction in reading them, try this out: if u dont like the guest posts, dont read the guest posts!
2001 was a mood buster,2004 empowered the redsux into thinking they are the best thing since sliced bread.
LoHud couch time:
I agree most of the “me and the yankees!!!” posts so far have been poor.
This one in particular was decent though, nice effort Sean.
I also honestly liked “I Am Sam”‘s post, it stirred debate and actually had some criticisms of the yankees for once, even if it ignored some of the facts.
However, you can’t expect too much from the “pinch hitters”, and good on anyone who tries.
How much these epic Yankee losses hurt really depends, it seems to me, an awful lot on your age (perhaps not in every case OYF!)
Someone mentioned the 60 WS loss to the Pirates. For me, that was the worst. Why, because the Yanks were a far better team that absolutely crushed the Pirates (winning three games by scores of 10 – 0, 12 – 0, and 16 – 0) in every meaningful category, had the lead going into the 7th inning of Game 7 only to lose it because a bad hop hits Tony Kubek in the throat and, most of all, because I was not quite 16 years old and felt that losing like that (after dominating in just about every respect but wins!) was a monumental mis-carriage of justice.
I believe it also got Casey Stengel fired because he failed to pitch Ford in Game 1 (Whitey shut out Pitt. in both his starts and would have had three starts had he been the Game 1 starter.)
It certainly teaches one, and at an early age, about how indifferent the gods are to our sense of justice!
joe g on xm right now
All is the Yankee hating in the media is really borne out of laziness.
Its the lazy way to have a discussion. Just say, “I hate the Yankees” and 50% of your audience loves you.
Problem is, when these folks try to apply “logic” to the situation, they fall on their faces.
The Yankees spend THEIR money on THEIR team.
The Yankees also give THEIR money to the REST OF MLB, thereby keeping several teams afloat, every year.
Somehow, the second point is ok with folks in the media. The Yankees are supposed give THEIR money away to other teams.
According to these same, “experts”, they are NEVER supposed to spend THEIR money on THEIR team.
What’s equally funny is, despite all this spending, the payroll is 25-27 million dollars LESS than it was in 2008 at the present time.
Something none of these lazy, whiny crybabies will mention when they are complaining about the Yankees.
There is a saying when a Yankee fan says/does something dumb. Its, “That’s why the world hates Yankee fans”.
When I hear members of the media go off on moronic, uneducated rants on the Yankees, I say, “That’s why Yankee fans hate the media”.
“The 2001 World Series doesn’t hurt me. It really doesn’t. Not the way 2004 does.”
I agree. 2001 was disappointing. 2004 was devastating. I’ve recovered from the loss in 2001. I don’t think I’ll ever get over 2004.
SJ44
And you can use that same logic to explain the distrust of the news media as well as far as politics are concerned.
Without the benefit of hindsight, I remember disappointment, for sure, but also I remembered a great sense of pride in the Yankees … they were the reigning 3-time world champs and literally and figuratively left everything out on the field.
To get as far as they did, to be in a position to win ANOTHER WS after truly being outplayed by Arizona was remarkable.
If they had won in 2001, they would have stole that series … those wins in Games 4 (which I was at) and Game 5 were miracles at the time.
The losses in 2003 and 2004 linger more for me. They had no business losing either of them and the ripple effect of both still has not stopped … the Yankees havent returned to the WS since 2003 and they havent won a playoff series since 2004.
I put 2001 in the corner of my subconscious and so I haven’t really allowed myself to be upset about it. I can watch the YS HRs just for the pure enjoyment of them and not think about how the Series ended. Nonetheless, during MLB networks show on Fall Classics, the moment they got up to the game 7 highlights, I shut it off. I just couldn’t deal with it.
I wouldn’t want to tell bloggers what to write about, but I skipped right over this piece. Why would I want to relive it?
2004 I don’t think about anymore -it’s over and that’s it. At the time, it was absolutely crushing
To tell you the truth Pete…..January hasnt been that slow yet. Im counting down the seconds to pitchers and catchers after this yawner…….why do we have to be reminded about 2001? How about a discussion on who to fill the last spot in the rotation?? Who’s candidates to fill the bench?? Even something a simple as a discussion on the batting order for God sakes.
“I know it’s always popular to bash the Yankees for the way they spend their money, but come on…”
People are idiots, especially the media. I can’t help but think about what Hal said during Tex’s press conference. In essense, he said that Yankee fans deserve the best team possible. And he’s right. How could the Yankees ask fans to pay all that money to see games at the new stadium if they put a bunch of scrubs out on the field? If we have to pay more to see games, we should be seeing the best that there is. The Yankees business model (make tons of money and put it back into the team) is how more teams should do business. I ignore people who complain about our salary. They are just jealous that their team isn’t doing the same thing.
2001 was heartbreak for me. It was also when I fully accepted my Yankee fandom. (I don’t think that’s a word, but… whatever.)
I walked around all night after that one. Thinking about how close we were, Jeter jogging into the outfield, Gonzalez throwing his hands up in the air. Didn’t do anything the next day. And then – I shut it out of my mind. I didn’t watch anything, read anything about it. I couldn’t. It would just bring it all back.
Until I read Olney’s book this past fall, I had blocked it completely.
2004 was bad for me, too – but SOMEHOW… SOME WAY… I knew after Game 4 that we were in trouble. I can’t explain it – inkling, intuition, doubt, whatever. But after Game 4, I started to feel the reins slipping. And I STILL can’t watch anything about that. (Although I have got Simmons’ book, and will read it when ready.)
2003 had the least effect on me, simply because we were coming off the euphoria of Game 7 and Boone. And, like SJ44 said… the Marlins were a younger, hungrier team.
I blame Torre for playing the infield in when it was an obvious double play situation (corners in, pinch the middle)
for me 2001 was the 3rd time i saw the yankees lose the WS, (i was too young to see maz or the ’63 & ’64 losses) so i think i had already processed the place of a team that loses the WS. in my lifetime the yankees are 8-7 in WS, to me thats 15 excellent teams, 8 of whom won rings.
when u lose the WS, first it kills, then later it still stings but you remember they were a good team, then as time passes you realize that losing the WS is a hell of a lot better than not playing in the WS.
“What’s equally funny is, despite all this spending, the payroll is 25-27 million dollars LESS than it was in 2008 at the present time.”
This is a great point. You never see or hear that point anywhere. Instead, it’s screed after screed of total dollars spent for CC, A.J. and Teixeira.
That game was a lost by a whole lot of divine intervention and Enrique Wilson and Soriano can be thankful for their lives they lost. Hindsight is always 20/20.
any of u whiners consider that pete is on vacation and needs a bread b/c and 8 1/2 month marathon is going to start in about 5 weeks?
cut the guy some slack, he’s been all over giving us the news we need and there is no shortage of discuion on the board about the 4ths spot and the bench.
let pete rest, hes going to need it he’ll be doing game reports all the way into november this year!
I still think they should have been playing at DP depth. Maybe Jeter gets to it, maybe not. Doesn´t really matter though.
I remember thinking how the Yanks were about to ¨steal¨the series. Then that terrible bloop. I just turned off the TV and went to bed. I think I learned a lot about losing that night.
Please, I’ll take 2001 any day over 2004. At least ’01 gave us some amazing memories – games 4 and 5. The same cannot be said for ’04, and it basically negated Boone’s HR from ’03 and made it relevant for really only a year instead of something that could have had Bucky Dent-like meaning for a long time.
auhhhh what a sweet heart. I like him even more.
Mark Teixeira’s wife Leigh nudged hubby toward Yankees
BY ANTHONY MCCARRON
January 6th 2009
Every Friday night, Mark Teixeira and his wife, Leigh, have “date night” – dinner at their country club near their home in Texas. Two weeks before Christmas, it was more than just a chance to spend time together – it was the night Leigh Teixeira nudged her husband toward the Bronx.
pete may need a bread (or knead a bread) but he certainly needs a break, sorry about that!
Whiners=Facebook crowd. That’s what happens when Pete looks to expand the readership. We have to take the good with the bad.
What’s the point of Pete writing a post discussing the batting order?
That can be done in here without Pete taking time off from vacation.
As with anything else, if folks don’t like what goes on here, they can visit other blog.
Whining for the sake of whining is a waste of space here.
2001 was one painful momement amongst many great memories
2004 was many painful moments amongst no memories…I have completely blocked the series (incuding the first 3 games) from my memory
i just hope the yankees get another pitcher,pettitte,perez,etc.. that can eat innings & use hughes & the rest as debth.this debth is what i believe will put them over the top.
we did a very nice job with the starting rotation,bullpen,first base but to have the 4th,5th rotation spots filled with joba & hughes erases our debth.
not that they won’t be solid,it is the limitations that will be placed on them.why have a 190 million dollar payroll & be so close to having a great rotation with a ton of debth and risk it by not getting one more pitcher???
just do what I do for nearly everything in life: blame Tony Womack. It almost never fails. Curse you, Tony Womack!
“SJ44: Whiners=Facebook crowd. That’s what happens when Pete looks to expand the readership. We have to take the good with the bad.”
Don’t be ridiculous, there’s been a host of whiners on this blog for years, lol :/
The facebook expansion was a great move.
This is for dave:
According to Joel Sherman on XM this morning, after going over all of Ben Sheets’ medical reports, the Yankees decided to pass on him. Mainly because, in addition to his elbow and shoulder issues, he has back issues.
Its the back issues that caused the Yankees, and 10 other teams (according to Sherman) to back off him.
Don’t shoot the messenger dave. Just writing what Sherman said this morning.
Apparently the Pirates owner stated he would be in favor of a salary cap when the collective bargaining agreement comes up again.
What they fail to realize, and it seems no one points it out to them.
1. There would also be a floor, therefore you would actually have to raise your payroll.
2. Say goodbye to revenue sharing, etc from the Yankees.
3. Teams would go under without the artificial prop up from the Yankees.
4. You would also have to go to the players and get a player salary cap. Players union would never allow that.
Anyone else have anything else that should be added? Maybe one of our better writers on here should send a mass email out to all the owners outlining why a salary cap would actually harm baseball, and cause teams to go under.
sherman also suggested several times that there would be a ‘second free agency’ period in june when big payroll teams will be trying to unload thier expensive players ‘at 50 cents on the dollar’
interesting concept, i dont know if i buy it, but it is interesting…
“They are just jealous that their team isn’t doing the same thing.”
Laura, if the “Yankee business model” (or the Red Sox business model, for that matter), were to suddenly find itself in the lucrative land of Kansas City, I don’t think you’d be so readily dismissive of the other teams.
The angst of the Have-nots is a legitimate concern for MLB. You’re blaming the victims.
If you revisit Psychology 101, and then bone up on the fate of the Romanovs (1917), you might understand that the reaction of the “huddled masses” is totally valid. Historically, when it starts to go badly for the oligarchs, it goes VERY badly.
But, all in all, “It’s good to be king!”
As SJ44 has stated, amongst others, our payroll is actually down from last year
In addition, it will probably (you never know w/ the Yanks) go down further next year…with Damon and Matsui’s contracts either being reduced or eliminated altogether
Hopefully, our organization will be more balanced in the future, where we are predominantly adding low-priced youth instead of high-priced veterans
As a result, the argument for a salary cap and the view that the Yanks are an evil empire will be “mute” or “moot” (depending upon who you ask on the blog) in a couple of years
So the Yankees have the money to spend to get a player they need, but they shouldn’t cause KC can’t afford him?
yankees in 2009
A few of the Yankees executives made a point of telling reporters that yesterday.
if i owned the hopeless pirates, id be in favor of a salary cap, too. or better yet, contraction!
jennifer
I read that date night info to my husband and his response was, “how Biff and Muffy of them.” Guess date night at the country club isn’t in the cards for me.
jennifer
Exactly
I think that Yanks execs understand that the rest of baseball doesn’t look favorably on what they do…they won’t let it hamper their spending in the present…but I believe they are moving to change the philosophy in the future
And any player who complains about what the Yankees payroll is, better make sure they take a tiny contract when it comes time for their free agency.
If there ever was a salary cap, do you think owners would then lower ticket prices? Or, make beer and hotdogs cheaper? Nope. It would just be a way for owners to keep more money,
ham fighters
But if a salary cap ever happened, the floor won’t be 25 million. So your are right maybe they’d be in favor of contraction.
pat- Tell him date night doesn’t have to be at the country club!! It can be at your local restaurant or dive bar.
Tom-
Yep no way would ticket prices or beer or hot dogs go down in price. The Yankees would just become richer.
You can find newspaper articles dating back to 1930 that state, “The Yankees are ruining baseball with all of their spending”.
Its a strawman argument.
In 1994, baseball was a 1.5 billion dollar industry.
In 2008, baseball was a 7.5 billion dollar industry.
Find me another industry in which revenues have risen 5 fold in the last 14 years.
EVERY franchise in the sport is worth more money now than it was in 1994.
Competitive balance? Only the Red Sox have won more than one World Series since 2001. Every year, different teams make the playoffs.
There are no 0-16 teams, like the Lions for example, in MLB.
Spending money does not guarantee anything. Its just one teams way of doing business.
You want to use the Royals as an example? The Royals are owned by WalMart heirs. David Glass is wealthier than the Steinbrenner’s. His regional sports network generates over 20 million in profits to their organization. He also gets about 8 million in revenue sharing each year.
Couple that with the 25 million they get from MLB as their share in the national TV/XM Radio package, and they have 53 million dollars coming in before they sell a ticket.
Baseball is not a hurting industry, despite the whining from people re: the Yankees spending.
Even the Florida Marlins turned a 30 million dollar profit last year.
Its all about whether or not you put your profits into your team. The Yankees do it and people are unhappy. That’s the crux of all the handwringing.
Other teams and owners complain about the Yankees spending, but I sure don’t hear any complaining when the Yankees come into their town and sell out their stadiums with the only sellouts they get all season.
so now the red socks nation is taking up the banner of the poor, oppressed kansas city royals, eh. touching, very touching. next well hear how the socks passed on teixeira to save the royals, baseball, apple pie and the american way of life….
The stars aren’t aligning for smaller market teams this year regarding revenues so the level of crankiness may be up a notch. They are getting a double whammy this year with the economy being what it is AND the Yankees being able to off-set their revenue sharing with the new stadium. Not making their own money and not getting the bail out they have been used to.
I was in boarding school in New Hampshire at that time. My roommate was a die hard Sox fan (she even has a red sox tatoo) and even she didn’t say one word to me. From the time the ball went over JEter’s head I started to cry. I just remember my family calling me and I just kept asking why was Jeter in so much???? 2001 really did hurt; ’04 was bad, but we as a city needed that championship so bad in 2001.
I still can’t even read my copy of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty.” Just looking at the pictures of Mo and O’Neill make me tear up.
Here’s an article by Richard Justice that takes the Astros owner to task for saying baseball needs a salery cap:
“Drayton McLane spends enough money. In fact, he may spend too much money. That said, he puts less than 50 percent of his revenues into payroll, and no salary cap would have the spending threshold that low.
Come to think of it, a salary cap probably would be around 57 percent of revenues. Therefore, Drayton would have to raise his payroll to, oh, $114 million. A salary cap suddenly looks a lot better to me. How about you, Drayton? How does a salary cap taste to you now?”
I wonder how much of their baseball revenue the Yankees put back into the team…
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsj....._tell.html
sj44- So why do all these teams cry poor? They are basically turning a profit before they sell a single ticket, hot dog, glass of beer?
Fran- I keep yelling about that too! They make so much money off of us when we visit their cities. The hotels have no problem charging rack rate. Over $300 to stay in inner harbor in Baltimore! Check the room rate when KC is in town, and tell me who is more valuable to their franchise! Also I’m pretty sure the bars and restaurants love when we visit as well. Ugh this just makes me so angry.
SJ – You might consider disassociating baseball from business; then the following statements are NOT mutually exclusive.
(1) “The Yankees are good for business,” and
(2) “The Yankees are bad for baseball.”
When a dying Babe Ruth told a hushed Yankee Stadium crowd that baseball was “the greatest game,” he wasn’t talking about the monopolistic advantages of the big market teams.
All a salary cap does is shift the money from the players to the owners. That’s it.
Its a nonsensical argument made by talk show whiners and uninformed people who have no idea how the industry operates.
Its also borne out of Yankee haters. If you hate the Yankees, you jump on the Salary Cap Bandwagon.
Tom, Pat, SJ44, Fran, ham, others…
good posts this morning. maybe the riffraff are still in bed?
I was convinced of Torre’s grip on the team after the 2005 season. The 2004 season should have shocked him into reality but it obviously didn’t.
Joe Girardi did well and progressed as the season moved along in his 1st year but once Posada, Wang, and Matsui went down it was a continuous uphill climb.
With the team he’s been given, he should relax the team more but at the same time he needs to learn to make things happen rather than wait for them to happen. The improved pitching staff needs cusions and insurance runs to work with. Opponents need to know this team is aggressive.
Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you’re doing and read.
I have the new home run call for Texeira.
“TEX MARKS THE SPOT!”
and then insert the ballpark section his hr lands in and since he is a switch hitter they are going to be landing everywhere.
Any rebroadcast, reproduction, or other use of the pictures and accounts of this comment without the express written consent of Merman Thumson and Peter Abraham is prohibited. This means you Kay & Sterling.
Brian,
You might want to learn a little about the business of baseball before engaging in discussions on it.
You can go back 70 years and read stories about how “bad the Yankees are for baseball” because of, “all the money they spend”.
The problem is, when you examine the facts, they don’t hold up.
How did the Yankees fare with their 220 million dollar payroll last year? They didn’t make the playoffs.
Take a look at the NBA. They have a salary cap, and they play 8 months just so the Celtics and Lakers can play in the finals.
Teams that have a lot of money, like the Knicks for example, have stunk for years. The NBA Salary Cap doesn’t offer competitive balance.
Teams that are bad, are bad for years. Teams that are good, are good for years.
Look at competitive balance in baseball. Every year, new teams make the playoffs. There hasn’t been a back to back champion since the Yankees in 1999-2000.
The sport without a salary cap has the most competitive balance in all of sports.
Its why the “baseball needs a salary cap” argument is nonsense. It doesn’t hold up when you look at the overall state of the game.
Especially now that Tampa, with a 40 million dollar payroll, makes the WS and is poised for another playoff run.
Run your business well, and you can be competitive, regardless of how much the Yankees spend, every year.
Nice post,I wasn’t as devastated as you but I blamed one person also and it wasn’t MO. Remember also if Mo didn’t make that errant throw they probably win. Joe Torre is to blame, why would you ever bring the infield in with MO on the mound, i never understood this, it would of been a pop out to short and then he could of just got the 3rd out and moved on. This was the beginning of the end for Torre in my mind, and then it just got worse leading up to 2004 which i could never forgive him for-you cant blow a 3games to 0 lead.
Game 7 of the 2001 WS was bad but there were so many great moments in that postseason that game 7 is almost blocked from my memory. I was full of disgust but the rest of that series was great from a Yankee point of view.
2002 was painful, really really painful. To go from a dynasty to being bounced in the first round was hard to swallow.
2003 was great until the world series. Beating Boston was the priority and a lot of Yankee fans took the Marlins for granted. It hurt to lose to them but I had a ton of fun watching the ALCS that year.
2004 was terrible and every year since then has been bad.
There have been some memorable regular season games and good Yankee moments but no postseason success since 2004. Hopefully that string of bad performances can stop in 2009.
Jennifer – I brought up the Romanovs for a reason. All of those lower-class franchises who should just “eat cake” actually get a vote when MLB negotiates labor contracts. The NFL model is there for the copying. Even within that context, the Krafts and Jerry Jones narrowly fought off a move by other owners to “share” their respective team’s “private” revenue producers.
The NFL currently shares all TV revenue (NY’s Wellington Mara insisted on it for the good of the league).
I’m not predicting anything …. but sometimes the Romanovs (metaphorically speaking) inflame the have-nots enough to reach critical mass.
“Not losing sleep” over a matter of concern for the whole business (remember, the company is MLB …. the Yankees are a franchise) is a good way to compel the cake-eaters to implement a new business model.
There is no constitutional right to the present imbalance.
Absolutely remember the bottom of the 9th of game seven.
What I remember even more was switching during the commercial between the top and bottom half to CBS who was doing their newscast. They had a reporter outside the BOB reporting live who said (paraphrase) “Well, the Yankees are up, Mariano’s on the mound and they are three outs away. I’ll be back in five minutes WHEN THEY ARE CHAMPIONS.”
I looked at my wife, she looked at me and my heart sunk.
That bastid from channel 2 news JINXED US! I knew we would lose the second he said that.
Brian Red Sox needs to face reality. Babe Ruth died in 1948 when the game was what it was.
The advent of free agency in 1976 changed the game forever.
Take free agency away and the sorry Red Sox would be facing it’s 90th year without a championship. The Yankees were winning championships long before free agency was thought of. Keep up with the Yankee envy. It’s very becoming of you.
This salary cap issue is an excuse for cheap owners not to spend money. Take the owner of the Twins, the one who just died. I heard something that he was worth $2Billion, yet he didnt spend any money on the team, and horded the luxury tax money. So this whining from owners about the Yankees is just a way to cover their cheapness.
SJ44
I agree with your overall premise…but…
The one fallacy in the competitive argument is that a particular team like the Rays or Rockies may be competitive in a particular year…but overall they have a disadvantage
In other words…it took the Rays 10+ years to draft and develop before they were competitive…and there is no guarantee they can retain their players in the future
Having competent management is more important than money. When teams like the Royals or Astros complain about money I laugh. These are the same teams that signed Jose Guillen to a 10+ million dollar per year deal and Carlos Lee to a 100 million dollar contract.
A salary cap does not guarantee parity. Look at the NFL, the salary cap isn’t the reason why there is such great parity. New England is good every year even with a salary cap and teams like the Colts, Eagles and Steelers are always contenders. Its not because those teams spend more money, its because they are run really well.
The NFL has such a big turnover in playoff teams because of injuries, break out seasons, players decline much faster in football, the draft has a much larger impact then in baseball, etc. Salary cap has nothing to do with it.
SJ – selective stats; very misleading.
Take the last ten years, and rank teams by their average payroll. Then run another column with their average winning percentage (regular season). If you want, run a total.
I will guarantee that their is a direct correlation between winning percentage and dollars spent. To look only at WS victories is totally disengenuous. A short series anomaly (as the ARod apologists state) ….
Even in last year’s Yankee “debacle,” they were playing meaningful games in September. If the Yankees didn’t think that money gives them a competitive advantage, why are they falling over thenselves (and the debris of the old YS) to make it and spend it.
Give me a break.
A spectre is haunting Baseball—the spectre of Communism!
Of course, in any given year, most teams won’t come close to making the playoffs. A more significant measure is whether poor revenue potential is locking teams out of pennant races for years at a time. The numbers here are less clear: Since the expanded playoffs began in 1995, twenty-two of the thirty big league teams have reached the postseason at least once; two of the remaining eight, the Phillies and Blue Jays, had just met in the final World Series under the old setup. Compare that to baseball’s “golden age,” when the Phillies once went thirty years without finishing higher than fourth while teams like the St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators rarely even sniffed a pennant race.
For those who are tired of the off-season and bored with replacement bloggers:
You can get Ken Burns’ 10-disc baseball series on Netflix. Just search Ken Burns, when it comes up hit All Ken Burns—you’ll find Baseball off to the side, since it’s not one of his most popular items. Hit Add and all ten will line up at the end of your queue, and you can move them into position as you wish—I prefer to make the fun last by fitting other selections in between the baseball discs on mine -— off-season is long, and we fans have to feed our need somehow…
he above copied & pasted is an article by Neil deMause
he is right.now more teams than ever make the playoffs,win the ws.you simply can’t argue with the numbers
How is the NFL the “perfect model”?
There are no guaranteed contracts in the NFL. That makes their salary cap an illusion.
Players can be cut at will, saving the owners a lot of money.
Players that sign big deals are forced to re-structure them in the middle of those deals or faced being cut.
Even with a salary cap, you have the Lions. 0-16.
When was the last time a baseball team won less than 50 games in a season? That’s how bad the Lions have been.
You have a team with a lot of money (the Jets) that haven’t won a Super Bowl in 40 years.
Teams in MLB, like the NFL, share all national TV and radio revenues. Like baseball, NFL teams keep all of their revenue gained from their local radio/TV (exhibition season) deals.
Do you also realize that the players in the NFL are paid about 1,000 a week during the Pre-Season? They don’t receive their full salaries until Game 1 of the regular season. That makes those games complete cash cows for the owners.
There are haves and have nots in every sport. However, in baseball, unlike football and every other sport that has a salary cap, there are new teams that emerge and win every year.
All you have to look to are the playoff teams and competitive balance that has taken place in MLB since 2000. No sport can top it.
Again, making the salary cap argument a complete strawman.
Let me ask this. If you had a choice between $180 Million to play for the Royals and $180 Million to play for the yankees, which would you choose. It isn’t all about the money. It’s about playing for an organization dedicated to winning every year. Teams like the yankees and red sox have to make up for the fact they dont suck every year and dont get the top draft picks. Sure, if we sucked 10 years in a row, we could put a pretty good team together down the road like Tampa.
I remember flying for the first time 2 days before Halloween. It was a trip to Vegas with about 8 or 9 friends. 9/11 was obviously a month before. Round trip tickets to Vegas were about $36. I kid you not. I remember each night in the hotel before going out to party, I’d make all my friends stay in until the last out of each game was recorded. Game 7 was being played while we were on our way back to JFK from Vegas. The pilot kept us updated throughout…until the last inning. We landed and he announced the score, and after a long pause…said the Diamondbacks. A lot of us aboard the plane asked if we all heard that correctly. The captain, as if he heard all of us, said: “Yes, you heard right, the Diamondbacks won”. My heart sank. I was so terribly upset. It took me about a month to search for video of just how and what happened on that day during the time I was in the air, on my way back to NYC. I don’t know…the events leading up to game 7 were magical in my eyes and I will forever remember where I was for each game. Sure, it’s upsetting the Yankees lost that game 7. But there were a lot of more important things to be concerned about during that time. All I know is those 7 games made me cry, celebrate and cheer like a little baby, for the team and country that I love so very much.
Compare that to baseball’s “golden age,” when the Phillies once went thirty years without finishing higher than fourth while teams like the St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators rarely even sniffed a pennant race.
this is all i need to convince me that we do not need a cap that like sj said will shift the money to the owners wich is why they wan’t it.
he is right.now more teams than ever make the playoffs,win the ws.you simply can’t argue with the numbers
_________________
But how many times do small market teams have a playoff run of more than 1 or 2 years?
Yes the Marlins (I know not the perfect example since their owner is very very cheap)…can make the playoffs and win in 2003…but what about 2004..
Brian,
Once again, you show you have no idea what you are talking about.
Good management trumps just spending money everytime.
The Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins had the 3 highest payrolls in the NFL this year. None of those teams made the playoffs.
The Cowboys, a marquee NFL Franchise, has not won a playoff game since 1994.
Look at baseball. New teams emerge every year. Some teams can sustain it and some can’t. However, new teams emerge every year.
I know you are upset and inconsolable about the Yankees spending money. However, aside from your whining about it, the numbers bear out that its not bad for the game.
I’m not using “selective stats”. I’m pointing out what has happened in baseball the last 14 years, which completely debunks your argument for a salary cap.
NFL teams, you “model” who have spent a ton of money don’t make the playoffs.
Its about having good management. If you do, you can remain competitive in baseball or any other sport.
If you don’t, regardless of how much money you spend, you don’t win.
pat
January 7th, 2009 at 9:12 am
jennifer
I read that date night info to my husband and his response was, “how Biff and Muffy of them.” Guess date night at the country club isn’t in the cards for me.
————————————————————
Maybe that was a hint that he wanted you to change your name to Muffy. Try it..you may be pleasantly surprised.
– Over the last 10 years, eight different teams have won the World Series. In all 15 teams made the World Series — that’s half the teams in baseball.
– Over the last 20 years, fourteen different teams have won the World Series. In all 22 teams made the World Series. Now, we’re at more than two-thirds who have reached the Series.
– Over the last 30 years, 20 different teams have won the World Series, and only three/four — the Chicago Cubs, the Seattle Mariners. the Texas Rangers and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals — have failed to reached the Series. That’s extraordinary, if you think about it — almost 90 percent of all teams have reached the World Series the last 30 years. And the four teams that didn’t reach had their good moments too. The Cubs have made the playoffs six times and, well, only their Cubbiness has kept them from reaching the Series. The Mariners won 116 games in 2001, the most for any team ever. The Montreal Expos had some excellent teams and might have won it all in ‘94, year of the strike, when they had the young Pedro, and a lineup that had an in-their-prime Moises Alou, Larry Walker and young Wil Cordero and Cliff Floyd. The Texas Rangers have made the playoffs three times and while there’s some dark cloud simply hovering over that franchise, you never get the feeling that the Rangers are hopeless.
By comparison, pro football teams that have not made the Super Bowl the last 30 years include: The New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings, That’s 10 — almost one-third of all the teams in Pro Football.
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlo.....-new-york/
It was the first full game that my 5 yr old son and I watched together. We sat in one chair together and didn’t move until it was over. Sorianos HR was surreal.
When the winning run crossed the plate I calmly turned off the TV and put my son to bed. I didn’t sleep that night.
When he woke up for school the next morning he came out of his room and looked at me and said ” that stinked last night”.
The world hasn’t been the same since and I have vowed to sit with him and watch the Yankees win the world series. Please be this year.
These teams CAN compete, and they choose not to. Remember the Marlins 1998 firesale? They didnt have to trade the entire world series team away, they CHOSE to.
Brian,
I have to say over the past two days your comments here have been really over the top and absurd.
The Romanov’s and “let them eat cake?” Are you serious? Give me a break – your franchise has had the highest ticket prices for years and your talking about “let them eat cake?” Unbelievable.
You are really just coming off as being intensely bitter and that’s unfortunate.
Update
YANKS in 2009 – I’m about to give you the kiss of death (by agreeing with you).
Why can’t people just acknowledge that the less wealthy teams have much shorter “runs,” and then can’t retain their players?
Posters on this blog are constantly scouring future FA lists to see who will fill whatever hole (like a conquering army selecting the prettiest women).
The system is to the Sox’ advantage as well. They get to be competitive year after year, while the bottom feeders are all bundled together as “proof” that the system “works.”
Something like betting on Tiger Woods or “The Field.” Just because Tiger wins “only” 1/3 of the tournaments doesn’t mean that there is parity.
Karl Marx great find!!!
another thing is that the lower teams get higher draft picks of cost controlled,cheaper players under their controll for years allowing these teams to have lower payrolls.
for the yankees they have to spend to compete unless they get lucky in the draft wich is a crap shoot.
look at the rays who were rewarded because of their terrible records with a ton of draft picks.they have a ton of players now and coming soon like price that will get paid very little allowing them to compete for years and when they get to expensive they can be traded for a boatload of prospects.
The Marlins chose to blow up their team. That was their choice. Yet, they raised ticket prices in 2004 AND made a 15 million dollar profit.
How teams run their business is what matters.
They ALL have money. Yes, some have more than others but, they ALL have money.
You want a salary cap in baseball? that means you have to have a floor with salaries if you are going to have a salary cap.
In the NFL, players get 63% of gross revenues.
Let’s use that model for a baseball salary cap…..
63% of gross MLB revenues (7.5 billion dollars) is 4.7 billion dollars.
Now divide that by 30 teams and, if my math is correct, it works out to about 155 million per team. Someone correct me if my math is wrong.
Do you the Pittsburgh Pirates want to have a 155 million dollar payroll.
Do you really think a 155 million dollar payroll would make the Yankees less effective?
Its why the entire salary cap argument is ridiculous.
GB
The minute the hubby signs a $180 million dollar contract, he can call me Muffy or pretty much anything else he wants to except “my ex-wife”.
another thing is that the lower teams get higher draft picks of cost controlled,cheaper players under their controll for years allowing these teams to have lower payrolls.
for the yankees they have to spend to compete unless they get lucky in the draft wich is a crap shoot.
look at the rays who were rewarded because of their terrible records with a ton of draft picks.they have a ton of players now and coming soon like price that will get paid very little allowing them to compete for years and when they get to expensive they can be traded for a boatload of prospects.
_____________
Yup, that’s why this is one of those eternal baseball arguments…(as stated by SJ44…made over 70 years)
Do you really think a 155 million dollar payroll would make the Yankees less effective?
______________
With a 155 million dollar payroll the Yanks wouldn’t have CC, AJ, or Tex…so I’d say probably less effective
YANKS IN 2009
January 7th, 2009 at 9:52 am
he is right.now more teams than ever make the playoffs,win the ws.you simply can’t argue with the numbers
_
But how many times do small market teams have a playoff run of more than 1 or 2 years?
Yes the Marlins (I know not the perfect example since their owner is very very cheap)…can make the playoffs and win in 2003…but what about 2004..
———————————————————–
compare that with baseball’s “golden age,” when the Phillies once went thirty years without finishing higher than fourth while teams like the St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators rarely even sniffed a pennant race.
take you’re pick.
i understand that that the yankees are there every year but they have not won it in years & every year a different team wins.there are better solutions than a cap.
SJ44 and Yanks 2009.
Agreed and agreed.
Another reason for the greater opportunity for different teams getting to and/or winning the series is the current playoff format, that was not in existence at all prior to what? 1969? It used to be just the pennant winners.
Billy Beane even said that getting to the playoffs is the goal because it is kind of a crap shoot from there with a short series determining who moves on.
BTW, do you think the players union would ever vote in a salary cap with non-guaranteed contracts like the NFL has? Not in a million years.
In baseball as in life, I wish people would leave the free-market system – for the most part – alone.
LOL. I see the ghost of Karl Marx is back to haunt us. Good posts by him too.
” if the “Yankee business model” (or the Red Sox business model, for that matter), were to suddenly find itself in the lucrative land of Kansas City, I don’t think you’d be so readily dismissive of the other teams.”
“When a dying Babe Ruth told a hushed Yankee Stadium crowd that baseball was “the greatest game,” he wasn’t talking about the monopolistic advantages of the big market teams.”
brian(red sox fan)-
wow, the sabathia, burnett, and teixeira signings have had quite the impact on you. you seem to be running scared and seem to be trying to blame the yankees for the fear you seem to feel. you do realize the red sox have 40 million to spend if they want to even up the inbalance between the teams as they stand on paper right now. i have no doubt that the red sox will start the season very close to the yankees if not ahead on paper after they make their moves.
here’s the deal . i don’t care one bit about tampa ,kansas, or milwaukee fans. why should the yankee fans cash support of the yankees go to these other fans and their teams? these other subsidized teams can go to triple A like buffalo,colombus,and durham for all i care. the yankee do not need them.
and furthermore, the small markets are lucky that the yankees don’t just leave mlb dragging the other big market teams with them and form their own league that would be superior to the watered down major league system of today. the yankees are totally free to leave. mlb doesn’t own them. mlb is a cartel and a legalized monopoly that prevents free markets and the ability for teams to go where they want to.
the solution is to have more of a baseball free market and not limit teams that want to be really good. you are a proud member of red sox nation , one of the big market teams, so suck it up brian and quit being a whining weenie.
In other words…it took the Rays 10+ years to draft and develop before they were competitive…and there is no guarantee they can retain their players in the future
……………………….
Yanks in 2009 ;
You need to re-work the Rays picture. Many of their draftees didn’t work out.
Crawford, Upton, Lomgoria, Iwamura, Shields, and Sonnanstine were developed. All others were traded for for or picked up as free agents, like Pena. Most are signed long term.
What if they didn’t let Josh Hamilton go in the 2006 Rule 5 draft ?
OK everyone, the bottom line is the Yankees are just playing by the rules and why shouldn’t they spend, they are expected too and they have the money to be able to do it. It is not the Yanks fault that they have a great business and make the money. The other teams dont complain when the Yankees come to town and sell their stadiums out.
I remember exactly where I was. I was in the lobby of a girls dorm at my small, private Christian university trying to study for the first test of my hardest class in college. Needless to say, I didn’t study that much, I got sick to my stomach, and I definitely got a TERRIBLE grade on that test.
2001 and 2004 both were tough to swallow, but for me 2003 is the moment that just flat out angers me. That WS should have been won. I will never forgive Torre for bringing Weaver into that game instead of Mo. I will go to my grave saying that if he had we would be on title 27 already. That has to be one of the all time stupidest moves in the history of baseball managing.
I spent 24 hours in the hospital this weekend being monitored for a possible heart attack. That’s something to worry about. If someone is still possessed by the 2001 World Series, I might suggest therapy.
Thanks for having me contribute to your blog Peter. It’s well appreciated.
@Bob, who says:
“”I spent 24 hours in the hospital this weekend being monitored for a possible heart attack. That’s something to worry about. If someone is still possessed by the 2001 World Series, I might suggest therapy.”"”
See, Bob, normally that would get you my sympathy. But in this case, your health troubles do not even come close to Sean’s. Lupus is just the beginning of his troubles. So shut your pie hole and be glad you’re alive.
2001 is something no Yankee fan should forget, lest we get too cocky. And the next series we win will be all the sweeter for it.
Also, thanks for people that commented. I forgot to put a link to Peter’s blog on my blog today. I just did.
i too took a long walk after that game. it helped a little.
but honestly, what has lessened the sting more than anything was Super Bowl 42.