Lunchtime
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Feb 05, 2009 
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Not sure what prompted this day-of-food concept but why stop now?
Those readers who happened to follow my blog back at the Daily News might remember that my wife and I once spent a year trying to go to each of the Zagat’s Top 25 most popular restaurants in Manhattan. It was a fantastic (if somewhat expensive) pursuit, but a lot of fun and I occasionally posted reviews on the old blog of the places we’d been.
I mention this only because I once spent a long car ride trying to figure out which of those 25 restaurants would best represent each Yankee on the 25-man roster (I think this was in 2005). Like, Derek Jeter would be Gramercy Tavern: Solid, reliable, with consistent excellence and a very measured demeanor. Jorge Posada was Tabla: Delicious, spicy but a little erratic (I drank too much the night we were there). Mariano Rivera was Jean Georges: Elegant and classy, and a great place to close the deal (it’s one of the most popular spots for marriage proposals in the city).
Anyway, since not everyone knows New York restaurants, I was thinking about trying to come up with particular foods that best represent some of the Yankees. Here’s just a few:
Jeter: PB & J on white bread for the All-American
CC: A super dark and thick chili – it doesn’t necessarily look like excellent food, but it works.
Joba: Salad (some people like it at the start of the meal, some people like it at the end).
Teixeira: Wienerschnitzel (no one knows how to spell it or pronounce it, but it’s actually pretty good)
A-Rod: A Kobe beef burger (usually awesome but sometimes leaves you feeling like it’s just not worth the money?)
Update, 1:30 p.m.: I’m going to eat a real lunch right now (nothing interesting – chicken sandwich, I think) but just wanted to praise some excellent creativity in the comments. The bottles of wine for Cano (some years good, others not so much) and the stick of gum for Kei Igawa (because you get nothing out of it) made me laugh out loud. Keep ‘em coming.
Jeter is more like Steak and Potatoes
Sam
I’ve never heard of salad as a before or after but I have desert. There’s a bumper sticker I saw that said I start with desert.
Dude…. you’re so out of ideas
Probably want to stay away from penut butter.:lol:
Food metaphors!
“Joba: Salad (some people like it at the start of the meal, some people like it at the end).”
Lol. Send that one to Francesa.
Sam -
That was great! And I have to say, I would agree. Especially like the Joba salad!
I saw seen Jeter and Damon one late night at Vincent’S Clam Bar ( Mott and Hester ) after a Red Sox Yankee April game back in 04…..I guess Jetes goes there often…Scungilli and Calamari with hot Sauce….The Best, going there since I was a kid..Saw Joe D. there….Every trip back home that’s the first place I hit, then on to Ferreria’s…..
Saucy – I found it on the net – called The Canal House – upstairs is a really nice old school American rest about 200 years old. Downstairs and in basement is more modern and affordable fare. It worth it just to check out the old restaurant.
Everyone knows eating salad at the end of the meal is less efficient. It’s a waste of the salad’s potential.
Jeremy: I was waiting for someone to write that. Well done.
Mariano: Cheesecake. You’d like to have it to close out every meal, but you know you probably shouldn’t.
hahaha great job man on the comparisons, very funny stuff man
MaineYankee
Salad after is old school Italian. Never had it any other way at my grandparents.
I don’t know if you guys have this wherever you live, but we love “plate lunch”. Usually it’s meat, rice, mac or tossed salad.
If you make it over here you have to go to Rainbow Drive Inn. Their mix plate is the best. 3 scoops rice, teri beef, chicken cutlet, and mahimahi.
My mix plate would be 1 scoop Wang, 1 scoop Joba, 1 scoop Mo, with Jeter, Molina, and Teixeira on top.
In lieu of his new book, I have to say former Yankee Joe Torre is like a glass of water from the faucet of a Mexican sink.
Does the job when you need it but after it’s gone it results in uncontrollable cramping and severe diarrhea.
Aieee! Montezuma’s Revenge!
I now feel like going to Tastee Sub shop and getting a sub.
best lunch I have ever had was a “Garbage Plate” in Rochester. Granted, I was in college then and missed breakfast, but it was delicious.
m
Your mixed plate sounds kind of bland.
Sam, do you get paid by each post?
And if we get Andrew Jones he’ll have all of the above.
The Grease Trucks by RU, and their “Fat Cats” are a good way to get a 7000 calorie lunch too.
Hey can Pete take some more time off, you’re hilarious, on this pace you’ll be out of posts by tomorrow, we still need you for the whole week.
Jose Semolina
ARod & Cano are like bottles of wine. Year to Year they could be really good or not that great.
The Wanger: Sushi
Not quite filling, but still, an exquisite treat.
(Yeah, I know it’s way not PC. Deal.)
I remember the grease trucks-artery clogging stuff.
After hitting the bars on College Ave-make a pit stop there
Uncle Ellsworth – found their website. the upstairs looks too pricey for me, but the basement, aka “chef’s on fire”, looks great. that’s like the 2nd restaurant around here that i’ve noticed had a less expensive section….
Giambi= two coors lights and 3 cigs.
i’m used to eating salad before my meals. apparently, my father was the one who americanized the meals in my family by wanting it first back when he was a kid.
we have it after every once in a while (usually when the meal is done cooking before expected). it’s refreshing and a nice change…
Gah-College Ave=Easton Ave
Id pay to watch C.C. and Joba go at it in a hot dog eating contest. Britton is welcome to join in if he hasnt run out of frequent drivers miles.
Kei Igawa = a stick of bubble gum cause you’re really getting nothing from him.
i thought they were called “fat darrel’s”? or is that just one type?
Robinson Cano would be a glass of red win: can be smooth and appetizing, but can also make your face red (with anger when he commits 3 errors in a game), and is (hopefully in 2009) better with age.
Yeah Saucy its kind of a “special event” place
I’ve never eaten uptairs but they love for you go upstairs to check it out. It’s nice if you like old stuff.
Do you have a permit for the Reservoir – I Never fished it.
But have fished in the Field Campus.
Weird when you think of all the Towns that are under the Res.
Tom
February 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Giambi= two coors lights and 3 cigs.
————————————————————
Doesn’t everybody?
M– What’s the deal, the Yanks get Burnett and he doesn’t even rate high enough to get on your plate? Weak!
Oh and from the last thread, whoever posted that bar-b-q beef and bacon meatloaf thing excellent job. Guess what I’m cooking for dinner!
As far as salad. While you may be wasting it’s potential having it at the end of the meal it has already proven itself to be a HoF after dinner palate cleanser in my household. If you ate it before it could get hurt!
*win should be wine
I would liken Joba to alcohol. It can be an apertif or a digestif. A drink to start or end the meal or anything in between. I think the alcohol reference to his DUI is more fitting.
Michael Kay is like the cheese platter on the desert menu.
No one really wants it but year after year it’s still on the menu.
Sam, I hope you don’t mind if my lunchtime contribution is a plate of crow for Sox fan to munch on! This is written by the projo’s Jim Donaldson, their sports editor and a staunch Sox fan. I post the entire article only because you have to register to read the projo.
*Jim Donaldson — Player for player, the Yankees are better than Boston*
“So I’m reading Joe McDonald’s position-by-position analysis of the Red Sox in Wednesday’s paper––call me old school, but, although I write on a computer, when it comes time to read, I still love to sit at the kitchen table, or curl up the couch, with a real newspaper – and what occurs to me, as I run through the lineup, is that the Yankees, position-by-position, are better.
And, lest we forget, the Tampa Bay Rays won both the AL East and the ALCS – beating the Sox in seven games, as Boston fans will painfully recall––and they have just about everybody who’s anybody back.
Which doesn’t seem to bode well for the boys from Beantown.
Joey took a look at the Red Sox. Here’s my take on how the Sox look, compared to their archrivals, the Bombers from the Bronx:
FIRST BASE
Kevin Youkilis is a very good player. Mark Teixeira is better.
SECOND BASE
Not even close here. Dustin Pedroia is the A.L. MVP. Robinson Cano is Robinson Cano.
SHORTSTOP
The Yankees have Derek Jeter. The Red Sox have Julio Lugo and Jed Lowrie. More, in this case, indeed is less.
THIRD BASE
I like Mike Lowell much, much better than Alex Rodriguez. As a person, that is. As a ballplayer, A-Rod is much the best, especially with Lowell coming off hip surgery at the age of 35.
OUTFIELD
Will the real Jacoby Ellsbury please stand up? Is he the budding superstar who helped spark the Sox to a World Series title in ’07, or is he the solid but hardly spectacular young player who batted .245 in June and .247 in July? J.D. Drew is a heck of player, when he’s healthy. When he’s not, local hero Rocco Baldelli, who’s had serious health problems of his own, will take over in right field. Left fielder Jason Bay hit .293 after coming to Boston from Pittsburgh at the trading deadline, then batted .341, with three homers, in 11 postseason games for the Sox. As long he’s not compared to Manny Ramirez – remember him? – Bay measures up pretty well against most players.
As for the Yankees, Johnny Damon – remember him? – hit .303 last year and will start in left field. Center field is up for grabs between Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner. Xavier Nady seems likely to be in right, although Nick Swisher is in the picture there, too. Overall, if everybody performs up to expectations, I’d take Boston’s outfield over New York’s, but the difference isn’t huge.
DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz played a career-low 109 games last year, and his power clearly was affected by his aching wrist. His weight and conditioning could prove to be an issue, especially at age 33. In New York, expect Hideki Matsui to be the DH, at least early in the season. Matsui, like Ortiz, is coming off an injury that limited him to 93 games (he hit .294 with 9 homers and 45 RBI), and he’ll be 35 in June. If both are healthy, I prefer Big Papi.
CATCHER
Pardon me if the soap-opera signing saga of Jason Varitek didn’t seem like the key to the pennant for the Sox. While his contributions to the handling of the pitching staff are considerable, he has become an automatic out in the batting order, particularly from the left side, where he hit .201 last year. Jose Molina, with hopefully (from a Yankees’ standpoint) Jorge Posada returning sooner, rather than later, gives New York a decided edge behind the plate. Posada also can DH, which you can bet Varitek won’t be doing.
STARTING ROTATION
Joey’s right – the Red Sox do have starting depth aplenty. And talent, too. The thing is, the Yankees have more of both. Looking at the lefties at the top of the rotation, there’s nothing not to like about Jon Lester. But, if they could afford him, any team in the league would take New York’s expensive offseason acquisition, C.C. Sabathia, over Lester –– at least for 2009, if not necessarily the long-term. The Yanks also spent big bucks to acquire A.J. Burnett. But he’s no Josh Beckett. As for Daisuke Matsuzaka and Chien-Ming Wang, I’ll call that a wash. It also should be noted that having those two guys as third starters (although Wang, not Burnett, may turn out to be No. 2 in New York) is a key reason the Yanks and the Sox are two of the best teams in baseball. In the old-vet category, give me Andy Pettitte over Tim Wakefield. Are Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden better than Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes? We’ll see. Do the Sox move Justin Masterson into a starting role? Do the Yankees move Joba Chamberlain back to the bullpen? We’ll see about that, too. Having Brad Penny ready, and John Smoltz recuperating in the wings, are plusses for the Sox, but, as I see it, the Yanks get the nod here.
BULLPEN
The Red Sox rate the edge in the ‘pen. In the all-important closer role, Mariano Rivera is a dead-lock future Hall of Famer. But Jonathan Papelbon, who still has to perform over the long haul if he’s to get to Cooperstown, is better right now. Masterson could be masterful as Boston’s setup man. Hideki Okajima can be counted on to get lefties out, and the hope is that Manny Delcarmen will continue to improve. Having newcomers Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez in the mix, along with Javier Lopez, is a plus. As for the Yankees, they’ve got Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and David Robertson. Which is why the Red Sox get the thumbs-up here.
MANAGER
I’ll take Terry Francona, thank you very much, over Joe Girardi. If famous author Joe Torre was still in the Yankees’ dugout, this would be a much tougher call.
OVERALL
*The pitching staffs are comparable, but the Yankees pack more punch in their batting order, especially in the bottom third. That ability to pound away, day after day, will put them atop the A.L. East at the end of the day –– or season.*”
HEAR HEAR!
The one thing that I definitely don’t understand in Donaldson’s column is how he can say that Papelbon right now is better than Mo.
Anyone else agree with his take?
It seems a bit slow today and couldnt think of a better time to predict the 09 pitchers success.
e.r.a.-Im going with a sleeper Wang.
strikeouts-Burnett
most innings pitched-C.C.
most walks-Pettitte
most shutouts-C.C.
most hit batters-Joba
most fist pumps-Joba
most ejected from games for retaliating-Joba
Did i miss any other category?
Actually, I love to have cheese after dessert, and I would say that relief pitchers are like blue cheese, some are incredible and some just plain stink, but Mo is like a Sauterne. He can make any of them seem better and is fantastic all on his own.
Did the author forget how well the Yanks pen preformed last year and how bad the soxs pen was?
And to continue that metaphor, Sabathia will have to be a big, rich chocolate cake. Dependable and great for any occasion. Everyone needs one in their lineup.
Andy- Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes- Down home, comfort food; nothing fancy but usually satisfying.
A-Rod-Sizzling Fajitas- The dramatic presentation is part of the deal but when the smoke clears it’s a well balanced dish.
“The one thing that I definitely don’t understand in Donaldson’s column is how he can say that Papelbon right now is better than Mo.”
I think Papelbon paid him to write that.
Totally wrong about the Pens.
Wang = Dice K -whatever dude.
I really hope we get the real Robbie Cano this year.
Oh, I love A-Rod as fajitas! Shrimp fajitas with plenty of extra hot salsa verde because they are my favorite, and so is he.
I think I need to go eat lunch now.
Bronx Jeers -
The Michael Kay bit was HILARIOUS!!!!!
Ill try this again.
09 pitchers predictions
Best team E.R.A.-Wang
Most K’s-Burnett
Most innings pitched-C.C.
Most complete games-C.C.
Most innngs pitched-c.c.
Most walks-Pettitte
Most shutouts-C.C.
Most hbp-Joba
Most kicked out for retaliating-Joba
Most fist pumps-Joba
Did i miss any?
Ill try this again.
09 pitchers predictions
Wins-C.C.
Best team E.R.A.-Wang
Most K’s-Burnett
Most innings pitched-C.C.
Most complete games-C.C.
Most innngs pitched-c.c.
Most walks-Pettitte
Most shutouts-C.C.
Most hbp-Joba
Most kicked out for retaliating-Joba
Most fist pumps-Joba
Did i miss any?
TESTING
For 2009
Wins = C.C.
Best team E.R.A.=Wang
Most K’s=Burnett
Most innings pitched=C.C.
Most complete games=C.C.
Most innngs pitched=c.c.
Most walks=Pettitte
Most shutouts=C.C.
Most hbp=Joba
Most kicked out for retaliating=Joba
Most fist pumps=Joba
Did i miss any?
For 2009
Wins= C.C.
Best team E.R.A.=Wang
K’s=Burnett
innings pitched=C.C.
complete games=C.C.
innngs pitched=c.c.
walks=Pettitte
shutouts=C.C.
hit batter=Joba
fist pumps=Joba
Did i miss any?
Of course Papelbon is better than Mo. As a dancer.
Papelbon in 2008: 2.34 ERA, 198 ERA+, .0952 WHIP, 41 saves
Rivera in 2008: 1.40 ERA, 317 ERA+, 0.665 WHIP, 39 saves
Those two saves must mean a whole lot to Donaldson.
Cano has to be hearing all this Pedroia is better stuff. I say we see a very motivated 2b next year. I predict Cano has better year then Pedroia
And to add a little levity to the lunch-time meal, how about reading trash about another team for once?
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02.....153659.htm
“As it is with players, managers also lose their “touch” as they get older. I don’t think there is any question Joe did in his final years as Yankee manager.”
sj44-
two years ago , i would take your opinion on this more seriously, but you’re not getting any younger you know.
Whos your 2009 leaders in pitching stats?
Wang era/douple plays
C.C. wins/complete games/shutouts/innings pitched
Burnett strikeouts
Pettitte walks
Joba hbp/ejections/fist pumps
Seriously that threw me about Papelbon and Mo. I don’t think it’s even close, with Mo definitely getting the nod. I watched Papelsmear pull out some dicey situations after giving up a slew of hits. I don’t remember Mo having many situations where he did give up a lot of hits, though there were a few. (And two is a lot for Mo, so when I say a lot, I guess I would mean more than one.)
Ok, I’m bored so I’ll try this out…
Melky is like milk (pun intended) the day after it expires. It might be ok, or it might be sickening. Maybe Cash should give the Melk-man the sniff test.
Gardner on the other hand is like one lay’s potato chip. It’s good, gritty, gone in a second and you can’t help but want more.
*Thank you Joe Torre, you ruined my marriage.*
This week I got my wife an anniversary card. In the card, I enclosed a letter. The words flowed romantically and sincerely. It was a work of art. I spoke so glowingly of her. I showed the letter to some close friends and it brought tears to their eyes.
In the middle of the letter I casually mentioned that some of her friends called her “fat cow” behind her back. Was that so bad? All those other praising words and those are the ones she picked out? Give me a break!
I told her – she needed to read the ENTIRE letter. Don’t take those words of out context! Don’t pick apart one throw away line of an entirely beautiful letter. But no, all she kept muttering was “fat cow”.
In my defense I said that I had help writing the letter. Those exact “fat cow” words weren’t mine. (this didn’t help)
She asked me if I had read the letter before I gave it to her – I meekly said – yes, six or seven times. (this didn’t help either)
I tried to make a joke of the whole thing. I said friends didn’t really say those words “behind her back”. It wasn’t said in a mean way! It was playful. (this really didn’t help)
I tried to reason – look, everyone knows you aren’t as skinny as you were 12 years ago. It’s a fact. It’s not like it’s shattering news! (by now, I’m ducking for cover)
As a final defense I said – Look Joe Torre said some terrible things about Arod and people still love him and his new terrific book.
She asked me where Joe Torre was now. I said LA. She said good, go join your buddy Joe in California – you are history.
My only hope is Valentine’s Day. I’m thinking maybe Tom Verducci can help me with a card……
Trisha,
Yep. Whenever Mo allows a hit, he would have the disgusted look on his face.
“Ben Sheets has a torn flexor tendon in his elbow that might require surgery. ”
Now does that explain why the Yanks weren’t interested and no one was willing to sign him…besides the pathetic Rangers…
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....s-may.html
trish,
Wang is hands down better than Dice
The Yankees pen is much deeper and better than Bostons
Joba is better than anyone boston has a a 5th starter
Pedroia was better in 08 but Cano was better prior. I wouldnt count him out just yet.
Dave should **definitely read this**, whenever he post he rants on about Sheets:
According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and T.R. Sullivan, Ben Sheets has a **torn flexor tendon in his elbow** that might **require** surgery. There is some debate as to whether the Brewers would have to pay for the procedure. The Rangers and Sheets agreed to a two-year deal last week, but the physical threw a wrench into it. GM Jon Daniels says he’s not optimistic at this point.
The injury first surfaced late in the ’08 season, but until Sheets’ physical with the Rangers it was thought that rehab would be sufficient.
——-
I would hate to say I told you so but eh…..
….shoot, i been beaten.
Randy I,,, I spoke with Eddie Edguardo earlier this morning as he was picking up his Escalade…Asked him of all the hitters you’ve faced over the 17 years or so in the bigs, who was last guy tou would want to face with the game on the line…………….Bernie Willaims……He says the 09 Yanks are going to be a major force to deal with on all fronts….Lineup is stacked however the starting Rotation can be a shutdown series making difference
DT – very funny
DT,
i love it
DT,
Freekin hillarious!! Im hoping it was a joke. Hell even it it wasnt its still funny. You should have said that dr.Phil said we should always tell the truth. It makes for a healthier marriage. Just like when you ask me how i look in this dress?
CANT ARGUE WITH PHIL.
DT
just get her an Oprah autographed diet book. That should do it.
Your marital bliss will be renewed.
Awesome DT, very awesome.
We knew a while back that the Yankees weren’t high on Sheets because of his initial medical report. This report is just the final nail.
Who the heck is Eddie Edguardo?!?!?!
Posada is like the bottle of wine. You buy it based on a previous years production and hope that when you open it up this year it is still good.
“Who the heck is Eddie Edguardo?!?”
Bernies chaufer.
LOL
Funny stuff DT
Uncle Ellsworth
February 5th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Yeah Saucy its kind of a “special event” place
I’ve never eaten uptairs but they love for you go upstairs to check it out. It’s nice if you like old stuff.
Do you have a permit for the Reservoir – I Never fished it.
But have fished in the Field Campus.
Weird when you think of all the Towns that are under the Res.
—–
i printed off the form for the permit, filled it out, but never sent the thing in
i’ve fished one of the others though, further west (can’t remember the name), but not that one.
DT, not that I think we should take opportunities to call your wife a fat cow, but could you kind of keep that post on hand whenever someone starts to wax poetic about Traitor Joe’s book and says that there are only a few pages devoted to throwing the organization and/or the team under the bus?
Thank you!
Brilliant, by the way.
S.O.S. I would have definitely given the nod to our pen also. Heck, the only real problem we had last year was when the bullpen had to continually start to relieve in the third inning!
DT
Well played.
rodg12
February 5th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Who the heck is Eddie Edguardo?!?
————————————————————
Rangers closer, eddie Guardado.
A-Rod: Cheesecake.
Joba: Jack Daniels chocolate ice cream.
Jeter = Krispy Kreme doughnut
Everybody loves ‘em but there’s a big hole up the middle
Burnett = hot dog, cause you really don’t know what you’re getting, you just hope it’s good.
Girardi = anything that’s low in sugar
DT – I wish you’d send that to every newspaper in the nation. (There must be a listserve somewhere!) Then to all of the sports radio stations, then to all of the television sports stations. Something makes me think it would get a lot of great play and perhaps – just perhaps – also send a message!
DT- POST OF THE CENTURY!!
Ed Guardaro has been a MLB pitcher for nearly 17 seasons….Twins closer for nearly a decade, then to Seattle where he and Putz were a tandem….Just signed with Texas….He’s bounced around, but has stayed in the bigs for a long time….Little surprising …
“closer role, Mariano Rivera is a dead-lock future Hall of Famer. But Jonathan Papelbon, who still has to perform over the long haul if he’s to get to Cooperstown, is better right now.”
How?
Name G W L SV IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP BAA
Pap 67 5 4 41 69.1 58 24 18 4 8 77 2.34 0.95 .223
Riv 64 6 5 39 70.2 41 11 11 4 6 77 1.40 0.67 .165
Wow, poor Sheets. I saw one clip of him and I was in awe of his stuff…….but it’s of no use if he can’t pitch. I hope he can bounce back from this.
That’s what I figured GB, just wanted to needle PAT M. a little about the typo.
Every-Day Eddie
Women don’t like to be called any sort of names no matter what type of name it is or who did it.
Paplebon is better than Mo? If you asked any player in the big leagues who they want in a big spot, a vast majority would choose Mo, no question. Until Mo abdicates, there are only pretenders to the the throne. This is not to be disrespectful of Paplebon in anyway, but there is just no one better than Mariano.
Trisha,
You just want to see me on Divorce Court TV before Judge Mablean don’t you?
I can talk my way out of this. That’s what I’m good at.
I’m working on the Valentine’s Day card now.
I’m leaving out the part about how she coyly copies the style and mannerisms of the divorced white female hottie down the street.
Sheets having a serious injury is the least surprising development of the offseason so far.
Guess the Pettitte signing looks even better now.
“Did the author forget how well the Yanks pen preformed last year and how bad the soxs pen was?”
FWIW, I think you’ll find that what you suggest is not true if you give it a hard look.
Think about it? Who was bad in the Boston bullpen in ’08? Aardsma? Timlin? Hansen? Tavarez? What do those guys have in common???
The remaining guys, Papelbon, Okijima, Matserson, Delcarmen and Vazquez combined for 350+ innings with an ERA of just under 2.80, a WHIP of 1.16, and nearly a K an inning. Plus they added Saito and Ramirez who combined for 120 innings a 2.60 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and 130 K.
Before we call the Yankees bullpen lights out in ’08, let’s recall Ross Ohlendorf and his techinicolor 6.6 ERA. Hawkins and his 5.71. Robertson and his 5+ ERA. Bits of Britton and Traber, etc. Heck, even Marte was at 5.40 in his Yankee tenure, though his numbers were skewed by an especially bad outing in Texas.
Similar to Boston’s case, most of the damage from last year’s pen is gone. That leaves the team with Mo, Marte, Bruney, Veras, Edwar, maybe Coke and Melancon. Closers aside, the guys left standing in Boston were probably every bit as good as the guys left standing with the Yankees last year and there isn’t much reason to think it will be much different this time around.
According to Heyman, Andrew Jones turned a Yankees minor league deal.
turned down
that’s not quite accurate, pat. Andruw said he’d review it after he was done with dinner.
rodg12
February 5th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
That’s what I figured GB, just wanted to needle PAT M. a little about the typo.
————————————————————
Pat M might not be much of a typist, but, he’s a good guy. He’s agreed to let me use a baseball bat to play golf with him, SJ44 and Randy I. If figure if I shank the ball and they laugh, I still have the bat to help decide where the ball should be placed.
I haven’t read the prior threads yet, just took a quick look. I will read the Davidoff blog entry later…
I would really like for Alex to just thumb his nose at those who boo him. The best way to show that he’s not affected by this is to just go out and do what he does best. I don’t think he’ll be affected by the book, but he WILL hear A-Fraud all the time on the road now. He should just go out there and let his talent take over – that will silence those boo-birds.
SJ44, if you’re still around, what do you think the take around the game is about this book? I know Jon Heyman has said that baseball people are amused about it, but Cash has a lot of friends in the game and I can’t imagine they would be happy to see their friend ripped like that.
LOL at the River Ave Blues blog – look at all the Yankee fans who apparently think Joe Girardi is destined to fail and only the great and powerful Joe Torre can lead the Yankees to victory.
“According to Heyman, Andrew Jones turned down a Yankees minor league deal.”
well hopefully that would shut people up about signing Jones.
“Thank you Joe Torre, you ruined my marriage.”
just as well because it will cut down on the possibility of overly sensitive offspring .
( but kudos for clever analogy )
it was an analogy right?
Hope this most recent Sheets news can finally put all the Sheets talk to rest here. If anything, this shows nobody will sign him before June.
Stupid move for Andruw. He signs with us and looks decent in ST and he is our CF. Is he so unsure of himself that he has to have a guaranteed contract, or does he believe some team is dumb enough to give him one?
edwar ramirez – go girl energy drink
Pat M, what you you think about NYY signing Curtis Thigpen to a minor league deal and giving him a ST invite?
The Yanks can’t even consider putting Jones on the 40 man roster so no deal.
If he won’t take a minor league deal he has no place here.
He’s a guy who has to earn his career back from the bottom. Maybe some other team might waste a spot on him, but the Yankees surely cannot.
While I wouldn’t be against bringing him to camp to see what he can do, the guy has played himself out of the position he once excelled at.
I think he’s a latter day Carlos Baerga/Edgardo Alfonso. Guys who were incredible players in their 20′s who suddenly lost their game for some reason.
Those are the only other guys who I loved as players and saw fall off the cliff like Jones who I would have killed to have roaming CF post Bernie a few years ago.
DT – well I do really care about your marriage, honest I do. But you know, you have to think of the good of the team here. It’s all about the team. Surely you can find a way to set things straight after the dust settles you know? If you print that everywhere, you’ll still end up in the marriage Hall of Fame, I’m sure of it. And you might end up even having your number retired because I’m sure there will be so many people calling you to offer you your own book deal that you’ll get sick of the calls!
Actually I am serious about that being published. It is such perfect parody. Please consider it!
“just as well because it will cut down on the possibility of overly sensitive offspring .”
the insult king strikes again!
“Jeter = Krispy Kreme doughnut
Everybody loves ‘em but there’s a big hole up the middle”
: D
Jones is going to have to take a minor league contract. Who in their right ming would give him a spot on their 40 man?
Jeter and “white bread” in the same sentence? (PB&J on white bread).
From the Urban Dictionary (Definition #1, Paragraph 2):
“The term implies profound cultural naïvete, blind consumerism, and an unquestioning “follower” mindset. Common trappings of the whitebread lifestyle include golf, Kenny G and Enya CDs, SUVs, an irrational fixation on lawn care, Golden Retrievers, nominally Christian religious beliefs, Old Navy clothing, moderate to conservative political views, bad Chardonnay, equally bad espresso, cookie-cutter houses, Bath & Body Works hygiene products, and very white-collar employment.”
Jeter? Filet mignon or prime rib.
“Hope this most recent Sheets news can finally put all the Sheets talk to rest here. If anything, this shows nobody will sign him before June”
At least. Sounds like the Rangers had agreed to a two year deal but the physical panned it.
Boston Dave
February 5th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
“just as well because it will cut down on the possibility of overly sensitive offspring .”
the insult king strikes again!
That Randy stuff bounces off my back.
I have the brain of a walnut you know.
Nearly *8* times the size of a peanut.
And no I never wore a professional catcher’s mask, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once.
G. Love,
I thought of Baerga too. Ate himself out of baseball.
A Yankee minor league deal could have been a win-win. Jones shows up to ST hungry (for something other than food) and he could well make the team. We certainly don’t have anyone locked into CF. He shows up out of shape and it’s his own fault he never makes the 40 man.
I wonder what Jones expects he will get from other teams. $1.5 million to be a 4th OF? A Pavano-like deal with lots of incentives? Or has Boras deluded him into thinking someone will give him starting CF money?
pat m-
Eddie Edguardo?
Ed Guardaro?
… maybe you should cut down on those pain pills for your knee surgery recovery
just kidding. i’m sure more than a few pitchers thought that. bernie was tough under pressure.
gb7-
you can’t hook a golfball with a bat. but if you have a bat in your hand and you say it hooked, fine by me.
Betsy,
Nobody in the game cares about Torre’s book. Its something to talk about for a few days before ST begins.
Trust me, players care about themselves. They don’t get caught up in this stuff as fans do.
Baseball people? They read it laugh, and say, “great, a pi$$ed off Arod is just what we need. We have enough trouble getting him out as it is”.
Its big news in NY and no news everywhere else.
Rodg12, If that was the only flack I’d receive here I would be quite happy….Typing is new to me ( 56 years old ), as I always paid someone to type my papers in the old College days…GB7, that signing just indicates to me that Cashman wants to keep Phil and Ian in AAA for as long as possible…He learned and swallowed a bitter pill last season….I was all for Hughes coming up in 07 when injuries wiped out the starters and he responed well….Randy 1, was all over the dangers of pulling him up and was the most outspoken person here on the riskd….Damn catchers, what do they really know ??? How many are mgr’s now, 10 maybe…..Good pickup…Andru Jones makes a poor career decision, I think…..
It’s unfortunate that Ben Sheets is an injury mess.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....l-rep.html
But the cynic in me is smiling the biggest smile upon hearing this news. You know, because of the coincidence that as he wasn’t getting a deal and the off-season was nearing it’s close, new medicals forgiving of his injury prone arm suddenly appeared out of thin air in order to -dupe- lure teams into signing him.
Feels good man. I mean it sucks for him, but my bull$hit radar is perfectly calibrated. And, yes, I am proudly patting myself on the back for that.
Randy, GB and Pat M,
If I am going to arrange this golf game, preferably at my club, some rules have to be initiated.
We each have to drink one beer for every 2 holes we play.
No betting allowed at Bushwood.
I pay for lunch.
We have to raise enough hell on the course so I can get written up by the club commandos.
I always like going before their board so you have to indulge me on that one!
Good thing we aren’t doing it today. Its 50 here now and its going down to 35 tonight.
Even too cold for me to swing the club and that’s saying something.
Did Anyone NOT read Torre’s book??? ARod is the PBJ guy
SJ44,,,Randy can have GB7 and his Louisville Slugger, you and I get 3 aside…Then we can re-adjust for the back
Sorry Hobbs, that was supposed to be a funny face.
A-Rod and Peanut butter? Nah. Forget the cholesterol and the rest – he’d be worried about salmonella!
Pat M,
Works for me!
Yankees could have more competitions in ST this year than many in the recent past.
Even the infield which is a lock could have some fun competition for back-ups with Jeter, A-Rod and possibly Cano being gone for as much as 3 weeks for the WBC.
“Did Anyone NOT read Torre’s book??? ARod is the PBJ guy
”
I love PBJ! I am ARod!
What you guys want me to hit next season? .320 .330 maybe? Maybe I’ll just hit Varitek.
Bronx Jeers February 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Sorry Hobbs, that was supposed to be a funny face.
- – - – - – -
Just another of the perils of our gender experimenting with things better left to the opposite sex, Bronx!
randy l
February 5th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
pat m-
Eddie Edguardo?
Ed Guardaro?
… maybe you should cut down on those pain pills for your knee surgery recovery
just kidding. i’m sure more than a few pitchers thought that. bernie was tough under pressure.
gb7-
you can’t hook a golfball with a bat. but if you have a bat in your hand and you say it hooked, fine by me.
————————————————————
To say that I was good at golf is to say that Colter Bean is a HOF pitcher. You’re in deep trouble.
3 aside each…..You agreed to that way too fast…..Randy 1, The Skinsman….Make you putt lefthanded ….
“And no I never wore a professional catcher’s mask”
actually every hard hit to the mask kills brain cells.
the worst problem is concussions because your prefrontal cortex gets permanently damaged and the prefrontal cortex is the impulse control center that that tells you whether to act on an impulse or not.
it’s why that major league players always charge the pitcher’s mound when they get hit even though they know the catcher probably signaled for it.
they’d have to be crazy to attack the catcher because first of all, he’s crazy for being back there at all, second because he’s already mad from being in pain from getting hit with bats and balls all the time, third he has all that equipment on ( except red sox catchers in fights), and last but not least, he has no impulse control from all those damaged prefrontal cortex cells so there’s no telling what he might do.
in the whole history of the game, very few catchers have been attacked. marichal must have been really mad, though he had the presence of mind to use a bat.
dt, all kidding aside, that was a very funny post of yours.
i hope you and your wife get back together.
just don’t get her a treadmill for valentine’s day.
On issues such as Sheets signing, maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t be too quick to call the management names for not pursuing such players. Could it be that the insiders have more inside information that do we sitting at our computers looking at last years statistics?
SJ44
February 5th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Randy, GB and Pat M,
If I am going to arrange this golf game, preferably at my club, some rules have to be initiated.
We each have to drink one beer for every 2 holes we play.
No betting allowed at Bushwood.
I pay for lunch.
We have to raise enough hell on the course so I can get written up by the club commandos.
I always like going before their board so you have to indulge me on that one!
Good thing we aren’t doing it today. Its 50 here now and its going down to 35 tonight.
Even too cold for me to swing the club and that’s saying something.
————————————————————
Good deal. I’ll assume the role of Al Czervik. I don’t get any respect on the golf course, anyway.
DT -
That was just simply excellent!
SJ44 -
I have a question and you seem to be the most likely here to be able to answer it. I know Cashman seems to have turned his focus on developing the minor league system, or replenishing it. “The book” made it clear, and I think most of us were aware, that Cashman has embraced the sabermetric approach to player evaluation. Have they also embraced the biomechanics that the book talked about? Are they seriously investing funds in player evaluation and development? Are they improving their scouting personnel? Is there any difficulty for them hiring scouting personnel given the rather rude treatment of the scouts by Steinbrenner in failing to given them WS rings after 2000? Do scouts in other organizations get rings after the MLB team wins the WS?
It seems to me that with the money the Yankees have, they should be able to blow everyone out of water in terms of being forward thinking and forward moving in terms of the entire organization. Are they putting the foundations in place, seriously, to do this?
(I know this is more than “a” question – I guess one thing led to another…)
It’s all good PAT M. Good to have you on the blog. You write some good stuff.
GB – sounds like you and I have the same golf skills. I’m always trying to get my buddies to let me take a baseball bat out with me to the golf course. They never let me do it though.
Jeter = Ann Coulter.
Both have trouble going to the left. Oh yeah, this was supposed to be a food reference.
On the outfield comparisons, strange as it seems, Damon is probably just as good a player in LF as Jason Bay. Bay is significantly better with the bat, but he’s so poor defensively, JD makes up for that difference in hitting with his glove and by stealing a lot more bases. In fact, LF is arguably a slight edge to Yankees in that, while the RS could easily give up Bay in exchange for Damon, the Yankees would be an overall worse team with Bay in LF than with Damon.
As for the other starting OFs, give Boston the clear edge. But they don’t seem to have any OF depth. Drew cannot be counted on to play in more than 125 games in any given year. Their best backup is Baldelli, who hasn’t been able to play more than 35 games during each of the last two years. Beyond that, the Sox OF depth chart lists a pair of 30-ish guys with virtually no MLB playing time (Jeff Bailey and Jonathan Van Every). The Yankees at least have some depth in the OF with Swisher on the bench.
rodg12
February 5th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
It’s all good PAT M. Good to have you on the blog. You write some good stuff.
GB – sounds like you and I have the same golf skills. I’m always trying to get my buddies to let me take a baseball bat out with me to the golf course. They never let me do it though.
————————————————————
The other night, I wrote about my golfing skills and what happens to really bad golfers in the US Army. Sadly, it’s a true story.
David Wells would be the bacon explosion: http://www.bbqaddicts.com/bacon-explosion.html
I’d say Jeter is prime rib…classy, dependably tasty…
DT, you’re a comedy genius.
“Jeter: PB & J on white bread for the All-American”
Since Jeter is of mixed race, shouldn’t this be wheat bread?
Laura -
Marble rye, maybe?
“Marble rye, maybe?”
Maybe, but definitely not pumpernickel.
True, Jeter is bi-racial. That’s why he has a black and white cookie for dessert.
Doreen,
When Cashman got full control of the team, they had to start over from the ground up. That’s what happens when you completely ignore your farm system for 6 years (2000-2005) as the Yankees did. They didn’t even have adequate technology in the offices in NY and Tampa to store data and do complete sabermetric profiles on players.
That’s how far behind they were. It was not money George felt like appropriating to the budget. Cashman finally talked him into it (and made it part of his deal) and their technology now is up to date.
They have added more scouts, both in the states and Latin America, in the past two years. Getting Bill Livesey back was a coup.
Scouts unfortunately, are treated poorly by many teams. It was reprehensible that George didn’t give them rings in 2000. No excuse for that.
Even the Marlins gave WS rings to their scouts when they won the WS in 2003. Teams normally give scouts a ring below the grade and quality of ring they give to the players. That was VERY bad form on the part of the Yankees hosing the scouts as they did.
Scouts now make more money with the Yankees than they did prior to 2006. That have enabled them to hire better scouts. Its still though, a work in progress.
This is where Hal comes in. I think Hal understands the big picture better than his dad did, and will continue to invest heavily into player development.
Just because they signed 3 FA’s doesn’t mean the Yankees have abandoned internal player development. If anything, the belief they have to continue to upgrade their in house scouting and player development is more prevelent now than ever.
As far as biomechanics, they employ people who specialize in that area. How deep they are into it is outside my knowledge point at this time. I don’t think they are knee deep into it like the Red Sox at the present time.
3 aside each…..You agreed to that way too fast…..Randy 1, The Skinsman….Make you putt lefthanded ….GB7, did O. Moody ever see you play with Louisville Slugger 34 in…
“Dave, I’m staying out of whatever debate occurs on Phil now, but I had to mention this – Phil was the #1 ranked pitching prospect, not #2.”
Betsy,
Your right. Im sorry. I didnt mean second best pitching prospect, I meant second best prospect in the majors and best pitch prospect. He was immediately behind alex gordon who was ranked first and ahead of both homer bailey and tim lincecum who were ranked second and third among pitchers.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3886732
Sign the guy for $1M per year for 2 years, with performance incentives that could get him past $10M in the second year if he can pitch well again. Have him go for the surgery right away. Include a TEAM option for ’11 and ’12 that guarantees him an annual amount equal to what he makes (including incentives he reaches) during the 2nd year of the contract, but add a few more incentives to allow him to make a couple million more. If he can’t come back, it only costs the 2 years base pay.
Basically, we’d be signing him to have surgery in ’09 and to pitch for the $2M in ’10. We’d be paying him for value of pitching well IF HE COMES BACK AND PITCHES WELL, and we’d reserve the option to create a new benchmark based on how that comeback turns out.
Food metaphor? OK here’s one: Make a reservation one year in advance at a restaurant where a pretty good chef just closed the place for some necessary renovations but plans to re-open it in a year. Wait for the re-opening then see how it is. Pay a lot if the food is good, pay a little if it isn’t. And if it’s good, have him grille up the AL East for a couple more years and enjoy the feast.
Bi-racial? Black and white cookie?
Class doesn’t have a color. Jeter = class.
Jason Giambi on Joe Torre’s Book- “It’s hurtful”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.co.....ero-j.html
SJ
When cash took over, the yanks were a dynasty. There farm system was in trouble but the team itself was the best in baseball… And damon oppenheimer has to get some credit for the scouting and drafting that took the teams minor league organization to the top half of the pack. Furthermore, the farm has slowly declined to middle of the road recently. I think that had a lot to do with the inability to sign our first and second round picks last year.
I am assuming that everyone knows that, uh, DT didn’t really send that card to his wife???
DT – A mime is a terrible thing to waste!
Get that sucker published!!!
Thanks, SJ44 – I appreciate the answer. I do agree that Hal will be a lot more proactive in this area than George could be. I guess he’s as “old school” as they get. It really does go to show it’s not the money you have, but how you use it that can make the biggest difference.
I’m especially glad to hear you say they are able to procure some good scouts (with money). I would think that word would get around among scouts how the “rich” Yankees were too cheap to take care of the scouts.
The Yankees have the financial means to be setting the standards here; it’s too bad they found themselves playing catch-up. But, as long as they are finally boarding the train, that’s a good thing.
NYYanksFan -
Thanks for the link. The NY area media is really going to miss Jason Giambi. I think the fans will, too, though not necessarily on the field.
Sorry, murphydog. Didn’t mean to offend.
For what it’s worth, black and white cookies are very classy.
“We have to raise enough hell on the course so I can get written up by the club commandos.”
sj-
i think with pat m, greenberet7, and me on the course with you there is little chance you won’t be called in front of the board.
i’m not so quick to agree to three aside though. you might be pretty good since you belong to a miami club and play a lot. tell you what, if you and pat win the front side, you don’t have to putt left handed as pat m suggested, but any of us can challenge the other side on the back nine to hit any one shot a hole the opposite way( righty hits lefty, lefty hits righty).
don’t worry about clubs. i have plenty for both sides
NYYanksFan -
Thanks for the link. Very good read. I’m going to miss the Big G. I think his contributions last year were under appreciated by many.
Dave,
The Yankees were a Dynasty in name only by 2005. The game, and its revenue streams, had changed, and the Yankees were well back of the pack in instituting the necessary changes needed because the game was changing.
Who do you think put Oppenheimer in charge of the draft? It was Cashman.
Who put the resources into player development? Cashman.
They were 30th in MLB in most farm system ratings in 2005. Now, depending on who you believe, they are anywhere from 10-13. That’s pretty good.
They will probably have a higher rating once the Charleston kids of last year hit AA. Lots of legitimate prospects on that team.
They messed up the draft bigtime last year. Hopefully, that mistake won’t be made again.
Overall though, the farm system is miles better than what it was in 2005 and the guy behind its growth is Cashman. He made it a priority once again and has been able to staff and finance it accordingly.
SJ44, When are they going to beef up the instructional aspects of the system…They just seem to me to be behind in this regard…..Sinfully lagging in quality coaching and the numbers in staffing are low…
“For what it’s worth, black and white cookies are very classy.”
Not to mention yummy.
You meant in 2005? I thought you meant when he actually became GM in 98 and not when he effectively took over operations. The yanks were certainly a dynasty when cash was first appointed to the position. I think oppenheimer was a very good choice and the yanks thrived in the draft for a few seasons. I heard the yanks were 14 or 15 right now – literally, right in the middle of the pack but i guess it is all a matter of opinion.
I hope the yanks make some quality picks in the first and second round of the draft next year because i HEARD at some point the talent really drops off a cliff. i DONT know at what point that is but after our second round pick, we dont have any picks until the fifth I believe so that first and second round should be huge for us. I hope some huge talent falls because of signing concerns or injury history but the yanks have to be VERY careful next season in the risk they take. I dont think their first and second pick are protected this year after those picks were protected from last years draft.
Pat M,
The last two years, they lost a couple of good guys in Chaves and Gil Patterson. I agree that area needs to be beefed up more than just having “guest spring training instructors”.
I may be partial because those guys are friends of mine but, I like the staff in Charleston. They do a great job with the players.
Getting Frankie Menechino to be the hitting coach in Trenton was a great hire. Frankie not only knows hitting, he can teach it. Something a lot of guys can’t do. I think he will do a great job with the Thunder.
Scott Aldred is one of the best pitching coaches anywhere in baseball, IMO. I’m glad he was promoted to Scranton this year. He’s going to be a top flight pitching coach at the major league level one day.
The entire Scranton staff is also outstanding. Dave Miley and Butch Wyneager are quality teachers.
The lower levels are tough because its hard to find guys that want to be there. Its a real struggle for everybody to find guys at that level who want to work with the players.
They all want AA and AAA jobs.
That’s one area which is still a work in progress with the Yankees.
i DONT know why i wrote next season or next year – i meant the draft coming up obviously.
Aside from the protected picks the Yanks get for losing the picks from this last draft, aren’t their top picks lost due to the CC/AJ/Tex signings?
BTW, there is supposedly a bar in San Francisco that serves bacon it its Bloody Marys. I might have to check it out.
Pavano is like crab, it has to break multiple time for just a little filling!
SJ,
Why doesn’t gardner seem to know how to bunt?? That is pretty concerning considering that he is right out of the farm system, has the best speed in the system and never seems to want to lay down a bunt or two. I dont quite understand that.
Nick,
I think we lost three or four picks but have two protected picks from last years failures to sign the top two picks. But those picks are NOT protected if we fail to sign the two players drafted in the first and second round this year.
Why is everyone picking on Gardner? Damon doesn’t know how to bunt either.
I had the opportunity to meet Brian Cashman when we both were staying at the same ski resort this past weekend.
He was very gracious with his time and very personable.
Two things stood out from the conversation:
1) He was quite please with the Texeira signing (being from Boston I assured him that “the Nation” then decided that Texeira wasn’t that good anyway and they didn’t want him in the first place)
2) He made some comments with a gleam in his eye about some youngsters coming up from the minors in the next couple of years. We didn’t at all talk details or names, but I think he relishes the chance to develop from within.
Clay Buchholz Loves Laptops:
Not offended. Sorry if it came off that way. I’m sure you meant nothing by it, it’s just that comparing someone’s racial background to a cookie… you know.
Dave,
Plenty of guys have trouble bunting. Its a lost art these days.
Look around the game. A lot of guys can’t bunt.
One of the byproducts of sabermetric thinking is, the bunt is something they don’t believe is a positive play. Especially in sacrifice situations. FWIW, that’s not something I agree with because there are times the bunt is very useful.
Gardner can bunt. He’s not great at it yet. However, he is working hard at being great at it.
Its going to be interesting to see how far his bunting skills have progressed after a winter of work.
It could be the difference of him making the team and being a contributor or ending up in AAA.
m,
Im not picking on gardner. I am just pointing out that our coaches in the minor leagues must not be very good at teaching fundamentals if the fastest player in our system does not know how to bunt. Damon is a proven player who is capable of hitting over 300 any given season. Gardner is not.
Damon was far too depressed to learn the art of bunting. Please get off his back. Gardner has no excuse, except that Brian Cashman fired several grizzled bunting experts who he perceived as threats to his authority. Gardner is really a victime of Cashman’s insecurity, vanity, and hunger for all-consuming power. Cashman wants to be the Sauron of the NYY franchise and it is we the fans who must suffer the consequences.
dave,
That was a joke (smiley face?).
Damon was asked to bunt in an at-bat, for the good of the team. He refused or couldn’t do it, I forget.
I think it’s a good idea for all players to have some semblance of the skill. Even pitchers can bunt. Can’t be that difficult to get even the basics. It just needs to be practiced. Even at the major league level.
SJ,
i HOPE gardner learns how to bunt well this season. I really dont see why it would be all that difficult for a guy like him to learn. And guys with his speed can get hits out of a bunt as much as he could use it as a sacrifice so it is extra beneficial for a player with his speed.
What kind of risk can the yankees run this year in terms of finding guys with high talent that have some sort of signing risk. Those are the guys that usually cost a lot of money and could fall through the cracks even though they have top tier talent and the guys that the yanks usually go after in the draft but will the yanks need to be overly carefully this year because the picks are not protected once again? Will the talent of the players we get in those rounds go down because of that fact you think?
Nick,
Fired bunting coaches who he perceived as a power threat? Im not sure exactly where you are going with that one.
Nick,
Fired bunting coaches who he perceived as a power threat? Im not sure exactly where you are going with that one
——————–
That’s the whole joke.
Bunting for a hit is completely different than sacrificing guys over. Its not as easy as everybody thinks to do.
If it was, a LOT of guys can do it.
If Gardner can do it well enough to force the third baseman to play in more, he will add more points to his BA by being able to slap balls in the hole.
Gardner’s biggest problem is not his inability to pick up the finer points of bunting. Its hitting too many balls in the air.
That, more than bunting, has to change in his game. If he does, he will be a productive ML player. If not, he will be nothing more than a 4th OF, at best.
He has spent all winter working on hitting more balls on the ground and bunting. Hopefully, he unveils his new game this spring.
“Damon was far too depressed to learn the art of bunting. Please get off his back. Gardner has no excuse, except that Brian Cashman fired several grizzled bunting experts who he perceived as threats to his authority. Gardner is really a victime of Cashman’s insecurity, vanity, and hunger for all-consuming power. Cashman wants to be the Sauron of the NYY franchise and it is we the fans who must suffer the consequences.”
SJ,
Have you seen Gardner up close? Apparently he’s a lot bigger than he looks. Even Gammons made a comment. I was surprised.
m
If you watch batting practice before a game, some of the guys practice bunting but with the Yankee hitters, how often do they use it.
A-Rod was laying down bunts and a guy sitting near us joked that nobody has given him that sign in 10 years.
He’s so big that he should be hitting the ball in the air so much. That won’t keep him in the big leagues.
He’s put together solidly. That said, he’s not a power hitter and really needs to concentrate on keeping the ball out of the air as much as possible.
If he does, there is no reason why he can’t hit .260-.280 with a .330-.360 OBP.
If he can put up those numbers from the #9 hole, as well as play good defense, he will steal 40 bases, score 80 runs, and help the Yankees a great deal.
He’s NOT so big, is what I meant to say.
I’ve been watching the MLBNetwork while doing laundry, and saw a banner (you know, that running thing on the bottom of the screen, whatever you call it) that Jon Heyman is reporting that Ben Sheets has decided to have elbow surgery for the tendon tear. Don’t know if it’s TJ or something else, but it seems he’s done for the year. Tough break for him.
Boy, Cash sure was dumb for not signing him.
In case anyone’s interesed…Bob Costas is interviewing Joe Torre on MLB at 8 PM, EST tonight.
Joe – its not TJ surgery and I doubt that kind of surgery will put him on the sidelines for the entire season. i JUST DONT understand why he would think about repairing something in February that he tore in september. He had the entire off season to opt for surgery to repair the tendon and would probably be ready by the start of the season or around then. Now, he probably wont even get signed this season. The rangers were ready to give him a contract when this thing came up. Sheets is a moron and just lost a lot of money for no good reason.
SJ,
The should treat gardner like Hayes in that move, major league. Every time he hits the ball in the air, he gives them 20 push ups. That will get him hitting it on the ground. I agree with your sentiments exactly – if he hit the ball on the ground, he could hit 280 and 340 obp. That would probably give him 40 plus steals for the season and would be excellent out of the nine hole. i HAVE been saying that since the end of last season. Hopefully he can do it though. You didn’t answer my question about the protected picks?
Joe Torre is like a bottle of wine. Great, so long as you keep it corked up.
But let it out, and after not too long, it will turn into vinegar. Very bitter indeed.
jennifer
February 5th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
DT- POST OF THE CENTURY!!
I have to agree here!
Thank you.. Yet another notable article, this is precisely why I arrive to all your blogs repeatedly..