Cashman won’t get fooled again
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- February
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I’m transcribing the comments Brian Cashman made today. He’s pretty resigned to dealing with his mess Alex Rodriguez created by using performance-enhancing drugs.
“A lot of things took place in the past that we’re dealing with in the present. Obviously this is a significant one,” he said. “I look forward to getting everyone in here and starting to play the game of baseball and maybe we can eventually get the focus back on the field. But that’s not realistic right now and I understand that.”
I asked Cashman if he was confident that A-Rod has not used PEDs as a Yankee.
“I can tell you, from ’04 on we’ve had testing procedures in place and that’s the best that I can go off of. But I’m not here to represent that I’m confident about anything on anybody. I think we’ve lived through a tough, tough stretch that shattered that confidence level,” he said. “If you asked me that question five years ago, I’d be giving you a different answer. But I’ve been educated quite a bit, unfortunately, over the course of time. I won’t make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past. I’m not confident about anything in the past any more.”
It’s safe to say the Yankees are not pleased. They don’t take kindly to their image being dusted like this.
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on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 1:54 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Pete – if you get the chance, check out the comments in the last thread for a chat recommendation from SJ44
wow, brian seems upset and legitimately so.
it’s a shame that he’s had to deal with this many times and other teams have gotten off scott free.
maybe when more laws are broken and the other 103 names come out, other gms can squirm the way he’s had to over the past few years.
Cash knows the ugly truth!
He should be upset.
You spend the entire winter re-tooling the team.
You are moving into a new stadium, new players, new enthusiasm, and now this.
How could he not be upset?
it’s a shame this had to come out. in this case, the ends to not justify the means. the ‘leaker’ will agree with me as soon as he/she is sitting in a court room and being asked to justify his/her actions.
can any of the lawyers out there provide a realistic scenario if/when the ‘leaker’ is discovered?
Even after Towns said we have other things more important to deal with, Congressman Cummings still sent A-Rod a letter?
He’s not saying anything in his press conference next week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02.....ref=sports
Trade A-Rod! I’m not some dumb yankee fan who booed him in ‘06, but it’s clear his stats are not worth the headaches. Get some good young players back, eat some salary, whatever it takes.
I thought we were done with this stuff here?
The yankees should consider putting a “steroid clause” in their new contracts which would allow them to void the contract of said player if they test positive for a banned substance (steroid or HGH only). any thoughts?
The mess was most definitely created by someone leaking ARod’s results. Before that there was no mess. Just as there is no mess from the PED use of hundreds upon hundreds of other players who don’t happen to be the singleminded obsession of a sketchy reporter/columnist.
And how is the Yanks image dusted?
steve,
i think that is exactly what cashman is talking about
I’d be pissed, too, if my bosses signed a guy that I didn’t recommend for over a quarter of a billion dollars. And it turned out that guy juiced years ago.
All he can do is accept it and move on. But I’d still be burning inside.
Image?
This is the Bronx Zoo.
Controversy strikes the Yankees like twisters in Kansas.
It’s all a part of the gig.
Now, I’m sure he’s doesn’t like the distraction, but it’s not about image.
It is a shame that it seems the Yankees are the ones that have to deal with this the most. The truth is a large majority of baseball was doing this and there are guys on other teams. I just hope the rest of the names come out and they can focus on those guys also. I just want to get to playing games and worrying about that, this is very frustrating.
M-
I don’t think he’s upset to find out ARod was juiced. I’m sure cash is skeptical about all ball players.
The mess is not ab out the leak and who did what. It is about a so-called star athlete abusing himself, his friends, teammates, and violating the law. Not baseball law, but Federal. This guy is at best a peculiar person. Apparently disturbed, and not fun to be around. Amateur psychologists who are trying to explain his bizarre behaviour over the years are as out of step as discussions relative to contract extensions and Hall of Fame credentials. Tomorrow’s weather can barely be predicted, and one final thought…Anyone who has not been outed is to be regarded as not guilty. That includes Boston players.
Barry Lane
Rconn,
For every law and neyer, there will still be ten complete morons who get a vote for the hall. So in general, i DOUBT the process will improve until they take the HOF vote away from the BBWAA which hopefully, will be soon. I dont mind them doing any of the other voting but this is far too important. When a guy like maddon, comes out the day arod is acused of using roids and before even hearing a response or verification or looking up which roid it was or how long he took it or the kind of effect it may have had on his game, he immediately writes a story on why arod wont get his vote for the hall of fame. iT is that kind of ignorance that should take the HOF vote away from the writers.
Jesus, why don’t we just cut and past the comments from every thread over the past 5 days into every post?
Same stuff over and over with some of you guys.
And you are the same ones complaining about the media’s role in all of this. Well if clowns like some of you didn’t eat it all up and reguritate it over and over maybe they’d give it a rest.
This place stinks lately.
Make a new thread Pete this has turned into another A-Rod/PED’s thread. HELP!
LMAO at the guy who suggests we should trade A-Rod. Yeah, ok. To whom? He is 34 this year, makes in excess of $300 Million and is tied up for the next 9 seasons, cannot perform in any kind of clutch situation, is a lightening rod for distractions, oh and by the way is now an admitted cheater and liar. Any takers?
Even if any other team on earth could afford him, why would they want the idiot?
Back to baseball…
I love Gardner’s defense and Melky’s arm, but I suspect that Swisher will start the season in center. Just a hunch.
I give Cashman credit for being forthright about this. If he had said he was 100% confident Arod is clean as a Yankee he would have been lying.
Hell, I’m not even 2% confident he’s clean as a Yankee and I was a huge fan of his.
I can’t imagine investing 300 million for 10 years in a player under the guise he was the clean savior of baseball and only 1 year later learning he used drugs.
I’m sure they are pissed and Arod owes this team a ton and better produce on the field and not do his “headcase” routine.
What I’m not sure even he realizes, especially if he reads these forums full of Arod apologists, is that he lost real fans like me who loved having him on the team and believed he was the anti-Bonds.
I’ve really got nothing for him now. He’s a cog in the Yankee machine but I can honestly take him or leave him. It’s not that he used PED’s that still has me steamed.
It’s that he blatantly came out against them, lied on too many occasions and allowed himself to be presented as the “clean savior of baseball”.
At the very least, he and Boras should immediately void all the home run incentive clauses they put in the contract as a giveback to the Yankees.
Do that and he’ll show me more than than his ESPN interview.
“Are you saying that AJ didn’t show his potential because he didn’t have a great game every time out?”
M and randy,
You both basically posted a similar message. I realize that it is not first half numbers or second half numbers taken alone but the entire season. Fact is, cc has shown that the line at the end of his season will show that of an ace and AJ has yet to show that. Of course AJ can improve and even if he pitches like last year, the signing will be okay but AJ did not have an amazing season last year just because he did amazing in the second half. His total numbers over the season just show you how poorly he did in the first half as much as how well he did in the second half. I like that he did well in the second half and it certainly shows what kind of dominance he can maintain, I am just saying his numbers overall werent all the impressive and really have never been across his career is all. if he comes onto the yanks and pitches lights out baseball over an entire season, it will be the first time he has really shown his potential.
here’s a subject change:
(i posted this earlier but with all the threads it may not have been noticed.)
Has anyone heard from the Yankees about partial season ticket plans (15)?
Great News:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....p;c_id=nyy
We all need to get to March/April and start playing ball again. Wont fix it but it will help what the story will be. Frankly I’m tired of all this… we got to move on.
Eric, I have not heard anything and find it a little curious. I’ve been waiting for months for that email.
Can we all chip in and buy C-Money a DeLorean?
eric in queens
I have not.
Excellent post on A-Rod.
http://www.sportsagentblog.com.....ome-a-rod/
curious as to others thoughts about the comments from Selig regarding possibly punishing Arod for past steriod use? Personally I think that clearly goes against the original intent of the drug test done in 2003. I would also think if he goes that route, then the other 103 names would have to be released and each player punished in the same fashion.
Barry Lane
You’re quite simply wrong. There was no mess before last Saturday morning, when ARod’s ILLEGALLY LEAKED test results fell into the hands of someone with an obsession. There was no mess before that. The failed test was 6 years ago and confidential till Saturday.
Eric I spoke the ticket office a few weeks ago and was told end mid to end of Feb perhaps early March. I anxiously await as everyone else.
“It’s safe to say the Yankees are not pleased. They don’t take kindly to their image being dusted like this.”
How? A-Rod said he did this while a member of the Texas “We love our steroids” Rangers. All of his tests while wearing pinstripes have been clean. I don’t see how our image is tarnished by his mistakes as a member of another organization.
I don’t think Selig can punish him nor do I think he should.
As much as I’m steamed at Arod for this, the drugs weren’t banned yet in the sport and the test was supposed to be confidential.
Selig should suspend himself before he suspends any players who openly admit to use before the ban.
g-love
They were banned but there were no penatlies in place.
Rishi
Although I never like to tell people how to spend their own money if the Yankees do not win the American League side of that award every year it will be a disgrace.With the payroll their players are making and the impact that Bobby had on the team they should be giving the most money.
i like steve’s idea from a previous post regarding the Yanks (and all sports orginizations)using the “no steriods” clause, past or present.
I would make this the deal…if you come out now and admit it we won’t count it against the rule, but if we sign you based on the assumption you’re clean and it later comes out you are not, then the contract is null and void and you must repay a portion to the team.
of course this will never happen because of the players’ union, but it’s a good idea anyway
Gayle – I totally agree…about everyone’s favorite topic taking it the first year? It’s beyond doable
Five iron,
I think the confidence players can achieve from roids is really underrated. Gaining confidence is probably one of the biggest roles roids plays in improving a players game if it does in fact, improve. Similar to taking placebos, it has been shown that actual physiological effects can be achieved simply from taking something that you believe will certainly help you performance. These effects are real and solely based on your perception of what the drug will do to you. I always used to consider the whole “placebo effect” far too non-science based for my liking. It seemed like some psychologists came up with this theory by testing subjects in fake settings but this effect is actually widely accepted across the medical community and deeply rooted in medical research. It also works for inert pills that you think is something just as much as it works for the actual substance. So there is reason to believe that if a player thinks roids will make them a better hitter, they may in fact let that perception of the drug alter their game more than the drug itself. I know it is hard to believe but I really believe it is the truth.
So why are the Yankees more upset over A-Rod than over Pettitte’s use or Giambi’s use (heck, even Clemens’ use) or Joba’s DUI?
It seems that Keith Law’s words today should be mandatory reading for everyone in the sports media.
As well they should check out “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”. It’s a documentary on steriods and America. I went to high school with the director and his brothers (one who recently passed away).
Good for Cashman!
While they’ve got no choice but to support their 3rd baseman it doesn’t mean they have to do it blindly.
They have every right to voice their displeasure. Alex is just 1 of 25 employees and the fact that they now have to spend extra time dealing with the storm he created is just short of contemptible considering they have all these new important components coming in.
I hate to keep discussing this but I’ve always frowned on Jeter not taking a more active role in making Alex feel more part of the team.
Now I feel that if I was Jeter, I’d have a hard time looking him in the eye.
I really hope the Yankees are being a little less hypocritical then Pete is saying (i.e. “It’s safe to say the Yankees aren’t pleased.”)
If they aren’t pleased then they really are evil.
Steroids are legal for their horses, so you’re telling me they really don’t like their humans using? Please.
Barry Lane,
With a list of 100 plus players out there, how in the world can you expect people to think no one else is guilty? It is a fact that there are tons of other guilty players and I am 100 percent positive that some of them are playing or played for boston.
Also, arod may have violated the law (and he DID NOT violate baseball rules) but so did thousands of other players none of whom are being given the slightest bit of criticism outside of a select few. Why should arod serve as the scapegoat for the thousands of players, front office people, owners, MLBPA, MLB execs and media transgressions over 20 plus years of roid abuse? iT IS so ignorant to blame arod for this and it makes sense that you fall right into the stupidity trap being a sox fan and all.
“Steroids are legal for their horses, so you’re telling me they really don’t like their humans using? Please.”
I really hope this is a joke post…
Of course the Yankees aren’t pleased.
Cashman was against signing A-rod to a huge deal and now he has to be even less happy about it.
I’m all for punishment on Arod along with the other 103 players on that list along with the head of the players union along with the guy tipping players off and along with Bud Selig for allowing the integrity of the game to be destroyed.
BUT I’m not for only one of those people to be made as an example. Baseball needs to clean house. Until they do, I don’t know. I will say this though.. After the 94 strike.. aside from games here and there I didn’t come back until the subway series. I didn’t go to a game at the stadium until 2002. So take that for whatever.
rbj,
Very good question and I think the answer is that the yankees are NOT more upset than they were over any of these other things and have not showed that they were more upset in the slightest. The REAL question is – why is the media attacking arod like he is the first one to abuse steroids and trying to nail his limbs to the wall? They certainly were not as harsh with players who did not admit guilt and apologize for their use immediately following the exposure and arod’s secret was gotten in probably the most illegal manner of any of those above so out of all of those situations, i WOULD think arod has the biggest right to be a little ticked off.
Adam H,
There is no way in hell selig goes through with that – he said he was thinking about it and even that was crossing the line. He cant punish a player now after others have already come out and were never suspended. Plus, there are abslutely no grounds for a suspension – there was NOT even a baseball rule banning roids in the game at that time. So technically, arod did nothing against the baseball rules at any time. And the fact that selig is not owning up to his own part of this whole thing is probably the MOST irritating part of the entire roids situation. he should be the primary person taking the blame as he surely knew what was going on, did not say a word, reaped all the benefits and is a multimillionaire because of guys like mcgwire and then, pretends like he is so concerned with the whole issue. He should resign immediately in my opinion as he is probably the worst commissioner this game has ever seen in his hippocracy and grand-standing. He is a joke.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,491644,00.html
.
and what is this garbage ???
Tim (Saint Paul, MN): If you look at Bond’s OPS by season he gets a HUGE spike late in his career (lasting for more than one season). Yeah its a crude way to look at it, but it starts right about the time the cream and the clear were rumored to have started.
Keith Law: (2:56 PM ET ) I don’t dispute that, but I’m saying two things. One, a single player’s weird career path is not compelling evidence that PEDs really E your P. Two, why did Bonds’ P get all E^2 in 2001 and then regress in 2002? PEDs alone can’t explain that.
——————————————————————————–
Nick (NJ): Umm..didn’t they just prove the cream/clear don’t do anything? By let facts get in the way of a useless witch-hunt.
Keith Law: (2:57 PM ET ) I’m not sure which is more apt, “useless” or “witch hunt.” Except, of course, that there’s now a cottage industry around this stuff. How many books have been written about PED usage in sports?
Pete: I think you should write a post about Selig’s statement vis a vis suspending A-Rod. I know its unlikely that Selig could successfully suspend A-Rod, but if he tries, he might succeed (Using his “Best interests of Baseball” power, etc.). At the very least, its another headache the Yankees will have to deal with. Its an important story
Phil,
I’m pretty sure the Yankees thought Alex was clean. They got burned on Giambi’s contract and didn’t want to get burned again.
But they did. Mr. Clean wasn’t so clean.
Was that Kat O’brien who asked if Alex’s homerun chase would be tainted? Yeah for whoever that was. Because you can’t disavow Barry Bonds as the homerun king and then say that it’d be okay if Alex got the record.
SJ,
If you’re around. Please, if you can, explain to me how Alex’s contract works? There’s a base salary with bonus clauses for homerun stuff. And people claim that some of the contract is to be paid for with memorabilia related to the homerun chase. Does that mean that the Yankees are still responsible for moneys owed to Alex, but there may be less income from a tainted homerun chase?
Although I think we all know that Bonds used steroids, unless there is undeniable proof, I don’t see how Selig can arbitrarily take away the HR crown from him.
This business about him suspending A-Rod is all talk. If he’s going to suspend A-Rod, he’ll have to go back and suspend all of the other players who admitted to using. Tejada would have to be on that list as well since he just pleaded guilty for lying about taking steroids.
This situation is so unfortunate. This was supposed to be such an exciting season for us. Now, I think it will turn out to be one of the worst.
I heard Bud Selig’s recent statement on the radio – sounds like he did in fact consider – perhaps strongly consider – disciplinary action against Alex Rodriguez, but has decided against doing so.
I would say if he did suspend Alex he would have had to have been prepared to do the same for the rest of the 103 names on that list. Just think, what if all the names came out at the same time and he was forced to suspend 104 players all at once. I imagine that there were some people giving him this scenario – at least I hope so – among others.
I feel for Cashman. I really do. Alex owes the Yankees big time. But frankly, I don’t think there is anything, anything at all, that Alex could do to make this all better. He will never be the player the Yankees thought they were getting, no matter how many homeruns he hits, no matter how many runs batted in he gets, no matter how many records he breaks, and no matter how many championships they win with him on the team. He will never be Mr. Clean, Mr. Baseball. And that’s what they thought they were paying for.
I understand Cashman not being happy but shouldn’t it be the Rangers who would REALLY be upset??? After Arod pulled this off as a member of the Rangers. The Yankees took a hit on Giambi because they should have known he had taken the steroids but signing Arod was a so-to-speak clean signing.
I don’t like what Arod did but he did that as a member of Texas, not NY. If he has been “clean” here, that is what I care about right now.
He screwed up twice so far. Once for taking the steroids and once for thinking the apology was “good enough”
For me, it’s time to move on and enjoy baseball again.
“He believes those tests were anonymous and should stay that way”
This was from a previous thread, attributed to Cashman.
Just one of the very many reasons I have a great deal of respect for the guy. The tests were anonymous, and yes, they should stay that way.
“It’s safe to say the Yankees are not pleased. They don’t take kindly to their image being dusted like this.”
I’m sure the Yankees aren’t pleased because they definitely thought they got a guy who was clean. And I’m sure they aren’t pleased because he is currently with their team and they therefore have to answer questions about him. But really, what he has copped to happened with the Rangers. I think they could come up with creative responses that would help their image look less dusted…
m
They are still on the hook for the performance money. It was a flat amount not a percentage. Smart PR move would be the money goes to charity.
Yeah, I’m getting a little concerned about the ticket situation.
My law school loans aren’t exactly supposed to cover the cost of Yankee tickets but I pulled it off last year.
‘m nervous they’re going to either stick me with (1) expensive tickets (I’ve heard anecdotally that many people are moving back which should displace some of us poorer folk) or (2) move me to some horrible outfield upper deck location.
I had Section 2 MVP Tier Box and they were awesome…
“I heard Bud Selig’s recent statement on the radio – sounds like he did in fact consider – perhaps strongly consider – disciplinary action against Alex Rodriguez, but has decided against doing so.”
and that’s why he gets paid the big bucks!
pretend to care and want to punish, then realizes he has no power to do so…
he considered punishment after the Mitchell Report came out, even though Mitchell suggested he didn’t, then went back on that as well…
pretending to work. just like me, here on the internet. i want his salary…
pat,
Thanks. People here were claiming that the contract would pay for itself from the memorobilia.
So my question is, if people don’t buy the memorobilia because of the steroids issue, then the contract won’t be really paying for itself, right?
Why on earth can’t Bud Selig realize that HE has shamed the game, that HE was wrong, and that HE will also have to live with the damage he has done to his name and reputation? Where is the accountability in the leaders of this sport?
I really don’t understand how Bud Selig is still the commissioner of this sport.
“It’s safe to say the Yankees are not pleased. They don’t take kindly to their image being dusted like this.”
I don’t think this does much to the Yankees’ image. It destroys ARod’s image for sure. But the Yankees?
ARod (presumably) didn’t juice as a Yankee. The Yankees (presumably) didn’t know he was a juicer when they traded for him.
The Yankees hardly have a scorched earth policy when it comes to PEDs. Giambi confessed to PED use and the Yankees quietly moved on. Pettitte confessed to PED use and the Yankees re-signed him. Why? Because it was the realistic and sensible thing to do.
Would the Yankees have signed ARod to a new 10 year deal that could reach $300 million with merchandising-based incentives if they knew he were a juicer? Hell no. That’s why the Yankees are steamed. ARod made that contract look foolish.
Ninja -
Because HE thinks HE’s trying to clean up the game. He said he’s made it his #1 priority.
He must thing we’re all stupid.
Dr. Cox,
Great link.
pat,
Thanks for the link to the Congressman Cummings story. I googled Cummings, called his office, and very politely suggested that the Congressman’s staff has better things to do than talk to ARod.
And, I take back all the bad things I’ve said in the past about KLaw. After today, all is forgiven.
Have to agree with the guy who called into WFAN a few minutes ago.
Hypocritical for Selig to say A-Rod shamed the game.
MLB and the union shamed the game, A-Rod let people down.
Jim(Scranton, PA): Bud said he is considering reinstating Aaron as the Home Run leader. Where do all those homeruns from Bonds go. Do the people who paid to go to those games get their money back since they didn’t happen?
Keith Law: (3:15 PM ET ) So he can just declare whoever he wants to be the leader in any category? Will he reinstate Walter Johnson as the strikeout leader? This is like Mr. Burns ordering Smithers into the miniature replica of the Spruce Goose. ” Get in.”
Can someone explain how Abreu gets a 1 year 5 mill deal with incentives and Dunn gets a 2 year 20 million dollar deal?Was this Bobby just wanting to sign a one year at this point and go back on the market. Is Adam Dunn really worth 5 million more than Abreu. I know you can say he is worth it if they sign him for that amount but something just doesn’t seem right.
Selig won’t do anything to Alex for 2003. Part of why the 2003 tests even happened was cause he agreed to not punish any positive tests. He goes back on that word (and show that the commissioner’s office/the owners half of the game can’t be trusted), might as well tear up the CBA and forget about baseball this year.
I think part of it might have to do with the teams with which they signed…not sure you can compare the Angels to the Nationals
Brian (Jersey): Has any athlete who has done less evil things, ever been more villified than ARod?
Keith Law: (3:16 PM ET ) No. How about the relative treatments of A-Rod and Ray Lewis?
——————————————————————————–
J.P. (JC): re: The record books. Wouldn’t Bud have to reinstate Ruth as the career HR leader? Aaron used amphetamines…
Keith Law: (3:16 PM ET ) Ruth used booze. Reinstate Frank Baker!
——————————————————————————–
Jay (LA): Keith, Bud said Arod shamed the game. I think Bud continues to shame the game by his repeated attempt to dupe cities into financing ballparks.
Keith Law: (3:17 PM ET ) No, the shame is on the dupes.
gayle
i agree. it makes no sense.
I guess because Abreu hasn’t slugged 40 home runs the past 5 seasons has something to do with it. Also, I’m reading that Abreu’s deal could increase to 8 mil based on performance.
IMO, Law gets bonus points for Simpson’s references…
Minor semantic point relating to comments in the previous thread: there is a difference between *showing* one’s potential and *realizing* one’s potential. AJ has certainly *shown* his potential; the Yanks wouldn’t have signed him to that contract if he hadn’t. The potential is known; will he *realize* it? That is the question.
Jeremy,
Oh, yeah. People are coocoo if they think the Yankees would sign Alex if they were suspicious that he was guilty of steroid use even if it were for another team.
Part of that price tag was for him being the best player in baseball, being clean, etc. etc.
We’re talking, big business, big money. Image is everything. Now they can try to make the best of it, but this is nothing like what they pictured it would be.
“Eradicating performance-enhancing substances from the game of baseball has been my first priority over the past decade and it is important to remember that these recent revelations relate to pre-program activity.”
Selig needs to go. if this really had been his first priority not sure a lot of these things would have happened. Yes the union had/has issues as well but y ou can tell me that since 1999 this has been Bud’s first priority.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....p;c_id=mlb
Bud apparently put out a statement today saying that Alex “shamed the game”. ……..Kay, FINALLY, got something right. What, Andy didn’t shame the game? Bonds didn’t? McGwire didn’t? Giambi didn’t? Bud Selig could just drop off the face of the earth and I wouldn’t care. What a jerk.
It doesn’t even matter that no punishment will be handed out. The treatment Alex is getting at the hands of the commish will only encourage players to keep quiet.
I’ll bet Alex feels worse than ever for admitting his guilt because even in telling the truth, there is no freedom. He’s just been verbally spanked by baseball. I don’t know how he’s going overcome this…..and I’m not sure his GM did him any favors…or the team.
i think with Abreu, it was more of a way to hit free agency again sooner, in hopes of a better baseball economy.
also, the winners are the Angel’s FO and Dunn’s agent. losers being Abreu’s agent and Nat’s FO.
IMO, Giambi +Abreu (10 mil) > Adam Dunn (2 years, 20 mil)
IMO, Giambi + Abreu (10 mil) > most other ways yanks are spending that 10 mil.
good poitn Saucy.
If this has been Selig’s #1 priority, then it is obvious that he has failed.
Betsy -
I think his GM and his team are doing the best they can with what they’ve been dealt. The players that have spoken up individually have said they stand behind Alex and will support him and they like having him as a teammate. I don’t know what more they can do or say at this point.
Brian Cashman is always pragmatic. Yes, the organization will support Alex, but they have to. He belongs to them for the next 9 years. However it is reasonable for Cashman to say he can’t blindly trust anything that has to do with steroids and I can’t blame him. He’s been burned – I mean, the organization’s been burned. And two guys that NO ONE would have suspected – Pettitte and ARod – end up with egg on their faces. He said (Cashman) all the right things. And you know this is not the end of it. Come May, when the book is released, there will be more garbage out there that they will have to take care of, and I’m sure Cashman realizes that as well.
Selig has to go. Most of this happened on his watch. Now, he’s trying to protect his legacy in the name of “saving the game”. The game was tarnished in ‘98, 2001, and 2006 when all of these records dropped like a house of cards. He was the head of the sport then and he did nothing. Now, he’s “heart broken”. I’m sure he’ll release another strongly worded memo sometime today.
Hey Pete do you have a picture of CC Sabathia or did he not arrive yet?
The KLaw chat should be sent to every baseball blog in the country.
It should be sent to every member of the print and broadcast media who has ever written/ spoken on this subject.
It should be sent to Bud Selig.
This way, when the above parties speak about this issue, they will actually be offer perspective instead of talking points.
Greatest chat EVER put on ESPN.
His bosses must be furious! LOL
I know Rishi posted this above, but I wanted to emphasize it. In the last thread people were suggesting KLaw quotes should be posted prominently – this is one I think should be tattooed on a baseball and sent to everyone in the media:
Brian (Jersey): Has any athlete who has done less evil things, ever been more villified than ARod?
Keith Law: (3:16 PM ET ) No. How about the relative treatments of A-Rod and Ray Lewis?
Dave
That was my point.
If you look at enough variable statistics you can ultimately come up with a correlation but that does nor prove cause.
That was why the Maris tongue in cheek. He was a good home run hitter but the 61 was far removed from his other years.
Confidence to me is key. I am certainly no where near a professional athlete, but even the weekend warrior (golf, tennis or any sport) will tell you if they get in to a mental rut, or lose confidence the physical performance goes way down hill.
That is why in my opinion it takes guys like Hughes (and maybe even Kennedy) a few attempts at reaching the majors before they gain the confidence in themselves they are are at that level and can get professional hitters out. Once the confidence is gained the performance will follow. The Joba’s of the world with the immediate success are rare.
I’m beginning to wonder if it’s the baseballs that are juiced. There’s been past issues and a history with the subject.
It does seem that Law, and in some respects Neyer, are pushing back against all the fools.
Well, according to Bryan Hoch (Yankees.com) Cashman also talked about his support to Alex.
TAMPA, Fla. — As the Yankees enjoy their last minutes of relative calm before the Alex Rodriguez storm fully hits their Spring Training complex, general manager Brian Cashman said the organization is prepared to support its slugger through his “major crisis.”
Cashman promised that Rodriguez will find a supportive atmosphere when he drops off his bags.
“It’s just not an easy thing to go through,” Cashman said. “That’s why it’s important for the rest of us to be here to add a shoulder to lean on. Some people have bigger shoulders than others, but ultimately it’s important for him to know that there’s a lot of people here he can turn to.”
So, Cashman is upset, but supportive too.
Wasn’t Jason Taylor openly critical of Shawn Merriman getting a pro-bowl bid or a postseason award or something?
Doreen,
I saw your post earlier about fighting traffic tickets. call a traffic lawyer, they usually charge about 50% of the price of a ticket and can get you off by pointing out that the cop didn’t properly file the ticket (they never do). here is a list:
http://lawyers.findlaw.com/law.....a+language
if you want to do it yourself, check the ticket first to make sure they didn’t misspell your address, name, or make some other stupid error. they almost always do. then you can just go to court yourself and point that out.
If Bud really wanted to clean up baseball, his first order of business would be him resigning. he is the biggest reason why the steroid issue is a scandal and the media is flipping out but not at the real culprit selig obviously.
I dont understand how he could not apologize, sit back and let the media crucify arod and the other players when the whole time he knows it was the fault of 2 major players – HIM and the union leaders. iF THERE are two people the media should be destroying and roasting it should be those two.
How could selig clean up the game when he is the one that messed up the game in the first place or said and did absolutely nothing while letting it get messy and then, refusing to deal with the issue when it got really messy and then, passing his work off to the government when it finally became time to actually do his job when the cameras pointed towards him. And there is no reason for the US government to be involved outside of the fact that selig does not want to do his own job.
Then, he makes 18 million dollars for it which is more than most players. bUD should do two things – apologize and resign. I cant believe this man is still the commissioner of baseball right now when the media is screaming their heads off about why nothing was done back then. The only reason selig is still in power is because the media is so misguided that they focus their rage on all the wrong players and selig essentially gets a free pass while his players (who individually played very little role in the total pervasive abuse) get roasted at the stake. It amazes me that stuff like this still goes on in the supposed “information age.”
This sounds more like something that would happen in the 1950s. The media should also be expressing some sadness and apologizing for even to this day, not calling out the right people to explain themselves. First, the media completely ignores the entire issue being too afraid to actually report the news then, they blame all the wrong people for this mess and finally, they express such overwhelming outrage about it that it is kind of hard to even take any of this seriously considering the people who they are outraged at and the fact that they probably knew about all this 15 years ago when we were at the heart of this matter and said absolutely nothing about it.
I’m sorry but this made me laugh:
Keith Law: I have to be quiet today – I’m doing this chat from A-Rod’s hall closet. It’s, um, part of my research.
mel,
Is that you m? You’ll confuse us if you keep switching back and forth.
Jorge -
It’s like when one of your children makes a big mistake – you’re angry, sometimes hurt, you wish they didn’t do it, but ultimately you’re there to help them through it.
Too bad we have to think of Alex Rodriguez, a grown man, as a child, though.
Tom,
Yes, clearly KLaw is not a Selena Roberts fan.
m
Not sure it was so much the memoribilia they were counting on as much as increased ticket sales, extra viewership which would drive up ad revenues, every little kid wanting an A-Rod shirt and promotional appearances he would make on behalf of the team to promote the brand.
In the short run, he is not going to be giving them a marketing plus right now but if he wants to make a positive from a negative, he could throw himself into community service/ charitable work which would expand the brand and probably offer big returns to the organization and his own good will.
Most “stars” have their own foundations. If A-Rod could keep his nose clean- big if – he could tie the Yankees brand to many charitable endeavors and that money could be re-couped in goodwill.
30 million dollars for milestones is alot of money but in Yankeeland, it’s less than half of what they paid Igawa/Pavano combined.
AROD Fan -
Thanks. My ticket was properly filled out and I think properly filed since I’ve received 3 letters from lawfirms who want to help me out.
The cost of the ticket isn’t all that bad; it’s the insurance surcharge. So, I have a week to figure out what to do.
I appreciate all the help people have taken the time to give me.
And not to nitpick, because I think Peter is doing a much better job of sounding objective about ARod today, but how exactly is Cash not going to be “fooled again.”
Unless he’s planning on never signing a player who played in the league prior to 2004, he’ll never know who was doing PEDS. And, as Peter seems to believe, if players are still doing PEDS but are able to beat the tests, even staying away from players from before 2004 won’t help you. So how, exactly, is he supposed to avoid signing PED users?
Wanna feel sort of sick?
(2008) Bobby Abreu + Jason Giambi = $37m
-$11m -$16m
(2009) Bobby Abreu + Jason Giambi = $10m
Talk about paying for past performance, geez. I’d love to think their new teams are getting great discounts but I tend to lean toward we grossly overpaid these two guys last year. Although, if Abreu is their everyday DH and doesn’t see the field he’d probably worth a bit more than 5m. Is Vlad at this point in his career actually worse than Abreu in the field? Could it be possible?
Just a thought.Is it just kismet, that the journalist who is writing a mud slinging book about Arod gets only one name leaked to her out of 104 names, and it just happens to be the subject of her book.
Not to beat this Law chat into the ground but He had this to say about His top 100 prospect list.
Stouffer (DC): Keith, if you had to redo your top 100 prospects list right now, are there any changes you would make?
Keith Law: I think I was too hard on Jesus Montero’s positional question. He should have been 15-20 spots higher.
mel February 12th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Wasn’t Jason Taylor openly critical of Shawn Merriman getting a pro-bowl bid or a postseason award or something?
===============================
Yeah it was due to him getting a Pro-Bowl bid and AFC Player of the Week honors
Here’s another angle to the whole Selana Roberts thing. If she was such a respected journalist and she’s the one who did all the work to get ARod’s name off the list. Why the heck was someone else credited along with her for writing the story? Why credit David Epstein? Maybe to lend more credibility to the story because everyone know Roberts is a hack after her Duke Lacrosse coverage? I don’t know, just a thought I had.
“KennyH123
February 12th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
LMAO at the guy who suggests we should trade A-Rod. Yeah, ok. To whom? He is 34 this year, makes in excess of $300 Million and is tied up for the next 9 seasons, cannot perform in any kind of clutch situation, is a lightening rod for distractions, oh and by the way is now an admitted cheater and liar. Any takers?
Even if any other team on earth could afford him, why would they want the idiot?”
He still is one of the best, if not best, all-around player in baseball. Plenty of teams would want him. He’d sell tickets and merchandise, and give a team a lethal bat.
Obviously the Yankees would have to eat some of the contract. They have tons of money; that shouldn’t be a problem.
I haven’t examined every team’s roster, but off the top of my head, what about an A-Rod for Alex Gordon+ trade with the Royals. Eat as much of the contract as you have to. It works for both teams – we get a good young player and rid of the issues that surround A-Rod, the Royals get a great player who will boost ticket sales and merch.
Can anyone really say A-Rod is worth the headaches at this point?
Yeah Tom I thought he was being a bit of an idiot about that one myself. GB says that Jesus is a decent defensive catcher. Which would indicate to me that he could stick behind the dish, at least for this year. Gotta take it one year at a time but if he can make it to AA this year still catching I don’t really see a problem moving forward. He is what 19 now? I know I grew a bit from there but not some absurd amount, point being he isn’t impossibly big to catch in the majors. As a catcher in the majors his bat could be HUGE.
If there are any other Yankees who are on the list, I think they should come admit it now. (Hoping, of course, that there aren’t any).
First, they would get all kinds of credit for being the first ever to come forward voluntarily.
Second, they would get props for not leaving ARod hanging in the wind by himself. Talk about supporting your teammate.
Third, the names are probably going to leak eventually. By volunteering the information before it’s leaked, especially right now, they would get mostly positive press, and any negative press would be completely buried by the ARod story.
Does anyone have a link to this Keith Law article?
Doreen: That’s funny about the letters from the traffic lawyers!
Clare,
Didn’t realize that. Using the daughter’s laptop because mine died.
Any recommendations from the blog? I don’t want a mac.
There should be some pretty good deals around. I don’t do gaming, but wouldn’t mind a built-in cam.
Looks like Abreu will be playing LF for the Angels.
AROD fan -
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/.....t_id=24964
Link to Keith Law chat(now over):
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/.....t_id=24964
ARod fan,
Here’s the link, but most of the Yankee-related questions and answers have been posted either here or in the last thread.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/.....t_id=24964
Good point Clare. I loved Posada’s comments, “Are you worried your name is on the list?” Posada: “Yeah, I hope I didn’t take anything that would show up on that test.”
If I ran the MLB Network, I would hire Law tomorrow and put him front and center on their Hot Stoce Show.
It would be must see TV.
The guy knows his stuff.
Just watching him myth bust, as well as putting some of the media moralists in their place would make it must viewing.
Aside from that, the audience would actually LEARN something from the banter he would create with the rest of the panel.
“Any recommendations from the blog? I don’t want a mac.”
i got a sony vaio, the cheapest model, and love it.
Laura — seriously? An outfield that has Vlad and Abreu in it everyday is pretty atrocious defensively.
“He still is one of the best, if not best, all-around player in baseball. Plenty of teams would want him. He’d sell tickets and merchandise, and give a team a lethal bat. Obviously the Yankees would have to eat some of the contract. They have tons of money; that shouldn’t be a problem. ”
*Some* of the contract? How about at least 200mil of it. No way the Yankees are trading A-Rod to a team where they have to pay that much of his salary.
Face it, people. Unless A-Rod gets so sick of this mess and retires early, he is ours for the next 9 years.
AROD Fan -
Oh yeah, funny! I had no idea that’s what local attorneys do – comb the list for all of us scofflaws.
I would love to see Law debate, say Tom Verduci, on this issue, SJ.
That would be great T.V.
SJ44,
Don’t you know someone you can make that recommendation to?
I might even have to ditch the Dish Network in favor of someone who carried the MLB network.
“Laura—seriously? An outfield that has Vlad and Abreu in it everyday is pretty atrocious defensively.”
Not everyday. They want him to DH as well, but Bobby said he wanted at least 150 games in the field.
Laura -
I told my sister yesterday that I wouldn’t not be surprised, though I don’t think it will happen, that this mess could get so big for him, personally, that he does retire with some sort of settlement from the Yankees at some point.
I wouldn’t bet on it, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
A judge today dismissed most of Clemens defamation case against McNamee. He said McNamee was compelled to speak with the Feds for Mitchell Report but Clemens could still sue for McNamee telling Andy that Roger used.
“I might even have to ditch the Dish Network in favor of someone who carried the MLB network.”
i would do it with or without Law. it’s great TV. i haven’t put on espn since 2008.
saucY,
Oh, no. We have 2 vaios that both died. Mine was the latest. Power issues with the mother board. Green light goes on and the yellow battery lights up, but no cpu light, no noise nothing.
More from Law…
“Will (Philadelphia Pa) [via mobile]: Why would the Mlb look to punish ARod for his admitting of taking PED, when other people within the league admitted to PED and didn’t get anything?”
“SportsNation Keith Law: That’s one of the dumber memes of the week. They can’t punish A-Rod. Period. So stop bringing it up. And to the blithering idiots in NY saying the Yankees should release A-Rod – just stop talking. It would be better for everyone if you just … stopped … talking.”
Rob, Abreu is scheduled to play most of the right field time and Juan Rivera will be in left field. Guerrero will get a lot of the DH time. Guerrero, over the last 3 years has made Abreu look like a Gold Glover. Matthews will get some at bats in the fill-in slots in all 3 outfield and DH pots.
Any recommendations from the blog? I don’t want a mac.
================================
I have a Sony VAIO-no problems
I had a Dell laptop before my Sony and have vowed never to buy another Dell product ever again.
Law definitely has some good stuff to say. I sometimes disagree with him about prospects but in general he is very intelligent. I was just about to post his comment on Jesus Montero but I noticed someone else already copy/pasted it.
Also, am confused as to how Radomski knew that players told Roberts about A-rod.
I know for a fact that I heard a CTU ring-tone during the Cashman audio.
I can’t believe Dish network doesnt carry YES. I was so mad I switched back to Directv the next week.
Cash on WFAN
Josh,
ARod is not worth the headaches – why exactly? Because he used PEDs in 2001-2003? Because you don’t like reading critiques of his personality on this site? Because you don’t like thinking he might have been romantically involved with Madonna? Because other teams’ fans boo him?
I think the better idea for you is to ignore the inane things written about ARod and enjoy his being an awesome player for your team.
As for your “trade proposal” … yikes. The Royals? Just how much of ARod’s salary do you want us to eat here? 75%? And then we hand over third base to Alex Gordon? My goodness.
You want us to throw away $150-200 million because ARod gets some bad press.
SA,
Someone I know customized a dell laptop, and they got nothing right.
With the Angels picking up Abreu (a Type A Free Agent), does that mean the Yankees will get a first round draft pick?
Cashman: “I’m not confident about anything in the past any more.”
Ouch.
That has a lot of weight coming not only from the GM of the Yanks for the last decade, but also from a guy who has spent almost his entire adult life with the organization. People have discussed the ramifications of all this on A-Rod, but overlooked a bit in this recent controversy is the impact this has had on Cashman and the organization. While less public than those of players, Cashman’s legacy and that of the organization has again been put on the line by the revelation of steroid use. I’m not saying the team or any team did all it could to thwart steroid use; far from it. Teams and the league at best turned a blind eye to steroid use for years. But this latest episode doubtlessly has Cashman and the Yankees miffed that they shed one very public steroid case in Giambi, only to be hitched long-term to another, more damning one in A-Rod.
By the way, I really disagree with Lupica’s facile characterization a few days ago of A-Rod getting whatever he wants and being the de facto owner of the team. As pampered as A-Rod clearly is, I think that’s unvarnished nonsense from Lupica. I have no doubt the team weighed in pretty heavily on this in private, while trying to be cognizant of A-Rod’s renowned sensitivity.
Cashman sounded as jaded as I’ve ever heard him.
“I told my sister yesterday that I wouldn’t not be surprised, though I don’t think it will happen, that this mess could get so big for him, personally, that he does retire with some sort of settlement from the Yankees at some point.”
After his upcoming ST press conference, I’m sure that he’s going to want to retire. If he can just whether the storm, he’ll get through this. Not today, not next month, maybe not even in August – be eventually, he’ll be fine.
Pete, how do you not nod off listening to Cashman. Every time he says, “process”, I want to scream.
m-I’m not surprised. lol
Here’s a completely contrary view on ARod – telling him to get back on steroids. http://www.latimes.com/news/op.....4119.story
pat,
Anything new from Cash?
“With the Angels picking up Abreu (a Type A Free Agent), does that mean the Yankees will get a first round draft pick?”
No. We did not offer Bobby arbitration so there’s no draft pick.
pat
February 12th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
A judge today dismissed most of Clemens defamation case against McNamee. He said McNamee was compelled to speak with the Feds for Mitchell Report but Clemens could still sue for McNamee telling Andy that Roger used.
————————————————————
What the judge said was that the state of Texas had no jurisdiction over much of that case. Haven’t heard whether they can go through with parts pertaining to Texas.
Laura -
Actually I hope so, and not just because of baseball. As a fellow human being, a fellow IMPERFECT human being, I hope he comes out the other side of this and better for it.
new post
The Royals might take Arod if we take back… the Royals.
Nevermind, I realized it’s better to build your team around a guy who hits .100 in the playoffs, is an admitted cheater, has no idea how to handle the media, can never escape comparisons to Derek Jeter, cheats on his wife, is more concerned with his personal statistics than the success of the team, opted out of a deal paying him $25 million annually, and flat out lied to the entire nation, let alone his team, two years ago.
I do realize there is no point to even debating this, since we are stuck with the guy for 8 more years. Oh well, at least during the Subway Series I’ll get to see an elite third baseman who plays in New York, is good teammate, attracts no negative publicity, and is [hopefully] roid free.
“elite third baseman who plays in New York, is good teammate, attracts no negative publicity, and is [hopefully] roid free.”
No, all Wright does is choke in the regular season, and won’t even get to the playoffs.
josh is a mets fan
Nah man, not a Mets fan, but jealous of their third baseman.
“If you asked me that question five years ago, I’d be giving you a different answer. But I’ve been educated quite a bit, unfortunately, over the course of time. I won’t make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past.”
Funny, I think I’ve heard something very similar on TV a few days ago…
Josh,
“Nevermind, I realized it’s better to build your team around a guy who hits .100 in the playoffs”
ARod bats .279/.361/.483 in the playoffs. If you want to focus on 2004-2007, he has had great series, bad series, and ok series. Like Jeter.
“is an admitted cheater”
Like I wrote, the Yankees don’t give ARod that 10 year deal if they know he’s a cheater. But it’s not like they can turn around and trade him, ignoring the huge balance on his contract and the fact that he’s still a great player, because he used PEDs during a time when PEDs were rampant in baseball.
I suppose you didn’t want Petttite back either because he admitted to using HGH. And I suppose you don’t want the Yankees ever acquiring another player again unless they can be sure beyond a reasonable doubt that that player never cheated in any way.
“has no idea how to handle the media”
Really, who gives a crap.
“can never escape comparisons to Derek Jeter”
See above.
“cheats on his wife”
Dear Kansas City Royals: ARod cheated on his wife. He does not fit into our clubhouse, as none of our other players have ever cheated on their wives. Please take him off our hands. We will take Alex Gordon+ in exchange. Thanks! P.S. Here is $220 million of his salary.
Yours truly,
Lobotomized Brian Cashman
“is more concerned with his personal statistics than the success of the team”
Did you know that when ARod hits a home run, the other runners on base can’t score because he only cares about himself? It’s in the rulebook.
“opted out of a deal paying him $25 million annually”
Since we responded to his opt out by paying him $30 million annually, maybe it isn’t such a good idea if we trade him now.
“and flat out lied to the entire nation, let alone his team, two years ago”
OMG. No liars allowed on the Yankees!
Don’t get me wrong here, ARod is an imbecile. But he is an imbecile who is phenomenal at baseball and who we owe a ton of money. The Yankees aren’t going to trade him, sacrificing his production and eating over $100 million, because fans like you don’t like him.
Jeremy -
Good response, I’m a fan of sarcasm. A-Rod isn’t as non-clutch as I thought, I’ll admit that. And the Alex Gordon example was just that – an example. Obviously I’d want more than that. But I still think his production is not worth all the non-baseball issues. I guess we’ll to agree to disagree …
Josh,
I understand how you feel, believe me. I have had moments where I wanted ARod off the team. He seems programmed to make it as hard as humanly possible to like him.
But we’re in fantasy land when we believe it’s possible or desirable to trade him.
Bottom line, we trade ARod and eat his over $100 million of his salary, we’re still left without a third baseman. ARod is far and away the best 3B in the league. Anyone who replaces him would be a huge step down and could easily keep us out of the playoffs.
The Yankees have to live with the mistake they made when they give ARod his new contract. At least ARod is really good at what he does for a living. If he helps bring us another championship, it will be a lot easier for us to forget about all the stupid things if he does. If he doesn’t, we’ll all think he’s a loser no matter what.
Arod would never take roids as a NYY lololo. He is clean as a whistle and despises PEDs. He really despises big houses, owning corporate jets, and dating mannish exotic dancers. Yep, all is right with the world.