Everyone loves brackets
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 14, 2010 
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Once upon a time, I followed college basketball as closely as I followed baseball. I covered college basketball for a while and was once in an NCAA Tournament pool that started before the conference tournaments. We had to predict the entire bracket from scratch: Seeds, regional assignments, the whole thing.
Today, it’s pretty much all baseball for me. I wish I knew college basketball as well as I once did, but I just don’t have the time for it.
But I still love the tournament.
Here at LoHud, the newspaper is running an NCAA Bracket Challenge. Follow this link to sign up, fill out a bracket and take a shot at a thousand bucks.
Let’s just say that a first-round loss by the University of Missouri would be big trouble for my picks.
Last year I finished last in my office, lol…I was supposed to get my $ back for that, but I never did. A few years ago I had a proud moment when I picked Marquette over Kansas. I don’t really follow college sports, but I do love the NCAA tournament….
I’m still bummed that SHU lost to Notre Dame.
Not a big college basketball fan, but I do have a horse in the race, so I’ll be paying attention.
RIP Peter “Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked? ” Graves
Here’s another classic exchange from Airplane:
Dr. Rumack: Captain, how soon can you land?
Capt. Clarence Oveur: I can’t tell.
Dr. Rumack: You can tell me, I’m a doctor.
Capt. Clarence Oveur: No, I mean, I’m just not sure.
Dr. Rumack: Well, can’t you take a guess?
Capt. Clarence Oveur: Well, not for another two hours.
Dr. Rumack: You can’t take a guess “for another two hours”?
Capt. Clarence Oveur: No, no, no, I mean we can’t land for another two hours.
Everyone but me that is.;)
Just caught an interview with Wade Boggs on the Tim McCarver show. He brought back the memories of the 1st Yankees WS win in 18 yrs, before 1996.
go ‘cuse!
Jason, my friend, also said Cuse!
After they get into the final 4, though, it could be tough!
Personally, I also have them winning it all!
Boy, I can’t wait til the Yanks start!
Opening day is going to be great!
No team will beat us!!!
Daviiiiid
Also, if the Yanks win, it’ll be the first repeat since 2000
Guys, lets hear it for the YANKEES!!!
Excitement!!
Expanding my comment on the Yanks not signing Hechavarria, because he supposedly felt blocked by Jeter:
The Jeter situation reminds me unhappily of the “Ghost of Bernie” situation a few years ago. For a period of several years, Bernie Williams had deteriorated to a below average CF. His throwing was always weak. His range was deteriorating. He played deep and let a lot of balls drop in front of him. And, his hitting was just OK. Yet, because of his terrific past, the team allowed him to block efforts to get a better CF. I think that’s one of the reasons for the Yanks deterioration between 2001 and 2008.
I’m afraid the same thing will happen with Jeter. He’ll get big money and a multi-year contract, but he’ll be a deteriorating SS. I’m worried that Hechavarria may be the first of many potential replacements who get sidetracked from replacing the Ghost of Jeter.
There are already feelers out for a six year contract which is beyond insane. Wishing that Jeter senses when he can no longer compete at a high level would put him in the sainthood category – never happen. The fans are fans as witness their behaviour re O’Neal and even Melky. The Yankees are in a bad place re “The Core Four. Whatever happens there will be a firestorm
Derek Jeter and Bernie Willliams are two different players.
Bernie, while a legend in our eyes, isn’t what Derek Jeter is. Simple as that. Jeter is that “special” type of player
I made a similar point to David in Cal’s on the other thread.
No player, no matter how special, is more important than the team.
Baseball is a business. Jeter isn’t giving the Yankees a discount, nor should he.
Similarly, the Yankees shouldn’t put him (or any other player) on the field after it becomes apparent that he isn’t the best baseball option available.
The Hechavarria decision stings. To avoid that from happening again, the Yankees are going to have to offer comparable young talent a significant premium in an attempt to get them to wait until the “special players” exit the stage, be it Jeter, Mo, A-Rod or anyone else.
Bernie, while a legend in our eyes, isn’t what Derek Jeter is. Simple as that. Jeter is that “special” type of player
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That makes him more intractable and a nuisance to move off of his position.
Did the Yankees offer as much money to the Cuban SS?
Nick in SF……So the Pac 10 is sub-standard, yet The Washington Huskies are a -1 and the Cal-Berklet Bears are a + 1……
But would you want to move Derek Jeter? Bernie Williams was showing decline and rapidly. Jeter put up some monster numbers last season AND won a Gold Glove. He’s not showing signs of decline like Bernie did…
What else could be done with the Cuban SS? More $$? Promises of an ETA in the Bronx?
I’m positive the Yankees pursued this prospect (probably harder than Jeter would’ve liked lol), and it just didn’t work out. Kudos to the kid for making what probably was the smarter move.
You guys don’t even know if this guy can play and you are whining about Derek Jeter.
Jeter can stil play the game at a VERY high level.
You don’t move him for a guy you DONT know can play the game at a high level.
Sometimes, the timing doesn’t work out. It happens that way in sports.
The “nobody is more important than the team” stuff works both ways.
Jerry Krause once believed he could blow up a championship team because it got older because “organizations win championships, not people”. He never got close to building a team again.
The game is played by people and not on a computer screen.
If the Yankees have a “problem” because their known player is still playing at such a high level that they couldn’t sign an unknown player to replace him, I’m sure they can live with it.
“You guys don’t even know if this guy can play and you are whining about Derek Jeter.”
Jeter can stil play the game at a VERY high level.”
Whining? Oh please. It’s reasoned criticism based on the likely career path of a SS in his mid- to late-30s based on historical norms. It’s also a strawman argument, because no one is advocating moving Jeter (or A-Rod) right now.
I actually acknowledged on the other thread that Hechavarria may not be able to play SS. That really isn’t the point. It’s that the Yankees need a young player/prospect in place to spell, if not replace, Jeter and/or A-Rod in case they experience a precipitous decline, or get hurt, as aging players are more prone to do.
In fact, they may be less likely to decline if they can be benched for up to 30 games a season in a year or two. That can be accomplished far more easily if the Yankees have high quality young depth, not merely a Ramiro Pena or some other limited skill player.
When you are a franchise that can virtually print money, you can find the extra millions that might be needed to persuade a quality prospect to bide his time at another position (I mentioned the OF on the previous thread) until the desire position(s) opens up, either part-time or full-time.
It’s also a more global criticism. They also passed on Chapman and Sano.
Sorry, but I’m just not that concerned about failing to sign a 19 yro SS that has never played professional baseball in this country. The Yankees can afford to let the Jeter situation play out and whether it be 2,3,4 or whatever years from now they can address it then. There may be a better and more proven replacement available then or sometime between now and then.
Hey they can always move Arod back to SS…just kidding.
I am happy to hear Girardi plans to bat Cano 5th, I am hoping this is his break out year.
blake
What happens if Jeter or A-Rod get hurt in 2011 or 2012 (not an incredibly unlikely scenario) and requires a significant stay on the DL?
They either vastly overpay for a replacement, because they will have < 0 leverage, of they will have a gaping hole in their lineup.
When you have the humongous financial advantage that the Yankees have, there should be a way to prudently spread the risk of almost any contingency, especially at a time when international players are still not subject to an amateur draft.
David March 15th, 2010 at 1:27 am
go ‘cuse!
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Look out for my VT Cats in the 1st round!
Nothing worse for a franchise than losing. That costs more millions than passing on the next 18 year old wonderkid who may or may not make.
Rich, you are a big believer in percentages. Well, the percentages of these high profile IFA making it is very, very low and have been for years.
Where is it written the Yankees must have a young prospect in place to replace Jeter right now?
What if they acquire a capable veteran able to be a stop gap solution for a few years, if needed?
Offering more millions to pay for a guy you might need in a few years is a waste of capital.
Especially when the gut believes he can play SS in the majors by next year.
Every year players/prospects become available. The Yankees will always be in the running for them because they have money.
That’s the benefit of being a big market team. They don’t need Jeter’s replacement in place today.
Especially since Jeter has yet to show the decline predicted for him.
Rich,
If jeter or Arod get hurt for an extended period of time then its not going to matter much who they get, its going to hurt either way.
No guarantees the Cuban kid would even be ready to fill in by next year anyway.
Blake,
Exactly. No team can replace a core guy if he gets hurt. Pujols, Mauer, Jeter, etc. If they get hurt, you make due.
You hit gold with IFA signings when you sign a bunch of athletes and hope a couple break through. A more power in numbers approach.
For every King Felix, there are 10 guys who got 500k or more to sign, who are either buried in the minors or didn’t make it at all.
In this instance, the Yankees offered the guy a ton of money to sign. He wanted to play SS and felt blocked by Jeter. You don’t offer him more money to sign. That’s a waste if money.
It also gives you a window into his competitive nature. At best, this kid is 2 years away and he’s worried about being blocked. Competitors don’t care about that stuff. Why reward that?
You move on and save your money for the next guy.
This freakin’ filter!!!!!!!!!!
Breaking it down:
blake
“If jeter or Arod get hurt for an extended period of time then its not going to matter much who they get, its going to hurt either way.
No guarantees the Cuban kid would even be ready to fill in by next year anyway.”
Of course, it matters. It may be that a Hechavarria, or some other similarly situated player, can burst on the scene and become a very productive hitter and fielder. Conversely, Jeter and/or A-Rod may have declined by the time that Hechavarria is needed, so the drop-off may be small or none.
Obviously, there are no guarantees. It’s about hedging your bets given the alternatives.
That’s what this type of signing would likely do.
Part one:
SJ
I view it as being similar to diversifying one’s investment portfolio. Obviously, you want a significant portion in more predictable assets (treasuries, blue chip stocks, high quality corporate bonds), but you also want to allocate a portion to higher risk, higher return assets.
Similarly, the Yankee invest in the Teix/CC type players (the blue chips), but they should also be able to allocate a small portion of their resources to some of the high risk, high return IFAs (especially, as I said, before they are folded into the amateur draft) in the hope that at least some of them will pan out.
So it’s not about whether or not it’s written anywhere, it’s that it’s a sound strategy if their goal is, as Hal (like his father before him) has articulated, to be in a position to win the WS every single year.
Part two won’t post.
SJ, couldn’t agree with you more. I think fans just want to blame the Yankees for everything. I admit that it’s getting frustrating watching teams outbid the Yankees for these top IFA (I don’t count Chapman, by the way, because I have no problem with them believing he wasn’t ready – among other things), but this one is absolutely not their fault. I think, however, fans should look out for the Jays. They obviously have $$$ to burn and a lot of talent.
Betsy
No at all. I give credit where it’s due and offer reasoned criticism where it’s warranted. That’s called being a thinking fan.
Rich, you don’t seem very happy with the Yankees at all. $10 million is a LOT Of $$ – just how much did you want them to throw at this kid? You want the Yankees to do what they did with FA? Give him whatever he wanted to bribe him to come here? That’s a horrible business practice and something Cash has been trying to get away from. The kid did not want to come here- he wanted to play sooner rather than later. $$ can not fix that, nor should the Yankees have tried to use $$$ to fix that. I don’t care about history; let Jeter be the first SS to play his whole career there. If he starts getting to a point where he can’t do it, the Yankees will rectify it. This is a case where they are completely blameless.
That’s what they do Rich.
That’s what they every year in the draft when they pay over slot for a bunch of kids.
That’s what they did with IFA’s like Gary Sanchez, deLeon and Vizcaino.
They do that every year. They just and shouldn’t sign everybody.
Right now, Nunez is a better hitter than this kid and Pena is a better defender.
In 2-3 years, who knows what will happen.
My point is, folks who believe Jeter should either be moved or ripped for “blocking” this kid are going overboard.
SJ, good point. The kid could have looked at this as an opportunity, knowing that at some point the Yankees would need to replace Jeter. He would have undoubtedly been invited to ST camps so he could be surrounded by big leaguers; I’m sure Jeter would have shown him the ropes. Instead, the guy wanted to go to Toronto. It’s a great city, but please. These IFA guys all want to get to the majors ASAP – and the Yankees aren’t going to promise that; that’s why they seem to lose out all the time.
Are you implying that those who disagree with you Rich are no thinking?
Betsy
I think you implied that some fans blame the Yankees.
I merely countered that suggestion.
SJ
I think they have retreated from that strategy to some degree under Hal, and are insufficiently planning for the possibility of international players being part of the amateur draft.
Whether that is being done as a sop to Selig or some other reason, I don’t know, but I think it’s a poor decision.
They have a dearth of near ML ready position players. I think they need to find a way to compensate for that deficit.
Ok Rich, sorry – I realized I misinterpreted your response.
I used to be one of those guys that wanted them to throw all kinds of money at the highest profiled IFA’s.
Then, I started to see the trend of many of the high profile guys. They get the cash and their work ethic drops, while their lifestyle and ego needs grow considerably.
I find that to be too much risk with little reward.
It’s why I’m more on board with the power in numbers theory. Sign a bunch of them and hope a few make it.
Less than 5% of ALL players drafted each year make the major leagues. The numbers are even smaller for the total number of IFA’s signed every year.
Those low odds tell you that perhaps the power in numbers theory is a better strategy than throwing the bulk of your budget on one guy.
Especially since there is no such thing as a “sure thing”.
That’s not true.
Hal signed off on Gary Sanchez’s 3.1 million dollar bonus and that’s one of the largest, if not the largest, IFA bonueses ever given an IFA.
They offered this kid over 9 million dollars to sign.
How is that backing off?
More accurately, they are taking more of a power in numbers approach with IFA’s rather than putting all their money in 1 or 2 guys.
Their better positional prospects, especially in the OF, are in A Ball.
I think we will see a few of them be on the radar after this season because there are some talented kids in Tampa and Charleston this year.
GO LEHIGH MO’HAWKS!!!!
Terms and agreement for this says a $19.99 fee for picks manager? Is that necessary?