Come talk about another team that likes championship belts
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Jan 21, 2011 
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So you know how the Yankees pass around the WWE championship belt after each game? Well, they’re not the only New York team that’s being linked to old-school pro wrestling.
If you haven’t seen it already, take a second to watch Bart Scott’s postgame interview with ESPN after the Jets beat the Patriots last week. It’s like something out of the Ric Flair finishing school and, as it turns out, Scott has no problem admitting that Hulk Hogan is one of his heroes.
Anyway, all of this is a long way of reminding you that I’ll be hosting a Jets live chat on LoHud Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. So, if you’re one of those people who likes the Yankees and Jets (or you just like Macho Man and the Ultimate Warrior), please stop on by with a question or comment. The link to the chat is right here. We’ll also have a chat going during the game on Sunday, and you can find that at the same address.
Hopefully I’ll see some of you over there. CAN’T WAIT!
(By the way, if you want to see the video, it’s here.)
The postgame interview with Bart Scott was amazing, I was laughing the whole time
really torn about this game – love my city but rooting for the Jets is almost like rooting for the Mets!
really torn about this game ? love my city but rooting for the Jets is almost like rooting for the Mets!
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I think more ppl should take this sort of stance. NYers have the advantage of having two horses in the race for almost every major sport. I’ll deal with the consequences of my neighbors talking trash after I talk trash on all non NY teams
Might be tough to root for the Jets as a fan of another team, but it’s easy to root for Mark Sanchez — especially after stories like this about his friendship w/cancer-stricken Aiden Binkley:
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....h_man.html
I am a baseball fan first and foremost. I like football for entertainment but have no REAL emotional attachment to any team. I root and favor the Giants and Jets, and if Buffalo was the only team left I’d root for them.
The Yankees are the team I spend/focus all my time following and being dedicated emotionally towards.
In short: Huge Yankees fan but am a fan of all the New York teams, except the dirty Rangers.
I liked the Jets before I liked the Giants, who are now my favorites, but I like them both. They play in different conferences. Go J E T S!!!
For some reason my dad grew up Jets and Yankees, and my mom grew up Yankees and Giants.
As a young boy it was always a treat to go off to Yankee Stadium with my father to see the G-Men as he was a season ticket holder……In December 1965 he took me to Shea Stadium to see for himself what all this hoopla was regarding this $ 427,000.00 Quarterback who wore white shoes was all about……Joe Willie Namath threw the football unlike anyone I ‘d had ever seen before as he beat The Boston Patriots that day and knocked them out of the playoff hunt…….Three years later I froze my tail off as Joe Willie Namath brought The NY Jets back with a few minutes on the clock to ko The Oakland Raiders….A few weeks later he guaranteed that Our NY Jets would beat the crew haircut bland Baltimore Colts……I’ve been a Jet fans ever since that cold day in 1965….Giants are # 2 in my heart…….
Today is National Hug Day so it’s safe to hug prospects and veterans alike today!
I am one of those die-hard Jets and Yankees fans. I so hope the Jets get to the Super Bowl. The one thing that really scares me is Nick Folk kicking.
Jerkface January 21st, 2011 at 4:26 pm
For some reason my dad grew up Jets and Yankees, and my mom grew up Yankees and Giants.
+++++++++++++++
Maybe it is because they weren’t brother and sister?
That last comment was made in loving jest….
# Fran the original January 21st, 2011 at 4:43 pm
I am one of those die-hard Jets and Yankees fans. I so hope the Jets get to the Super Bowl. The one thing that really scares me is Nick Folk kicking.
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now you can see why Dall dumped him
Pat–
I still remember the days of Fran, Homer, and Tucker…and of course Allie Sherman!
Pat M, a quote from the Scout book: Abe Kemp recalls the day that Slapnicka decided not to buy Lefty Gomez from the San Francisco Seals. Slapnicka told Kemp: “I saw Gomez undressed in the clubhouse, and anybody who’s got a prick as big as he’s got can’t pitch winning ball in the major leagues.”
My dad is a die-hard Jets fan and his older brother (my uncle) is a die-hard Giants fan.
I could never understand how this happened and asked one day.
My dad was just getting into football when the Jets won the Superbowl in 1969. He was hooked then. My uncle had already established himself as a Giants fan
The only athlete my mother ever admited to having a crush on was Joe Willie.
Joeman,
Letting Feeley go was the one move Tannenbaum made that I question. Folk scares me.
Face, what’s the name of this book you’re reading?
Dollar Sign on the muscle: the world of baseball scouting
Face…I’m going to look up that book tonight on amazon to see if it’s available…….Certainly there’s going to be some more eye popping revelations….I just hope that the book is not slanted in any one direction and that objectivity is foremost…….Just think The Yanks could have had Hank Aaron and by some accounts Willie Mays and Clemente,,,,,,GB knows more about the Maya & Clemente story……
To he clear about Sori injuries. Those are the times he went on the DL.
So whenn it says shoulder soreness it was not as couple of days thing. It was a DL stint.
# Fran the original January 21st, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Joeman,
Letting Feeley go was the one move Tannenbaum made that I question. Folk scares me.
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last two years his fg % is bad
Face…I’m going to look up that book tonight on amazon to see if it’s available…….Certainly there’s going to be some more eye popping revelations…
–
Its out of print. I grabbed it for $20 used. Its a history and an in depth look at how scouts operate, I guess if there is any bias its in the word of the scouts interviewed. So far it seems pretty good.
Good story about Hugh Alexander driving to Mantle’s high school, only to be told by the principal that Mantle’s got arthritis of the knees, so he crumpled up his scouting paper on mantle and drove off.
Fran….That is the one area I have feared since the playoffs began….Then he nails a game winner from 40 plus out vs. The Colts , then he hooks one on the first drive Sunday that I just thought would turn the game around back to New England……Jets loss back in 2005 ?? in Pittsburgh on 2 blown field goal attempts by Feeley after hitting the game winner in OT a week before in the rain in Dan Diego……One of the best games I ever attended….
Tom in N.J. January 21st, 2011 at 4:58 pm
The only athlete my mother ever admited to having a crush on was Joe Willie.
***************
I have never had a crush on an athlete
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
LGY,
With no viable options for a front-end starter available (seemingly), what can they do?
it’s like The Police said:
When the world is running down
You make the best of what’s still around
Yankee numerology: I just ordered a crepe with strawberry, whipped cream, and Nutella in Japantown and my order # is 28.
This either bodes well for our championship hopes or I will soon need braces like #28, Joe Girardi.
From SI and rotoworld:
SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox tried to trade closer Jonathan Papelbon to both the White Sox and A’s before signing him to a $12 million deal to avoid arbitration.
It’s not surprising that they tried to deal him and it’s also not surprising that they found no takers. Though still a fine reliever, Papelbon is coming off a down season and is very overpaid. Heyman also notes that if the Sox would have been able to unload Papelbon, they would have made a play for Rafael Soriano.”
Pat M,
It was Doug Brien that missed the 2 FGs vs. Pittsburgh.
But Pittsburgh’s kicker isn’t automatic either.
I do expect a low scorring game Sunday.
Damon had a mediocre year with Detroit, so I’m fine with him not returning. He’s not a good OF – and what we were looking for with Jones, at least in part, is someone who can catch the ball. If we weren’t, we’d have re-signed Thames
I hate the Jets and the Giants, so if the Bears lose to the Packers and the Jets win, I’ll be rooting for Pittsburgh.
Spite is a powerful motivator.
Fran…Thank you for the correction….Betsy , are you a NY girl ????
I am in Mick’s Giants fans for JETS club, and I CAN’T WAIT!!!
Though spite can blind one to reason.
The Phillies would make sense for Papelbon. If they’re serious about putting together an uber staff, he’d be a huge upgrade over Lidge.
Unless, of course, there’s an underlying reason why he basically stopped throwing split-fingered fastballs.
Papelbon doesn’t want to play any farther from the Liffey than Boston.
Pat M, yep – but I’m a Bears fan through and through. I have no idea why I hate the Jets and Giants. Giants, I can see because they are an NFC team, but the Jets? Normally I don’t care about them, but I resent the fact that they are now the darlings of the NFL even though the Bears already beat them. The thing is, if they face the Packers, how can I root for the Packers, lol?
Actually, I could see Papelbon in San Diego.
It might gut the Padres’ system, but that’s a price Hoyer is willing to pay.
Napoli to the Jays.
could never believe how Scoscia would play scrubs like Mathis instead of him.
Bet the angels sign Vlad now.
Betsy January 21st, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Damon had a mediocre year with Detroit, so I’m fine with him not returning. He’s not a good OF – and what we were looking for with Jones, at least in part, is someone who can catch the ball. If we weren’t, we’d have re-signed Thames
*************
I didn’t realize we were Damon-bashing in this thread. I think these comments would have been more appropriate last night or maybe even this morning- rather than out of nowhere
Nick in SF January 21st, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Spite is a powerful motivator.
*************
I looked at this fast and thought it said “Sprite”. Which I believe is also a powerful motivator
Imagination is a powerful deceiver.
Sprite is a powerful motivator.
© LoHud Yankees Blog
Erica,
That laughter was just a touch scary. It’s early in the tax season. You’ll see Johnny play.
hardwired7 January 21st, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Sprite is a powerful motivator.
© LoHud Yankees Blog
*****************
Hahahaha- If that pops up in a commercial in 3 months, I am totally claiming my money
Erica, give me a break. Not everyone is allowed to blog at work like you are. Not that I need to explain it to you, but the topic came up this afternoon and excuse me, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to post today.
austinmac January 21st, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Erica,
That laughter was just a touch scary. It’s early in the tax season. You’ll see Johnny play.
*****************
I am already approaching 52 hours this week and thats only cause yesterday was short due to a seminar
I always knew the return of Johnny Damon was a very slim chance, but in my head it made too much sense. When I saw the Jones news last night I was too tired to process my thoughts and added it to my “to-do” list. I am still not happy about it, but I promise I will behave throughout the season
And Tampa does make a lot of sense for Johnny. I hope he signs there
Nick in SF -
That is a good sign. I recall you had a #27 order in 2009, did you not?
Betsy January 21st, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Erica, give me a break. Not everyone is allowed to blog at work like you are. Not that I need to explain it to you, but the topic came up this afternoon and excuse me, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to post today.
************
Just saying maybe you could wait for a time when it would flow with the conversation better…..
Leaving work now and won’t be returning tonight.
Hope everyone has a good night
Yes, Doreen, I got two different #27s in October of 2009, one at In-N-Out Burger and one on a concert ticket stub.
Maybe proximity to the post-season is important; I was #28 at Ghiradelli’s in June of last year and it didn’t help us much.
In 2009, I hosted exactly 27 games of GTLU.
And I bought some item of clothing that was Inspected by No. 27.
If that is not numerology at its finest I don’t know what is.
(And now I am really leaving. Bye!!!!)
Nick in SF =
Ah, didn’t know about the #28 from last season.
Well, then, the one from the other day is the SECOND #28. It took two in 2009.
How’s that?
We’ll know in October. I am hopeful.
I knew the Yankees would win the world series last year when Trisha said so for the 28th time. Am I doing this right?
# hardwired7 January 21st, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Actually, I could see Papelbon in San Diego.
It might gut the Padres’ system, but that’s a price Hoyer is willing to pay.
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SD just might have one of the best closers in the game why would they want him
Pat M. January 21st, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Face…I’m going to look up that book tonight on amazon to see if it’s available…….Certainly there’s going to be some more eye popping revelations….I just hope that the book is not slanted in any one direction and that objectivity is foremost…….Just think The Yanks could have had Hank Aaron and by some accounts Willie Mays and Clemente,,,,,,GB knows more about the Maya & Clemente story……
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The 3 players that the Yankee scout wanted signed were Mays, Aaron and Banks. The scout was Tom Greenwade. One person stopped any chances….George Weiss. He swore that no black would ever wear pinstripes. The owners, Webb and Topping finally forced issue and brought in Ellie Howard. Howard wasn’t the first black to sign with the Yankees, only the first to get to the MLs. The first was Power. There was one other, a pitcher, but the name escapes me.
jerkface -
LOL!
You know, any little bit of superstition helps.
By the way, that book you’re reading sounds interesting. What year was it written? (Sorry if I missed that piece of information earlier.)
I thought it was very telling about how the draft has made it too costly to wait for players to develop over an extended time. (If I interpreted your post correctly.)
I will look forward to whatever you post on this.
Some omens are negative indicators.
SD just might have one of the best closers in the game why would they want him
——————–
That was supposed to be a Hoyer joke, Joeman.
It was either that, or “Hey, I heard Jed Hoyer sold Manhattan to Theo Epstein for $24.”
In hindsight, maybe neither one really qualifies as a “joke”.
# hardwired7 January 21st, 2011 at 6:22 pm
SD just might have one of the best closers in the game why would they want him
——————–
That was supposed to be a Hoyer joke, Joeman.
It was either that, or “Hey, I heard Jed Hoyer sold Manhattan to Theo Epstein for $24.”
In hindsight, maybe neither one really qualifies as a “joke”.
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LOL!!!!!!
Ken_Rosenthal Source: #Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells heading to #Angels in Napoli trade. #MLB
By the way, that book you’re reading sounds interesting. What year was it written? (Sorry if I missed that piece of information earlier.)
I thought it was very telling about how the draft has made it too costly to wait for players to develop over an extended time. (If I interpreted your post correctly.)
I will look forward to whatever you post on this.
–
I believe it was published in 1984. And sadly has gone out of print. If you can pick up a copy I recommend it. I was fixing to steal it from the library but I found one cheap enough and in great condition.
It was not only the draft, which removed the ability for the good scouts to sign players and to swindle players (in some respects) or get guys for cheap, but the rising costs of maintaining a ball park and a league and the inflation of salaries.
Branch Rickey used to leave blank dates on all his contracts, and then let a player play for a month and see where he was at and if he didnt like it he’d tear up the contract and never pay the player because the contract hadn’t been dated.
Here is one of the reasons that I think scouting can be overrated, but is also one of the reasons scouting is supremely necessary:
It was Howie Schultz. He was called Steeple Schultz because he was so tall, about 6’7″, and Branch Rickey knew I liked big guys, see, because he’d scouted me. At the end of two hours I was making out a check to him for 75,000 dollars for Steeple Schultz. Well, in the first game Steeple played for us he hit a tremendous home run, and that was the last big hit he ever got. At first base he was clumsy. He fell down in sections. He didn’t have the all-around physical coordination, which is what Rickey scouted by. He was what Rickey used to call an anesthesia ballplayer – the kind of guy who looks like he might do it but never does. He almost does it. You stick with an anesthesia ballplayer and he’ll put you right in the second division.”
The Angels might be the worst franchise in existence right now. Worst trade ever.
pat -
Wow!
That’s pretty big news. Vernon Wells leaving Toronto!
Odd move.
Good move for the Jays.
The ZiPS projection had Nappoli as the Angels’ most dangerous hitter (in terms of OPS+):
http://www.baseballthinkfactor.....im_angels/
Have the Angels as an organization had the most consistent failure at evaluating and signing outfielders in the past decade? They’ve consistently signed guys on reputation without looking at how their performance might impact the contracts they hand out years later.
Gary Matthews Jr, Torii Hunter, playing Matsui in the outfield, Juan Rivera
# pat January 21st, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Ken_Rosenthal Source: #Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells heading to #Angels in Napoli trade. #MLB
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must be sending a lot of cash with him
GB……Ernie Banks…Of Course !!! …For some reason Banks oWAR ranking wasn’t very elite for some reason ???? I knew about Henry and Willie to an extent but I forgot about Banks being the other Super Star HOF that The Yanks could have signed……
For some reason Banks oWAR ranking wasn’t very elite for some reason ????
–
I believe it was because he hit .258 .306 .448 .755 for 9 seasons to end his career.
the guy makes 16 mil a year
The more horrible trades that go down this winter the more in starting to question if I have any clue what gms are thinking it want.
I was pretty confident Wells was untradeable
the guy makes 16 mil a year
–
Vernon Wells makes 20 million a year.
11:$23M, 12:$21M, 13:$21M, 14:$21M
Wow………….not sure why the Angels would do that. Isn’t Toronto a better hitters park? Wells had a good comeback season, but is he going to put up similar #s in CA?
Jays are going to be very very good
How could Jon Heyman have missed the Napoli for Wells deal?
AH!!! Just noticed that neither are Scott Boras clients.
+or+ want
I was accosted by 2 (two!) homeless men on the subway today.
Go Green!
Clemens news today that could impact Andy.
1. Clemens has requested another dismissal of charges on new grounds
2. Prosecutors have asked to have Hardin barred from cross examining Andy because he served as his attorney for a short time and knows privileged info.
Jerkface -
That’s an interesting term “anesthesia player.” I wonder where it came from. But you know the type of player he means.
lets look at the whole thing……..
Vernon Wells of
7 years/$126M (2008-14)
* 7 years/$126M (2008-14)
o signed extension with Toronto 12/06
o $25.5M signing bonus ($8.5M payment each March 1, 2008-10)
o 08:$0.5M, 09:$1.5M, 10:$12.5M,
11:$23M, 12:$21M, 13:$21M, 14:$21M
o full no-trade clause
o Wells may opt out of contract after 2011
o award bonuses: $0.25M for MVP, $0.2M for WS MVP, $0.15M for LCS MVP, $0.1M for most All-Star votes in league
o Wells to donate $143,000 annually to Blue Jays charity
* 5 years/$14.7M (2003-07)
o signed extension with Toronto 3/03
o $0.85M signing bonus
o 03:$0.35M, 04:$0.7M, 05:$2.9M, 06:$4.3M, 07:$5.6M
o award bonuses: $25,000 for All Star selection, $50,000 bonus for Gold Glove
* drafted 1997 (1-5)
* $1.8M signing bonus
* agent: Brian Peters
* ML service: 8.113
He’s getting paid 86M over the last four years of the contract. Nothing else to see there.
Yup, thats one of the worst contracts in baseball alright.
# Crawdaddy January 21st, 2011 at 6:43 pm
He’s getting paid 86M over the last four years of the contract. Nothing else to see there.
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just putting it all up ..look at what you want to look at
Angels have been trying to move Hunter to a corner and now this gives them that chance. Either Abreu or River takes the other corner and the other moves to DH/gets traded and Guerrero goes back to Anaheim.
“Wow………….not sure why the Angels would do that. Isn’t Toronto a better hitters park? Wells had a good comeback season, but is he going to put up similar #s in CA?
Jays are going to be very very good”
——-
Trading Wells helps them long term, but I’m not sure how it helps them in 2011.
There is no one left on the FA market worth spending that money on.
You’re the one that said he was getting paid 16M per year. Wrong!
# Crawdaddy January 21st, 2011 at 6:45 pm
You’re the one that said he was getting paid 16M per year. Wrong!
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get the gun out and shoot me
Reports are Rivera is going to Toronto as well
Anthopolis!!
GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 6:38 pm
How could Jon Heyman have missed the Napoli for Wells deal?
****************
Probably because Ken Rosenthal broke the Wells-Napoli deal. He is ranked number one in stories broken accurately this off season and Heyman is number two. Both favorites of yours I know. How’s that crow taste?
Angels have been trying to move Hunter to a corner and now this gives them that chance.
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Replacing one bad defensive CFer with another, brilliant! God the angels are stupid. Jeff Mathis is as bad a catcher as Napoli with no bat.
I expected Rivera to go to Toronto to balance out the cash.
Here you go GB:
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.c.....ers-ranked
Probably because Ken Rosenthal broke the Wells-Napoli deal. He is ranked number one in stories broken accurately this off season and Heyman is number two.
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You’d have to look at overall percentage of leads posted vs leads turned true to judge how good they are. Rate stats, not counting stats.
I was just going to ask if it was Wells/Napoli straight-up ’cause that doesn’t sound right.
Wrong Jerkface this is very simple. Rankings based on first reporter to correctly break a story about a Major League deal during this off-season with a minimum of two.
“I was just going to ask if it was Wells/Napoli straight-up ’cause that doesn’t sound right.”
That’s what I thought too. I can’t wait to see the final trade details as there has to be more than this.
Alex Anthopoulus is absolutely killing it in Toronto.
He is assembling an absolutely fantastic team up there and doing so by making one shrewd move after another.
It’s very ironic. Jack Z was the GM recently appointed who has gotten accolade after accolade for doing not so much largely because of the megaphone he had through the blogosphere appointing him a genius.
And Alex Anthopoulus has matter of factly made one great move after another while also building terrific organizational infrastructure.
The Doc trade, Brandon Marrow and now this.
Unless the Jays are eating tens of millions of dollars on this deal, this is likely going to be one of the most lop sided trades in recent baseball history.. Just amazing that the could pull this off.
Not only is he getting rid of one of the worst contracts you can think of, he’s getting back a good player.
LGY, maybe not, but I thought they were going to be good last year…………and now their young pitching has another year under their belts. AA has done a phenomenal job since he took over – they’re a team to be reckoned with, I think.
Pat M. January 21st, 2011 at 6:33 pm
GB……Ernie Banks…Of Course !!! …For some reason Banks oWAR ranking wasn’t very elite for some reason ???? I knew about Henry and Willie to an extent but I forgot about Banks being the other Super Star HOF that The Yanks could have signed……
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yeah, Greenwade was hot about it. Aaron at 2nd and Banks at short. Greenwade was the Yankee scout for the south and southwest. Ralph Terry, Tom Morgan, Bobby Murcer and some guy named Mantle. Greenwade scouted for the St. Louis Browns, Dodgers before the Yankees and is the scout thaty hooked up Branch Rickey with Jackie Robinson. The Browns actually had the first crack at Mantle and they thought he was too small.
Wrong Jerkface this is very simple. Rankings based on first reporter to correctly break a story about a Major League deal during this off-season with a minimum of two.
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Uh, I’m right? The best way to judge them on who is better is to see how often they are making reports and then those reports are true. If a prolific tweeter is tweeting 100 deals and 10 turn out to be true they would get credited for 10 hits, but thats only 10%. I read the article, I know what it is.
The next thing they are working on is a rate stat version of the same thing.
Jerkface…..The Angels have improved with this deal….They have one of the best rotations in baseball and their lineup is more than just impressive……..I’m on record right now that they are the team to beat in the AL West regardless of what the talking heads say…..And much like The Yanks, they have a ton of dough…….
This is why I’ve said that we need to start seeing the farm system bear fruit at some point in terms of position players. The Jays are not going away, the Sox have a zillion and one draft picks – even if just a few of them turn out, that’s still a good thing – and the Rays have a zillion and two draft picks. The Orioles will be improved as well………..and eventually they’ll put it together
Probably because Ken Rosenthal broke the Wells-Napoli deal. He is ranked number one in stories broken accurately this off season and Heyman is number two.
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Does this mean you’ll have to rearrange the posters in your bedroom?
Not that it will happen, but maybe Alex is tradeable at some point…
The Angels have improved with this deal….They have one of the best rotations in baseball and their lineup is more than just impressive
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I disagree so strongly on this. Napoli is cheap, has great power, can catch and DH and play 1st. Wells is incredibly inconsistent and is owed 20+ million for the next 4 years and isn’t good at defense. Toronto just got out from under 86 million and they got a good player(possibly 2 if they get Rivera) back.
Wells is going to flop (continue flopping).
Is there a seperate category for stories broken on non-Boras clients?
CB….I’m not quite sure what the fasination is with Mike Napoli ???? I’ve watched him for years, the guy is no longer a average reciever and although he can get hot on occasions with the stick, his best years are in the rearview mirror….Yeah Jeff Mathis is a defensive catcher with little stick, but he’s an anchor behind the plate and handles their young rotation very well………We’ll see
As usual Jerkface you are just trying to obfuscate the issue. If someone hits 800 home runs and happens to have more at bats than the next guy; would that make him any less the all-time home run king? No, he still hit more home runs didn’t he.
The reporter that breaks the most stories correctly, obviously has done a better job. The only caveat would be if that reporter submitted such a ridiculously large number of stories so as to obviously be guilty of throwing things at a wall to see what stuck. Rosenthal and Heyman do not fall into that category.
Face……Angels sell out just about every game, big dollars in sponsors and a very lucrative TV & Radio deals…….They know how much cash they lost by not playing in October…….Money does by you love, on occasions….Angels are looking for a of speedster leadoff type…..Keep an eye on Damon if only Artie and Boras could bury the hatchet….Wells is going to be reborn in Orange County
Of every player in MLB last year with 200 PA, Jeff Mathis had the second lowest OPS.
so the angels ‘big splash’ is trading napoli for vernon wells? these are days then yankees fans should feel good about the people running our team.
and wells benefitted from an apparent power hitter paradise in toronto. Dont the Angels already have two centerfielders?
I feel like yawning .
If it wasn’t on MLBN I wouldn’t believe it.
I come in from shoveling snow, and I see Verducci talking with Ken Rosenthal about this.
What in the world are they drinking/smoking/eating in LA or Anaheim of Through the Looking Glass? Is this some new hobby, how many overrated OFs can we accumulate, with extra credit if it’s a CF?
Not that Napoli is a great player, but, just by unloading Wells’ contract – this is a very good deal by Toronto. This really opens up their roster and payroll. Wow.
Toronto now has the money to pay Manny.
Vernon Wells said this a few days ago.
“The Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells admits to the Toronto Star that he isn’t worth the $126 million contract he signed four years ago, but boy can he hit ‘em out of the park as a community relations star. “I think the most important thing about getting contracts like this is you get to go out and do so many different things in the community,” Wells said. “You get to go out and impact lives. The way I feel about it, I was blessed with that contract to go out and do things. Everybody would say I’m not worth the money, and I would totally agree that I’m not worth that contract “… but I know what I can do with that contract will far outdo what that contract’s worth.”
Pat M.-
Napoli doesn’t have good hands and that’s a real problem for a catcher.
But that’s not the crux of the issue. The crux of the issue is that Wells’ contract is just awful. Horrible.
And despite his relatively decent year last, Wells skill set has deteriorated. He’s no longer the strong defensive CF he used to be. He’s headed for the corner in the near future. And his stick just isn’t very good anymore. His bat speed isn’t the same.
It’s a horrible contract – even at his level of production last season where he was much better than the prior couple of seasons.
We need to wait and see what happens with the deal in total. But if Toronto isn’t either eating huge amounts of money or throwing in a lot of talent, this is a markedly bad deal for the angels, IMO.
“Everybody would say I’m not worth the money and I would totally agree that I’m not worth that contract.”
– Vernon Wells last week.
As usual Jerkface you are just trying to obfuscate the issue. If someone hits 800 home runs and happens to have more at bats than the next guy; would that make him any less the all-time home run king? No, he still hit more home runs didn’t he.
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If you gave A-rod 600 ABs, and Jeter 6000 ABs, Jeter would hit more HRs than A-rod. Doesn’t make him a better Hr hitter. You dumb or something?
Pat M. – I respect your opinion, and maybe Wells’ problem was a chronic wrist issue; he did seem to bounce back a bit last season. But, unless Toronto is picking up a big chunk of his salary, or Arte Moreno is willing to burn thru cash…. I don’t know. Plus, Wells isn’t getting any younger, which in this un-PED era is not insignificant.
And I think the Angels’ pitching staff is on the downslide. Again, you’re closer to them than I, but, that’s how it looks to me. (Caveat – I am anti-Angels, so maybe my judgment is a bit prejudiced.)
Yawn .
angels gave up napoli and rivera. guess wells is playing left field.
Yeah Jeff Mathis is a defensive catcher with little stick
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By catchers evaluations Jeff Mathis ranked only slightly higher than Napoli… he isn’t good. At anything. 23% CS rate in his career, 20% last year. He doesn’t block well. Napoli provides value with his bat. he hit 26 HRs and only got 450 ABS!
Verducci on MLBN – saying that Tex has been working with KLong this offseason, specifically on his mechanics and approach, and maybe going to the opposite field a bit more.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Jerkface – No one is using a ridiculous absurd outlier like the 600-6000 example you just gave. Is your contention that Rosenthal had that many more story/report submissions proportionately? You dumb or something?
You’re wrong. It happens. Just admit it.
Sam, put that new post up . . . 3 . 2 . 1 . now .
tex learning to hit opposite field is good, as long as he doesnt lose his power.
The Angels have Hank Conger, as well.
Larry Bowa on MLBN.
LGY & Jerkface…..If you boys can save approx $ 20.00 dollars a month, I want you two to enter a over / under pool this season……You have to pick every team whether or not they beat the Vegas line that I’ll provide…….I’ll simplify it , you get 2 points for a correct pick, 0 points for a push, and a minus 1 for an incorrect pick….Total points wins the pool…….We can have Nick handle the money and he receives 10 % off the top ……Now, let’s see what is what
I don’t care what field Tex hits to as long as he does it in April.
No one is using a ridiculous absurd outlier like the 600-6000 example you just gave. Is your contention that Rosenthal had that many more story/report submissions proportionately? You dumb or something?
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Don’t try and flip this around when you clearly didn’t understand the value of having a high rate of success. It does matter a lot how a player collects 800 HRs. If you are trying to decide who was the best HR hitter of all time, you take the guy that will hit HRs most often. Not necessarily the guy who has hit the most in their career. If you want to say that Rosenthal broke the most stories, ok, but if you want to say he was the best and that we should listen to everything he reports because of that then you need to look at his accuracy. I’m not about to wade through a pile of crap to get 10% of the truth.
The real issue here is that Heyman slurping and Rosenthal slurping are each odd enough in unison; to slurp both to further some twisted idea of ‘justice’ is just downright disturbing.
So it will be mocked.
What are the Angels doing? They cheaped out on the player they really wanted to trade for Vernon Wells and his albatross contract? ok….I guess Well’s deal is shorter than Crawford’s but still curious decision.
Just the silliest trade. Rivera and Napoli for Wells, a guy who is incredibly inconsistent, overpaid, poor on defense, doesn’t get on base. Amazing.
The Jays are likely to put speedy Rajai Davis in CF to replace Vernon Wells.
Wells was an albatross contract that frees up money for the Jays. If they’re in the hunt at the 7/31 trading deadline, they’ll be active.
With the pitching they have, the Jays are no slouches and should be given serious consideration in the AL East.
“I guess Well’s deal is shorter than Crawford’s but still curious decision.”
Compare well’s deal to Beltre’s. Just sign beltre.
Good to see Tex working on refining his swing. He needs to, especially from the left side if he wants to stay productive as he ages.
CB,
Considering what they have at 3B that would have made a lot more sense…
Pat M,
Unfortunately Bill only gives me 10 bucks a month in allowance.
Seriously though, how much you talking. 100?
blake – makes no sense, unless, for some reason known only to them, they are into collecting overrated/on the downside OFs – Matthews, Hunter, Matsui, now Wells. Crawford doesn’t fit in that group.
Makes no sense to me. I’m sure they have a reason, I just can’t figure it out.
WCYF……I intentionally walked Hank Conger after he hit 2 homeruns vs. my Little League team in the Tournament in 1999 & 2000…..He hit one right handed and then hit one lefthanded…..
The Jays are sending the angles some money according to Rosenthal. It would have to be tens of millions just to make this an equitable deal.
I’m really taken aback by this.
Anthouplous has pulled off a deal I would have thought utterly impossible to execute.
He’s completely revitalizing the Jays.
They had two absolutely awful contracts on their books in the outfield two seasons ago. Ricciardi got rid of one. Anthopoulus got rid of the other, even bigger problem and even got a player back in the deal.
The Jays are building a very competitive organization.
watching mlb channel. did they completely overlook that broxton may have hit a wall because torre doesnt know how to manage a bullpen and brox was overworked? remember the 50 pitches in 1 inning in the yankee game?
Joe,
My guess is they are hoping Wells repeats his 2010 for the remainder of his deal…..although he still wasn’t a 20 million dollar player last year…..I’d say the fan base was starting to rumble a bit and they just wanted to do something to appease them.
Joe from Long Island January 21st, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Verducci on MLBN – saying that Tex has been working with KLong this offseason, specifically on his mechanics and approach, and maybe going to the opposite field a bit more.
Interesting. Very interesting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I concur. If Kevin Long gets Teixeira to have less moving parts in the batter’s box like he did with Swisher, Granderson, and Gardner, it could pay dividends.
He supposedly will be doing a similar thing with Jeter soon at the minor league complex.
The Jays are looking good with that young pitching…..the AL east is ridiculous.
LGY….A Benji would be fine…In fact I’d like to expand the pool to include more LoHuders, but right now I have Jerkface on my radar…..
We can have Nick handle the money and he receives 10 % off the top
——————————————————————————————————
Deja vu ?
Somebody cue up the music from “Psycho”
Have you checked the inbox?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Speaking of wagers, where the heck is Bret the Hitman?
He still owes me $25 for our Carl Crafors bet.
The Jays are set up for years to come…………
100 Dollars? Thats too rich for my blood. I only bet on sure things. I enter a 25 dollar pool every year, but only half a c-note might be too small time for you pat.
The rays get 10 draft picks before the 2nd round.
Amazing….
Speaking of wagers, where the heck is Bret the Hitman?
He still owes me $25 for our Carl Crafors bet.
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Chip and someone else owes me brownies for Jeters deal. And I have a pending steak bet with someone regarding Buchholz’s ERA being over 3.0 next season but I can’t remember who. I’m bad at betting.
For you Face I’ll do it ………
I’ve been a Jets fan since the days of Ricard Todd quarterbacking. Freeman McNeil was one of the best! Klecko, Gastineau and Marty Lyons. This years team has alot of intensity and spirit. You don’t see that in some Superbowl winning teams. It’s special and I hope they kick Pittsburghs behind.
pat m
would a fantasy league be out of the question?
The Jays have terrific young pitching. And a lot of it. I don’t like their all or nothing approach at the plate as a team. They are making players like Hill and Snyder worse hitters.
But with the amount of money they’ve gotten off their books they can reset the direction of their franchise.
They already have started to do it.
Yes, the last time I ‘hosted’ a LoHud wager it turned out to be a devious trick.
I got 10% of nothing.
Tex just has a lot of wasted movement from the left side and his swing plane is very much up and down. He’s hit like that forever and has been great but as he ages he won’t be able to get away with it as much as that swing requires great timing and strength. He’s much flatter and shorter from the right side keeping the bat in the zone longer (his natural side)…..hopefully they can get the left side closer to the right side, I think it would make him more consistent.
Jerkface – I understand you can’t admit you’re wrong. That’s ok, I don’t feel the need for you to admit it. Carry on.
Pat,
I’m not a gambling man and I have heard around these parts not to bet with you, but why not.
Probably make the baseball season a little more interesting.
Hard to fathom this deal from the Angels perspective. I wonder how much of Well’s money Toronto is picking up.
Bronx Jeers ……..
Ask and you shall receive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Here is another quote from the book about developing your guys, also includes the infamous fast upper body of Graig Nettles.
He [Rickey] believed that kids tend to practice the things they already do well, and he wanted to work out a balanced program to fill in the holes in everybody’s game. My philosophy is: work from a kid’s talent, push him harder on the things that you think he does well. So I scout the ten fastest kids in camp and make ‘em bunt an extra hundred balls a day when everybody else is through. Then I scout the ten best hitters and over ten days each one’ll hit maybe 700 more balls than the other kids. Now, I’m not gonna forget about those other kids, but I believe a coach has to scout, and thats why the Cardinals put kids in the big leagues so quickly.
And I have a theory on switch hitting. We’ve developed a lot of good switch-hitters and I think that is because the atmosphere is right. I do this: I scout around the camp, and i listen to the manages, and I might hear one say, “This kid can run, field, and throw but he can’t hit.” Is he a right handed hitter? “Yeah” Okay, I want to turn him around, so a right hand curveball is always coming to him. I take four of them down to winter instructs and two will play in a game hitting, while two practice hitting. I take three guys down with me: Dave Ricketts, a punch and judy switch hitter; Hal Lanier, a leg switch hitter; and Ted Simmons, a power switch hitter. Every day two play in a game while Rickets and Lanier pitch to the other two in batting practice.
…
About eighty percent of the guys who make the majors play a different position there than they played when the scouts first saw them. Most get converted because of what the organization needs. You can find a centerfielder or rightfielder who can run like hell, got a good arm, not much bat. So you put him at shortstop, where he won’t have to hit too much, and then you work with him. We converted Ramsey from centerfield to infield, and he took enough ground balls…Look, you got good hands, a good arm, and you take enough ground balls, you gotta get better. Its like if you sharpened knives, two thousand knives in year one, and two thousand knives in year two, by year three by God you ought ta be able to sharpen knives!
Now with the infield, sometimes you see a kid who doesn’t have the real good hands, but hes got speed and arm and bat, so you think: “I’ll try him in centerfield or rightfield.” Or maybe you see a kid at second base or shortstop who’s a step slow, maybe because he’s built big. So you think: “If he can hit with a little power, I’ll try him at third base.” Thats what happened to Graig Nettles when he was with the Twins-Carew was ahead of him at second base, and they saw that Nettles didn’t have the range for the middle of the infield but they didn’t want to lose his bat. So they made him a third baseman, because third base equals power plus arm plus glove. Nettles is fast with his upper body, but he can’t get his feet going as fast.
Jays, Angels Swap Vernon Wells For Napoli, Rivera
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 21 at 6:47pm CST]
6:47pm: The Jays might not be sending any money to Los Angeles in the trade, tweets Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com
Jerkface – I understand you can’t admit you’re wrong. That’s ok, I don’t feel the need for you to admit it. Carry on.
–
Considering what you think I said was wrong was you misunderstanding what I even said, I will continue being right. You can continue trolling if you’d like.
oh my god… the Heyman tweets are coming from inside the house!!
I’m gonna go out and take pictures of strangers in Yankee hats to make it more believable when I steal Nick’s identity after this bet.
“A Benji would be fine”
You’re betting dogs! That’s despicable.
I’m in.
“oh my god… the Heyman tweets are coming from inside the house!!”
LMAO….quick run upstairs.
Also your incessant love affair with Heyman and Rosenthal have confused the original issue of their bashing. They are terrible analysts with stupid opinions who can break stories. I have said that if you want to know what a Boras client is doing you listen to Heyman, but understand that half of what he tweets is misdirection at Boras’ behest.
What you don’t listen to, is his article where he writes ‘Boras Client is the number one exciting guy on the market and the Yankees totally want him’, ignoring every other option.
Or Rosenthals stupid fan fiction where he writes about the Yankees 2009 season being a series of disasters or thinks that Vernon Wells re-established himself as a premiere centerfielder last year.
The Angels could have signed Crawford OR Beltre and kept Napoli and Rivera and had a better team next year.
Wow. Just got in and getting caught up.
Am I hearing this right about the Jays and Halos.
If the Jays don’t send back a significant amount of green that might just be one of the worst trades ever.
Sounds like something out of Ripley’s believe it or not.
You are entitled to your opinion Jerkface, no matter how wrong it is. You can call them “stupid” and “terrible” and claim they are wrong. I provided a link to an article that factually proves otherwise. We both made our points, no reason to take this further. Thanks.
LGY & Jerkface and anybody else interested….It makes for a good baseball summer plus you’ll start following the game a tad more closely and you’ll find yourself watching far more many games….Those West Coast games become a more attractive option than the reruns of Friends……..Rules are you need to get your entry fee to Nick and have your selections to Nick 24 hours before opening day…….At this point it’s winner takes all unless we have a few more entires…..Nick in SF keeps 10 % of every individual team’s entry
Your article only proved they broke stories. Not that their opinions were any good, or they weren’t stupid. They’re reporters.
And it didnt prove their RATE of breaking stories.
Great stuff, J-face and it all makes sense. Many Nettles examples have happened. First and foremost on my mind was The Mick who came up as a SS. Casey Stengel saw better things for him as the heir apparent to Joe D. and the rest was history.
watching the Ernie Harwell interview with Costas……incredible how graceful he was knowing what he was facing. Baseball lost so many legends last year.
SI_JonHeyman #rays agree to terms with both damon and manny
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Yikes. Good day for Boras.
I was out.
Didn’t see anything on it.
Has the Jones deal been finalized ?
Manny and Damon to the rays. Christ the AL East is a nightmare. Would rather have had Manny @ 2 mil than Jones.
SI_JonHeyman #rays agree to terms with both damon and manny
_____
Manny can DH there. He wouldn’t in NY. Damon will play left.
It fits. 4th place in the AL East will be better than 1st in any other division other than the Phillies.
A great replay on MLB-TV with Bob Costas and Ernie Harwell. A definite must see.
Can’t wait to see the first blowup between “glasses” and ramirez.
What a hoot.
If he thinks he has problems with Upton not hustling just wait till he has to deal Manny.
Bring back the balanced schedule?
Manny can DH there. He wouldn’t in NY.
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They could have got enough ABs for him at DH and LF in the Bronx.
edit: “deal with”. sorry.
Rays just got better….maybe marginally but could be significantly.
Two more Heyman scoops on Boran clients???
He just leap-frogged Rosenthal — without jumping!
sign Vlad…..who cares if you have Jones also.
Only 2 mill for Manny?
Crap.
Wow, the Rays are going to be good……..though Damon didn’t exactly have a good year last year……and Manny isn’t the same player. I think my “wow” isp probably because they are big names. Still, with their great pitching, I expect them to be good.
I had no interest in Manny on this team – let him be someone else’s problem.
all 5 al east teams are going to be good. Now, if they would get rid of this inner division 18 games each crap, the division can completely tear the league apart.
“Wow, the Rays are going to be good…”
They still lost virtually their entire bullpen (which was a huge strength for them), traded Garza, and lost their second best player in Crawford. They aren’t nearly as good as they were last year.
would still like the yankees to throw a couple mil at duchscherer. saw his son lives in jersey. then pettitte then lets rumble.
ac1…..Like you’re approach even though I’m still not too certain about Andy……..I ran into a acquaintance last night at a local eatery who played with Bonds on their NL Championship club…..He saw Barry before the Holidays at a SF Watering hole and says Barry has dropped about 4 suit sizes……These two never cared for each other and the prevailing thought is regardless of what happens to Roger, the Fed still looks at Bonds as their big fish……
Here is one for Betsy:
He [Rickey] loved to teach the change-up: he’d take his hat and set it on home plate, and say,”You throw a change and hit that hat and I’ll give you ten dollars.” The way he taught the change was to keep a stiff wrist and draw the hand straight down, the way you pull a window shade. The first time you try that, the ball usually sails over the catcher’s head. But when these kids aimed at the hat, they could bring the ball in for a good low strike. None of ‘em ever hit the hat and he never had to pay any money.
You can teach the change; you can teach the curve; you can teach better mechanics- Like how to shove off the rubber, or how not to open up the body too soon. SO when I scout an amateur pitcher, I don’t worry too much about that stuff, I look for a live arm and the good fastball. I stay away from wrist-wrappers, the guys who hook the ball in toward the wrist when they their their delivery. Hookers- thats what I call em- usually don’t have good control. Or they’ll have it one day and three days later they won’t have it. And short-armers: stay away from ‘em. Guys who short-arm the ball, who don’t get extension, usually came up with a bad arm.
Blake, they will be good – I’m predicting it. They have very, very good pitching. Price is great, Davis had a fantastic year, Hellickson will probably be very good and I’d imagine that Shields will be better. I just don’t think the Rays should be underestimated.
SI_JonHeyman
damon texted me in nov. he wanted to play for #yankees, rays or #redsox. manny told peeps he wanted rays or jays (a rhyming thing?) 4 minutes ago via web
This was the most unkindest tweet of all.
What does they will be good mean? Too subjective.
How many wins?
But I don’t really believe in scouting hitters. That’s what the Yankees do, and thats why I could never work for them and be successful. I start with the footspeed and the arm, but they just o out and look for young guys who can hit. Now if all the kid can do is hit, and then he fails, what do you do with him? You might’ve wasted fifty thousand on him. And how many kids in the last ten years have come up to the majors through the Yankee system? Very few. Steinbrenner just signs the established players he wants, and he doesn’t give a s–t what it costs or who it hurts.”
Jerkface, that doesn’t change my mind about anything. I assume you are referring to Phil? He’s going to pitch next year at 25 – he’s not a baby anymore. If it’s all about the teaching, why hasn’t someone shown him how to throw (made him throw) a change or a good, consistent curve? Maybe I was wrong about Eiland all along. I will go to my grave thinking he was rushed in 2007 for all the reasons that Randy has stated previously.
LGY, I have no idea – I can’t predict wins for the Yankees, I’m not going to pretend I can figure out how many wins the Rays will have. I think they will be a contender……period.
shown him how to throw (made him throw) a change
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He does throw a change. Someone taught it to him after he scrapped the one he lost a feel for that he had in 07. And he throws it. He doesn’t NOT throw it. If thats what you’re implying.
I guess Manny and Damon went to Tampa because they heard about the 5PM all-you-can-eat early bird senior specials at Calico Jack’s
Betsy,
I agree that they’ll be good just because of their starting pitching depth but losing Garza, Crawford, and their pen will hurt quite a bit.
Also, just for context:
Davis: ERA: 4.07, ERA+: 97, WHIP: 1.351, K’s: 113
Hughes: ERA: 4.19, ERA+:102, WHIP: 1.226, K’s: 146
Davis is also a nearly a year older than Hughes.
Jerkface, by the way, Phil is a short -armer – he has a very odd delivery. He has this weird hitch it seems just before he releases the ball……….
The Rays are counting on putting rumps in seats in the Damon / Ramirez deals as much as whatever they can contribute.
Damon lives in Orlando so it makes him happy to have a 1 1/2 hour ride to work for spring training plus 81 games. Both will love to hear the silly Boston fans boo them and hopefully they will respond in kind by helping to beat their former team.
Phil has a great delivery….Clemens short armed the ball a bit as well….actually helps simplify control/command.
SI_JonHeyman
wonder if the #angels checked home-road splits of vernon wells. oh, here’s 1: home .991 OPS, away .708. less than 5 seconds ago via web
investigative reporting by Heyman….yikes.
BEtsy
To contend they have to be at least a 90 win team. Do you think the rays are that good
“# BoJo January 21st, 2011 at 8:29 pm
I guess Manny and Damon went to Tampa because they heard about the 5PM all-you-can-eat early bird senior specials at Calico Jack’s
”
Damon lives in Orlando and Manny lives in Miami so they probably saw an opportunity to play close to home as their careers wind down
Jerkface, he worked all off-season on it and ST, then almost never threw it. The fact is, the change concerns me a lot less than the curve……..I’m a big fan of the curve ball and Phil just can’t seem to find one he likes that is good for a long period of time.
Blake, Davis also finished the season very strongly if I recall. I admit that I can not get past a 5 ERA in the 2nd half …..and it’s worse than that if you go back to mid-May. I get that he struggled against the Jays, but those starts still count. If you remove them, then remove all his very good starts at the beginning of the season.
I google a LOT about Phil, even now that I am somewhat skeptical of him. I really think that he’s generally considered a nice young pitcher, but one who has a ton of questions about him. His ceiling is something that has yet to be determined, but given that he’s going to pitch most of 2011 as a 25 year old I think this year will tell what kind of pitcher he’s going to be in the future : a potential front of the rotation type or a solid type starter.
Let me make it perfectly clear that I am not predicting bad things for Phil in 2011. In fact, I’m not predicting anything, good or bad, for him. I am in wait and see mode…….I am not someone who relies on faith in everyday life; I need proof before I believe in something. So, it’s nothing personal with Phil; I just want to see proof before I become a believer.
Why do people dislike Heyman so much here?
108 stiches……The Rays might add a few thousand to the park for about 10 homestands….Both Damon and Manny are going to hope for trades by July
A salient point on scouting:
“I could’ve bought Ernie Banks from the Kansas City Monarchs for seventy-five hundred dollars, but Rickey vetoed the deal-said it was too much money. Thats another thing about scouting, you can say this: that a scout can only be as good as his ballclub lets him.”
LGY, yes, I think they are a 90 win team. I think the Yankees are about a 90 win team as well, but that could be generous based on the lousy SP. I think the Sox the best team and by a few games at least.
“KenDavidoff Boras conceived the idea of Damon and Manny as a package deal for #Rays. Damon signed his contract today. ”
Damon was a Manny whisperer long before he developed his AJ whisperer skills.
Blake, it just looks weird to me………..and I don’t know who said the quote that Jerkface posted above, but Phil doesn’t get alot of extension when he throws……..
So, who’s going to play the outfield in Tampa?
he worked all off-season on it and ST, then almost never threw it. The fact is, the change concerns me a lot less than the curve
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Players who are developing a change throw it as much as Hughes. 5% , until they get a feel and bring it into the arsenal more. He threw it 10% of the time in September. You are coloring what he did with this idea that he was bad, and so he must not have thrown a change up, but he did. You just missed it.
More Jeff Mathis for the Angels?
Good times.
jerkface -
Hopefully, the Yankees are scouting a little differently these days.
Pat M. January 21st, 2011 at 8:38 pm
108 stiches……The Rays might add a few thousand to the park for about 10 homestands….Both Damon and Manny are going to hope for trades by July
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A likely scenario. Both have moved on enough not to let packing up bother them.
That said, by all accounts Phil has a solid delivery. He did make it through last year without one pimple – so much for being injury prone. He’s got those great tree trunk legs a power pitcher needs…………I think Rothschild can really help him. I can’t believe I’m so excited about a PC ,but I am, lol
Betsy–
I would not worry so much about the curve. Eventually, someone will show Phil a trick way to hold or throw it that is comfortable to him,a nd it will just click. It’s a fell pitch, and will come.
Right now, he is using the grip and approach that Mussina taught him…just trial and error.
Betsy,
I understand….he did have a good season though especially for a first year starting in the premier division in baseball. He does have things to work on and areas in which he can improve, but I prefer to believe that he will…… “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
# Joe from Long Island January 21st, 2011 at 8:40 pm
So, who’s going to play the outfield in Tampa?
——————————————————–
hope MR & JD both play the OF when they play the Yankees
I agree with Betsy in that I think the Rays are going to be good this season. They have a very good rotation and they play scrappy. If they get on base, they steal. They play a lot of small ball which wins them games. It would be stupid to say they aren’t going to be good this season. Also, getting Damon and Ramirez…kinda scraping the bottom of the AL East barrel. (No offense Erica, I wouldn’t have minded Damon)
And the point about his second half ERA is that it is misleading. He had a 5 ERA total but his ERA was under 5 against every club except the Blue Jays. IS he going to face the Blue Jays every game? No! So the smart person would bet his ERA would be below 5 against those other teams.
I’d rather a player, if he is going to struggle, do it in isolated situations rather than ALL the time. Hughes did not suck ALL THE TIME. When he did suck, he got bombed, but I’ll take 4 bomb outings and 20 ones where he keeps the club in it rather than a guy that is going to uniformly suck over every game.
Does Phil use Clearisil?
Jerkface, he did throw it more later……..I do think he has the makings of a good one, but I’m just not sure how committed he is to his secondary pitches. I really want to see him improve his curve – it’s by far my favorite pitch.
Betsy……Hughes was basically told what to throw last season and that changed slightly when the calendar turned to September….He shook off locations more than what pitch to throw…..There was very little flexibility to the Yankee game plan when he took the mound……We’ll be seeing more off speed stuff in 2011…..It was all about location with the fastball for Phil in 2010….In closing , Hughes is the prototypical pitcher who pitches with his legs and trunk……Training wheels will be coming off as 2011 unfolds, as it’s all about fastball location then you move on……
Wow, the Rays are going to be good……..though Damon didn’t exactly have a good year last year……and Manny isn’t the same player.
///
you kidding?Manny will kill it in that righty friendly park.those are two good signings right there,especially when their starters get taken into account.it’s true they go from having the best corner OF in baseball to holding their breath on flies,but they get two pro hitters to help along the rest of those guys.
Prediction: Manny helps BJ Upton tremendously at the plate.
The Blue Jays were just a horrible match up for Hughes the way he was pitching last season. His bread and butter was challenging teams with a plus fastball and plus fastball command….the Jays, especially in Toronto were the perfect match to that style and it showed. I think some adjustments will be made next year along with the fact that it’s unlikely that the Jays will swing the bats to that degree as a whole again.
I’m guessing he hasn’t had to use it in about 7 years, lol
Bojo, I think it could be paralysis by analysis; it seems like someone is always showing Phil a new curveball grip. In 2009 he came to camp with a power curve…………..it kind of seems like he can’t make up his mind.
Blake, I’m glad you understand because I really don’t want to make it sound like I think Phil is some crap pitcher. I badly want him to be the ace he was hyped to be, but this is just how I am – I’m a pessimist/skeptic who’s dying to be an optimist but is enough of a realist to know that’s ain’t happening, lol.
Costas will replay the Bob Feller interview next Friday at 8:00 PM on MLB-TV. another must see.
The best relay duo in baseball — reunited!
GB,
the Feller interview is great as well. Costas just does these things so well…..I’m sitting here watching Harwell and wondering what it must have been like to sit there talking baseball and reminiscing….knowing that you only have months at most to live. I hope I’m that graceful and content when I’m in his shoes.
Another plus for Rays:Damon won’t be nearly as exposed in Tampa’s left field & I bet Jennings will be up later in the yr & stick as defensive replacement.
Pat M, did they want him to just concentrate on his FB and control? Ok, I can understand that………….and generally he had exceptional control, though his walks increased later on. However, I feel that can be attributed at least partly to fatigue. I thought he was getting a second win when he pitched well against Tampa and Boston, but then came TX.
I remember Phil the Thrill (I think?) saying that Phil’s velocity would increase during the summer, but it never did. I guess he doesn’t need any more MPH, but I kind of wish he’d find that extra oomph.
Shaking catchers off – not sure how I feel about that. I kind of like it at times because it shows that a kid is confident, but on the other hand, when does confidence border on arrogance? I think Joba sometimes crosses that line…..I don’t think Phil has, but I do think he probably shouldn’t shake his catchers off at this point.
I want to be very positive about Phil because he’s the kind of kid that should be one of the faces of the franchise. He’s well spoken, he’s thoughtful and he’s decent to the media. Aside from trashing Joba’s truck (I think), he never gets into trouble and he’s coachable.
Nick in SF…Jets line moved to + 4, Packers at -3.5…..You playing either game ???? Not feeling it either game…….Tough loss last night for the Cal Berkeley Bears in Westwood
Steelers/Packers Super Bowl……if so they should forget Dallas and play in the snow somewhere.
Skeptic comes from the Greek & means to examine.I don’t think you qualify,Betsy. Pessimism,yes. Skepticism?No,because you reject details that don’t support the outcome you have invested in.
Phil Hughes seems to have the same school of thought that pitchers like Ryan and Seaver had among notable others. Good leg strength pushing off the rubber is less shoulder strain. Going to the API in Phoenix helped his cause.
Blake, Costas is a great host, but, really at his best with the greats, because he knows the history of baseball and his subjects. Imagine how boring Vesgerrgian, Gammons or, God forbid, Heyman or Uecker would be at it. And I love Uecker.
Betsy…..Aside from some injury , Young Master Hughes is a 20 game winner before he’s a free agent ( whenever that may be ) In fact I think he can pull off that feat within the next 2 seasons
Jerkface, I get that every pitcher has a team that he struggles with……
I’d have to go to the game log for the 2nd half to see just how poorly Phil did or didn’t pitch. I remember doing that some months ago – I admit that it wasn’t as bad as I thought. He had some terrible games against the Angels, Mariners and Jays (besides the Sox and Astros games earlier), but generally he was kind of average. I’m hoping we can see some more of that early season pitcher ……….he was so good then.
Blake ,fair enough – Phil has to develop his other pitches just for the reasons you suggested. No pitcher can rise about average/solid (if that) with 2 pitches. Phil should be much better than that.
J Alfred, I don’t recall Manny having a particuarly good year last year and Damon was not good either………
SI Source says $5.25M for Johnny and $2M for Manny
Love the Rays signings in terms of the competitive bar being raised even higher. I thought they would compete anyway. But this certainly helps Rays pitching with the added support, maybe even more so than last year. Agree that LF wall beckons Manny. Bet his SLG bounces back some. Plus Longoria might actually be healthy for the stretch drive this time around. Still so much for that athletic OF if one of Damon/Manny are playing out there.
Pat M, my gut tells me the Packers and Steelers will be meeting on Super Bowl Sunday, but I’ll be rooting for the Jetropolitans to pull one out. Haven’t made any investments yet, I may make a Packers-Jets teaser bet, get an extra 6 points for each.
The Cal game wasn’t televised up here but I was listening on the radio…. to lose it on a defensive-lapse put-back play like that after such a great comeback… hard to swallow.
Pat M, I hope so………..the best thing I took from last year was that he took the ball in every start except when he was skipped. Early in the season he was a real innings eater, going 7 on a regular basis. My favorite game, I think was the Detroit game, when he had little margin for error and got out of several bad situations before settling down.
GB7,
Very true, I wish he did more games because he’s good at that as well. Incredible that Harwelll basically just recited his entire opening monologue from his HOF speech off the top of his head when Costas asked if he remembered any of it.
#damon – 750 grand in attendance bonuses
Damon and Manny on the Rays? Almost as funny as the Angels taking the abomination of a contract known as Vernon Wells.
What’s going on with the GMs around the league in the last week? Too many magic mushrooms…
To those who think the Yankees are only a 90 win team…try 95 at a minimum.
To those rooting for the Jets on Sunday…sorry.
Supposedly, Damon also has an attendance incentive of $750,000. He has to hope that the Devil Rays draw more than 15,000 a game.
I’m less sure about the outcomes of the Steelers/Jets game but I think the Packers are just better than the Bears are….Cutler will have to play great for the Bears to win I think.
108, API did wonders for him………..Seaver broadcast games in the 80′s for the Yankees and I have never forgotten his “power pitchers pitch with their legs” mantra.
I’m so nervous about Sunday’s game, but it should be great. The nice thing is that there is a feeling of respect between the Pack and Bears, no crap like what went on between the Jets and Pats. The Bears have done a very good job against Rodgers this year- I think the two teams are pretty closely matched. I would not be surprised if either team won. I like Cutler – as a Bears fan I think he should work on his mechanics over the off-season because if he straightens them out……..
jonmorosi #Angels – #BlueJays deal is Wells for Napoli and Rivera. Cash is not mentioned in release from either club. #Toronto
What does an attendance bonus mean? Do the Rays think he’s a draw?
J Alfred, I don’t recall Manny having a particuarly good year last year and Damon was not good either………
///
yea but he’s Manny,right?that park helps out righthanded hitters & he’s one of the best to ever play.I’ll put my money on a bounceback for Manny.Damon?It’s not a great home park for lefthanders,so I expect he won’t put up the kind of power numbers he did at YS.But he should do OK when he plays NYY on the road.These are two very good additions for Tampa.
If the Angels aren’t getting cash in that deal then….whoa.
J Alfred, ok, I could see that happening. They will both probably help……….lol, the AL East is ridiculously good. I sort of like it that way because the idea of being the best of a garbage division wouldn’t fill me with pride.
PittsburghYankeeFan January 21st, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Damon and Manny on the Rays? Almost as funny as the Angels taking the abomination of a contract known as Vernon Wells.
///
Huh?not remotely similar.don’t mistake your view of Manny as some freak with his ability to punish a baseball.Manny is going to rake for the Rays.I am not a happy camper at all that he’s back in the AL East.Not in the least.
Manny for 2M to me is a no-brainer, esp. at the Trop. What is not to like about this? It is a win-win for the Rays.
Why on earth would the Angels do that?
blake January 21st, 2011 at 9:06 pm
If the Angels aren’t getting cash in that deal then….whoa.
+++++++++++
I suspect the Angels’ GM is getting several million to his private account in Bermuda
“Rickey had another expression: Quickie. That was a player who moved up fast-D,C,Double A, Triple A , Big Leagues- a kid with maybe four tools and good potential. Ricky wanted to push a guy like that;he wanted all the coaches to swoop on that guy, like eagles.”
Betsy January 21st, 2011 at 9:06 pm
J Alfred, ok, I could see that happening. They will both probably help……….lol, the AL East is ridiculously good. I sort of like it that way because the idea of being the best of a garbage division wouldn’t fill me with pride.
______
Ridiculous is the word. I can’t wait for the season to start.
Go J-E-T-S!
Betsy,
The Bears are also my favorite team.
I really liked this article on Cutler:
http://www.rotoworld.com/conte.....leid=37218
though perhaps only a Bears fan would….
Betsy January 21st, 2011 at 9:06 pm
J Alfred, ok, I could see that happening. They will both probably help……….lol, the AL East is ridiculously good. I sort of like it that way because the idea of being the best of a garbage division wouldn’t fill me with pride.
///
well it just got ridiculously better…and harder.unlike others here,I can’t find the humor in Manny being on the Rays,backed by that young pitching staff.& I am sure that Manny is going to tutor BJ’s bat. BJ could go north or south,depending on how he’s mentored.Manny does wonders with young hitters he thinks aren’t reaching their potential.Too many here don’t see that Manny may carry a coxcomb,but he also carries an uber bat.he’s only cuddly/strange when he hits for YOU.when he doesn’t,he’s just dangerous.
Nick,
I have a nice parlay on the Jets +4 and Pack -3 (no teasing)
but considering I’m rooting for the Steelers and Bears, it’s more of a bet to make me feel better should everything go wrong on Sunday.
There may be money exchanging hands to finish the deal but the amount may not have been okayed by the commissioners office yet.
yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Betsy January 21st, 2011 at 9:06 pm
J Alfred, ok, I could see that happening. They will both probably help……….lol, the AL East is ridiculously good. I sort of like it that way because the idea of being the best of a garbage division wouldn’t fill me with pride.
______
Ridiculous is the word. I can’t wait for the season to start.
///
I’m thinkin now more than ever that Montero had better be a part of this lineup.we sorely need a righty power bat & it would be a boon if he’s a young one.the division is loaded.we need to get Andy back,pitch Joba as a starter & get Montero into the mix.then I would feel ready to go to war.
yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Go J-E-T-S!
///
Good to see Brad Smith & Jason Taylor back in the swing of things.I’m very confident about Sunday.
Center field will be an adventure in Toronto in 2011. They have Bautista or Wise to play there since Fred Lewis is gone. The only other option is to bring up Darin Mastroianni from AA.
“we sorely need a righty power bat”
—————
ARod, Andruw, Tex
of course they could use another bat, who couldn’t?
but “sorely need” ?
I dont think it’s quite that bad.
or no cash is involved. Wow.
jonmorosi Source confirms to FOXSports.com: No cash involved in Wells trade. Straight 2-for-1. #Angels #BlueJays #Toronto #LA
pat,
that is unbelievable.
wow
I’m sure there is money involved, there has to be.
The Rays are a really well-run team.
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:14 pm
yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Betsy January 21st, 2011 at 9:06 pm
J Alfred, ok, I could see that happening. They will both probably help……….lol, the AL East is ridiculously good. I sort of like it that way because the idea of being the best of a garbage division wouldn’t fill me with pride.
______
Ridiculous is the word. I can’t wait for the season to start.
///
I’m thinkin now more than ever that Montero had better be a part of this lineup.we sorely need a righty power bat & it would be a boon if he’s a young one.the division is loaded.we need to get Andy back,pitch Joba as a starter & get Montero into the mix.then I would feel ready to go to war.
——————————–
Montero might get the call sometime during the season unless you want him to platoon with Jorge but he wouldn’t get enough at bats. I can’t wait to see him in the show. He helps the Yankees so much going forward.
That’s just amazing if true.
BD,
I want a serious righthanded power hitter to go along with ARod,who is afterall 35 in late July.AJones is older & Tex is prone to crazy slumps,altho he’s more contact oriented from the right side. I want a tipping point righthanded bat,& that’s one Jesus Montero.
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:19 pm
yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Go J-E-T-S!
///
Good to see Brad Smith & Jason Taylor back in the swing of things.I’m very confident about Sunday.
________
It is going to be a tough, down in the trenches kind of game. It will be interesting to see if Revis is on Wallace. Love the Holmes story going back to Pitt. Getting through almost two whole days to get to that 6:30 start is going to be tough.
“I?m sure there is money involved, there has to be.”
The Heyman has spoken…..
SI_JonHeyman there is no money changing hands in wells trade. #angels paying the whole $86 mil to go on v. wells. #verygenerousofthem
J Alfred,
I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much for Montero being a legit power bat right away.
Not that he couldn’t be, but it’s kind of scary what people are expecting from the kid on this blog.
Anything short of a hall of fame career will be a disappointment.
Anything whatsoever that they get out of him in 2011 is a bonus, IMO. I just hope he can get a few games under his belt so he can start to get a feel for the big leagues.
Wow….hard to figure that deal for the Angels.
Look, the flip side is that the Angels had money to spend, Wells is only 32 and did hit 31 homers with 88 RBI’s. It’s conceivable he could have a good year in 2011 (motivated by an opt out clause) and there are far worse outfields in baseball than Wells, Hunter and Bourjos.
The Angels just made perhaps one of the worst trades in the last 5-10 years.
Montero might get the call sometime during the season unless you want him to platoon with Jorge but he wouldn’t get enough at bats. I can’t wait to see him in the show. He helps the Yankees so much going forward.
///
Odds,Jorge’s still gonna catch some,& we’re not even sure that Martin’s hip will hold up,so there’ll be opportunities at either catcher or DH for Montero for stretches of the season.I just think the Yanks need an extra boost offensively considering other AL lineups & the potential wild card we have in AJ in the rotation (although I predict & expect a solid yr from him).
Also,I just think Montero’s time has arrived & they shouldn’t dink around with getting hims started.A great young talent like that can energize an entire lineup & help define a season.Having Cano & Montero in that lineup could just make us crazy good,but they’ve got to get him involved somewhat early so he’s not needing to make adjustments say in a stretch run for a postseason berth,but earlier in the season,because the inevitable cold spell is going to come when he has to figure it all out again.I just really,really,really want Montero to be a NOW guy, & the way he took off in the second half of his season in AAA indicates it’s time to put him in the show.
This moves sounds like it was made by Moreno.
Yankeesfem, I was having a hard time getting excited about the season, but tonight I’m kind of ramped up, lol.
BD, I’m going to check that out………….thanks! Did you read Rick Reilly’s piece on Cutler? What dope. I admit that Cutler does some odd things, but I also think it’s ridiculous that the media harps on his personality because he doesn’t care what they think of him. I love that about him, lol. He visited sick kids in the hospital and gave them all sorts of toys and then refused to publicize it – that’s not somethingi a bad guy does. He doesn’t have good #s against the Pack in a Bears uniform, but I really, really hope he has a good game no matter what happens. I also think he should go work on his mechanics during the off-season because then he could be killer.
All this Bears love because of Brian’s Song………….greatest movie ever.
Reagins just made Cashman look like Einstein.
What hoot.
“All this Bears love because of Brian’s Song………….greatest movie ever.”
As good as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”? I think not.
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:22 pm
BD,
I want a serious righthanded power hitter to go along with ARod,who is afterall 35 in late July.AJones is older & Tex is prone to crazy slumps,altho he’s more contact oriented from the right side. I want a tipping point righthanded bat,& that’s one Jesus Montero.
———————————————————————————————————————-
The Yankees have 3 power hitting switch hitters. How many more do they need? Against left handers, they’ll run out 5 or 6 right handed hitters on any night.
Betsy,
I read the first paragraph and that’s all I needed to see. I don’t really care if people badmouth Cutler. There are far worse QBs in the league – Philip Rivers comes to mind.
Cutler does have a chance to shut everyone up this weekend.
We’ll see…
Absolutely awful trade. Wow. Wells has one of the single worst contracts in baseball.
BD (Boston Dave) January 21st, 2011 at 9:25 pm
J Alfred,
I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much for Montero being a legit power bat right away.
Not that he couldn’t be, but it’s kind of scary what people are expecting from the kid on this blog.
Anything short of a hall of fame career will be a disappointment.
Anything whatsoever that they get out of him in 2011 is a bonus, IMO. I just hope he can get a few games under his belt so he can start to get a feel for the big leagues.
///
BD, while i certainly appreciate the conventional wisdom on young guys expected to break the bank right away,I will go out on a limb (although I don’t think I am) & say this young man is a special case. Special bat, special case.I’ve seen a lot of Montero & I will happily be accused of hyperbole & not care & declare his bat a ‘can’t miss’. I felt the same way about Cano very early on & chafed at the talk of trading him.THis boy will have his bumps in the road,but he once he settles in he will hit,hit,hit & crush baseballs.His time has come.
BD, that was wise, lol. By the way, what a fantastic article………I read that Martz stuff on ESPN a day or so ago. It’s good stuff about how Cutler’s footwork is the way it is because of his college experience. He should only get better – esp. if Martz stays.
Francesca can be a blowhard, but he likes Cutler so when he talks about him, it’s generally good stuff.
# blake January 21st, 2011 at 9:26 pm
Wow….hard to figure that deal for the Angels.
————————————
Slow off season missing out on players they targeted so this is the consolation prize.
GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 9:30 pm
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:22 pm
BD,
I want a serious righthanded power hitter to go along with ARod,who is afterall 35 in late July.AJones is older & Tex is prone to crazy slumps,altho he’s more contact oriented from the right side. I want a tipping point righthanded bat,& that’s one Jesus Montero.
———————————————————————————————————————-
The Yankees have 3 power hitting switch hitters. How many more do they need? Against left handers, they’ll run out 5 or 6 right handed hitters on any night.
///
Like I said,with the division getting tougher,we need a tipping point bat. he’s it.
BD, I agree about Montero. This is why I didn’t want him being the full time catcher this year…………I’m very excited about him, but he’s a baby and he’s going to go through growing pains. As long as we see flashes, I’ll be thrilled
MLBTR confirms no money involved.
Rich, I HATED Ferris Bueller the first time I saw it – now I adore it. The parents in the movie fell in love on set and are married, lol.
Brian’s Song- SADDEST movie ever then…………the music just gets to me. Ever since, I’ve loved the Bears………..and Sayers and Piccolo and Butkus and, well, you get it..
my concern is the Martin move will delay Montero’s arrival in the bronx.I’d like to see him here by June at the latest.we don’t need another mediocre, older player blocking a young stud.been there,done that.
I don’t think people are putting undue pressure on Montero. If you compare Montero’s cohorts in Posey and Carlos Santana, they put up 129 and 139 OPS+, respectively. We all know Montero can hit and his bat is mlb-ready. It will be his defense that will delay his arrival. & the nice thing about Montero is he has that nice contact hitter/power combo. No need to rush him, but his bat is ready.
yankfem – the thing too is this guy is a 35-40 HR guy in potential.I’m encouraged that ARod is feeling great & all but it’s a long season.If ARod goes down for any period of time I would want to have Montero already hooked in.& yr point that this kid also hits for avg is an important one.This isn’t a .265 guy who strikes out or hits it out,he’s a born hitter with immense power.
Cutler is the best Bears quarterback they’ve had since Billy Wade in the early 60s. The real pity is that the guy with the most talent was Bobby Douglass. His proble was that nobody could catch his passes….mostly because he threw the ball too hard.
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Montero might get the call sometime during the season unless you want him to platoon with Jorge but he wouldn’t get enough at bats. I can’t wait to see him in the show. He helps the Yankees so much going forward.
///
Odds,Jorge’s still gonna catch some,& we’re not even sure that Martin’s hip will hold up,so there’ll be opportunities at either catcher or DH for Montero for stretches of the season.I just think the Yanks need an extra boost offensively considering other AL lineups & the potential wild card we have in AJ in the rotation (although I predict & expect a solid yr from him).
Also,I just think Montero’s time has arrived & they shouldn’t dink around with getting hims started.A great young talent like that can energize an entire lineup & help define a season.Having Cano & Montero in that lineup could just make us crazy good,but they’ve got to get him involved somewhat early so he’s not needing to make adjustments say in a stretch run for a postseason berth,but earlier in the season,because the inevitable cold spell is going to come when he has to figure it all out again.I just really,really,really want Montero to be a NOW guy, & the way he took off in the second half of his season in AAA indicates it’s time to put him in the show.
———————————————————————————-
I’m not against him getting his feet wet and hopefully he gets a chance with the big club but with the Yankees sighing Martin Jesus is going to have to wait. That’s the way the Yankees made it. They were willing to have him compete for the job but something must have changed their thought process since then.
Wells? Good job, Arte! No doubt you’ll now round out the rotation with Barry Zito.
And Damon’s gonna play LF, with Manny as DH? I give it until around mid-May for Maddon and company to tire of watching singles stretched into doubles and the 15-bounce throws as runners score easily from 2nd.
These moves are for all the Cashman bashers pining all winter long for him to make ANY move. Well, this is what it looks like!
At least it should be entertaining for a while!
I love it!
wow Olbermann fired. I’m sure this had everything to do with the Comcast merger. Told him right before the show. Stay classy Comcast
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:39 pm
my concern is the Martin move will delay Montero’s arrival in the bronx.I’d like to see him here by June at the latest.we don’t need another mediocre, older player blocking a young stud.been there,done that.
______
QFT. With this philosophy Posey and Santana never would have played, although Martin can be a stud for us. We shall see though. Delay Montero too long, and you have to think they are again thinking trade bait.
Manny, regardless of lower SLG, had a righty-lefty splits of something like .404/434 OBP and in a down year, his righty SLG was 474. I am in total agreement, Pruf. Plus mostly DH’ing after tripping around the field in Dodgerland will help. By the time Manny got to ChiSox, he was running on fumes.
When will people stop with the “Montero can’t catch” crap? There are worse MLB catchers, defensively right now. Posada, Cervelli, Pierzynski, Hundley, Napoli, among others, including whoever Boston runs out there.
GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Center field will be an adventure in Toronto in 2011. They have Bautista or Wise to play there since Fred Lewis is gone. The only other option is to bring up Darin Mastroianni from AA.
+++++++++++++++++
Rajai Davis–not that great a glove but he can play the spot
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 9:44 pm
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Montero might get the call sometime during the season unless you want him to platoon with Jorge but he wouldn’t get enough at bats. I can’t wait to see him in the show. He helps the Yankees so much going forward.
///
Odds,Jorge’s still gonna catch some,& we’re not even sure that Martin’s hip will hold up,so there’ll be opportunities at either catcher or DH for Montero for stretches of the season.I just think the Yanks need an extra boost offensively considering other AL lineups & the potential wild card we have in AJ in the rotation (although I predict & expect a solid yr from him).
Also,I just think Montero’s time has arrived & they shouldn’t dink around with getting hims started.A great young talent like that can energize an entire lineup & help define a season.Having Cano & Montero in that lineup could just make us crazy good,but they’ve got to get him involved somewhat early so he’s not needing to make adjustments say in a stretch run for a postseason berth,but earlier in the season,because the inevitable cold spell is going to come when he has to figure it all out again.I just really,really,really want Montero to be a NOW guy, & the way he took off in the second half of his season in AAA indicates it’s time to put him in the show.
———————————————————————————-
I’m not against him getting his feet wet and hopefully he gets a chance with the big club but with the Yankees sighing Martin Jesus is going to have to wait. That’s the way the Yankees made it. They were willing to have him compete for the job but something must have changed their thought process since then.
_________
I am in agreement about the possibility of a change in thought process, and I have to confess it concerns me. I am hoping it doesn’t mean they don’t think he will ever catch for us… and instead we are just being our thorough, not want to take any risks selves.
It’s been pretty interesting watching how far Angels’ Moreno will go just to not have to deal with Boras.
BoJo January 21st, 2011 at 9:50 pm
GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Center field will be an adventure in Toronto in 2011. They have Bautista or Wise to play there since Fred Lewis is gone. The only other option is to bring up Darin Mastroianni from AA.
+++++++++++++++++
Rajai Davis–not that great a glove but he can play the spot
____
I think they are also interested in Posednik, as potential platoon…
I’m not against him getting his feet wet and hopefully he gets a chance with the big club but with the Yankees sighing Martin Jesus is going to have to wait. That’s the way the Yankees made it. They were willing to have him compete for the job but something must have changed their thought process since then.
///
.
Odds,I suspect it’s their fatal conservatism.they want the “sure thing.”yet I would have been fine with some configuration of Posada/Cervelli/Montero.Not only would we survive that,IMO,we would make important strides with Montero offensively & defensively.I sure hope this wasn’t over reaction to Crawford/Ellsbury in Boston.If so,that would mean the Red Sox signing Crawford kept Montero from helping us for another yr.I would not like that reactionary management philosophy.let them steal bases,I prefer to get four bases with one wave of the bat
WCYF…..We’ll see in July how stupid the Angels are…..Napoli is a K machine who is coming off his best season at 30 years old which for him is old……DH is his future and he’ll whiff every 4 at bats to go …The guy gets 40 % of his rib’s by the long ball….Hey Yankee fans, Naps always punished the Yanks but trust me this guy goes to sleep for weeks on end……Moreno knows what The Yanks found out, no October no Black in in the books…..The difference in 08 for the Yanks was the Stadium was closing so it was a last rites crowd otherwise the turnstiles would have come to a crawl those final few 3-4 weeks in September….And I hate The Angels and their fans, but Toronto picked up 2 platoon players for Vernon Wells…..Playing in Anahiem Stadium is just a little different than playing in an emmpty Airport Hanger that is SkyDome or whatever new term is for crap
If Montero hits, he’ll play.
I think the Martin signing is a winner all the way around if he plays up to expectations. It takes the pressure off a rookie catcher carrying all the weight by himself. It buys him some time to get acclimated to this level.
If memory serves, Posada split the duties with Girardi for his first year or so. That seems to have worked out well for all parties.
GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 9:49 pm
When will people stop with the “Montero can’t catch” crap? There are worse MLB catchers, defensively right now. Posada, Cervelli, Pierzynski, Hundley, Napoli, among others, including whoever Boston runs out there.
______
Who is saying he can’t catch. He has looked supremely adequate when I have seen him play. However, the question is, what do the Yankees think about his catching? Maybe they are bringing him along slowly, but originally they were saying that they expected him to catch and then they changed the rhetoric. But then who knows what all the constantly changing Yankee narrative is about. One can overthink these shifts in Yankee-speak.
GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 9:49 pm
When will people stop with the “Montero can’t catch” crap? There are worse MLB catchers, defensively right now. Posada, Cervelli, Pierzynski, Hundley, Napoli, among others, including whoever Boston runs out there.
///
Agree,so what’s the point of stashing him in Scranton for another yr then,& wasting time with Martin?Cashman is too diffident.Take the freakin’ leap.
Pat M,
cmon though – $86M over 4 years?
Even if you consider Napoli and Rivera complete salary dumps, it’s not nearly enough to make it a good trade.
Not even close.
Triple Short of a Cycle January 21st, 2011 at 9:47 pm
wow Olbermann fired. I’m sure this had everything to do with the Comcast merger. Told him right before the show. Stay classy Comcast
+++++++++++++++++++
That swooshing sound is 1.1 million viewers leaving ms-nbc for good
I’m done with MSNBC. If the reports are true, it’s pretty classless.
I wish I could be done with Comcast. As soon as there is a viable alternative, I will be.
Supremely adequate? Not quote an oxymoron, but…
How they handle Montero will reveal a lot about how the Yankees will do business going forward.
Dionysius Thelxinoe January 21st, 2011 at 9:56 pm
If Montero hits, he’ll play.
I think the Martin signing is a winner all the way around if he plays up to expectations. It takes the pressure off a rookie catcher carrying all the weight by himself. It buys him some time to get acclimated to this level.
If memory serves, Posada split the duties with Girardi for his first year or so. That seems to have worked out well for all parties.
////
Except the concern is that this is not how it will play out,but they’ll grow impatient & if he doesn’t produce right away they’ll send him down & write him off until next yr.no one wants to put undue pressure on Montero,but it’s time to let his bat help us, Iwould say.
also Manny will probably feel a lot fresher being back in the American League and probably being the DH most games
Pat M. – Re: Angels deal for Wells, I was shocked at first but after thinking about it I don’t believe it’s as bad a deal as it appeared to be. Like any trade, it will depend on what the players do. If Wells has a good year, it will be a good deal for the Angels.
Pat M,
I think the surprising thing is that they took on Well’s full contract….if he plays like he did in 2010 then its tolerable, if he plays like he did the couple years before 2010 then it’ll be rough to write those checks every 2 weeks…..but I agree with you that they probably felt they needed to do something to try and show improvement to the fan base.
# yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 9:44 pm
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Montero might get the call sometime during the season unless you want him to platoon with Jorge but he wouldn’t get enough at bats. I can’t wait to see him in the show. He helps the Yankees so much going forward.
///
Odds,Jorge’s still gonna catch some,& we’re not even sure that Martin’s hip will hold up,so there’ll be opportunities at either catcher or DH for Montero for stretches of the season.I just think the Yanks need an extra boost offensively considering other AL lineups & the potential wild card we have in AJ in the rotation (although I predict & expect a solid yr from him).
Also,I just think Montero’s time has arrived & they shouldn’t dink around with getting hims started.A great young talent like that can energize an entire lineup & help define a season.Having Cano & Montero in that lineup could just make us crazy good,but they’ve got to get him involved somewhat early so he’s not needing to make adjustments say in a stretch run for a postseason berth,but earlier in the season,because the inevitable cold spell is going to come when he has to figure it all out again.I just really,really,really want Montero to be a NOW guy, & the way he took off in the second half of his season in AAA indicates it’s time to put him in the show.
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I’m not against him getting his feet wet and hopefully he gets a chance with the big club but with the Yankees sighing Martin Jesus is going to have to wait. That’s the way the Yankees made it. They were willing to have him compete for the job but something must have changed their thought process since then.
_________
I am in agreement about the possibility of a change in thought process, and I have to confess it concerns me. I am hoping it doesn’t mean they don’t think he will ever catch for us… and instead we are just being our thorough, not want to take any risks selves.
———————————————————
Maybe they thought it would be too much for him to handle but you have to think no one thought about that sooner lol. I remember when they announced that Jorge would DH and Montero would compete for the starting catcher job and likely win it. Yankee fans were excited only to see Martin signed a couple of months later. It is weird how it changed but hey it’s the Yankees sometimes there is no rhyme of reason.
BD (Boston Dave) January 21st, 2011 at 9:59 pm
I’m done with MSNBC. If the reports are true, it’s pretty classless.
I wish I could be done with Comcast. As soon as there is a viable alternative, I will be.
++++++++++++++++
I switched to AT&T with their fiber optic…love it.
The only people that yammer on about Montero’s catching are internetters and media, along with other teams scouts that would love nothing more than try dropping his value so their team can get him at less than full value. By all accounts from his managers, he calls a good game, has a strong and accurate arm. He needs to continue working on footwork and getting the passed balls down, though, I’ve seen more than a few that should have been wild pitches. Few Yankee catchers in the system will have good steal/caught percentages until the pitchers learn to hold runners…not better…at all. Pettitte and Banuelos were the best in the system at holding runners.
BoJo,
I’m in the heart of Boston and it’s either Comcast or Dish for me. I was hoping I could get Verizon but apparently not yet.
I’ll check out AT&T though.
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 9:53 pm
I’m not against him getting his feet wet and hopefully he gets a chance with the big club but with the Yankees sighing Martin Jesus is going to have to wait. That’s the way the Yankees made it. They were willing to have him compete for the job but something must have changed their thought process since then.
///
.
Odds,I suspect it’s their fatal conservatism.they want the “sure thing.”yet I would have been fine with some configuration of Posada/Cervelli/Montero.Not only would we survive that,IMO,we would make important strides with Montero offensively & defensively.I sure hope this wasn’t over reaction to Crawford/Ellsbury in Boston.If so,that would mean the Red Sox signing Crawford kept Montero from helping us for another yr.I would not like that reactionary management philosophy.let them steal bases,I prefer to get four bases with one wave of the bat
—————————
It might have to do with getting Crawford I never thought of that. It’s weird how he went from competing for the job to spending another yr in AAA. Things happen and ppl change their mind but it was kinda weird.
To all……Which team improved today, The Angels or Toronto ???? Now keep in mind much like The Yankees the Angels have loads of money so they too can take on salary and roll the dice…..Now is Alex and his 32 million next season all that great……….
Whenever they get fiber there, take it…blazing fast
Manny, regardless of lower SLG, had a righty-lefty splits of something like .404/434 OBP and in a down year, his righty SLG was 474. I am in total agreement, Pruf. Plus mostly DH’ing after tripping around the field in Dodgerland will help. By the time Manny got to ChiSox, he was running on fumes.
///
That’s another important point on Ramirez.At his age, flopping around the outfield every day is going to wear you down.He’s now going to be a pretty exclusive DH. Just like Posada,that’s bound to keep his hitting fresh & bring his bat back into prime-time.
Rich in NJ January 21st, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Supremely adequate? Not quote an oxymoron, but…
How they handle Montero will reveal a lot about how the Yankees will do business going forward.
____
No, it is not an oxymoron. It is intentionally ironic. “Supremely adequate” indicates that he is *not* deficient. Add in 80 power + 80 average bat and stir.
& agree, about the business end of things. Let’s just hope we don’t regress to pre-farm model.
Pat, money aside, it looks like a push. Not sure that Rivera stays in Toronto.
“To all……Which team improved today, The Angels or Toronto ???? Now keep in mind much like The Yankees the Angels have loads of money so they too can take on salary and roll the dice…..Now is Alex and his 32 million next season all that great……”
fair points…..I think it would have been easier, cheaper, and better to just sign Beltre though with what they have at 3rd….they are better today than they were yesterday most likely though.
yankeefeminist
I did say not quite (or at least I would have if I could type). Anyway, I like creative language usage.
Pat M,
saying a team got better by paying an $8M/year player $22M/year isn’t too compelling.
The Blue Jays just pulled off a coup.
Rich in NJ January 21st, 2011 at 10:10 pm
yankeefeminist
I did say not quite (or at least I would have if I could type). Anyway, I like creative language usage.
_____
Hear, hear!
It might have to do with getting Crawford I never thought of that. It’s weird how he went from competing for the job to spending another yr in AAA. Things happen and ppl change their mind but it was kinda weird.
///
yea Odds, just a guess on my part,though that had to inform their thinking to some degree if not the primary reason.I think they also just don’t relish the discomfort that goes with development on the big stage,regardless of how big the payoff could be.I have to say I hate that about the yanks.People say they “have” to do this because they “have to win.”I call BS on that.I say with their resources & the talent they already have in place,they actually can better afford to be more creative.THey get the immediacy of a star cast & to surround & anchor the “future” products as they develop.
Hear, hear!
///
.
ooh, good one.
Now they’re reporting that Toronto is sending $5 mil to the Angels.
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 10:12 pm
It might have to do with getting Crawford I never thought of that. It’s weird how he went from competing for the job to spending another yr in AAA. Things happen and ppl change their mind but it was kinda weird.
///
yea Odds, just a guess on my part,though that had to inform their thinking to some degree if not the primary reason.I think they also just don’t relish the discomfort that goes with development on the big stage,regardless of how big the payoff could be.I have to say I hate that about the yanks.People say they “have” to do this because they “have to win.”I call BS on that.I say with their resources & the talent they already have in place,they actually can better afford to be more creative.THey get the immediacy of a star cast & to surround & anchor the “future” products as they develop.
________
I agree, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case. And the “they have to win” is never a good excuse. Who says you win with age/experience? I just don’t buy that. You win with the best talent, as long as that talent is ready to be given the chance.
BD (Boston Dave) says:
January 21, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Pat M,
saying a team got better by paying an $8M/year player $22M/year isn’t too compelling.
The Blue Jays just pulled off a coup.
—————-
Absolutely!
They shoulda put Wells’ face in the dictionary next to ‘albatross’ – I can picture Jays mgmt behind closed doors high-fiving each other after they pulled this one off.
Damon reached for comment in the Dominican Republic ha is he working out w/ Manny or Cano
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/.....hnny-damon
tampayank January 21st, 2011 at 10:00 pm
also Manny will probably feel a lot fresher being back in the American League and probably being the DH most games
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yes tampayank,agree.anyone thinking manny is in decline never to be heard from again is looking at some heartache I would say.One good thing: Manny will relish knocking down the green monster when he visits fenway.I’m talkin some equalization.
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 10:12 pm
It might have to do with getting Crawford I never thought of that. It’s weird how he went from competing for the job to spending another yr in AAA. Things happen and ppl change their mind but it was kinda weird.
///
yea Odds, just a guess on my part,though that had to inform their thinking to some degree if not the primary reason.I think they also just don’t relish the discomfort that goes with development on the big stage,regardless of how big the payoff could be.I have to say I hate that about the yanks.People say they “have” to do this because they “have to win.”I call BS on that.I say with their resources & the talent they already have in place,they actually can better afford to be more creative.THey get the immediacy of a star cast & to surround & anchor the “future” products as they develop.
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Yep it’s one of the things that the Yankees have a hard time doing which is living with the growing pains of players. Guys kinda have to hit the ground running when the come up or it can get a lil hard. I know ppl will say but the young players get a chance they didn’t get a chance before. Yea sure they get a chance but the pressure to succeed out of the gate is so high that the first couple of stumbles results in the same phrase “Yankees are down on *enter prospect name here*”
Well, think is as I said, Manny’s splits were still solid. He will be better than any DH Rays had last year (pitiful), and DH numbers generally are pretty paltry.
*thing*
Let’s just see how things are come let us say August 1st……Let’s see how the Rangers new 3rd baseman plays now that he once again has landed another insane contract after another career walkyear…..As far as bad contracts guys, we better look not only around the league but in our own backyard……Angels have mostly a very young club so they can roll the dice on a veteran who is healthy and had a good bounce back season….Let’s see how Vernon does playing everyday when the games actually mean something after Memorial Day and in Southern California………Angels are the top team after The Yanks & Boston
A list of the previous 109 players that played for Mets and Yankees….not counting the four managers, Stengel, Berra, Green and Torre. People forget that Yogi Berra also played for the Mets in 1965.
http://web.yesnetwork.com/news.....038;vkey=4
Pat M,
Aside from the money, the second biggest problem with this trade is that Mathis is now their everyday catcher.
Unless they make a move, the Angels are going to get horrible production out of the C spot.
I agree, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case. And the “they have to win” is never a good excuse. Who says you win with age/experience? I just don’t buy that. You win with the best talent, as long as that talent is ready to be given the chance.
///
Odds you & I discussed this before when you raised the crucial point that the failure to develop Joba has had a domino like effect on things.I hope the Martin thing doesn’t produce similar problems.Last yr the Javy trade was made because they didn’t have any faith in Joba after having to go with 3 starters in the World Series the previous yr. Instead of just re-committing to Joba’s learning curve as a starter,when he would have been released to pitch without innings limits,they got Javy and returned Joba to the bullpen again.well Javy was not going to be the guy who put up the peripherals he did the previous season.the yanks’ homefield has never been the ideal place for this guy,& he wasn’t going to be the shutdown innings eater they so mistakenly envisioned.they misfired badly here, lost a year of Joba’s development & used the Javy deal as a means to close the book on Joba starting.Now they are stuck with looking for a starter because they didn’t bring Javy back (why would they) & Joba’s been a short reliever for a season now.
I am concerned that if Martin stays healthy & gives them some offense & good defense they will lose interest in developing Montero at the high level,& will be tempted to trade him down the line here because they still haven’t experienced what his bat’s contribution can be for them.It’s the Javy over Joba type mentality.
Also another major issue with this trade is that Napoli is actually a valuable trade chip.
If the Angels are taking on the entire contract, I don’t see any reason why any substance whatsoever is going back to Toronto. This should have been a pure salary dump.
Then if the Angels felt compelled to move Napoli they could have gotten back a decent package.
# GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Now they’re reporting that Toronto is sending $5 mil to the Angels.
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How thoughtful
# GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Now they’re reporting that Toronto is sending $5 mil to the Angels.
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# joeman January 21st, 2011 at 6:33 pm
# pat January 21st, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Ken_Rosenthal Source: #Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells heading to #Angels in Napoli trade. #MLB
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must be sending a lot of cash with him
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said that 4 hrs ago
Pat,
Napoli was 28 last year.
The Wells trade is a bonus for the Yankees. He’s had a season of games in his career that have killed the Yanks. 161 games, .303 avg, 51 doubles, 28 homers, 104 RBI, .529 slg.
Hey what’s going on with that IFA SS the Jays signed?the kid blew us off because Jeter’s at short.What’s his name again?what’s his ETA?Anybody know? Hecheverria I think his name is.will he be competing with Escobar?or is he like 18?
joeman January 21st, 2011 at 10:34 pm
# GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Now they’re reporting that Toronto is sending $5 mil to the Angels.
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# joeman January 21st, 2011 at 6:33 pm
# pat January 21st, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Ken_Rosenthal Source: #Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells heading to #Angels in Napoli trade. #MLB
———————————————————-
must be sending a lot of cash with him
——————————————————————–
said that 4 hrs ago
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Good for you. Take a cookie from the cookie jar.
How come you and that clown from the west coast never post your mistakes…all the times you are wrong?
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 10:29 pm
I agree, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case. And the “they have to win” is never a good excuse. Who says you win with age/experience? I just don’t buy that. You win with the best talent, as long as that talent is ready to be given the chance.
///
Odds you & I discussed this before when you raised the crucial point that the failure to develop Joba has had a domino like effect on things.I hope the Martin thing doesn’t produce similar problems.Last yr the Javy trade was made because they didn’t have any faith in Joba after having to go with 3 starters in the World Series the previous yr. Instead of just re-committing to Joba’s learning curve as a starter,when he would have been released to pitch without innings limits,they got Javy and returned Joba to the bullpen again.well Javy was not going to be the guy who put up the peripherals he did the previous season.the yanks’ homefield has never been the ideal place for this guy,& he wasn’t going to be the shutdown innings eater they so mistakenly envisioned.they misfired badly here, lost a year of Joba’s development & used the Javy deal as a means to close the book on Joba starting.Now they are stuck with looking for a starter because they didn’t bring Javy back (why would they) & Joba’s been a short reliever for a season now.
I am concerned that if Martin stays healthy & gives them some offense & good defense they will lose interest in developing Montero at the high level,& will be tempted to trade him down the line here because they still haven’t experienced what his bat’s contribution can be for them.It’s the Javy over Joba type mentality.
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I was behind the Javy trade because I thought alright they still value Joba as a starter because that’s what they claimed and I’m going to support Javy since he is playing for the Yankees. Joba should have been sent down when he lost the 5th spot to Hughes but the Yankees had their reasons for not doing it. Anyway after it became clear that Javy was a lost cause I was right there shaking my head on what had occurred. What made me even angrier is they had the opportunity to send Joba down to scranton in the middle of the season but they didn’t do that either. And now we are left with a middle reliever who will pitch in blowouts that occur either way. Oh joy
.
There are sections of the fan base that believe Montero will be trade bait at the deadline in order to acquire a top of the rotation starter. If the Yankees are desperate it wouldn’t surprise me to see them do it.
The Angels taking on this amount of money and making this deal, is quite telling. It just goes to show how flush with cash MLB teams are right now. So much for MLB teams being fiscally responsible. Werth, Crawford, Soriano and now Wells. There is a lot of money out there.
Pat M., do you think this will move the Angels to move a pitcher like Kazmir in a trade to unload a little money?
# GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 10:43 pm
joeman January 21st, 2011 at 10:34 pm
# GreenBeret7 January 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Now they’re reporting that Toronto is sending $5 mil to the Angels.
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# joeman January 21st, 2011 at 6:33 pm
# pat January 21st, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Ken_Rosenthal Source: #Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells heading to #Angels in Napoli trade. #MLB
———————————————————-
must be sending a lot of cash with him
——————————————————————–
said that 4 hrs ago
———————————————————————————————————————-
Good for you. Take a cookie from the cookie jar.
How come you and that clown from the west coast never post your mistakes…all the times you are wrong?
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come on give me a break you really needed someone to tell you that Tor was going to send $ to the Angels along with Wells….
and who really gives a crap about what players played with both the Yankees and the Mets besides you and a couple of people here…
What mistake GB?
LGY , He’s 30 and he’ll turn 31 in October…But The Angels shop Napoli back in July when they tossed in the towel for the season……Boston offered beans as did a few other clubs….He’s a hack at ist and his days behind the plate are numbered……Scocsia is fine with a defensive catcher to start the season…….With Abreu as the DH, Napoli is moved while his value is worth something…….Rivera had rubbed some the wrong way with his lack of hustle ….The Boston ALDS was the beginning of the end for Rivera as they tried to move him as well in July…..
# West Coast Yankee Fan January 21st, 2011 at 10:49 pm
What mistake GB?
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thats what I’m saying
LGY January 21st, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Aside from the money, the second biggest problem with this trade is that Mathis is now their everyday catcher. Unless they make a move, the Angels are going to get horrible production out of the C spot.
*******
Not so. The Angels have depth at catcher including Bobby Wilson and top prospects Hank Conger who batted .300 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs at Triple-A Salt Lake last season.
I make mistakes all the time – what was the mistake and I’ll own up. Waiting.
GB….The one thing I was told that when The Angels called on Gardner Cashman was not impressed with Kazmir as a trade chip……..Angels have him as their # 4 and see how he fares out…If he can get healthy and right he’s a factor….That ALCS game in 09 rattles around in his head some say…….
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Hey what’s going on with that IFA SS the Jays signed?the kid blew us off because Jeter’s at short.What’s his name again?what’s his ETA?Anybody know? Hecheverria I think his name is.will he be competing with Escobar?or is he like 18
____
Yes, Hechavarria. ETA 2011, but I am thinking late or 2012 more likely. Still working on his bat. However, you can see him when Jays come into Trenton b/c he will likely be with the Fisher Cats. His D is supposed to be phenomenal. Another thing Jays have been doing is a great job on IFA’s. Wells gives them more money to use for that and farm.
I might be wrong ……. but didn’t Napoli play a lot of 1st base last year & DH some, Mathis did a lot of catching for them
# West Coast Yankee Fan January 21st, 2011 at 10:54 pm
I make mistakes all the time – what was the mistake and I’ll own up. Waiting.
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willing to bet short term memory is bad but long term watch out
Thanks, Pat. The one Angels pitcher that I always liked was Kelvim Escobar. Problem is that he’s now missed 3 years, but, when healthy was a damned good pitcher. Not sure who I’d trade for Kazmir, but, for the size of his contract (2011 – $12 mil and $13 mil option next year), I’d take a crack at him.
Taking bets.
Pruf, I think Hechavarria is 21, as per your question on age.
Anyway after it became clear that Javy was a lost cause I was right there shaking my head on what had occurred. What made me even angrier is they had the opportunity to send Joba down to scranton in the middle of the season but they didn’t do that either. And now we are left with a middle reliever who will pitch in blowouts that occur either way. Oh joy .
There are sections of the fan base that believe Montero will be trade bait at the deadline in order to acquire a top of the rotation starter. If the Yankees are desperate it wouldn’t surprise me to see them do it.
///
ODDS, I feel your pain man.This is exactly my worry:that they will drop the ball on Montero like they did with Joba once they have secured the “veteran presence.”& if that faction of the fanbase is correct,the whole Joba short circuit will have come horrifically full circle: Joba’s lack of development will have cost us Montero.
Let’s hope it doesn’t happen that way!
‘Night all.
Pat,
Napoli was born October 31, 1981.
I got MLB 10 The Show for $10 on amazon. I am awful. Video games have never been my strong suit. I played the Yankees against the Phillies and Roy Halladay almost threw a no hitter against me. My only hit was a jeter home run. I had to quit playing when I made Cano go 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.
yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 10:55 pm
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Hey what’s going on with that IFA SS the Jays signed?the kid blew us off because Jeter’s at short.What’s his name again?what’s his ETA?Anybody know? Hecheverria I think his name is.will he be competing with Escobar?or is he like 18
____
Yes, Hechavarria. ETA 2011, but I am thinking late or 2012 more likely. Still working on his bat. However, you can see him when Jays come into Trenton b/c he will likely be with the Fisher Cats. His D is supposed to be phenomenal. Another thing Jays have been doing is a great job on IFA’s. Wells gives them more money to use for that and farm.
///
I saw the Cats last yr with Drabek opposing Betances (who was awesome).I don’t remember seeing Hechevarria but maybe I just overlooked him.Any way, the only guy to even square up Betances was Marcus Thames’ younger brother, Eric.Everyone else was futile,except for a couple of walks IIRC & some skewed throws by Dellin.
Thanks for the info.Had a feelin you would be the one to know this
.
& saw your comment on his age.Escobar is talented but you just don’t know what you’ll get night to night with him.If Hechevarria is close,it could be interesting.
Have a good one,now.
Nick in SF,
Should you see this, Bret the Hitman went back to school to get a different degree. It had to do with nutrition. He said he wouldn’t be on…whether that was for a short time or not, I don’t know.
# J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Anyway after it became clear that Javy was a lost cause I was right there shaking my head on what had occurred. What made me even angrier is they had the opportunity to send Joba down to scranton in the middle of the season but they didn’t do that either. And now we are left with a middle reliever who will pitch in blowouts that occur either way. Oh joy .
There are sections of the fan base that believe Montero will be trade bait at the deadline in order to acquire a top of the rotation starter. If the Yankees are desperate it wouldn’t surprise me to see them do it.
///
ODDS, I feel your pain man.This is exactly my worry:that they will drop the ball on Montero like they did with Joba once they have secured the “veteran presence.”& if that faction of the fanbase is correct,the whole Joba short circuit will have come horrifically full circle: Joba’s lack of development will have cost us Montero.
Let’s hope it doesn’t happen that way!
‘Night all.
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Yea let’s hope it doesn’t happen. I would like to see Montero become a part of the Yankee line-up especially with certain positions on the team getting older as the yrs pass by. If he is given a chance to develop properly it will definitely help the ball club in the present and future. I think him sticking at catcher is very important because they would continue to get good/great production from behind the plate.
GN JAP
“Not so. The Angels have depth at catcher including Bobby Wilson and top prospects Hank Conger who batted .300 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs at Triple-A Salt Lake last season.”
——————
Bobby Wilson is horrible also.
In terms of Hank Conger, when Mike Scoisca plays him over Mathis I’ll believe it when I see it. There are questions about Conger being able to stick at catcher.
Rookie+Bad Defense=No playing time under Mike S.
joeman….Yes Napoli butchered firstbase after Morales went down……..Napoli is not a full time player guys nor is Rivera…….Angels after missing out on the playoffs in 2010 had the money to take on a contract and take a chance…..That lineup is much more difficult to deal with and if they pickup a leadoff speedster then they are very dangerous…..Figgins leaving to Seattle so quickly hurt them with their speed game…..
Heyman had it wrong.
There is no money in the trade. Both GMs confirmed.
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 11:06 pm
yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 10:55 pm
J. Alfred Prufrock January 21st, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Hey what’s going on with that IFA SS the Jays signed?the kid blew us off because Jeter’s at short.What’s his name again?what’s his ETA?Anybody know? Hecheverria I think his name is.will he be competing with Escobar?or is he like 18
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Yes, Hechavarria. ETA 2011, but I am thinking late or 2012 more likely. Still working on his bat. However, you can see him when Jays come into Trenton b/c he will likely be with the Fisher Cats. His D is supposed to be phenomenal. Another thing Jays have been doing is a great job on IFA’s. Wells gives them more money to use for that and farm.
///
I saw the Cats last yr with Drabek opposing Betances (who was awesome).I don’t remember seeing Hechevarria but maybe I just overlooked him.Any way, the only guy to even square up Betances was Marcus Thames’ younger brother, Eric.Everyone else was futile,except for a couple of walks IIRC & some skewed throws by Dellin.
Thanks for the info.Had a feelin you would be the one to know this .
& saw your comment on his age.Escobar is talented but you just don’t know what you’ll get night to night with him.If Hechevarria is close,it could be interesting.
Have a good one,now.
_________
Those AA games between division rivals with the talent there on the respective clubs is phenomenal to watch, isn’t it? Just got to buy me my own stalker (radar gun). lol. Next year will be even better to watch. I plan to see as many Killer B’s starts as I can.
You are welcome for info. Have a good night, Prufrock.
thought Mathis caught more games than he did ( 67 games) Napoli caught ( 66) & Wilson (38)….neither Mathis or Wilson can hit
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Yea let’s hope it doesn’t happen. I would like to see Montero become a part of the Yankee line-up especially with certain positions on the team getting older as the yrs pass by. If he is given a chance to develop properly it will definitely help the ball club in the present and future. I think him sticking at catcher is very important because they would continue to get good/great production from behind the plate.
GN JAP
________
QFT. Let’s pray it doesn’t happen. Hopefully, we are about one more year away before a Killer B is inserted into the lineup.
# LGY January 21st, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Heyman had it wrong.
There is no money in the trade. Both GMs confirmed.
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if true I’m wrong
# LGY January 21st, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Heyman had it wrong.
There is no money in the trade. Both GMs confirmed.
————————————–
Heyman was wrong???????? So this is how life on Earth ends
Oh yeah. It looks like the weather is going to be clear tomorrow. The Yankees Fantasy camp games are in the morning and I’m going! Hopefully I see some old Yankees and get pictures with/of them. And here’s to hoping not many people know the games are free and open to the public.
For this season, at least, Wells only costs the Angels about $10 mil when subtracting Rivera’s and Napoli’s salaries.
# yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Yea let’s hope it doesn’t happen. I would like to see Montero become a part of the Yankee line-up especially with certain positions on the team getting older as the yrs pass by. If he is given a chance to develop properly it will definitely help the ball club in the present and future. I think him sticking at catcher is very important because they would continue to get good/great production from behind the plate.
GN JAP
________
QFT. Let’s pray it doesn’t happen. Hopefully, we are about one more year away before a Killer B is inserted into the lineup.
————————————————–
Yea the Killer B’s are on their way too. Of course all of them won’t be stars but hopefully they make some type of impact on the big club.
“must be sending a lot of cash with him”
$5M is alot of cash to me but in the parameters of $86M over the next 4 years, $5M is ashtray money.
Wells numbers in OC not exactly stellar either.
Per Jayson Stark, Lifetime in Anaheim: .226/.267/.340 – with 3 homers in 159 AB. Hit .182 in 6 G there last year. Yikes!
LGY…Thank you for the Napoli age, I thought he was 30 already…….Conger needs more time to determine if he can be a MLB catcher….He was not as good as Austin in HS in my opinion……Maybe more power but not the athelete , not the catcher, certainly not the arm and I think Austin will have the better career……However Hank killed me much like Ian did a few years earlier in the sectionals in Little League Tournaments
I heard Cash say it again that Joba is staying in the pen, but I sure hope he gives this kid another shot at starting
SI_JoeLemire Johnny Damon, at $5.25 million, will be the #Rays’ highest paid player in 2011.
Pat,
I didn’t realize Conger was an area kid. You think he figures it out behind HP or has to move?
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Yea the Killer B’s are on their way too. Of course all of them won’t be stars but hopefully they make some type of impact on the big club.
_______
2011 will be a big year for all of them. If one is ultimately a star, I will be ecstatic. If two out of three make the club in some capacity, even if it is Brackman out of bullpen, and one of Manny/Betances in starting rotation, I will be thrilled. If one makes it in middle of rotation, I will be content. I just want us to be reasonably self-sufficient in pitching, as we go forward.
Manny will be much better than Carlos Pena was last year. I am confident he will hit hire than .197 and have a much better K and BB rate.
Crawford vs. Damon is close. Damon will hit more pop, Crawford will manufacture more runs.
The question is if their pen can close games out.
# joeman January 21st, 2011 at 11:26 pm
I heard Cash say it again that Joba is staying in the pen, but I sure hope he gives this kid another shot at starting
——————————
Where did you hear that on HotStove, MLB.com, etc
This is off topic. But Betsy… Hughes needs a changeup to take that next level. Nothing wrong with his curve at all. That is just me though. Kid is very talented.
# Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:34 pm
# joeman January 21st, 2011 at 11:26 pm
I heard Cash say it again that Joba is staying in the pen, but I sure hope he gives this kid another shot at starting
——————————
Where did you hear that on HotStove, MLB.com, etc
————————————————————————-
caught it yesterday on the Fan with Fran…..
Those are good deals for the Rays. Manny especially. They desperately needed some help in the lineup. The east is just filthy.
BTX January 21st, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Manny will be much better than Carlos Pena was last year. I am confident he will hit hire than .197 and have a much better K and BB rate.
Crawford vs. Damon is close. Damon will hit more pop, Crawford will manufacture more runs.
The question is if their pen can close games out
_______
Rays should have a little more pop too with Dan Johnson, Matt Joyce, Sean Rodriguez and a healthy Longoria contributing (and being protected by Manny vs. “fill in the blank”.) I think Zobrist won’t reproduce 2009, but will hit with more power than 2011 if he stays healthy.
Rays keep getting outbid for FA relievers. If closing comes down to Krazy Kyle and his newfound cutter, I would not be thrilled as a Rays fan.
# yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Yea the Killer B’s are on their way too. Of course all of them won’t be stars but hopefully they make some type of impact on the big club.
_______
2011 will be a big year for all of them. If one is ultimately a star, I will be ecstatic. If two out of three make the club in some capacity, even if it is Brackman out of bullpen, and one of Manny/Betances in starting rotation, I will be thrilled. If one makes it in middle of rotation, I will be content. I just want us to be reasonably self-sufficient in pitching, as we go forward.
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I agree as long as we get something good out of the Killer B’s I will be happy about it because then there won’t be a great desire to dip into the FA market yr after yr. I have no problem signing FAs but at some point you have to rely on the farm to fill areas of need.
@ Joe thanks man
Zobrist will more power than *2010*
I hope betances pans out…
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:41 pm
I agree as long as we get something good out of the Killer B’s I will be happy about it because then there won’t be a great desire to dip into the FA market yr after yr. I have no problem signing FAs but at some point you have to rely on the farm to fill areas of need.
______
Me neither, signing FA judiciously, not out of desperation but because of need. It has taken a long time to build the farm. I just don’t want us to screw it up.
Just got home and caught up….
Johnny and Manny reunited!?!? And it feels so good?
BTX…..Maybe you shoud reread that post offering about Damon and his production being on the same planet as Carl Crawford
# yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:41 pm
I agree as long as we get something good out of the Killer B’s I will be happy about it because then there won’t be a great desire to dip into the FA market yr after yr. I have no problem signing FAs but at some point you have to rely on the farm to fill areas of need.
______
Me neither, signing FA judiciously, not out of desperation but because of need. It has taken a long time to build the farm. I just don’t want us to screw it up.
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Yea screwing it up is something that none of us want to see happen. It took fives to get the farm to this point don’t mess up guys lol.
I’m calling it a night. Take care everyone.
I wonder if Maddon will like it?
Sweet Swinging Cano January 21st, 2011 at 11:41 pm
I hope betances pans out…
________
He looked filthy every time I saw him. Just has to repeat delivery and learn to throw the ball to the infield without overthrowing it. Stuff looks great. Changeup gets ridiculous swings.
April 14th, Trenton’s Opening Day, can’t come soon enough. This is such a big year for these kids.
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:46 pm
# yankeefeminista January 21st, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Against All Odds January 21st, 2011 at 11:41 pm
I agree as long as we get something good out of the Killer B’s I will be happy about it because then there won’t be a great desire to dip into the FA market yr after yr. I have no problem signing FAs but at some point you have to rely on the farm to fill areas of need.
______
Me neither, signing FA judiciously, not out of desperation but because of need. It has taken a long time to build the farm. I just don’t want us to screw it up.
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Yea screwing it up is something that none of us want to see happen. It took fives to get the farm to this point don’t mess up guys lol.
I’m calling it a night. Take care everyone.
______
lol. That about sums it up. Have a good night, AAO!
LGY….Conger has improved since coming back from being injured, but he has serious pop in his bat
Erica in NY January 21st, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Just got home and caught up….
Johnny and Manny reunited!?!? And it feels so good?
_______
The division should be a trip.
I can picture it now… Manny taking Papelbon deep to win a game.
Sweet Swinging Cano January 21st, 2011 at 11:53 pm
I can picture it now… Manny taking Papelbon deep to win a game
______
Right instead of Garza being the Red Sox killer, it will now be Manny.
Yankeefem….
Have Manny and Johnny signed with the Rays? I have been out all day. Thanks.
SAS January 21st, 2011 at 11:57 pm
Yankeefem….
Have Manny and Johnny signed with the Rays? I have been out all day.
______
Hi SAS, Yes, they have.
Heres’s a link: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....mirez.html
I just read that Vlad is close to signing with the Orioles. AL East is going to be crazy- competitive. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....-deal.html
YankeeFem…
Wow..The East will be a bear. I wonder if it is even fair that these teams have to play almost half their games against each other. It makes the Yankees pitching situation more questionable than ever.
All my Rays fan friends on facebook are really excited about Damon and Manny, its going to be an interesting season.
SAS January 22nd, 2011 at 12:07 am
YankeeFem…
Wow..The East will be a bear. I wonder if it is even fair that these teams have to play almost half their games against each other. It makes the Yankees pitching situation more questionable than ever.
________
It is pretty crazy that all these AL East moves happened today. & true, the unbalanced schedule will takes its toll, but you still have to figure two teams will likely come out of our division.
I still think our pitching will be fine. Just need to know what Pettitte will do, and AJ had such an off year that he will come back strong. I am convinced if we need to deal for a back end pitcher, we will do so. & if our frontend is shaky, we will make a bigger splash. We have the trade pieces.
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 12:10 am
All my Rays fan friends on facebook are really excited about Damon and Manny, its going to be an interesting season.
_______
Rays did what everyone thought they would do. And to get Manny for 2M has to be a steal. Division = Beasts of the AL East x5. Even the Orioles will be tough hitting-wise.
YF,
I couldn’t agree more. First of all, we need Andy, and then a good pitcher even if we have to trade for him. After all Hughes, wonderful as he was, has only one year of starting under his belt. We just sort of expect him to replicate last year. If AJ can get 5 more wins than last year, I will be a happy camper. And Andy, what can I say, I adore him, and now we really need him. I’ll take a May start from Andy if that is what it takes.
Yankeefem
I agree, I have not this whole offseason bet against the Rays being good in 2011. Their pitching is really top notch and all home grown, their lineup is scrappy they just needed the big bat they lost in Carlos Pena and now they have it. The whole division seems to be getting better all at the same time. Im excited to see how things work out.
and I am still really jealous that you are getting a hopefully healthy Banuelos and Betances this season. They spent such a short time in Tampa, its not fair. Ill have to listen to the online feeds of the games when they pitch.
TYanks,
I think the Yankees may have to trade one of the B boys for a good starter who is ready now.
Wells last 2 years: .266 .321 .456 .777 OPS+ 105
Rivera last 2 years: .272 .323 .448 .771 OPS+ 105
Napoli: .254 .331 .479 .810 OPS+ 116
+81 million
Just the worst deal
Call it a gut, but I still say Andy comes back at some point. As long as he is healthy. He still has pitching in his blood. You could hear it in his voice when he was interviewed at the end of 2010. I just want us to be patient and not make any costly moves. However, I think we will be, and it helps that the bullpen should be lockdown.
Hughes definitely has to and I expect will improve his second half numbers. His curveball degenerated, but many think it was an outlier and that the pitch will bounce back. Hughes though needs to have that cutter and show-me change up working. However, he is still a work in progress. He’ll be fine.
It will be exciting to see how the new PC works with the pitchers. Hopefully, he will be more accessible than Eiland. I would love to see the media pick his brain a little, the way they do KLong. I’d love to have some access to Rothschild’s philosophy of pitching, comments on adjustments he makes, etc.
SAS
If they trade one, I’m sure ill get over it. They won’t trade him to the Rays or Boston so wherever he(not sure who) would go, I’d follow and root for him. It would suck if Betances got traded because he really wants to be a Yankee, but if he gets the chance to pitch in the Major Leagues somewhere I’m sure he would get over it too.
Did anyone already post Verducci’s article suggesting Teixeira could be the next Giambi?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....ef=writers
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 12:20 am
Yankeefem
I agree, I have not this whole offseason bet against the Rays being good in 2011. Their pitching is really top notch and all home grown, their lineup is scrappy they just needed the big bat they lost in Carlos Pena and now they have it. The whole division seems to be getting better all at the same time. Im excited to see how things work out.
and I am still really jealous that you are getting a hopefully healthy Banuelos and Betances this season. They spent such a short time in Tampa, its not fair. Ill have to listen to the online feeds of the games when they pitch.
_______
I know it ain’t fun when you lose a player you like to see play. I especially felt that way when Hughes went from AA to AAA. Same thing with Montero moving up and Jose Ramirez going from SI to Charleston, to name but a few. But it is the nature of the minor leagues. However, I will keep you posted the best I can. My definite favorite player to watch right now is Betances. I was just awed by him every time I saw him pitch.
Jerkface January 22nd, 2011 at 12:29 am
Wells last 2 years: .266 .321 .456 .777 OPS+ 105
Rivera last 2 years: .272 .323 .448 .771 OPS+ 105
Napoli: .254 .331 .479 .810 OPS+ 116
+81 million
Just the worst deal
________
QFT. The posters on the Halo Heaven blog are about ready to commit hari-kari now that the Angels took on Wells’ contract. lol.
BD, I can’t stand Verducci anymore………….I’m glad I didn’t see the article; I won’t be reading it – this way I won’t get upset.
SAS January 22nd, 2011 at 12:23 am
TYanks,
I think the Yankees may have to trade one of the B boys for a good starter who is ready now.
______
I believe that we will hold off on doing something this radical and deal for a lesser pitcher to fill in the backend if we need to. I think moving a Killer B would be a last resort kind of move. JMO. I just don’t think we are that desperate. However, it will be interesting to see how this plays out, and will say a lot about Cash’s way of doing business going forward.
Yankeefem
That would be cool, the box scores are nice but they don’t really tell you how the pitcher did up there. I was in awe of Betances too, I know he has that prospect-ness about him but he really lived up to the hype. The good thing though about moving up is I get a whole new team to cheer for this go round. And I can check online to see how my “graduates” are doing.
You really shouldn’t rail so much against reading Betsy. Why would you be glad you didn’t read it if you have no clue what it said?
I read Verducci’s article and it was not a negative article. It actually suggested how Teixeira could benefit from Kevin Long’s help based on conversation Verducci had recently with Long about Teixeira’s approach and mechanics and how they are due for adjustments.
WC, what are you talking about ? I love reading – I spend my life in bookstores. If Verducci is comparing Tex to Giambi, it’s not a good thing – I didn’t like Giambi. I’m not in love with Tex either, but that doesn’t mean I feel like reading another critical Verducci article. He was better when he was with Newsday.
YankFem, tyanks,
I really am no expert on minor leaguers. I know everyone is very excited about the B boys. I am sure the Yankees would like to wait, but so many of these ‘can’t miss’ guys, not just pitchers haven’t made it anywhere. There are few if any Yankee minor leaguers playing in the MLB. Yes, Rivera on the Angels. Who else?
It was not a critical article, how could you possible say it is if you didn’t read it? It is far from it. It’s a positive article that basically is all about Kevin Long’s feedback.
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 12:39 am
Yankeefem
That would be cool, the box scores are nice but they don’t really tell you how the pitcher did up there. I was in awe of Betances too, I know he has that prospect-ness about him but he really lived up to the hype. The good thing though about moving up is I get a whole new team to cheer for this go round. And I can check online to see how my “graduates” are doing.
______
Well, you are getting some great pitchers too. So, take advantage. When is Tampa (A+ team) moving? It isn’t for 2011, or is it?
I will report on games I go to, if you like. However, you can also check out Ashmore’s blog. He does a pretty good job, although doesn’t pay enough attention to the actual pitches thrown and velocity etc. However, when at games, I generally sit right behind the plate so can see what transpires for myself, plus have access to scouts with radar guns, and pitchers charting pitches. Waterfront Park is a great place to see a game, if you ever come north.
Get off my back already, lol – I was responding to BD saying the article compared Tex to Giambi. Based on that, yes I have no intention of reading it.
Tell me what’s negative about this. It’s all constructive and based entirely on Kevin Long working with Teixeira.
“Poor starts. Teixeira is a career .235/.342/.411 hitter in April. He basically writes off the first month of his season. To buck this trend, Long is working with Teixeira on taking more swings before spring training begins, as well as making suggestions to tweak the intense pregame workout regimen of Teixeira, a fitness freak”.
“Unorthodox mechanics. Teixeira collapses his back side as he hits, rather than driving through the ball with his back side while letting his back foot fully pivot. The style has worked for Teixeira, an accomplished slugger. But the style means that Teixeira must catch the ball out in front and leaves him prone to lifting the ball rather than driving through it. As he ages, Teixeira becomes an even more extreme fly ball and pull hitter, trends that mean he will continue to lose points off his batting average”.
Opposite-field hitting. Teixeira always has been a pull hitter from both sides of the plate, but he virtually gave up hitting the ball the other way last season. From 2003 through ’09 Teixeira had between 14 and 22 opposite-field hits each season. Last year he managed only seven.
VERDUCCI: How Jeter is tweaking his swing for 2011
“Long is not about to turn Teixeira into the next Rod Carew, slapping balls the other way. But he believes that if Teixeira makes the adjustment to drive his back side through the ball rather than collapsing it, he will maintain his slugging but also add to his batting average because he will be able to drive the ball to all fields. Long introduced similar adjustments for Nick Swisher last year. What happened? Swisher, a career .245 hitter, batted .288, 43 points above his career average”.
Good pickups by the Rays. Damon is still decent and Manny can definitely still hit. He could be worth far more than 2 mil if he stays healthy. I had been thinking that it would be a good move by the Rays to pick up Manny to DH… Not something I wanted to see though.
I don’t think a playoff spot for the Yankees is a given at this point with a 3 man rotation (and one was terrible last year).
The article was about Tex working to improve his swing, but if he is like Giambi I think we’d all be happy. Giambi hit .260 .404 .521 .925 with the Yankees, and if you gave me that and Tex’s defense I think we’d all be happy.
Last 4 years of Giambi deal: .253 .401 .516 .916
Giambi was a great presence in the Yankee lineup.
Yankeefem
Following pitching really isn’t my thing. I really enjoyed watching Betances because of how dominant he was but I really like a good offense. I started reading Ashmore and Josh Norris once Corban Joseph moved up. He did so well in Tampa I was bummed he was struggling in Trenton.
Why the Hell is it OK for some jackass to criticize Cashmam, the front office/owners/players on a daily basis, but, then feels the needs to criticize/whine about somebody saying something or anything that doesn’t kiss the asses of so-called jouralists? And those in particular. Are you the official guardian of “writers” or is it just something else to complain about?
SAS says:
January 22, 2011 at 12:48 am
YankFem, tyanks,
I really am no expert on minor leaguers. I know everyone is very excited about the B boys. I am sure the Yankees would like to wait, but so many of these ‘can’t miss’ guys, not just pitchers haven’t made it anywhere. There are few if any Yankee minor leaguers playing in the MLB. Yes, Rivera on the Angels. Who else?
____
Well there’s only so many who can play and stick on an ML team and the Yankees haven’t had a good farm systen in forever. If you saw Betances or Banuelos over a months time in the minors like myself and Yankeefem you would see that they really are good, whether they’ll ever pan out is too be seen but right now at the level they are, they’re really dominant. And they do live up to their hype.
SAS January 22nd, 2011 at 12:48 am
YankFem, tyanks,
I really am no expert on minor leaguers. I know everyone is very excited about the B boys. I am sure the Yankees would like to wait, but so many of these ‘can’t miss’ guys, not just pitchers haven’t made it anywhere. There are few if any Yankee minor leaguers playing in the MLB. Yes, Rivera on the Angels. Who else?
_______
Yanks farm system has advanced markedly. It is far superior than it ever was and is now ranked in the upper echelon of farm systems. This is a big achievement considering how bad our farm system once was.
As far as our pitchers closest to the majors go, those 3 (Killer B’s) are the exceptional ones. It is not that they are necessarily “can’t miss” but they are very very talented. This year will be a critical year for them. The Yankees need to evaluate what they feel they have in their current mlb starting rotation, and determine what else they may need. The suspicion is that they won’t make a blockbuster deal, but rather try to shore up the #4 or 5 spot. Therefore, that kind of move wouldn’t necessitate moving our highest caliber pitching prospects. If Cash saw there was an ability to get a top notch younger front of rotation starter then he might make a big move, but I doubt that that guy is available. Therefore, logic dictates the Yanks go for a middle to end type of SP that doesn’t cost much in prospects. The Killer B’s right now are far more valuable to us than someone else. If we develop them in one more year, we could have an awfully good pitcher or two. The Yankees know this, and probably will want to be patient and give those prospects time to progress, and get a better sense of what they have. When we traded Vizcaino, Cash said we did so because Ramirez was similar, and we had Chris Cabrera behind him. However, Betances and Banuelos don’t have anyone behind them right now who can replicate their abilities. Banuelos is not only valuable because of his stuff, but b/c he is a lefty. I would doubt therefore, we would want to move him, as lefties are so much more valuable than righties. Betances is around 6’10, 6’11 and has a mega-power arm and is just coming into his own. He also has three pitches. He could be an ace. He is that talented. We are therefore not just talking about any pitcher. Power arms are highly valued. Brackman has two pitches, a power FB and nasty curve and may lack a third, although he has an evolving changeup. He has a high ceiling but would probably be the guy who would be more likely to be moved, if we moved one. However, I don’t think we are looking to move any of them unless we got a young, front of rotation pitcher for them. We already have our ace in CC, and based on our new farm philosophy and our love of power arms, we will likely give these pitchers the opportunity to succeed as long as we are able to. This is especially critical because other teams are mostly locking up their young pitchers, so there will be less free agent young pitchers available, and therefore we will not be able to rule our own destiny if we are not developing enough of our own pitchers. We may trade some other lower level or less upside arms, but I can’t see us dealing Betances or Banuelos for a quick fix older pitcher. It would be a bad move both in terms of value and talent level.
The Yankees should probably try to trade Cervelli to the angels for something of value.
TY, Brett Marshall is going to be the next big thing in tampa yankee pitching, and Ramirez a close second.
That what you do GB7? Call people jackasses who you may not agree with? What does that say about you? I have every right as a Yankee fan to opine on Cashman and the front office. I don’t do it without clearly stating why I am of that opinion. I also have the right to give my opinion on the media. If you don’t care for it – that’s just too bad isn’t it?
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 1:04 am
Yankeefem
Following pitching really isn’t my thing. I really enjoyed watching Betances because of how dominant he was but I really like a good offense. I started reading Ashmore and Josh Norris once Corban Joseph moved up. He did so well in Tampa I was bummed he was struggling in Trenton.
______
I missed Joseph b/c he was hurt toward the end of season into the playoffs. I have read about him forever, and am excited to see his bat. I also would like to see his supposedly improved D. Adams was also hurt. Trenton should have a much better offense this year with everyone healthy. They couldn’t hit to save their lives in last year’s playoffs.
My take on the SI article was Verducci was looking into two specific players post 30 yo, Giambi and Drew, and how Tex could possibly be similar to them if he continues a drop in production as he ages. Hence, the need for him to work with Long and take to his suggestions for a few tweaks. If not, he could possibly turn into strictly a pull hitter as the other two mentioned.
tyanksfan36–Heed GB7′s advice and go see Marshall and Ramirez. Marshall I have read a lot about and he should have a killer year. Ramirez I saw and he was unhittable. Power FB and swing and miss change ups, and his curve, which he still needs to develop, was even working that day.
GB7, What did you think of Joseph’s defense vs. Adams’?
Jerkface January 22nd, 2011 at 1:11 am
The Yankees should probably try to trade Cervelli to the angels for something of value.
___
Such as? I don’t think Cervelli’s value is particularly high though.
Offensively Adams and Joseph are pretty much the same, though until the ankle fracture, Adams was a little faster. Adams has Jospeph on defense, but, for the most part, they’re the same player. The major differences are that Adams is bigger and bats right handed. Joseph, if he fills out, might add some power, and bats left handed. He’s about 6 foot and about 165-170 pounds.
Marshall has about 5 pitches, 2 and 4 seam fastballs, 90-96 MPH, sharp curve, the slider is his strikeout pitch and he’s been working on a change-up. Not great yet, but, getting better.
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 1:08 am
SAS says:
January 22, 2011 at 12:48 am
YankFem, tyanks,
I really am no expert on minor leaguers. I know everyone is very excited about the B boys. I am sure the Yankees would like to wait, but so many of these ‘can’t miss’ guys, not just pitchers haven’t made it anywhere. There are few if any Yankee minor leaguers playing in the MLB. Yes, Rivera on the Angels. Who else?
____
Well there’s only so many who can play and stick on an ML team and the Yankees haven’t had a good farm systen in forever. If you saw Betances or Banuelos over a months time in the minors like myself and Yankeefem you would see that they really are good, whether they’ll ever pan out is too be seen but right now at the level they are, they’re really dominant. And they do live up to their hype.
__________
Yes, they *are* dominant. If they don’t pan out it will be b/c of injury or mechanics. They have unbelievable stuff. I saw Betances outpitch both Drabek and Zach Stewart.
YF and Tyanks,
Thank you both for your explanations. I only hope that your excitement about the Killers B’s will pan out for the Yankees. It would be exciting to watch them as I have Andy for the next 15 yrs or so.
Such as? I don’t think Cervelli’s value is particularly high though.
–
Anything, maybe Jered Weaver, its obvious the Angels have no idea what they are doing and the only reason they managed to fleece the D-Backs for Haren is because the Arizona ownership was meddling
I was just thinking the people on this blog are hardly your typical Yankee’s fans. This is a win now town which is one of the reasons I don’t think all 3 guys will stick with the Yankees. This isn’t Tampa Bay where the few fans they had were willing for the farm kids to come of age.
Somebody said on here yesterday, he didn’t like have to wait a decade since the last time the Yankees won the World Series, and this guy is supposedly more interested and knowledgeable than most.
Only if Jered Weaver promises to pitch better than his brother for the Yankees…lol
GreenBeret7 January 22nd, 2011 at 1:22 am
Offensively Adams and Joseph are pretty much the same, though until the ankle fracture, Adams was a little faster. Adams has Jospeph on defense, but, for the most part, they’re the same player. The major differences are that Adams is bigger and bats right handed. Joseph, if he fills out, might add some power, and bats left handed. He’s about 6 foot and about 165-170 pounds.
_________
Thanks for the report, GB7. I have always liked Joseph based on what I have read. Love that he is considered such a pure hitter. Patient and with such a great eye, I have read. Adams I recall has more pop, but less OBP. Joseph has always been kind of maligned and gone under the radar b/c of the flawed defense. How do you see him in terms of as a major leaguer? That Trenton team should be stacked.
From this scout book:
“First of all”, Gorman said,”You have to consider your market, and in New York the voices demanding instant improvement are louder and more persistent than anywhere else.”
“It was a four-year commitment that was tolerable for us,” General Manager Tony Reagins said. “When we got toward the finish line of the deal, I made a call to [owner Arte Moreno] and the answer was yes, very quickly.”
“The number of years was attractive,” Reagins said of Wells, who turned 32 on Dec. 8. “We’re getting him at a young 32. His contract expires when he’s 35.”
http://www.latimes.com/sports/.....8369.story
Proof that the Angels have no idea what they are doing. Paying 20 million for Vernon Wells is not an accomplishment.
SAS January 22nd, 2011 at 1:34 am
I was just thinking the people on this blog are hardly your typical Yankee’s fans. This is a win now town which is one of the reasons I don’t think all 3 guys will stick with the Yankees. This isn’t Tampa Bay where the few fans they had were willing for the farm kids to come of age.
Somebody said on here yesterday, he didn’t like have to wait a decade since the last time the Yankees won the World Series, and this guy is supposedly more interested and knowledgeable than most.
_____
I don’t think that winning and developing your own players are diametrically opposed. First of all you are assuming someone out there is going to trade you King Felix or Josh Johnson. However, if they aren’t are you going to trade a player who may be an ace on your team in a year and who you will have for 6 years for a middle of rotation 33 year old pitcher. That doesn’t guarantee you are going to win now. Cliff Lee neither guaranteed it for the Phillies in 2009 or the Rangers in 2010. Surprise the upstart Giants won with their prospect pitchers and their prospect catcher. We all want to win now. I don’t think dealing my highest level talents for a middling pitcher will guarantee anything. Also look at what we won with in 2009, a nice mix of FA’s and a lot of our kids, Hughes, Joba, DRob, Aceves, Cano, Melky, etc. How weren’t we both developing our kids and winning?
Who do you want to deal for out in the baseball stratosphere who is available to us that would guarantee we win now?
I think Jays fans are pretty happy now:
“I am a Jays fan, and as of this moment, beam down upon me so I can bask in the sunshine of your love, for brother, we are free, free from that which was about to oppress us, free from the bonds and bindings of the Fool King J.P. Ricciardi.
At long last, with our army reborn, we can rise up to smite the real Evil Empire and that other Evil Empire. Gather your swords and, er, beaks.. the revolution is nigh!”
lol
Jerkface January 22nd, 2011 at 1:38 am
From this scout book:
“First of all”, Gorman said,”You have to consider your market, and in New York the voices demanding instant improvement are louder and more persistent than anywhere else.”
_______
But what is “instant improvement?” Javier Vazquez? Nick Johnson? Kevin Brown?
Beats me, I was just posting a relative quote from a book from the 80s about New York.
yankeefeminista January 22nd, 2011 at 1:36 am
GreenBeret7 January 22nd, 2011 at 1:22 am
Offensively Adams and Joseph are pretty much the same, though until the ankle fracture, Adams was a little faster. Adams has Jospeph on defense, but, for the most part, they’re the same player. The major differences are that Adams is bigger and bats right handed. Joseph, if he fills out, might add some power, and bats left handed. He’s about 6 foot and about 165-170 pounds.
_________
Thanks for the report, GB7. I have always liked Joseph based on what I have read. Love that he is considered such a pure hitter. Patient and with such a great eye, I have read. Adams I recall has more pop, but less OBP. Joseph has always been kind of maligned and gone under the radar b/c of the flawed defense. How do you see him in terms of as a major leaguer? That Trenton team should be stacked.
———————————————————————————————————————-
My pleasure, YankeeFem. Not sure that I’d say Joseph’s defense is flawed….unless you compare him to Cano, who makes any 2nd baseman look flawed. Joseph isn’t as good as Adams on defense, but, the gulf isn’t that wide. He just needs to fill out…more meal money. Perhaps the biggest break (no pun intended) for the Yankees was Adams’ fractured ankle. It helped to save Montero from being traded. Yanks can’t go wrong with either player.
I meant relevant
YF.
I don’t disagree with you…..however read back over yesterday’s posts and there was someone who is on here all the time saying…We have to win now. I take it that you are not a NYer. Yankees fans don’t want to wait.
I have been around since Joe D. played. I don’t remember him well, but I have been a fan of baseball since I was a little girl. We got a TV in 1949, and no matter who you were the picture wasn’t always so hot. I have been through the great years and the lean years. Trust me, the Yankees will either rush some kid or trade him. It may be a different pitcher, but one who might succeed.
I don’t know or care about sabermetrics, etc., but I do know about my many years of fandom. I started reading this blog when I was dying for the latest on the Yankees, and I was out in AZ for 6 months a year. Eventually one night I entered the conversation. Now I am hooked and just skip the stuff I don’t care about.
Good evening or should I say night GB
Jerkface January 22nd, 2011 at 1:48 am
Beats me, I was just posting a relative quote from a book from the 80s about New York.
______
Got ya. However, I always wonder why it is the presumption that doing something even if it is something foolhardy is an improvement over doing nothing. Let’s do something good or not at all. That to me is much better.
Evening, SAS. How are you doing? Hope all is going well with you and family.
GB,
I hope all is well. I will chat with the gang tomorrow or Sunday. They just moved to a house and are very busy.
Hope things find you and yours well also.
Got ya. However, I always wonder why it is the presumption that doing something even if it is something foolhardy is an improvement over doing nothing. Let’s do something good or not at all. That to me is much better.
–
I agree, but I think the suits in charge think the perception of the Yankees is sometimes more important than what they are actually doing. Like it was obvious the Yankees going into next year were still going to be one of the top 2-3 teams in the AL, but the perception was different so then they went and blew money on Soriano.
The Angels dealt with that same problem in a similar way, though Soriano will probably be better than Vernon wells.
jacksquat….Both Manny and maybe Damon will be gone by July
SAS, doing well here, and glad that all is going well on your end. I’m ready for ST to open, even if it’s just seeing them run and stretch. I’ll be ready to get to a few Charleston or Tampa games this year. Some really talented kids are coming to both places. By all accounts, the Charleston fans get to see the repeat of Jesus Montero when Gary Sanchez joins them. Looking forward to see him play, along with the others.
GB,
Sounds really good to me. I am looking forward to the season too. I don’t know if I will get to any ST games this year because my son isn’t that interested in the teams out here, and my husband really is less interested. I would go on my own, but my walking is not too terrific these days. There is a gorgeous new stadium for the Diamondbacks and another team on my way to and from my appointed rounds, but I can’t get excited about the Diamondbacks. Almost all of the ST stadiums out here are shared except the few oldest ones.
It makes sense. Then there are practice fields and whatever else on either side of the stadium for each team. It seems to work well. The stadiums ring the city of Phoenix so no team has to travel more than an hour at the outside. Kind of cool.
I am going to say goodnight. Tomorrow is another day.
Jerkface…..I see that you have gone on the record at least 10 times tonight indicating how the Angels were stupid, got fleeced, and so on and so on…….Now in closing on this topic I’m on the record much like I was last winter on the Matsui not being washed up that Vernon Wells will be a major factor in the Angels recapturing control of the AL West……
* SAS, just wanted to post a response to your earlier email. However, it is way past my bedtime, so I will post this and say good night to all.
SAS January 22nd, 2011 at 1:57 am
YF.
I don’t disagree with you…..however read back over yesterday’s posts and there was someone who is on here all the time saying…We have to win now. I take it that you are not a NYer. Yankees fans don’t want to wait.
I have been around since Joe D. played. I don’t remember him well, but I have been a fan of baseball since I was a little girl. We got a TV in 1949, and no matter who you were the picture wasn’t always so hot. I have been through the great years and the lean years. Trust me, the Yankees will either rush some kid or trade him. It may be a different pitcher, but one who might succeed.
I don’t know or care about sabermetrics, etc., but I do know about my many years of fandom. I started reading this blog when I was dying for the latest on the Yankees, and I was out in AZ for 6 months a year. Eventually one night I entered the conversation. Now I am hooked and just skip the stuff I don’t care about.
____________
Why would you say I am not a NYer? Curious comment. I was born in the Bronx and have been a Yankee fan dating back many years. We have had season tickets in my family since the early 70′s and our Yankee connection goes back to the 1902 inception of the team. My grandfather and father (and mother), respectively, saw Babe Ruth and Joe D play. I sat in an empty OYS in the 80′s. My family has pretty much scheduled its entire life around Yankee games. So, I think I have paid my dues. I think we all have in our own ways, and I love hearing other people’s stories about their Yankee traditions. Not that I need to qualify my rooting, but your comment was so curious.
I watch Yankees viscerally and passionately, and of course I want to win. That doesn’t mean I can’t put some thought into how that is best accomplished or that I can’t try to reason as to what the best way to win is. I don’t think winning now is in opposition to developing your farm. I also don’t think sabermetrics are the only reason people necessarily advocate for developing the farm. There are many fans here who dislike or are indifferent about saber stats and want to retain the jewels of the farm. I think that is good common sense. I also think that changes have transpired in the game of baseball, and the farm has become much more important to developing a strong team. It is why Cashman has stressed the importance of building the farm. I am also not against making moves that improve our club as long as they are smart moves. As for the stats, I think we each use stats in our own ways. Some people are married to one type of stats, be they traditional, saber, etc., while others improvise, while still others ignore stats completely. And SAS, you should of course watch and discuss baseball any way you see fit. I think that is the beauty of this blog. Good Night.
*1903*
yankeefeminista…..Very impressive Yankee lineage..You have my respect
Pat, I mentioned a little earlier that the Angels are really only paying about $10-$11 mil this year for Wells after unloading Napoli and Rivera. A pretty decent bargain for one year. The remaining years are steep, though. I assume that the attendance won’t really suffer. Having Wells and Hunter patroling 2/3rds of the outfield won’t hurt, either. They might be a little right handed heavy this year, but Wells, Morales and Hunter isn’t a bad 3-4-5 at all. Like everyone else, though, it’s their pitching that will carry them.
Jerkface…..I see that you have gone on the record at least 10 times tonight indicating how the Angels were stupid, got fleeced, and so on and so on…….Now in closing on this topic I’m on the record much like I was last winter on the Matsui not being washed up that Vernon Wells will be a major factor in the Angels recapturing control of the AL West…
–
Matsui is a good hitter whose only issue was playing the field, Wells is not as solid a hitter as Matsui. He lacks the plate discipline. They are going to have their hands full with Oakland and Texas in the West. And this move is a net loss because Rivera has been as good as Wells the past 2 years and they didn’t replace Napoli. They just lost out on Vlad and Manny at DH. They had 4 above average hitters in the lineup last year after Morales went down and they lost 2 of them.
And they’re still paying Gary Matthews Jr 10 mil in 2011!
GB7 they are paying Wells 18 mil, its not really a savings when you’re not getting the production of the 2 players you gave up to get him. I mean thats not how you look at a payroll. Its not like they are paying him 10 mil because they AREN’T paying rivera and napoli. They’re still paying 18 mil for only the 500-600 PA’s wells is gonna get. They aren’t getting a bonus 200-300 PA’s that covers the lost production of napoli/rivera.
They’re paying twice as much for half the players!
Wells has had bad range values the last 3 years in centerfield. Listed as the 4th worst centerfielder in baseball. Right below Torii Hunter.
Jerkface…..Let”’s wait until the break and then we can evaluate the Wells trade and how the Angels are doing………Napoli and Rivera were not complete ballplayers, very one dimensional and streaky at best……The Angels are a very rich team with deep pockets and like the Yanks they can absorb bad contracts….see Igawa as their Gary Matthews…….I’m a big Alex fan even when it wasn’t en vogue, but 32 million dollars for the 2011 season….Don’t tell me about bad contracts Jerkface, Yanks are loaded with bad contracts
Napoli and Rivera were not complete ballplayers
–
And neither is Wells. And bad contracts for the Yankees? Yea of course they have bad contracts. That doesn’t have anything to do with why this trade was stupid for the Angels.
The angels pockets are so deep yet they balked at paying for Beltre or Crawford, two players who would be a big improvement over Wells.
Face…..With Abreu slotted as the DH, Napoli was dead weight…Rivera was horrific in the outfield……As for both Crawford and Beltre, aren’t you on the record in saying that both players are getting overpaid ???? Beltre is a major risk for what that contract calls for and as much as I like Carl Crawford I think you must agree that after 4-5 years it’s going to be a drain on the BoSox operations moving forward……As is the nature of baseball, clubs take calculated risks…..The Angels will take the financial gamble because not making the Postseason is not an option…..As the Yanks discovered in 08, there is just too much money at stake for not playing in the fall……….Lets see how things go….I think Vernon is going to excell in Anaheim and they have a very good and danerous ballclub…..You win then the dough is not an issue….
aren’t you on the record in saying that both players are getting overpaid
–
Yea and Wells is even more overpaid ! Imagine that. He was bad in LAA stadium in his career. He is incredibly inconsistent, his only value comes from power that hasn’t shown exists season to season. This move takes the angels further away from the playoffs.
Napoli will be getting between $5.5 mil and $6.5 mil and Rivera gets almost $5.5 mil. That’s at leat 411 MIL. a $12 Mil difference in salaries. Wells is worth that and regardless of what your magic numbers say, he’s still a good center fielder. Next year is a differt story on the money.
***That’s at least $11 mil***
Time for me to hit the hay, but I’ll end with this, there are times you must take the risk, roll the dice and take that shot….The Angels just did……And I say it’ll pay off regardless off what , as GB calls them, your magic numbers …..Good night gents
Face…Isn’t Napoli a arb case due for a significant raise ???? I think Wells could be in leftfield
They are going to play bourjos in CF probably. Putting wells in left will hide some of his deficiencies. But they are basically betting on him continuing his 2010 resurgence (despite the fact he OPS’d under .800 after in the final 105 games of the year) when he has never been able to maintain a consistent offensive ability.
Even if Napoli was due for a raise they should have kept him at catcher. Their two catchers slated for next season both hit under .200. Mathis doesn’t throw out runners any better than Napoli. And Napoli actually throws out more in his career and last year.
I’ll start the conversation-
Good morning, morning people!
Best. Line. Ever.
“With the signings … the Rays are a lock for winning the 2004 World Series.”
(From this link)-
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/bl.....mlb-310904
Good Morning Erica
How do you feel about Damon and Manny in Tampa? I guess it means you’ll get to see more of Johnny just in the wrong uniform.
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 7:44 am
Good Morning Erica
How do you feel about Damon and Manny in Tampa? I guess it means you’ll get to see more of Johnny just in the wrong uniform.
***************
I am pretty indifferent to Manny in Tampa. I think he will see much less playing time than Damon. Particularly if one of his mystery ailments flares up. (Like pregnancy).
I think Damon makes a ton of sense for Tampa though. Especially since he is a local boy. (Tampa agreed since they gave him an attendance bonus).
And on a selfish note- I get to see Johnny 18 games a season now
Erica
Well if the Rays suck like a lot of people are expecting then having them will be harmless and make it much more enjoyable to go to the games. I was thinking how with Manny, the Rays finally have someone I can counter chant with when people start in with the Arod steroids
chant. Pretty much all my facebook friends are really happy about these moves to fill the hole that they lost with Pena.
good morning ladies
at least he is back in the AL east Erica
any team with that pitching is dangerous. i wouldnt dismiss them too lightly…
Good morning, ladies!
I like the line about the Rays now being ready to win the 2004 WS.
I’m going to have to hit the road soon. The Fantasy camp games are at Steinbrenner Field at 930. I’m hoping to see some Yankee greats(or goods) Daryll Strawberry and David Wells are supposed to be there and “many more” it should be fun and its baseball on a nice day.
I won’t dismiss any team in the AL East!
Man, it they beat up on each other, we have to hope the Yankees can really beat up the bottom-feeders. But who ARE the bottom feeders this season? Whoever they are, the Yankees don’t face them enough!
Ys guy
Talking to my friends, they are all pessimistic about the Rays. I am really optimistic and I think they will have a great season. Their nonexistent bullpen will lose some games for them but I would never and I think it would be stupid to say they aren’t going to be good this year. It would just be easier to go to games when 1st place isn’t on the line like it was every game I went to last season.
Doreen
I agree, last season we let the bottom feeders beat us too much. We lost games against Cleveland, Seattle, Kansas City and Baltimore that we shouldn’t have. Though to be the best you have to beat the best.
Have fun today tyanksfan36!
tyanksfan36 January 22nd, 2011 at 8:16 am
Doreen
I agree, last season we let the bottom feeders beat us too much. We lost games against Cleveland, Seattle, Kansas City and Baltimore that we shouldn’t have. Though to be the best you have to beat the best.
*************
Those are the games that drive me craziest.
The ones that are supposed to be cake and then the Yankees look awful
Oh, I think those games drive all of us nuts! The ones against Seattle were particularly upsetting.
I really hope that somewhere along the line our awesome lineup can figure out a way to get to those junkballers that some teams toss at them.
have a great time tyankee! say hi to boomer for us!
It looks like the net cost for Halos for next year for Wells is around 12 Mill.
At that price the trade looks a little better.
If I were them I would keep Hunter in CF and move Wells to one of the corners.
They better hope he keeps his power #’s up.
Long term I would be quite concerned.
Maybe the change of scenery will do him good.
One of the more puzzling trades of the OS.
I think Wells is only there for 4 years, though, right? At worst? So at least it’s not the commitment that they would have had to make to Crawford or Werth. Perhaps it was the length of contract that scared them off Crawford (because Werth was off the table right away and made Crawford so unappealing in the process).
Doreen-
It’s not a long contract just an extremely overvalued one IMO.
Wells gets around 20 Mill per season.
Is he a 20 Mill player ?
IMO, not even close.
His defense is going to slip even further and I don’t think he can maintain his power.
And if they wanted to move Rivera or Napoli all they had to do was
eat a little bit of salary at the most.
I think that would have been a smarter play.
sounds like fun Tyanks…we will be expecting a full report!
Doreen-
And it seems to me they needed a guy like Beltre way more.
MTU -
Definitely a better deal for Toronto than Anaheim.
yeah, I don’t understand why the Angels balked at raising the price for Crawford or Beltre but were willing to take on Wells…I guess it was not about the money.
Doreen-
practically a godsend for them IMO.
They have cleared the way for further moves.
Kate -
I have heard rumors that Moreno does not want to deal with Boras.
No idea if true or not but if they are he better get over it.
Boras is here to stay and like him or not he sometimes has what a team needs.
The really amzing thing to me is that IMO every single team in the AL East has gotten better this OS.
From Boston all the way to Baltimore.
What a beast.
I might prefer Wells’s deal to Crawford’s because its 3 years shorter even though Crawford is obviously a better player…..but Beltre would have actually been cheaper and filled a gaping hole they have at 3B….Moreno really must not dealing with Boras is all I know.
Pinch hitter is up