"If any major league player with a $17 million paycheck and more than 3,000 hits on his résumé could be said to have been taken for granted, Derek Jeter is that player."
Well, there is exactly one player who fits those qualifications.
So Jeter is the oldest, youngest, most overrated, most underrated, tallest, shortest, and Derek Jeterest player with a $17 million paycheck and more than 3,000 hits.
"Over the past decade or so, as the New York Yankees have stockpiled superstar after superstar, from Jason Giambi to Alex Rodriguez to Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia, it has seemed as Jeter has moved further down the list in prominence on the roster, even if he still carried the label of Captain."
Easily the most popular Yankee during this time, by a wide margin. So I guess it depends what you mean by "prominent."
But, yeah, players who sign $200 million contracts tend to get attention.
"In fact, in a lot of ways, Jeter may once again be the MIP -- Most Important Player -- on this team."
MIP! I like it. It's clever.
"This year, with the ballclub perceived by many of its own fans to be aging and in decline, with its attendance having waned steadily since opening that money pit of a new ballpark in 2009, and without a highly touted -- and high-priced -- free agent coming to town to give it a boost, it is time for the Yankees and their fans to rediscover Jeter."
Best attendance in baseball in 2012. 3.5 million. Maybe the Phillies had a few thousand more paying customers.
As for the money pit in steady decline, these are its attendance numbers:
2009: 3.7 million.
2010: 3.8 million.
2011: 3.7 million.
2012: 3.5 million.
Jeter is easily the most popular player on the team and probably the most popular player in MLB.
Did Wallace Matthew forget the hubbub about Jeter's 3,000th hit? When Jeter passed Gehrig? Did Matthews read the NYT article about people lining up in a parking lot to get Jeter's autographs? Does Matthews watch TV or listen to the radio?
How can Yankee fans "rediscover" something that is ever-present?
"Does anyone really think A-Rod will hit his first milestone, No. 660, as a Yankee, let alone No. 763?"
I think ARod will hit his 660th HR as a member of the Yankees.
"That deal was a slap in the face to Jeter, who was heading toward his own milestone of 3,000 hits."
ARod's contract was not a slap in the face to Jeter.
"So was the privately stated position that the Yankees would soon be Robinson Cano's team, that Eduardo Nunez was being groomed to replace Jeter as the shortstop of the future ..."
Not slaps in the face to Jeter.
"Nobody is going to buy a ticket to Yankee Stadium to see A-Rod this year, especially since he won't be in the lineup until after the All-Star break at the earliest. And as great as Mo is, no one buys a ticket to see him, either, for the simple reason that you can never be sure when he will actually get into the game."
Simply untrue. Though I agree that Jeter is the most popular player and Jeter's absence will hurt attendance, lots of people buy tickets to see ARod and Mariano.
ARod's First Game Back will be the biggest sports story of the day. The stands will be packed, even if the fans show up just to boo him.
"As long as Jeter's rehab goes as planned -- and he and manager Joe Girardi insist he is still on schedule to be ready for the April 1 season opener -- you can buy a ticket with full confidence that Derek Jeter will be in the game."
Kewl!
I'll be sure to buy a ticket with full confidence that Captain Derek Jeter will be in the game.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
This guy.
Melky will get his ring, so I don't know what he is complaining about.
His 50-game suspension, followed immediately by a $16 million contract, once again proves the rewards of using PEDs.
Will the Blue Jays ensure his supply of PEDs continues? This guy might be a 5th OFer without PEDs. He signs a $16 million which the Blue Jays know is based on PED production.
So what's the deal?
What's with the MLB testing?
Are they really even trying?
His 50-game suspension, followed immediately by a $16 million contract, once again proves the rewards of using PEDs.
Will the Blue Jays ensure his supply of PEDs continues? This guy might be a 5th OFer without PEDs. He signs a $16 million which the Blue Jays know is based on PED production.
So what's the deal?
What's with the MLB testing?
Are they really even trying?
Saturday, February 16, 2013
So everyone keeps looking at Robinson Cano when they are saying this.
"Kevin Youkilis may have some ground to make up with Yankee fans, but Andy Pettitte loves the new guy already. And perhaps more significantly, he thinks Youkilis will give the Yankees something they need, adding some Paul O’Neill-like intensity on a daily basis.
'I’m not the manager but I feel like we could use some of that,' Pettitte was saying at his locker Friday. 'I love it. I think it’s good to have someone a little edgy, someone on the edge out there. He’s one of those guys, when he’s on your team, you love him, and when he’s on the other team, you don’t like him very much. You need people like that, no doubt about it.'
What the Yankees really needed the last couple of post-seasons were more clutch hits, and it remains to be seen if Youkilis can help in that area. But Pettitte’s point is well-taken: recent Yankee teams have tended too look passive at times, and maybe they could use someone to agitate the enemy or even wake up teammates occasionally with a flash of temper or an extra-hard slide to break up a double play."
Robinson Cano could not be reached for comment.
'I’m not the manager but I feel like we could use some of that,' Pettitte was saying at his locker Friday. 'I love it. I think it’s good to have someone a little edgy, someone on the edge out there. He’s one of those guys, when he’s on your team, you love him, and when he’s on the other team, you don’t like him very much. You need people like that, no doubt about it.'
What the Yankees really needed the last couple of post-seasons were more clutch hits, and it remains to be seen if Youkilis can help in that area. But Pettitte’s point is well-taken: recent Yankee teams have tended too look passive at times, and maybe they could use someone to agitate the enemy or even wake up teammates occasionally with a flash of temper or an extra-hard slide to break up a double play."
Robinson Cano could not be reached for comment.
Friday, February 15, 2013
It's 2013. Just sayin', genius.
" 'When I first heard about [players being linked to the clinic],' Ortiz said. 'I started saying that us, as baseball players, we pretty much might be the dumbest athletes of all the sports because there's a history of players doing things like that and later on getting caught. We're talking about six or seven years. So how come in 2011 or 2012, there are players still being caught in the same situation?' "
There is a history of myself doing things like that and later on getting caught.
"Ortiz has a very valid point. There isn't another sport out there that faces as many questions about performing enhancing drugs as baseball and a lot of it has to do with the arrogance and ignorance of the players."
Ask David Ortiz if it was worth it. He'd be lying if he said no. I hope there are no long-term health problems, but as long as he's relatively healthy, then it was worth it.
A more interesting question is why society focuses solely on baseball players.
You won't find any Front Page outrage or Senatorial soul-searching over Hedo Turkoglu.
There is a history of myself doing things like that and later on getting caught.
"Ortiz has a very valid point. There isn't another sport out there that faces as many questions about performing enhancing drugs as baseball and a lot of it has to do with the arrogance and ignorance of the players."
Ask David Ortiz if it was worth it. He'd be lying if he said no. I hope there are no long-term health problems, but as long as he's relatively healthy, then it was worth it.
A more interesting question is why society focuses solely on baseball players.
You won't find any Front Page outrage or Senatorial soul-searching over Hedo Turkoglu.
Monday, February 11, 2013
I don't understand the fascination with young mediocre players.
"The next couple of years promise to be challenging for the Yankees. The American League East is no longer the Yanks, Red Sox and everyone else.
Baltimore served notice a year ago, winning 90-plus games and advancing to the postseason for the first time since 1997. Tampa Bay has won at least 90 games in four of the last five years, making the playoffs three times. And Toronto was the mover and shaker in baseball's offseason, becoming a popular pick to end its 19-year postseason drought."
Since 2005, the Yankees/Red Sox have topped the AL East one time. This is old news.
"All of that is happening at a time when the Yankees are in a bit of an identity crisis of their own. The club is committed to making adjustments with payroll to avoid the 50 percent luxury tax that will be assessed on payrolls in excess of $189 million in 2014."
We'll see.
"There also is a caveat for big spenders: those who remain under the luxury tax threshold will receive a rebate on money they pay into revenue sharing. Keeping their payroll in line could mean up to $50 million to the Yanks."
I don't understand what this means. There is no upper bound on the amount of money the Yankees could save if they decide not to spend it.
"They have been successful on the field, advancing to the postseason in 17 of the last 18 years, and have won five of their record 27 World Series championships."
Also, they have been successful off the field.
"That success, however, has come at a cost."
Doesn't it always?
"In addition to outspending the rest of baseball, the Yankees have had a win-today, worry-about-tomorrow-later mentality that has not put a lot of value on Draft choices and bringing along homegrown players.
The Yankees' penchant for spending on free agents has impacted the Drafts. They lost their second-round pick in 2006, their first-, second- and third-round selections in '09 and their first-round pick in 2011."
They get bad draft picks because they usually win their division. Strasburg and Harper were off the board.
"Think about it: Since December 2007, they have traded homegrown talent that included right-handed pitchers Tyler Clippard, Ian Kennedy, George Kontos, Jeff Karstens and Daniel McCutchen; left-handed relievers Phil Coke and Mike Dunn; outfielders Austin Jackson, Melky Cabrera and Jose Tabata; catcher Jesus Montero; and infielder Jimmy Paredes. They also released right-hander Mark Melancon after one year in their Minor League system.
What do they have to show for those trades on their current 40-man roster? Outfielders Curtis Granderson and Ichiro, left-handed reliever Boone Logan, right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda and backup catcher Chris Stewart."
They traded junk and got two good players in return ... maybe three if Pineda gets healthy.
"It is a challenge unlike any the Yankees have faced since George Steinbrenner purchased the franchise in 1973."
Tell that to Bucky Dent, the Cap'n of the Alvaro Espinoza Era.
Baltimore served notice a year ago, winning 90-plus games and advancing to the postseason for the first time since 1997. Tampa Bay has won at least 90 games in four of the last five years, making the playoffs three times. And Toronto was the mover and shaker in baseball's offseason, becoming a popular pick to end its 19-year postseason drought."
Since 2005, the Yankees/Red Sox have topped the AL East one time. This is old news.
"All of that is happening at a time when the Yankees are in a bit of an identity crisis of their own. The club is committed to making adjustments with payroll to avoid the 50 percent luxury tax that will be assessed on payrolls in excess of $189 million in 2014."
We'll see.
"There also is a caveat for big spenders: those who remain under the luxury tax threshold will receive a rebate on money they pay into revenue sharing. Keeping their payroll in line could mean up to $50 million to the Yanks."
I don't understand what this means. There is no upper bound on the amount of money the Yankees could save if they decide not to spend it.
"They have been successful on the field, advancing to the postseason in 17 of the last 18 years, and have won five of their record 27 World Series championships."
Also, they have been successful off the field.
"That success, however, has come at a cost."
Doesn't it always?
"In addition to outspending the rest of baseball, the Yankees have had a win-today, worry-about-tomorrow-later mentality that has not put a lot of value on Draft choices and bringing along homegrown players.
The Yankees' penchant for spending on free agents has impacted the Drafts. They lost their second-round pick in 2006, their first-, second- and third-round selections in '09 and their first-round pick in 2011."
They get bad draft picks because they usually win their division. Strasburg and Harper were off the board.
"Think about it: Since December 2007, they have traded homegrown talent that included right-handed pitchers Tyler Clippard, Ian Kennedy, George Kontos, Jeff Karstens and Daniel McCutchen; left-handed relievers Phil Coke and Mike Dunn; outfielders Austin Jackson, Melky Cabrera and Jose Tabata; catcher Jesus Montero; and infielder Jimmy Paredes. They also released right-hander Mark Melancon after one year in their Minor League system.
What do they have to show for those trades on their current 40-man roster? Outfielders Curtis Granderson and Ichiro, left-handed reliever Boone Logan, right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda and backup catcher Chris Stewart."
They traded junk and got two good players in return ... maybe three if Pineda gets healthy.
"It is a challenge unlike any the Yankees have faced since George Steinbrenner purchased the franchise in 1973."
Tell that to Bucky Dent, the Cap'n of the Alvaro Espinoza Era.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
I did not take PEDs, except for the PEDs I took.
"He writes of his mixed feelings about the former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, with whom he went to the World Series; his bitter war with Roger Clemens, who beaned him while he was with the Mets; the rumors that he was gay; and, most significant, the suspicions that he used performance enhancers, which he denies.
'It shouldn’t be assumed that every big hitter of the generation used steroids,' Piazza says in the book. 'I didn’t.'
...
He admits to using androstenedione as part of a supplement pack until the outcry over Mark McGwire’s use of it forced him to 'phase it out.' Baseball later banned the substance.
He also writes that he briefly experimented with amphetamines until they were banned in 2006. And he describes hearing about human growth hormone, doing some research and asking the Mets’ former trainer, Fred Hina, if teams would start distributing it, unaware that it was a banned substance. According to the book, Hina said he would look into it and a day or two later told Piazza it was not a good idea."
'It shouldn’t be assumed that every big hitter of the generation used steroids,' Piazza says in the book. 'I didn’t.'
...
He admits to using androstenedione as part of a supplement pack until the outcry over Mark McGwire’s use of it forced him to 'phase it out.' Baseball later banned the substance.
He also writes that he briefly experimented with amphetamines until they were banned in 2006. And he describes hearing about human growth hormone, doing some research and asking the Mets’ former trainer, Fred Hina, if teams would start distributing it, unaware that it was a banned substance. According to the book, Hina said he would look into it and a day or two later told Piazza it was not a good idea."
Thursday, February 07, 2013
This is the end of the innocence.
While waiting for Derek Jeter's autograph, a 27-year-old has an epiphany regarding advertising:
"Tuesday’s drama began at 8:17 a.m., when Jeter arrived in a silver Mercedes-Benz with mirrored windows that glinted like chandeliers. 'He’s not driving his Ford Focus like in the commercials,' said Vince Santillo, a 27-year-old Tampa resident who works at a gas station."
"Tuesday’s drama began at 8:17 a.m., when Jeter arrived in a silver Mercedes-Benz with mirrored windows that glinted like chandeliers. 'He’s not driving his Ford Focus like in the commercials,' said Vince Santillo, a 27-year-old Tampa resident who works at a gas station."
The process could conceivably take months or years.
Francisco Cervelli had two plate appearances last year. Does he have to testify to a grand jury? Or is our moral outrage reserved for players who are good?:
"The Yankees’ thin catching corps was left more vulnerable when it was revealed Tuesday that Francisco Cervelli, one of the two leading candidates to be the team’s starting catcher, had visited a Miami clinic under investigation for dispensing performance-enhancing drugs.
Cervelli said on his Twitter account that he took no banned substances and was only seeking 'legal ways' to heal a foot injury he sustained in March 2011."
I don't think this is going to affect the Yankees at all.
Even an inconceivable worst-case scenario -- Cervelli banned from baseball forever -- even that wouldn't affect the Yankees much.
"The Yankees’ thin catching corps was left more vulnerable when it was revealed Tuesday that Francisco Cervelli, one of the two leading candidates to be the team’s starting catcher, had visited a Miami clinic under investigation for dispensing performance-enhancing drugs.
Cervelli said on his Twitter account that he took no banned substances and was only seeking 'legal ways' to heal a foot injury he sustained in March 2011."
I don't think this is going to affect the Yankees at all.
Even an inconceivable worst-case scenario -- Cervelli banned from baseball forever -- even that wouldn't affect the Yankees much.
We should totally get everybody to testify in front of a grand jury, under oath.
Anybody know where I can find one of those grand juries?:
"There is only one way for Major League Baseball and for the rest of us to get the answers we need on Bosch the 'biochemist' and Braun and A-Rod and all the other misunderstood ballplayers who have made the PED version of the Dean’s List, known as Bosch’s List: Get everybody in front of a grand jury and make them tell their stories under oath, not to their PR men.
Make them all explain why they were associating with a PED pusher like Anthony Bosch in the first place."
Let's see ...
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution protect U.S. citizens ... yes, even major league baseball players.
Major League Baseball does not have subpoena power, as Lupica recently reminded us, and Major League Baseball can't create grand juries out of thin air.
So what the heck is he talking about?
Is it a pretend MLB grand jury with Mike Lupica presiding in a white wig and a black robe?
"There is only one way for Major League Baseball and for the rest of us to get the answers we need on Bosch the 'biochemist' and Braun and A-Rod and all the other misunderstood ballplayers who have made the PED version of the Dean’s List, known as Bosch’s List: Get everybody in front of a grand jury and make them tell their stories under oath, not to their PR men.
Make them all explain why they were associating with a PED pusher like Anthony Bosch in the first place."
Let's see ...
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution protect U.S. citizens ... yes, even major league baseball players.
Major League Baseball does not have subpoena power, as Lupica recently reminded us, and Major League Baseball can't create grand juries out of thin air.
So what the heck is he talking about?
Is it a pretend MLB grand jury with Mike Lupica presiding in a white wig and a black robe?
Saturday, February 02, 2013
I also think ARod fails the smell test.
Having said that, sometimes when too many details are provided, it's quite suspicious. It almost sounds like Bosch is making up stories to impress his friends.
Also, why didn't MLB tests catch this?
Also, why was ARod being injected with anything?
In any case, I'm not sure what Johnette Howard is upset about:
"Rodriguez's handling of this latest fiasco feels a lot like the first time he was accused of PED use in 2009, when he adopted a strategy of denial until it was impossible not to. If he has any hope of salvaging his career, it might be time to finally try a novel strategy, at least for him: How about shutting up already?
...
But all of those hopes are pipe dreams if Rodriguez becomes the first baseball PED user to deny, confess, make another denial and confess a relapse.
Rodriguez has the right to shout he's innocent until proven guilty.
And he may yet get every penny of salary he's owed.
But he wouldn't be the first jock to pass countless drug screenings and still flunk the smell test.
His credibility is bankrupt until proven otherwise."
Other than some boilerplate denials from a spokesperson, I'm not aware of any statements from ARod. He hasn't said a word, yet she's imploring him to shut up.
Also, why didn't MLB tests catch this?
Also, why was ARod being injected with anything?
In any case, I'm not sure what Johnette Howard is upset about:
"Rodriguez's handling of this latest fiasco feels a lot like the first time he was accused of PED use in 2009, when he adopted a strategy of denial until it was impossible not to. If he has any hope of salvaging his career, it might be time to finally try a novel strategy, at least for him: How about shutting up already?
...
But all of those hopes are pipe dreams if Rodriguez becomes the first baseball PED user to deny, confess, make another denial and confess a relapse.
Rodriguez has the right to shout he's innocent until proven guilty.
And he may yet get every penny of salary he's owed.
But he wouldn't be the first jock to pass countless drug screenings and still flunk the smell test.
His credibility is bankrupt until proven otherwise."
Other than some boilerplate denials from a spokesperson, I'm not aware of any statements from ARod. He hasn't said a word, yet she's imploring him to shut up.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Read this, don't read this.
Sports Illustrated provides a well-researched and thoughtful report on the latest ARod controversy. You know: Journalism!:
"It’s a cliche to say that 'time will tell' when it comes to Rodriguez’s fate, but a legacy is something that’s determined over a long period of time, not via a knee-jerk response to breaking news. In the wake of the latest revelations, the urge to shovel dirt on Rodriguez is understandable, but much of it is founded in fantasies that some process can make him disappear. Like the rest of the steroid scandal of the past few decades, that’s simply impossible."
Retirement, voiding of contract, release, inability to come back from injury: All of these outcomes seem exceedingly unlikely.
Without exception, fan bases seem willing to forgive any player as long as they are productive (reference: Melky Cabrera, $16 million). With a rehabbed hip, I actually believe that this is possible.
For the opposite of journalism, we can turn to the always reliable Mike Lupica and Ian O'Connor.
Lupica conveniently remembers that Texas paid a major chunk of ARod's salary for four NYY years, two of which were MVP years:
"Everybody was happy. Why not? The Yankees thought they were getting the best player in baseball, one in the middle of his prime, they had even gotten the Rangers to pay nearly $70 million of his contract. Maybe we should have paid closer attention to that, how the Rangers didn’t just want to get rid of Alex Rodriguez, they were willing to pay the Yankees big money to get out from under the last seven years of the $252 million contract they had given Rodriguez when he had left the Seattle Mariners."
ARod's production in New York -- and his entire career -- may have been fraudulent. But there is simply no way to claim that his career has been unproductive.
ARod has delivered 2 MVPs since 2004, 1 ring, 8 playoffs.
Since that day in 2004, all the Rangers players combined have one less ring than ARod.
So the Yankees won and the Rangers lost, right? Is that your point?
O'Connor simply makes no sense whatsoever:
"The same man who once upstaged the World Series by opting out of his contract has upstaged Super Bowl week by allegedly opting out of his responsibility as a clean athlete … again."
For the sake of a pointless and tenuous link to a story from 2007, O'Connor actually said that ARod's story is currently upstaging the Super Bowl.
Even with a relatively pedestrian Super Bowl matchup, ARod's story is not upstaging the Super Bowl by any measure.
Perhaps a small point, but still indicative of O'Connor's insistence on bending the truth.
"The Yankees aren't ready to comment on the specifics of this case, but there's nobody in the organization who would dispute the fact that Rodriguez now represents the worst investment they've made, 2009 title or no 2009 title. Carl Pavano for $40 million, A.J. Burnett for $82.5 million and Kei Igawa for $20 million have nothing on Rodriguez for $275 million."
I love how the only ring that doesn't matter is ARod's ring in 2009.
The Yankees spent $46 million on Kei Igawa. Ian O'Connor knows this and Ian O'Connor is therefore a liar.
For that $46 million, the Yankees got 2 wins.
Which is a slightly worse ROI than the Braves got for Mike Hampton in the mid-2000s, by the way.
Three years, $45 million, 3 wins. But Hampton was injured, so that comparison is kind of unfair and uninteresting. Still, there is no way ARod's contract is worse than Hampton's.
"Same goes for other people in other places. Mike Hampton for $121 million with the Rockies? Eddy Curry for $60 million with the Knicks? Albert Haynesworth for $100 million with the Redskins? Oliver Perez for $36 million with the Mets? Gilbert Arenas for $111 million with the Wizards?
In the end, Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez outplayed them all. He should take a victory lap around the bases for that."
O''Connor's analysis is simply incorrect. All the contracts he listed are worse than ARod's. I can list dozens of other contracts that have been worse than ARod's.
One analyzes an investment properly not simply by its size, but by its return.
"It’s a cliche to say that 'time will tell' when it comes to Rodriguez’s fate, but a legacy is something that’s determined over a long period of time, not via a knee-jerk response to breaking news. In the wake of the latest revelations, the urge to shovel dirt on Rodriguez is understandable, but much of it is founded in fantasies that some process can make him disappear. Like the rest of the steroid scandal of the past few decades, that’s simply impossible."
Retirement, voiding of contract, release, inability to come back from injury: All of these outcomes seem exceedingly unlikely.
Without exception, fan bases seem willing to forgive any player as long as they are productive (reference: Melky Cabrera, $16 million). With a rehabbed hip, I actually believe that this is possible.
For the opposite of journalism, we can turn to the always reliable Mike Lupica and Ian O'Connor.
Lupica conveniently remembers that Texas paid a major chunk of ARod's salary for four NYY years, two of which were MVP years:
"Everybody was happy. Why not? The Yankees thought they were getting the best player in baseball, one in the middle of his prime, they had even gotten the Rangers to pay nearly $70 million of his contract. Maybe we should have paid closer attention to that, how the Rangers didn’t just want to get rid of Alex Rodriguez, they were willing to pay the Yankees big money to get out from under the last seven years of the $252 million contract they had given Rodriguez when he had left the Seattle Mariners."
ARod's production in New York -- and his entire career -- may have been fraudulent. But there is simply no way to claim that his career has been unproductive.
ARod has delivered 2 MVPs since 2004, 1 ring, 8 playoffs.
Since that day in 2004, all the Rangers players combined have one less ring than ARod.
So the Yankees won and the Rangers lost, right? Is that your point?
O'Connor simply makes no sense whatsoever:
"The same man who once upstaged the World Series by opting out of his contract has upstaged Super Bowl week by allegedly opting out of his responsibility as a clean athlete … again."
For the sake of a pointless and tenuous link to a story from 2007, O'Connor actually said that ARod's story is currently upstaging the Super Bowl.
Even with a relatively pedestrian Super Bowl matchup, ARod's story is not upstaging the Super Bowl by any measure.
Perhaps a small point, but still indicative of O'Connor's insistence on bending the truth.
"The Yankees aren't ready to comment on the specifics of this case, but there's nobody in the organization who would dispute the fact that Rodriguez now represents the worst investment they've made, 2009 title or no 2009 title. Carl Pavano for $40 million, A.J. Burnett for $82.5 million and Kei Igawa for $20 million have nothing on Rodriguez for $275 million."
I love how the only ring that doesn't matter is ARod's ring in 2009.
The Yankees spent $46 million on Kei Igawa. Ian O'Connor knows this and Ian O'Connor is therefore a liar.
For that $46 million, the Yankees got 2 wins.
Which is a slightly worse ROI than the Braves got for Mike Hampton in the mid-2000s, by the way.
Three years, $45 million, 3 wins. But Hampton was injured, so that comparison is kind of unfair and uninteresting. Still, there is no way ARod's contract is worse than Hampton's.
"Same goes for other people in other places. Mike Hampton for $121 million with the Rockies? Eddy Curry for $60 million with the Knicks? Albert Haynesworth for $100 million with the Redskins? Oliver Perez for $36 million with the Mets? Gilbert Arenas for $111 million with the Wizards?
In the end, Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez outplayed them all. He should take a victory lap around the bases for that."
O''Connor's analysis is simply incorrect. All the contracts he listed are worse than ARod's. I can list dozens of other contracts that have been worse than ARod's.
One analyzes an investment properly not simply by its size, but by its return.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Gloating from last place.
"Here’s the point: if things had gone the way Red Sox owners wanted them
to during the winter of 2003-04, there is no telling where the Red Sox
would be today."
Well, ARod's team finished in first place ... and the Sox finished in last place ... since we we're talking about today.
What was the tragic consequences you were imagining? Perhaps finishing in last place?
"In retrospect, Rodriguez and Red Sox administrators were a perfect match, two parties far more interested in image and ratings than actual performance on the field."
Of all the charges leveled against Alex Rodriguez, I think the oddest I've ever seen is the notion that he's not interested in actual performance on the field.
It's quite clear that ARod is utterly obsessed with his performance on the field, perhaps to a dangerous and ultimately self-defeating degree.
Also, the Red Sox administrators you're denigrating won two Championships shortly after the ARod deal fell through. So what the heck are you even talking about?
"But as this all pertains to the Red Sox, the latest Rodriguez scandal is yet another reminder that Rodriguez could very easily have been here, in Boston, in place of Ramirez (the eventual 2004 World Series Most Valuable Player) through 2007. Certainly Francona’s book has shed more light on Ramirez’ antics, many of which caused Sox players, in particular, to roll their eyes.
And yet, repeatedly, Sox players said they wanted Ramirez on their side because they wanted his bat. Would the same have been true of A-Rod? Rodriguez’ political nature has made him a divisive force on more than one team now, a poster boy for the modern athlete. Big image. No substance. Now that the Red Sox have become the same thing, one cannot help but wonder."
Uhhh ... are you even reading this?
You're actually using Manny Ramirez as your counterpoint to an example of a disinterested modern athlete?
I have trouble believing ARod's presence would have hurt the Championship Red Sox clubhouse .... unless he bogarted the syringe from Manny, Papi, Trot, Tek, and Pedro.
Well, ARod's team finished in first place ... and the Sox finished in last place ... since we we're talking about today.
What was the tragic consequences you were imagining? Perhaps finishing in last place?
"In retrospect, Rodriguez and Red Sox administrators were a perfect match, two parties far more interested in image and ratings than actual performance on the field."
Of all the charges leveled against Alex Rodriguez, I think the oddest I've ever seen is the notion that he's not interested in actual performance on the field.
It's quite clear that ARod is utterly obsessed with his performance on the field, perhaps to a dangerous and ultimately self-defeating degree.
Also, the Red Sox administrators you're denigrating won two Championships shortly after the ARod deal fell through. So what the heck are you even talking about?
"But as this all pertains to the Red Sox, the latest Rodriguez scandal is yet another reminder that Rodriguez could very easily have been here, in Boston, in place of Ramirez (the eventual 2004 World Series Most Valuable Player) through 2007. Certainly Francona’s book has shed more light on Ramirez’ antics, many of which caused Sox players, in particular, to roll their eyes.
And yet, repeatedly, Sox players said they wanted Ramirez on their side because they wanted his bat. Would the same have been true of A-Rod? Rodriguez’ political nature has made him a divisive force on more than one team now, a poster boy for the modern athlete. Big image. No substance. Now that the Red Sox have become the same thing, one cannot help but wonder."
Uhhh ... are you even reading this?
You're actually using Manny Ramirez as your counterpoint to an example of a disinterested modern athlete?
I have trouble believing ARod's presence would have hurt the Championship Red Sox clubhouse .... unless he bogarted the syringe from Manny, Papi, Trot, Tek, and Pedro.
The morality is in the numbers.
Joel Sherman at least seems grounded in reality. The threat of a contract void could compel ARod to accept a buyout:
"Privately, the Yankees are thrilled with this latest mess. For if the allegations first made yesterday in the Miami New Times that detail Rodriguez purchasing banned performance enhancers from 2009-12 turn out to be accurate — or worse — then a portal has been opened for the Yankees to accomplish a goal as large as winning the 2013 World Series because of what it means to their present and near future: Severing ties with Rodriguez and saving as much of the $114 million they owe him over the next five years as possible.
Now let’s not mislead anyone. The Yankees will need a Hail Mary to succeed. After all, we thought baseball had Ryan Braun with no wiggle room, and Braun escaped. We thought the feds had Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, and how did that turn out? The union may not love A-Rod, but its history is to fight like heck for its members and when the Players Association fights it generally wins.
Still, this is a Hail Mary the Yankees will be happy to attempt, as opposed to, say, when they threatened to go after the contracts of Bubba Trammell, Carl Pavano and Jason Giambi for various forms of alleged malfeasance — and then didn’t."
Bubba Trammell. Was benched for a game against the Mets and he just disappeared. Remember that guy?
Anyway, ARod and the Union are not just going to quietly give back $114 million.
I have a gripe with the invocation of a "morals clause" when it just boils down to costs and benefits:
"But maybe the mere threat of more info arising from a court case would move Rodriguez to agree to a buyout, say half of the $114 million, and that lowered total would count toward the tax (can’t see the union ever accepting that). Or maybe a sensitive sort will not want to endure the public humiliation that will come with his appearances and retire claiming an inability to recover from a second hip surgery in four years. In that scenario, the Yankees might be able to recoup 70-85 percent of his contract in insurance."
"Privately, the Yankees are thrilled with this latest mess. For if the allegations first made yesterday in the Miami New Times that detail Rodriguez purchasing banned performance enhancers from 2009-12 turn out to be accurate — or worse — then a portal has been opened for the Yankees to accomplish a goal as large as winning the 2013 World Series because of what it means to their present and near future: Severing ties with Rodriguez and saving as much of the $114 million they owe him over the next five years as possible.
Now let’s not mislead anyone. The Yankees will need a Hail Mary to succeed. After all, we thought baseball had Ryan Braun with no wiggle room, and Braun escaped. We thought the feds had Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, and how did that turn out? The union may not love A-Rod, but its history is to fight like heck for its members and when the Players Association fights it generally wins.
Still, this is a Hail Mary the Yankees will be happy to attempt, as opposed to, say, when they threatened to go after the contracts of Bubba Trammell, Carl Pavano and Jason Giambi for various forms of alleged malfeasance — and then didn’t."
Bubba Trammell. Was benched for a game against the Mets and he just disappeared. Remember that guy?
Anyway, ARod and the Union are not just going to quietly give back $114 million.
I have a gripe with the invocation of a "morals clause" when it just boils down to costs and benefits:
"But maybe the mere threat of more info arising from a court case would move Rodriguez to agree to a buyout, say half of the $114 million, and that lowered total would count toward the tax (can’t see the union ever accepting that). Or maybe a sensitive sort will not want to endure the public humiliation that will come with his appearances and retire claiming an inability to recover from a second hip surgery in four years. In that scenario, the Yankees might be able to recoup 70-85 percent of his contract in insurance."
Just a reminder, the jury found Clemens not guilty.
Once again, Mike Lupica confuses the court of public opinion with the court of American law:
"Now, despite detailed patient files and payment records and even handwritten notes linking Rodriguez to this 'biochemist' Anthony Bosch, about whom you first learned in the Daily News on Saturday morning, Rodriguez clearly intends to make this his word against Bosch’s, even if Bosch eventually flips on him the way Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens’ former trainer, flipped on Clemens.
You know why McNamee did that, by the way? Not because he was a rat and snitch, but because when he talked to George Mitchell’s investigators for the Mitchell Report, the feds were in the room. And McNamee had been made well aware that you have two choices with the feds in the room: You tell the truth, or you don’t tell anything at all.
"Now, despite detailed patient files and payment records and even handwritten notes linking Rodriguez to this 'biochemist' Anthony Bosch, about whom you first learned in the Daily News on Saturday morning, Rodriguez clearly intends to make this his word against Bosch’s, even if Bosch eventually flips on him the way Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens’ former trainer, flipped on Clemens.
You know why McNamee did that, by the way? Not because he was a rat and snitch, but because when he talked to George Mitchell’s investigators for the Mitchell Report, the feds were in the room. And McNamee had been made well aware that you have two choices with the feds in the room: You tell the truth, or you don’t tell anything at all.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
If he took PEDs in the past four years, he should demand a refund.
Of course they want to void his contract. I am unfamiliar with any successful attempt to void a MLB contract because the player used PEDs.
The Yankees didn't void ARod's contract in 2010. The Yankees didn't void Giambi's contract, nor Pettitte's, nor lots of other contracts.
So when management decides a player is no longer productive, that's when they take a stand?
I'm wondering how the other teams in MLB would react to that.
Even if ARod is completely guilty of these new charges, the Yankees deserve to be punished by paying his contract:
"The New York Yankees are exploring multiple avenues in an attempt to void their contract with Alex Rodriguez based on new allegations of illegal performance-enhancing drug use reported by a Miami newspaper, but the odds may be against their ability to do it.
According to several baseball sources who spoke to ESPNNewYork.com on the condition of anonymity, Rodriguez may be in little danger of having his contract voided, even if the charges turn out to be true. There is no precedent to successfully void a contract in baseball over PEDs.
If Major League Baseball finds cause to discipline Rodriguez based on allegations made in a 5,400-word story published by the Miami New Times, the Yankees will try to find an escape hatch from their remaining five-year, $114 million obligation to the three-time American League MVP."
I mean, if this new report his true, then his questionable reputation is totally shot forever.
ARod doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. However, the anonymous report also doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.
The Yankees didn't void ARod's contract in 2010. The Yankees didn't void Giambi's contract, nor Pettitte's, nor lots of other contracts.
So when management decides a player is no longer productive, that's when they take a stand?
I'm wondering how the other teams in MLB would react to that.
Even if ARod is completely guilty of these new charges, the Yankees deserve to be punished by paying his contract:
"The New York Yankees are exploring multiple avenues in an attempt to void their contract with Alex Rodriguez based on new allegations of illegal performance-enhancing drug use reported by a Miami newspaper, but the odds may be against their ability to do it.
According to several baseball sources who spoke to ESPNNewYork.com on the condition of anonymity, Rodriguez may be in little danger of having his contract voided, even if the charges turn out to be true. There is no precedent to successfully void a contract in baseball over PEDs.
If Major League Baseball finds cause to discipline Rodriguez based on allegations made in a 5,400-word story published by the Miami New Times, the Yankees will try to find an escape hatch from their remaining five-year, $114 million obligation to the three-time American League MVP."
I mean, if this new report his true, then his questionable reputation is totally shot forever.
ARod doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. However, the anonymous report also doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Beat reporters.
A takedown of the Boston sports media included the following:
"There’s a distance now between players and the media that didn’t exist in the past. In the old days, when the media contingent was smaller and before 24-hour cable sports news and the explosion of coverage on the Web, it was easier to interact like human beings. Now, when the Celtics players do enter the locker room to talk with reporters, they’re immediately surrounded by a dozen or more people and prodded with questions—an unhealthy percentage of which typically aren’t questions at all, but lazy statements along the lines of, 'Talk about the third quarter.' 'I don’t envy anybody covering a team in any major sport for any major outlet,' Bob Ryan told me. The media scrum rarely turns up anything interesting and, without doubt, the job for today’s reporter is harder than ever. And yet, most of them continue to approach it the same way their predecessors did in the ’80s and ’90s, showing up dutifully when the locker room opens, standing around, and going through all the same motions with the athletes. For the most part, the fruit of all this labor is a bunch of really boring, cliché-heavy quotes."
"There’s a distance now between players and the media that didn’t exist in the past. In the old days, when the media contingent was smaller and before 24-hour cable sports news and the explosion of coverage on the Web, it was easier to interact like human beings. Now, when the Celtics players do enter the locker room to talk with reporters, they’re immediately surrounded by a dozen or more people and prodded with questions—an unhealthy percentage of which typically aren’t questions at all, but lazy statements along the lines of, 'Talk about the third quarter.' 'I don’t envy anybody covering a team in any major sport for any major outlet,' Bob Ryan told me. The media scrum rarely turns up anything interesting and, without doubt, the job for today’s reporter is harder than ever. And yet, most of them continue to approach it the same way their predecessors did in the ’80s and ’90s, showing up dutifully when the locker room opens, standing around, and going through all the same motions with the athletes. For the most part, the fruit of all this labor is a bunch of really boring, cliché-heavy quotes."
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Bitch.
A rare non-baseball post, but this is astonishing to me in its depths of hackery.
It seems in the Carmelo/Garnett fight, somebody called somebody a bitch.
This is how Lupica ends Thursday's column:
"Carmelo Anthony wasn’t defending his wife’s honor that night, just his own. You know what they say. Life’s a you-know-what sometimes. Rhymes with rich."
Life's a bitch. I figured out your riddle.
This is how Lupica ends Friday's column:
"In Boston, he decided to just shut up and play. Good. You know what they say about payback. It’s also something that rhymes with rich."
Yeah, payback's a bitch ... but you just used that joke yes-ter-day.
I know what Lupica is. It rhymes with punk-ass hack.
It seems in the Carmelo/Garnett fight, somebody called somebody a bitch.
This is how Lupica ends Thursday's column:
"Carmelo Anthony wasn’t defending his wife’s honor that night, just his own. You know what they say. Life’s a you-know-what sometimes. Rhymes with rich."
Life's a bitch. I figured out your riddle.
This is how Lupica ends Friday's column:
"In Boston, he decided to just shut up and play. Good. You know what they say about payback. It’s also something that rhymes with rich."
Yeah, payback's a bitch ... but you just used that joke yes-ter-day.
I know what Lupica is. It rhymes with punk-ass hack.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Pedro Feliciano Returns to the Mets.
"With $8 million worth of Yankees gold in his pockets and two years of their best medical services invested in his shoulder, Pedro Feliciano is returning to the Mets without ever having thrown a pitch for the Yankees."
Bang for the buck.
"Rarely in the history of the interborough rivalry has one player caused such consternation on both sides of the divide, and it is one small case in which the Mets actually emerged as victors."
Congratulations on your victory. Your prize is Pedro Feliciano in the minor leagues.
Bang for the buck.
"Rarely in the history of the interborough rivalry has one player caused such consternation on both sides of the divide, and it is one small case in which the Mets actually emerged as victors."
Congratulations on your victory. Your prize is Pedro Feliciano in the minor leagues.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
A minor league mind.
Can you imagine if the Yankees don't sign Robinson Cano to a long-term contract?:
"Behind the scenes, the people who run the Yankees have spent an awful lot of time complaining about Alex Rodriguez’s contract, one that seems to run forever, an insane 10-year contract, the dumbest in world history, given to him before they found out he was once the Lance Armstrong of the Texas Rangers."
"Behind the scenes, the people who run the Yankees have spent an awful lot of time complaining about Alex Rodriguez’s contract, one that seems to run forever, an insane 10-year contract, the dumbest in world history, given to him before they found out he was once the Lance Armstrong of the Texas Rangers."
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Mike Lupica is shooting from the lip. He is like a modern-day Cowboy.
Mike Lupica knows a lot about Doctor stuff:
"That doctor, Bryan Kelly, from the Hospital for Special Surgery who announced the other day that A-Rod’s hip problems have nothing to do with his steroid use — somebody ought to ask him how many admitted steroid users he has treated have hip problems exactly like Alex Rodriguez’s."
Why don't you ask him?
"Because unless there have been a lot, the doc really needs to blow these smiley-face theories of his out his ear."
There have not been a lot, that's the point.
A lot of steroid users. Not a lot of associated hip problems.
The medical doctor's opinion is far more valid than a journalist's opinion, even if one can question the medical doctor's motives.
"By the way?
The only way a doctor is allowed to be this chatty about a patient is with the patient’s permission."
To be sure, Alex Rodriguez authorized the dissemination of his Doctor's optimistic prognosis. Is that illegal or immoral or distasteful in any way?
The disclosure of ARod's PED test results was illegal, which might be of interest to Mike Lupica, since Mike Lupica is now an attorney interested in the intricacies of US privacy laws.
Not to mention his moonlighting duties as a surgeon.
Mike Lupica just knows everything about everything. I'm happy he has started off 2013 with another fascinating "Shooting From the Lip."
"That doctor, Bryan Kelly, from the Hospital for Special Surgery who announced the other day that A-Rod’s hip problems have nothing to do with his steroid use — somebody ought to ask him how many admitted steroid users he has treated have hip problems exactly like Alex Rodriguez’s."
Why don't you ask him?
"Because unless there have been a lot, the doc really needs to blow these smiley-face theories of his out his ear."
There have not been a lot, that's the point.
A lot of steroid users. Not a lot of associated hip problems.
The medical doctor's opinion is far more valid than a journalist's opinion, even if one can question the medical doctor's motives.
"By the way?
The only way a doctor is allowed to be this chatty about a patient is with the patient’s permission."
To be sure, Alex Rodriguez authorized the dissemination of his Doctor's optimistic prognosis. Is that illegal or immoral or distasteful in any way?
The disclosure of ARod's PED test results was illegal, which might be of interest to Mike Lupica, since Mike Lupica is now an attorney interested in the intricacies of US privacy laws.
Not to mention his moonlighting duties as a surgeon.
Mike Lupica just knows everything about everything. I'm happy he has started off 2013 with another fascinating "Shooting From the Lip."
Friday, January 11, 2013
$189 ... $189 ... $189 ... more or less.
“All I can continue to tell everyone is our commitment to the fans is never going to change. We will always field a championship-caliber team,” Steinbrenner told The Post and the Wall Street Journal Thusday — in his first interview since before the 2012 playoffs began. “Is our goal [a $189 million payroll] next year? Yes. But [we’ll go that low] only if I’m convinced if the team I see, that we’ve put together, is a championship-caliber team.”
MLB finally starts testing for HGH.
"Team owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association, in a statement Thursday, said unannounced, random blood tests for human growth hormone -- known as HGH -- will begin this year."
Offenses are struggling. Attendance is down. HGH use should be mandatory.
Offenses are struggling. Attendance is down. HGH use should be mandatory.
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
It is similarly easy to just vote no.
"Easy thing would be, vote the scoundrels in.
Box next to Barry Bonds' name? Check.
Box next to Roger Clemens' name? Check.
Box next to Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro? Check, check.
Yes, easy thing would be to throw up my hands, pass the buck, step in line with the many others who say, hey, ain't my responsibility to judge the Steroid Era.
But I can't do that. And I won't do that."
Another easy thing to do is vote no for everyone you suspect of steroid use.
For whatever reason, you have made it clear you suspect Bagwell and Piazza, but you don't suspect Biggio.
"But the Steroid Era was one of the most shameful in the game's history.
It distorted the record book, grotesquely. It pushed retired legends into the shadows when they never should have left the spotlight, and it shined the spotlight on others who never should have been center stage."
That's not quite accurate. I'd say the '98 HR race shined the spotlight on Roger Maris.
"Easy thing would be, wash my hands of any responsibility -- just as so many others have before me -- and give 'em all passes to Cooperstown. Vote the scoundrels in.
Sorry.
I do not claim to have the definitive answers in this mess. Maybe some of these guys will be voted in. And if they are, then that's the way it is."
Whenever somebody says they don't claim to have definitive answers, you can be sure they will answer definitively.
This guy took the easy way out and acts like he tortured himself with nuanced decisions. He just said, "if your muscles are big, you can't get in the HOF."
Box next to Barry Bonds' name? Check.
Box next to Roger Clemens' name? Check.
Box next to Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro? Check, check.
Yes, easy thing would be to throw up my hands, pass the buck, step in line with the many others who say, hey, ain't my responsibility to judge the Steroid Era.
But I can't do that. And I won't do that."
Another easy thing to do is vote no for everyone you suspect of steroid use.
For whatever reason, you have made it clear you suspect Bagwell and Piazza, but you don't suspect Biggio.
"But the Steroid Era was one of the most shameful in the game's history.
It distorted the record book, grotesquely. It pushed retired legends into the shadows when they never should have left the spotlight, and it shined the spotlight on others who never should have been center stage."
That's not quite accurate. I'd say the '98 HR race shined the spotlight on Roger Maris.
"Easy thing would be, wash my hands of any responsibility -- just as so many others have before me -- and give 'em all passes to Cooperstown. Vote the scoundrels in.
Sorry.
I do not claim to have the definitive answers in this mess. Maybe some of these guys will be voted in. And if they are, then that's the way it is."
Whenever somebody says they don't claim to have definitive answers, you can be sure they will answer definitively.
This guy took the easy way out and acts like he tortured himself with nuanced decisions. He just said, "if your muscles are big, you can't get in the HOF."
Monday, January 07, 2013
Unfairly tainted.
"Craig Biggio combined longevity and excellence with a set of skills matched by few others. How many players reached 3,000 hits — including 1,000 extra-base hits — while stealing 400 bases? Just three: Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and Biggio. Cobb and Speaker last played in 1928.
Biggio, however, is perceived by some to have been less than dominant. He never led his league in hits, batting average, on-base percentage or slugging percentage, and he batted .234 in the postseason. Yet another candidate who was dominant, and sparkled in October, seems even less likely than Biggio to make it on Wednesday.
He is Curt Schilling, who had about eight extraordinary seasons and a handful of others just a notch below. His regular-season record (216-146, with a 3.46 earned run average) belies his postseason brilliance (11-2, 2.23), and he is the only pitcher in history to record at least 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 750 walks.
Like all players of their generation, Biggio and Schilling were not tested for steroids until 2003. We cannot say for sure they were clean, but most writers seem to assume they were. Yet they still will not convince many voters."
I think they both belong in.
I don't understand the notion that Biggio wasn't dominant at times. Of course, Biggio benefited from bloated steroid-era stats even if he never used himself. But a 2b with 3,000 hits simply belongs in the HOF.
Biggio, however, is perceived by some to have been less than dominant. He never led his league in hits, batting average, on-base percentage or slugging percentage, and he batted .234 in the postseason. Yet another candidate who was dominant, and sparkled in October, seems even less likely than Biggio to make it on Wednesday.
He is Curt Schilling, who had about eight extraordinary seasons and a handful of others just a notch below. His regular-season record (216-146, with a 3.46 earned run average) belies his postseason brilliance (11-2, 2.23), and he is the only pitcher in history to record at least 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 750 walks.
Like all players of their generation, Biggio and Schilling were not tested for steroids until 2003. We cannot say for sure they were clean, but most writers seem to assume they were. Yet they still will not convince many voters."
I think they both belong in.
I don't understand the notion that Biggio wasn't dominant at times. Of course, Biggio benefited from bloated steroid-era stats even if he never used himself. But a 2b with 3,000 hits simply belongs in the HOF.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Checkmate, American League.
Yankees claim versatile Russ Canzler off waivers.
He's young.
He's cheap.
He's versatile.
He bats right-handed.
He has accomplished nothing in the major leagues, which means he is precisely what every sports radio caller wants.
He's young.
He's cheap.
He's versatile.
He bats right-handed.
He has accomplished nothing in the major leagues, which means he is precisely what every sports radio caller wants.
Monday, December 31, 2012
55,000 is a big number ... think about that.
"Inside the Yankee clubhouse, he left another legacy. That was his personality and his sense of humor and his humility. It's unlikely any Yankees player has ever tried hard to be a good teammate and to fit into the fabric of the clubhouse. As Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement, 'Hideki Matsui, in many ways, embodied what this organization stands for.'
Upon learning of Matsui's retirement, Jeter released a statement calling him one of his favorite teammates. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman added, 'People naturally gravitated towards him, and that's a direct reflection of his character.'
Matsui's humor and grace extended off the field, too. In those first years, he was covered by a contingent of Japanese reporters that sometimes numbered more than three dozen. Matsui worked hard to be accommodating to the reporters while also attempting not to be disruptive to his teammates as they went about the business of preparing themselves to play."
All that, and a porn collection rumored to consist of 55,000 videos.
Upon learning of Matsui's retirement, Jeter released a statement calling him one of his favorite teammates. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman added, 'People naturally gravitated towards him, and that's a direct reflection of his character.'
Matsui's humor and grace extended off the field, too. In those first years, he was covered by a contingent of Japanese reporters that sometimes numbered more than three dozen. Matsui worked hard to be accommodating to the reporters while also attempting not to be disruptive to his teammates as they went about the business of preparing themselves to play."
All that, and a porn collection rumored to consist of 55,000 videos.
Because the Yankees play in the majors.
Inbox with Felz:
"Why did the Yankees decide to sign Youkilis as opposed to giving the position to a Minor Leaguer until Alex Rodriguez is ready? They'd save quite a bit of cash and might discover a future star or trade bait at the same time.
-- Al S., Morocco"
The Yankees should play a theoretical minor league third baseman for half the season so they can either save quite a bit of cash (and spend it on a player like Youkilis) or so the minor leaguer will play well and acquire trade value (maybe for a player like Youkilis).
Or the Yankees can just sign Youkilis.
Thanks for writing,
Felz, America
"Why did the Yankees decide to sign Youkilis as opposed to giving the position to a Minor Leaguer until Alex Rodriguez is ready? They'd save quite a bit of cash and might discover a future star or trade bait at the same time.
-- Al S., Morocco"
The Yankees should play a theoretical minor league third baseman for half the season so they can either save quite a bit of cash (and spend it on a player like Youkilis) or so the minor leaguer will play well and acquire trade value (maybe for a player like Youkilis).
Or the Yankees can just sign Youkilis.
Thanks for writing,
Felz, America
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Phil Hughes is going to be so good, the Yankees will not be able to afford him.
"In this quirky new baseball reality, the Yankees have lost out to the Cubs (Nate Schierholtz), White Sox (Jeff Keppinger), Pirates (Russell Martin), Diamondbacks (Eric Chavez) and Mariners (Raul Ibanez) because they were either outbid or simply decided not to bid at all. And they never even considered retaining Nick Swisher (Indians).
Next up could be Scott Hairston, and wouldn’t it be something if it were the Mets who outspent the Yanks this time?"
Joel Sherman's definition of "lose out" must be different than my definition of "lose out."
"The ramification is probably going to be fewer runs in 2013, especially when you factor in the uncertain statuses of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, as well."
Catcher; Teixeira; Cano; Youkilis; Nunez(?); Gardner; Granderson; Ichiro.
I don't know who's going to get injured, but I really don't see the problem.
"But to be among the best in the majors and provide greater protection against the fragility atop the rotation and the regression of the offense, the Yankees need this irony: Phil Hughes to pitch so well in 2013 that he prices himself off the team in 2014."
The idea here is that Hughes will demand a lot of money after a 17-win season and the Yankees will therefore lose him to free agency and this will ultimately help the Yankees. Actually, I'm not sure if Sherman is saying this will ultimately help the Yankees.
The logic evades me, but any plan that starts with "Phil Hughes pitches so well" is not a plan worth thinking about too hard.
Next up could be Scott Hairston, and wouldn’t it be something if it were the Mets who outspent the Yanks this time?"
Joel Sherman's definition of "lose out" must be different than my definition of "lose out."
"The ramification is probably going to be fewer runs in 2013, especially when you factor in the uncertain statuses of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, as well."
Catcher; Teixeira; Cano; Youkilis; Nunez(?); Gardner; Granderson; Ichiro.
I don't know who's going to get injured, but I really don't see the problem.
"But to be among the best in the majors and provide greater protection against the fragility atop the rotation and the regression of the offense, the Yankees need this irony: Phil Hughes to pitch so well in 2013 that he prices himself off the team in 2014."
The idea here is that Hughes will demand a lot of money after a 17-win season and the Yankees will therefore lose him to free agency and this will ultimately help the Yankees. Actually, I'm not sure if Sherman is saying this will ultimately help the Yankees.
The logic evades me, but any plan that starts with "Phil Hughes pitches so well" is not a plan worth thinking about too hard.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The Yankees are so old. How old are they?
They're so old ... they're so old ... ummm ... I got nothing:
"Hiroki Kuroda turns 38 in February.
Andy Pettitte turns 41 in June, the same month Derek Jeter turns 39.
A-Rod’s 38th birthday is in July and Ichiro turns 40 next year and the great Mariano Rivera is already 43.
And you have to wonder if any baseball team with this many geezers on it has ever won a World Series."
You're the Pretend Journalist. Please do the Pretend Research and provide your readers with your Pretend Conclusion.
Too bad they didn’t bring back Raul Ibanez — he turns 41 next season — just so he could sit with the other old guys when they’re talking about the Beatles."
The Beatles?
That's your go-to Generation Gap reference point?
The Beatles are the band a 60-year-old imagines 40-year-olds talk about when 40-year-olds reminisce about music.
"Hiroki Kuroda turns 38 in February.
Andy Pettitte turns 41 in June, the same month Derek Jeter turns 39.
A-Rod’s 38th birthday is in July and Ichiro turns 40 next year and the great Mariano Rivera is already 43.
And you have to wonder if any baseball team with this many geezers on it has ever won a World Series."
You're the Pretend Journalist. Please do the Pretend Research and provide your readers with your Pretend Conclusion.
Too bad they didn’t bring back Raul Ibanez — he turns 41 next season — just so he could sit with the other old guys when they’re talking about the Beatles."
The Beatles?
That's your go-to Generation Gap reference point?
The Beatles are the band a 60-year-old imagines 40-year-olds talk about when 40-year-olds reminisce about music.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Blue Jays sudden favorites to win World Series.
I sure don't see it, but a lot of my predictions are way off:
"Bovada.lv has released its latest odds for 2013, with the Blue Jays leading the way with 15-2 odds. The Blue Jays were 12-1 at Bovada.lv before acquiring Dickey."
Wow.
I mean, they must think R.A. Dickey is really, really good.
Maybe he is. Maybe he unlocked the secret. Maybe he will be unhittable the playoffs.
"Bovada.lv has released its latest odds for 2013, with the Blue Jays leading the way with 15-2 odds. The Blue Jays were 12-1 at Bovada.lv before acquiring Dickey."
Wow.
I mean, they must think R.A. Dickey is really, really good.
Maybe he is. Maybe he unlocked the secret. Maybe he will be unhittable the playoffs.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Let's get carried away.
Nothing is impossible. Travis d'Arnaud could end up a lot like HOF catcher Gary Carter:
"You can see here, with his July 2011 acquisition of Zack Wheeler, one of the top-rated pitching prospects in the minors, from the Giants for Carlos Beltran, and now Syndergaard as the second player in the Dickey trade, Alderson is following Cashen’s formula of stockpiling power arms. But it was Cashen’s trade of Brooks and three others to the Montreal Expos for Carter in December 1984 that will always go down as the defining trade of his term as general manager because it instantly stamped the Mets as legitimate contenders."
So the R.A. Dickey trade nothing like the Gary Carter trade, at least not from the Mets' perspective.
"It remains to be seen if d’Arnaud will become the All-Star catcher the scouts all seem to think he’s capable of being. But from Alderson’s standpoint, on potential alone, with this deal he was able to maximize Dickey’s trade value. Mets fans can only hope now that history will eventually repeat itself and d’Arnaud turns out to be a cornerstone of a championship team, as Carter did. Then it will truly have been Alderson’s defining trade."
Yes, if d'Arnaud turns out be be a cornerstone of a championship team, as Carter did, then it will truly have been Alderson's defining trade.
"You can see here, with his July 2011 acquisition of Zack Wheeler, one of the top-rated pitching prospects in the minors, from the Giants for Carlos Beltran, and now Syndergaard as the second player in the Dickey trade, Alderson is following Cashen’s formula of stockpiling power arms. But it was Cashen’s trade of Brooks and three others to the Montreal Expos for Carter in December 1984 that will always go down as the defining trade of his term as general manager because it instantly stamped the Mets as legitimate contenders."
So the R.A. Dickey trade nothing like the Gary Carter trade, at least not from the Mets' perspective.
"It remains to be seen if d’Arnaud will become the All-Star catcher the scouts all seem to think he’s capable of being. But from Alderson’s standpoint, on potential alone, with this deal he was able to maximize Dickey’s trade value. Mets fans can only hope now that history will eventually repeat itself and d’Arnaud turns out to be a cornerstone of a championship team, as Carter did. Then it will truly have been Alderson’s defining trade."
Yes, if d'Arnaud turns out be be a cornerstone of a championship team, as Carter did, then it will truly have been Alderson's defining trade.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Kevin Youkilis is not old.
"Little by little, the Yankees’ old-age home is filling to capacity, so much so that the word now is they are already in the process of filling the clubhouse with rocking chairs."
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Rocking chairs?!?!
Because old people sit in rocking chairs!
Get it?
No, on a more serious note ... though it's hard to get my train of thought back on track after that hilarious rocking chair joke ... the only Yankee who needs a rocking chair is a lazy slob like Robinson Cano.
"Until Tuesday, the Yankees’ only off-season business, other than passively watching the free agent defections of Russell Martin, Eric Chavez and likely Nick Swisher, was the re-signing of 37-year-old Hiroki Kuroda, 40-year-old Andy Pettitte and 43-year-old Mariano Rivera."
So they lost three old players and replaced them with three old players.
Swisher is 32, Chavez is 35, Martin is 29.
You conveniently ignored Andruw Jones (35) being replaced by Brett Gardner (29).
"The Youkilis signing is, of course, the most intriguing of all these Yankee comings and goings in that, for the better part of the last seven seasons, the bald, goateed, glowering 'Youk' has been about the most loathed opposing player to venture into Yankee Stadium as the gritty personification of the cowboy-upped arch-rival Red Sox."
It's not an intriguing signing at all and, frankly, I had no idea that "Youk" was loathed at Yankee Stadium.
It doesn't even matter. It's a one-year deal and no one-year deal is intriguing. All of these deals -- Youkilis, Ichiro, Pettitte, Rivera -- are one-year and therefore low-risk.
I don't really care if they're old, I just hope they're good.
"But for those Yankee fans making their travel plans for spring training in Tampa next month, don’t expect to be seeing any exciting rookie hopefuls vying for the right field or third base jobs. In Yankeeland, 'youth will be served' has been replaced by 'age is good.' "
Nunez will be a legit candidate for the third base job. He ought to be fielding fungoes as I write this.
Right field? Probably not anyone who's young. No one I can think of.
In a Spring Training game, the Yankee fan thirsting for youth will see Romine at catcher, Phelps/Nova/Hughes on the mound, Nunez at third, and Gardner in the outfield.
I'm not sure when Pineda is coming back.
It's quite possible all of these young players will be on the roster in the regular season.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Rocking chairs?!?!
Because old people sit in rocking chairs!
Get it?
No, on a more serious note ... though it's hard to get my train of thought back on track after that hilarious rocking chair joke ... the only Yankee who needs a rocking chair is a lazy slob like Robinson Cano.
"Until Tuesday, the Yankees’ only off-season business, other than passively watching the free agent defections of Russell Martin, Eric Chavez and likely Nick Swisher, was the re-signing of 37-year-old Hiroki Kuroda, 40-year-old Andy Pettitte and 43-year-old Mariano Rivera."
So they lost three old players and replaced them with three old players.
Swisher is 32, Chavez is 35, Martin is 29.
You conveniently ignored Andruw Jones (35) being replaced by Brett Gardner (29).
"The Youkilis signing is, of course, the most intriguing of all these Yankee comings and goings in that, for the better part of the last seven seasons, the bald, goateed, glowering 'Youk' has been about the most loathed opposing player to venture into Yankee Stadium as the gritty personification of the cowboy-upped arch-rival Red Sox."
It's not an intriguing signing at all and, frankly, I had no idea that "Youk" was loathed at Yankee Stadium.
It doesn't even matter. It's a one-year deal and no one-year deal is intriguing. All of these deals -- Youkilis, Ichiro, Pettitte, Rivera -- are one-year and therefore low-risk.
I don't really care if they're old, I just hope they're good.
"But for those Yankee fans making their travel plans for spring training in Tampa next month, don’t expect to be seeing any exciting rookie hopefuls vying for the right field or third base jobs. In Yankeeland, 'youth will be served' has been replaced by 'age is good.' "
Nunez will be a legit candidate for the third base job. He ought to be fielding fungoes as I write this.
Right field? Probably not anyone who's young. No one I can think of.
In a Spring Training game, the Yankee fan thirsting for youth will see Romine at catcher, Phelps/Nova/Hughes on the mound, Nunez at third, and Gardner in the outfield.
I'm not sure when Pineda is coming back.
It's quite possible all of these young players will be on the roster in the regular season.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Convenient online scalping.
"Although the Yankees cannot ban ticket buyers outright from using StubHub to resell tickets, they can make it far less convenient.
With the StubHub link removed from Yankees.com, buyers will no longer be able to print StubHub Yankees tickets from home. The seller will have to send the tickets or give them to the buyer in person, said one source."
It's illegal to scalp tickets in person outside Yankee Stadium.
But the Yankees can link to an online scalper with no qualms.
I don't see how the Yankees can limit StubHub's delivery mechanisms.
"Not everyone blames StubHub for falling attendance. Ticket reseller Joe De Laura says the Yanks are charging too much. He predicts resellers will buy fewer season tickets now that the Yanks are ditching StubHub.
'Taking out the free market will cripple their business. A ton of guys are going to pull out,' he said. 'StubHub is good for the Yankees, not bad, because it puts people in the seats for the less desireable games.' "
The New York Post spelled "desirable" wrong. The spellcheck on blogger caught it, but not the esteemed editors at the New York Post.
Other than that, I must agree with Joe De Laura and the general tone of the article. De-emphasizing StubHub won't "crippled their business," but the Yankees don't lose money when people resell their tickets on StubHub, for crying out loud.
It's a secondary market.
The Yankees even get their cash up front.
I don't complain too often about ticket prices or the Yankee management decisions, but this is some serious short-sighted, blameshifting nonsense.
With the StubHub link removed from Yankees.com, buyers will no longer be able to print StubHub Yankees tickets from home. The seller will have to send the tickets or give them to the buyer in person, said one source."
It's illegal to scalp tickets in person outside Yankee Stadium.
But the Yankees can link to an online scalper with no qualms.
I don't see how the Yankees can limit StubHub's delivery mechanisms.
"Not everyone blames StubHub for falling attendance. Ticket reseller Joe De Laura says the Yanks are charging too much. He predicts resellers will buy fewer season tickets now that the Yanks are ditching StubHub.
'Taking out the free market will cripple their business. A ton of guys are going to pull out,' he said. 'StubHub is good for the Yankees, not bad, because it puts people in the seats for the less desireable games.' "
The New York Post spelled "desirable" wrong. The spellcheck on blogger caught it, but not the esteemed editors at the New York Post.
Other than that, I must agree with Joe De Laura and the general tone of the article. De-emphasizing StubHub won't "crippled their business," but the Yankees don't lose money when people resell their tickets on StubHub, for crying out loud.
It's a secondary market.
The Yankees even get their cash up front.
I don't complain too often about ticket prices or the Yankee management decisions, but this is some serious short-sighted, blameshifting nonsense.
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I could swear that Mike Lupica is pro-Mets and anti-Yankees.
"Maybe some team will bowl over the Mets and give them some big prospect, maybe its best prospect, for R.A. Dickey.
And if that happens, how can they not think about it?
But I hope they work something out, and I hope he stays with the Mets beyond this year, because over the second half of last year, he and David Wright were all the Mets had, and sometimes all their fans wanted to watch.
As he went for 20 wins and made himself more and more of a legit Cy Young candidate, you waited for the day or night of his next start, and he was somebody who made you want to watch the Mets in another lost season.
It doesn’t mean the Mets are supposed to pay him whatever he wants, that’s not the way it works.
But R.A. deserves to get paid."
It will be totally fun to watch the Mets overpay for an aging, year-and-a-half wonder. This guy could be the second coming of Esteban Loaiza.
"The best part about the Yankees’ new payroll constraints is how offended members of the local media seem to be that Hal Steinbrenner won’t spend the way they want him to."
First of all, there is no good part of the new payroll constraints. It's pointless and dumb on many levels.
But I'm wondering who on the local media is offended about it. Are there so many members of the local media that you can't even name them? Most of the local media I've read are completely buying into the idea that the Yankees are going to try go get under the payroll tax threshold.
"Right.
Hal needs to continue to give his guys unlimited resources because the money they’ve been spending is almost like an E-ZPass on the way to the Canyon of Heroes."
"The money they've been spending is almost like an E-ZPass on the way to the Canyon of Heroes."
I don't understand that analogy.
Did Damon Runyon rely on confusing metaphors? If so, this dude definitely deserves the Damon Runyon Award.
"And having said that?
How can anybody be surprised that you now hear this name — Josh Hamilton — with the Yankees, no matter what they’ve been saying about practically being on the verge of going over the fiscal cliff?"
No one I know is surprised. Just worried about the party atmosphere of the Big City.
But this guy can find a hotel bar in any city, so the real question with Hamilton is how much protection and opt-outs will be built into his contract.
"You know I started talking about Hamilton a month ago, just because he fit the Yankee profile — including the boatloads of money they might have to throw at him — in so many ways."
I started thinking about Hamilton in pinstripes 4 years ago.
"Plus, it would make everybody in our business so happy."
But not you. Because you don't buy into the pathetic Yankee party line. You're not a fanboy sellout punk for the Yankees.
You're just a fanboy sellout punk for the Red Sox and the Mets, but never for the Yankees.
"And if Hamilton-to-the-Yankees ever did happen, you know it will be treated like the single most brilliant purchase since the island of Manhattan."
The single most brilliant baseball-related idea since the Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine last season.
And if that happens, how can they not think about it?
But I hope they work something out, and I hope he stays with the Mets beyond this year, because over the second half of last year, he and David Wright were all the Mets had, and sometimes all their fans wanted to watch.
As he went for 20 wins and made himself more and more of a legit Cy Young candidate, you waited for the day or night of his next start, and he was somebody who made you want to watch the Mets in another lost season.
It doesn’t mean the Mets are supposed to pay him whatever he wants, that’s not the way it works.
But R.A. deserves to get paid."
It will be totally fun to watch the Mets overpay for an aging, year-and-a-half wonder. This guy could be the second coming of Esteban Loaiza.
"The best part about the Yankees’ new payroll constraints is how offended members of the local media seem to be that Hal Steinbrenner won’t spend the way they want him to."
First of all, there is no good part of the new payroll constraints. It's pointless and dumb on many levels.
But I'm wondering who on the local media is offended about it. Are there so many members of the local media that you can't even name them? Most of the local media I've read are completely buying into the idea that the Yankees are going to try go get under the payroll tax threshold.
"Right.
Hal needs to continue to give his guys unlimited resources because the money they’ve been spending is almost like an E-ZPass on the way to the Canyon of Heroes."
"The money they've been spending is almost like an E-ZPass on the way to the Canyon of Heroes."
I don't understand that analogy.
Did Damon Runyon rely on confusing metaphors? If so, this dude definitely deserves the Damon Runyon Award.
"And having said that?
How can anybody be surprised that you now hear this name — Josh Hamilton — with the Yankees, no matter what they’ve been saying about practically being on the verge of going over the fiscal cliff?"
No one I know is surprised. Just worried about the party atmosphere of the Big City.
But this guy can find a hotel bar in any city, so the real question with Hamilton is how much protection and opt-outs will be built into his contract.
"You know I started talking about Hamilton a month ago, just because he fit the Yankee profile — including the boatloads of money they might have to throw at him — in so many ways."
I started thinking about Hamilton in pinstripes 4 years ago.
"Plus, it would make everybody in our business so happy."
But not you. Because you don't buy into the pathetic Yankee party line. You're not a fanboy sellout punk for the Yankees.
You're just a fanboy sellout punk for the Red Sox and the Mets, but never for the Yankees.
"And if Hamilton-to-the-Yankees ever did happen, you know it will be treated like the single most brilliant purchase since the island of Manhattan."
The single most brilliant baseball-related idea since the Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine last season.
Friday, December 07, 2012
The only free agent who matters.
If the Yankees want to save money, I can do the background check on the cheap.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Yankees sign Pettitte, Rivera, unable to sign Keppinger to complete the Fab Five.
It's a lot like 1992: The players will go on strike in two years and the Yankees will win the World Series in four years:
"Suddenly it feels like 1992, when nobody wanted to play for the Yankees. Except this time it’s not Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, and David Cone shunning the pinstripes, but Eric Chavez, Jeff Keppinger, and Marco Scutaro.
I see your point.
Because Eric Chavez, Jeff Keppinger, and Marco Scutaro are a lot like Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, and David Cone.
" 'I just saw Cash,' said ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz, referring to GM Brian Cashman, 'and I told him if I got in shape I might be able to help him at third base.' "
You did not just see Brian Cashman.
That would violate your parole.
"Suddenly it feels like 1992, when nobody wanted to play for the Yankees. Except this time it’s not Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, and David Cone shunning the pinstripes, but Eric Chavez, Jeff Keppinger, and Marco Scutaro.
I see your point.
Because Eric Chavez, Jeff Keppinger, and Marco Scutaro are a lot like Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, and David Cone.
" 'I just saw Cash,' said ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz, referring to GM Brian Cashman, 'and I told him if I got in shape I might be able to help him at third base.' "
You did not just see Brian Cashman.
That would violate your parole.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
The dumbest journalist in the history of sports.
"This is what the Yankees hope and this is where they are, still owing Rodriguez $114 million because they were so sure five years ago that he was going to break the all-time home run record that they signed him to what will go down as the dumbest contract in all of sports history."
Since the main purpose of this blog is to vent, if Lupica is going to keep saying it, I'm going to keep disputing it.
The only way I can interpret the value of the contract is expense divided by production (and this ignores the real value of ARod over the years, which is selling tee-shirts).
Is Lupica seriously only looking at size of the contract? I prefer to look at bang for the buck.
Even with an eye on opportunity cost ... which is largely mitigated for the Yankees due to their large payroll and enormous assets ... this is not the worst contract in the history of sports.
Since the post-2007 extension, ARod has already delivered a WS title and 129 HRs and 447 RBIs.
ARod has 5 years/$114 left and that still might be a better value over the next five years than Ryan Howard, Jose Reyes, Vernon Wells, Carl Crawford ... and who knows if (more popular players such as) Mark Teixeira or David Wright or Joey Votto foul a ball off their big toe and hit the skids.
Josh Beckett was paid $17 million by the Red Sox/Dodgers in 2012 to win 7 games. There are 3 years and (approximately) $50 million remaining on his contract.
Yinka Dare was a first round draft pick who average 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.1 assists for his career.
Allan Houston was so overpaid, the NBA changed its rules in the collective bargaining agreement.
Ryan Leaf was overpaid if he was paid twenty dollars. A bad QB choice sets an NFL franchise back for several years. That contract, whatever the dollar amount, was worse than ARod's.
Michael Vick.
In a way, I wish Lupica was right. I wish ARod's contract was the worst in Yankee history.
If it was, maybe I could easily forget about Kevin Brown, A.J. Burnett, Steve Kemp, Jim Abbott, Jason Giambi, Kei Igawa, Nick Johnson, Carl Pavano, Mike Witt, Pascual Perez, Jose Contreras, and that one year where Roger Clemens got a prorated $30 million to win 6 games -- Goodness Gracious!
Since the main purpose of this blog is to vent, if Lupica is going to keep saying it, I'm going to keep disputing it.
The only way I can interpret the value of the contract is expense divided by production (and this ignores the real value of ARod over the years, which is selling tee-shirts).
Is Lupica seriously only looking at size of the contract? I prefer to look at bang for the buck.
Even with an eye on opportunity cost ... which is largely mitigated for the Yankees due to their large payroll and enormous assets ... this is not the worst contract in the history of sports.
Since the post-2007 extension, ARod has already delivered a WS title and 129 HRs and 447 RBIs.
ARod has 5 years/$114 left and that still might be a better value over the next five years than Ryan Howard, Jose Reyes, Vernon Wells, Carl Crawford ... and who knows if (more popular players such as) Mark Teixeira or David Wright or Joey Votto foul a ball off their big toe and hit the skids.
Josh Beckett was paid $17 million by the Red Sox/Dodgers in 2012 to win 7 games. There are 3 years and (approximately) $50 million remaining on his contract.
Yinka Dare was a first round draft pick who average 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.1 assists for his career.
Allan Houston was so overpaid, the NBA changed its rules in the collective bargaining agreement.
Ryan Leaf was overpaid if he was paid twenty dollars. A bad QB choice sets an NFL franchise back for several years. That contract, whatever the dollar amount, was worse than ARod's.
Michael Vick.
In a way, I wish Lupica was right. I wish ARod's contract was the worst in Yankee history.
If it was, maybe I could easily forget about Kevin Brown, A.J. Burnett, Steve Kemp, Jim Abbott, Jason Giambi, Kei Igawa, Nick Johnson, Carl Pavano, Mike Witt, Pascual Perez, Jose Contreras, and that one year where Roger Clemens got a prorated $30 million to win 6 games -- Goodness Gracious!
ARod will have 14 HRs by the end of July.
Irony doesn't work when you say a lot of stupid things:
"If there is a bright side, it is the virtual certainty that A-Rod will never collect on the $30 million in bonuses built into his new deal based on reaching home run milestones that now seem insurmountable. Anyone want to bet that he even gets the 14 home runs he needs to pass Willie Mays and pocket the first $6 million?"
Yes, I will take that bet.
I think Matthews is kidding, but it's difficult to tell. He is not a smart man in the first place and he destroys the meaning of words such as "catastrophe" and "disaster" -- words that don't apply to ARod's salary when ARod's salary is juxtaposed with current events regarding Javon Belcher and Hurricane Sandy.
Other than that, Matthews seems to be suggesting that injured players are not productive players. Which is indisputably true. So big ups to the ESPN columnist for his daring observations about professional athletes. This startling conclusion has made me rethink the game entirely.
MOTO Matthews also recently revealed that the Yankees have insurance on ARod's contract.
On every other contract they sign, too, down to the peanut vendors.
"If there is a bright side, it is the virtual certainty that A-Rod will never collect on the $30 million in bonuses built into his new deal based on reaching home run milestones that now seem insurmountable. Anyone want to bet that he even gets the 14 home runs he needs to pass Willie Mays and pocket the first $6 million?"
Yes, I will take that bet.
I think Matthews is kidding, but it's difficult to tell. He is not a smart man in the first place and he destroys the meaning of words such as "catastrophe" and "disaster" -- words that don't apply to ARod's salary when ARod's salary is juxtaposed with current events regarding Javon Belcher and Hurricane Sandy.
Other than that, Matthews seems to be suggesting that injured players are not productive players. Which is indisputably true. So big ups to the ESPN columnist for his daring observations about professional athletes. This startling conclusion has made me rethink the game entirely.
MOTO Matthews also recently revealed that the Yankees have insurance on ARod's contract.
On every other contract they sign, too, down to the peanut vendors.
Joel Sherman is correct.
Anybody who watched ARod play in the last two months of the season knew it was possible he was still injured. I thought it must have been his wrist or his conditioning, but it's certainly plausible that he was unable to generate his typical power because of his hip:
"He became the punching bag for a team-wide offensive flameout and it might be, as opposed to say Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson or Nick Swisher, that he had a legitimate excuse. He told the Yankees his surgically repaired right hip wasn’t firing after being pinch-hit for in Game 2 of the AL Division Series, went for an MRI and nothing was found.
It sounds like a shamed man grasping for extenuating circumstances, except eventually a tear, a bone impingement and a cyst were found in his left hip and, well, how do you fake that? Rodriguez had a real issue, a real explanation for going from a decent player — albeit not the star of his prime — to pretty much an automatic out, an empty uniform.
'It’s a likely scenario that the struggles we saw in September and in October are more likely than not related to this issue,' general manager Brian Cashman said."
Right. Makes sense to me, and not just because I'm wishing.
"Thus, we have yet another last stand for A-Rod, another comeback attempt for his body and reputation. The odds are steep, complicated by injury, age and whatever self-doubt is floating around in Rodriguez’s congested brain.
He will not get the benefit of the doubt — but what if he did?"
He's 37, not 47. He could very well be a productive player if he can get healthy.
I disagree with Sherman about one point. ARod gets no bonus points for playing through the injury and failing to produce.
"He became the punching bag for a team-wide offensive flameout and it might be, as opposed to say Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson or Nick Swisher, that he had a legitimate excuse. He told the Yankees his surgically repaired right hip wasn’t firing after being pinch-hit for in Game 2 of the AL Division Series, went for an MRI and nothing was found.
It sounds like a shamed man grasping for extenuating circumstances, except eventually a tear, a bone impingement and a cyst were found in his left hip and, well, how do you fake that? Rodriguez had a real issue, a real explanation for going from a decent player — albeit not the star of his prime — to pretty much an automatic out, an empty uniform.
'It’s a likely scenario that the struggles we saw in September and in October are more likely than not related to this issue,' general manager Brian Cashman said."
Right. Makes sense to me, and not just because I'm wishing.
"Thus, we have yet another last stand for A-Rod, another comeback attempt for his body and reputation. The odds are steep, complicated by injury, age and whatever self-doubt is floating around in Rodriguez’s congested brain.
He will not get the benefit of the doubt — but what if he did?"
He's 37, not 47. He could very well be a productive player if he can get healthy.
I disagree with Sherman about one point. ARod gets no bonus points for playing through the injury and failing to produce.
Red Sox lose payroll flexibility.
A 31-year-old pseudo-catcher who hit .227 last season.
$13 million per year.
Wow.
Maybe they'll end up trading him to the Dodgers for Carl Crawford.
$13 million per year.
Wow.
Maybe they'll end up trading him to the Dodgers for Carl Crawford.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Miller was also right about drug testing.
"Professional athletes draw our scorn because they make gobs of money to work a job we say we would do for free. Because some possess a sense of entitlement.
But even the luckiest, richest jerks in the world — the number of which, by the way, is grossly overestimated — deserve the right to choose their place of employment. They ought to receive their fair share of the pie they help create.
...
Don’t espouse the nonsense that players’ greed causes modern ticket prices to be so high. What, you think the owners would keep prices down out of the goodness of their hearts if not for the bloodthirsty players? Please. Pro sports are huge business, and it’s better today for the contributions of Miller, the union’s founding executive director."
Yeah, does anyone ever notice how expensive NBA games are, despite a salary cap?
But even the luckiest, richest jerks in the world — the number of which, by the way, is grossly overestimated — deserve the right to choose their place of employment. They ought to receive their fair share of the pie they help create.
...
Don’t espouse the nonsense that players’ greed causes modern ticket prices to be so high. What, you think the owners would keep prices down out of the goodness of their hearts if not for the bloodthirsty players? Please. Pro sports are huge business, and it’s better today for the contributions of Miller, the union’s founding executive director."
Yeah, does anyone ever notice how expensive NBA games are, despite a salary cap?
All players from the steroid era are from the steroid era.
1) Craig Biggio may have taken steroids.
2) Even if he didn't use steroids, his stats benefited from the steroid users who surrounded him:
"All these players spent most of their careers in the era before testing, so we do not really know if they were cheating. But Biggio did not have bulging muscles, so most people assume he was clean. The same could be said of another first-timer, the former pitcher Curt Schilling, who was more stocky than sculptured and was also considered clean.
But assumptions, with varying degrees of evidence, are part of the problem for the hundreds of baseball writers who will cast ballots in this election. Bonds, Clemens, Piazza and Sosa were clearly Hall of Fame-caliber players, yet are widely assumed to have used performance-enhancing drugs. For many writers, even the whiff of such drug use means automatic disqualification."
I think it's a correct observation ... some players get benefit of the doubt, some players don't. But "lack of bulging muscles" is hardly a reasonable test.
"Here is a different question: what if a report surfaced tomorrow with hard evidence that an existing Hall of Famer used steroids? The fantasy of a pure Hall of Fame would be shattered, and the roster of inductees would look confusing with some stars still on the outside."
This will happen soon enough.
"There are no right answers. But it seems most logical to elect the best players and hope that future generations understand the sobering context of the time."
That's probably what I would do.
2) Even if he didn't use steroids, his stats benefited from the steroid users who surrounded him:
"All these players spent most of their careers in the era before testing, so we do not really know if they were cheating. But Biggio did not have bulging muscles, so most people assume he was clean. The same could be said of another first-timer, the former pitcher Curt Schilling, who was more stocky than sculptured and was also considered clean.
But assumptions, with varying degrees of evidence, are part of the problem for the hundreds of baseball writers who will cast ballots in this election. Bonds, Clemens, Piazza and Sosa were clearly Hall of Fame-caliber players, yet are widely assumed to have used performance-enhancing drugs. For many writers, even the whiff of such drug use means automatic disqualification."
I think it's a correct observation ... some players get benefit of the doubt, some players don't. But "lack of bulging muscles" is hardly a reasonable test.
"Here is a different question: what if a report surfaced tomorrow with hard evidence that an existing Hall of Famer used steroids? The fantasy of a pure Hall of Fame would be shattered, and the roster of inductees would look confusing with some stars still on the outside."
This will happen soon enough.
"There are no right answers. But it seems most logical to elect the best players and hope that future generations understand the sobering context of the time."
That's probably what I would do.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Now he'll get into the Hall of Fame.
"Still, though his contributions to baseball were compared to those of Babe Ruth, who made the home run an essential part of the game, and Branch Rickey, who broke the major leagues’ color barrier when he signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers, Mr. Miller has not been recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
'There’s been a concerted attempt to downplay the union,' Mr. Miller told The New York Times, referring to the Hall, when he narrowly missed out on election in December 2010, the fifth time he had been on the ballot. 'It’s been about trying to rewrite history rather than record it. They decided a long time ago that they would downgrade any impact the union has had. And part of that plan was to keep me out of it.' "
I would have loved to have heard his acceptance speech.
The steroid era is back.
I always find it amusing when it's a player such as Carlos Ruiz and no one cares.
Monday, November 19, 2012
The word that comes to mind is "ersatz."
Though award-winning columnist Mike Lupica probably doesn't know what that word means.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
I'll believe it when I see it.
I don't doubt the Blue Jays can be a pretty good team next season, and I also agree that the Forever NY-Bos #1-#2 Punch broke up long ago (even if few noticed).
So the AL East is more competitive than it has been over the past decade and a half.
But I'm simply not impressed Toronto got a bunch of expensive busts from a last place team:
"BEST LINEUP: TORONTO BLUE JAYS
The additions of Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio, who are part of the Jays' haul from Miami, inject speed into a power lineup. Toronto only had slugger Jose Bautista for 92 games last season because of injury, but they still managed to finish fifth in the AL with 198 home runs. Cabrera, who batted .346 last season in San Francisco before serving a 50-game suspension for failing a drug test, gives the Jays a decent on-base threat, assuming he can even approach the .390 OBP he had last year.
Reyes and Cabrera can hit at the top of the order and be followed by Bautista, Encarnacion, Colby Rasmus (23 HRs last year) and potential star Brett Lawrie can bat next and the Jays can expect production from a bottom third of Adam Lind, J.P. Arencibia and Bonifacio.
Reyes is overrated. Bonifacio isn't that good. Melky will be off steroids. Bautista will get hurt again.
After all of these moves, I think the Yankees will probably have the best lineup, best defense, and best bullpen in the AL East next season.
Besides, before you move Toronto into AL East contention, consider the importance of the following: Pitching.
So the AL East is more competitive than it has been over the past decade and a half.
But I'm simply not impressed Toronto got a bunch of expensive busts from a last place team:
"BEST LINEUP: TORONTO BLUE JAYS
The additions of Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio, who are part of the Jays' haul from Miami, inject speed into a power lineup. Toronto only had slugger Jose Bautista for 92 games last season because of injury, but they still managed to finish fifth in the AL with 198 home runs. Cabrera, who batted .346 last season in San Francisco before serving a 50-game suspension for failing a drug test, gives the Jays a decent on-base threat, assuming he can even approach the .390 OBP he had last year.
Reyes and Cabrera can hit at the top of the order and be followed by Bautista, Encarnacion, Colby Rasmus (23 HRs last year) and potential star Brett Lawrie can bat next and the Jays can expect production from a bottom third of Adam Lind, J.P. Arencibia and Bonifacio.
Reyes is overrated. Bonifacio isn't that good. Melky will be off steroids. Bautista will get hurt again.
After all of these moves, I think the Yankees will probably have the best lineup, best defense, and best bullpen in the AL East next season.
Besides, before you move Toronto into AL East contention, consider the importance of the following: Pitching.
Friday, November 16, 2012
2012 AL MVP
Baseball Writers' Association of America:
I think my friends did a superior job with the AL MVP voting. Of course, the BBWAA gave one tenth-place vote to platoon player Raul Ibanez and his .240/19/62 season -- the anti-Triple Crown winner.
Felz and his Friends:
I think my friends did a superior job with the AL MVP voting. Of course, the BBWAA gave one tenth-place vote to platoon player Raul Ibanez and his .240/19/62 season -- the anti-Triple Crown winner.
| Name | Points |
| Miguel Cabrera | 362 |
| Mike Trout | 281 |
| Adrian Beltre | 210 |
| Robinson Cano | 149 |
| Josh Hamilton | 127 |
| Adam Jones | 120 |
| Derek Jeter | 77 |
| Justin Verlander | 58 |
| Prince Fielder | 56 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | 41 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 33 |
| David Price | 26 |
| Fernando Rodney | 24 |
| Jim Johnson | 22 |
| Alex Rios | 17 |
| Josh Reddick | 14 |
| Albert Pujols | 8 |
| Ben Zobrist | 7 |
| Joe Mauer | 6 |
| Rafael Soriano | 5 |
| Matt Wieters | 4 |
| Felix Hernanez | 2 |
| Jered Weaver | 2 |
| Raul Ibanez | 1 |
Felz and his Friends:
| Name | Points |
| Miguel Cabrera | 40 |
| Mike Trout | 27 |
| Josh Hamilton | 9 |
| Derek Jeter | 7 |
| Adrian Beltre | 3 |
| Robinson Cano | 3 |
| Adam Jones | 1 |
2012 NL MVP
Baseball Writers' Association of America:
Felz and his Friends:
| Name | Points |
| Buster Posey | 422 |
| Ryan Braun | 285 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 245 |
| Yadier Molina | 241 |
| Chase Headley | 127 |
| David Wright | 86 |
| Adam LaRoche | 86 |
| Craig Kimbrel | 73 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 47 |
| Jay Bruce | 46 |
| Matt Holliday | 34 |
| Aroldis Chapman | 20 |
| Brandon Phillips | 18 |
| Joey Votto | 16 |
| R.A. Dickey | 16 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 15 |
| Ian Desmond | 15 |
| Michael Bourn | 12 |
| Allen Craig | 10 |
| Gio Gonzalez | 8 |
| Alfonso Soriano | 8 |
| Kris Medlen | 8 |
| Martin Prado | 8 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | 7 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 7 |
| Carlos Beltran | 6 |
| Aaron Hill | 6 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 4 |
| Jason Heyward | 4 |
| Johnny Cueto | 2 |
| Bryce Harper | 2 |
| Chipper Jones | 1 |
| Miguel Montero | 1 |
| Angel Pagan | 1 |
| Hunter Pence | 1 |
Felz and his Friends:
| Name | Points |
| Buster Posey | 35 |
| Ryan Braun | 31 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 15 |
| David Wright | 4 |
| Chase Headley | 2 |
| Joey Votto | 2 |
| Matt Kemp | 1 |
Shenanigans.
"Price won by just four points, 153 to 149, after being placed first on exactly half of the 28 ballots submitted by the writers. Verlander received 13 first-place votes, with the last going, courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Drew Davison, to Rays closer Fernando Rodney, who didn't rank higher than third on any other ballot. That vote alone didn't cost Verlander the award, however, as Davison had Verlander second on his ballot and the difference between first and second place was just three points. What's more, if Davison had ranked Rodney behind both Verlander and Price, it would have given an extra point to Price as well (one point separated second and third places), resulting in a mere two-point gain for Verlander.
The 28 ballots were submitted by two writers from each of the 14 American League markets and the two Angels writers, Michael Martinez of FoxSportsWest.com and Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, both put third-place finisher Jered Weaver second on their ballots and Verlander third. They did not cost Verlander the award either, as the difference between second and third place was just one point, so Verlander would only have had two more points if Martinez and Plunkett had flipped Weaver and Verlander on their ballots.
Rather, it took all three ballots to make the difference in the award, so one can't necessarily call shenanigans on the voters."
I call shenanigans because of the typical provincialism.
Like Mark Feinsand over in the NY Daily News pointlessly defending Cabrera over Trout. Not so much of a controversy.
How is Rafael Soriano 8th?
"8. Rafael Soriano, Yankees : Many thought the Yankees’ season was doomed when Mariano Rivera tore his ACL. Soriano had other thoughts."
"Many thought" something and a guy on the Yankees did better than "many thought" he would? That's it? You seriously can think of only 7 players in the entire AL who were more valuable than a replaceable relief pitcher?
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
2012 NL Cy Young
Baseball Writers' Association of America:
Felz and his Friends:
| Name | Points |
| R.A. Dickey | 209 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 96 |
| Gio Gonzalez | 93 |
| Johnny Cueto | 75 |
| Craig Kimbrel | 41 |
| Matt Cain | 22 |
| Kyle Lohse | 6 |
| Aroldis Chapman | 1 |
| Cole Hamels | 1 |
Felz and his Friends:
| Name | Points |
| R.A. Dickey | 45 |
| Gio Gonzalez | 24 |
| Matt Cain | 12 |
| Johnny Cueto | 9 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 7 |
| Aroldis Chapman | 5 |
| Cole Hamels | 4 |
| Craig Kimbrel | 4 |
| Yovani Gallardo | 1 |
2012 AL Cy Young
Almost every writer had Price and Verlander in the top two. Only two writers put Weaver in the top two. Both of these writers put Weaver second and Verlander third. Both of these writers are from Los Angeles.
Baseball Writers' Association of America:
Felz and his Friends:
Baseball Writers' Association of America:
| Name | Points |
| David Price | 153 |
| Justin Verlander | 149 |
| Jered Weaver | 70 |
| Felix Hernandez | 41 |
| Fernando Rodney | 38 |
| Chris Sale | 17 |
| Jim Johnson | 5 |
| Mariano Rivera | 4 |
| Matt Harrison | 2 |
| Yu Darvish | 1 |
Felz and his Friends:
| Name | Points |
| Justin Verlander | 35 |
| David Price | 31 |
| Jered Weaver | 26 |
| CC Sabathia | 7 |
| Phil Hughes | 4 |
| Felix Hernandez | 3 |
| Fernando Rodney | 2 |
| Chris Sale | 2 |
| Yu Darvish | 1 |
| Jim Johnson | 1 |
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
No votes for Bobby Valentine?
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Melvin, Athletics | 16 | 12 | 116 | |
| Buck Showalter, Orioles | 12 | 16 | 108 | |
| Robin Ventura, White Sox | 12 | 12 | ||
| Joe Maddon, Rays | 7 | 7 | ||
| Joe Girardi, Yankees | 5 | 5 | ||
| Jim Leyland, Tigers | 2 | 2 | ||
| Ron Washington, Rangers | 2 | 2 |
Friday, November 02, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Football is not like baseball.
A football coach is not like the owner of a baseball team.
Rex Ryan is not like George Steinbrenner.
So this is the start of Mike Lupica's Sunday article:
"In so many ways, and not even in town four full seasons yet, Rex Ryan is as close as we have come to a new Boss. As in Steinbrenner."
Rex Ryan is not like George Steinbrenner.
So this is the start of Mike Lupica's Sunday article:
"In so many ways, and not even in town four full seasons yet, Rex Ryan is as close as we have come to a new Boss. As in Steinbrenner."
Friday, October 26, 2012
Felz Small Sample Size Stats of the Day.
- Madison Bumgarner is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in World Series games.
- Miguel Cabrera has a .172 batting average in World Series games.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Subway.
I have to admit, these greedy attempts to rip off the average fan have finally backfired:
"The highest payroll in baseball did not help the Yankees in their failed bid to make the World Series. Charging as much as $58 to park has not helped the company that runs the parking lots around Yankee Stadium, either.
Bronx Parking Development Company, the operator of the lots, has defaulted on nearly $240 million of its bonds because of overambitious forecasts and less expensive transportation alternatives for fans, like the subway and Metro-North Railroad."
This goes way back to the first day of economics class when you learn about the price sensitivity of the demand for sugar and high fructose corn syrup. It's why the label on the soda says sugar "or" high fructose corn syrup.
"The highest payroll in baseball did not help the Yankees in their failed bid to make the World Series. Charging as much as $58 to park has not helped the company that runs the parking lots around Yankee Stadium, either.
Bronx Parking Development Company, the operator of the lots, has defaulted on nearly $240 million of its bonds because of overambitious forecasts and less expensive transportation alternatives for fans, like the subway and Metro-North Railroad."
This goes way back to the first day of economics class when you learn about the price sensitivity of the demand for sugar and high fructose corn syrup. It's why the label on the soda says sugar "or" high fructose corn syrup.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
I actually agree that Yankee image has been tarnished.
This is why Jeter is worth his salary even if his on-field performance diminishes:
"This regime has tasted playoff failure before. Yet there’s a difference coming off the Yankees’ pathetic offensive performance against the Tigers. The Bombers were humiliated in the ALCS. The team was booed out of New York. Instead of taking it on the chin and walking away the players whined, showing just how fragile their egos are.
They were shocked the 'faithful' turned on them. Was this a delayed reaction from the fans? Or was the level of disgust building before the postseason even began?
The empty seats at the Stadium during the regular season and playoffs do not provide conclusive evidence. That’s partly a residue of an anemic economy. Many fans cannot afford spending food or rent money on a Yankees game, even if the tickets are deeply discounted on Stub Hub."
"This regime has tasted playoff failure before. Yet there’s a difference coming off the Yankees’ pathetic offensive performance against the Tigers. The Bombers were humiliated in the ALCS. The team was booed out of New York. Instead of taking it on the chin and walking away the players whined, showing just how fragile their egos are.
They were shocked the 'faithful' turned on them. Was this a delayed reaction from the fans? Or was the level of disgust building before the postseason even began?
The empty seats at the Stadium during the regular season and playoffs do not provide conclusive evidence. That’s partly a residue of an anemic economy. Many fans cannot afford spending food or rent money on a Yankees game, even if the tickets are deeply discounted on Stub Hub."
The Yankees won zero titles in the 1980s, while George Steinbrenner was the owner.
In the early 1990s, George Steinbrenner bragged about the fact that the Yankees had a high regular season winning percentage in the 1980s. He said that he wanted to win the World Series, but he had delivered a winning team in (something like) 10 out of 14 regular seasons.
This explanation is known as spin.
Only when Steinbrenner was briefly exiled was a longterm winning strategy implemented. Supplemented, of course, by the emergence of Pettitte, Jeter, Posada, Williams, Rivera, and others.
Steinbrenner enjoyed winning the World Series, of course he did. Winning the World Seriers undoubtedly boosted his considerable ego.
Mostly, though, winning the World Series made him a lot of money money money money money:
"Once the bottom line for Steinbrenner the Elder was winning it all, or else. For his heirs, it seems the bottom line is more about profit and loss, and that sure doesn’t mean the kind of loss the Yankees just suffered at the hands of the Tigers."
Don't you remember when the Yankees lost Game Seven of the World Series to Arizona? Steinbrenner said they were going to come back with a vengeance.
They didn't.
I don't know what Angry Steinbrenner could have accomplished this playoffs or this offseason.
It's like people are buying into Steinbrenner's own self-perpetuated myth. The same people who were ridiculing him when he was ranting and raving.
"You better believe the Yankees are the most successful regular-season team of all time, even more successful than the Atlanta Braves were when they kept making the playoffs in the 1990s. And the Braves, by the way, didn’t just make the playoffs, they made it to four World Series in that decade, even if they only managed to win one."
The Yankees are also the best postseason team of all time.
It's not even really close, is it?
I mean, that has no impact on the 2012 ALCS, and why would it?
"This is 2012. Starting in 2002, the Yankees have made it to the World Series twice over the past decade, have won one. The people in charge still make it sound as if the Yankees not making the Series is some kind of aberration. Actually it’s become the norm. In that decade we’re talking about, the Yankees have lost in the first round five times."
Yep.
It's really amazing when fans, writers, analysts, announcers, players, coaches, managers, general managers, opponents, owners ... anybody ... talks about the present-day Yankees as if they're some sort of juggernaut.
This has been going on for about a decade and a half ... really starting in earnest in 1998.
I know a lot of this delusion is based on the relative payrolls of the teams, but it's still a lazy and hackneyed analysis.
Every time the Yankees start a playoff series against a superior opponent, their opponent is shoehorned into an underdog role. It's silly after a while.
The Tigers had Verlander going twice and the Triple Crown Winner.
The Yankees counterbalanced these advantages with home field advantage, a superior bullpen, and (theoretical) advantages at ss and 2b (advantages which were quickly eliminated as the series progressed).
I did not identify a single game where the Yankees had a noticeable starting pitcher advantage.
So why were the Tigers considered underdogs in the first place?
Because people act as if wearing a pinstriped uniform fills a player with the spirit of Babe Ruth. They believe the hype, and Lupica is a hypocrite because he holds the Yankees to this same silly standard.
It's like complaining that Carleton Sheets's No Money Down System didn't really help you make a fortune (with no money down!).
"We keep hearing that they’re going to get the payroll down to $189 million by 2014 to avoid serious luxury-tax penalties, but that is a bit of a hustle, too. The next year they can go right back to outspending everybody (well, maybe not the Dodgers going forward) if they choose to."
The smartest thing Lupica has ever said!
The Yankees are not going to try to get the payroll down to $189 million, and why should they?
But here's the part I don't get: If you know you're being hustled, then why are you acting all shocked and offended?
The 2012 Yankees were a good team, not a great team. The Yankee Brand is cashing in on the reputation of Long Ago players who wore the same uniform.
It's a hustle, it's a con, it's a grift. In other words, it's marketing.
I want the Yankees to win the World Series, of course I do. In that regard, I agree with Yankee brass.
I don't think the 2012 regular season and ALDS were useless because I invested a lot of time and emotion into the 2012 regular season and ALDS. In that regard, I disagree with Yankee brass.
But I'm not particular offended by the Yankees' spin because I know what it is.
It's no different than a Mets fan at Spring Training 2013 when they hear promises of meaningful games in September.
It's a lesson I learned long ago when I purchased Sea Monkeys and discovered they were not quite as anthropomorphic as promised in the back of the comic book.
This explanation is known as spin.
Only when Steinbrenner was briefly exiled was a longterm winning strategy implemented. Supplemented, of course, by the emergence of Pettitte, Jeter, Posada, Williams, Rivera, and others.
Steinbrenner enjoyed winning the World Series, of course he did. Winning the World Seriers undoubtedly boosted his considerable ego.
Mostly, though, winning the World Series made him a lot of money money money money money:
"Once the bottom line for Steinbrenner the Elder was winning it all, or else. For his heirs, it seems the bottom line is more about profit and loss, and that sure doesn’t mean the kind of loss the Yankees just suffered at the hands of the Tigers."
Don't you remember when the Yankees lost Game Seven of the World Series to Arizona? Steinbrenner said they were going to come back with a vengeance.
They didn't.
I don't know what Angry Steinbrenner could have accomplished this playoffs or this offseason.
It's like people are buying into Steinbrenner's own self-perpetuated myth. The same people who were ridiculing him when he was ranting and raving.
"You better believe the Yankees are the most successful regular-season team of all time, even more successful than the Atlanta Braves were when they kept making the playoffs in the 1990s. And the Braves, by the way, didn’t just make the playoffs, they made it to four World Series in that decade, even if they only managed to win one."
The Yankees are also the best postseason team of all time.
It's not even really close, is it?
I mean, that has no impact on the 2012 ALCS, and why would it?
"This is 2012. Starting in 2002, the Yankees have made it to the World Series twice over the past decade, have won one. The people in charge still make it sound as if the Yankees not making the Series is some kind of aberration. Actually it’s become the norm. In that decade we’re talking about, the Yankees have lost in the first round five times."
Yep.
It's really amazing when fans, writers, analysts, announcers, players, coaches, managers, general managers, opponents, owners ... anybody ... talks about the present-day Yankees as if they're some sort of juggernaut.
This has been going on for about a decade and a half ... really starting in earnest in 1998.
I know a lot of this delusion is based on the relative payrolls of the teams, but it's still a lazy and hackneyed analysis.
Every time the Yankees start a playoff series against a superior opponent, their opponent is shoehorned into an underdog role. It's silly after a while.
The Tigers had Verlander going twice and the Triple Crown Winner.
The Yankees counterbalanced these advantages with home field advantage, a superior bullpen, and (theoretical) advantages at ss and 2b (advantages which were quickly eliminated as the series progressed).
I did not identify a single game where the Yankees had a noticeable starting pitcher advantage.
So why were the Tigers considered underdogs in the first place?
Because people act as if wearing a pinstriped uniform fills a player with the spirit of Babe Ruth. They believe the hype, and Lupica is a hypocrite because he holds the Yankees to this same silly standard.
It's like complaining that Carleton Sheets's No Money Down System didn't really help you make a fortune (with no money down!).
"We keep hearing that they’re going to get the payroll down to $189 million by 2014 to avoid serious luxury-tax penalties, but that is a bit of a hustle, too. The next year they can go right back to outspending everybody (well, maybe not the Dodgers going forward) if they choose to."
The smartest thing Lupica has ever said!
The Yankees are not going to try to get the payroll down to $189 million, and why should they?
But here's the part I don't get: If you know you're being hustled, then why are you acting all shocked and offended?
The 2012 Yankees were a good team, not a great team. The Yankee Brand is cashing in on the reputation of Long Ago players who wore the same uniform.
It's a hustle, it's a con, it's a grift. In other words, it's marketing.
I want the Yankees to win the World Series, of course I do. In that regard, I agree with Yankee brass.
I don't think the 2012 regular season and ALDS were useless because I invested a lot of time and emotion into the 2012 regular season and ALDS. In that regard, I disagree with Yankee brass.
But I'm not particular offended by the Yankees' spin because I know what it is.
It's no different than a Mets fan at Spring Training 2013 when they hear promises of meaningful games in September.
It's a lesson I learned long ago when I purchased Sea Monkeys and discovered they were not quite as anthropomorphic as promised in the back of the comic book.
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