(Special shout out to the immortal Swanny Duckson for the fantastic PhotoShop work)
Thanks to the Heavens above that Jesus has been invited to Spring Training this year. Only his divine greatness can help alleviate the rancid stench of evil and ineffectiveness that will surely emanate from Kei Igawa.
Early betting odds on Jesus' biggest Spring Training accomplishment:
-Hits a home run so far that it smashes Hank or Hal's windshield in the employee parking lot at Steinbrenner Field- 2:1
-Hits a comebacker up the middle that goes clean through the opposing pitcher's body and kills him- 5:1
-Pulls a Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez and hits the cover off a ball in a game- 10:1
I know I shat the bed in my NFL picks, but I'm taking the 10:1 on the Benny The Jet bet, and you'd be smart to do the same.
While somebody will surely try to make a big deal out of today's story that the Yankees are not going to re-negotiate with Jeter, Mo, or Girardi during what will be the final year of all of their respective contracts this season, it really is a non-issue and actually a smart move on the Yankees' part.
If there are any 2 guys on the team who have nothing to be concerned about when it comes to getting re-upped and getting justly paid, it's Jeter and Mariano. They are the most iconic Yankees since Mickey Mantle and the 2 most important links to the dynasty of the late 90s. There would be such public backlash if the team was to lowball either one of these guys that it would create the kind of unnecessary off-field attention that the team was so bad at creating in the mid-2000s and so good at avoiding last season. Plus, Hank and Hal would risk planting the seed in all the other players' heads that they could be headed for troubling times when their contracts were up; "Shit. If Mo and Jeet can't get a fair deal, what's going to happen when my contact ends?" And it's hard to win championships when everybody is walking on eggshells and checking over their shoulder.
Neither Jeter or Mariano have ever been the type to rock the boat and make demands; they're consummate professionals and are all about the team, and the Yankee brass knows this and so they know they won't cause any waves by not negotiating with these 2 and letting them play the season out. Jeet and Mo have to know then when the time comes, the team isn't going to take a Johnny Damon-style hard line with them and so they'll continue to do what they've done their entire career: keep their mouths shut, focus on winning a title, and deal with their contracts after the season.
What Jeter and Mariano have already accomplished is more than enough to justify what will be exorbitant pay days for them, but when you consider that unlike many of their peers, both have continued to perform at the highest level as they reach their late-30s and early-40s, it makes it all the more justifiable to give them whatever they want money-wise when it does come time to negotiate a new deal after the 2010 season. Neither has shown any signs of decreasing dramatically and neither has been a major injury concern throughout their careers, so there is low risk in giving these guys top-level money.
That being said, the out that not negotiating new deals gives Cash and the swinging dicks is that they won't be married to a big-money deal in the remote chance that something catastrophic does happen to Jeter or Mariano to severely affect their ability to play at an All-Star level or end their careers completely. While it's not something anybody wants to think about, you also don't want to think about having to pay Jeter $25 million a year for 4 or 5 more years after he's blown out his knee and broken his throwing arm in the same season and become a shell of his former self, and not re-upping now eliminates that possibility.
The one issue that could creep up with this approach is what will happen to Girardi if the Yankees struggle this year. Seeing as how the Yankees will go into this season as the odds-on favorite to win the World Series, being a lame-duck coach shouldn't be a problem, but if, by some stroke of black demonic magic, the team plays bad, misses the playoffs, etc. without the presence of crippling injuries, the talk across the NY media outlets will turn to Girardi and whether or not he's coming back and then you've got the 2007 Joe Torre situation all over again.
Girardi has already shown he can handle the NY media and has established great relationships with all his players, but the bottom line in the Bronx is always winning, especially when you're coming off a World Championship and looking to win another. If the unthinkable happens, Girardi's lame-duck status will become a bigger and bigger deal and could overshadow the team itself. But since we've already established that that isn't going to happen and the 2010 World Series trophy is as good as theirs', then there's nothing to worry about. Everybody will go out, do their job, win another title, have another parade, and then be handsomely rewarded.
While the Yanks held their hard line on their $200 million Opening Day budget for 2010, they are still going all out to guarantee themselves a 2010 Triple-A Championship with the signing of Marcus Thames to a $900,000 minor league deal today. Thames, a former Yankee farmhand who had a half a cup of coffee with the team in 2002 before being traded for Ruben Sierra in 2003, hit 13 HRs and drove in 36 runs last year in 258 at-bats with Detroit at a .252/.323/.453 split.
While he's not guaranteed a spot on the team with the minor league contract, the signing of Thames does make the Randy Winn signing all the more puzzling. Thames gives the Yankees what they needed, a righty power bat off the bench who can play the corner outfield if need be, at less than what they're going to pay Winn to be an unnecessary defensive replacement outfielder who can't hit a lick. But if last off-season taught us anything, it's 'never doubt Cash.'
The smart money is on Brian having a plan for Thames, even if it's as simple as keeping him on the Triple-A roster all year as a Shelley Duncan-type who can be used as a call up to fill the 25-man roster when somebody else takes a stint on the DL. But in any case, Marcus' chances of going home for Thanksgiving in 2010 with a World Series bonus and an appointment to get measured for a championship ring just increased ten fold.
After last night's rather bland Super Bowl, boring, un-funny commercials, and ho-hum halftime show, it's about damn time we get back to focusing on baseball. Screw the NBA All-Star game; forget March Madness (since UConn isn't going to make it anyway); let's just move right on to MLB Opening Day.
Seriously, get me some pitchers and catchers reporting right now. I want daily updates on how Jesus Montero looks behind the plate. I want to see Javy Vazquez and Andy Pettitte laughing and joking while they go about their stretching and running drills. I want to see Brett Gardner and Ramiro Pena showing up early to get more batting practice in to prepare for the bigger roles this year. I want to see A.J. Burnett practicing pitching to a metal cut-out of a batter, "Charlie Sheen in Major League"-style to try and cut down on his wild pitches this year.
P.S.- did anybody else notice the similarities between last night's Super Bowl commercials and Johnny Damon? Both are severely overpriced, both had solid make-ups (lotta funny premises for the commercials; Damon still an above-average hitter), and both had major glaring weaknesses (no solid punch lines on the commercials; Damon's weak arm and presence as an injury risk at age 36). And in the end, there doesn't seem to be much buzz about any of the ads the day after just like there hasn't been any buzz for Damon since the 2009 season ended. Just a thought.
Because I'm just too damn lazy and tired today to post anything funny or insightful and I'll probably be too drunk tomorrow to post anything funny or insightful, here's a quick link fix from around the Yankee blog world.
-Lenny Neslin puts together a nice comparison between The Babe and Albert Pujols through the first 9 seasons of their careers. Of course, The Babe comes out on top. Shocker.
-Sam Borden at LoHud takes a look at the challenges facing Girardi in regards to team chemistry this season.
-Matt Imbrogno from TYU, in their continued genius generated from fanatical statistical analysis and using simple logic, examines the Yankees defensive projections for the season. Early returns are looking good in the field.
-And just to keep things light, the boys at It Is High, It Is Far, It Is... caught poke fun at Dustin Pedroia's off-season workout regimen. If you're making fun of the Red Sox, I'm there.
Enjoy the Super Bowl, Yankee fans. I'll be back Monday.
And so it all comes down to this, Peyton and the Colts against Big Drew and the Who Dat Crew for the right to wear ugly t-shirts and hats and call themselves champions. Before we get to the breakdown of the game and the pick, here's a word from Al Pacino:
Thanks, Al. Now to the game.
By now everybody knows enough about Dwight Freeney's injured ankle to write a book about it, but what people don't know is whether or not he's going to play, if he does, how many plays is he going to be, and how effective is he going to be on that broken wheel. Despite what the Colts say, the Saints have to be preparing as if Freeney is going to be on the field; that means having blocking schemes set up to chip him with tight ends, pick him up with RBs, and make sure he is accounted for on every single play. If he doesn't go, then everything becomes a little easier for New Orleans, but they still have to prepare for the worst.
Robert Mathis is a good player, but he's more Pippen to Freeney's Jordan than a Jordan-type himself. Mathis thrives on the attention that other teams pay to Freeney and it isn't going to be as simple as swapping him to Freeney's side of the line if Dwight can't go and letting him have a field day. If Freeney can't go, or is severely limited in playing time and effectiveness by the injury, then the Colts are going to have to get creative to get pressure on Drew Brees. We're talking stunts, bringing LBs and defensive backs on blitzes, and disguising it well enough so that Brees doesn't sniff it out at the line and pick them apart with audibles and hot routes. The Colts LBs and secondary have been praised all year for their team speed and ability to stand up to the opponents' skill position players but we're not talking Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, and Jerricho Cotchery here. We're talking wave after wave of Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey, and Reggie Bush coming at you from all angles and spreading and stretching the field, trying to exploit the weak spot in the coverage. This game will be the truest test of just how good Indy's secondary is or isn't.
On the other side of the ball, New Orleans has made no secret about its gameplan: hit Peyton Manning at all costs. That strategy worked pretty well against Minnesota, as the beating he took over 4 quarters almost certainly had something to do with Brett Favre's bonehead decision at the end of the game. But don't forget that before that ill-fated throw across the middle, Favre had spent the better part of the game carving up the Saints secondary, something that Manning, more than anybody else in football, can do with ease. If Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter can't cover Bernard Berrian, I can't imagine them shutting down Reggie Wayne one-on-one, and if the Saints commit 2 guys to Wayne, then this game could turn into another episode of "The Pierre Garcon Show."
One thing to look for by the Colts could be an early commitment to the running game. Knowing what the Saints are going to look to do, the Colts could flip the script and keep the ball on the ground more with delays and draws to try to use the Saints' aggression against them. Sure they were the worst rushing team statistically in the league this year, but in Joe Addai and Donald Brown, the Colts have 2 guys who can get the job done. With the Saints going balls to the wall for Manning, an early dose of draws and short screen passes could be just what the doctor ordered to negate the New Orleans pass rush and force them to respect the running game, which will make life that much easier for Manning once they do decide to start chucking the pill.
An X-factor for the Colts is going to be Antoine Bethea. Bethea is going to have a plethora of responsibilities: stepping up to stuff the run against Pierre Thomas, covering Dallas Clark in spread formations, shadowing Bush out of the backfield, and providing help over the top to the Saints corners. The more positive plays he is involved in, be it through tackles, tipped or broken up passes, blitzes, and forced turnovers, the less time New Orleans is going to spend on the field and the better of the Colts are going to be.
For the Saints, the X-factor, as usual, is going to be Reggie Bush. I thought this was going to be Bush's breakout season but it turned out to be just another up-and-down year that looks more representative of what his career will turn out to be. For every big game Bush has, he has 2 after it in which he is virtually non-existent and for the Saints to win this game, he can't be non-existent. There are going to be a handful of opportunities during the game to get him the ball in space and he needs to take advantage of those opportunities. Bush can't be dropping easy passes or getting taken down by the shoelaces in the open field. If he can break a few big plays, he can force the Colts to devote more attention to him and open up the field for the Saints receivers. But if he shrivels under the spotlight and becomes a non-factor, then the Colts can drop more men into coverage and try to blanket New Orleans' air attack.
While each teams' defense has been the focal point in the weeks leading up the big game, I don't expect either to be overly influential of the game's outcome. Both teams are going to put up points but in the end the Colts will put up more. They are better equipped to handle what New Orleans is going to throw at them with their veteran o-line, good blocking backs, smart receivers, and the best QB in the game, than New Orleans is. The Saints receivers have had the tendency in the past to get cases of the dropsies and I foresee a couple big ones in this game that kill drives for them. The game will be closer than some think, but the Colts will do enough to cover and win.
Alex Rodriguez is playing the field like a man possessed in the aftermath of his split with Kate Hudson, and has been on dates with a cavalcade of women in the past two weeks -- including a meeting in Manhattan with old flame Madonna.
On Saturday, he was spotted at lunch with one beauty in South Beach and then took another girl out for dinner at restaurant STK that night.
"He has been seeing a petite brunette from New York," the source said. "While he was in the city, he had a private meeting with Madonna at his home. They have stayed in touch and text each other all the time.
"He has also been hanging around with the girls from Wilhelmina Models in Miami. He picked out a curvy blonde from their books and took her to the Bahamas for a charity event two weeks ago. And he was pretty pleased with himself to be dating two girls in one day last Saturday." (story courtesy of Page Six)
The A-Horse strikes again!! First Madonna, then Kate Hudson, now a whole gaggle of bitches at the same time. Well, I can't say I approve of he and Madonna, because let's face it, she's old and she might be a dude, but this latest report of The Horse's off-field conquests should be music to Yankee fans' ears.
For one, it shows that his hip has to be fully recovered and showing no ill effects of extra wear and tear from last season. I mean, if A-Rod is banging this many chicks on a regular basis, that's a lot of stress being put on the hip, and if the hip is holding up to that stress then it's a foregone conclusion that he's already in mid-season form. For all we know, this is part of his new off-season strength and conditioning program and if the hip is holding up to this kind of rigorous workout regimen, that I think he's going to be just fine once the regular season starts.
Secondly, this shows that Alex is still in "I'm going to do what I want to do and not give a fuck what the media says or thinks" mode and last year wasn’t just a flash in the pan. This is the new and improved A-Rod and he's going to bang who he wants when he wants. Then he's going to show up at the Stadium and go 3-5 with 4 RBIs and not say shit to Kim Jones about it.
And why shouldn't he be pleased with himself for dating 2 chicks in one day? Most guys can barely pull off dating one chick at a time, and most guys like me who blog like this are lucky to even sniff one chick, let alone date her. Keep up the good work, Alex. This kind of pre-season training is what MVP seasons are made of.
Once again, Joel Sherman was johnny on the spot with his column today about the "Joba vs. Hughes for the 5-spot in the rotation"-debate. The entire article can be found here. In it, he correctly stated that Hughes should be the 5th starter and that Joba is a better fit as Mo's setup man and the heir to the throne, but also brought up the potential issues that arise if the Yanks take that path and some other points to consider. Here are the highlights:
"...The bigger question the Yanks might want to ask in spring is not Joba vs. Hughes as much as 2010 vs. the future. Because aren't the 2010 Yanks much better if both Joba and Hughes are in the bullpen?"
The argument could be made that having both as shutdown bullpen options ahead of Mo would be beneficial for the Yankees. After the taxing workload that Joe put on CC, A.J., and Andy through the playoffs last year, it would be nice to be able to shorten games in the regular season and keep them at 6 or 7 innings even if they are pitching well, knowing that he may want to use the 3-man playoff rotation again come playoff time. Hughes-to Joba-to Mo could be a modern day version of The Nasty Boys, with Marte, Robertson, and Aceves sprinkled in to provide depth. Those 6 together pitching well would give the Yanks the best bullpen in baseball, and would give them ample opportunities to keep their starters fresh through the first 162 and cover up a potential weak spot at the end of the rotation without sacrificing wins.
Of course, Sherman's theory that adding Vazquez to the rotation lessens the importance of the 5th starter is a little misguided. A quality starter is better than a quality reliever, and nowhere was that more apparent for the Yankees than last year's postseason when their starters, for the most part, outperformed their bullpen. Phil Hughes as a potential 12-15-win guy at the back end of the rotation is a better option than a season of Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre, and also more valuable than Phil Hughes the potential shutdown middle relief guy. No matter how good a bullpen is, it can't mask a bad rotation. Getting your best 5-man starting rotation out there is the most important thing when it comes to pitching and no spot in the rotation should be taken for granted, especially at the expense of strengthening your bullpen.
In short, the Yankee bullpen may be better in 2010 with Joba and Hughes in the 'pen, but the pitching staff as a whole and the team as a whole could arguably not be better by potentially sacrificing its best 5-man rotation for bullpen depth.
"Manager Joe Girardi is very protective of relievers, anyway, and with both Chamberlain and Hughes available, he could continue on that path more comfortably while further diminishing the temptation to ever push Rivera into the eighth inning before the postseason."
The other side of the benefit coin is the relief it provides Mo. Having Hughes and Joba in the 'pen together not only helps shorten games for the starters, but also shorten games for Mo. Ensuring that Mo is only needed for the 9th inning or is used for more than 3-out saves as little as possible keeps more gas in his tank for the playoffs. Joe had the whip to Mo practically throughout the entire postseason last year, mainly due to Mo being his best relief pitcher but also due to shaky performances by other guys in the bullpen. Limiting Mo's innings in the regular season helps ease the wear and tear on his 40-year-old body and can make Joe that much more comfortable going to him for 4, 5, or 6 outs in the playoffs if he has to.
But once again, if your rotation is weakened by the inclusion of both Hughes and Joba in the bullpen, you potentially lessen your chances to use Mo, making how much rest he gets a moot point.
"However, to put both Chamberlain and Hughes into the pen would mean that neither is in position to be a full starter in 2011 -- which is a factor not only for cost certainty, but because Vazquez is in his walk year and Pettitte contemplates retirement annually."
This is the big sticking point. The Yankees mismanaged Joba in the rotation so badly last year that they basically wasted a season of his career. And Hughes threw so few innings being in the bullpen that the Yankees would have to manage his innings similarly this season in order to not risk turning him into the next Mark Prior. So if one of these guys is being counted on to replace Vazquez a/o Andy next season, they can't risk having their innings limited this year.
The correct way to manage those innings is to start a guy off in the 'pen or the Minors to keep his innings low and then slowly build his workload up as the season progresses so that by the end of the year he can go out and throw 6 or 7 innings without having to worry about pitch counts or innings limitations. If he can stay healthy and you can get him 150 innings this year, then next year he should be full speed ahead as a regular part of the rotation with no worries and can be counted on to fill a key spot if both Vazquez and Pettitte leave.
Whether the Yankees envision both guys as future starters is irrelevant. The fact is, Hughes has shown more ability to use his pitch repertoire successfully as a starter than Joba has, and Joba's mentality is just better suited for the bullpen. As his initial call-up and demotion to the 'pen for last year's playoffs showed, going from starter to reliever is no big deal; there's less to worry about, less to think about, and pitchers can just rock and fire, which is what Joba likes to do and has had his greatest success doing.
Entertaining the thought of putting both of these guys in the bullpen or experimenting with both in the rotation this season serves to do nothing but retard their growth as pitchers. The Yankees need to commit to spots for both of these guys and those spots should be the rotation for Hughes and the 'pen for Joba. Manage Hughes' innings correctly and there shouldn't be any problems this season or in 2011.
Ever since the Randy Winn signing, the majority of Yankee talk has been about the what if's and the why's? Why didn't Damon take the Yankees offer? What if the Yankees offered him more money? Why didn’t they wait Damon out longer to see if his price would drop more? Why didn't they go after Reed Johnson instead of Winn? What if Damon goes to Tampa? What if Damon goes to Detroit?
What if we all just stopped talking about what didn't happen in the past and instead focused on the future? What about that? The bottom line is, the Yankees signed the guy they wanted and it wasn't Damon. The team is complete and staring straight down the barrel of Spring Training, so let's just all forget about the what if's and the who's that the Bombers don't have. Instead, let's start focusing on who they do have and the issues that are important for the upcoming season, such as Joba or Hughes in the 5-spot or bullpen, who's going to play left field, who's going to play center field, how the new bench guys will perform, where Granderson fits into the lineup, whether or not this is the year that Cano puts it all together, and which Hollywood starlet A-Horse is going to shack up with next.
I'll admit, I was just as guilty as everyone else in my assessment of the deal that was (Winn) and the deal that wasn't (Damon), but at this point, I could care less where Johnny Damon wants to go and where he ends up. I don't care if the dude plays at all this year. What's done is done and it can't be changed so let's leave it in the past, gun this bitch up to 88MPH, and start steaming towards the 2010 season.
Reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer and the Twins agreed to a 10-year contract, according to a Minnesota TV station.
WCCO reported yesterday the catcher and the team reached a preliminary agreement that will prevent Mauer from becoming a free agent after this season.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported earlier yesterday that the framework for a deal was in place, but ESPN said a final agreement was not complete. (story courtesy of the AP)
Guess Joe Mauer isn't interested in winning World Series titles any time in the next 10 years. Oh well, have fun competing for the Wild Card every year, kid.
And the Twins can cut the shit with the "nothing has been finalized yet" garbage. Everybody and their mother knows this deal is getting done no matter what it takes. If you're the Twins and you fail to lock up the face of your franchise and one of the 5 best players in the game with a fancy new stadium opening up this year, you might as well forfeit the season and move the team to another city.
Note to Jesus Montero: Time to step up and work on your defense to prove you can be an everyday catcher at the Major League level because once this deal goes down, the job is yours to lose after Jorge gets put out to DH pasture.
Even if I didn’t have the Yankees to keep my chin up during this late-winter crapfest in sports, I could always count on the comedy of errors that is the New York Mets to brighten my day. Here's a quick update on how their Monday is going:
J.J. Putz told CSNChicago that he did not receive a physical after the Mets acquired him in a trade with the Mariners before last season. Putz said the Mariners had discovered a bone spur in his throwing elbow during the 2008 season, and when the Mets did find out about the injury they instructed Putz to hide it from the media. “When the trade went down last year, I never really had a physical with the Mets. I had the bone spur (in the right elbow),” said Putz, who was signed by the White Sox this offseason after the Mets declined his option. “It was discovered the previous year in Seattle, and it never got checked out by any other doctors until I got to spring training, and the spring training physical is kind of a formality. It was bugging me all through April, and in May I got an injection. It just got to the point where I couldn’t pitch. I couldn’t throw strikes, my velocity was way down.” “I knew that I wasn’t right. I wasn’t healthy. The toughest part was having to face the media and tell them that you feel fine, even though you know there’s something wrong and they don’t want you telling them that you’re banged up.” (story courtesy of the NY Post)
So let me get this straight. The Mets traded for a guy who they knew had a potentially serious elbow injury because they didn't give him a physical and then once they realized their fuck up, they put a gag order on the guy to cover up their own stupidity and not give him a way to explain why he was so terrible last year, thus leaving him at the mercy of the ruthless New York media and fans?
That sounds like par for the course for the Met front office and training staff. I guess J.J. wasn't the putz after all. HIIYOOOOOOO!!!
I don't want to tell Jose Reyes what to do, and considering how poorly the team managed his injury last season, not to mention the calamities that were the Ryan Church concussion, the Johan Santana arm issues, the Carlos Beltran knee, and now the J.J. Putz elbow, I don't blame him for leaving this out of the team doctors' hands. But if I were him, I'd be doing more than just a few wind sprints before I declared myself ready to play baseball in 2010.
At least get looked at by a volunteer at a free clinic before declaring it full speed ahead. That has to be a safer option than letting the Mets training staff get ahold of him.
Of course, seeing as how this story and the Putz story were posted on The Post's website at about the same time, I would say it's only a matter of days before we are reading about Reyes' entire left leg falling completely off of his body.
Wang is being watched closely by the Mets, according to ESPN Insider. Wang's agent told the Web site that four or five teams are interested in the 29-year-old right-hander who had elbow surgery in July and is not expected to be major-league ready until May. The report says the Mets also are looking at John Smoltz and Braden Looper, and are stopping short with Wang because he will not be available for the entire season.... Omar Minaya told SNY on Thursday that the free-agent market doesn't have options that are better than the pitchers already with the Mets. (story courtesy of The Post)
Oh, Omar, you silly, stupid little man. OF COURSE the free agent market doesn't have any good options left. You let them all pass you by without even getting involved over the last 2 months! And not for nothing, but just because there aren't any free agent options that are better than what your team has, that doesn't mean that what your team has is any better than the available free agent options. But hey, if you want to show interest in a guy who won't be ready to pitch until May and probably won't be back in top-form game shape until June or July, be my guest.
And if you're going to kick the tires on John Smoltz or consider penciling Braden Looper and his 5.00+ ERA-potential into the rotation, why not check in and see what Doc Gooden is up to? Or El Duque. Or Tom Glavine.
I mean, who needs guys like John Lackey, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Randy Wolf, Jason Marquis, Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, Joel Pineiro, or Jon Garland when you've got Johan (coming off arm problems in 2009), John Maine (ditto), Mike Pelfrey (unreliable and mentally unstable), Oliver Perez (ditto, only more unreliable and more unstable), and Tim Redding (so useless that he probably isn't even included on the team roster in MLB videogames)? Am I right?
I'd say it's already shaping up to be a great year for the Mets.
Between UConn completely sucking, my NFL playoff picks being absolutely terrible, the Cashman-Damon-$2 Million fiasco, the Yanks' unwillingness to commit to Brett Gardner as a full-time player, and the countless number of trades and signings of washed up and/or irrelevant "replacement" outfielders, there's been a bit of a negative vibe about the blog lately. So to end the bitching and moaning, here are some reminders to myself, and all Yankee fans, that there are things to smile about in Yankeeland:
-The Yankees still obtained Curtis Granderson, a guy who has the potential to do everything Johnny Damon did offensively while also doing more defensively than Damon did.
-Adding Granderson and Winn to the pair of Gardner and the severely defensively underrated Nick Swisher, the Yanks will have one of the best defensive outfields in baseball this season
-That improved outfield defense will help AJ and Andy, 2 guys who can pitch to a lot of contact, especially fly ball contact when they aren't locked in, continue to put up numbers just as good, if not better, than what they put up last season.
-The Yanks now have another innings-eating horse (Vazquez) to go with their Secretariat (CC) who, even if he sucks like he did his first time here, will still help minimize any issues that could creep up in the bullpen this year.
-They have by far the best offensive infield in baseball that will come back a year more comfortable in New York (Teix), a year more mature (Cano), and a year more healthy (A-Horse). There really isn't anything that anybody could want or expect Jeter to improve on this season, so you'll all just have to live with another .300+ avg./200+ hit/100+ run season. The potential for what kind of numbers these guys could put up this year is scary, like Charlie Weis in a suana-scary. Oh, and all 4 could win Gold Gloves too. Just a thought.
-They have Jesus Montero in the minors just waiting to get up to the big leagues and tear AL pitchers apart. The numbers this kid could put up as a catcher (assuming he stays at that position) would make Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez look like Brian Schneider and Jason Varitek.
That disgusting sound you hear is the sound of UConn gagging away a game that they should have won easily in the last minute, and in the process effectively ending their season.
After getting their dicks knocked in the dirt by a bad Providence team on Wednesday, the Huskies came out today and shot 49% from the floor to Marquette's 38%, shot a pretty respectable 70% from the line, outrebounded Marquette 41-18, blocked 11 shots, and still held only a 3-point lead with 55 seconds to go, a lead that they turned into a 2-point loss with a combination of fouls, bad defense, missed shots, and the same level of general sloppiness and carelessness that has defined their season. The fact that they committed 16 turnovers to Marquette's 2 also didn't help.
It's clear after this week that the Texas win last Saturday was just an aberration and the immature, uninspired bunch that we have seen for most of the season are the REAL 2009-2010 UConn Huskies. Whether it's Jim Calhoun screaming at them and shuttling them in and out of the game or George Blaney calmly pacing the sidelines and sticking with what appears to work at the time, this team just plain doesn't have it. There are no leaders on this team and there aren't going to be. There also won't be an NCAA tournament bid.
So put your life vests on and get up to the main deck now, Husky fans, because this ship is going down. Don't let their next win fool you into thinking they are starting to come together and make their run. This team sucks and they're going to continue to suck. The best thing you can do is start to forget about this year, hope Calhoun recovers from his ailment to return for next year, wish Jerome and Sticks well in their future NBA endeavors, and gear up for next year and next year's incoming class and hope that they have a little more in their nutsacks than these guys have.
With the Randy Winn signing official, the Yankees' 25-man roster is pretty much set. Now I know we're still a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting and even further away from Spring Training officially starting, but barring any major injuries or insane performances by a borderline guy, expect the opening day roster to look something like this:
Starting Lineup:
1) Derek Jeter
2) Nick Johnson
3) Mark Teixeira
4) Alex Rodriguez
5) Jorge Posada
6) Robinson Cano
7) Curtis Granderson
8) Nick Swisher
9) Brett Gardner
Starting Rotation:
1) CC Sabathia
2) A.J. Burnett
3) Andy Pettitte
4) Javier Vazquez
5) Phil Hughes
Bench:
-Francisco Cervelli
-Randy Winn
-Ramiro Pena
-Juan Miranda
Now the bench still looks a bit thin, but with a rotation and bullpen like that, and one of the best starting lineups in the game, there's still more than enough on that roster to get the job done.
If...July rolls around and the Yankees are dissatisfied with their outfield/DH production and are looking for a Damon-esque player, then they probably will rue not behaving like their behemoth-market self to keep Damon. If Damon is unable to find significant dollars and/or ends up slumming in, say, Cincinnati or Oakland, then he may wonder how he let the Yankees get away.
Like his departure from Boston to New York as a free agent, Damon leaves a championship in the background, and leaves angry and in a financial dispute. He landed well with the Yankees (four years, $52 million). But there will be no repeat this time, and he may not exceed $7 million plus deferrals.
He might have chased a few extra bucks and left behind a Stadium that ideally fit his swing and a winning, big-market club that fit his outsized personality. Of course, the Yankees, too, are losing that Stadium swing and imperturbable personality, and are replacing Damon with a human first-aid station (Johnson) and role players (Winn and Brett Gardner).
From the outside, it seems like both sides needed to relent. But pride and inflexibility reigned, and now you wonder if regret is coming next.
Preach, Joel, preach! Nobody could have summed up the Damon-Yankees situation that played out this off-season any better than that. But it's a hot topic today so I'll get my 2 cents in too.
Damon's approach shouldn't have come as a surprise to anybody, especially the Yankees or their fans. He wanted more money when he was in Kansas City and he got traded; he wanted a big-money contract in 2001 that Oakland wasn't going to give him so he signed with the Red Sox, AKA the highest bidder; when his contract was up with them, he wanted more money and more years than they were willing to give him so he bailed to the highest bidder again, the Yankees.
Damon is a classic Scott Boras client; he follows the money and drinks the Boras Kool-Aid when it's contract time, always putting years and money ahead of winning and team fit, and holding out to wait for a better offer if Boras tells him it's out there. During the prime of his career that was a solid strategy that earned him a lot of cash and a few World Series titles, but now that he's 36 and a free agent during a poor economic time when teams are much more reserved in their spending, that strategy left him high and dry.
Damon can say whatever he wants about how much he wanted to come back and how much he loved being a part of the team and the locker room, but it's the same story he sang when he jumped ship from Boston to New York in '05. The fact of the matter is, the 2-year, 14-mil offer he got from the Yankees, while not being what he and Boras wanted, was the best and so far only offer he received. It was a more than fair offer for an above-average offensive player who is also a defensive liability and a potential injury risk. If Damon really loved being and playing in New York as much as he said, he would have taken the deal, realizing that competing for more World Series titles, possibly reaching 3,000 career hits in pinstripes, and becoming an eternal Yankee legend in the hearts and minds of Yankee fans for generations to come is just as good as making a few extra dollars. When you can walk into any bar or restaurant in New York after you retire and never have to pay for a meal or drink for the rest of your life, those couple of lost millions aren't that big a deal.
The puzzling part to this soap opera was the Yankees' approach. After years and years of spending money to put a championship team together, they finally decide to put a hardline on their payroll the year after they win the title again and when it involves bringing back a key piece to that title-winning team. When you consider that the Yankees were in the driver's seat with the Damon negotiations, it makes their decision and the fact that they stood so pat on their position even more bizarre. Damon and Boras were standing out there like the fat kid waiting to get picked in a kickball game and the Yankees were the only team showing any interest in picking him. Instead of just sucking it up and picking the fat kid, they decided to take the blind kid with polio.
Every day that passed gave the Yankees more and more leverage to come back to Damon and say "Hey chief, you wanna play ball next year or not? One year, 6 mil. Take it or leave it," and they still thought that wasting $2 million on Randy Winn to platoon with Brett Gardner was a better financial and baseball decision than forking over an extra $4-5 million for Damon. Now I'm all for being financially responsible and I fully understand the team's position of not wanting to inflate their payroll anymore after the money they threw around last off-season, but to be so nit-picky about $2 million instead of $6 or $7 million for a still very productive player who is tailor-made for their stadium and their clubhouse was more Oakland A's than New York Yankees, and more "let's watch our expenditures and double check the balance sheet" than "let's win another championship." In a nutshell, it went against what has become the "Yankee Way" under The Artist Formerly Known as George Steinbrenner.
Basically what this whole ordeal came down to was the Yankees having a plan this off-season and Johnny Damon being a part of that plan, but not a big enough part that the Yankees were willing to risk throwing the rest of the plan out of whack just for him. After seeing how the theory that "pitching wins championships" played out for them in the 2009 postseason, they made sure they addressed that first by bringing in Javy Vazquez and using the rest of their budget to fill out the roster the way they thought was best, which was something that Damon apparently couldn't accept. Only time will tell which side was right and which side was wrong, but my money would be on Joel Sherman's theory of both sides realizing the errors of their ways and both sides spending some lonely summer nights laying in bed in their hotels, thinking about what could have been.
On the one hand, I want to give Cash credit for at least adding an outfielder with Major League experience and All-Star credentials as a replacement to Damon. On the other hand, when that outfielder is Randy Winn, a guy who hasn't been a major contributor to a team since his All-Star year of 2002, and at 35 (turning 36 during the season) is just as old as Johnny Damon and far less productive, I can't help but feel like that magical $2 million could have been better spent by being donated to Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation.
The Yankees were looking for a potential starting left fielder, and at worst a 4th outfielder who could hit right-handed with some power and split time with Brett Gardner in the outfield depending on matchups or if there was a lefty on the mound that day. What they got was a dude who put up a whooping .262/.318/.353 line at the plate last year, has NO power whatsoever, and can't hit lefties to save himself.
The only positive thing about Winn is that he's an above-average outfielder. But that also happens to be Gardner's greatest strength and Gardner's offensive numbers (.270/.345/.379) were better than Winn's last season and project to improve thisyear as he is younger and has less experience than Winn. Winn is nothing more than a glorified late-game defensive replacement, but when your outfield consists of Swish, C-Grand, and Gardner, where is the glaring weakness that Winn needs to replace?
And what does that say to Gardner when the Yankees are basically telling him "We don't trust you to be good enough next year to be an everyday player so we're bringing in an older, slower, less productive version of you who hits lefties worse than you to platoon with you?" If this is some kind of secret motivational tactic for Gardner to prove himself, it's insanely misguided. You want to motivate Gardner and get him to play well? Have Joe call him tomorrow and say "Hey, Gardy, you're my starting centerfielder next year." Instilling a little confidence in somebody never hurt, right?
For Cashman, signing Winn today for $2 mil when Damon was still out there, still with no other serious suitors, and still with a pretty damn good 2-year, $14 million deal potentially on the table is the equivalent of asking an ugly chick who has a reputation of not putting out to the Senior Prom when the hot chick in your class who you've had a crush on since 5th grade and who is known for giving amazing, coma-inducing blowjobs, who you asked out a few weeks ago but told you she wanted to hold out and see if the captain of the basketball team asked her instead but now she just found out him and his ex are back together and going to the prom together, still doesn't have a date and still doesn't have any other guys asking her out.
Now you can take the ugly chick out and who knows? Maybe you'll have a good time and maybe you'll get lucky. But if you just went back and asked the hottie out again and she said yes, then you KNOW you're going to have a good time and you know your potential for "postseason success" is much higher. Sure, you'll have to spend a little more money on a nicer tux and probably take her out to a much fancier restaurant beforehand. But at the end of the night, when you're laying (standing) in bed (in the locker room) next to her (next to the team), covered in sweat and strawberry-flavored body butter (covered in sweat and champagne), holding her left ass cheek in your hand (holding the World Series tropy in your hand), you'll know it was worth it.
And if that ugly chick comparison isn't bad enough, here's a nice little tidbit of info on Randy Winn via Buster Olney's story of the signing on ESPN.com:
Winn... has played 1,601 career games without a postseason appearance. That's the longest drought by an active major league player.
Nothing like adding a little loser spice to your World Series-caliber soup to really fuck up the recipe, huh?
The Yankees have acquired outfielder Greg Golson from the Texas Rangers for infielder Mitch Hilligoss in a swap of 24-year-old minor leaguers.
Golson played one game in the majors last year. He hit .258 with 40 RBIs in 123 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2009. He was designated for assignment last week when Texas signed infielder Khalil Greene.
Golson, who had 27 extra-base hits last year, is a .263 career hitter in the Minors with 48 homers and 265 RBIs in 634 combined games in the Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies organizations. (story courtesy of the AP)
As if Jamie Hoffmann wasn't enough to fill the void left by Johnny Damon's departure, now the Yankees bring Greg Golson into the fold and the outfield instantly transforms from a potential weak spot on the roster to an embarrassment of riches.
The numbers don't lie; this kid has future All-Star written all over him. .263 career Minor League average? 48 homers?? 265 RBIs??! You might as well put his number and plaque in Monument Park right now. If you take those earth-shattering career numbers and expand them over a 162-game season next year, Golson projects to hit 12.26 HRs and drive in 67.71 runs next year. Never mind the fact that putting up those number would involve Golson stepping up to Major League competition, something he has never faced; this move definitely puts the Bombers over the top.
Seriously though, Khalil Greene can barely hit a baseball off a tee, and the Rangers made room for him by designating this Golson kid, so how fucking useful can he be? Can Cash just cut the shit with this $2 million budget and sign Damon already? This isn't some cutesy Home & Garden Network "home redecorating on a budget"-style reality show; this is the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees. It's clear that there are no other teams involved in trying to sign Damon so he and Boras' genius plan to get a long-term, big-money deal has failed and now they have no leverage.
If the team isn't going to commit to Gardner as a full-time guy or discuss the better defensive option of Gardner in center and C-Grand in left, then sack up, make Damon a fair deal, bring him back for a year or 2, and put the Korbel and Bud Light tall boys on ice.
**UPDATE** (4:25PM): The Yanks just signed Randy Winn for, you guessed it, $2 million.
Words cannot express how disappointed I am in that signing and how much my heart goes out to Greg Golson and Jamie Hoffmann, who never got their chance to shine in the leftfield Yankee Stadium sun.
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez looked at the award he just received from Babe Ruth's granddaughter with big eyes and a broad grin. It was as if he almost couldn't believe it was his.
"Postseason MVP. Wow," Rodriguez said Saturday night. Pausing for effect he added, "What's next, the good guy award?"
A-Rod picked up the hardware at the 87th annual New York baseball writers' dinner Saturday night.
And after he told fans at the dinner that "he'd stick to the script of 2009 and keep it very, very brief," he choked up, taking a long pause -- save for a nervous laugh -- to look down at the podium and smile awkwardly....
Rodriguez batted .365 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the postseason, quickly putting to rest his reputation for failing when it mattered most....
"I've been to these dinners a couple of times to receive MVP awards and those, I'm very proud of those accomplishments," he said. "But none of those accomplishments will ever compare to the feeling you get from being part of a team that won a world championship. Like Albert [Pujols] said there's nothing like winning a World championship." (story courtesy of the AP)
Awwww, it looks like our little boy has finally grown up. About time we got back to some Yankee business on the blog, huh? After 6 seasons in the pinstripes, A-Rod's realization of what it means to be a Yankee has come full circle. It's not about racking up MVPs and Silver Sluggers Awards; it's about winning championships and being recognized for being great in the situations that help win those championships.
While I can't say I approve of A-Rod breaking the "There's No Crying In Baseball" rule, the fact that he was that emotional and that proud of getting the Postseason MVP award shows that the new approach he took to the game and his life last year wasn't just an act; he actually learned something valuable. The fact that he's promising to stick to that approach of "handle your business on the field; keep your mouth shut off of it" is a good sign for him and the Yankees as they head into 2010 picking up right where they left off in 2009.
Now that he's got a ring, an award that actually means something, and a clean bill of health under his belt, expect the A-Horse to come out of the gates harder than Secretariat this year. The rest of the AL better get ready to get out of the way or risk getting their teeth kicked in. April 4 can't come fast enough.
That sound you hear is the entire state of Wisconsin both laughing uncontrollably and breathing a huge sigh of relief at the same time.
You would think after all this time, all the mistakes, all the stupid plays, and all the bad decisions, that Brett Favre would have finally learned his lesson and would just do the smart thing to win the game, but no. His gargantuan ego and unquenchable thirst for personal success and praise were too much for him to overcome and he had to unleash one more ill-timed, against-his-body throw to a stationary receiver.
Does it change the fact that Green Bay lost in a way that could be succeeded only by Favre's pick in '07 against the Giants? No, of course not. But is it funny as shit to watch and bask in the ole gunslinger's failure and idiocy one more time, especially in a situation that cost him the shot at the Super Bowl he so desperately craved? You bet your fucking ass.
Thanks, Brett. I knew you wouldn't let us Packer fans down. And that fact that I had to wait 4 and a half months for it to happen actually makes it better.
P.S.- If I could take that look on his face at the end of the video and make a meal out of it, I would eat that meal every day, 3 times a day for the rest of my fucking life.
Just call the Huskies the Tin Men of the Big East. Turns out they do have some heart after all. After an expected smackdown of the Red Storm on Wednesday, UConn showed up at Gampel yesterday and in atypical Husky fashion, fought back against early adversity and ended up running the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns off the floor in the second half to end what had been a potentially season-destroying slide and re-assert themselves as a potential NCAA tournament team. And as much as people won't want to hear it, the signs of this team being different and, dare I say it, better without Jim Calhoun were apparent.
Under George Blaney yesterday, the team didn't seem as tight as it usually is in close games against good teams (Duke, Kentucky, 2nd half against Georgetown). As awful as Kemba Walker was in the first half yesterday, and he was absolutely fucking terrible, Blaney didn't verbally rip his head off and bury him at the end of the bench. Instead, he let Walker play through his mistakes, let him realize how bad he was fucking up, and probably talked to him at halftime, away from the thousands of fans and dozens of TV cameras, about slowing down, making the simple play, and being confident. And wouldn't you know it? Walker was dynamite in the second half; he ran the offense, made great passes, finished his drives to the basket, and played with more poise and guile than he has all year.
But it wasn't just Walker. Blaney wasn't quick with the hook with anybody yesterday. Players were part of a regular rotation, getting taken out when they needed rest or for foul trouble, and for the most part being allowed to play through their mistakes and missed shots without having to look over their shoulders. Ater Majok, while still a disaster offensively, showed great energy on the boards and was a key defensive presence and was rewarded with more minutes. Alex Oriakhi was a piece of shit yesterday and so he sat on the bench more while Majok and Gavin Edwards got the lion's share of time. And when UConn made their quick burst to pull even and take the lead 68-62 in the 2nd half, they did it with Donnell Beverly running the point. Coming out of the next timeout, Beverly was still on the floor, as Blaney probably felt it was better to stick with what was working and reward his guys for playing well rather than mix up the lineup again and potentially wreck the momentum the Huskies had established.
The team played hard yesterday, but they also played confident, something that has been the key missing ingredient for them for most of the season. And that confidence was a direct result of the confidence that George Blaney showed in them. There were no 20-second substituions, no public dressing downs in front of the home crowd, and only one quick timeout to get the team re-focused. Blaney let his guys play and they responded by playing the way they were supposed to. A win like that can do wonders for a team, and when it happens to a team like UConn who has underachieved mightily this year against top competition, it can be a starting point for bigger things.
Will those bigger things happen? Will they make a run back to the top of the Big East and finish the season strong? Only time will tell. Could they have won that game yesterday with Jim Calhoun on the sidelines running his team instead of Blaney? Sure. Would they have won the game with Calhoun instead of Blaney? I don't know. I just know that yesterday's second half was the first time all season this team has shown any toughness and heart in a game where they needed it to win. What happens from here on out is up to them.
Sexy Rexy and the Fighting Sanchezes look to continue their improbable run to the Super Bowl and what better team to beat to get there/have their run stopped by than the Colts, the team who laid down for them in Week 16 to get the ball rolling on their season-ending run that carried over in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs.
So far, Mark Sanchez has done everything the Jets have asked him to do. Make smart decisions, complete a pass here and there, and take care of the ball. He was one Braylon Edwards drop away from having a killer Wild Card game against Cincy, and was just as efficient last week against what was thought to be a good defense in San Diego. Now, just like the last 2 games were, this Sunday will be Sanchez's biggest test to date.
After bottling up a Ravens' run game that stomped all over the Pats, Indy will be looking for similar results against Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. If they can keep the Jets from running wild and controlling the clock, they can force Sanchez to have to beat them and hopefully force turnovers with their 2-man pass rushing bonanza of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis and their severely underrated secondary.
On offense, Peyton Manning will look to do what he does best, and that is pass against the blitz. The Jets' biggest asset on D is the blitz, as they have already used it to make Carson Palmer and Phillip Rivers look like Pee Wee QBs, but Manning is the league's best QB against the blitz. Plus, Manning could care less about Reggie Wayne getting lost on Revis Island as he has already shown he is perfectly happy checking down to Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, and Dallas Clark, and letting them run wild. If the Jets are looking to put pressure on Manning, they better damn well have their coverage straight. If they don't, it could be a long day.
The best subplot to this game is the fact that each team has a high level of motivation to win. The Jets need to win to prove that their Week 16 matchup was no fluke and that they CAN beat the Colts best players over 4 quarters. The Colts need to win to prove that they are that much better than the Jets and to keep the sting of the undefeated season that could have been fresh in their minds as they head for a title. So far this postseason, The Dirty One has outplayed 2 QBs who were considered better than him. That streak will end this Sunday. Jets will cover, but Colts will win.
The Pick: Colts 23 Jets 17
Minnesota @ New Orleans: Line- Saints by 3.5
After both looking like shit at season's end and opening their teams up to all kinds of upset talk before last weekend against hotter teams, the Saints and Vikings both snapped out of it last week and reminded everybody why they were the #1 and #2 teams in the NFC. Now with potential Super Bowl storylines aplenty on both sides, they will play to end the debate about who the best team in the NFC was this season.
I'm not even going to try to badmouth Favre anymore; the guy has been lights out this year, period. He defied the odds and his most recent history and made all the haters like me sit down and eat a big helping of shut the hell up. Last week he looked like Favre circa 1999 in his almost single-handed destruction of the Cowboys defense. A similar performance is going to be needed to beat the Saints, who beat the mighty Cardinals offense down and probably retired Kurt Warner, and is very possible against a defense that thrives on taking chances. Jabari Greer vs. Sidney Rice is the matchup to watch when the Vikes have the ball, narrowly edging out the mental chess game that will be Favre vs. former teammate Darren Sharper.
The biggest key to this game is going to be the Vikings pass rush. Last week they made Tony Romo miserable, sacking him 6 times and forcing 3 turnovers. But that performance came with a price as both Ray Edwards and Kevin Williams left that game with injuries and were held out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday. The Vikings have been able to cover for their weak LB core and average secondary by generating such a great pass rush with their front 4, but if Edwards and Williams either can't go or aren't effective, they will be forced to blitz to get pressure on Drew Brees. And just like Manning, Brees eats pieces of shit like a blitz for breakfast; he diagnoses them before the D even knows it's blitzing and almost always finds the open man, usually for huge gains. If the Vikings are forced to go to the blitz because of their injuries up front, it will be a long 4 quarters for their secondary and a lot of funny shots of Brad Childress looking forlorn on the sidelines.
I see this game being close for the better part of the first 3 quarters, and then a defensive or special teams TD giving the Saints the breathing room they will need to hold on and get to their first Super Bowl. Brees and Favre will both play great, but Brees will make a few more key throws and solidify himself as the best QB in football not named Peyton Manning.
Did I miss something? Did Jerry Hairston steal Brian Cashman's girlfriend or something? Did he and Johnny Damon bump into each other at a restaurant and it got awkward? Is Cash going to talk shit about Hairston to LC and Heidi now?
All I know is I can't wait for next week's episode of "Jersey Shore" to see what happens when Jerry finds out Johnny hooked up with J-Woww and Cash saw it happen and didn't tell him. Truly riveting stuff.
And by the way, somewhere in the middle of all this nonsense, the possibility of Johnny Damon returning at a super-mega discount gets buried. Stay tuned, Yankee fans.
While I've been sitting here chewing my nails off the last couple weeks watching all the productive Yankee bench players from last year get scooped up by other teams with no moves being made to replace them, Joseph Pawlikowski has probably been kicking back, sippin' on gin and juice, and waiting to place his order for 2010 World Series memorabilia. His post today at River Ave. Blues on how the Yankee bench is just fine heading into this season not only put me at ease about the supporting cast, but also made me feel a little bit dumb for being concerned in the first place.
Cervelli has shown me enough both behind and at the plate to have me not concerned about being the full-time backup catcher so that was never a concern. I wasn't too keen on the idea of Ramiro Pena being the Swiss Army Knife infield-outfield guy, but as Joe brilliantly pointed out, Jeter and Bobinson don't take many days off and with A-Rod coming into this season at 100% healthwise, there aren't going to be as many situations where Pena is going to have to step in and contribute.
Outfield depth might be a bit of a concern, but as Joe expertly noted (again), the Yanks picked up Hairston and Hinske last season for what was the baseball equivalent of the 1$ box on the last day of a yard sale, so if needed, there should be no doubt that they can do it again.
With a lineup, rotation, and bullpen that are all among the top-5 in baseball respectively, the bench shouldn't even be a concern and I'm ashamed to say I let myself get that fired up about it. The Yankees are dealing with cracks in the tile and smudges on the mirror here, not gaping holes in the wall. And cracks and smudges are easy to fix. Thank you, Joe Pawlikowski, for showing me the light. If you ever make it out to New Berlin, WI, I owe you a beer.
In case you were too lazy to click on the first link, the complete post can be found here:
I know I've been hard on the guy this year, and I would hate to think that my harsh words had anything to do with his most recent health issues, so I would like to wish Jim Calhoun a speedy recovery. We miss you, Coach, and hope to see you back on the sidelines yanking guys for making stupid passes and screaming "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?!" at Sticks soon.
One thing I will say is that if Calhoun can beat cancer 3 times and hand out epic verbal beatdowns like this to lowly hippie freelance reporters:
then this newest health issue doesn't have a chance. This ailment better get some facts before Coach Calhoun's white blood cells come back and see it.
P.S.- If the Huskies have any heart, they will band together and stomp the shit out of St. John's tonight and Texas this Saturday.
The San Diego Padres have agreed to a $2,125,000, one-year deal with Yankees utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr.
The deal with the infielder-outfielder comes two days after the Padres completed a trade with Oakland to reacquire Hairston’s younger brother, Scott. (story courtesy of the AP)
Wow, 2.125 mil, huh? I guess the Yankees weren't playing around when they set that $2 million hardline for a left fielder. It's starting to look more and more like Brett Gardner is going to be the everyday left fielder (which I'm perfectly happy with), and that the Yankees are serious about making Ramiro Pena their do-all, infield-outfield bench guy to replace Hairston (which I'm a little concerned about).
If the Yanks are serious about Reed Johnson, which all reports say they are, they are going to have to increase the ceiling on that $2 mil budget at least a little bit because I don't see him coming any cheaper than Hairston did.
And if you're keeping score at home, the bench right now consists of Pena, Cervelli, Miranda, and that Jamie Hoffmann kid. Here's hoping he turns out to be some type of modern day Roy Hobbs, otherwise letting Hinske and Hairston go is going to look dumb.
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