There's a kickass Mexican place a few blocks from my girlfriend's place. Their house margaritas are the tits and I plan on getting hammered drunk on them tonight. The weather has started to turn in Wisconsin and I want one more chance to pretend it's still warm before it's time to take out the sweatpants and winter coat. Hope everybody else has something fun planned for their evenings. Now onto the links!
- On Monday, SJK of NoMaas offered up his take on who should and should not receive a qualifying offer from the Yankees. One of his selections might surprise you.
- On Wednesday, Mike Axisa of RAB broke down the 40-man roster logjam the Yankees are going to have to deal with this offseason. Is it me or does this problem get worse every year?
- Chad Jennings of LoHud perused the LCS rosters to identify potential offseason targets for the Yankees.
- Ricky Keeler of Yanks Go Yard looked back at Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, or as I call it, the greatest game I've ever watched.
- Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA pondered the option of signing guys like Beltran and McCann at the cost of giving up a 1st round draft pick this offseason. That decision should tell us the true future direction of the franchise.
- On Thursday, Delia Enriquez of Bronx Baseball Daily mused on the possibility of the Yankees trading for Chase Headley.
- El duque of It Is High... commented on the differing of fan opinions on what to do with Curtis Granderson and how that's a perfect microcosm of the Yankees' organizational future.
- SG of RLYW played the projection game with Brian McCann to see what he could offer in terms of production at catcher and if that production was worth the contract it will take to sign him.
- On Friday, Derek Albin of Pinstriped Bible examined the lowered expectations for Derek Jeter in 2014, based both on historical numbers and Jeter's recent health problems.
- Clive Barker of The Greedy Pinstripes questioned MLB's case against Alex Rodriguez, how fair the punishment is and how real their evidence is, and commented on how those questions have changed how he feels about the case.
This week's jam is "Bleed American" by Jimmy Eat World. Great album this was, even if it took up about 96% of Jimmy Eat World's songwriting skills. This used to be in heavy rotation in high school Brad's music mix. Good tune.
Enjoy your weekends, everybody.
Friday, October 18, 2013
2013 Season Review: What We Thought We Knew & What We Learned (The Bench)
(Jayson Nix, ladies and gentlemen.... )
The less I say about the 2013 the better. It's just going to make me upset recapping how the Yankees took their recent "build the bench with cheap, aging veterans and a few young guys" approach to new lows this season. It was a sorry, sadsack group of misfits, washed up has-beens, and "who the hell is that guy???"s that had to set the bar for the worst collective bench in Yankee history. There wasn't much we didn't know about them when the season started, and there wasn't a lot of new ground broken in what we learned when it was over.
Why Not ManBan For Next Year's Rotation?
(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)
(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)
Here's a whacky idea to fill a spot in next year's rotation. Give a spot to Manny Banuelos. You remember Manny Banuelos, right? Former top prospect, lefty pitcher, was striking out Double-A hitters on the reg at age 19 a few years back. He's been out of action since early 2012 and rehabbing Tommy John Surgery since last October. He's also been throwing for months and is expected to be 100% healthy for the start of next year. The Yankees took a very cautious approach with ManBan's rehab, waiting almost a year before letting him pitch in simulated games late this season and shutting him down completely for the winter to let him rest. Given the uncertainty in the back end of their 2014 rotation and the unlikeliness of the front office to spend much to fill it, they might want to consider taking the kid gloves off their former organizational crown jewel and taking a chance with him.
Latest On The Coaching Staff Contracts
Joe's been long locked up with his new deal now, but the progress on re-signing the rest of his coaching staff remains slow. On Wednesday, Mark Feinsand reported that the Yankees and pitching coach Larry Rothschild had agreed to a new deal, but we've yet to hear or read anything about the terms of the deal and there's been nothing formally announced by the team.
As for the rest of the staff, according to Cash there's "nothing to report" on their statuses. We're now less than 2 weeks away from their current contracts expiring, so that adds a slight tick of intrigue to what their fates might be. I'm sure the Yankees would like to bring back their bases coaches - they have no reason not to with Joe back - and Tony Pena as bench coach, although Pena could get some interest from teams with managerial openings, and I can't see Mike Harkey being let go. The one to watch is Kevin Long. His star isn't shining nearly as brightly as it was a few years ago, and the regression of guys like Granderson and Teix has been a problem. If anybody doesn't make it back, it could be him.
As for the rest of the staff, according to Cash there's "nothing to report" on their statuses. We're now less than 2 weeks away from their current contracts expiring, so that adds a slight tick of intrigue to what their fates might be. I'm sure the Yankees would like to bring back their bases coaches - they have no reason not to with Joe back - and Tony Pena as bench coach, although Pena could get some interest from teams with managerial openings, and I can't see Mike Harkey being let go. The one to watch is Kevin Long. His star isn't shining nearly as brightly as it was a few years ago, and the regression of guys like Granderson and Teix has been a problem. If anybody doesn't make it back, it could be him.
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