Come Back To Me, Andy

I'm not even going to waste time talking about the Eric Chavez and Ronnie Belliad signings because, quite frankly, I don't care.

I'm still recovering from the Andy Pettitte retirement announcement.  And also trying to accept the fact that he didn't give me enough time to use the new Jedi Photoshop.  Come on, Andy!!  You couldn't come back for one more year and give me some mileage out of that Photoshop?!?  If you don't have the hunger to come back and pitch for your team, at least do it for me, bro!

Screw it, I'm putting it up again anyway.

Now I'm going to light some candles, curl up on the couch, and cry while I think about the good times.

Wallace Matthews Should Probably Stop Talking

Another day, another disgrace of a column from ESPNNY's comedy duo of Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews.  This time, it's Matthews grabbing the spotlight as he tries to turn Andy Pettitte's retirement into the end of the world for the 2011 Yankee season, all the while ignoring facts and basic logic and making counterpoints against his own points that he thinks he's trying to make so that the rest of us in the Yankee blogosphere don't have to.  But I will anyway.  Let's FJM, shall we?

"Four months ago, Andy Pettitte walked out of the visitors clubhouse in Arlington, Texas, after letting everyone know he probably wouldn't be back.
Now, we are 10 days away from pitchers and catchers and he still hasn't been replaced.
That is the real story today, not that Pettitte will hold a news conference on Friday morning to make official what everyone around the Yankees should have accepted back on Oct. 22."

No, Wally.  That story has been beaten into the ground for a few weeks now.  You're just late to the party and have nothing to write about today.  Today the story was Pettitte officially announcing his retirement and all of us getting a chance to reflect on his wonderful career.

"It may seem as if the winter got a little colder and the upcoming baseball season a little bleaker for Yankees fans with the confirmation that Pettitte will, indeed, announce his retirement... "

Did the children get a little older too, Stevie Nicks?  Jesus Christ with the melodrama!  Have you looked at the Yankee roster right now?  It's still one of the best in baseball without Pettitte.  Having him for 2011 would have been the difference between Top 5 and World Series front runner, not World Series winners and Double-A Trenton.

"... but really, nothing has changed."

And right here is where this article should have just stopped.  Matthews suggests that doom and gloom has swept through Yankeeland because Andy is gone, but then states that nothing has changed.  Good for you, Wally.  It's good to know you aren't planning on jumping off a bridge with Bill Madden.

AB4AR Linkapalooza: Andy Pettitte Retirement Addition

In honor of one the 5 greatest Yankee pitchers of all time, AB4AR presents these links from around the Yankosphere on his retirement.

- Phil Coffin from the NYT Baseball Blog has a collection of quotes from past and present teammates, players, and coaches.

- Jason at IIATMS put together Andy's Greatest Postseason Hits.

- Minor Matters takes a look at what Andy's retirement might mean for the Yankee pitching prospects.

- SJK at NoMaas uses another one of their classic Photoshops to reflect on Andy's career.

- Jay Jaffe at Pinstriped Bible puts together a nice reflective piece.

- Donnie Collins at the SWB blog examines where Andy's numbers put him in Yankee and baseball history.

- William at The Captain's Blog discusses Pettitte's HGH admission and how it should not be a stain on his great career.

- Matt Warden at Yankeeist with another beautifully-written piece on Pettitte's career.

- Larry Koestler, also of Yankeeist, talks about where Andy's retirement leaves the 2011 rotation.

- Mike Axisa at RAB put together a fantastic photo collection tracing Andy's entire Yankee career.  A couple of really good shots in there.  Definitely don't NOT check this out.

- And last but not least, and even though it really wasn't that long ago, Steve S. at TYU goes back and revisits Andy's final game in pinstripes.

It's been a great career for Andy, and obviously we're all going to miss him.  I'll take one more opportunity to thank him for all he's done for the Yankee organization and wish him well in his retirement.  My only regret is that I won't be able to watch the press conference today.

The final image of Andy's final play as a Yankee:

Andy Hangin' 'Em Up

As first reported by Michael Kay and since confirmed by Jack Curry, Andy Pettitte has decided to retire and will not come back to save the Yankee rotation in 2011.

Andy is reportedly on his way to NY today to meet with team officials and will make the official announcement of his retirement tomorrow.  While this is obviously a blow to the team, there can't be any resentment toward Andy from anybody for this decision.  Nick Swisher said it best:

“I can’t say enough great things about that guy.  To play that long and continue to put those numbers up year in and year out. We’d love to have him back.  But if he decided to ride off into the sunset, he’s definitely earned that.”

I will always have a special place in the Yankee-reserved section of my heart for Andy.  He was the first pitcher I really followed as I became old enough to understand and appreciate baseball, and it's a shame I won't be able to watch him take the hill one more time.

Congratulations on a great career, Andy.  You'll always be remembered by Yankee fans, especially this one, as one of the greats.

** UPDATE- 2:45PM- Here's a link to the official press release from the Yankees (via LoHud), confirming what we all already know.  Now I'm sad.  **

Grading The Yankees Offseason

 With the Justin Maxwell trade taking place yesterday, I think that pretty much signifies the end of the Yankee offseason in terms of moves that will actually affect the 25-man roster.  That means it's time to take a look back at the moves the Yankees did make and hand out some grades.  For the purposes of this post, I'm including internal re-signings as well.

- Derek Jeter- Signed a 3 year/$51 million deal with a player option for a 4th year: C-

I wasn't all that concerned about the money in the deal.  Everybody knew that Jeter was going to be a Yankee and everybody knew he was going to get way more than his recent performance warranted because of his pedigree and because of how important he and the Yankees are to each other.  The length of the deal was what bothered me; 3 w/ a player option instead of 2 w/ a team option.  Jeter is already hanging on by a thread defensively and needs to bounce back in 2011 at the plate to make this deal worth it.

- Mariano Rivera- Signed a 2 year/$30 million deal: A-

In a perfect world, Mo would be signing 1-year deals until he decided he didn't want to pitch anymore, or at least a 1-year deal with a team option for another after 2011.  But then again, Mo has never showed any signs of falling off in terms of his production, and he always manages to stay healthy enough to pitch.  When you factor in his past performance and the fact that he's the GOAT, 15 mil seems fair to me.

- Sergio Mitre- Signed a 1 year/$900k deal: C+

The Meat Tray definitely isn't the best pitcher around, but he's better than Dustin Moseley and Chad Gaudin, and with Ace getting hurt again, he was the best option to have around as a long man in the bullpen.  The fact that other pursuits didn't pan out and he's now slated to be the 5th starter is not a good thing, but for the money he's being paid, I can live with having him back.

Snow Day Linkapalooza

Southeast Wisconsin got hit by a  major blizzard last night.  As a result of what everyone is referring to as the "snowpocalypse" (I know.  Lame, right?), work was shut down today and I've had more time than usual to peruse the Yankee blogosphere and see what everyone else is talking about while I was busy posting Lil Wayne videos in my blog.

- el duque at It Is High... has some bumper stickers for the 2010 Yankee offseason.  Put me down for 20 of the A-Rod ones.

- Joe Paw at RAB analyzes Buster Olney's list of 11 pitchers who could become available in the 2011 season and how they might fit with the Yankees should the need for another starter arise (hint, hint: it will).  Not an inspiring list, if you ask me.  I would be in for Shawn  Marcum (track record of success in the AL East) and Felix Hernandez (best pitcher in baseball), but that's about it.

- If you're still in mourning over the 2010 offseason, you might want to steer clear of Jay Jaffe's post at Pinstriped Bible about how February 2 is a dark day in Yankee history.  When you really look at it, it's not that bad, but still a very interesting read.

- EJ Fagan at TYU has some criticism for Bleacher Report's Top 20 Yankee Hitters list and comes up with a Top 20 of his own.  I must say, I like EJ's list far more than that of Bleacher Report.

- In today's Hardball post, Joel Sherman of The Post comments on the ManBan and Betances starting situations and how the Yanks are doing all they can to hold these guys back by bringing in the Colons and Garcias of the world.  I'm all for not risking the future, but at the same time why try to bring a past that was dead years ago?  And why bother mentioning Carlos Beltran in the column?  The Mets suck.

- Finally, we conclude with a pair of gems from Larry Koestler at Yankeeist.  First, a damn good graphical analysis of Andy Pettitte's career showing just how good the guy has been.  It makes for more compelling HOF arguments, though I still don't think he quite makes it.

- Secondly, Larry took a look at the 2011 projections for Ivan Nova and Hector Noesi to decide who would make the better addition to the 2011 rotation.  I think Larry seems to be in the camp that sees these 2 battling it out for the 5th spot with Garcia getting the 4th to start the season.  As a start I could live with that, but I'd personally rather see both of them there instead of Arm Dead Fred.

So there you, people.  That should get you through the rest of your work days.  Suckers.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go dig my car out of the snow in the parking lot and see if there's any chance I can even drive down to the street to buy beer for the UConn-Syracuse game tonight.

Larry Rothschild Is Putting In Work (And Using Up His "Anytime" Minutes)

Wallace Matthews put a post up yesterday talking about Larry Rothschild visiting A.J. Burnett this offseason at A.J.'s home in Maryland, and there were quite a few points that stood out to me.

First, the fact that Rothschild went to Burnett's house and spent a few days there talking with him, watching tape, and watching A.J. throw.  I don't know about you, but that just seems like a big deal to me.  We all know that A.J. is a bit of a mental midget, and if you don't believe that then you're just lying to yourself.  The prevailing thought last season was that his season went downhill when Dave Eiland left and Eiland would cure him of his ills upon his return to the bench.  Well, that didn't happen, so maybe it shows that Eiland wasn't that tuned into Burnett and didn't know what made him tick and maybe, just maybe, didn't know or care that much about him at all.  Rothschild taking time to not just talk to A.J., but to make a trip to A.J.'s  home and spend a few days there working with him and talking to him shows me that he really does care and really does want to see A.J. succeed.  More importantly, it probably showed A.J. those same things, which could be a big help in getting A.J.'s mind (and stuff) right for this season.

The second thing that I noticed was this line:

"Rothschild said he has made has made contact with all 32 pitchers expected in camp beginning on Feb. 14 -- make that 33 with the addition today of Freddy Garcia... "

All 32 pitchers?  All of them?  Really??  Maybe I'm just being naive about what goes on between pitching coaches and their staff, but this seems like a really big thing to do for a new pitching coach with a whole new set of pitchers to learn about and handle through the season.  Sure they all report a few weeks prior to the rest of the team, but Rothschild sounds like he's hitting the ground running in getting ready for 2011 and isn't wasting any time in getting to know his pitchers.  Some of these guys aren't even going to throw a pitch for the Yankees in 2011 and Rothschild STILL made a point to call them.  That kind of commitment doesn't go unnoticed by players, and I see that as a sign of good things to come for the Yankee pitching staff.  When you know your coach cares about you, it makes you try harder and makes you want to succeed.

Lastly, as if Matthews knew I was going to love this, he drops in the line about Rothschild already working with Beastances and Brackman in Tampa, helping them refine their deliveries.  I have no shame in admitting I started giggling and clapping my hands like a 10-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert when I read that.

A lot still remains to be seen once ST starts and the season really gets going, but Larry Rothschild is already looking like the man in my book.

Soriano's New Entrance Music

Inspired by the various discussions around the Yankee blogosphere about what his role should be since his signing, I am declaring this as the official Rafael Soriano entrance music for 2011:



Just blast the hook from that song in The Stadium when he comes in and it's game over.  Done and done, lock it up, make it so, Number One.

Taking A Look At The 5th Starter Competition (And Who Should Really Get The Spot)

With the recent signings of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to go along with Sergio Mitre, and a few attractive options in Triple-A, I'd say it's high time we take a look at each option and see who the best fit really is for the Yankees' 5th starter.

Now this comparison assumes that Andy Pettitte is not coming back, at least to start the season, and Ivan Nova is the current 4th starter.  Obviously if Pettitte decides to return, he takes a spot in the rotation as the #2 or #3 guy and Nova becomes the 5th starter, rendering all of this moot.  This also assumes that Brackman, Betances, ManBan, and Stoneburner are not going to be considered because of innings limitations for 2011.

Sergio Mitre

Pros- Had some success in 2010 (although mostly as a reliever); pitched to a decent ERA and WHIP in 2010; high groundball rate; low line drive rate; has leg up on everybody else by currently being penciled into the 5th spot.

Cons- FIP doesn't correspond with ERA and WHIP (which means some luck was involved); huge home-vs.-road splits that show Mitre pitches worse at The Stadium than on the road; more success as a reliever than starter in 2010 (.598 OPS against as reliever vs. .835 OPS against as a starter); generally considered to be replacement level at best.

Bartolo Colon

Pros- pitched well in 2010 (28 Ks, 6 BBs, 1.93 ERA in 37.1 IP in 7 starts); pitched on a team coached by Tony Pena; low-risk Minor League contract.

Cons- put up the above numbers in a Dominican winter league (which probably sucked from a talent level perspective); hasn't pitched in the Majors since '09; hasn't thrown more than 100 innings in the Majors since '05; quality of stuff is completely unknown (but assumed to be nil); huge injury risk; questionable fitness level at best; old as fuck.

Freddy Garcia

Pros- Threw 157 innings last year in the AL; low walk rate; has pitched well at Yankee Stadium in the past; wants to be a Yankee; low-risk Minor League contract.

Cons- Didn't pitch very well in 2010 (4.64 ERA, 4.77 FIP); doesn't miss bats; high home run rate (doesn't translate well to homer friendly Yankee Stadium); stuff is almost non-existent at this point (87 MPH fastball).

Hector Noesi

Pros- Solid stuff (90-93 MPH fastball, good changeup); great command of fastball; low walk rate; smooth delivery; innings limit shouldn't be a problem after throwing 160.1 innings in 2010.

Cons- No reliable off-speed pitch; doesn't command off-speed stuff as well as the fastball; no experience at Major League level (possibly Ivan Nova situation in going through a Major League lineup multiple times).

David Phelps

Pros- Solid stuff (93-95 MPH fastball, 90 MPH 2-seamer, good curve); good control; gets groundballs; innings limit shouldn't be a problem after throwing 158.2 innings in 2010 and no fewer than 151 in each of the last 3 seasons.

Cons- No definite strikeout pitch; off-speed stuff and command isn't good; no experience at Major League level (see concern above for Noesi).

Given all of that, I actually wouldn't mind seeing Hector Noesi be given a shot as the 5th starter in 2011.  His stuff and command is probably better than Mitre's right now and plays up to more success at the Major League level than Phelps' right now.  He has rocketed through the Yankees' system, so they clearly think highly of him, and if you're the Yankees and you're already assuming that you're going to get replacement level performance at best from your 5th starter, why not have it come from a young prospect who could use the experience and conceivably improve as the season (and his career) moves forward?

Noesi and Phelps (and likely Brack, The Beast, ManBan, and Adam Warren) will all get a look during Spring Training, but hopefully it's more than that.  Given their age and dwindling performance, I just don't see Colon  beating out younger guys with better stuff and brighter upsides for a rotation spot, or even beating out Mitre for that matter, and I think the only thing Garcia has going for him is the experience and the fact that he threw a lot of innings last year.  It will be interesting to watch, for sure, but when it comes down to it, out of this group I would rank who I would want in the 5th spot to start the season as follows:

1) Noesi
2) Mitre
3) Phelps
4) Garcia
5) Colon

(Thanks to River Ave. Blues and especially Mike Axisa's prospect profiles for info and stats on these guys)

The Well Has Run Dry

You know the outside options were 4th or 5th starter are starting to get thin when I was actually disappointed that somebody signed Justin Duchscherer.

And now I can't believe I'm actually starting to think seriously about how I'm going to deal with Freddy Garcia possibly pitching meaningful innings for the 2011 New York Yankees after he signed a Minor League deal with them yesterday.  Sure it's a Minor League deal, and he only gets $1.5 mil IF he makes the team, but it's still a bit of a mindfuck to think that guys like Garcia and Kevin Millwood have become real options to fill out the rotation and that money could potentially be paid to Freddy Garcia to pitch in the Majors this season.

And this is not coming from some inner well of latent anger because the Yankees didn't sign Cliff Lee.  I've been over that for a while now.  Dude didn't want to come to New York so good riddance.  It's just the plain fact that Freddy Garcia fucking sucks and anybody that is honestly trying to convince themselves that this guy can even be a mediocre starter pitching on diminished stuff in the AL East for a full season is insane.  You can talk all day about being an "innings eater," but when those innings involve getting shelled by the Sawx and Rays and Blue Jays, those are innings I'd rather have left to somebody else.

Help me, Andy-Wan Kenobi.  You're my only hope.

 (Another Swanny Duckson Production)

When You Say "Catch," You Mean... ?

Jorge speaking to reporters on Saturday:

"I'll catch, I'll catch. I'll catch this year."

Catch what exactly, Jorge?  Catch pneumonia?  Catch the train?  Catch "The Social Network" before the Oscars to see if it's really that good?  What are you planning on catching this year?

Because I certainly hope you weren't referring to the act of strapping on the chest protector and shin guards, tugging on the mask, and squatting behind home plate to play catcher.  That would be a horrible idea, for you and the Yankees.  You are too old, too brittle, and your value at your age needs to be maximized by keeping you healthy and mashing at the plate, not dinged up and embarrassing yourself behind it.

At this point, I think it's safe to say you fall behind Martin, Cervelli, The Jesus, and even Austin Romine on the depth chart at catcher.  Shit, if it were up to me, and all those other guys were sick, injured, missing, or dead, I would call up Gary Sanchez from A-ball to catch before I considered putting you back there.  Just let it go, man.  You're done as a catcher.  But you can still be a damn good DH.  Embrace that role and just help Montero adjust and grow into the future catcher.

But don't give him any defensive advice.  We don't want you undoing all the hard work his coaches have already put in trying to improve his skills.

Cash Believes In The Power Of Jesus

On Jesus Montero's defense:

"He’s not there yet, but he’s pretty damn close. We believe he’s better than some starting catchers, defensively, in the big leagues right now." (via Minor Matters Trenton).  Check out the entire interview conducted by Josh Norris.  There's a lotta good stuff in there.

And the Brian Cashman Bold Statement Train keeps on rollin'!  Whether or not Cash and the Yankees believe Montero is at THAT level of defensive skill is irrelevant.  Crap, whether or not they even truly believe he is a decent defensive catcher is irrelevant.  The point is that Cash and the Yankees believe Montero can do the job, should be doing the job, and will be doing the job behind the plate for them at the Major League level, whenever he gets there.

The Yankees have always believed, and continue to believe that Montero is a special offensive talent.  His numbers at every level of the Minors has given them every reason to believe that and Keith Law's recent ranking of Montero as the 4th overall prospect in all of baseball validates that evaluation.  The fact of the matter is, when a guy is this highly-regarded offensively, you find a spot for him to play.  In the interview from which that Cash quote came, Cash very smartly references the fact that Wade Boggs was considered a subpar defender upon joining the Majors, and he worked his way to a Gold Glove-caliber 3B in addition to becoming a member of the 3,000 hit club.  Likwise, Derek Jeter had 56 errors in a level of the Minors and he still moved up and made a HOF career for himself at SS.

The Jesus is on a higher level offensively than either of these 2 were and he is putting in the time, just like they did, to make himself a better defensive catcher.  For every mention of Montero's defensive struggles, there haven't been many actual reports or physical evidence lately of what these struggles are.  All indications are he has an above-average arm and needs to work on speeding up his release, and he has spent time tons of time working on stopping balls and calling games.  With all of this improvement and the fact that he could become some kind of hybrid Joe Mauer-Mike Piazza combination at the plate, the Yankees have to keep him at catcher, at least until he gets to the Majors and shows what he can and can't do defensively.

I seem to remember a guy who caught for the Yankees for the last 10-12 years who was a monster offensively and complete disaster behind the plate.  That guy, Jorge Posada, has won 5 World Series championships and put together a borderline HOF career behind the plate.  I haven't heard anybody compare Montero's defense to Posada's, but I've heard everybody talk about how his offense could be way better than Posada's.  When Montero is clearly a better prospect and clearly putting in the work, you give him a chance to catch, and that's why I like this statement by Cash. It all but guarantees that that's what the Yankees intend to do, which is exactly what they should do.

P.S.- Montero's bat has been compared to guys like Manny Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera.  Guess how many combined Gold Gloves those 2 have?  I'd take 80% of their offensive production from Jesus if he ends up being a crummy catcher.  You just don't get that kind of production from behind the plate and that's why he has to stay there.
 

Quote Of The Day? Quote Of The Day.

"I think Chuck is delusional.  He has been running the Rangers for a few minutes and seems to believe he's mastered what everyone else is thinking. I think he should let Cliff Lee speak for himself. I'll be impressed when he demonstrates he can keep the Rangers off welfare. What I mean is make them not be a revenue-sharing recipient for three years in a row, without taking financing from baseball or advance money from television networks. Then I'll be impressed." (Randy Levine, discussing Texas GM Chuck Greenberg's recent comments about the Cliff Lee situation)- via ESPNNY

Well done, Randy, well done.  Keep it up with the zingers like that and you might just find your way off the Shit List.

Now if he really wants to be badass, he should mail Greenberg a shit ton of food stamps.  That would kick ass.

I Might Be Reaching Here, But...

Doesn't Bartolo Colon look like that weird little midget, Chuy, from Chelsea Handler's horrendous late night show?

Maybe?  Kinda?  Sorta?  Am I reaching too far there?  I mean, that's a picture of Colon from a few seasons ago and he looks like complete dog mess.  Who knows what he looks like now?

Yankees Minor League System Is CRUSHING It

Keith Law realized his yearly "Top 100" prospects today on ESPN.com, which is the baseball nerd equivalent of a new Harry Potter book coming out at midnight.  I'm not an ESPN Insider (because I'm a poor-ish, 20-something who spends too much money at the bar), so I can't link to the full list, but the Yankees managed to put 5 in the top 100 (Jesus at 4, ManBan at 12, Gary Sanchez at 68, Dellin "Beast"ances at 73, and Brackman at 88) and had Austin Romine just miss making it.

In addition to that, Law had his Top 10 list for each organization.  The Yankees was as follows:

1) Jesus
2) ManBan
3) Sanchez
4) The Beast
5) Brackman
6) Romine
7) Stoneburner
8) Heathcott
9) Noesi
10) Adam Warren

Now consider this. The Triple-A rotation in Scranton to start the season is going to be Brackman, Noesi, Warren, David Phelps, and D.J. Mitchell.  That is probably the greatest starting rotation in Triple-A history!  Then you've got ManBan, The Beast, Stoneburner, and Shaeffer Hall making up the bulk of the rotation in Trenton.  That's 9 legitimate pitching prospects in Double-A or higher who, at worst, have 'middle-of-the-rotation' potential.  That's FUCKING INSANE!!!  And then you factor in the gaggle of solid catching prospects, Heathcott, and the crop of high-potential position guys from the 2010 draft and it's almost too much for me to stand.

Hey, look at that!  I'm aroused again.  Good thing I'm sitting at my desk.

Why So Candid?

(No, that's not Cash)

The Yankee blogosphere and their comments sections have been abuzz after reports started coming out about Cash's comments at yesterday's WFAN breakfast, particularly the ones about Jeter moving to center field and Joba no longer being a starter option because of his 2008 injury.  From yesterday afternoon into yesterday night, I noticed the topic of conversation shifting from Cash's comments themselves to why Cash was even commenting at all.  This morning, Steve S. of TYU, set the record straight on a lot of Cash's comments by discussing them in the context in which they were said, which he knew because he actually attended (something many of us did not do).  I would invite everybody to read that post because there's a ton of other interesting points in there beyond Jeter and Joba, but on the topic of Cash and his sudden willingness to open up in the media, this statement by "T.O. Chris" in the comments section really stood out to me:

"I agree with all this and add that I think Brian is finally feeling like a man who has taken over his fathers business in a since after simply running it for/with him, he has come out of his shell more so to speak, by that I mean he isn’t as guarded with what he reveals to the media and he seems to operate in a manner that says he doesn’t really care what the media says about him or the Yankee brand so long as he knows everything is being taken care of unlike in the past when the Boss seemed to take things a little more personal." (courtesy of TYU)

To everybody out there who thinks Cash should shut up, or thinks he's trying to get fired, or thinks that his being open and honest is a sign that he's not coming back after this season, read that comment, think about it, understand it, and then calm the fuck down.

Brian Cashman has been the Yankee organization for a long time.  He's been a part of building multiple World Series-winning teams.  His track record speaks for itself.  He has shown himself to be a pretty smart dude over the years and now recognizes that he doesn't have to tip-toe around the media for fear of the Big Bad Boss bringing the hammer down on him for some comment he read in the NY Post.  It's no secret that George Steinbrenner thought himself a baseball man (even though he wasn't) and history is littered with stories of guys who were verbally assraped by The Boss, so from Cash's perspective, why bother putting yourself through that headache if you don't have to?

Hank and Hal, on the other hand, don't seem to fashion themselves as big baseball men.  They carry the same passion for winning that George had, but don't feel the need to be involved in EVERYTHING.  Under them, Cash has the benefit of being more in control of the player personnel decision making thanks to the "autonomy" he was granted, and so wouldn't it just make logical sense that he would also have more freedom to speak to the media on personnel matters?

Cash recognizes that he has more power and more clout within the organization.  It really is "his" team to run and, as a result, he has become more comfortable not only making the decisions, but discussing them.  And as the GM of the team, the guy making the decisions, that should be his right.  I see Billy Beane in the media all the time.  I see Jerry Reese in the media all the time.  If anything, people shouldn't be freaking out about Cash suddenly becoming more open and vocal in voicing his opinions, they should have been freaking out years ago when Cash was hardly ever saying ANYTHING.  If Cash has opinions on particular players, particular deals, or particular situations within the organization, I as a fan WANT to know them and I WANT to hear them.

And as for the comments themselves, it's not like Cash said anything that plenty of other Yankee fans out there haven't thought before.  Do we really want to see Jeter at short when he's 40?  Shit, there have been discussions about his defensive decline for the last 3-4 years, and now suddenly when the GM of the team suggests that said decline could reach a level that requires him to play a new position, it's blasphemy??  Come on!  Cal Ripken moved positions, Robin Yount moved positions.  What makes Jeter any more special than those guys?

It should be obvious to everybody that Cash isn't making these statements as an attempt to personally attack people, but as a man in charge of a business.  He's making business decisions and should be allowed to comment on those business decisions as he sees fit, especially as he has become a more powerful player in that business.  Don't get on the guy for doing his job.  And don't get on him for making a perfectly reasonable statement about Derek Jeter.  I like Jeter as much as any Yankee fan, but the more important thing is always the name of the front of the jersey, not on the back.

Cash is the one voice that we should all want to hear discussing situations like this, whether we agree with his assessment or not.

Hank Gets In On The Media Action

I haven't heard from Hank in a while.  What's he been up to?   I'm curious to see if he's going to become a little less vocal to counterbalance Cash's recent increase in openness with the media, kind of like a 'yin and yang' thing.

"We will do what we have to do to win.  We have the highest payroll and the reason is we are committed to our fans to win.  We just have to fucking win." (via The Post)

Guess not.  Good to see Hank hasn't changed a bit.

Interesting Breakfast Conversation

A couple of big potential stories came out of the WFAN breakfast this morning that Cash attended.  The first came from his discussion about Derek Jeter's future at short.  Cash stated:

"I like corner outfielders and corner infielders who have power, so for me, if he's ever gonna move, it's probably gonna be a Robin Yount situation. But we don't have to deal with it at this point.  We'll deal with it when we have to." (via ESPNNY)

Go figure that on a day that I elect him to the AB4AR Man Crush HOF Cash goes and proposes something dumb like this.  I mean, everything about that sentence is absurd.  Brett Gardner is the current Yankee left fielder and he has next to no power, so in a way it's almost like Cash is discounting all that Gardner does and his 5.4 WAR in 2010.  And the 'Robin Young situation' didn't involve taking over for a solid lefty-hitting, Gold Glove-caliber centerfielder in his prime, which is what Curtis Granderson currently is.  So unless Cash knows something we don't about C-Grand's Yankee future, that would be a huge downgrade to go from him to Jeter, both offensively and defensively.

The second interesting bit of tid came courtesy of Amanda Rykoff's Twitter feed: 

"Francesa: Any chance of Joba in the rotation? Cashman: No. He hasn't been same since injury in TX."

Wow.  I mean, wow!  The reason Joba isn't being considered for a rotation spot in 2011 is because of an injury he suffered in August of 2008, even though he was included in the competition for the 5th rotation spot in 2010???  That's just baffling.  I don't even know what to say to that.

Cliff Corcoran of Pinstriped Bible has a great recap of that injury up already, which was a great refresher for me, but I'm still not following any of the logic in that sentence.  Even if Joba really did lose something as a result of that injury, and even if that loss of stuff makes him better suited for the bullpen today, wouldn't the effects of that injury been a bigger hindrance to him in Spring Training 2010, when he was 1.5 years removed from it than they would be in Spring Training of 2011, when he will be 2.5 years removed?  Where was all the concern and mention about this injury last year?  Why is it suddenly such a big determining factor in his future?

I've said all along that the Yankees have done Joba a huge disservice with the way they have handled him, and that's something everybody in the organization should regret.  It seems to me like Cash and his associates are starting to realize just how badly they fucked up and now they need to pull something out their asses to create a "reason" for Joba not being a starter rather than admit that their fuck up is the reason.  That statement about the injury in Texas might work for them as a "reason," but it just doesn't hold water in my book.

Introducing The AB4AR "Lists"

By now, it should be no secret to the regular readers of this site that there are certain guys I am a big fan of and certain guys I'm not.  Even more than that, there are certain guys that I carry maybe a bit more love for than any Yankee fan should.  Alright, I'll just come out and say it, I've got man crushes on a bunch of Yankee personnel, some for a long time, some very new.  But they are man crushes none the less and I'm not afraid to hide them; they need to be documented.  Below is the inaugural class that will be retroactively inducted into the AB4AR Man Crush Hall of Fame, with their date of induction shown in parentheses.  Congratulations, gentlemen.

The Man Crush List:

- Derek Jeter (October 13, 2001)- I don't feel like I have to explain to this one.  The dude is the man, and he always has been, even with the down year in 2010.  He stole my fan heart back on the night of October 13, 2001, when he made the play that today is known as "The Flip."  The follow up clutch postseason home run in '01, the dive into the stands, and the countless jump throws from the hole have all but secured Jeter's spot as my ultimate Yankee man crush.

- Mariano Rivera (October 16, 2003)- Another one that needs no explanation.  Any male Yankee fan who claims to NOT have a man crush on Mo is either a liar or is not a true Yankee fan.  When he came in and pitched 3 shutout innings against Boston in Game 7 of the '03 ALCS, giving Aaron Bleeping Boone the chance to work his magic, I was hooked.

- Phil Hughes (October 7, 2007)- Phil Hughes has always held a special place in my heart because he is the first Yankee prospect I really followed up through the system to the Majors.  He has also survived a ton of potential trades and is starting to make Cash look like a genius for not swapping him for Johan a few seasons ago.  Hughes' induction moment would be when he relieved an ineffective (and probably injury-faking) Roger Clemens in Game 3 of the 2007 ALDS and picked up the win.

- Brian Cashman (December 23, 2008)- I have always been a Cash guy, and would love to know what an alternate mid-2000s for the Yankees would have been like if Cash was able to make the moves he wanted to make instead of Mr. Steinbrenner throwing money at washed up big names.  He didn't do Hughes-for-Johan, he has built up the farm system again, and he's starting to be more vocal in the media about his feelings, which I like.  But the Cash man crush was official when he came in like a thief in the night and snatched up Teix from all the other teams in December of '08.  That was kickass.

- Kevin Long (August 11, 2010)- A more recent addition, Long's induction came after the 2-day swing rebuild he conducted on C-Grand last August.  After that session, C-Grand was money for the rest of the year and I think poised to have a big 2011.  If Kev can work some more of that magic on Jeter this season, there might be a few games where I have to change my pants.

- Robinson Cano (October 15, 2010)- I have been a fan of and a hater of Cano at many various times since he was called up, but 2010 finally got him on my good side permanently, and the man crush became official after his monster HR against the Rangers in the ALCS.  The dude has established himself as the best 2B in all of baseball and he just looks like a cool fucking guy.  I'm smitten.

/blushes

- David Cone (Lifetime Achievement Award)- I can't pick out one moment that turned me on to Coney, but between the coming back from injury, the perfect game, all the big postseason starts, the tons of behind-the-scenes stuff I've found out about him from reading all the recent Yankee books, and the fact that he's my favorite announce out of the entire YES pool, it's an easy selection.

But of course, for every man crush, their is an equal and opposite hatred had for another person.  With that in mind, there has to be a running Shit List for players who, depending on the situation, I wouldn't even pull out my phone to dial 911 if they started to die right in front of me.  Now there are no induction dates on the Shit List, because players can work their way off the list at any time.  But for starters, here's the AB4AR Shit List to open the 2011 season.  Congratulations to you guys too, I guess.

The Shit List:

- A.J. Burnett- The 2010 season was unforgivable, son.  I've seen 5-year-old girls with more emotional strength than you.  I don't know what's going on with you and your old lady, but I would suggest divorcing her ass, go get drunk and bang some strippers at Score's, get your mind right, and come back for 2011 focused and ready to blow people away.

- Damaso Marte- 3 years, $21 mil, and you're STILL fucking hurt??  Why not just cut your left arm off and have the doctors replace it with a new one?  They can grow arms on the backs of mice, right? 

- Kei Igawa- If I think too much about all the reasons I hate Kei Igawa, I might have a brain aneurysm.  So I'll just keep it simple and say he's an asshat in sunglasses that can't pitch worth a shit and looks like Droopy Dog.

- Nick Johnson- I'm still not over him missing 2010 with another wrist injury.  Shit, I'm still not over the Yankees actually signing him back.  That should change once the 2011 season starts and I don't have to see his fat, stupid face during the pregame lineup intros, so don't expect to see him on the list very long.

- Randy Levine- Dude, stop pretending that you actually know something about baseball.  And do something with that ridiculous Jew 'fro. 

- Joe Girardi's Bullpen Matchup Binder- I know it's not an actual "person," but I swear that thing must have some kind of power or aura about it, with the way Joe trusts it so much and bows to its every recommendation.  If somebody kidnapped this thing and burned it I would throw a party.

So there you have it, folks.  The 2011 class for the Man Crush HOF and the first round of fucktards for the AB4AR Shit List.  These are running lists, so you can see new members added or subtracted at any time during the season.  Follow the updates on the sidebar and submit any requests you might have for people I missed.

Monday Afternoon Linkapalooza

Time to check out the people around the blogosphere who are smarter than me and much better writers.  To quote the awful current Bud Light advertising campaign that makes a complete embarrassment of the man who used to be Apollo Creed (certified badass extraordinaire), here we go:

- Brien at IIATMS leads us off with a complete FJM-style destruction of Bill Madden's latest "column."  I thought I was starting to step my FJM game up, but holy freakin' crap!  Brien completely knocks this one out of the park and I commend him for a job well done.  I couldn't have said any of that better than he did if I wanted to and devoted the rest of my life to trying to.  If you're keeping score at home that's Brien- 1, Bill Madden- 0.

/gives Brien a standing ovation

- Rob A. at Bronx Baseball Daily takes a hack at predicting the Yanks' latest 25-man roster and does a pretty solid job.  I can't say I share his faith that Andy is coming back to take Mitre's place in the rotation, or that Brackman or Noesi would be the first options to fill the "long man" role in the bullpen right out of the gate, but we'll see what happens when ST starts.

- Larry Koestler at Yankeeist becomes the latest to make the "Joba for 5th Starter" argument, and takes it to a whole new level by writing a letter to Cash practically pleading with him to give Joba a shot.  Once again I will go on the record as a firm believer that Joba should be in the 'pen, but you can't argue with Larry's numbers.

- On the other end of the potential 5th starter spectrum, Mike Silva at NY Baseball Digest tries to make a case for Kei Igawa.  Uhhhh, no.  No.  Hell no.  Fuck no.  A thousand times no.  I don't care what they are paying him or what kind of chance he got to be a real starter, Kei Igawa fucking sucks and has no business being on a Major League pitching mound.  But hey, read Mike's case and make your own decision.

- Jesse Ghiorzi was the latest "pinch hitter" at LoHud and put together a solid piece discussing Andy Pettitte's HOF credentials.  I, like Jesse, am a big Pettitte fan, but I also, like Jesse, recognize that Andy's numbers don't add up to being HOF worthy.  Hall of Very Good, yes.  But not Hall of Fame.

- All kinds of good stuff going on at RAB with their new weekend crew.  Stephen Rhoads had a solid post about his recent interaction with Mark Teixeira and Teix's perceived boringness. 

- And Brock Cohen came up with a very humorous post built around quantifying players' GRIT factors.  Any time you can combine bagging on traditional MSM bullshit and take shots at Dustin Pedroia, I'm on board with it.

- Lastly, Mike Axisa, my number one source for logical pitching opinions, makes the argument today that The Meat Tray might actually be the best option for 5th starter.  The numbers support it and I would certainly welcome him over Millwood or Garcia, the question is will Cash and the ownership?

Oh, by the way, here's Derek Jeter's new house:

(Photo courtesy of TBO.com)

Boy, I bet it's gonna suck to live there.

Some New Stuff To Focus On

The topics of conversation around the Yankee blogosphere have been the same for about a month + now, and quite frankly, it's getting a little boring.  Yes, the back end of the rotation is a concern, but there ain't much the team can do about it right now.  No, Andy Pettitte is most likely not coming back, at least not for the start of the season.  And the bullpen and bench have been fortified with the signings of Feliciano, Soriano, and Andruw Jones.  With all that being what it is, it's time to move on and focus on stories that haven't been getting their fair shake but are going to impact the upcoming season.  Stories like:

1) CC Dropping Weight After His Knee Surgery

CC's weight was a question mark when he was signed, and it has continued to be as his Yankee career has played out.  After another year in which he had a heavy workload, Carsten had knee surgery after the season.  As part of his rehab, he's reportedly been focusing on dropping some poundage to be in better shape for 2011 and ease the stress on that knee.  CC has been successful in the past being a bigger dude thanks to his athleticism and toughness, so him coming into 2011 trimmer and in better shape and presumably with a bit more attention being paid to his workload should spell good things for him.

A notoriously slow starter in Spring Training, I expect this story to start receiving some more coverage once the ST schedule starts up, especially if CC performs better than he has in the past.  I also expect that CC's awesome parachute pants will be even parachute-ier in 2011 with 20-30 fewer pounds inside them.

2) A.J. Burnett Contacting Larry Rothschild

Almost as soon as Rothschild's hiring was announced, the next story out was that he and A.J. had spoken and had plans to work together before 2011.  Since then, there really hasn't been much else on this topic, which has left me curious.  What did they talk about?  Did they make plans to meet before ST to work on some stuff?  Did Rothschild ask A.J. about the black eye?

The fact that the 2011 rotation looks to be set to start the year means A.J. becomes even more important in helping to share the load at the top of the rotation with CC and Phil.  It's high time someone like Joel Sherman or Bryan Hoch get to the bottom of this situation and find out what A.J. and Larry have planned to help Burnett bounce back from one of the worst statistical seasons from a starting pitcher in Yankee history.

3) Kevin Long Getting His Off-Season Program Into Full "Swing"

Get it?  "Swing?"  Because he's the hitting coach.  Huh, huh??

Seriously, though, Dr. Long is already embarking on his preseason hitting tour with multiple players, including guys like Teix , Jeter, and The A-Horse, who will be coming off of down years, and Jorge, who will be experiencing his first season without the constant body battering that being a full-time catcher comes with.

Long's track record speaks for itself, so guys should be climbing over each other to get the scoop on what he's working on with everybody.  Can he find a way to get some speed back into Jeter's bat?  Does he have a plan to combat Teix's well-documented cold spells to start a season?  Can he get A-Rod's power in his legs back, bad hip and all?  If even only one of those questions is answered "yes," it means good things for a Yankee offense that be counted on big time in 2011.

4) Guys Getting Healthy

In addition to CC cutting the McDonald's Dollar Menu out of his food pyramid, there is plenty of other health-related news to cover as it pertains to the Yankee lineup.  What's up with A-Rod's hip?  How's Teix's hammy feeling?  What about Gardner's wrist?  And what has Mo been doing in the offseason to prepare his 41-year-old body for another season of sprains and strains?

Guys getting back to 100% and staying there, health-wise, combined with offseason Long work could lead to huge numbers for guys like Teix and A-Rod.  It's one thing for guys to say they are good to go, it's quite another to actually see it for yourself.  Now is the time to start getting updates on who's in good shape, who's hurting, and who's going to be ready for Spring Training.

5) Jesus Watch

With Russell Martin signed and Frankie still in the roster, Jesus is obviously going to start the year at Triple-A, where he can continue to get innings behind the plate and everyday at-bats.  But if the Martin/Cervelli duo gets banged up, or sucks horribly, or if Jesus is lighting it up in the Minors, how long do the Yanks wait to call him up?

The potential for him to come into ST and completely kill it also exists, and that would serve to start a whole new series of rumblings about where he should be playing.  And let's not forget about Jorge.  Sure, he won't be taking a daily beating behind the plate anymore, but he's still an old fuck and he's probably going to get hurt.  If he takes an early DL stint, do you call up The Chosen One and just let him mash?  Lotsa options with The Jesus.

6) Joe Updating His Bullpen Matchup Binder

This story is an absolute "must cover" as far as I'm concerned.  That binder Joe was toting around in the postseason would have had most high school kids falling over in the hallways and just laying on the ground like turtles if they were carrying it in their backpacks.  With the additions of Feliciano and Soriano, plus the likely addition of a new garbage time long reliever, 2011's binder is going to be insane!  Whole entire forests will be depleted just to produce the paper needed for its pages.  It is truly going to be a thing to behold.

The sooner somebody gets a picture of that thing, the better.  If I had to guess, I would bet it's going to look something like this:

Now That That's Over With...

(Cue the sad "Price Is Right" music)

Sorry, Jets fans.  I know the wound is probably still fresh after last night, but look on the bright side.  Nobody gave you a shot to beat the Patriots and you proved all of them wrong.  You just shot your wad last week and didn't get up for yesterday's game.  It happens.  But now you can move on to more important matters, like the fact that pitchers and catchers report in 3 weeks!  And the Yankees season starts in just 66 days!!!  FUUUUUUUUCK YEAH!!!!

Unless, of course, you happen to also be a Mets fan.  In which case I would suggest getting another bottle of something with which to drown your sorrows that will undoubtedly continue into the 2011 baseball season.  Or maybe you should get 2 bottles, that way you can get drunk enough to try to convince yourself that Johan's shoulder isn't completely shot and that Chris Capuano and Chris Young will actually do something positive in the rotation this season.

Lazy Weekend

Sorry, kids.  Between the wall-to-wall college basketball yesterday (including the awesome UConn victory), the surprise birthday party for a friend last night that I got completely shitfaced drunk at, and the subsequent hangover and NFL games today, it was a slow weekend at here for AB4AR and I apologize for that.

To make amends, I offer this picture of the future Mrs. Derek Jeter from the most recent Esquire.  I'll get back out there on the blogging mound tomorrow and get after it.

(thanks, Esquire)

Ow-ah Rookie Program Is Wicked Bettah Than Yo-ah Rookie Program!

The latest offering from ESPN in their never-ending quest to jam all things Sawx in everybody's facehole might just be one of their worst.  It's a story by Joe McDonald about the amazing, incredible, unbelievable, outstanding 2-week rookie development program the Sox run for fringe guys that actually does nothing to develop them as players.  IT'S FACKIN' INCREDIBLE, I TELL YA.  THE HAHHT AND GRITTINESS OF THIS OAHGINAHZATION TRICKLES DOWN FRAHM THE VEH-REE TAWP!!

 "The Boston Red Sox have made their Rookie Development Program an annual rite of passage for prospects in the organization.  Each winter a dozen or so prospects are invited to Boston for a two-week course that covers everything related to the Red Sox, both on and off the diamond."

Topics such as "Scrappiness And You," "Becoming a Peter Gammons Favorite," and "Bad Facial Hair."

"It's designed to help the young players make the transition to the big leagues and ease any anxiety they might have, whether they're called up on an emergency basis or as a full-timer."

 Because a two-week course will cover everything these kids will encounter when they become Major League Baseball players. 

"Mostly, the players learn the non-baseball aspects of playing in the Red Sox organization... "

Those being... ?  And how, exactly, are those non-baseball aspects more important than actual baseball aspects, like situational hitting, facing better pitchers, and shit like that.  Stuff that actually, you know, matters.

"... and even live with a host family during their winter stay."

Because that's just what it will be like when they get to The Show!  Mrs. McCarron packing bag lunches for them, family game nights, and sleepovers.  YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, such as last season's deluge of injuries, the Red Sox roster is set for a long time and there aren't too many openings."

So naturally it makes perfect sense to bring a bunch of untested rookies in and attempt to get them used to a Major League lifestyle that they may not even get to experience for years.  Yeah, lotta value added in doing that.

"A young player in the organization can see that logjam, but the Red Sox try to communicate with these prospects that it doesn't mean there's a dead end on their career path to the majors."

Just a major roadblock, complete with police cruisers, spike strips, and SWAT vans on standby.

"'If you're good enough to play, we will find a place for you to play on this roster,' Hazen said."

"Except, of course, if you aren't good enough to beat out all the guys we already have on our roster and we don't get hit by a freak rash of injuries that leave us no other choice but to call your asses up."

"During this winter program, the players also are schooled in other opportunities the Red Sox are involved in on a yearly basis -- the trade market. As much pride as the Sox take in scouting, drafting, signing and developing homegrown talent, Epstein & Co. aren't afraid to pull the trigger on a major transaction that could include many of the organization's top talent."

So part of this 2-week training to get them ready to play for the Boston Red Sox includes talking about being traded to another team who is not the Boston Red Sox and then playing for that team?  Am I understanding that correctly?  Makes perfect sense.

"'That's part of the job and part of the business,' Hazen said. 'We talk to the players about that as well. You're in Boston and sometimes we need to make a deal to get a player like Adrian Gonzalez and you may get put into that deal. It's not always a fun situation, but for those younger players, it may be a better and quicker opportunity to get to the big leagues.'"

But what about the host families?  What about their feelings?  You don't think the McCarron family of East Boston wasn't devastated when their precious little Casey Kelly got ripped from their home and shipped off to San Diego?  They didn't even get to say goodbye.  WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE FAMILIES?!?!?!

In all seriousness, this story is a bunch of bullshit.  In fact, it's a non-story.  So the Red Sawx have a cute little 2-week camp to teach all their young players about the Majors?  Big fucking deal.  Does anybody honestly think that each and every team in MLB doesn't have all kinds of similar programs in place for their players coming up from Triple-A to the Majors?  Between the language barriers that can exist with some Latin players who have yet to master English to the simple fact that the lifestyle change from Triple-A to the Majors is like night and day.  Any team that doesn't do shit like this would be wasting the time, energy, and money they put into developing their top prospects by just throwing them to the wolves.  So is this "program" that the Red Sawx do special or supremely groundbreaking in any way?  Fuck and no.

In fact, this piece makes the Sawx look stupid for talking about how they explain to players that they might be traded.  "Hey guys.  While we spend all this time teaching you the ins and outs of being a part of Fraud Sawx Nation, remember that all of this might not mean a fucking thing if we think we can package you to bring in a better player."  Yeah, great, good thinking.  At least the Yankees have the decency to just completely blindside their prospects when they trade them instead of building up false hope.

Somebody should probably tell Joe McDonald that in order to truly "get" the ESPN idea of fawning all over the Red Sox at every opportunity, even when it's not warranted, he should probably leave out the parts that make them look stupid.

Mr. Jones And Me

A day after last year's lefty masher, Marcus Thames, moved out to LA, the Yanks wasted no time in filling that roster hole, today signing Andruw Jones to a 1-year deal to be the 4th outfielder.

According to Jon Heyman, the deal is worth $ 2 million with the possibility of another $1.2 mil in incentives.  Hmmm, where did I read that contract proposal before?  Who could have suggested that deal?  Oh that's right, it was ME!

"P.S.- If the Yanks are actually picking nits about money on the deal then I'm going to be pissed.  Give the dude 1 year and $ 2 mil with incentives and call it a day."

So I guess they can call it a day now, right?  Who cares, hit the music!