On the Yankees beat

Just read Kat and Ken's articles & here is my take:

1. Torre gets 2 years $8 mil total and the understanding that there might be an advisory position in it for him at the end, but no extension.

2. Gator out, Eiland or Nardi Contreras in. I agree with Ken that Gator is a great guy, but with the young crop the team needs a pitching coach with more experience working with young arms. Let Gator be a roving instructor of some kind.

3. Make a reasonable offer to Alex. But if he opts out move on to plan B and don't look back. The Yankees have too many issues to allow this to drag into January. If plan B is a trade for Cabrera or a contract to Lowell or Crede - get it done at the Winter Meetings in December.

4. Bring back Doug and Molina on 1 year deals

5. Bring back Posada and Rivera if they will accept 2 or 3 year deals - but nothing longer. Cost doesn't matter to me, but don't get stuck with long term deals.

6. Pick up Bobby's contract option then deal him (St. Louis for Anthony Reyes and Chris Duncan?)

7. Deal Igawa, Farnsworth, Moose, and either Giambi or Matsui - won't get much for any of the above, but not getting much from them anyway and Giambi and Matsui are both DH's, but only one can play.

8. Let Viz go - go with the kids and see if in the trades above you can get another relief pitcher.

9. If Alex leaves and Abreu is moved, try to sign Andruw Jones. Move Melky to RF, Damon in LF and Jones in CF. Terrific defensive OF and Jones offers some RH pop.

10. Joba in the rotation with Hughes, Andy, Wang, Kennedy.

11. Set up a clear line of succession that tells media members to stop going to "The Boss" for comments - We are learning more and more that he is a figurehead not unlike the Queen of England. Still to be respected but his words should not be taken as gospel.

Jim A.,

Yes I have thrown a few names out there ... and who can say if you can get them.

Santana vs. Kazmir.

Who has the easiest motion? Liriano threw his arm out in one year, you can't throw a 93 MPH slider, it is a matter of kinesiology and biomechanics. Take the smooth thrower over the herky jerky motion thrower I think.

Josh Hamilton has more tools than Paul O'Neil. He has a pretty wife and a very aborable child, he is doing better with his problems. The Yanks have MANY very good people on the team, Mo, Andy Phillips and others who would be a good influence on him. Josh is a good story and could be a good role model. Or could fall apart as you alluded to. I respect you tremendously Jim.

You see Josh Hamilton swing with that bat speed and that arm (I saw him throw at Busch Stadium and he probably has the best arm in the entire NL) and you have to just marvel.

As Habyan wanted to pitch for the Yanks, Joe Nathan might want to. Let Joe handle the set up role if you must. See what he wants, put out some feelers. Talk to his parents or friends. Does he love the Yanks? Grew up rooting for them?

Even if we keep A Rod and Mo and Andy Pettitte and Posada we are just right back where we are now.

Andy Phillips and Duncan will continue to develop. Keep Menky in the mix for certain. Molina too. Be A Mitt is a good utility guy.

I say middle relief is the main issue beyond the signings and coaches.

You put Joba, Kennedy, Hughes and Horne out there ... they will be blowing people away like the Mets of the late 60's with all those power arms.

Horne was only an 11th round pick and will have a chip on his shoulder ... but loyalty cause they gave him 3rd round money.

Matsui is too hot and cold. August vs. Sept. But the Yanks need a Japanese star for marketing and those monies so ... I like him as a player and as a person, but is he injury prone, production et cetera.

When you have to have a globalized team it is just another hoop to jump through. (Astros in 05 didn't have to deal with that extra hoop) I don't know what to say or do about Godzilla exactly. The Yankees are a global brand now. Can you find another Matsui in Japan and bring him in? Who? When? Do Godzillas grow on trees?

I say raid the Cards and Reds for two players (Rasmus, Ludwick, Hamilton, Phillips) if need be.

We don't need 12 pitching prospects. Sanchez, Brackman, Smith, Horne ... who stays or who goes.

We can live without Wang if that is what you need to get Santana or Kazmir.

Why not?

Just my two cents.

No Hunter ... if I have to look at another man in earrings I will scream. (Preston Wilson wears earrings and he is probably one of the best people on this planet but I just can't look at it. Sorry!)

This is the lineup I want

CF Hamilton
LF Ludwick
RF Melky (Duncan)
1B Phillips/Dunc/Menky
2B Cano or Phillips (Cincy)
SS Jeter
3B Cano or A-Rod
C Posada or Bard, Piazza

Starters

Wang or Johan or Kazmir
Pettitte
Joba
Ian
Hughes

Closer

Mo or Nathan

Set Up Men

Veras or Viz
Bruney or Britton
Bring back Proctor?
No Farnsworth
No Henn
No Villone (great person!)

That's the weakness ... again ... the set up roles.

One final thing. Get the SS and 3B from the Marlins if everything falls apart. They are great! Cabrerra has the best swing in the NL, though Hamilton has the best bat speed and Holliday is the best hitter, this according to a vote of NL coaches.

And with Matsui and Igawa ... find a young Japanese star to plug into the mix.

Bug Infestation in Game 2 of Alds in Cleveland shows that Yankees are definitely cursed!! The Yankees will never win another world series...

Carmona had 50 bugs or so on his neck after that inning he pitched ... was he cursed?

Strange though ...

There are a lot of bad things about the Yanks, but many more good things ... why should they be cursed? With people like Andy Phillips and Mo, or Joba and his dad, or Edwar and his kind dad the vet, why would they be cursed?

There are no curses.

Rent Friday Night Lights.

The Yanks have not won a World Series since they stopped being and Americanized team and turned into a globalized team. Tino, Nelson, Paul, Scott B, Girardi ... start there ... and it will all come together, the best of both worlds.

And one other thing:
Menky and Phillips platoon at 1st base - defense and "small ball" abilities. Duncan should see some ABs against tough lefties, and give Matsui, Damon and Abreu periodic rests. That should guarantee at least 250 - 350 ABs for the season = 25 HR, 75 RBI. Betemit either off the bench, or traded for a pesky infielder (remember Cairo?)with speed.

No thanks to Andruw Jones. He's going to cost too much money and a long term deal. I think Cashman has learned from giving long term deals to these kinds of players.

I'm not Abreu's biggest fan but they will pick up his option and keep him. It's better to sign someone for a one-year deal and see what's on the market next season.

You can bank on it. Cashman will NOT sign Hunter, Jones, or Rowand (whom I would prefer) to long-term deals.

Moose, Farnsworth, and Giambi are going nowhere. This isn't fantasy baseball where you can just add or drop these guys without consequences.

They make too much money and there is no market for any of them. The Yanks will have to make due and stick it out for one more season until their contracts are off the books.

No matter how talented the Marlin's Cabrera may be, the guy is "lazy", has an "attitude problem", and already has a "weight" issue. This is a "Young Manny" with more lbs. at a very early age. If the Yanks need a 3B, they should try and pry Escobar away from Atlanta. He's a "heads up" team player, with a "high ceiling".

The Six Priorities ...

1.

Middle relief

2.

Lefty arms, in pen, rotation (Santana or Kazmir)

3.

Dead Wood goes (we all know who) ... The accountants might not like that ... the fans will love it. Edwar, Duncan, Phillips and Joba over Farns, Damon, Giambi and Moose any day!!!!

4.

Manager is?

5.

A Rod, Jorge, Mo go/stay?

6.

Little moves to pick up a Gregg from the Marlins or a Jeremy Sowers ... Gabe Paul type of things. We have a lot of trading chips now ... use them well, Grasshopper. When you can hit a home run without swinging the bat, it will be time for you to leave the Stadium.

Just for the hell of it:

One position where the Yankees are thin in the minors is 1B - now if the Yanks keep Alex or trade for Cabrera then Brad Suttle who was drafted this year obviously moves over. Other choices within the organization are: Juan Miranda and Jesus Montero (currently a catcher but possibly going to be too big to stay there) so here are the scouting reports (courtesy of baseball america) for the four top first basemen who will be taken in the June Draft:

Justin Smoak, 1b (No. 2, Team USA)

Based solely on performance, Smoak would not have cracked the list. After collecting three doubles and three home runs during Team USA’s six-game tour of the New England Collegiate League, Smoak went 20-for-102 without any more homers, finishing with paltry .223/.291/.380 numbers. The performance was atypical for Smoak, who tore up the Cape Cod League last summer and batted .315/.434/.631 as a sophomore at South Carolina. He has plus raw power from both sides of the plate and a swing that has leverage.

Changeups gave him fits this summer and he didn’t adjust quickly, often lacking balance, spinning off the ball and failing to recognize pitches consistently. He’s a poor runner but has good hands and playable arm strength and footwork at first base.

"I couldn’t pick out anything mechanically in his swing that was an obvious concern," an American League scout said. "We expect the world from this guy because he set the bar so high. In the end, it’s one summer and I think you can give that type of player a pass because he’s done so much."

Yonder Alonso, 1b, Brewster (No. 2, Cape Cod)

Alonso was the consensus choice as the Cape's top all-around hitter. He had the best approach in the league, and it was tested when the Whitecaps lost all of their other power threats to injuries and early departures. Alonso remained patient and continued to use the whole field, finishing with league highs in walks (36) and on-base percentage (.468) while hitting .338.

"He's more than a power bat," a second NL scouting director said. "He's a hitter with power, so that's all the better. He's pretty advanced."

Alonso has a loose, compact stroke and excellent balance, and most of his current power comes in the form of line drives to the gaps. He should become more of a home run threat once he turns on and lifts more pitches. He's a below-average athlete who could work harder on his conditioning and defense, and even then he probably still will be limited to first base.

Brett Wallace, 1b/dh (No. 7, Team USA)

The Pacific-10 Conference Triple Crown winner and a first-team All-American as a sophomore, Wallace knows how to handle the bat. He spent most of the summer batting behind Pedro Alvarez and Smoak, and made consistent contact, posting a .312 average and .345 on-base percentage. He joined the team after Arizona State was eliminated in the College World Series and homered in his first at-bat, but managed just one more homer and four doubles the rest of the summer.

He's a mature hitter who drives balls to both gaps and has mastered the backside single. He'll show above-average bat speed and average raw power in batting practice, but it didn't translate to games with wood. All his value lies in his bat, as Wallace is a below-average runner and lacks the mobility to play the outfield as a professional, so he's likely locked into a role as a first baseman or designated hitter. As a result, the development of his power will dictate his draft stock.

Allan Dykstra, 1b, Chatham (No. 16, Cape Cod)

Dykstra also was back for his second stint on the Cape, and though his home run total dropped from seven to five, he was more impressive this time around. He improved his batting average 76 points to .308 and started hitting the ball to the opposite field with authority. He's a huge (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) lefthanded hitter with lots of raw strength and lift in his swing. His bat will have to carry him because he's limited to first base.

Different "curse" ?

I never heard anything about this before... did any of you?...

From NEWSDAY sports section:

The curse lives on

When the Yankees won their third straight world championship in 2000, their fourth in five years, they inexplicably grew stingy in distributing championship rings to employees, even those who had received such mementos in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

The group of disgruntled employees, numbering between 20 and 25, privately bestowed a curse on sports' most accomplished franchise. They called it The Curse of the Rings.

And now, in light of this past week's developments, The Curse of the Rings has turned seven. It's in first grade, and it brought cupcakes to school for its birthday.

Newsday asked general manager Brian Cashman about this issue last year and he dismissed it, saying in part, "It's all about moving forward."

If Joba is inserted You will then need to sign a TOP NOTCH RELIEF GUY, F**K Experimenting we cannot AFFORD to experiment when we have youth on the mound to begin with. What scares me about Joba's COmments was the MINDSET theory, When I brought this up long ago you einstiens on here laughed it off, Mind set is CRITICAL in switching from starter to relief and back. Inserting him back now creates voids both in SP and RP until he prooves that he can start. What is the back up plan if he cannot succeed? throw him back in RP?? think that is easy? He said he has to reinvent his other pitches in order to be a starter.

Viper anything is possible...

I seen impossible trades happen

My Thoughts on Torre Situation is if he stays hey if not hey so what. But I will say this , if the team starts the same way as last year then he should be kicked out on his f***king ass before the deficit is too large. the only players crying for him is a bunch of over the hill or aging players

Bomber:

Hank (or was it Hal) Steinbrenner has already said, in no uncertain terms, that Joba will be a starter. Chamberlain doesn't have to re-invent pitches, he was just encouraged to stop working on his change and curve to accelerate his learning curve as a relief pitcher. Given a full spring training he should have no problem.

Again, if Mo were not coming back I could understand the logic behind leaving Joba in the pen. But to waste his immense talent for two years as a middle reliever is criminal. There are a plethora of other arms in the organization who CAN'T start but could likely work the 7th and 8th innings (Jose Veras, Steve White, Steve Jackson, Humberto Sanchez, Ross Ohlendorf) Additionally, if Torre is retained, I'm not looking forward to him turning Chamberlain into the next Scott Proctor, Steve Karsay, Paul Quantrill, Tanyon Sturtze.

Joba in the rotation is the right move. I understand the angst - it's based in the "We know he can do this why see if he can do that" but if he's as good as advertised (Justin Verlander comparisons) I think it will vanish.

If ARod leaves, there are a few decent replacements. Joe Crede would be available and he is a very good hitter, with good defense. I saw this suggestion today in one of the NY papers and it makes sense. He has Brosius-like ability and is a tough player. If Yankees admit their mistake, and eat a portion of Giambi's contract, they could make a deal with another team. Although he does have a lot of pluses (clubhouse presence, team player) Giambi is injured far too often and can not be relied upon to be one of your main offensive players any longer. I personally like the guy, but it is time to get some consistency in that spot. Moose may also be tradeable, or put in the pen as a "long man". If this option was presented to him, I believe he would accept a trade, as long as he could remain a starter for another team. Those are not impossible scenarios, especially if Torre is not asked back. Giambi and Moose are longtime favorites of Torre, and they would know under a new manager, they may not get the benefit of the doubt any longer. These guys are moveable. Trust me.

Giambi and Moose are not tradeable. To think otherwise is a pipedream.

Besides, they may need Moose next season. Chamberlain, Hughes, and Kennedy are going to be somewhat limited in their innings pitched for 2008.

You can never have enough pitching because you never know when someone will come up lame as they did in April (Moose, Wang, and Pavano) and September (Clemens and Kennedy).

I'll bet you anything you want that neither Moose nor Giambi will be wearing a different uniform in 2008.

BRONX BOMBER-
I'm with you on leaving Chamberlain in the pen. Why "mess with success"? And where the hell have the "Steinbrenner Boys" been the last 10 yrs? Now they just "waltz" into these Tampa meetings like they know the abilities and personalities of the players that will dictate the future of this great franchise. I just hope those attending the meeting can understand what Hank and Hal are saying with those "silver spoons" hanging out of their mouths.

I believe there is interest in Giambi if the Yanks eat roughly half his contract. The Angels are reported to have shown interest as recently as last season. As for 3rd base, again, sign Rowand, and trade Melky to Atlanta for Escobar. This deal makes sence for both teams.

Chip -

Joba himself said he is going to have to "reinvent " pitches that was idle due ot him being relief , he wanted to learn of his position so he can establish his mindset (that word again)What I love about his comment is he is applying a mature statement.

"You asked me to do RP I "adjusted my mindset to do such stretch run and all" now you want me to start, ok let me know so I can work on dormat pitches and set my mind back on being a SP.

My worries is this .

Joba Pitches and feels he HAS to throw a shutout becasue the Pen is awful.

Managerial Change.

People speak on Mattingly being Mgr. Forgetting that this man has very THIN SKIN. from the Hair issues to the Petty behavior involving the firing of Buck and proposed role (bench player that Torre had for him) that he turned down and pouted out of here. he has had several clashes with the Boss in the past over issues that was petty making one think what happens when managerial critical comments is aimed at him.

Moose will not take a demotion to the pen, and the 3 kids will be in the rotation - you can count on it, plus a revamped pen will help. Wang and Pettite, along with a new pitching coach, will help mentor the youngsters on how to pace themselves during the season. With our offense, giving up 1-3 runs a game will be good enough for 19 wins (ask Wang). And these kids can all stay in that neighborhood. Giambi would be happy to get a chance for some regular ABs and the Yankees will have to concede that the trade for Jason did not meet their expectations. This will free up the DH spot for Matsui. DH/Part time left fielder. Damon has 2 more years left on his contract, so they have to use him. Left field/part time center field would work, especially if Melky does not get better at the plate. Hopefully, he isn't just a "good defense,bad offense" type player.

Giambi will gain intrest as long as one Eats his contract as Roy has stated , Moose would find a suitor as well. Ican see a Moose/cash/ low level Prospect for Hamilton etc.

After reading your post again chip I agree with the talent aspect. however I scared stiff of what our pen would be like.

Sanchez has a mountain of pressure before his first yankee pitch. (is'nt he a starter as well??

After seeing Pitt. take on Morris, that would be my first call in regards to "unloading" Mussina. Mussina\cash\prospect= Jason Bay? He had an "off" year, and the fans in Pitt are irate for the numerous years of absolute failure. Cinn. is a good "target" as their hire of Dusty Baker shows they are after "names" with a history of success, not just bargain basement "parts".

Why would Cincy trade Hamilton? He's probably their best OF, the guy has all five tools and is young. They would unload Griffey, Dunn, Encarnacion and any others before him. Why are we just picking names out of a hat and thinking that teams will take a 38 year old has been like Mike Mussina for? We have to be realistic here.
Offense is not this teams problem, pitching is so why would they trade pitching for more offense?
If A-Rod leaves, there are replacements on the FA market and from within the organization but he's not gone yet so I say the Yanks should work on getting what they don't have: Strong relief pitching and at least one dependable starter.

Because pitching is essential Jim A. Who knows for cash and prospects

Anon,
Pitching is essential that's true that's why I don't understand why anyone would think Cincy wanted Mussina, he's not going to get Hamilton from them.

Anyway, St. Louis just gave Joel Piniero (released by two teams last year) a two year, $13M deal. Wow!

Case Closed .....

The Yanks lost because of their inability to hit lefties whether they be starters or relievers. Duncan is a help there, as is signing Rowand, and trading Melky for Escobar to man 3B in A-OPT's absence. Escobar batted better than .300 against righties and lefties. I'm all for improving the pitching, but it's extremely difficult to acquire good SP or RP, and the price is exorbitant. Letting A-OPT walk & improving the offense against lefties, are the 2 most "realistic" ways to improve this team.

Chip: Andruw Jones is a more overrated defensive player than Jeter. His range has decreased considerably over the past 3 - 4 years. If you want to sign an OF, it would have to be Hunter. Andruw Jones is WAY too much of a free swinger for this team.

Andruw Jones is a caricature of a power hitter. THe guy nearly falls down when he swings and he strikes out more than um...CANO.

Please allow me to speak from a fantasy perspective...I owned A Jones.

I can't tell you how many weeks I'd see 2-26 with no RBI's...I'm telling you WEEKS ON END LIKE THAT!!

I know most here shun the Fantasy Speak but it's a statistical fact the guy's average was LIKE THAT OF A DECENT NL HITTING PITCHER THIS YEAR AND AT TIMES HE WAS AN AUTOMATIC OUT!!

Hunter/Rowand.

That's my final Answer.

PS.

GO TRIBE!!

There will be takers for Moose and he would welcome the opportunity to finish as a starter - which he won't do with the Yankees if Torre does not return. Nothing to be ashamed of, he will do fine pitching in a big ballpark (Shea), against a league that hasn't seen him yet, for about a year or so. Moose isn't a "home grown" Yankee, hasn't won a ring and is in decline, but not enough that teams wouldn't take a chance on him. Get past this misplaced loyalty to Moose. I love the guy for the OVERALL job he did, but it is time to move on. He could replace Glavine in the Mutts rotation, and is just as good, if not better, than El Duque at this point in his career.

And HYD is right again, on Jones. Too many Dunkin' Donuts slowed the bat and foot speed down. Unless he loses 25lbs (like myself) he is finished.

I assume Mussina has a no-trade clause as a 10 and 5 guy so he would probably go to Philadelphia or maybe even back to Baltimore but I don't see those teams as having anything the Yanks would want.

This is true, Jim A. Philly might be a fit, but both parties might be scared off by letting him pitch in the band box ballpark they have over there. Minor league prospects would be good enough (AA,A) to make it happen. Unless Moose retires.

Mike,
I almost hate to see the Yanks give away any starters with their injury history the past couple of years.
I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed that these youngsters can produce in '08.

These double plays are killing me

Have the TV on here at the office

Big Papi's moaning and groaning with his knee injury. Big Deal, Jeter's who isn't complaining thru Media about his hamstring and He play through it unlike Big Papi who's Dh by the way.. Jeter's plays tough position called Shortstop.

Red Sox slugger Ortiz says he faces offseason surgery

[quote]
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/news/story?id=3065339

By Enrique Rojas
ESPNdeportes.com
(Archive)

Updated: October 15, 2007, 10:16 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- David Ortiz almost quit the ALCS between Boston and Cleveland due to an injured knee, the Dominican slugger told ESPNdeportes.com on Monday.

David Ortiz
Ortiz

Designated Hitter
Boston Red Sox

Profile
2007 Season Stats GM HR RBI R OBP AVG
149 35 117 116 .445 .332

"After Saturday's game, my right knee was so swollen that I feared I wouldn't play again for the rest of the series," Ortiz said before Game 3 on Monday night at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

"I spent Sunday in bed, taking medications. It looked really bad," Ortiz said.

Ortiz indicated that he will undergo surgery as soon as the season is over. He has taken a cortisone shot in order to be able to make it through the ALCS, but would rather not face the needle again for the World Series.

"I'm a very traditional man. I'd rather drink some tea than take cortisone," Ortiz joked.

This season has been injury-plagued for Ortiz, who has dealt with back and shoulder problems. Still, he managed to hit .332 with 35 home runs, 52 doubles, 117 RBIs, 116 runs scored and 111 walks.

In the division series against the Los Angeles Angels, he went 5-for-7 with two home runs. He drove in three runs and walked six times to help the Red Sox sweep in three games.

Going into Monday's game, Ortiz had reached base 18 out of 23 times in the postseason and equaled an all-time record by getting on base 10 consecutive times between Game 3 of the division series and Game 2 of the ALCS.

So he's trying to fight through the injury.

"When one has been playing this game for a long time, you learn to deal with pain," Ortiz said. "This is no time for crying. But I really want this season to be over to undergo knee surgery."[/quote]

Red Sox slugger Ortiz says he faces offseason surgery

By Enrique Rojas
ESPNdeportes.com

CLEVELAND -- David Ortiz almost quit the ALCS between Boston and Cleveland due to an injured knee, the Dominican slugger told ESPNdeportes.com on Monday.

David Ortiz
Ortiz

Designated Hitter
Boston Red Sox

Profile
2007 Season Stats GM HR RBI R OBP AVG
149 35 117 116 .445 .332

"After Saturday's game, my right knee was so swollen that I feared I wouldn't play again for the rest of the series," Ortiz said before Game 3 on Monday night at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

"I spent Sunday in bed, taking medications. It looked really bad," Ortiz said.

Ortiz indicated that he will undergo surgery as soon as the season is over. He has taken a cortisone shot in order to be able to make it through the ALCS, but would rather not face the needle again for the World Series.

"I'm a very traditional man. I'd rather drink some tea than take cortisone," Ortiz joked.

This season has been injury-plagued for Ortiz, who has dealt with back and shoulder problems. Still, he managed to hit .332 with 35 home runs, 52 doubles, 117 RBIs, 116 runs scored and 111 walks.

In the division series against the Los Angeles Angels, he went 5-for-7 with two home runs. He drove in three runs and walked six times to help the Red Sox sweep in three games.

Going into Monday's game, Ortiz had reached base 18 out of 23 times in the postseason and equaled an all-time record by getting on base 10 consecutive times between Game 3 of the division series and Game 2 of the ALCS.

So he's trying to fight through the injury.

"When one has been playing this game for a long time, you learn to deal with pain," Ortiz said. "This is no time for crying. But I really want this season to be over to undergo knee surgery."

WAY TO GO TRIBE!!!!! WHOOP THOSE SOX!!!!

The curse of 911

I don't know why i was just thinking this , but the yankees hav'nt won the world series since the yr before 911 happened. That year when the yankees lost to arizona , the whole world wanted to see the yankees win that championship for the city of new york for the terrable tragedy that had just happened. The curse happened when they lost that series, because i think the yankees after 911 have subcontiously put so much pressure on themselves to win another championship for the city of new york for that terrable day that that's why they have been failing. I don't know , i'm sure i'm going to get ripped on for this post , but it was just a thought , and i mean no disrespect to 911 whatsoever.

$103,111,111 well spent

But Dice-K pitched great 10 years ago in big high school games, of course he’ll be great in the American League playoffs!

every time a big japanese import hits the market, we always hear about he is the best one yet to make the jump. daisuke matsuzaka > kaz ishii > hideki irabu > hideo nomo…..

every single time, we as a baseball fans fall for the hype. when will we learn?

Redsox pitching specifically in the rotation is overrated. Outside of Beckett, there staff is not great period. Schilling is old, Matsuzaka has beed subpar for the last month, Wakefield is just a fourth or fifth starter who relies a knuckleball.

Nevertheless, this Matsuzaka first year pitching in the majors, so I I’ll give him a little break but he has not a had a great year overall and for a month and half (including the postseason) he has been atrocious.

If the game was at Fenway though the fans would’ve given Dice a standing o.

(Surprising actually that they cheer the Japanese import at America’s whitest ballpark but boo Drew.)

Nice original thoughts stolen from RAB:

http://riveraveblues.com/2007/10/15/103111111-well-spent/

It is ok to speculate about trades ... most of them won't happen.

I suppose we all come up with a plan in our heads.

I wanted to get Josh Hamilton in 2006 when I read about him in the USA Today ... nice to see him doing well ...

It is fun to think what if ... and we all have our own plans and ideas for the team ... nothing wrong with that.

With Jake Westbrook doing so well tonight, and C. Pena on TBDR htting over 40 HR's, Tim Redding doing well ... you would have to say the Yanks farm system has been a good one ...

Please no more talk about curses ... there are no curses.

Mattingly reported to have notify Mgmt that he is not ready and feel uncomfortable replacing Torre.

I knew it when I said he has thin skin. Love the guy but he has thin skin. Mattingly knowing the front an d back page uproar when Buck was fired played the political card and got burned he should know better and stay quiet especially if he wants to stay. Know people see him a a Torre stoolie.

Torre is doing another Bernie routine

If George Steinbrenner Fires Joe Torre Does That Mean Someone is Doing More Drugs Then Britney Spears?

Anon-1 (Ortiz article): You have to be kidding right? Not only is Ortiz playing, he's been playing pretty well and is always a huge threat. Who cares if he says his knee hurts, the guy is still in the lineup.

Anon-2 (9/11): Please stop that silliness. Can you just accept the fact that since 2001, the Yankees are just a different team? Can you understand that what they did in the late 90's up to 2001 was just about unprecedented in modern era sports? Can we all just be thankful that our team competes every year and we don't have to suffer like teams like the Pirates do?

I think the Yankees actually preferred Girardi as a manager over Mattingly so Donnie gave them an out when he said he didn't think he was ready.

Like Bomber, I love Donnie but I just don't see him as much of a manager. I recall him as the type of player who went out and did his job and never really worried about being a leader so to speak, he just let his actions talk for him but sometimes you need more than that. I'd like very much to see him succeed but I have a gut feeling that he's not the right guy. I'm still stuck on Pena as being the right guy but I know that won't happen.

Christa

No, it means he has finally awakened from his loooonnnngggg coma!!!

Jim A

I'm with you. Pena is the best choice, but is getting no consideration at all. Mattingly was a great player. That doesn't make you a great manager! Look at Ted Williams.

FYI, Ted Williams won "Manager of the Year" in 1969

Granted his teams stunk the next 3 years and he never managed again...

I think it's hard for guys who have natural ability like Ted Williams did to teach and coach players. I think you have to combine the teaching skills with a strong personality in order to succeed in coaching. Look how bad Magic Johnson was with the Lakers, he would get frustrated because the guys couldn't play like he did.
Mattingly is an interesting case because I don't think he possessed an awful lot of raw talent as a player, he had a famous work ethic, one that eventually ruined his career because he would hit so much every day (something like 800 swings per day) that his back couldn't take it. What Mattingly may lack is the leadership/strong personality skills.
I guess we'll know soon enough though. I wonder what he will do if he doesn't like the new manager if there is one? Can anyone see him coaching for another team? That would be hard to see, that's for sure.

If there is a new manager, he should be able to choose his own coaches. Even if he keeps some of the incumbents, every coach should know he owes his job to his manager, and should know his manager has good reason to want him to succeed.

If there is a new manager not named Mattingly, and the Yankees still want to groom him for the future, the place for Donnie next year is managing in the minors.

In fact, even if the manager is named Torre, Donnie should be managing a minor league team. He has had several years to absorb whatever Torre has been teaching. Let's see him put it into practice.

That way the organization and Donnie will both have reason to know whether he's ready when the position next becomes vacant.

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