E-Boland and the Bombers

Enjoy your time off Kat -

If I recall the last time you were off to take a vacation was the day the Yankees inked Tex.

Cubs and Bradley just signed a 3 yr 30 mil deal

Milton Bradley and Lou Piniella together? Wow, incendiary

Chip, I wasn't on vacation when they signed Tex. I was just hoping the news might be quiet for a couple days since I was trying to see family for Christmas even though technically working.

Boss, Diane, and Incognito,

Nice work on the last thread! You guys took care of Easy Rider with class and wit! We all know whom it was, as Incognito pointed it out ;-)!

Seth,

Welcome to the blog! You have been very active and I was impressed when I saw you wrote that you were 16...keep up the good work man!

Pitchers and Catchers soon..I can't wait! I also can't wait to see what NY's next move is as it will either be Pettite or a trade...I just have a gut feeling...maybe both?

TEX is going to lead the Yanks just as Paulie did
once upon a time. You could see it in his eyes as he batted
just under .500 against the R\Sox in the playoffs.
Gritty, Determined, and Destined to become another Yankee
Legend.

Another monumental day in the Franchise of the Yankees. If CC isn't straight out lying to the NY Media and Fans, and doesn't get booed out of the stadium in 3 years, then we will have a solid core of players (assuming no injuries) for the next 5-8 years. I cant wait! Plus, we still have a young Cano, Melky, Gardener, Joba, Hughes, Kennedy and Many, Many, MANNY, more! (ha ha)
Assuming no injuries this can be our predicted core rotation for the next at least 3 years (hopefully more):
1. CC: 28
2. Wang: 28
3. AJ: 31
4. Joba: 23
5. Hughes: 21
OUR OLDEST PROJECTED PITCHER WOULD BE BARELY ACROSS THE 30 BORDERLINE AND 2 PITCHERS ARE IN THEIR EARLY 20'S! THAT'S GROSS!

And if Austin Jackson grows up quick, and one of our many catchers comes through quick, and a supposed Brackman and Melanchon come through, and Cano produces and Arod and Tex stay healthy, then we will have a nice, strong core for a long time! Just think about all of this young projected talent!!
I really am trying to start embracing myself NOW for the Day that Jeter walks. It will be a sad day for him and the Yankees world. I hope rivera makes it long enough so that him and jeter maybe retire at the same time! What a final game ceremony of that season that would be! "Paul Oniel" Chants for 2 players at the same time! How could we comprehend it!

Sorry for this post being alittle out there... Haaa.

Talker,

I sure hope so...it would be nice if he was in the Mattingly/Tino mode as a leader by example in the clubhouse
and offensively and defensively!

I wonder what number Teixeira will wear? Will the Yanks give him the # 25 he wore with the Angels? I'd sort of like to see the line of Yankees first basemen numbers continue- Donnie was 23, Tino 24, Jason 25 so let's make Teix 26!
I forgot who is wearing that right now....I want to say Molina but I can't remember.

The Yanks are running out of numbers!

Have a great vacation Kat- I hope you are going someplace nice (and warm).

Jim A., It is molina who wore 26 last season.

Realist: ive been on the blog for about 2 months now. lol. i started off active, but then dropped off alot and now plan to stay on as much as possible but thanks

Jim,

You're correct 26 is Molina.

I would like him to go with 25 - 25 needs a little more success than Giambi gave it.

Seth,

lol, I haven't been as active the past 2 months so that explains it ;-)...

I don't care what number Teix gets as long as he hits .300 30HRS 100RBIs and fields at a GG level ;-)

Btw, anyone see the rumor on Fox Espanol about Suzuki to NY???

Here is the link...WARNING it is in Spanish and probably isn't very trusteorthy but I thought it would be fun to post;-)!

http://msn.foxsports.com/fsi/fslasc/story/beisbol/mlb?contentId=8998360

Basicaly Matsui and Swish for Ichiro and The Yanks going for Manyy after it is done....whoa, take it for what it is worth, which is probably nothing!

Geez fat fingers today :-(

For whoever needs translation, the story, by Jorge Morejon for Fox Sports International, and dated 12/29, has this for a lead:

'The Yankees continue taking steps to form perhaps the most powerful team in history, and while they debate among themselves about whether to sign Manny or not, they could fill one of the few remaining holes with nothing more nor less than the acquisition of Ichiro Suzuki as leadoff hitter and center fielder.'

It goes on to review the characteristics and contracts of the players involved, and adds that a minor league hitting prospect might also be included (no name given) as well as Matsui and Swisher.

No sources are quoted and the story is a week old.

I'm going on record as saying that if any of you guys advocate the Yanks giving Tex #25, Jim A will hunt you down like a dog!

Other than Giambi being one of his favorite Yanks, he probably dropped a bundle on Giambi Yankee Jerseys.

I know that the Yanks are running out of numbers. maybe they'll start a new line of numbers with "01", "02" etc.

Kat,

Have a nice vacation and enjoy your time off.

I think it's safe to say that the above report about Manny and Ichiro are bogus regardless of what language it's written in.

We've heard for three months that the Yanks' focus is to get younger and more athletic on defense.

Manny (36) and Ichiro (35) don't exactly fit the profile.

Ichiro also has 4 yrs/$68M left on his current deal. The Yanks would be insane to take on that contract at his age given the older guys they already have locked up.

Diane and Viper,

I know it is bogus...I thought you would know by now that I like posting nonsensical "rumors" ;-)...

It would definately go against spending less and getting younger but hey if they can watch "Sabado Gigante"
then they probably can sell it to their subscribers ;-)

Kat,

Forgot my manners! Enjoy your vaction as it is well earned...

John G.,

Happy New Year my friend!

The Yankees are probably done with FA's for this year. The trade route may bring about a utility inf and the 5th spot in the rotation if Andy P. ever gets around to making a decision. If he doesn't believe that his 10 million a year contract is fair. He should wait for Lowe to sign and then make a decision. He might be able to swing a couple more dollars out of the Yanks. ST should be very interesting as teams get a look at some players from other clubs and trades are negoiated. The economy has a many clubs taking a slow hard look at value for the buck. Some good names may still be avialable near February.

John G,
It may surprise you to know that I've only owned 3 Yankees jersey's in my entire life, two of which I still have and wear to games and they are:
Nettles # 9- Home
Munson # 15- Home
Mattingly # 23- Away

My brother inherited (stole) my Nettles jersey when I left home for college.

To continue the conversation from the last thread between Dru and Seth about the MLB network.
I am hooked on this thing already. They had Boras on tonight and they seem to have some of the better sportswriters like Verducci on all the time. I totally agree with Dru about Harold Reynolds- I think the hype about him went to his head big time because he will not shut the heck (was going to use another word until I remembered Seth is only 16) up! I saw the part where he interrupted Al Leiter half a dozen times and proclaimed his word as the last. He started getting on my nerves while he was doing the playoff games on TBS and he has continued to do so.

Some surprises on the MLB Net. though: Joe Magrane is very good and Mitch Williams is a lot better than I expected. I put Mitch up there with Troy Aikman in the surprise category as I expected Aikman to get behind the microphone and basically stumble through games but he is pretty good and now Mitch Williams is surprisingly astute as well.
Also, MLB Net. seems to break news faster than most other sports outlets as well.....I like it!

I know its most likely not true, but Id do that deal in a heartbeat! I love Ichiro's game. Hes a lock for 162 games, 210+ hits, 110+ Runs and 40+ SB's, plus the ground he would cover in CF would improve our D exponentially. Ichiro is an amazing talent and I would do a deal of Matsui, Swisher and Melk today! Please be true!!!!!

Dru, and all other skeptics to this deal, I would not at all be surprised if there were some truth to this. (IF THIS DOES EVENTUALLY HAPPEN, BOOKMARK ME AS THE FIRST 1 TO CALL IT ON THIS THREAD!!) Although it is very unlikely, we know some of the top officials wanted Manny, but it is ludicrous to spend $25 million especially with Tex. Ichiro as Dru pointed out is just an absolute force in the lineup and would vastly improve our D. Of course, I dont think a trade of Swish and Hideki would get it done, but I wouldnt mind trading Kennedy in there if thats what it would cost, but most certainly not Hughes. Ichiro could play center this year, while damon is in left and Nady in right, then next year, ichiro moves to right assuming nady is signed and he moves to left, while the supposed Jackson is ready to take his prime in the 2010 season. Although not likely to happen, I would love it love it love it!

Everyone: The signing of Burrell to the Rays is perfect. He is the perfect player for that team. Hitting fifth behind an already stacked lineup including Pena, Crawford and Longoria, he should be set for a great year. Their lineup looks that much better.

Can we all give predictions for the AL Playoff Teams next year: who wins each division and who makes it to wild card with what records they will need focusing on the AL East in this format:
AL West Winner:
Record:

AL Central Winner:
Record:

AL East Winner:
AL East 2nd Place:
AL East 3rd Place:
Records of all 3:

Wild Card Winner:
Record:

Thanks alot! Hopefully we got alot of responses!!

i'm absolutely psyched if anyone can tell about this upcoming season and cannot wait for spring training i am glued to this blog lately and i hope you guys think im not annoying and think i have good views or watever and if you guys think i am incorrect about alot of stuff, then i would just watch rather than post if that could make the blog better.

Jim,
The MLB Network hooked me on day 1 with the Larsen perfect game and I can't get enough of that channel. Just waiting for it in HD. Harold Reynolds was good but I agree that he has become a bit of an egomaniac as I saw him cut down Magrane and Williams the other night. Overall, its a pretty awesome thing to have with good reports from somewhat reliable sources. This is better than watching the NESPN for baseball news, at least there's no Red Sox slant.

I'm absolutely hooked on the MLB network. Love the different shows they give about moments in baseball. Analysis thus far has been pretty good although its all been about hot stove and speculation.

I enjoyed Harold Reynolds when he worked on baseball tonight and I enjoyed him the first few days on the network, but today he kind of annoyed me because it seems he thinks he invented the show,thus he is the one who leads everything. He was cutting people off left and right, and acted as if his opinion was the one that mattered most. And how many times does he have to mentioned his Mariners sheesh. But overall it's been a great experience, just another reason for daily procrastination!!!

Seth I'm excited about the season as well, ever since the first rumor about CC I've been addicted to this blog and every other baseball news source, and almost ended up in an asylum (Sup Jim A), I've even had a dream about being at the first game in the new yankee stadium. What an offseason it's been huh Seth. ahhh life is good!!!

I am going to have to agree with Viper on this one. Taking on Ichiro's 17mil a year for the next 4 years would not be a smart move. Not to mention signing Manny as well.

The team is very solid as is right now. Figuring out what Pettitte is going to do is the only thing I feel the Yanks need to address. I would love to see Pettitte pitch in the new stadium and potentially offer another 200inning season in the number FOUR hole!! Just one year ago we were relying on him to be our number two guy. CRAZY!

I know everyone likes to toy with the idea of trading one of our corner outfielders but the fact is there is an abundance of them on the market and we probably wouldn't get much in return. Holding on to them is the smartest thing to do and hope Swisher and Nady produce well enough to use them as trade bait half way through the season if we need to fill another hole.

This will not be an easy season fighting with the Red Sox and the Rays for 38 regular season games. We very well may need to make a big trade during the season to address some needs and stay in the fight.

Let's Go Yanks!

Dave,
We went from the mental hospital to euphoria didn't we? I mean, the dream scenario actually came through as the Yanks got all three players most all of us wanted (even if the deal for AJ is about 2-3 years too long). I can't wait for the season to start!

So who is the girl on MLB Network? I think her name is Trenni or something funky like that. I know MLB pulled a bunch of people from different regions so I wondered who she was working for before. I'll have to look her up.
She seems pretty good, if not a little nervous.
Victor Rojas (saw his dad Cookie play quite a bit) is pretty good too.

Seth: Hopefully you are in school right now :) I hate making predictions but will do it for the heck of it in a little while.

Jim,

They got her from the Brewers. Not the first place I'd look for on-air talent - although I'd love to see Bob Uecker associated with the network.

Guys like Bob Costas, Bob Uecker, and Vin Scully have always reminded me of Little League and then playing ball in junior high and high school.

BTW, it's funny how we learn the little things about the regulars here like Seth being 16 years old and Talker being the opposite gender.

Geez, 16 years old. Hell, I graduated high school 17 years ago and graduated from college about 12 years ago.

Sigh. Makes me feel old.

Seth,

It's nothing against your poll questions, I just don't know enough about all the teams involved to make predictions that would even be worth reading... ;-)

Everybody,

Now that it's been reliably reported (New York Times, etc.) that Pettitte has actually turned down the $10M and NYY has taken that offer off the table, any new thoughts on the number four slot in the rotation? (NO, I'm not suggesting we restart the merry-go-round on AP's relative worth -- just wondering what you'd like to see our FO do for a fourth starter now, assuming that these reports are correct... )

I'm still sticking with my original position even if the report is correct.

An eventual deal with Pettitte makes too much sense for both sides not to happen.

That door hasn't been officially closed and now it appears that both sides are at least talking with the holidays over.

I still say he'll resign.

Viper -

You are old my friend.

That said - onto new business - or maybe it's old business, I can't tell anymore:

Andy has officially rejected the Yankees offer - can we move on now?

Can we offer John Smoltz a 1 year 8 mil deal and let him be the 5th starter? I know, he hasn't exactly been the model of health the last few years, but think of it this way. If he can't hold up to starting over the course of the season, you let Hughes or Aceves take it and use Smoltz to set up Mo.

If you think Smoltz is too old - sign Mark Mulder for 1 year with a low base salary, lots of incentives based on health and a vesting option if he pitches a certain number of innings.

Too big a risk - fine - sign Jon Garland. He may not be the prettiest girl at the dance, but you know he'll take the mound when his turn is up.

Offer Nick Swisher to the Reds for Aaron Harang or to the Royals for Brian Bannister and Coco Crisp

Just wait, Chip.

He's going to resign. You watch.

No thanks on Smoltz. Sure, if he was healthy - I'd love to have him. But he's probably not going to be ready until May or June.

That doesn't sound like a wise Plan B.

Garland would be fine as a Plan B if he would accept a one-year deal. Too bad that won't happen and they don't need someone blocking the kids for another 3 years.

Viper -

What part of Andy rejecting the offer and the Yankees saying that it is off the table if he changes his mind - gives you confidence that he's coming back?

I don't think the Yankees are going to budge on their number. And I think that Andy will, quite possibly, take his ball and go home.

I'll tell you this though - if he winds up with another team for 11 or 12 mil I never want to hear his name spoken in the Bronx again.

Viper- I know what you mean about young Seth. I mean, dude was born in '92! I was globetrotting that year so I remember it well. I spent 8 months overseas and came back to find that my girlfriend had decided to move in with me- which was awkward because I had planned on ending the relationship but wanted to wait until I got home so I didn't do it over the phone. Yikes!
Yeah, I feel old too.

Pettitte: Has to be the dumbest jock alive and that is saying something if the report is true. Like Viper though, I think something will get done with the Yanks.

Okay Seth, here is my prediction for 2009- and it's not worth anything because it's merely a guess:

AL East:
1st- NYY- 99-63
2nd- Boston- 92-70
3rd- Tampa- 91-71

Wild Card- Boston

Now I'd like to start a debate and read some of your opinions, even if it doesn't have to do with the Yanks, so here's my question:

Is Pedro Martinez a Hall of Famer?
I say it's a tougher debate than Mussina, even if the answer comes back no, which is the way I'm leaning right now.

Pros: Completely dominant for about 5 years, Cy Young winner, WS winner

Cons: Won't reach 300 wins; career is relatively short as is his dominant period, only playoff memory I have of him is (for him) a bad one.

What do you folks think?
AL

We'll see, Chip.

But don't be shocked if a deal gets hammered out within the next week or so now that the FO is back from the holidays.

And by most media accounts, they've said that the door hasn't been closed.

You may be ready to move on, but that doesn't mean the Yanks have officially done so.

By the way - I would like to take some of the money that the Yankees are now not paying Andy and sign Alex Cora to fill their utility infielder role.

I think Pedro is a hall of famer - at his best he was the most dominant pitcher in baseball for about 10 years.

Viper -

Ok. But don't be shocked if Andy is pitching for Bobby Cox next year. As much sense as it may make for him to come to the Yankees, it makes just as much sense for him to wind up with the Braves.

If he wants to stick it to the Yankees, he'll sign with the Dodgers and play for Torre - possibly taking less than 10 mil to do so. And he'll do the same thing he did when he went to Houston, say that it just seemed the Yankees didn't "really" want him...blah blah blah.

I'm telling you, as someone who absolutely worshiped at the altar of Pettitte and thought the day he signed with the Astros was a dark day for the Yankees - his friendship with Roger Clemens affected Andy and not for the better. He is all about the money and doesn't give a rat's arse about the Yankees. He does it with a disarming "aw shucks" Opie from Mayberry style, but he's no different than Clemens.

Thanks a lot guys, I was tossing and turning last night thinking about Ichiro coming to the Bronx. Now I have something else to obsess about!! Sugar plums were dancing in my head on how Ichiro would fit into our lineup. To break up the lefties, I would have Ichriro lead off and Damon bat 3rd ( he has enough power to get 18-20 HR's, speed, a great eye, will take walks ) Imagine that lineup for a minute ( I have been all night )

Ichiro - L
Jeter - R
Damon - L
Teix - S
Arod - R
Posada - S
Nady - R
Cano - L

Who would DH you say? WHO CARES!!! Id leave it open and have the 3 OF's rotate with Gardner, give Miranda a couple shots, Hell, Id be inclined to bring Giambi back for 6M. Getting rid of the Swisher and Matsui contracts would equal to bringing in Ichiro and another bat..just not Manny.

OK OK, let me stop there. I gotta stop dreaming, back to reality, so Andy is playing hard to get? I still think he signs when its all said and done for 1/12M. What if he doesnt? What are our other options for 1 year deals???

1. Smoltz, he's such a gamer that I would be willing to take the risk involved.

2. Bart Colon, he was pretty decent in Boston last year. ( 3.92 ERA )

3. Paul Byrd, an innings eater that pitched OK in Boston for 40+ innings. Very durable.

4. Jon Lieber, he's a guy that will throw strikes and has pitched here before.

5. Freddy Garcia, had a setback this winter, needs to prove health.

6. Pedro Martinez, he's really lost it the past couple years. Apparently he's in the best shape of this life, but he's pretty much just an innings eater..and not a very good one.

7. Livan Hernandez, the human pitching machine. If you like a 6.00 ERA, he's our guy!

I dont think the last three guys are real good options for us. I think 1-3 are very realistic options for us on 1 year deals, Lieber is an OK option, they would all probably sign for 10M or even less. Other than that guys like Oli Perez, Sheets, Lowe, Garland will get multi year deals. If Andy has rejected the offer, lets throw feelers out to those 4 guys and see what we have.

That blonde lass over at the MLB network makes Kim Jones look like Kim Kardashian and Erin Andrews look like....Well Erin Andrews.

E.A. is quite the reporter. ;-)

What's funny is i could swear I read redsox fans were bragging about how attractive this trinna person was and then I realized most boston fans hang around in disgusting grease pit bars and she's probably the belle at the ball up there in Beantown.

Chip,

I've said it before, but I never cared about all of that other stuff about Pettitte.

You let that stuff get under your skin.

All I care about is assembling a rotation that is better than either the Rays or Red Sox. This isn't about his "true Yankee" status or any of that garbage.

I'd be more open to safer alternatives if there were any. But he's still the best option for what they need - and it makes too much sense for it not to happen.

Phucker,
I think the Boston fans like the girl who, thus far anyway, has been doing voice overs on some of the stories MLB Net. is doing. I haven't seen her face yet, but I believe she left NESN last year and has name that might begin with an A or one that sounds like an old lady's name.
I don't think Boston fans know this Trinna(?) person any more than we do.

Dru: I wonder how Eric Milton is doing? Let's root for a big comeback for him for our 5 spot! A lefty who loves being a Yankee so much he has it tatooed on his body- can't beat that.

Here's an interesting quote in ESPN.com's story: Last month, Pettitte told The Times that he wanted to return to the Yankees but was leaving the matter to his agents.

Your agents work for you. If you want to return to the Yankees you tell them "Work out a deal with the Yankees." When the Rangers were close to sending Pudge to the Yankees for Posada because conversations with Pudge's agent weren't going well - Pudge walked into Tom Hicks' office and worked out a deal. When Boras was close to working out a deal for Bernie to go play for Boston - Bernie worked out a deal. If you want to be here, if you actually want to pitch here because you want to pitch here and not because you want to pitch here for X amount of dollars - then you call Cashman and you say "Cash, we've known eachother all our professional lives, lets work out a deal." Brian made the effort, he went to Andy's house to talk to him, he's given him every opportunity to accept a contract that is better than he's going to get anywhere else in the league.

What the hell Pettitte?

Don't tell everyone you are "dying" to play for the Yanks in the new Yankee stadium and when the Yanks offer you a MORE than reasonable offer you reject it? I thought i wasn't about the money with you?

If I am the Yanks I don't think I would sign anyone then. No to Sheets, Smoltz, Garland, Ollie, ect.....

Give the Young guys a shot at the #5 spot. If that doesn't work out and the Yanks still need a better option half way through the season then they make a trade using one of our soon to be free agent corner outfielders or Swisher.

Seth: I am not ready to predict anything until spring training begins and all the off season moves are finished. Yeah, i know. I'am no fun.

Jim A.: I think they are both on the HOF bubble. You can make a case for either of them to make it or not make it. But I would say Pedro has a better chance because of these numbers:

3,117 Career Strike Outs (Tied for #13 for All Time)
2.91 Career ERA
3 Cy Young Awards
World Series Ring

I liked Swisher in his interviews sounds excited I'd try to hang on to everybody and make a deal at the break if it's called for.

As far as Pettite....

Give him 11 million and bring him in.

And if he is pitching for somebody else over a million dollars or 2 then he is dead to me also.

Jim, when Pedro was in his prime, he was THE BEST SP Ive ever seen. Better than Ryan, better than Clemens, better than RJ....there is no other SP I can think of since the early 80's that was as dominate as Pedro was from 1997-2003. He was throwing multiple complete games, SHO's, win % was off the charts, he was striking out 300 guys a year and his ERA's were ( 1.90, 2.89, 2.07, 1.74, 2.39, 2.26, 2.22 ). That isnt good, its a 7 year stretch that would hard to beat by any SP, EVER. He had an almost 10-1 K-BB ratio over those 7 years and his WHIP was below 1 in 5 of the 7 years. He could blow the pitch by you or make you look silly swinging 20 feet too soon or too late with his nasty breaking stuff. He had it all on the mound!

Please list the SPs you think are the best over the past 30 years...think hard again, then realize how good Pedro was for those 7 years and it would be hard not to put him on top. Ill give you Maddux who from 92 to 02 was nothing short of perfect and over his career is the best SP of our generation. Over their entire careers, Maddux and Roger have better numbers, with that info you could ague that both are better than Pedro. I can understand that, but if it was game 7 of the WS and you had one guy in their prime who you would want on the mound...I would take Pedro without a doubt. Im my mind, he's a lock for the Hall.

Jim, when Pedro was in his prime, he was THE BEST SP Ive ever seen. Better than Ryan, better than Clemens, better than RJ....there is no other SP I can think of since the early 80's that was as dominate as Pedro was from 1997-2003. He was throwing multiple complete games, SHO's, win % was off the charts, he was striking out 300 guys a year and his ERA's were ( 1.90, 2.89, 2.07, 1.74, 2.39, 2.26, 2.22 ). That isnt good, its a 7 year stretch that would hard to beat by any SP, EVER. He had an almost 10-1 K-BB ratio over those 7 years and his WHIP was below 1 in 5 of the 7 years. He could blow the pitch by you or make you look silly swinging 20 feet too soon or too late with his nasty breaking stuff. He had it all on the mound!

Please list the SPs you think are the best over the past 30 years...think hard again, then realize how good Pedro was for those 7 years and it would be hard not to put him on top. Ill give you Maddux who from 92 to 02 was nothing short of perfect and over his career is the best SP of our generation. Over their entire careers, Maddux and Roger have better numbers, with that info you could ague that both are better than Pedro. I can understand that, but if it was game 7 of the WS and you had one guy in their prime who you would want on the mound...I would take Pedro without a doubt. Im my mind, he's a lock for the Hall.

Chip,

We've seen negotiations like this many, many times.

When it looked like Bernie was going to end up with the Red Sox - he took control and worked out a deal to come back.

The same thing happened last season when A-Rod was supposedly gone and he called the Yanks to get a deal done.

Until the Yanks actually move on and acquire someone else for that last rotation slot or Pettitte signs with another club or retires - the door is not closed to his return.

Chip,

We've seen negotiations like this many, many times.

When it looked like Bernie was going to end up with the Red Sox - he took control and worked out a deal to come back.

The same thing happened last season when A-Rod was supposedly gone and he called the Yanks to get a deal done.

Until the Yanks actually move on and acquire someone else for that last rotation slot or Pettitte signs with another club or retires - the door is not closed to his return.

Chip,

Since Rosenthal is one of your boys that you often quote - here's one from his column today:

----------------------------

The Yankees still want to re-sign free-agent left-hander Andy Pettitte, with one source saying, "The door is not closed. When there's a will, there's a way." Pettitte, 36, has balked at the Yankees' one-year, $10 million offer, but the two sides could compromise by enabling Pettitte to approach his previous $16 million salary through reasonably attainable appearance-based incentives ...

Viper -

It makes sense at 10 mil - it makes no sense if the Yankees have to fork over more than double what Andy can get on the open market.

I'm telling you - Andy is going to wind up with Atlanta for 2 years $16 - $18 mil.

I get that you're worried about Smoltz's injury - but I think the Yankees can hold down the fort for April and possibly until Memorial Day if that's what it takes to get Smoltz healthy. Especially early on when they only really need 4 starters anyway

And you're right - we've seen guys come back to the GM and work out a deal - and I cited those guys - when negotiations weren't going well they took over the negotiations themselves and worked out a deal - Andy, by his own words, is content to let his agents handle this.

I agree with what McCarthy said above - don't tell everyone you're dying to pitch here and then, when no one is looking, throw in "for $16 mil." And if, by some strange twist, Andy does come back - I don't want to hear one effing word about how he wanted to come here for any reason other than the money.

Do we really want Andy to have appearance-based incentives? He is willing to pitch when he is hurting too much to pitch well. Will that help the Yankees win any more in the new season than it did last year?

Viper -

If it happens like that it happens. Personally I think it would be a terrible deal but it's not my money.

And like I just said, if it happens, I don't want to hear one word out of his mouth about his desire to open the new stadium, his love of the Yankee fans or any of that - he's here because of the money. End of discussion. And if he stinks (and he will - now that he is pitching clean) I will be the first to call for him to be bumped for Hughes or Aceves.

I honestly don't think I realized how much I dislike Andy until today - sad but true - he might be my least favorite Yankee at this point. At least Sheffield and Clemens were up front about the fact that they were all about the almighty dollar.

Dru,
I agree about Pedro's dominance- but six years is a relatively short term don't you think? Look at Don Mattingly, he was dominant, the best player in the game, but only for a short term so he doesn't get into the Hall without a ticket- is it just because he is a position player?
You are right, over that period, it's hard to compare any other pitcher w/ Pedro and I had forgotten about his game against Cleveland in the playoffs when he came in and pitched no hit ball on short rest to bail out the Sox who were in big trouble in that game.

On Maddux: Frankly, he has never impressed me all that much. Yes, he can hit a gnat in the ass from 60 feet away but I never looked at a schedule and said "oh man, Maddux is pitching tonight, I've got to watch that game!" and I never got worried when the Yanks faced him. Maddux reached a lot of milestones in his career, which was a very, very good one- but a lot of his milestones were reached while he was hanging on.

Pettitte sees Lowe sitting on $12 MM per for 3 seasons and
figures he's worth $12 MM for 1 season. My guess is they'll
split the difference, sign him for $11 MM, with an additional $1
MM in incentive dough.
The Ichiro thing is crazy. No way the Yanks should take on
the salary of a 37 yr old beginning to decline, and absolutely no
way Kennedy should be included in that deal. The only deal
Kennedy would be included in, would be a possible Peavy deal.
If we give up Kennedy or Hughes, we gotta get a proven MLB
pitcher back.

Diane -

Great point.

If Andy has a million bucks on every start he makes over 20 and he knows it's his last contract whose to say he won't go out there hurting and be just as ineffective as he was down the stretch last year. And then what, Andy finishes 14-14 with an ERA around 4.5 after blowing game after game in August and September and Kat comes on here one day in October with a report that Andy had an MRI on a sore shoulder that he pitched with through much of the season.

Jim A,

You have three jerseys? That's 2 more than I have. I have a bunch of Yankee hats, but I don't like to wear hats.

Realist,

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU MY FRIEND! :-)

New Year's Eve was going great until my youngest (20 years old) decided that he was going to drink just a little too much. He didn't get sick in the traditional sense because he ate first and didn't mix drinks. However, he would up having a pain crisis and he's still in pain. He's a sicle cell/thalasymia patient (blood disorder) and he would up dehydrating because of the alchohol. He needs to keep hydrated and he didn't do that. His legs and arms were cramping up pretty bad and the only thing that could be done for him was to give him pain killers. His doctor said that the other than the meds, they can admit him to the hospital for 5 days and he'd be hooked up to a morphine drip.

Kids!

If Pettitte is gone than I'd be in favor of getting Ollie perez for that 5th spot in the rotation. Maybe having guys like CC, Burnett and Wang will make this kid focus better and cut down on his walks. He could be a sleeper for us.

Hey all.
Ok, first, Smoltz is not coming to the Bronx. He will not want a 1/8 deal, or even a 1/10 IMO. Andy Pettite rejected the Yanks offer, as we all know. At this point, I say dont try and hook him and if he bites, hell bite. Maybe even down the offer to about 8 or 9 million. To me, anyone who doesnt want to be a Yankee and is not motivated enough to be on an AllStar Staff of Aces and have 10mill at the age of 37 is nuts and not worth having on my team.
In other news MLBRumors.com reports that Nady and Swisher are drawing 'significant interest' from several teams in the NL such as the pirates, braves and not sure but i think the giants. I really hope the Yankees dont trade Nady, but if they trade Swish maybe it is a pre-move leading up to my next topic
Ichiro: I know it is unlikely, but i am so anxious since someone posted that report in spanish. I used google translator and translated to english; it worked nicely. I really doubt it, but maybe they are trading Swish to clear some pay and get some prospects in return to trade to seattle. I know it sounds crazy but i really want that to happen, and we could probably still cut below the last season payroll!!
Jim A., i do not think Pedro is a hall of famer. he will suffer the same thing as Mattingly; they both had their period of dominance, but it didn't last over the span of a whole career, or even the majority. Pedro was nasty with Boston, but since leaving, he has just faded away into a sub-par pitcher. It is kinda sad considering this guy was well on his way to 300 wins.

Just some speculation here: Just imagine how dirty Roy Halladays career numbers would be if he werent playing on Toronto with no offense? Especially last year. WOW.

Also, imagine if the Yankees couldve pulled off the Matsui for Lincecum last season.

And finally, how old are you guys?
Until the other day, i thought i was conversing with a bunch of people my age to like 20 25 year olds. Ha.

Pedro was outstanding, but I'd take Nollie in his prime. Ryan
pitched for several mediocre Angel teams which blunted his still
great numbers. He even came very close to no-hitting the
Reggie Jax Yanks. Nollie over Pedro is an easy call.

JIM A, I swear to you that before i wrote that comment about Mattingly in my last post, you hadnt wrote anything about mattingly yet, because my CPU stalled and by the time it was done publishing it, urs was there. POO.
Also, if we dont get pettite, vote for one of these options:
- Use the money we wanted to invest in Pettite on other areas than pitching, such as a hitter (LOL)
- Use the money we wanted to invest in Pettite on another pitcher such as: Oliver, Smoltz, Sheets, Wolf, etc.
- We dont invest anymore money, and let the kids try out and fight for the 5th spot

Onley is reporting the following:

Giambi is on the verge of agreeing to a deal with the A's worth $5.25MM guaranteed - $4MM the first year plus a $4MM 2010 option with a $1.25MM buyout. Quite affordable!

I honestly don't think I realized how much I dislike Andy until today - sad but true - he might be my least favorite Yankee at this point. At least Sheffield and Clemens were up front about the fact that they were all about the almighty dollar.

---------------

That's okay, Chip,

You couldn't stand Moose last season either and he did just fine. You often griped about him whenever he had a rough inning or two.

Dislike Petttite all you want. Maybe that will be a good omen and he'll pitch way beyond expectations.

From CBS SPORTSLINE - the Brian fuentes talk was intresting.

A recent Ned Colletti-Scott Boras conversation about Manny Ramirez didn't result in progress. Boras still has his sights on at least $100MM over four years. Rosenthal adds that Manny is "cool to the idea of playing in San Francisco."
Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady are drawing "significant interest." Rosenthal speculates that the Giants, Braves, or Pirates would make sense.
The door is not closed with the Yankees and Andy Pettitte. Pettitte recently rejected the Yanks' one-year, $10MM offer.
Some Mets people prefer Oliver Perez to Derek Lowe. The Braves have yet to speak to Boras about Lowe, while the Brewers and Phillies have financial concerns about fitting him in.
Trevor Hoffman has a West Coast preference (the Dodgers or maybe a Padres reconciliation) but interest with the Brewers is mutual. Other relievers on the Dodgers' radar: Juan Cruz, Guillermo Mota, and Dennys Reyes.
Brian Fuentes' agent had serious talks with the Yankees, but no offer was made. Fuentes would've been Mariano Rivera's set-up man and perhaps taken over upon his retirement.
Rosenthal notes that MLB kicked in a small part of the $10MM owed to Sidney Ponson from their luxury tax pool, which is not uncommon.
If they can afford it, the Rays would like to sign Gabe Kapler.
The Orioles, Red Sox, and A's are interested in Gregg Zaun.
Perhaps because of the cool market for his services, Orlando Cabrera is willing to play second base. The Yankees did not have interest.
That Gavin Floyd for Brian Roberts rumor "seemingly arose from internal discussions among Orioles officials."

I don't like the idea of leaving the 5th spot to Hughes or Aceves YET. Too much can go wrong in the Yankees rotation and if we've learned anything from the past few seasons, it's that if it can go wrong, it probably will.

Burnett could get hurt- then you have Joba, Hughes AND Aceves or another youngster in the rotation. Joba and Hughes on innings limits, Joba had a sore shoulder last year and Hughes saw the doctor too many times the past two seasons.

I think it's very important that the Yanks get someone who can give them 200 innings out of the 4 spot. Injuries will happen, but what the Yanks should avoid is having Sabathia and Wang and a bunch of youngsters for most of the season.

Seth: Why aren't you in school? I'm serious. Oh, and I'm 42, but I'm very immature (just ask my wife).

Seth,

I've been around this blog for multiple seasons and most of what I can say about the blog age-wise falls under two points:

1. We don't have a large Florida contingent for nothing -- that's where a certain swathe of New Yorkers goes when they hit retirement age. You'll know for sure when they mention seeing guys play that wore the uni so long ago you have only a vague idea who they might be.

2. We didn't have manic hysteria over the kiddy crew for nothing last year -- youngsters want to see someone their age on top of the world! Disappointment has settled them down but you'll still see them leaning over backwards to make excuses for the younger guys and hating (sometimes subtly) on anyone who manages to pass 30.

If you read with attention you'll see we've got plenty of 20-somethings and plenty of retired guys.

Just a few clues to help you figure out who you're talking to.

P.S. Of course we've got some people like Jim A. who disappear at times for job-related travel and other stuff that indicates more of a mid-career guy with family responsibilities. Those are the guys probably in their forties. Not quite as many posts from this age group -- they're busy people.

I'd make the deal for Ichiro if there is real interest. Yes, he's old, but he hasn't slowed down at all. I think he's the type of hitter that can maintain his level of production into his 40s. $17M per season isn't bad for a guy who puts in 162 games a year, 200+ hits, 100+ runs, 40+ SBs, and great defense. He can play CF until Austin Jackson is ready, and move over to RF or LF. He can take over the leadoff spot for Damon after next year. Love Matsui, but don't think he can be as productive as he used to be, and is a huge liability in the field. He's making $13M this year, Swisher is making $3.6M, so that would almost cover Ichiro's salary for 2009.

Viper -

My dislike of Moose was completely different - my problem with Moose was that for him to be good everything related to his routine had to go perfectly.

Andy wants to trade on his reputation to get more money and counts on his public reputation as a fan favorite and "true Yankee" to sway public opinion in his favor. I think that's cheap.

And for the record, Mussina took a paycut in his second contract with the Yankees when his performance dictated it.

A minor note - Sergio Mitre (whom the Yankees inked to a minor league deal) will be suspended 25 games for substance abuse

Good deal for both Giambi and the A's.

Viper -

I'll also say this:

You were CERTAIN that the Yankees wouldn't sign AJ
You were CERTAIN that the Yankees wouldn't sign Tex and CC
You were CERTAIN Boston wouldn't trade Manny

so now that you're CERTAIN Andy will be back, maybe it bodes well for those of us who won't mind him hitting the road.

HAH!!

You guys have the BEST FIGHTS!!

Hey Chip how do you make CERTAIN bold like that?

Pedro would be in the hall and the steroids era wil lhelp his cause. as for mattingly players like Frank thomas, grace , etc hurt him now some would say well steroid era ok what about Tino, Tex, Pujols

Koufax career was short

Phucker -

We're here to entertain!

HTML tags for bold or italics.

____________________

There's a rumor being floated of a potential Swisher for Paul Maholom deal...

hee hee, Ohh mwy Gosh , That Vipah did'nt swee thaf uppercut faawom Chipper hee hee. Lwisten here man if he don;t wanna pawaay for the Yankeths then so be wit . Chippers punches remind me of my Mwitch Gween fight , Viper is towatally ludacris yeah I spell like the rapper but swo what , Hee hee

Chip,

I think you've been smoking too many mushrooms.

Never said they wouldn't sign Burnett. You've made that mistake before and you were wrong then too.

I didn't like the idea of signing Burnett and I hoped the reports were wrong - but I never said the Yanks wouldn't sign him.

And if you recall, when you and most others on this board didn't think Sabathia was coming to the Bronx at the beginning of the Winter Meetings - I said all along they would eventually land him because they offered the most money by a mile.

Find the quote where I said they'd never sign Sabathia and I'll send you my next paycheck. Stop with your BS lies.

Take a good look at this thread and tell me what I said about Sabathia:

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/blog/2008/12/how_long_is_too_long_to_wait_f.html#comments

Since nobody in the media thought Teixeria was coming to the Bronx - I wasn't alone on that one.

And it's obvious they decided to swoop in and land him at the last minute because now they have too many outfielders with Swisher on the team and possibly looking to deal one of them.

Bomber -

Tex has a long way to go.

Pujols will likely get in.

No to Tino, no to Mattingly, no to the Crime Dog

I think of the recent retirees (or guys about to retire) we have the automatics:

Maddux
Junior
Unit

The probables
Pudge
Piazza
Thomas
Glavine
Smoltz

the it'll take some time but it'll happen group:
Moose
Pedro
Schilling
Hoffman

and the it depends on the roids group:
Clemens
Bonds
Sosa

Viper -

Find me where I said that you said you were certain the Yankees wouldn't sign Sabathia? What I said was you were certain the Yankees wouldn't sign Sabathia and Tex and chided those of us who even suggested it as a possibility.

I'm just saying, much as you may not like to believe it, you can be wrong too...just like the rest of us.

Jim A, yes, hands down HOFer. With Pedro, it was more like 10 years, and what an amazing 10 years. Compare them to Koufax entire career. Plus the 3000 Ks is always huge. It's one of those magic numbers, like 300, 500, etc.

By the way, did you play strat-o-matic baseball as a kid?

Interesting note from Ken Rosenthal in the article that Viper quoted me earlier:

Before signing with the Angles the representatives for Brian Fuentes approached the Yankees about signing Fuentes to set up for Mo for 2 years and then taking over as the closer after Mariano's contract expired - the Yankees politely declined.

And it sounds like Cano is going nowhere. Also in that article there is word that Orlando Cabrera's representatives approached the Yankees about Cabrera playing 2nd for them and were told that Cano is going to be there. It's funny - Edgar Renteria got 18 mil over 2 years and Cabrera can't get a wiff - and yet Cabrera is a far superior player at this point. I could see Cabrera being a fit on about 5 teams right now:

Atlanta - They could either deal Yuniel Escobar or move Escobar to 3rd, Chipper to 1st and deal Kotchman for an OF

Chicago Cubs - he would be a huge upgrade over Ronny Cedeno

Marlins - they could finally move Hanley to the OF where he belongs.

Tampa Rays - I know they like Bartlett but Cabrera's just as good defensively and would give them more offense than Bartlett.

Chip,

I said they wouldn't sign both Sabathia and Teixeira because that's precisely what Cashman told Joel Sherman on 11/14.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142008/sports/yankees/swisher_means_teixeira_unlikely_138588.htm

Here it is:

The raging speculation has been that the Yankees will sign CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and another high-end free agent or two such as Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe or A.J. Burnett. General manager Brian Cashman termed that conjecture "crazy talk."

In fact, in an exclusive interview with The Post, Cashman strongly indicated the Yankees will not even sign Sabathia and Teixeira in tandem.

"At the pricetags I have read, that is fantasy land, not reality land," Cashman said yesterday of bringing in Sabathia and Teixeira. A Yankees executive said the club has not even created scenarios for assembling a 2009 roster in which it signs the most attractive starter and position player in the free-agent market.

The plan is to concentrate on starting pitching, namely Sabathia, and - at best - Teixeira is a backburner issue in case all the rotation avenues prove fruitless. Teixeira was pushed further to the backburner yesterday when the Yanks obtained Nick Swisher, who, as of now, projects to be the starting first baseman.

-----------------------

I guess my mistake is that I took his word as gospel. Nonetheless, I didn't come up with that conclusion out of thin air.

Ahh viper did say that CC would come to the bronx

he did sa y however that there was no way The Yanks were signing Tex or manny and bashed anyone who thought so mainly straight talker and Rick Keyes. Viper did not think that the team could sign Burnett and CC. as for the Media thinking that the Yanks were out of it MAYBE NEWSDAY thought that madness but it has always been reported that the Yankees were in it from a distance. Tex was always on the radar as was Manny. The issue with Viper is not his inaccurate predictions we all make those mistakes but it is his degrading of people online when they voiced their views. That right there stands him out. everybody on here for the most part contributes a great deal of info. I see these people daily and would give you all that is available. I remember telling you all long ago that BC is aware of this site and I weas laughed at like ahh huh yeah sure ok, then I 'm able to tell of trades before they happened and described what Kat is wearing (haha) and it's like ok. however there are times when BC played possom with me CC did as well

And so now you're taking Cash's word as gospel again that the Yankees want Andy back?

No, I'm taking his actions as gospel.

He wouldn't have gone through these motions if they didn't want him back.

If they were ready to move on - they would have done so already.

But that hasn't happened.

And what in his actions have led you to believe that Cashman is going to sweeten the offer?

All we know is that he went to Texas to visit Andy. For all any of us know it was to say "Andy, this is the offer, this is the only offer and we're not going to disrespect you by making public that it has an expiration date, but know that it won't be there for ever and the longer things go the more likely we are to find someone else to fill our fifth starter spot."

Now that he has officially rejected that offer, it will be interesting to see what happens. As ST said earlier, I think Andy's looking at Lowe sitting on 12 mil a year and thinking he can do better - but there's no evidence to suggest that.

I think that the Yankees will see if they can use Swisher or Nady to fill the back end of the rotation, or explore short term contracts with Garland and Smoltz (maybe even with Pedro).

Can't we all just get along?

Jim,

The benefit to arguing with Viper is that he gets that people can have differences of opinion about what's best for the Yankees without taking it personally.

You mean like you and Rick?

Chip,

I just said that a deal will get hammered out eventually. Your boy Rosenthal seems to think it's not out of the question.

I don't care about dollar amounts or anything else.

Like I said before, if they didn't want him back - he and Girardi both wouldn't have spoken openly about working out a deal on the radio and TV during the Sabathia/Burnett unveiling.

Cashman also wouldn't have gone to his house after the Winter Meetings and left this deal on the table for so long.

When Cashman wants to get rid of someone - he's not shy about doing it.

Case in point, there's been no contact at all with Abreu, Giambi, Pavano, etc, etc.

As far as their extra outfielders are concerned, I wouldn't deal any of them. We all know Matsui and Damon have age and health issues. Both Nady and Swisher are flexible guys who will both get plenty of ABs regardless.

I also don't think it's wise at all to roll the dice again on pitchers with health issues like Smoltz, Pedro, or Sheets.

Even if Pettitte isn't the guy, they still need someone who is likely to throw 200 IP and sign a one-year deal.

There aren't many options like that which is why Pettitte is the best fit and the reason why I still think a deal will be worked out.

This guy up there doing the talking has a HUGE HERPEE on his lip.

Alright, so if this crazy Ichiro to NYY thing were true and Matsui and Swisher went to Seattle, then I hope the Yanks could bring in a LH DH with power.....THE GIAMBINO!!! Don't sign that contract yet Jason...there's still hope!

hahahaha

CHIP-
I think it would take a blockbuster acquisition for Cashman to
trade Nady. He has been eyeballin' him for a long, long time.
Throw in the fact the Mets have been trying to get Nady back
forever, and he stays in pinstripes. In regards to your HOF list,
you omitted The Sheff, and I think The Schill would only get in
possibly by the Veterans Comm, and even that is extremely
doubtful.

Chip and I have plenty of battles on this board, but I still respect the guy because he knows the game well even if we don't agree on many issues.

He puts a lot of thought into his posts and I try to respond in kind - even if our tone is elevated at times.

Someone like Ant is a completely different story, so I just ignore his nonsense altogether.

Unrelated note:

I get that we're all happy about the New Yankee Stadium, but do we need every press conference to start with some tribute speech about how wonderful the Yankees are because the new stadium is opening in 100 days.

Good to know that Sterling and Waldman are there. I think the press conference would have been better if Suzyn had just opened it by saying "Oh my GAWD, Mark Tiexiera is a New York Yankee!!!)

Joe G lookin SHARP !!!

HAH LOVE THE ALL BLUE

Jim:

Hmmm

How about this:

Ichiro - CF
Jeter - SS
Damon - DH
Alex - 3b
Tex - 1b
Posada - C
Nady - RF
Baldelli - LF
Cano - 2b

(I was tempted to leave Damon in LF and put Manny at DH but figured that would be overkill)

Is Mark a little fat or just a huge head?

Damn...gave him Giambino's number....that's just wrong!

Wife is a cutie and doesn't look like a potential tee shirt case in the making that's always good. ;-)

Chip,
I love Baldelli- if that kid was healthy, we'd be talking about him as one of the great players in the game. With that name, he is born to play in NY.

According to the big man his wife made the decision lol!!

Don't care if it's true just think it's hilarious for Sox fans!!

Jim,

Either NY or Philly (the home town of Rocky). Sadly he's from Woonsocket and so is likely to sign with Boston.

Mark sounds like an engaging guy - not going to push a reporter to the ground or anything.

I guess we know who wears the pants in his family - his wife wanted him to be a Yankee (I'm sure 180 mil didn't hurt)

He's saying all the right things- dude will be doing a lot of commercials. You mention Donnie Baseball as a hero and I'm on your side- viva la Tex!!!

He's saying all the right things- dude will be doing a lot of commercials. You mention Donnie Baseball as a hero and I'm on your side- viva la Tex!!!

Good line when asked about AJ and CC

Well those are two guys I hated facing so now I know we have a rotation that most other hitters are going to hate facing and a lineup that most pitchers are going to hate facing and that'll be fun.

I think Hal should budget in Wardrobe for Mrs. Tex very classy woman.

Anybody feel bad for the Sox?

No.

Seriously...

HAH

Has anyone had any trouble posting at all lately? Notice my last post appeared twice and it's weird because the first time I entered the wrong code, yet it still went through. All my posts have gone through on the first try, even with the wrong code. Hmm.

Anyway, I liked Teixeira and I think he came off great, like CC did. I noticed quite a difference between Teix and AJ as Teix said "we" and "our team" quite a bit while AJ said "they" and "Their team" during his presser.

A tip of the cap to Leigh Teixeira- thanks Leigh!

I like that the guy can get up and talk and answer questions without stumbling and also without a lot of narcissistic acting out.

We probably don't have to worry about being embarrassed by this one.

Giving him #25 is fine, we weren't planning on seeing it retired for Giambi... LOL

just came from the stadium did'nt get to view the conference as I was in the clubhouse , I did get to see Maraino come in earlier and was at his locker (old locker) I did get to walk i nthe press area where all there lap tops are stationed and was tempted to typing BLAH BLAH BLAH on them haha. joke

Michael -

I get the feeling that having Mrs. Teixeira will help the stores along Madison Ave rebound from their economic woes.

Francessa is reporting (or opining I guess is a better word) that the Yankees are now going to go after Oliver Perez (ugh)

Bomber

Don't just blithely divulge that you walk by Mariano Rivera like it's nothing!!

Have you no shame!!

God I'm Jealous.

Bomber,
You should have jumped on one of the laptops and logged on to this site!

Chip- Not Ollie Perez...please! The other four starters will have to go at least 8 innings to keep the bullpen fresh for Ollie's starts.

Also, you really think Piazza is not a lock for the HOF? I say he'll get in on his first try without a hitch.

Diane- Don't kick dirt on The Giambino!!! Oh and also it was nice having a press conf. honoree who didn't say "you know" every third word- you know?

PEREZ PLEASE THIS ABSURD JUST GIVE MR. (For 16 Million Dollars I love you) 2 more!!!

Don't ruin it CASH you've come too far to rehab your legacy!!!

The Better Half giving TEX the go-ahead to sign with the Yanks,
shows TEX is very wise. You guys should follow that lead.

Chip: Dont think Damon is a legit 3.
Viper: Y do u always have to be right about everything and talk in absolutes? Chill out.
Chip, Again: Cant believe the fuentes crew asked the yanks if they wanted him first and we declined what a shame.
Viper, Again: Find me the source that quoted cashman saying that is fantasy land not reality land please

THAT IS ALL FOLKS!
p.s. thanks for the tips diane haa

Jim,

I think there will be some contrarian S.O.B. who looks at Piazza and says that "sure he set all these records for catchers, but he was an awful catcher, never won a title"

He'll be a first ballot guy - but not a near 100% guy like Maddux and Griffey (though I guess Griffey could be lumped in with Piazza because of the injuries late in his career)

I just opened up my 2009 NY Yankees desktop calendar, and each page has either a trivia question or fact. So whilst I'm waiting for Jim A to answer my qyuestion from 1209, I'll ask the QDJ (question du jour) to the group. No googling please...

Who did the Yankees trade to the D-Backs in January of 2005 for southpaw pitcher randy Johnson?

Seth,

Shouldn't you be in school? I already provided the source.

Mike -

Of course I get happy when I see MO , he was one of the first to warm up when I first started , We had exclusive convo's.

the thing is more respect and convo is attributed when you approach them on a humble level. they were amazed when I greet them with a handshake and polite convo and not once pull out a ball and asked for an autograph. When You have Cano acknowledging you 5 miles away from the station at a location we both attend that is cool.

Teixeira's wife is definitely a little cutie.

And she could pass for 21 years old.

Boss,
Yes I played that game and I don't have to Google the answer because I GOT THE SAME CALENDAR for Christmas hahaha...

Brad Halsey, Javier Vazquez and Dioner Navarro.

Funny huh?

Viper HAH

I concur!!

Who knew Reese Witherspoon had a 21 yr old sister?

It's still cheating, Jim A!!!

Viper,
She looks more like Seth's girlfriend than Teixeira's wife- man she looks young!

So Seth...answer up boy- why aren't you in school?

Jim -

Did you know that the original Randy Johnson trade was a 3 team deal with the Yankees getting Johnson and Kaz Ishii. The Dodgers getting Navarro and the D'Backs getting Halsey, Vaz, Shawn Green.

Jim -

Did you know that the original Randy Johnson trade was a 3 team deal with the Yankees getting Johnson and Kaz Ishii. The Dodgers getting Navarro and the D'Backs getting Halsey, Vaz, Shawn Green.

I am in school yo i got free periods LOL this is what i do during my free periods talk to a bunch of old working hags!!! My buddies lol. I love talking yankees 24/7 its great because people in my school proclaim theyre great yankee fans and im like did u record the press confrence? and i get a what press confrence? Im like mark texeira and theyre like oo i didnt even know and they just dont even watch every game and dont know every move and its annoying because the only people i can do this with is family who i only see on holidays bc my whole family like me is obsessed wit the yanks.. 09 baby

Seth is probably in school and blogging on his iPhone.

When I was in school and not interested in the lesson, all I had was a doodle pad or a comic book hidden in the text book. These kids can connect to the internet.

What a racket!

Chip,
Did you know that HOF'r Paul Waner played the majority of his career with the Pirates but played his final game with the Yankees? Yup- April 26, 1945.

How do you like that one Boss? Flip the page!

back on Petitte..

The Yankees stance is a beautiful one it is Safe Customer service. they learned from the Bernie situation how to properly handle this so a contract was offererd to Andy of course they want him back that is why a contract was offered. however they are not over paying period.

BB

It won't be SAFE service for this fan!!!

Jim...

That is well before my time my friend.

Bomber...

I've made the analogy before. If you look at the Yankees and Red Sox they are both handling their "faded stars" very well this offseason. The teams offered Pettitte and Varitek very respectable deals, it's now on the players to take them or turn them down. In Andy's case he chose the latter - and I think he'll come to regret it. The Yankees will take someone else and Andy will either not pitch in 09 or he'll have to sign a multi year deal to get more than what the Yankees were offering him for 1 year (unless a team like the Mets decides that they're tired of losing headlines and offers Andy a 1 year $15 mil deal)

anybody know where you can see a replay of the press conference on line?

Francesa is complaining about how these press conferences aren't all that exciting and Teixeira's should have taken place awhile ago.

What are they supposed to do to - shoot bottle rockets around the room or have some naked Playboy model jump out of a cake?

Teixeira also signed a day or two before Christmas. Kinda tough to do press conferences when everyone is on vacation.

Unreal. Francesa is such a buffoon.

Viper

Agreed. You had to wait until after the holidays to do it.

In fairness to Mike - they are pretty boring and I could do without the Yankees patting themselves on the back each time (more to the point, you would think that with all the money the Yankees have they could get someone who could write better remarks for Levine and Zillo than whomever is currently doing it).

Also they could shake them up a little - each one is done the exact same way...but it's really picking nits to complain about it.

The important thing to come out of the press conference to me was that while he may not have his dad's bluster, Hal is certainly sounding more like him in message than he used to.

I have to say, this "report" of Francessa's that according to his sources the Yankees are now going to go after Ollie Perez scares the poop out of me.

Lol John!

I was too busy trying to stay awake during class and trying to score on the Ladies between and during lunch and study hall ;-)
These kids today are wired for sound man!

I saw the Teix PC and must say he genuinely seems to want to be here and is proud to be a Yankee! That's what we need
around here!

BB,

You make an excellent point regarding Pettitte...from a public relations stand point they seem to be doing all the right things?
I believe he will sign and sooner than later...just my opinion.

nice that Teix wore a blue shirt, remember when Giambi was introduced he wore a bright yellow shirt that resembled the A's color, it was weird

Chip,

I have mixed emotions regarding Perez, he is a lefty and 27 and has shown signs of being a fine pitcher.
I just don't know how well he will do in the AL East?

Chip -

Your right 100% with Bernie they offered him a minor league competiton offer while he wanted to be on the MLB roster despite his awful season and genius was the move it hurt the team in PR this time they offered Petitte a contract a lil above average to be a one year number 4 starter

Your choice

A. W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP
2008 - 14-8 32 32 1 0 0 0 196.2 237 116 107 23 59 90 4.90 1.51

or

B. 2008 AL 14 14 33 33 0 0 0 0 204.0 233 112 103 19
55 158 7 6 881 4 1 4.54 4.44 98 1.412

or

c.2008 31 TOT NL 12 12 33 33 1 1 0 0 190.3 191 100 91 21 71 162 12 3 823 4 0 4.30 3.98 93 1.377

D.

Chip,

You're not kidding about Perez. Personally, I think that's a bunch of baloney and is certainly not a viable option.

Wow, what a terrible idea. Maybe these are the same sources who believe Joba should be in the bullpen.

Relax you guys. Right now, we got 100 wins in the bank. Add
Pettitte, it goes to 108. Add PEREZ, ( instead of Pettitte), it
goes to 110. Perez helps both short term, long term, and burns
the Mets.

I listened to Cashman's after-presser remarks when asked about Pettitte, and he said *twice* that the situation was more that nobody had accepted the other party's deal than that there had been any outright rejection.

So it seems to me now that the situation is more like Viper thinks than like I thought earlier after reading two or three stories about AP having rejected the offer and NYY having pulled it.

If I heard Cash correctly a little while ago, their offer is still open and as far as he knows it is still being considered.

P.S. Kat was on camera in the background quite a bit today!

Bomber -

Personally I don't want a (Garland) b (Andy) or c (Ollie). My guy is still John Smoltz - I stand by the idea that of all the guys out there he fits the team best and if, for whatever reason, he can't handle the rotation you shift him to the pen where he would set up Mariano.

Realist -

Yeah, the glass half full part of me says that Perez has been very good in big games and with the Yankees almost every game has that big game feel.

The glass half empty part of me thinks that he's a less effective Scott Kazmir and will at best be a 5 inning pitcher.

Viper -

No, a terrible idea would be signing Paulie Byrd - signing Ollie is just a frightening proposition.

Talker -

I don't think in the AL East you can bank 100 wins - the rest of the teams in the division are just too good.

Here's something to think about regarding Perez.

First off, I don't see it happening at all - but even if it did - my guess is Molina would have to be his own personal catcher.

With all the walks he allows and pitches out of the zone, they really couldn't have Posada behind the plate because other teams would run wild on him.

Imagine how many bases TB would steal off Perez if he allowed 5+ walks per game.

Again, though, I can't see this happening. Perez isn't signing a one-year deal and they aren't bloody likely to give another starter a multi-year deal.

C. was Randy Wolf.

Look Iwould not mind Pettite back but if he gets more dough than deserved then the Yankees again will see themselves in the same problem that affected them entering the 2000's that is overpaying to keep your core together it was not the Giambi deals that was the prime ugly of the raise of payroll but the escualting deals of the core of the team. then the deals for Posada was really the back breaker and will continue to plague the team if he does not turn it around. Posada's deal in fact hurt Variteck.

Oliver Perez...

One time a couple years ago I saw him do the weirdest thing I'd ever seen when he pitched against us.

He appeared to do some spastic dance or something while crossing the foul line on his way back to the dug out.

I was watching with my friend who's a die hard Mets fan and I asked "What the F was that?"

"Oh that's his foul line dance" or something to that effect.

After the laughing stopped I had decided that Oliver Perez was an absolute clown and a perfect Met.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd take almost anyone than that jacka$$ Perez.

I'd even consider embarrassing alternatives that i'll keep to myself for now.

(The Brothers Hernandez anyone?) HAH

Sure he (Perez) can be filthy but between Joba and Phil and AJ's innings limit's/injury history the Bullpen will fried 8 weeks into 09.

Very good point viper!! Posada need to be considered when thinking about pitchers, the truth could be said in regards to him and the kids as he hardly worked with him , Tex was just on the WFAN

Just want to take a second for a mini rant:

I was never a big fan of the way Carl Pohlad ran the Twins. He had more money than George but was always the first to pocket whatever revenue sharing dollars the league threw his way.

That being said, the man died yesterday and it would be classless to point out such things in the wake of his death. Ladies and gentlemen - if classless is what you crave then by all means let me direct you to ESPN's Jim Caple.

This is how Caple opens his column entitled Pohlad's Pennies:

" Carl Pohlad, who ran the Minnesota Twins for a quarter-century on IOUs, postdated checks and loose change, died Monday at age 93. I assume the official cause of death was old age, but rising player salaries probably also played a role."

What a complete hack this guy is and if it weren't for the fact that he fits in perfectly with some of the other so called "writers" ESPN employs I would be shocked that he's still employed.

Ok,

So moving on from Andy for a little bit. The Yankees could still use a true CF and some bench help.

Give me a bench of:

Eric Hinske
Alex Cora
Jose Molina
Brett Gardner
Nick Swisher

Sign Mark Kotsay to a 1 year deal for CF. Or offer Melky and Igawa to the Giants for Randy Winn (same offer that was on the table for Mike Cameron)

You guys are animals!!! I go get my car inspected, go food shopping and come back to 80 more posts!!! Took me 10 minutes just to read through.

ST - I think the Ichiro thing is a great idea. The guy just turned 35 and is in phenomenal shape. He's an on base machine and a terror on the basepaths. Plus he's one of the best OF's in the entire league with a CANNON for an arm. If the Yanks could get him, Id be all over it. The guy is incredible and will not fall off the face of the earth any time soon. He's a hustler, never strikes out, beats out infield hits all the time, steals bags at will, is a professional on and off the field....Yankee fans would LOVE him., Whats not to like??? Plus next year when we're looking for a leadoff hitter and 2 OF's, he'll be needed even more.

ST II - Ryan? Oh no, Nolan was a monster no doubt, he may have had the best fastball EVER. He would also walk over 100 guys a year. Even he didnt know where that ball was going to end up. Pedro had a high 90's fastball AND pinpoint control. Im not discounting Ryan being a better SP over his career, but look at Pedro's prime...1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. The guy was striking 300 people out and walking just 30!!! There are too many great numbers to list...see for youself.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/martipe02.shtml

Youd be hard pressed to find anyone in baseball history that matched those numbers over the past 60 years. He did that also while pitching in a hitters park, in a hitters league during the steroids era.

Id take Pedro in his prime over anyone until someone can show me better numbers for what Pedro did over 9 years...1996 - 2004 ( should be able to find that )....over 7 years...1997 - 2003 ( may be able to find )....over 4 of his most dominate years...1997-2000 ( would love to see that )

Seth - Im 31 ( on my way to 32 ) and have pics of me in Yankee onesies. NOW GET BACK TO CLASS!!!!

Chip/Viper - good stuff. If we miss out on Andy ( pass on anything above 1/12 ), Id be all for getting Smoltz in the Bronx.

I understand the thinking of getting a reliable arm for the back end of the rotation, but if Wang and CC get to 200 innings we wont need a 4th starter to get to 200. Ive said this a million times, so let me say it a million + 1. The average team has 1 SP that reaches 200 IP, only 32 hit that magic mark last year. No team had more than 2. If we get 100 Innings out of a dominate John Smoltz and 100 average innings of Aceves, isnt that better than 200 mediocre innings of Andy? I still want Andy back, but if we roll into the season with Smoltz and the kids, it doesnt change our outlook on the upcoming season. Andy is no lock for 200 solid innings, not after last year's 2nd half. Does our rotation have risks such as CC's 500 IP, AJ's lack of durability, Wang coming off an injury and Joba on an innings limit? Sure, name me a team in the league that doesnt have similar concerns?? Every team has some type of ??'s going into a season.

Here's my priority list before ST for the 5th spot

Andy
Smoltz
Colon
Byrd

If we cant get any of those four guys on 1 year deals, I dont want to bring in Perez or Garland for multiple years just to feel all warm and cozy at night. We have to take some risks somewhere, isnt it more fun that way??? What better spots to take risks on young guys than the 5th starter and the 9th hitter/CF? Imagine if those young guys make good, arent we in better shape moving forward with young, cheap, hungry guys than old, expensive guys that are fattened with big contracts??

Viper- Don't forget that Posada would probably get arrested for choking Ollie Perez right there on the mound too. Jorge has a short fuse and doesn't suffer fools well and if Ollie starting walking everyone, Jorge just might go out there and kick the crap out of him.

Chip- Caple is crap- that's all he contributes to ESPN.

DRU-
RYAN's career K's to W's rate is almost 2-1 on the nose. The
wildness issue was solved in the last half of his very long career.
Pedro had a dominating short run. NOLLIE did it for ages. On the
Ichiro issue, he's just too old and expensive to bring aboard for
3 yrs. We are already sweating bullets concerncing Posada.
Ichiro is another possible Posada issue.

DRU,

Like Sheets, I don't have any problem with Smoltz as a pitcher. But he may not even be ready to pitch until May or June.

That's too many rolls of the dice in the same rotation.

If he didn't have such health issues, he probably would have already resigned with the Braves.

My point all along - whomever they sign - is that they need an innings eater at the back of the rotation with Burnett's injury history and Joba's innings cap.

The closer those starters get to 1000 IP for the season - the better team they'll be.

I agree that Ryan was the better SP over their careers, but if you take Nolan's best 4 years over in his prime and compare Ryan's best, Pedro was the better SP. Ryan may have figured out how to pitch more later in his career, but then he wasnt in his prime any longer. When Ryan was in his prime King 300, he was still walking 150. Sure its a 2-1, but thats a boatload of walks. Pedro was walking 30 while King 300, thats sick!!!!

As for the Careers, lets look at the totals.

Ryan
Hits Per 9 = 6.6
BB Per 9 = 4.7
K Per 9 = 9.5
WHIP = 1.25
ERA = 3.19
WIN % = .419%

Pedro
Hits Per 9 = 7.0
BB Per 9 = 2.4
K Per 9 = 10.1
WHIP = 1.05
ERA = 2.91
WIN % = .535%

Maybe Ryan playing on crappy teams contributed to his low WIN%, but it also could be linked to his high amount of walks and allowing runners to score ( R's not ER's ).

Ryan long term, but still for me, Pedro short term. We dont have to agree though, there's really no wrong answer here.

Viper - I dont discount the notion of having that vet back end guy, and Im all for Andy, but its not life or death in my book. Lets look at the two WS teams.

Tampa
Shields - 215 IP - 33 GS - 3.56 ERA
Sonnanstine - 193 IP - 32 GS - 4.38 ERA
Garza - 184 IP - 30 GS - 3.70 ERA
Jackson - 183 IP - 31 GS - 4.42 ERA
Kazmir - 152 IP - 27 GS - 3.49 ERA
Hammel - 78 IP - 5 GS - 4.60 ERA
Niemann - 16 IP - 2 GS - 5.06 ERA

Philly
Hamels - 227 IP - 33 GS - 3.09 ERA
Moyer - 196 IP - 33 GS - 3.71 ERA
Myers - 190 IP - 30 GS - 4.55 ERA
Kendrick - 155 IP - 30 GS - 5.49 ERA
Eaton - 107 IP - 19 GS - 5.80 ERA
Blanton - 70 IP - 13 GS - 4.20 ERA
Happ - 31 IP - 4 GS - 3.69 ERA

Both teams had 7 starters in 08.

I dont think its too far fetched to have us match the Phils starters in IP and ERA with

CC = Hamels
Wang = Moyer
AJ = Myers
Joba = Kendrick
Hughes = Eaton
Aceves = Blanton
Ian = Happ

The harder one to match up with is what the Rays did last year with IP and ERA.

CC = Shields
Wang = Sonnanstine
AJ = Garza
??? = Jackson
Joba = Kazmir
Hughes = Hammels
Aceves = Neimann

In that scenario, we have no match for what Jackson did in the 4 hole. Now Andy would = Jackson. I went out to disprove the need for Andy, but if we are to follow the Rays blueprint for winning the AL East, we need Andy to come back this year and give us what Jackson gave TB last year 183 IP - 4.42 ERA. For Andy, that is totally doable, for the kids, thats a tall order.

FYI - Indians signed Pavano...no comment, just a smile!

= )

Ok, 1 comment...lol...Im so glad he didnt hide out in the NL, we at least get to face him now...CANT FIN WAIT!!!!!!

Um...Carl Pavano just signed a 1 year deal with the Cleveland Indians

Sources told ESPN.com that the deal was worth $1.5 million plus incentives. Pavano can earn an additional $5.3 million based on starts and innings pitched.

Dru - what are the odds Pavano will be healthy enough to face the Yankees - especially at the Stadium...

Yanks have signed Jason Johnson- whoever that is.

DRU,

Yeah, but the Yanks are in a much tougher division than the Phillies last season. Can't win the World Series if they don't make the playoffs.

And David Price will be added to that TB rotation, replacing Jackson.

The Yanks need that innings eater more than you think because Hughes has to prove he can stay healthy.

He missed three months in 2007 and three months again in 2008 - so it's not an issue that should be taken lightly.

"I went out to disprove the need for Andy, but if we are to follow the Rays blueprint for winning the AL East, we need Andy to come back this year and give us what Jackson gave TB last year 183 IP - 4.42 ERA. For Andy, that is totally doable, for the kids, thats a tall order"

Im with ya buddy, we need that vet 5th starter at the back end...Andy would be choice #1 the 2nd tier for me would be Smoltz, and Colon, with the fall back options of Byrd and Lieber ( in that order ). There are some options available, none as good a fit as Andy. His agents aren't stupid, they realize this and are holding out for more cash. We can bash the guy all we want, but if this was your last year on the job, would you be so eager to take a pay cut? Most times we kind of overlook how much an extra 2-3 Million really is. I still think Andy will be a Yankee in the end.

can we start alot of tex posts on here concerning this issue ONLY:

SHOULD AROD OR TEX BE THE #3 HITTER AND WHY? PLEASE STATE YOUR WHYS WITH FACTS IF NECCESSARY!

THIS TOPIC ONLY! THANKS!

Seth, Id say Tex 3rd and Alex 4th. Here's why..

1. Tex strikes out less than Alex. Last year Tex had more BB than K's, no other 1B did that.
2. You break up the lineup by not having 2 RH back to back in Jeter and Arod.
3. Arod has been batting 4th more in recent years, he batted 4th in his MVP season in 07, his best season EVER.
4. Tex splits suggest hes a better #3 hitter than #4 hitter =

Tex
3rd
1375 AB's
.311 AVG
.967 OPS

4th
1257 AB's
.278 AVG
.902 OPS

Alex had a lot of success batting 3rd in Texas and 4th in NY, so his numbers career numbers in both spots arent too far off ( 303 + 300 AVG ).

What do you think?

Before today, I thought that Tex should be batting after A-Rod for sheer protection. Because, as VIPER (lol) pointed out, Matsui hit the majority of the time, and Posoda in the 5th hole protecting A-Rod during his MVP campaign in '07. But heres why my opinion changed:
- Jeter is becoming more of a chase hitter of late, diving at the low and outside curveball. He will see alot more of that with A-Rod behind him.
- Arod would be batting in the 1st inning everytime, and could be a rally killer with those K's
-Look at Tex's '08 numbers. With the braves batting 4th, he had a decent 60 percent of the season, but once traded to the Angels, who had great protection in Vlad, his numbers skyrocketed in the 3rd hole. (Forgot exact numbers, but will get them).

ON THE OTHER HAND:
- In theory, if Tex brings to the table what he has brought to every other club, he could make both A-Rod and Jeter see better pitches from hitting in the 4th hole. This is why:
Of course at first, there will be an adjustment period and people will test Tex. Once he proves himself, people aren't going to want to pitch to him, and would have to get A-Rod out in the 1st inning, and would have to make pitches to him. If A-Rod could take advantage of seeing great pitches, and become a clutch player as he was in '07, Jeter would then see better pitches due to the fact that pitchers would 'fear' facing A'Rod. I know all of this is alot of "IF's", but it is certainly and very really possible depending on how fast Tex can adjust to NY, and HE WILL adjust, this could certainly happen and would bolster the top of our order tremendously.

My opinion, I am split on the issue. There is strong evidence supporting both sides. The question is: who would you rather see have a great year; Arod or Tex? We know if A-Rod has a strong hitter behind him, he can excel. We know Tex probably can excel without any kind of protection hitter, and most certainly hits astounding with protection. The problem is, if Tex hits 3rd, Arod wont have sure protection with an injured Matsui/Posoda. And we dont know about Nady (yet).

All i know is, this WHOLE situation could be solved by the Yankees just rounding to an even 500 million and get Manny for a 3 yr 75mill contract and trade away Swish or Matsui, or both. Tex, Arod, Manny: 3, 4, 5! WOW!

If anyone saw the interviews with Cash, Levine, and Hal, they all said with a smile, we are not out of the market, and never consider us done, and we will keep on exploring.
But, BORAS was even more convincing. He said I know Manny wants to play for a winner, who is commited every year to putting a winning team on the field, and a team who wants a winning player, who will give him the contract that he wants. Then he said he wouldnt be surpised if the 2 parties crossed paths

Good luck to you as well. CC is fun to watch!!! He goes to war every time he pitches. A Milwaukee... aghhhhh... New York kind of guy!!!!!!