Yankee bits

2012 and the Texas Rivalry

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

I like Texas for its leadership: LBJ, Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards. A long distinguished line of world leaders from Texas. Now in baseball, Texas has Nolan Ryan's leadership- and it shows. The keen eye for talent and a keener eye for power pitching. There are many brands of pitching but none more appealing to the average fan than power arms. Texas has power arms and with Yu Darvish coming on board they have drama too. The fans love this - the mystery man from overseas, how much success will he have? can he really be so dominant, so un-hittable here? They already have Josh Hamilton on offense who stirs the same vivid imagination in fans- can he hit 60 homers some year? Triple crown? Outside of Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez he may be the biggest impact player in baseball, clearly so in the American League he and Pujols will lead a dash to the playoffs with firepower.
ARod, Jeter and the Yankees now have a rival who- unlike Boston- does not usually self -destruct, implode from within and use the best talent in the game to fail miserably. Texas has back to back AL championships and also back to back World Series losses. The Yankees probably lead the game in World Series losses, they have won 27 times, lost 13 times, have also lost two in a row in the first round. Texas has what the Yankees lack right now- young pitchers to get them to the finish line still strong- depth. Now NY has the player pool it is the cycle of development that is out of whack. Banuelos and Dellin Betances are the arms needed to reach the next level for NY, joining Phillip Hughes and Ivan Nova to form the young core of the rotation. Texas already has theirs- Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando, and now Darvish. Three young pitchers throwing in the mid 90's is enough when you add other pitchers who feature some mix of movement and power - say Derrek Holland, Colby Lewis, and Scott Feldman. There is power and depth and more available still. The Yankees have to patch things together again this season. Last year Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon filled two big gaps. Colon burned out after a fine season and left a hole they could not fill in the playoffs, Phil Hughes was hurt most of the year. In 2012 Hughes, Nova, and Garcia slot in after CC Sabbathia and AJ Burnett. The Yankees have some depth in ready young arms: Hector Noesi and David Phelps. It is a rivalry and it will dominate the season and playoffs too. Somehow if the match-ups materialize: the Angels vs Texas, and Yankees vs Tigers, it would set the stage for the AL Championship- NY vs. Texas. The World Series might be an afterthought to one of the best post seasons in recent decades--as a fan-- one can only hope. but also as a fan, it will be exciting to watch!

2012 May Be an Epic

2011-11-19T02:59:00.001-08:00

The Yankees come off a disappointing season, but one in which a great deal of change was folded into their mix. The prospects for the next few years are brighter because of player development and expensive signings that were not made. Dellin Betances and Many Banuelos are still Yankees. Something that cannot be said of Arodyz Viscaino traded to the Braves for Javier Vasquez. Viscaino will probably be with the big club this season and his upside is off the charts. The Yankees kept Betances and Banuelos and their upsides too are terrific. Late next season as call-ups they will get a chance to start their big league careers- if injuries they may be up after the All-Star break.
Pitching is the key, Sabathia and Mariano Rivera give you a place to start your rotation and bullpen. From within the Yankees developed a relief ace in David Robertson and have two starters too: Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova. Rafael Soriano and AJ Burnett can be better than last year and should. One more rotation pitcher plus an insurance number 6 starter are needed. They already have depth in Hector Noesi and David Phelps- call then numbers 7 and 8 in the rotation, but without a doubt they will be needed. Freddy Garcia could be the number five starter and it is a reasonable option; a free agent signing would also work-- but the market is slim and they would have to overpay enough to cancel out a more helpful addition to the offense.

Pitching is the urgent need but the offense needs some work too. Jesus Montero and Edwardo Nunez are bats from within the system ready to have an impact. Nunez is one of the best young infielders in the game, he has many tools and power that is just beginning to show- as a full time player he could easily be .290/20 hr/100 r/90 rbi/30 sb batting early or in the middle of a good lineup. Montero projects to a range of .290/20 hr/90 rbi as a catcher /dh over 120-130 games. Montero could become an outfielder- Nunez could definitely handle the outfield. The Yankees offense needs a boost and the corner outfield spots are the places where they are weakest. To improve over either Swisher or Gartner you would have to bring in a very talented hitter. The young Cuban Cespedes fascinates with his raw power- another Mike Stanton perhaps- tape measure home runs and a tough, tough out. Depth adds something to the offense too with Eric Chavez to pinch hit, Andruuw Jones possibly returning platoon in the outfield.

Small but significant changes are needed for the Yankees to reach the World Series and win it. The Yankees are ONLY on a par with Detroit- perhaps a little behind Texas. The difference maker will be team balance and completeness. Balance of very good pitching and great hitting and a roster from which significant roles and contributions come from every spot.There is a blueprint for success, a solid team with an explosive offense dominant even in the tough 2012 American League.

on balance...

2011-02-23T12:06:00.000-08:00

there is a balance that makes the essence of a team in baseball, you must hit, run, play defense, absorb the opposition's best then somehow, and often, emerge victorious; a grueling marathon march of a quarter of a man's year--a defining time for a baseball player-- the wonderment of a baseball fan.
This season for the Yankees promises to be one like few others-- when the weight of winning will be a light burden, and the joy of it usually intense. The odds are against, the deck which was always stacked-- I mean Selig and his mighty men take money from the Yankees and give it to their opponents[ this is most unusual for a competition]. Then there are the fantasies invented to vilify the team- that simply does nothing except invest in the on field product and project its legendary image: they are too big, too much money, and money buys championships. Well, just look at the National League- the Mets make a lot of money, the Marlins don't. The Marlins have won as many titles as the Mets- 2. Arizona has won more than the Chicago Cubs in the past 25 years, trails by only one despite the Cubs having a 90 year head start, and a lot of money to spend. Yankees were beaten by the Marlins in a year when the Marlins payroll would not have paid the Yankees rotation.
This year will be a year when winners win, not talent, not payroll-which is always a burden never an edge- not reputation; not home town umpiring as in Boston. None of these things will matter as much as the will to win. Tight competition, and the Yankees will have a wonderful edge in winning, they lack pitching, speed, defense in the outfield---but they have hitters who are clutch, and bullpen arms that are clutch--and will have all year to temper nerves of steely-blue like the cap, and a classic ending...like pinstripes, and an interlocking--NY

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projecting the AL East

2011-02-20T05:16:00.000-08:00

Number 1- clear and easy choice here- NY Yankees
The Yankees will play hard this year, score 900 runs as some veterans return to form-Burnett wins 15 games, Jeter, ARod, Posada and Andruw Jones turns out to be 30 homers in part time play. Eric Chavez adds a left handed power guy. The pitching takes off after a late season trade for a front end arm, and Montero adds another star quality hitter to the leagues best lineup. The Yankees depth in pitching comes through, young arms step up and in short bursts show the dominant future that is coming, Dellin Betances, Brackman, Betances...two of these will have a shot to be rising stars, Ivan Nova will surprise, he is a change-up away from being a dominant AL pitcher.Yanks win 100 games, late inning relief is the key, the offense knows a late lead is likely o win- Mo and Soriano do great in their ONE SEASON together. As a club the Yanks begin the vital transition to home grown pitching. CC will leave at the end of the season so will Soriano. So the young arms, talented arms as Phil Hughes, Banuelos, Betances begin to become the new core.

Number 2- another clear and easy choice- Baltimore Orioles- Wild card
95 wins behind a balance d pitching staff, Guthrie is an Ace, Buck Showalter gets them playing hard and the lineup is as good as any in baseball this year, Vlad has periods in Camden Yards that make the jaw drop, MVP numbers from him, Derrick Lee has so many RBI chances that he is among the leaders too. The lineup is tough, on base constantly, no easy innings, many high scoring blow outs. Roberts, Markakis,Lee, Vlad and Reynolds become as tough as any first five in the game- like the Yankees, they will explode quite a few times give five run leads to the middle relievers.

Number 3 Tampa Bay - the loss of Crawford drags the offense down while new and younger players learn to fit in. Manny has a comeback, Damon can still play and the team wins 90 games, but this year the AL East is loaded, and 90 is 5 short of pay dirt. The team will probably be close all season but fade at the end when Baltimore and new York each show a small edge.

Number 4 Toronto
this line up is the home run barrage, three 30+ home run guys( Bautista, Lind, Hill,) nearly everybody with 20+, pitching needs to grow and develop some, bullpen could be good or very good, depends on Dotel. The team wins 85 games and neck and neck with Tampa. They get chewed up by NY and Baltimore, only hold their own against Toronto but dominate Boston. They lose to the Central power teams--Detroit and Minnesota and upstarts KC, lose big to Texas..they will lose to the big offense teams who have better pitching overall, but they will bludgeon the weaker hitting teams, those without dominant pitching- Angels,KC, Cleve, Seattle.

Last Place- Boston Red Sox
the shocker, the biggest choke since...well since one of Boston's other chokes. This team has the most talent of any in the game. Best balance of pitching, defense and even has speed. Every tool to be a dominant team. By talent would not lose 40 games all season, but will probably finish with 82-85 wins and last place.This year the AL East is loaded and the teams that do not play hard will falter, a last place team with 85 wins will be a record i think, but Boston figures to play with the least intensity. They could change all this, just get off to a great start and roll behind the starting pitching and explosive offense, but day in and out they will more likely get ground down. This year every game will be intense, and Boston figures to be the least intense though most talented team. They will lose to surprising teams- Oakland, Seattle, and to teams that match up well but play harder- Texas, Minnesota, Detroit.

the AL East...

2011-01-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

Boston as has been the case most of the past 20 years has the best talent in the game. This year as the past three the best pitching in either league starters and relief. They have added the single most impactful player in the game today- Carl Crawford, a top five run producer Adrian Gonzales. They have depth at every position including minor league pitching more than ready for the majors...ripe on the vine . I expect them to finish last, because this season I expect the teams that play hard will do best--call it the Showalter Factor.

When the Orioles added manager Buck Showalter, it upset the balance. A mediocre team became the toughest team in the division--yes, the most difficult team to beat. Now he will have a full season to see if his will to win has been tempered by enough maturity to endure--I think it has, and the rivalry this year will be a wonderful one-- Yankees- Orioles fight it out for the AL East-- the wild card will likely come from the Central - Chicago, Detroit, and Minnesota in a division where every team plays hard. Texas should cruise in the west- too much pitching, defense, hitting, and power for Oakland.

The AL east will have NY, Baltimore and possibly Toronto in the mix depends on whether they can patch together a better bullpen, they are slight;y better than Tampa as it is. I think Tampa and Boston will battle to avoid last place. Amazing for such deep pitching, talented rosters- Evan Longoria and Crawford among the game's elite- battling for last...Yes the AL is that good this season.

The Yankees will eventually pull away, if Pettitte comes back they will win by10 games or more if not, more like 3-5, but the Orioles make the difference- play hard and the soft teams-- Tampa and Boston will fall to the tough, inspired play of Orioles and Toronto;I expect both will fall below .500.

This will be a different and entertaining season, where toughness and resilience will be the premium commodities--- every game a potential gut-check...decided by luck, clutch offense and defense, and bullpen strength.

2011- first look

2011-01-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

Starting pitching is the concern, and the Yankees will hope Andy Petitte un-retires because with him they have a chance that seems so much smaller without him. If he retires then there will be some actions- like a journeyman signing- Kevin Millwood type I like Freddy Garcia among the available, but the spring will bring a search among the minor leaguers. This is a good thing for the system, there is a benefit when the parent club fills from within the organization. The Yankees have some excellent prospects...the more talented seem to be a year away- Banuelos in particular- an exciting prospect. This season shows there is more than one way to be formidable- starting and relievers ina balance that can be dominant. The Angels did this for years, in the NL it is more common- pitchers leave for offensive chances in the 6th inning and later- even when pitching well. With Soriano and Rivera- the Yanks will have a great chance to keep a late lead; with Marte ( if healed) and Robertson they can hold a lead or keep a game close in the 6th -7th. This is the plan and it is a good one- it will be a strength if Joba Chamberlain can be come a force again- a guy to come in and stop a rally with power fastballs and strikeouts on breaking balls. Feliciano is a great addition, could appear in 80 games, two or three outs per, a big role and a mix and match guy with Joba.

The Yanks could play 6 inning games--the opposition often held helpless in late innings. A summer of late game lightning and heroics- the offense should be terrific- Teixera and ARod could be the best tandem in the game, and Andruw Jones-- could be a 20+ homer guy who makes a good offense into an avalanche against lefty pitching. Look for Jeter [200 hits/120 runs], Cano[ 200 hits/100 rbi] and Posada [20 homers /90 rbi] to have big years--huge offensive years.

This should be a fun season, Baltimore and Detroit will be stronger, Boston I think will flop, big time finish near the bottom of the division-- and Tampa will surprise. The league will play tougher this year, and character teams will rise like cream. Toronto has a chance to stay in the hunt all season as pitching improves, the Orioles will absolutely contend, Boston will likely suffer from a lack of toughness- except for Crawford and Youkilis- an exceptionally soft collection of players.

ahh Spring...can see it in the wet snow...

the new season...

2010-12-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

has begun and already, the lack of a Commissioner of Baseball is being deeply felt and noticed. The Boston Red Sox get one of the top 5 hitters in the National League, Adrain Gonzalez- arguably in the top three all- around players in the NL...for three prospects, headlined by a pitcher with a 5+ era in the minors last season. If he had been a top prospect it is a case of arrested development, his tools project possibly middle of the order---at best, more realistically, he will never be in anyone's rotation for very long. It is a case of ownership apparently colluding: picking winners from among friends and colleagues-- a sweetheart deal for Boston, a situation of disillusionment for the fans of San Diego Padres baseball.

This trade would have been stopped by a real commissioner, would have ordered more value in the trade at least one major league player rated in the top 100 by some objective measure along with elite prospects- Fay Vincent, Bart Giammatti, Bowie Kuhn. Owners must compete too, otherwise the on-field competition becomes a sham. Adrian Gonzalez to Boston for three players that will probably never become established regulars nor even regularly on a major league roster...except for a team hopelessly out of competition because of poor talent levels---which is where the Padres seem to be headed.

What would I have gotten for Adrian Gonzalez? - a prospect like Jesus Montero, one that should have been in the league last year but was owned by a first place team full of high priced veterans. Montero projects to be a superior hitter, he was on in AAA and a broad consensus is in on that part of his game. .300 +, 20+ HR, lots of RBI. A pitching prospect like Ivan Nova...who had a 2+ era, a record like 12-4 or so, a fastball in the mid 90 range, and impressed the heck out of us in a call up during a pennant race in the AL east against three of the top offenses in the game- Toronto, Boston, and Tampa. And I'm not done I would also have gotten an experienced player like Brett Gardner who has speed to burn, game changing speed and an incredible upside- if he can learn to bunt and hit slow rollers, improve on the swings that make little flares and the the gap drives for power. That is what the Yankees would have given for Gonzalez and they don't need a defensive all-star at 1B, they would have to put him in 1B,DH and LF.
Ahh for the days when owners competed with each other and we not satisfied just to bitch about the Yankees while taking their hard earned money... the game needs a commissioner, and no not the pretender and old boy buddy of the anti-Yankee mob- Mr. Selig...we need a real commissioner.

Yanks and a pair of 5's

2010-02-26T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Yankees have a pair of fives...to fill. Maybe even three- Rotation, the batting order and...bullpen.
The rotation is easy- for me it is Gaudin and send Joba and Highes back to relief. A dominant bullpen to make up for the loss of Matsui to offense, which projects to be weaker than last year while the division has gotten a lot better top to bottom. Mitre and a prospect will be the depth for the rotation, the prospect might be Kei Igawa or one of four or five minor leaguers, the Yanks are deep now.

The bullpen then would close with Rivera, Joba sets up the 8th with Marte, Hughes swings from 7th -9th. Earlier innings and the critical seventh go to Robertson and Aceves. This is the big # 5 for the bullpen...the inning the starter fails most of the time is the 6th, that is where leads are often lost, or deficits climb into the difficult range for a team that does not have the firepower of last season.
The extra lefty could be Boone Logan from Atlanta...or Melancon from the minors...not a lefty but a big power arm.

Jaun and Jesus, Montero and Miranda- they might become a tandem like Mauer and Morneau. The batting order lost Damon's speed and smarts at the top pf the order...his streaky power, steady smarts and base running skills, he was a tough out in a big game. In his place, they will have Nick Johnson, who should by talent be: .300 + batter, 35-40 doubles, 90 runs, and 200 hits. With Jeter at lead-off there would be some games when these two lead the offense with power and rbi hits. Johnson is slow, only his batting eye helps avoid double plays. This is not a good solution for number two, and still leaves a big hole at number 5, for which Johnson is better suited, as a tough out to follow ARod, a guy who can deliver a base hit with men on base-- just because he is a good hitter. The ideal guy for number five on the current roster is Robbie Cano-- but last season showed an allergic tendency towards hits with men in scoring position. Perhaps someday is this season and his 200 hits/.320 avg would put him in the elite rbi hitters in the game-- he is that good, and he would have many opportunities.
Trade for Mauer- yes, that could get done with_ Miranda, Montero, Chad Gaudin and Hughes...a good enough package even for Mauer. I think the Yanks realize two things: Miranda can hit, and has the makeup to be a big RBI man, and Montero might be a lot like Mauer, at least as a hitter. I think the 5 spot will be filled by Miranda at some point this summer, and Montero will come up later and he will also vie for time in the middle of the order.

So for now, we watch the 5's.

2010- the pitching ...

2010-02-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

The rotation will be good if Joba and Hughes are in the bullpen, the best selection for the end of the rotation would be Chad Gaudin who showed why at the end of the season, he was highly effective, at times dominant. He would be another change of pace from the power guys...Vasquez, CC Sabbathia, and A.J. Burnett. Pettitte used to be able to do both, now he has a powered up innining or two each game, but is at his best making hitters swing and miss or mis-hit by changing pace and location. His cut fastball off his fastball, curve has become an out pitch now, and the cut fastball gets weak ground balls. Gaudin has a similar mix. He is low 90's fastball with great location, his breaking ball and change get swings and misses. He uses location on all of his pitches to get ground ball double plays, his control and smarts are his best tools. It would be a good mix- Power lefty(Sabbathia)- Pettitte- Power righty( Burnett)- Gaudin- power righty(Vazquez)- then back to CC. In a three game set the worst the Yanks will offer is Gaudin- Vazquez- Sabbathia-- their worst four- Gaudin- Sabbathia- Pettitte- and Burnett...they will have a chance to win or stay in the games against any staff in the AL, the best of which is Boston- Beckett, Matsusaka-Lester- Lackey. With Gaudin against Beckett, the Yanks would figure to stay in the game- on an average day they should get 4 runs against Beckett and Papelbon and Bard. Sergio Mitre and Kei Igawa will be depth- each might surprise with effectiveness after a year of arm strengthening last season. Mitre showed he can be very good.
The bullpen: Robertson, Aceves, Marte, Joba, and Hughes would have an answer for 6th, 7th & 8th inning questions, and Joba can close. Mark Melancon figures prominently this season along with Robertson and Marte. If Melancon is ready for a role, he can turn an excellent bullpen into an elite one in the game. Mariano Rivera, might be better this year than last, more velocity late in the season, he too had a year of arm strengthening...Oh Man!

Gains and Pains

2009-12-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

Number 27 was sweet, sweeter than those in the dynasty years because it came after hell froze over twice when Boston ---who also worked so hard to convince all of Baseball that the Yankees were the root of all evil, spending, Steroids...and it turned out that Boston spent more than everyone but the Yankees, stockpiled talent just to keep it out of New York, and-- won two steroid tainted titles. I still dont believe that four in a row came with unbiased officiating---just me being me...but I have seen such off things in officials and the Red Sox..and this season in the playoffs the rest of the viewing world saw them too, yet in the end Californina won, then California lost and number 27 was ever so sweet.
Now there was also pain- Damon and Matsui are gone, Damon was the spark for many wins, Matsui was my favorite player because of his clutch ability...in another telling of the season, ARod would be the supporting player to the Matsui and Jeter led season. So many stars on this team, one can take a pick---Matsui should have been kept, that is one they will regret whether they repeat or not, the team is diminshed a bit by the loss of this major talent, and quiet leader. Theyt have done this before...Reggie, Winfield, Mike Lowell, Jose Contreras, El Duque a long and distinguished list.
Now next year has begun, the first topic will the the pitching staff no under redevelopment... four Aces so far, and there is stilll time to do one more...HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

Number 28

2009-11-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

It is a numbers game, and not that idiotic thing about the Yankee payroll, buying a pennant. This shows the power of the big lie. Bud Selig's family owns a small market team. I think he wanted to justify taking easy money from the Yankees and giving it to small market teams including his family's team. So they invented this idiotic fiction about buying titles, because the highest paid players always win, or even usually win. They taxed one team...the Yankees, took their money and gave it to other teams.

So then we watch nameless college stud one after the other come into Yankee Stadium and shut down the high priced Yankees, with our own eyes we watch the Yankees dynasty crumbled by a team, the Marlins, whose payroll equaled maybe three Yankees' players salaries. They beat the stuffing out of the Yanks. Watch a decade of 200 million payrolls produce NNNAAADDDDDAAA; and still this idiotic idea persists, well I guess there are people who will believe anything they are told.

This numbers game is about hitters and competition- count them-- there are some big RBI men available, any team that needs one can have one this year Mattt Holliday, Vlad, Chone Figgins, Jason bay, Nady, Damon, Matsui, and many more. Baltimore...two hitters away from equaling the Red Sox as the best hitting team---here's Vlad Guererro and Adrian Beltre, see you in the playoffs, ...ohh-not quite, well add Randy Wolf, Rich Harden and you already have Guthrie and some good young arms. Need relief ...the lefty Gonzalez, the closer Billy Wagner. This is the case for every team this off season. Even Boston cannot horde all the good hitters as they did last year with pitchers: Byrd, Smoltz, Penny, when they already had Bucholtz, Lester, Matsusaka, Beckett, and the big eternal knuckle ball...anyway the point is there are a bunch of big hitters out there, and the Yankees wont be bidding on any of them, so the rest of the teams will have to do something besides complain about NY's payroll, and this year..they cannot help but get better, even those like Baltimore that seemed determined not to get better. Toronto should trade Roy Halladay for the ransom in prospects and become the Tampa Bay north...awash in splendid young talent. This year the Yanks have won and have only a few maybe one opening on the starting lineup...a pitcher behind CC and AJ and a reliever...in front of Rivera.

Whatever happens in the free agent market this year, will probably not involve the Yankees.

twenty seven

2009-11-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

my favorite number for many reasons now add yet another, Thank You Yankees for a memorable year, the end of a painful period for Yankee fans. We watched as front office politics, right wing politics invaded baseball. The owner of the team that was at the epicenter of steroids in baseball- Bush and the Texas Rangers, launches a crusade against steroids, and the fallout douses the Yankees, led by a partner in the Red Sox. Then it turns out the Red Sox have steroids too, if you believe they help players perform, then the Red Sox won to titles aided by steroids.
So in this season two idiot dragons were slain, the Red Sox pretensions at winning, and the myth of Yankees somehow at the hub of steroids. The Yankees seemed to lead the league in players whose trust and confidence in baseball was betrayed by political connivance or incompetence...you choose. I am gald to see it dead and buried.
Next season is already beginning, and the Yankees will demonstrate the loyalty to their success by holding on to some players, show that they have learned by letting some go. No doubt making some more great moves and some later to be regrets too. Matsui and Jeter, CC and Mo, Pettitte and ARod, even Damon and Melky these to me especially have given Yankee fans a great season, one to savor even while we relish the off-season race to the starting line.

Number 27

2009-11-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

OK number 27, my favorite number, and one now of my favorite Championship Yankee teams. Flawed and seemingly less than the sum of its talented parts, they somehow grew inot champions by beating the baseball bullies at their own games- speed, power, pitching, even...team defense. This chameleon-esque team showed that being versatile is an asset in baseball, maybe the unique quality of the team.
This team had some all time Yankees at the heights of their games:
Posada, will be remembered as an offensive force fro the catcher position;
Jeter on e of the great all-around players, a winner in every aspect of the game;
ARod- enormous talents in a flimsy shell that this year seemed to grow into his potential, he may never hit 70 homers but he can again and again lead an offense to elite status;
Matsui- a true thoroughbred, champion character, like Jeter one of the players who will not lose, you have to beat them to the final strike, final out, a winner;
Rivera- simply the best at the most difficult job in baseball;
Pettitte- a home grown winner, gets the most out of his strengths, a lot like Whitey Ford in the Fifties;
Damon- an underrated great player, has the mental toughness and smarts so many athletes lack in baseball;
Teixera, Burnett and CC all paid dividends on investments, each was excellent and will be part of the core for a few years to come.
Next...the youngsters 20010, title # 28, and the future.

Now for the playoff...

2009-10-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Angels are the favorite, they have owned the Yankess under Mike Scioscia, but not for any good reason. They game plan and execute well, but dont have overwhelming pitching anymore. They added a n=minis in Kazmir who has clearly lost something; Fuentes has a great record but seems vulnerable as a breaking ball closer must be. Juan Rivera and Abreu are firmer Yankees for good reasons..Abreu replaced by a better all -arounf player- Teixera, and Rivera had a joib given to him and could not discourafge the signing of Damon. This Yankee team has dimensions: two strong starters, CC and AJ, a deep bullpen( Rivera, Hughes, Joba, Gaudin, Aceves, Robertson and Coke all going well). They can hold down a good offense for 9 innings. Power from 1-9 in the lineup, some speed and some talent(Jeter, Matsui, Cano, and Posada can flat out rake it!) Now the ARod &Teixera combo has come on...a 3-4 tandem that can wreck a defense with power hits. Look for one of them to have a monster game...2 HR, 5RBI stuff.

The Angels have winners, Scioscia is the most important, id he slumps they are cooked. Tori Hunter is the key, he is the power guy who can deliver in the clutch. Vlad is the big talent, once the best in the game...seems his back is limiting him now. Speed is their thing to upset pitching and defense, won't work this time unlike Boston, the Yankees don't have to fear being down three-four runs, they can correct those situations... Yankees in five.

Something happened...last night

2009-10-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

truly, something happened, you tell by the sound, you could feel a certain pent up emotion coming out into the open...down two runs in the botttom of the 9th and ...like a script in the movies, the hgh point of the show...an explosive home run from a player the fans wanted so much to see succeed...and the amazing thing..it was ARod.

ARod is an important player to the Yanks but has been much les beloved and embraced by the fans. Even the litle children who go to the stadium to gawk and idolize these very faulted men, even they would get resiusitance all around ...ARod is not Jeter, he is not clutch like Matsui...not like Munson, Jackson, Nettles, Bernie, O'Neil...on and on...such a lucky franchise to have had so many wondeful players. ARod is not a winner...
But last night he connected in the ways he had not before, at that level where the crowd exhales as one, roars its feelings; makes the ground shake and the air feel different. In life every day is a chance at redemption, improvement to the point of a rebirth of one's spirit...last night, a slugger...simply reborn.

Now the season starts

2009-10-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Its like summer and autumn, ending and beginning, the championship season starts now, everyone is even and there is an unforgiving smallness to it all, five games will decide if your year has been an on-field success or not.

The Tigers can beat the Yankees, they have more talent everywhere except relief. They have a better GM, Manager too. Their fans are not as good or intense or knowledgeable...or as much fun to be around...but that is the end of Yankee advantages.

Verlander is better than CC, Jackson is better than Burnett. The Yankees do not have a player as talented as Miguel Cabrera, they cannot match Ordonez and Carlos Guillen with their outfield talent either. The Yankees have an advantage with Posada as a hitter but he is not the defender that Laird is. The Yankees will be hot or cold they don't play in the steady middle. If the Yankees are hot they might win if Detroit plays beneath its talent...as they have done most of the year. Jim Leyland has in the past been able to bring the best out of his teams to the playoffs, he seems confident against the Yankees. They have exploitable weaknesses. The Yankees don't field well, especially in the outfield, don't hit well in situations, they have been stopped often with runners on third and second with no outs or one out. They rely on the long ball for confidence, and play close games like they are sorting hand grenades.

Yet, this season, the fans and I am included have this sense that this team finds ways to win, finds a hot starting pitcher, finds relievers that can put up late game zeros, finds Matsui when things look bleak, finds ARod to pad a big lead; has the determination of Jeter and Rivera. The fan believes the Yankees will find a way to beat the more talented teams in the playoff field. So here's to playoffs and the hope that the Yankees come in hot.

Congrats to the Yanks, AND Matsui will stay...

2009-09-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted the Yankees to keep Jose Contreras when Boston seemed intent on running him out of New York, game planning and even his old coach from Cuba on payroll, Jose Tipped his fastball and they had a field day against him. He was traded to Chicago and led them to a World Series title as the best pitcher in the league that season. Yanks should have kept Jose.
Now Matsui was George's last hurrah, a grab of a player who caught the imagination. Godzilla in Japan, here he was more like Paul O'Neil...a great Yankee. Matsui has long been talked about this season as leaving after his contract expires because his knees are bad and can only DH now. Well, he only hit 30 Home Runs and 90 rbi too; and he is only the most able clutch hitter on this team...which has two weaknesses... one starter short, and poor situational hitting.
The relief group is a plus, Mo and Hughes have made a great tandem, and sooo many great young arms: Melancon, Robertson, Coke...Aceves is a gem and Chad Gaudin has been a great pickup. He should stay as the new swing man [ long reliever/spot starter].
Matsui...I cannot imagine the logic that lets him go to another team. Next season he could produce another 30/90 year as DH. As of today, he has more homers(28-25) and RBI (90 to 87) than Youkilis the No. 3 man for Boston, The other players who need to DH are able to play on defense- Posada, ARod especially, need days off not DH days. That is the beauty of the Matsui situation he needs to DH and he is productive, when hot he produces as much as ARod and Posada, when not hot... his average effort is superior, he is the best at Sac Fly ball, and putting the ball in play against tough pitching. I'm with Jeter on this, except for Jeter...Matsui is my favorite player too.

2009-09-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is just the sight of so many non-millionaires on the mound for the Yankees these days, that raises hopes, expectations and nostalgia; take the last time Sergio Mitre pitched, a guy whose work had been almost too painful to watch: hits, walks, runs scored ... turns in a one hit quality start; and now in the blink of the game and ink of the writers he has become a fixture in the rotation; a gritty throwback to a time when a starters job was to keep us in the game...not just to cost more than some nations can spend on oil in the winter. The Yankees have had many bulldogs..remember Jim Bouton, Mike Torres. They were not all Whitey, Guidry, Catfish Hunter, CC Sabbathia types...talented and relatively expensive stars.
I like the idea of Sergio in the rotation, Wang was that way too, occasionally dominant. I imagined Kei Igawa would be this way. The Yanks have finally recovered from a string of bad decisions: Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, and most- trading Jose Contreras.
The Yanks have talented young arms: Melancon, Joba, Hughes, Robertson perhaps five others in various steps towards the Bronx. Boston seemed to have even more, but then got caught hording pitchers to keep them away from the Yanks[ Smoltz, Penny, Byrd, Wagner and so many relievers] that they have now regressed in young pitching- Lester is strong, Bucholz a question mark, and the young relievers have not held up this year for long periods. Matsusaka, maybe he finally realized how badly treated he was in the stealth acquisition from japan...so much paid to his former team relatively little to him, he is under market value if CC is worth $20 million a year, Matsusaka has more talent according to Boston he is on the Beckett level who is also underpaid or overrated... but I still think Boston leads the league in favorable ball/strike calls, and no Black starters in the field, an odd coincidence no doubt... but it catches my eye in baseball, or basketball or football, or soccer, or tennis, or swimming, or gymnastics, or ping pong, or fishing, anything except NASCAR... *grin*... I remember when the Celtics got booed at home, I think they had won 7 or 8 world titles in a row...but the lineup was maybe...Bill Russel, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, and someone I can't remember...Willie Nauls maybe, Havlicek was the 6th man...they got booed in Boston, five Black players...another coincidence. Red Auerbach was the coach.

Pennant race begins

2009-08-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

in the AL East, which may not be the best teams in the AL anymore...Angels have added what they were missing in Kazmir to the rotation and now are clearly the best team in the American League. The Cardinals the best in the NL by far. Now the Yankees and Red Sox will come down to the glamor contest in late September, each will likely have 100 wins by the end of the season. The Yanks are primed to make a run, they have all of their parts coming together at the right time. Boston has the advantage of being able to spend freely. No one has restrained them as have the Yankees--so they can let go Smoltz and penny and add Billy Wagner, three pitchers the Yanks would love to have. The Sox have such depth they can trade with anyone, but no one asks them for the price they ask the Yankees. The Sox have anedge in the ownership collusion area. The Angels have a brilliant GM and his moves are deft and effective. Adding Kazmir has tilted the table, LAA is the favorite now to win the World Series, one star pitcher can make that difference. Kazmir is an Ace.
30 games to go, Yanks and Sox are virtually even, the Sox have an easy schedule and the incredible home field advantage, [and the advantage of so many players who remind umpires of their children...] Ohhh the calls they get in Boston, strike zones tailored to their hitters, sooooo much more giving for their pitchers...amazing, watching baseball when the Sox play is like watching wrestling in the WWF, you know its not a real sport...but oh, the drama and the excitement are great!

Lets go watch another walk off home run and late inning rally at the Fens... it's like clock work, the last act of a fine staged play....
Pennant race begins in earnest..should be a good one!

Race begins...

2009-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

So the race is about to begin int AL East, the end of August begins the countdown time, the Wild Card option means that NY and Boston are each safe for the post season unless they essentially fall apart_ go into some slumpy four-five game losing streaks, Tampa will be the most talented team not in the playoffs. This can change abruptly...Boston had dominated the Yanks this year, and have seven dates remaining. They can overtake New York in those games, and Tampa too will be playing for the season. The Yankes are stronger than people seem to realize...ARod and Teixera are a load, but more important so many other weapons on offense- several guys with 20+ homers, 80+ rbi type seasons.
The bullpen has potential, young arms with high up-sides, and some players still on the way back from injury- the season could end with Rivera, Bruney, Marte, and Hughes...as a strong chance for shutting out a quality team in innings seven through nine. A six inning game with AJ and CC and Joba will be hard on any team in the league.
So the race is about to begin, the last 40 games. The Red Sox have big holes which will be filled by rehab: Matsusaka, Wakefield qill join Beckett and some five game streaks of wins and easy wins will follow, but Tampa...a team that can get hot and dominate the lesser talented teams with speed and balanced pitching. Clearly, if talent rises this season, it will be Tampa and Boston; but Boston despite the two series victories in recent years, is still Boston...the team most likely to dig a hole and jump in.

Pitching...not quite everything

2009-07-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Pitching in baseball is the key, no offense can be expected to keep up with bad pitching, but good pitching does not guarantee anything this year for Boston. They have 8 dominant starters( the Yanks have two), and three dominant relievers( the Yanks have none). The Boston ofense is 8 very good hitters, one great clutch hitter( Mike Lowell one of the best players the Yanks did not keep). The Yanks have a big four: Jeter, Teix, Arod and Matsui- but a very good support group- Cano, Posada, Damon- who will each take over a few games down the stretch. But Boston will fade to fall behind Tampa, the depth wont be enough and young pitchers will be caught short in the pressure part of the season to come. Smoltz, Penny, even Wakefield have question marks on effectiveness as the season begins to grind. AND Tampa has more talent than either NY or Boston.
The Yanks need to win three or four against Boston this year, so far they have won ZERO, they will need luck because Boston seems to have their signals and signs, and that amazing way they get favorable calls on ball/strikes. Some big offense will probably be the way...big scores, close games will go to Boston, that is their edge, but the Yanks need to win a small number 3-4, the Sox will need to sweep the season to keep themselves ahead of the Yanks, Tampa will rise like cream and Boston will have the hardest time of the three, to stay afloat...good pitching is not the same as great pitching...Boston this year...has good pitching, and it may not be nearly good enough.

Start your engines...

2009-07-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well now for the start of the pennant race in the AL East. The favorites are Tampa and Boston, but the winner will likely be the Yankees, they will be tougher or they will be broken by the ordeals of their season. The league does not seem to want their success, they tax the Yankees, ten times more than any other team, give their money to other teams as profits. They pay much more for talent and have much less than than their rivals, especially pitching and youth. Then there is the on-field disparities, the Yankees get the least of borderline calls for their pitchers or hitters, its as if every umpire has a script to follow. They outed A-Rod the only player to have his confidential health information published ..as if being dumb enough to take steroids and shorten one's life was not bad enough, now the press "on steroids" has a field day with him. I don't think there is an advantage to steroids for a hitter, big muscles slow down the bat and steroids slow down the brain; impair judgment... imagine how many more he could have hit with a clear mind and nature's own incredible reflexes. You don't need big muscles to hit home runs, and hitting is more important than home runs. So with injuries and age, and hostility all around...if they can swim they will become the sharks in the water, and they will be toughened to win under pressure. Boston has overrated pitching and the most generous treatment by umpires...incredible, but they will fade, Tampa will be the wild card and will take someone to game seven. The race begins...this is news n Boston, I think they thought they were ahead because they swept the Yanks a few series... Calendar says its not August yet, that is the time to prove what you build in July...the race starts now.

This is Your Brain, and this is the Press on Steroids

2009-02-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

Today the President set the nation on a road to recovery from the devastation of eight years of Republican mismanagement and social oppression, and i am writing about something even more alarming than the leg-end of Bush [and the gang that lied its way into a trillion dollar war for nothing more than the feeding of friends]; for first they put the press on a squad of tanks and Bradleys and told them they were in a war, and then they put the press on steroids in baseball...in both cases it was the American people who were taken for a ride. Think back, embedded press and the invasion rides up to Baghdad, the crazy guy in the red tam keeps denying there is an army invading, and we are lobbing missiles at Saddam, and A SANDSTORM HITS AND GROUNDS OUR AIR COVER FOR SEVERAL DAYS LEAVING OUR TROOPS EXPOSED but nothing really happened...I mean think "Tet offensive", well that Administration was led by two fellows who also missed the Tet offensive... 54,000 young men and women died in the Vietnam war.

Steroids now the press is on steroids... I would not mind all the fuss if it meant anything to anyone not ingesting the stuff...except for the children...we are teaching them that there is something to be gained from steroids, something so good that steroids have been banned..because it is cheating... preposterous is too good a word ..probably idiotic would be better...but factually unproven that these things make you better at anything except early illness, organ damage and premature death. SO WE SHOULD STOP ACTING LIKE DRUG PUSHERS SELLING RUMORS OF THINGS THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE...sort of like the one about Saddam attacked the towers on 9/11... remember that one...

Pulling wings from Flies...

2009-02-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

There has been a disgrace in baseball, that affects all Americans... a disgrace that brings shame upon a society: cheating...no not ARod or Bonds, they are people who fell for the idea that they needed a chemical to be better than they were, as if a chemical could do that...the pushers say so but...we really know better.

THE DISGRACE AND SHAME is on the federal prosecutors who broke the faith of the right to privacy. The people who permitted their bodies to be searched did so on the contract and agreement of anonymity, that results would be used and not disclosed for any other purpose than baseball and its drug policy. The the federal prosecutors seized the evidence, the confidential searches of bodies, and have systematically, carelessly, negligently leaked it to the press ever since.

We do not need to consider the effects of steroids on the users, it is their problem and theirs alone. If the drugs were illegal then we have a public issue but that is not the issue. The issue is the electronic drawing and quartering of Barry Bonds, the desire to divert public attention away from horrendous management of the federal government, a war that someone lied to a nation to get it done...hundred billion dollars in profits to war contractors, many well connected to the failed Bush administration; yes and the nation just NEEEEEDDS to know if Barry Bonds lied. Unlike some other lies, no one died, a trillion dollars did not go down the toilet, and hundreds of thousands of people did not become casualties of war, oh and the US economy..oh never mind that would be like pulling wings from flies.

The Press on Steroids...

2009-02-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Well here is the problem, little Johnny can't hit four home runs per game in Little league, and clearly he needs to do this if he is to realize Dad's dream of being the highest paid player in the history of the universe. So, we must give him steroids...its the only way and everyone knows it is how Bonds and ARod and McGuire hit all those home runs...in fact it seemed odd that so many of Bush's lawyers are out busting his former players[ some folks gave him the opportunity to own part of a baseball team, they liked his father...Texas Ranger stuff] because they should be out taking steroids too...so that they can hit home runs and be highly paid by someone like Bush... better yet..what they heck am I doing sitting here in this chair...writing a blog...I should be taking steroids too... as a matter of fact... hey, Grandma...you could get a deal as the best hitting Grandma in history too... just need an anabol highball a day ...and lets call Scott Boras... Steroids are the answer, but what the heck is the question... could the question be...does an American have a right to privacy of their own body? Does the word "confidential" mean anything if someone can make a buck... you can make a fortune violating Court Orders ? and who knew that Sports Illustrated knew or cared anything about people with clothes on?

Still something...

2009-01-29T17:40:00.000-08:00

Something about this Yankee roster in 2009 seems lacking, the parts are for the most part excellent, it is the sense of the whole team that causes a pause... there are weaknesses: lack of speed, defensive range, and high on-base/ wearing at-bats. The weakness in 2008 was not so much the pitching, the five to eight losses that would have put them in the playoffs against Boston and Tampa, those awful losses to Baltimore and Toronto when the offense was shut down by strong pitching...were more due to the failure of the team effort on offense. Cabrera and Cano, sometimes Molina and the role players gave in far too many times, one and two pitch at-bats with runners on base in key situations. They have added some tough at bats, Swisher for one, Teixera for another...and they have brought back situational hitting with Matsui.
The solution could be in hand or at hand: Ramirez would be a DH for the ages, Griffey has a decent year left especially in a hitter friendly park like the new Yankee Stadium, even Abreu could be helpful. The other idea is to put the pizzazz back in Centerfield by a trade for someone to add speed, offense, on base, and slugging...Grady Sizemore, or a trade for someone like Ichiro. They are a potent offense when Posada gets pushed to number 7, Cano is number 9...and someone like Teixera bats behind ARod in the 5 slot...the key rbi slot in the lineup. Pitching is fine because of the bullpen strength an a tough 1-2-3 combo of CC, AJ, and Pettitte, Wang will be an advantage at the 4 spot and Joba belongs in the pen...but if he stars in the 5 spot he will be an advantage....So...looks like there is one move left to be made for the offense, and plenty to choose from...

talkin baseball on a cold winter's day

2009-01-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

wrapping cold fingers around a warm mug of tea, sniffling a bit; snow outside is falling again on a good layer already in place...so let's talk baseball.
The Yankees cut payroll and added payroll, but the talk is as of they caused the recession and are rubbing our noses in it. The Yankees are the victims here, Boston bid 174 Million for a player they Yankees signed at 180, so the market was set by...Boston. Now Boston has added Saito, Ramirez, Smoltz, and Penny to a pitching staff that was already 8 deep in starters and ten deep in relievers; Tampa made the biggest improvement by adding Burrell and getting a year older with their young stars, Boston may now add Michael Young and pay less than his salary... all things done because NY added payroll as it cut payroll, rivals have clearly added payroll.
The Yankees will open a new ballpark and play to nearly packed houses at home and on the road, they pay 100 million to the league and other teams; and frankly would be a team who would greatly benefit financially from a salary cap. Say $100m in cap with no minimum ...to satisfy the small mind er... uh ... market owners and the Yankees would turn quite a profit. They would rather spend on the product they put on the field, and their fans...are glad for it.

Yankees '09

2009-01-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

A Democrat in the White House, the season has hope. Starting pitching will be a plus with one or more moves remaining the Yankees have a number 1, 2, and 3...CC, A.J. and Wang will match up with any team in the league, the bullpen is a steength if Joba goes back to setup and that us the early key. Humberto Sanchez or someone from the minors is needed to fill 60 innings or so of shut down relief in early innings. The offense has new life with Teixera batting third ARod 4th and someone not on the roster perhaps 5th. Posada, Nady,Matsui and Cano are fine in 6 through 9. Trade and bench from Cabrera, Gardner, Miranda[1B]; Molina is insurance at catcher. Team defense is improved but still the weakness with Damon in CF, or LF; team speed is lacking but many good base runners compensate for the lack of blazing speed and stolen bases.

The Yankees may need to trade to reduce payroll and add the remaining parts needed: Sheets or Pettitte, Manny or Griffey as another strong bat...even Barry Bonds should be considered. The potential is there for a good year from a very good team.

Merry Christmas Yankee fans

2008-12-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

T'was the season before the season and all through Yankee land, visions of success dangled like Christmas candy hung from the tree...Aj and CC and soon to be...some more hitters and pitchers and defensive wizards...as Yankee fans dream warmly in wintry cold and blizzards, feeling no pain a Democrat in the White House again...the curse of the GOP gone for the next four years; and we see the possibilities shaping up...

Pitching wins in October, and any other month of the season...so the Yankees have pitching starters and relievers...more to come...Ben Sheets or Pettitte either one would be welcomed...keep Hughes, Aceves, and Kennedy in the minors until they can be brought along as long men, then starters...and Joba will be a star reliever again, especially until Sanchez or some minor leaguers are ready to chip in with forty or so sparkling innings; a new beginning for the old champs pf the national pastime...once again a time to rise and shine...NY -Tampa Bay...a great new rivalry, and Detroit and Baltimore too... rivals from old time to renew... 'cause i have a feeling, there will be a let down in Beantown...and they will simply be full of gas... Merry Christmas to all...

A New Era...

2008-11-12T08:24:00.001-08:00

A New Era has begun the curse of the Republicans has held but will end in January 2009 and Yankee baseball will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of finishing behind Tampa...

Next year will also be a likely time for the best team to win it all... the National league has had its day and owners no longer feel threatened about the values of their teams...now its about the value of high priced baseball in a stressed economy. New stadium too...

There is a release in baseball denied to mere eating and drinking, that little extra of life...the favorite team doing well...so many days seem brighter, time passes in anticipation, moods are lighter and filled with a sudden burst of ...ya know if only my team would get this player....

And Yankee fans can expect to see a well pitched game every day...something taken for granted during most of the past 15 years, taming the opposition offense with a lot of routine innings... less nervous apprehension when we ae on the field, and on offense a scoring threat is a player on deck...

The bullpen can be solid again with the pieces in place, the rotation needs two and the lineup needs one...and everywhere there will be an emphasis on youth, defense and speed. This will be an interesting offseason between two of the most fascinatinng seasons of the Steinbrenner Era..finishing badly last year and moving up to the top for next year.. great theater... and a Democrat in the White House...adds that little something ...extra... the winter will be mild...

A New Era...

2008-11-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

Santana was the right decision

2008-02-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Joba, Hughes, Kennedy, and Wang will form the core of a new Yankee streak of divisional and league success. Hopefully as Yankees rather than traded players emerged as stars elsewhere. The Yankees passed on Santana for the right reasons: they were being held up by Minnesota[ the Met package paled to the Yankee proposal] and the man himself is a risk, so much in one pitcher is a risk [kevin brown, carl pavano, mike hampton...on and on]. The alternative was important and attractive...young power arms are a good bet in the AL against so many power swingers and poorly skilled hitters; and the farm system players need to see that they have a chance to wind up in pinstripes. Now the Yankees can see if they can stay alive until the second half and grow stronger as their young arms gain confidence and experience. The plan has an incomplete section..the bullpen needs to find four arms to carry the five inning starts and high pitch counts of these young pitchers; again young arms are in abundance:Karstens, Rasner, Ohlendorf and Marquez for starts and then there are the returners Bruney and Britton.
So there will be important innings in the spring and the test of Yannkee field judgement will begin early, when ball meets mitt in a few weeks... exciting prospects for a great season....

The Yankees are Paying these Guys?!

2007-04-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Opening Day 2007 and the best lineup in the game came to bat in the first inning. Talent after spectacular talent, young, cheap and talented: Tampa Bay was that much better than the Yankees in talent. Baldelli, Dukes, Upton, Crawford will someday be the the big TB machine, they are awesome talents, and the Yankees don't matchup beyond Rivera, Jeter, and Arod, they don't have the athletes that TB has. So why are the Yankees paying TB and the rest of baseball. The commissioner and his boys have pulled off one of the biggest heist/flimflams of baseball history with the Yankee tax. Forcing the Yankees to pay double for lesser talent that is thrown at Tampa and the 2--time champion Marlins is a crime. The Yankees for their part would be fair to burn up their roster and put the AAA squad out there. But Steinbrenner cares and he won't, but the Commissioner and his boys should be laughing all the way to the bank...they have even convinced the world that payroll wins titles even though the Yankees will be o-7 at the end of this season unless they can beat the rest of baseball on and off the field...most unlikely, but they, unlike TB and a few others, will try.

Opening Day

2007-04-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

If this were October, the Yankees would be in trouble Pettitte, Mussina, Pavano would be at a disadvantage against most of the likely contenders(Detroit, Boston, Minnesota, and Toronto).
This is not October and the Yankees have time to develop more pitching talent. Next season looks better yet with Hughes and Wang between Pettitte and Igawa and some young flamethrowers(Sanchez,Betances,among others) in reserve. This year the formula is solid starters and shut down relief for as long as it takes. The Angels used this formula in 2002 and it can work in front of a productive offense. The Yankee weakness is their overall defense which is why they added Mientkiewisc and his pitcher's bat to their lineup to stop the easy hits past 1B. The Yankees will have to rely upon their toughness this year. They are not even in the top 10 in talent on the field and have to overcome three far more talented teams in their own division( luckily one of them is Tampa who refuse to win) but Boston and Toronto have superior talent but so far have not shown the will and toughness to knock out the Yankees. This should be a wonderful season for those who like offense and scoring.

Improving the Yankees

2007-03-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Yankees will have to consider improvements because they have fallen behind so many teams in overall talent. They have also decided to feature internal development which has a history of including a few but important trade and free agent acquisitions. Also and this is really strange the yankees may need to move minor league talent to make room for ...minor league talent. AAA Pennsylvania will have a rotation that is NYC bound: Hughes, Sanchez, Ohlendorf, Clippard all project to be with the big club with Wang to form an all-farm rotation that would be competitive even ion the AL East.
They have Cano, Cabrera, Sardinho and Tabata to add to the prior generation of Jeter, Matsui, Damon, and Miranda who could be a big star for years to come. Now the opportunities: Andruw Jones. Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, and Houston Street. The no1 is Cabrera and 2 is Mauer Santana no. 3. Cabrera is clutch and he is the ARod we never saw in NY. Mauer is a catcher, a plus defender who can hit. Street could replace Rivera--somewhat. The odd thing is that the Yankees have enough talent in their system to acquire these guys by trade: Pavano, great young arms: Beam, Chamberlain, Betances, White, Britton, and position talent Brett Gardner can be a star, Duncan can hit, Gonzales a great SS-- they can do these..it will be fun to see if any of these future marquee players get turned into today's marquee players.

Good Pitching plus great hitting equals ?

2007-02-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

The Yankees hope that having a strong starter every day will make up for the lack of star power in their rotation. There is some precedent for this the 2006 Yankees led the league in scoring and won their division with hitting. Their pitching failed them in the playoffs and their offense did too. They would have been stronger in the playoffs if they had one other starter than Wang and Mussina at the top of his game..they didn't and couldn't win a pitcher's duel..only a high scoring game. This season it may not matter because they face long odds of getting to the playoffs, but they have the potential to develop some long relievers to let Torre pull an ineffective starter early in a crucial game, or to hold a team down in the 4th-6th innings on a given day. This is often done with some young hard thrower and the Yankees have Sanchez, Ohlendorf, Britton, Beam and a few other young power arms to consider. The Yankee bullpen could be a factor too Vizcaino, Bruney, and Proctor are three proven options for the early or middle innings. This would leave Farnsworth and Rivera to close. Like the big Red Machine and some 1950's era Yankee teams...they will try to do it with good pitching, superior relief, and superior hitting.

Boston will have to work hard this year

2007-02-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

Boston has assembled a hand of four aces, Toronto finished 2nd last season, the Yankees improved their pitching and depth... what will happen? This year Boston will have to exceed it's normal effort to mess up this season. On paper they may have their best pitching ever...clearly the best in the league this season. Detroit would be a poor second, the Yankees somewhere in the upper one third. Boston has great defenders to go along with the dominant starters...so look for Boston to build a big lead in the AL East and coast to the division title while the Yankees battle for their lives with Toronto, Detroit, Texas, and Oakland. Now if Boston does not run away early..things could get dicey because the Yankees are loaded with trading chips: Pavano + cash; high quality prospects from AAA and depth players. Will Florida decide it can trade Cabrera and still be on track for 2008? Will Minnesota trade Santana while his value is still high( three high level prospects at this time). So if Boston doesn't play hard they will have a chance to see the Yankees make a big deal and catch up in talent a bit before the pennant chase. This season it is truly difficult to imagine that Boston will not blow away the division: four aces usually beats jacks and tens.

2007 NY Yankees : Defense

2007-02-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Team defense will be a strength of this edition. The infield will have Jeter and Cano who have learned from a year of playing together to be a superior Double Play Combo. They don't have great range but will be superior behind good pitching that will produce a lot of mishit ground balls. Third and First will be superior when Mientkiewisc is at first and averge when Giambi is there. Giambi is an average fielder but doesn't throw well and amazingly that comes up a lot when he is on the field..the ball finds him.
Outfield defense is a strength with only Damon's weak arm as a weakness. Melky will play some CF and then they will be a superior group. Abreu is an underrated defender as is Matsui. Both will make outstanding plays look routine.
Pitchers play defense too and Mussina is one of the best. Pettitte is very good and has a great pick-off. Wang is very good for a ground ball guy that is important. Igawa and Pavano are unknowns but neither has a reputation for poor fielding.

2007 NY Yankees : Offense

2007-02-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

The lineup is strong behind Boston and Toronto in the division and LA and Minnesota in the league..on a par with Detroit and Tampa. Talent wise that is how the Yankees stack up but in performance they will probably be the top offense in the league. The key is hitting and base running ... the area of Yankee advantage with Abreu, Jeter, ARod, Cano, Matsui, Cabrera, and Damon the Yankees will be effective on the bases unlike Minnesota, Boston, and Toronto..and on a par with Detroit and LA. The Yankees will come at you with walks, hits and xtra base hits... Damon, Jeter, Abreu figure to give Giambi and Arod two RBI opportunities per game. Behind those two are Matsui Cano and Posada.. if the Yankees really do go on with the ridiculous Mienkiewisc at 1b..that will be the only easy out in the lineup and the reason the offense seems to take a step backwards from last season. The Yankees will still have a power game with Giambi and ARod. In his walk year ARod may have a dynamic season. He will opt out of his contract and leave the Yankees in the hunt for a replacement star in a year when Andruuw Jones might become available(Abreu is in the last year) and when they may want to promote Eric Duncan to play 3B. They should be trying for Miguel Cabrera from this point forward too.

2007 NY Yankees : Relief Pitching

2007-02-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

It begins and ends with Mariano Rivera. Mo is the cornerstone and he seems to be solid as ever based on last season. The bits get dicier from that point as Bruney becomes the second most important reliever because like Rivera he is lights out when he is on his game. Bruney can freeze hitters and he may become the 8th inning preference for Torre despite Farnsworth whose bad back has him on the great when available list. The Yankees have a lot of save opportunities and late inning holds too so there is a need for three pitchers to cover the 8th inning or slide to the 9th when Mo is on his rest days and Proctor is the the third guy. Proctor stepped up last season and has now taken the swing man role of middle/late. This makes the Yankee bullpen deep and flexible and resistant to overwork. They have two guys to handle the middle inning Vizcaino and the lefty Meyers or TBA or Britton obtained from Baltimore. The Yankess have a little depth too: Jose Veras came on strong once he figured out his spots for his fastball and he can contribute this year along with TJ Beam. All in all a deep and flexible group and a team strength.

the 2007 NY Yankees : Starting Pitching

2007-02-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

First in a five part series... Mussina, Pettitte, Wang, Igawa, and Pavano are penciled in for the rotation and it is good enough to win the American League in front of a top offense. The weak link is Pavano since no one knows if he will compete. If he resembles the fellow from Florida the Yankees will be in good shape: a 6-7inning quality performance three+ out of five outings.
The issue is health//depth. Nos. 6-9 are important and here they are young Karstens, Rasner, Sanchez, Hughes in that order then Clippard and a host of other possibles--they have good young arms not much experience. The Yankees seem willing to try their kiddie corps after seeing Detroit succeed and Boston flame out last year doing the same thing...they feel thay can manage it and Cashman has gathered the personnel to give it a good test. The view here is that Sanchez is ready to shine and Karstens and Rasner would be decent at the back end of the rotation and hold their own. Hughes is ready to be a No.3 it is better to wait uintil September if possible--or at least til July. Then there is the Clemens factor. I see Clemens going anywhere but NY... but id he lands in NY then Pavano would become a trade and the Yanks would try to build towards another important goal: somehow getting Miguel Cabrera.

Bringing Up the Young Arms

2007-02-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

Detroit showed as Florida showed before them..you can go a long way with good young pitchers. The guys who can still erase their mistakes with a high hard fastball. The problem is that it usually costs the team one or two seasons before the young arms learn to win at the MLB level...the Yankees will bring them in one at a time if they can. They let Hughes stay down last season and will start him at AAA this year if possible before a second half call up. That leaves them 60% of goal with Hughes and Wang and Igawa. Sanchez and Clippard are next in line but might not get the permanent promotion this season..but at least some MLB starts in September. If Pavano goes bad again then there would be some stars to sprinkle around all of these young arms. The Yankees won last year with key starters having ERA in the 5.00 range...these new guys may be able to do better than that even in the AL East where every team throws and explosive offense at you every game. Matsuzaka vs. Hughes... is a matchup that the Yankee fans can look forward to for some seasons to come.

Yankees on a Budget?!

2007-02-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

The Yankees are starting to worry their fans...they seem serious about their budget! They are going into the season with Pavano penciled into the rotation..a five pitcher rotation- no 6th or even 7th guy to stand and wait for injury or ineffectiveness. All is not lost this may wind up as a very interesting year..the year the home grown Yankees start to arrive for the next phase of the Dynasty. Humberto Sanchez, Phillip Hughes, Tyler Clippard are planned to follow Wang into the rotation from the Minor League System joining old man Pettitte and Kei Igawa over the next two seasons. They could pitch in relief some to gain confidence except for Hughes who is redy for a spot in the order. The most pressing order of business for the Yankees is their future catcher not their pitching... they now have answers at AAA.
NOTES: If the Helton deal does not go... I think it still will...Boston will look back and say: best deal we didn't make this offseason was keeping Mike Lowell. Boston will have to invent a closer but still have a huge talent edge in offense, defense, and pitching over the entire league.

Helton will help

2007-01-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

The Red Sox will likely get Todd Helton a player the Yankees wanted a few years back and it will give them a big edge over the Yanks on the days when Mienkiewisc(sp) is in the lineup. But if the Sox give up Lowell it will be an overall negative for them. Lowell was their best clutch hitter for big parts of the season last year and was their best defender. Helton is a top defender but doesn't figure to give the punch that Lowell did...and his health is a question mark. Overall this would not be good for Boston so don't expect the Red Sox benevolence society aka the baseball owners to let it stand. The deal will sweeten for Boston. They may still play for keeps on the field in MLB but in the Selig ERA the owners have shown that they are not concerned about winning on the field as in playing boardroom games: Angels sent Donnelly to Boston for a sore armed minor leaguer, Schilling to Boston for a guy on the DL...don't get me started!

Yankees Pitching Progression

2007-01-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

The Yankees have seen the effects of the Cashman plan now. They had a great offense last season even with the loss of two the games leading run producers. Arod could bounce back and Abreu is an underrated player who could do a lot more than last year too. Last year they were undone by poor starting pitching from Johnson, none from Pavano, and little room for error against teams with good pitching. Now there is a difference.. The Yankees would like to have a guy on the mound each game who can hold the opposition to 3-4 runs o er 6+ to 7 innings. Now they have that possibility with Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, and Igawa( who translates into a 4.40 range ERA). The fifth starter should be the top minor league pitcher who is ready for promotion to the bigs and here the menu is : Rasner, Karstens, Sanchez, Ohlendorf, and White. Phillip Hughes will be brought uip on club decision in September for a few starts unless necessity requires an earlier callup. This is the progression factor: Pavano is there if he earns it. If Clemens sign then Pavano might be traded before the deadline. Clemens spot would be replaced by Hughes in 2008 when Sanchez too would come up. The Yankees are creating the possibility of an all homegrown rotation headed by Hughes and Wang and including Igawa, Sanchez, Ohlendorf or White or Clippard.. a progression..nice.

Yankee Posibilities

2007-01-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

One of the cool things about following the Yankees is that if you imagine the possible moves they might make, well many could happen, here are a few:
Add Johan Santana in trade- Yankees have three major league ready young arms in Humberto Sanchez, White, and Whelan plus JB Cox, Henn, Beam, and Britton. This is one that could happen and help both teams.
Add Miguel Cabrera in trade- This is the one player that the Yankees would like to add and then find a way to put him on the field with their other young stars Melky and Cano. The Yankees have some arms to trade but the Marlins seem to want a catcher and a CF. So this is one to watch for as the Yankees groom some AAA OF talent and Eric Duncan add a couple of reliever arms ( Beam, Britton) and this one could happen. Cabrera with the Yankees would play OF but I would let him choose 1B and that would be an all- world infield [ARod-Jeter-Cano-Cabrera].
Couldn't happen, well just let the Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Orioles get close on either one of these and it would happen!

Replacing Randy Johnson...

2007-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Andy Pettitte is now the top Yankee lefty starter. I expect he could win as many games as Johnson given similar run support. Kei Igawa replaces Pavano who gave nothing last season and Jaret Wright who filled in at times with excellence. Igawa may be able to get 12 wins and replace Wrights win total. Both Pettitte and Igawa figure to reduce the burden on the bullpen...Johnson had a high number of low inning starts and ineffective starts.
Mussina and Wang could each duplcate last years performance with similar results leaving the nig mystery as Pavano..the Yankees have options there in order: Rasner, Karstens, Sanchez, and Hughes..or they could sign Clemens or trade for a Number 1 from Minnesota, Oakland, or Florida where their abundance of good young arms and position players and young hitters would be enough to get a high priced starter. The Yankees believe they can succeed with good starting pitching behind their offense if they have a deep bullpen. Adding Vizcaino deepens the pen to the point where they have Bruney, Britton, Farnsworth, Rivera, Proctor, and Vizcaino coming off 50 plus appearances last season.. a solid base.

The Classic Yankees Style

2007-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

The Yankees had a style in the 20's-30's they were an offensive machine most years ..Ruth, Gehrig, through DiMaggio. The 50's another powerhouse Dynasty. Steinbrenner has built o few offense powerhouse teams too... but the mostly didn't win... 2007 promises to be a throwback to the 50's-- solid pitching, superior relief, and great hitting. Power, yes , but not the staple--the bread and butter will be hitting and the defense will be led by solid starting roles... no Cy Young Awards.. solid -keep em in the game every day type pitching. Randy Johnson proved over the past two seasons that inconsistency hurts the team more than the good days help the team. The offense is a mental grind in baseball... watching pitch after pitch, each at-bat a battle..that's what makes the Yankees who they are on offense. They get mentally worn down by the days when it is so much easier for the opponent to score. They have decent team speed and superior base running but hitting is the key Jeter, Damon, Cano, and Abreu are legitimate 200 hit guys; ARod, Giambi, Matsui, and Posada can give 170-180 hits... add in the walks and you have a tremendous number of base runners and runs. So solid pitching is adequate against the league to produce 95-100 wins if the bullpen can hold leads and keep it close too...Vizcaino, Bruney, Proctor, Farnsworth, and Rivera look like an able group for 300 innings... the young arms will be there this year to fill the gaps..Britton, Beam, Rasner, Karstens, and Sanchez..so its back to the future --Yankee style

Johnson Trade- a sign of the times..

2007-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

After the Yanks were knocked out by the Tigers ... I wrote that they would add young power arms this off season while others talked about Barry Zito, Schmidt etc.. The Yanks lost Matsuzaka to Boston where he may become the next Pedro Martinez. The Yanks gained ground yesterday when the traded Randy Johnson...yes that was a gain... they could replace Johnson's innings and performance with Igawa who projects to a 4.50 era and 12-15 wins if they could add another effective reliever...they did in Vizcaino. He has pitched in the AL on some talented teams like the CHISOX championship edition. He has the arsenal to be dominant for an inning...that completes the replacement of Johnson. Now the Yanks have to replace Pavano..assuming he will be unavailable or ineffective ..or both... that is where the new wave comes in ...young power arms: the Yankees have Humberto Sanchez, Phillip Hughes, White, Henn and a few others (Rasner and Karstens from last year) to plug into the fifth spot--- this is vintage Yankees: Have a strong offense so that you can afford to bring up young pitchers and still win. The Yankees can add Sanchez, Hughes, and maybe the new kid from Arizona over the next two seasons to have a potential for a home grown rotation--- wow--GO FIGURE!!!

New Year for Old Foes

2007-01-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

The Red Sox are not the Yankee rivals that belongs to the defending Champion Tigers( still sounds weird) but the Red Sox are the team Yankee fans most enjoy beating so that's the real rivalry. The Red Sox for their part seem to exist in some strange nether world where all of the accomplisments are placed second to beating the Yankees. Something about that OH for 86 year thing that Yankee fans now understand. Yankee fan haven't won since 2000 and that is a lot longer than 86 years its 6 Steinbrenner years..that's about 100 years in interpretation to the rest of baseball..and he has spent about 100 years worth of salary. The Red Sox have loaded up and the league has shown its usual generosity like sending Brendan Donnelly for a prospect with a bad arm( again.. Schilling for Casey Fossum). The word on the street is that the Angels offered him to the Yankees in exchange for Derek Jeter and $100m the Yankees balked and only agreed to $99m but Boston out bid the Yankees with Phil Seibel. So obviously the Angels will win the league behind the 34-0 / 0.00 era performance of Phil Seibel... but if they don't Boston is the 'mortal lock '.

Trading Johnson

2006-12-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

There are no real positives to trading Randy Johnson...yes getting back prospects 1-2 years ready for MLB is a good thing... but for all the drama..Johnson has given the Yanks what they needed since he came to the team 200+ innings and 17 wins per season. Now that a lesser pitcher might have done even better is why they are trading him away..the Yankees would be fine without Johnson if they can put Pettitte in his place..Pettitte should be able to win about as many games as Johnson did.although it is hard to imagine him giving so many 7-8 inning performances. This comes back to the trade of Johnson you need to add a starter and a reliever to replace him. The Yanks don't have the replacement starter ... they will have to find one from Pavano, Rasner, Karstens, and Humberto Sanchez. Sanchez might be the best arm and Karstens the most consistent in this group. The Yanks could still sign a budget guy like Piniero who has a good upside. The reliever could be Britton obtained from the Orioles, Gonzales from Pittsburgh, or TJ Beam from AAA. Mussina, Pettitte, Wang, Igawa could be a very solid rotation in front of a five deep bullpen of Britton, Bruney, Proctor, Farnsworth, and Mo and a spot lefty. Pavano will be a good test of whether the Yankees have a legendary degree of patience to go with their legendary offense this season.

Igawa Could be a Kei

2006-12-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

Kei Igawa may wind up being the best bargain of the winter even better than the fantastic bargain of Angels sending the best set up man in the game-Brendan Donnelly- to Boston for a broken down minor league lefty. Donnelly like most Angels pitchers benefited from a high level of defense and Scioscia calling pitch sequences. He may merely be excellent in Boston rather than fantastic as he was in California. Igawa with the Yankee offense and relief may wind up starting 30 games and winning 12-15 games. Beckett won 15 for the Sox last season for a lot more money. Igawa will have to learn to compete in MLB and adjust to the hitters and the strike zone but he has the tools to do it--a strong personality, a decent fast ball, excellent control and a good change up. Once hitters time his fastball he will be able to get swings and misses with his change of speed. Johnson will probably be traded but I don't see the Yankees signing Zito. There will be a great deal of angst but $140 m is just too much to invest in one pitcher. The Yanks can trade for better from Florida or even Arizona and promote Hughes and Humberto Sanchez in the second half of the season.

Pitching is still the goal

2006-12-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Yankee offseason goal has not changed--Pitching. Now, they have made some progress they lost Wright and his iffy five innings. He has been replaced by an unknown Igawa who has promise. If Igawa can learn to be as effective here as he was in Japan, he will be as good as the Yankee have. They added Pettitte to be the No.2 starter behind Mussina. Wang, Igawa, Mussina, and Pettitte. This group has an upside in Wang and Igawa who will offer some opportunity for growth based on age and experience. Now the No.5 guy is Randy Johnson but he may not be able to go in the first half--Pavano if he is between injuries may be called upon rather than traded--Pavano needs to pitch in the 2nd half of the season because next year is his walk year-when he has to earn his next contract. Pavano could be helpful this year if he wants to show the league he is a good investment for the next four years. The bullpen needs another high quality arm--Gonzalez from Pittsburgh would be good but not if it costs Melky-- Melky Cabrera could be a .280/30 hr/100 rbi guy in the outfield with some speed that's a high price for a lefty setup guy. The Yankees need to find an Owner who will be "lodge brother" nice to them the way the Angels gave Boston a great -all star - reliever Brendan Donnelly for a rookie with a bad arm-- wow, that Boston front office--legendary , eh? I think the Angels would have traded Donnelly to the Yankees for say Rivera, Arod, Jeter, and Phillip Hughes and $100m to adjust salaries.

Red Sox Have Huge Talent Edge over the Yankees

2006-12-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Mike Bauman writing for MLB.Com baseball perspectives says the the Red Sox signing of Matsuzaka was needed to even the field with the Yankees, who- over and over let it said- have more money. Bauman is a great writer but on this point he is so very wrong. The Red Sox started the off-season with a dominant advantage in talent over the Yankees. There is no doubt: Schilling over Johnson; Beckett over Mussina; and Papelbon over Wang. The only Yankee advantage is Rivera and you need a lead for that to work. The Sox have the same formula that Detroit used to destroy the Yankees in the playoffs- dominant starters with or without pine tar on their hands. The Yankees should not do well head to head against the Red Sox--but last season they destroyed Boston -head to head- because Boston didn't play hard enough to win. In 2007, the Yankees will be less imposing without Sheffield- Abreu is not the same caliber hitter and cannot handle an elite fast pitch. Boston started with an advantage and then broke the bank to sign Matsuzaka away from the Yankees because they had more money to spend--They can find bullpen help from their deep, minor league system--also loaded with talent. The Sox now have an insurmountable paper advantage in talent--only they can mess up the season and lose to the Yankees--despite their talent --AGAIN.

Clemens Can Help

2006-12-13T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Yankees will look at Roger Clemens for the 2nd half of the upcoming season and there will be opportunities there. Clemens could come in and amp up the rotation--the no.5 starter might be moved to the bullpen and the plans to bring up some of the young arms might be postponed but it would be a thrill for the Yankee fans to see Clemens back in a pennant drive.
Boston has a huge advantage in talent over the Yankees. They have Matsuzaka now giving them four aces while the Yankees have none. They have time to fill their weakness at the closer spot; they have six-seven young arms starting with Lester, DelCarmen, and Hansen ready to play. They have Manny, Ortiz, and Drew in the rbi slots--they have COCO CRISP-- so it's hard to see how they can lose the AL East..but somehow..someway ..i expect they will. Even when they win a battle they seem to step in it--look at Matsuzaka-- they have already set the NEGATIVITY stage by signing him for Gil Meche money. His Agent can't wait for free agency for this guy at then end of his contract--like Clemens and Pedro before him- he may be the next late, great Boston pitching star--even before he signs his first deal--incredible.

Class

2006-12-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

Maybe there is something to this Class thing that Yankees fans keep talking about-I have been hearing it for decades in connection with the Yankees--their class and their occasional lapses too- Irabu wasn't a toad--he just had a worn out arm- sort of like Randy Johnson--both managed to win in NY. Now the Matsuzaka thing--the Wednesday fly back to Boston to have the physical and the signing -pretty classy, yes-- but the whining over the price-- NOT CLASSY AT ALL-- REALLY REVEALING. Like a spoiled brat the Sox Organization is just showing an infantile personality. THEY bid $52M- nobody made them do it. THEY said Matsuzaka was their next Ace--nobody made them say it- after they won the bidding. THEY SAID they beat the Yankees to Matsuzaka- ok fair enough-- NOW PAY HIM WHAT AN ACE EARNS THIS YEAR AND GET ON WITH IT--you are not entitled to get your posting money back from Matsuzaka--RED SOX ARE MAKING SCOTT BORAS LOOK LIKE A DIPLOMAT--and that takes some doing. Matsuzaka by the Red Sox own reckoning is due Pettitte type money and more--Zito type money--5yrs =$90m ( plus 52 equals $24M per year) the Yankee fans say CONGRATULATIONS! can't wait to see the $142M rookie pitcher.

Red Sox : ADrama in Two Parts

2006-12-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

This will be brief--Yes the Red Sox have put out some press that Matsuzaka is in danger of failing--they have themselves to thank for the mess they are in--they have set the value on this player by the size of the posting fee. $50M is hard to ignore--that's half a Carlos Lee, or 45% of a Beltran or Soriano-- of course those deals are for multiyears and at 5 years the Sox have already agreed to pay $10M per year. Add to that the salary(with no luxury tax) and you have a 18M/year player--whoa that puts the player salary below Lilly and Meche- Matsu is a Lilly and a Meche --so Pettitte money is called for --that would put Matsu at $27M per year for five years of a guy who's arm has been put through the Japan baseball wringer. Well as you all know, it is the Yankees who have caused all of this--well after all if the Yankees had signed Matsu they would have an edge in talent--well they didn't sign Matsu, they don't have an edge in talent; they haven't had an edge in talent since 1998. What we are seeing here is the Boston Drama Club at it's best -- like a five year old's imagination--creating monsters in the dark to scare itself then bravely sticking it's head out of the closet. The Red Sox will sign Matsuzaka and again send salaries spiraling upward( Like Manny six years ago) and again they will-with a straight face- BLAME THE YANKEES.

Matsuzaka- What A Joke!

2006-12-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

They put out a report on ESPN that the negotiations between the Sox and Boras/Matsuzaka have broken down--what a joke- Matsuzaka will be signed by the Red Sox--they cannot fail to do this after selling it to their fan base and to the Japanese public as well--and whatever they spend will be recovered in the business cycle of the next several seasons- in all likelihood- due to increased income from the Japan market. Matsuzaka is not needed by Boston true--they already by their own admission have the best starting rotation in baseball Schill, Beckett, and Papelbon are Aces--nobody else has three--many like the Yankees don't even have ONE. They have made it their mission to put four Aces on the field with Wakefield and they will need to do that in order to get into the playoffs. For Boston- just having the best talent is never enough..they seem to want a team that can't possibly lose. Most teams have rarely had a hitter as dominant as either Ortiz or Manny--they have both. Varitek is the best catcher in the league and Lowell is the best 3B --and they got rid of that awful Damon and now have Coco Crisp!! You would think that they would put some of that young pitching into a deal for a closer. They have given away the kind of talent(Annibal Sanchez) that they are paying $100m for this year in Matsuzaka-- and that says a lot about why Yankee fans so enjoy watching Red Sox Nation. So enjoy the drama but we all know how this story ends- they sign Matsuzaka.

Relief Takes Center Stage

2006-12-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Andy Pettitte and say goodbye to the mystery of the starting rotation: Pettitte, Mussina, Wang, Igawa, and the best prospect(Karstens, Rasner, Sanchez) will start the spring and could be effective with the Yankee offense behind them IF the bullpen does its job and Rivera, Farnsworth, Bruney, and Proctor is not an overwhelming group. Dotel was part of the plan to create a dominant bullpen but he got well, got expensive, and got lost to KC--so where do you find a dominant arm-- nowhere-so look for great young arms to groom for the role you will need in September. TJ Beam showed he had a world class arm- mid-90's velocity but needs to develop his off speed pitches. If he does he will play a big role- to relieve or avoid fatigue in the middle reliever group. Britton -obtained from the Orioles- showed he could handle the role of the first guy out of the pen-usually 5th-6th inning for 3-5 outs. He could be a key this season if he can handle 50-60 innings in about 40-45 appearances-he would solve the bullpen problem which is they lack about 60 innings of work to avoid overuse of the middle relievers: Proctor and Bruney and a lefty to be named. The Yankees found Jose Veras late last year- a good short/middle man. Rivera and Farnsworth will split the save situations about 80%-20%. Farnsworth and Bruney figure to handle critical 8th inning spots. Proctor will wind up working 6-9 depending on the game and could be the guy who saves the pen by effectively holding leads. The Yankees still need to find their lefty.

Now There Are Signs of Life

2006-12-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

Andy Pettitte coming back to the rotation is really icing on the cake--the real news is that the Yankees have demonstrated the curious situation of spending for talent in MLB today. There has been this article of faith the the Yankees have driven the market to extremes there has been a campaign against them--sort of like in Gulliver's travels when the giant got hogtied by the Little people--and a special punishment tax-now at 40%. The tax is a simple confiscation and for years the teams that got the money seemed to pocket it. Now and this has almost always been the case the Yankees have been hampered by the incredible spending of the other teams. Ted Lilly is not a $10m/ year talent. Good teams beat him like a drum. Gil Meche has potential but he should deliver on it before he gets more than the payroll of three or four teams. Pettitte is not worth $20M but he is worth $14-15m ( what he got less the tax) in todays market he might have gone for more. The Yankees didn't do Manny for $18M five years ago. They didn't do Arod for $25m, they didn't do Beltran or Soriano either...so lets get over this anti-Yankee nonsense and deal with the real Matsuzaka-$100m+ for a rookie? For cryin' out loud--somebody is wa-a-a-y off base on who and what is driving the market for talent.

Welcome Back...

2006-12-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

Andy Pettitte finally got the offer he should have gotten years ago to play for the Yankees. I and nearly every other Yankee fan hopes he accepts it--not just because we are tired of seeing Boston dominate the headlines-which we certainly are- but because this is one of the regrets--like when Rivera misplayed the bunt in the series against Arizona--double play world series title--error -world series loss--letting Pettitte go was a big error.
It is not that he is the best lefty in the game or even on the market--I suspect that the offer to Pettitte would equal the offer to Zito on a per year basis-- but Pettitte was one of the guys in the organization who seemed to be the kind of player you needed for the Yankees--he was above all the nonsense and craziness of NY--he had a firm compass for his life and he seemed to be able to find joy in being a Yankee. Only a few seem to be able to survive and prosper in Pinstripes--Bernie , Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Pettitte came out of AAA Columbus and seemed to take going to the big club in stride. Anyway, in life there are only a few chances it seems to do something over and do it right--this week the Yanks got a do-over and have done it right.

Yankees on the Right Course-Sox Maybe Not

2006-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Yankees have Kei Igawa coming on board with $26m in posting fees and will try to close the deal for four years @$6/year- roughly what they paid Jaret Wright less the tax- Wright was a $10m guy ($7m + 40% tax). The Yankees think Igawa can give them more than Wright which would be 180-190 innings and 18 quality starts. The key is in the poorer starts can Igawa go more innings than Wright and the answer is probably yes. Igawa has a strike out arsenal- a good fastball and a curve or change. Wright had a good fastball but a flat slider and a poor change. Wright couldn't avoid contact. Igawa represents a potential upgrade--he hasn't played yet so who knows. The Sox on the other hand are heading towards the Red(faced Sox again. Matsuzaka can hold them up and they will be paying him more than Schilling, Beckett, or Wakefield. Papelbon willl earn a small %ge of Matsuzaka money. The Sox don't need Matsuzaka-they have Lester and Hansen and some other young arms backed up at AAA. They are going to force themselves into some trades for offense by giving up young pitching like last year with Arroyo. They seem to be afraid to trade Manny- the Yanks traded Sheff- for very little really- but they kept Melky Cabrera to be the OF for the next decade. The player the Yankees should covet is Florida's Miguel Cabrera ( Sanchez, Britton, TJ Beam, and even Melky) get this guy if you can- put him at 1b and break the Curse of the GOP.

Starting Pitching for '07- update

2006-12-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Johnson, Mussina, Wang, Igawa, and the best two of Rasner, Karstens, Humberto Sanchez will form the Yankee rotation to start the season unless something better comes along. Pavano will have to prove he is either ready to pitch or not tradeable to stay with the big club or he could be the best paid guy in AAA. The Yanks have moved on from Pavano and will try to hold on until their young arms are ready to take on the leading roles. They have a decent rotation and a good bullpen with Mo,Farnsworth, Proctor, and Bruney. They will have Britton and Jose Veras in AAA. They need a lefty or two and could keep Villone until a better option appears. If they had to go with Wang, Mussina, Igawa, Rasner, and Karstens-- they could still win if the bullpen and the offense can do their thing. Normally the Yanks would like to cover 1-7 with tried and true starters--but they need to make room for the young arms and this is how they used to do it. Rely on your offense and bullpen and hope the young guys build up to giving a quality start most of the time--and just as important--learning from the bad outings to improve at the major league level. Most can't just overpower hitters and if they do( see Papelbon) they can ruin a young career if allowed or encouraged to try. Pitching is an art and a science--not just a great throwing arm.

Red Sox vs.Yankees vs.Mothra

2006-11-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

There was a very thoughtful piece on the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry moving to Japan by Fred Claire --well it has been there for quite awhile- Irabu, Soriano, Matsui were battles between the Yanks and Red Sox too. Matsui in particular was coveted by the Sox. The Sox got their revenge by convincing the other owners to tax the Yankees and take a lot of their money--now the Sox spend like a drunken sailor ( no offense to you drunken sailors out there) and probably still blame the Yankees- with a straight face no less! Fact is the Yankees have taken the post season lead by getting Igawa--Igawa is more important to the Yankees than Matsuzaka is to Boston. Yes, because the Yankees didn't have a 2nd lefty starter who could eat innings--Boston already had two #1 starters and a #2(Papelbon would be the Yankee Ace!). Now the Yankees can have Wang and Igawa to fill the 4-5 spots and give them an edge over most teams. The Yanks still need someone to replace Pavano-- Miguel Batista would be a good fit, Gil Meche could be a star in NY..the number 1 spot will wait for another season when Phillip Hughes or Sanchez or some other prospect will be ready--you know the next Andy Pettitte- a farm system guy who becomes a No.1 Starter-- sounds like a 30's novel--" A No.1 Starter Grows in the Bronx"

Yankee's Building Pitching Staff

2006-11-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

Kei Igawa has a potential to surprise next season because he is a strikeout left hander with the kind of sneaky stuff that bothers major league hitters. Most hitters got their $ millions by turning around fastballs with their reflexes and eye-hand coordination. They swing hard, miss often, but sometimes drive the ball somewhere far away. Igawa is like Paul Byrd or Jake Westbrook putting the ball where hitters can't drive it and getting swings and misses by taking velocity off of his pitches. Igawa should start the year as the #6 starter behind Johnson, Mussina, Wang, (free agent), and Trade/free Agent). The Yankees are still looking for two starters and Gil Meche and Miguel Batista could be the two. Batista in particular because he could slide to the long relief role that the Yankees need. The guy who takes over on Johnson's frequent bad days and (about ten last season) and for Wang and Mussina (about 10 combined last season) that would be 20 games and about 50 innings plus another 10-15 innings to stay sharp. Meche would be the #5 guy and a good one. Igawa would start at six but once he adjusted he could be a #3-4-5. Igawa is a good risk and the total contract might not exceed $50m for four years including the posting fee. The Yankees have Sanchez,Karstens, and Rasner standing by--this is so different for them like "94- '96 they had good young arms (Pettitte, Rivera, Westbrook) and unlike Jeremy Bonderman--they are keeping them for their own use.

The Yankee Model

2006-11-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

Spend big and aim high- that could be the Yankee model and now a lot more teams seem to be joining the Yankees_ this off season: Toronto and Baltimore in particular. The Red Sox belong in a different club- they are just Yankee haters and we'll deal with them later. Baltimore has been a true Yankee rival in the AL East. They dominated the Yankees during several periods and have given us some great clubs: Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Boog, Belanger, F.Robinson, B. Robinson, Palmer, Dobson(RIP), Steve Stone. Now they have added a bullpen (Wright, Baez added to Ray) and a number 5 starter(Jaret Wright) and they will finally stop losing all of their games to Boston. They could hit and score but couldn't hold a lead. Toronto adding Barajas, and Frank Thomas has equaled Boston on offense and exceeds them in the relief pitching. Last year Toronto finished 2nd ahead of Boston and this year they want the playoffs which means finishing ahead of Boston and NY and they are now poised to do it if they can add another starter and a reliever. Frank Thomas with Wells behind him can have another 40 HR 100 rbi year even assuming he only plays 120 games or so. The Red Sox will have to do more than block the Yankees. They have improved their rotation but now will be under pressure to improve hitting, defense, and bullpen because not just the Yankees but the whole AL East and AL Central will be loaded next season.

Boston-You have got to be Kidding?

2006-11-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

You don't even need Matsuzaka and you know it--you only bid the money to block the Yankees. You already had the best pitching rotation on the planet- Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Papelbon, and your choice of the youngsters at #5( Lester, Hansen, on and on). You just paid $100M for a number 5 starter--that is your only opening. So let's say what it really is-- a spiteful, petty move that has escalated salaries across the league-- again-- you did this before when you signed Manny to a $20m annual contract. Through it all you have railed against the Yankees and even engineered a tax on the Yankees-- who by the way have carried AL attendance to it's present all time highs. So now it is out in the open and you can't hide that you have used your competitive position to strike a blow-- well the Yankees know that you have almost always had the best talent--like last season-- and you already had the best talent before Matsuzaka. The only question for Yankee fans is how entertaining your annual collapse will be this season. Oh I know you came back from down 3-0 to win in 2004-- so let's see you do it again.. You'll have to get in the playoffs first and that will be an iffy deal for a team that plays as poorly as you did last season. You need hitters - maybe so go get Drew and see if he can play 160 games-- you need relievers- well you can take your pick in trade with the 3-4 young extra arms you have in your system--Del Carmen would be behind only Rivera in NY. So lets see if you can finish ahead of NYY, Tigers, ChiSox, Angels, Oakland, and Minnesota to even get in the big dance--at this point it looks kinda doubtful.

Cano Still Uphill

2006-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

Robinson Cano had a remarkable year if only for his average-- .343- would be a career year for players rated as great hitters. Cano can probably do a lot more than he did this year. Projected to 600 at bats Cano could get 190 hits, 50 extra base hits, 20 home runs, 90 rbi. His defense at 2b is above average and he is a technique player so he can improve with experience and positioning. He may surprise in the next few years with more power hits. With Mattingly's influence he should not fall for the lefty home run trap in Yankee Stadium and continue to put the ball into the gaps. He has a knack for clutch hitting and he will learn to hit in the post season when every AB is usually against a superior pitcher. I see Cano with a few 30 hr/100 rbi seasons as he moves down in the batting order. He will have another role model this year with Abreu- a similar gap hitting left handed bat. The Yankees may be too left handed at times this season but Cano, Abreu, and Matsui each have a plan against left handed pitching only the hard throwers who pitch inside seem to give them problems but that is fairly rare in the AL these days. The Yankees lost Soriano to get ARod but with Cano at 2B- they should be just fine.

06- Young Arms in Ruin

2006-11-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

To me, the 2006 season will be memorable for the Yankees getting waxed in Detroit, and also for the situation of two of the bright young lights in the Game Liriano and Papelbon. Both of these guys were terrific-- no that's too mild-- these guys were dominant. They changed the games in which they appeared. Papelbon had the most dominant stretch of any pitcher in recent memory-- you've got to back to Bob Gibson to find a guy with and ERA under 1.00- for a long while it was under o.50-one run every 18 innings pitched. He had the most dominant season of any reliever ever until he got injured. Liriano was much the same only as a starter. He made the Twins the favorite in any game he pitched and he blew teams away. 7-8 innings 1-2 runs 4-5 hits-- 8-9 Ks-- typical Liriano fare-- until he got hurt late in the season.
Now- the key thing about both is how they pitched-- they had aggressive patterns--that was OK. They went after and challenged hitters and gave up few walks- again --ok. They pitched a lot of innings- kind of OK but needed by their teams. They each stood on the mound and stared down the hitters making a show of it --bad, very bad, and worse it led to their injuries. They both tried to blow away hitters constantly-- neither tried to learn to pitch so that they could fool hitters- they both tried to throw the ball throw a brick wall-- this was bad management of a precious baseball resource. Boston--you expect it they had Hansen, Delcarmen doing the same thing- Minnesota knew better and with Liriano's brief history they tried to limit his innings some-- but he still threw to many max effort pitches with a delivery that stressed his arm and shoulder like few have ever done. Same with Papelbon- a delivery that stressed the shoulder and a warm up routine that stressed the shoulder( big weighted arm/shoulder swings) . I hope both recover and benefit from the experience and stop making goofy faces at batters and just let the God given talent flow in a well managed scientific approach to pitching-- win without hurting your arm by throwing so hard so often.

Hard to Rebuild on the FLY

2006-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Yankees are rebuilding--or at least creating the option of rebuilding. They proved it by trading their best hitter to a rival(Sheff to Tigers) and pretty much sending Detroit back into the playoffs with the White Sox. This strategy will result in ONLY one AL East team going to the playoffs again this year and the Yankees' chances have gotten more difficult by the day-- Baltimore has come to life( SP Wright and bullpen Wright) and so has Toronto( Frank Thomas). Toronto's lineup is now the equal of the Yankees with Wells, Thomas, Glaus, and Overbay #s 3-6. Now the Yanks have Johnson, Mussina and Wang. They have two young starters to break in in the 2nd half( Sanchez, Rasner) with 2 more for emergency service( Karstens, Hughes). The Yankees believed that their offense was good enough to win behind an above average starter who could eat 6-7 innings giving up 3-4 runs. Damon, Jeter, Abreu, ARod is a speedy, good hitting group of athletic players--add Matsui, Cano, and Posada and you have a good group- Giambi is the other power guy. This group will win if the have decent starters because the bullpen core is solid:Rivera, Farns, Bruney, and Proctor(with Britton in reserve). They could be competitive with Meche, Suppan, or even a lefty from Japan -Kei Igawa. So they key is pitching because without Sheff they cannot plan on overpowering people.

Pitching is still the goal

2006-11-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

This off season the Yankees will probably add a bat to the 1B position and maybe a combo guy who can dh from the right side...but if they leave their offense alone they can expect an improvement next season over last season with the growth of Cano, Cabrera, and Damon in their Yankee roles- Cano seems to have the talent to hit in the .300 plus range and get 200 hits, Damon can hopefully not break his foot this spring, and Cabrera needs to learn to lay off the 1st pitch strike. ARod can have a better year than last season just by making more productive outs- if you can't handle a pitch with one out, two strikes and a man on 1st- hit the ball where you can advance the runner, and develop a sac fly stroke--The Yankees will miss Sheff- he was their best hitter-- and there will be days next season when a quicker bat could have saved a defeat- on the other hand--Detroit will play Boston and Toronto too. Pitching is the thing and last season the Yanks found Karstens and Rasner and they will be back next year in roles. Britton can pitch and he and Bruney can handle the 7th innings leaving Farnsworth and a Lefty set up guy to handle the 8th innings-- Johnson, Mussina, and Wang are the top 3-- they Yanks will have to sign a righty and a lefty( from Japan maybe?)--Gil Meche would be good, Suppan would be OK- or they can package some depth to Chicago for Freddy Garcia- Proctor as the No.5 guy would be good if they can replace the 50-55 good relief appearances he had last year--big "if", eh?

So Far Sox Are Winning Offseason Race

2006-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

You knew it wouldn't end with the big sweep- the Red Sox are like the MLB equivalent of a horror movie monster-- no matter what you do to it --it keeps coming back-- well they're Ba-a-a-ck! The Sox have set up the best rotation that anyone has ever heard of by getting Matzunaka ahead of the Yanks, Mets, Angels, and Cubs-- but oh what a price! This guy will wind up at $20m per year on a five year deal or $120m on a 7 year deal--and these guys have the nerve to tax the Yankees for driving up the price of player payroll- the Yankees didn't do ARod, or Beltran and they didn't do Matzunaka. The Yankees will have to do it without their best hitter having sent Sheff to Detroit. Sheff was a victim of his ability to irritate people. The Yankees needed him in their batting order but they knew it would been too difficult to have Sheff and a team of 24 other guys. this season the Yanks will live under their new rules of discipline and at this pint they look like they will roll behind some young pitchers: Sanchez-should be up after the break; Rasner should be the number 5 guy after Pavano's next injury; Sanchez is intriguing-- a NY kid with a big fastball and curve package-- and Karstens will be No.6 unless Jorge Depaula can come back next spring and impress. It will be more useful than trying to survive the days like when Jaret Wright struggled last season and when Johnson played hurt

Matsuzaka- Very Interesting

2006-11-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Red Sox have won the Matsuzaka skirmish of their 100 year war between the Yankees and Red Sox- frankly the Yankees ought to be more worried about Detroit. The Red Sox added Matsuzaka to an already stellar pitching staff- Schill-Beckett-Wakefield- Papelbon was already a dominant big four adding Matsuzaka as a 5th guy is ridiculous if it limits them in finding offense and defense. They have Varitek, Ortiz, Manny, and Lowell in the 3,4,5 and 6 spots in the order and that is great. They still have Coco Crisp and Youkilis. They need a LF, SS and 2B and Soriano is out there for them to thrill the fans and he would smoke the left field wall. The money spent on Matsuzaka could have gotten Soriano and Clement could have been traded for a closer to say Baltimore( for Ray) or to a NL club like Houston for Lidge-- there are a lot of deals out there for what little they need--BUT NOOOOO they had to go mess up the Yankee bid for Matsuzaka. Well they could always eat the costs and try to trade Matsuzaka to Texas for -say- Teixera--but if they don't sign Matsuzaka they still win and that is bad for baseball even among friends like the Commissioner and the owner of the Red Sox-- evidently the Japanese club needs the cash or they wouldn't be out there selling their version of Sandy Koufax . If it is a block, it could cost the Red Sox $90 Million over five years-that $ could have been used to beat the Yankees on the the field.

Best Team on the Block

2006-11-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

I saw a comic in Mad Magazine once and it showed four Pizza stores on a street with different signs- Best Pizza in town said one empty store, Best Pizza in the Country said the second empty store; Best Pizza in the World-they had one customer- til finally the last store- with a mob of customers in front- "Best Pizza on the Block"-- the Yankees have made a change in policy this year -they are trying to be the best team on the block. The Tigers and Cardinals played for the series- neither had a better offense than the Yankees- both had better pitching and that made their defenses better than the Yankee defense. Now the Yanks have traded Sheff and Wright and will try to resign Mussina within budget limits. They lost their bid for Matsuzaga on budget limits which hurts but they got a good young arm for Sheff which helps. In '07 they can add Humberto Sanchez, in '08 they can add Phillip Hughes- now they need to sign two starters to cover the loss of the soon to be injured Pavano and Wright- with Boston out of the way they may be able to sign Zito or Schmidt-- Boston will now be able to trade Matt Clement back to the NL with their rotation set with Papelbon, Matsu, Schilling, Wakefield, and Beckett--the Yankee fans say lets hope they are the best team in the world.

New Look for '07

2006-11-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

What will the '07 yanks look like- on offense? They will be better: Damon-Jet-Abreu- Arod -Giambi-Matsui-Posada-Cano-Wms would be a great 1-9 order. If they go to the market for offense it would be for a star or a future star because nothing less would add anything. The top four can hit,slug, run, and steal. They must add situational hitting skills to move runners and not wait for home runs to score. The key on offense is depth- Cabrera is the extra OF and they need a catcher who can hit enough to be out there for 2025 games to let Posada have some rest. Matsui, ARod and Giambi need frequent days off to max their output and for Matsui this means DH days. Reserve IF could be Cairo again or someone with more speed and defensive range. They could add a 1b/OF or 1b/3b and that would be good if a righty could come on board for balance. They should bring back Andy Phillips. The minors will have three OF ready for spot duty( Tabata should be one) and two reserve infielders-Eric Duncan should be one and Vecchionacci the other. The Yanks will add veteran players for depth to stay at AAA until they are needed. A little more speed and defense in the reserves is all that is needed.

Red Sox Are Back

2006-11-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Just when it looked like Toronto had overtaken the Red Sox the Sox strike back and have put together an awesome rotation: Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Papelbon, and Matsuzaga. Their #6 guy Matt Clement would be the Ace on the Yankee staff. Such dominance added to Ortiz and Manny, Lowell, Varitek, and the CF defense of Coco Crisp- the Sox may not lose 40 games this season. The Yankees don't stand a chance of doing as well against the league as the Red Sox and the Sox are just getting started.
The Yankees have showed dicipline in the last two years and it has cost them because they do not have an effective rotation. If they sign Mussina they will go with Wang, Mussina, Johnson, Karstens, and Rasner. Pavano is presumably injured and unavailable. It is still early but they Yanks will have to sign a #3 starter like Schmidt, Zito, Lilly, or Suppan just to fill out a roster of veteran arms-- the Sheffield trade now takes on some importance--the Yanks need to convert Sheff into a starter and a high level pitching prospect-- say like Bonderman and Ledezma from the Tigers-- and they could throw in Pavano and half his salary. Score a big win for the Red Sox.

2006-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Beckett, Schilling, Halladay, Burnett, Kazmir THEN Wang-that's a ranking of starters in the AL East. The best Yankee starter is #6 in the division--at best. That is why the Yanks have two starters on their must do list by free agent or trade. A trade might send Pavano and Sheff to the White Sox for Freddy Garcia and a prospect one year away from pitching in the bigs--that would be a good trade but it wouldn't change the first sentence in this blog! The Yanks would like to have two starters in the top ten in their division preferably at least one in the top 3 and two in the top 6-- like Boston and Toronto. They can get there if they trade for Bonderman, Contreras, or maybe if they sign Zito- that is a push but Beckett and Burnett are injury prone and underachieve so that Zito would match them in wins with the Yankee offense behind him --even though he is not at the talent level of the other two. Matsuzaga is an important possibililty because if the Yanks somehow get to sign him-he could be a big winner like Wang-- foreign trained in the old school fundamentals which Beckett, Burnett and Papelbon seem to lack-- a solid guy, no drama, just play hard and find a way to win. Zito or Contreras or Schmidt plus Matsuzaga minus Pavano--that's a winning formula. But the Yanks are probably not ready to pull the plug on the Pavano adventure.

Matsuzaka Is Not A Key for '07

2006-11-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

Matsuzaka is not part of the things that they Yankees need in '07 to win the AL( They are not allowed to win the world series because there will be a Republican in the White House--the Curse of the GOP-bino) but he is part of what makes it so special to be a Yankee fan in the Steinbrenner Era. Matsuzaka might be Roy Oswalt or Curt Schilling--or Hideki Irabu-- no one really knows--but the same excellent international scouting that brought them Matsui and Contreras is at work and that is a very good sign that Matsuzaka will be a very good pitcher. What Matsuzaka does bring is that mystery of possible excellence--another reason to see or follow the team--he could be a guy who comes in and has a 14K night--or a 20 win season-- or a string of scoreless innings. Jose Contreras was such a figure and his talent backed it up--in Chicago-- ARod will probably not be traded for the same kind of reason--does he have a 60 home run season in him? The minds of the fans enjoy such games and the Yankees give you plenty to anticipate- Cano as batting Champ? Giambi as home run champ? Rivera as --well- Rivera-- this is great stuff-- most teams have it but nobody puts it together like Steinbrenner's Yankees. Now about that Curse.... Curses are made to be broken -ask the 1 out of 86 Red Sox!

Starting Pitching for '07

2006-11-01T09:40:00.001-08:00

An area of big need for the Yanks is the top of the order. Randy Johnson won 17 games last season and if he were the Ace- it would be ok with a big offense behind him he could win 17 again with good health. The Yanks will probably bid for the Japanese Star Matsuzaka and he looks like the real deal. Getting him is a long shot so the best free Agents may be Schmidt and Zito. The Yanks could use them both but Zito is the likely one to pursue-- I saw Zito twice last season against the Yanks--he got hammered once and did well the second game-late in the year-. He won 17 with a small ball offense and superior defense behind him. Johnson, Wang, and Zito would be OK 1-3-- add in Mussina and Wright and you would have a shot at keeping your bullpen from flaming out--all except Wright would give you 6-7 innings per start-- Notice that Pavano is missing from the list-- yes, and he managed to miss all of last season too. The Yankees can no longer rely on him to pitch for them and if he were still on the roster in the spring he will have to earn a spot-- I think a NL team like St Louis of SF would trade for him--if the bidding got serious the Mets might join in too--somehow - I don't see Pavano in Yankee pinstripes next year--but he has shown the talent to win 15 plus- and that is still hard to find these days- maybe to the White Sox for say - Jose Contreras?

Bullpen Choices

2006-10-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

The Yankees need an upgrade to their bullpen --not because they had bad players or that they performed badly--when they were needed during the regular season --the bullpen came through ok. In some instances, they were dominant for stretches during the season of five to ten games at a pop--problem was always overwork. Proctor in particular was overworked. The Yanks expected Dotel in the second half and he didn't get back in time to help. The plan was a good one- Rivera, Farnsworth, and Dotel would give you a dominant 8th-9th combo with three arms to cover the setup and closer innings. The problem was the 6th and 7th--so many games where the starter was gone or ineffective put the bullpen in the 6th inning of a majority of the games. Brian Bruney came in and really helped so he and Proctor look like the 7th inning guys for next year with Farnsworth and Rivera in the 8th and 9th. That leaves the Yankees wanting for two more solid arms --a lefty and a righty to handle the 6th inning needs- Villone had a few great efforts -he is a possibility- AAA has Henn and Karstens they could get the nod at least to start the season- Dotel could end the whole discussion- resign him and work him in the early innings until the 2nd half and as his arm strength and control return he can move to the back of the Pen as the ultimate 8th inning warrior- like Tom Gordon. I would sign Dotel and stay on plan --it was a very good plan and it could help them have a very good year.

ARod or Not ARod

2006-10-30T17:17:00.000-08:00

That is the question on the minds of Yankee fans and it really doesn't matter as much as one might think--oh sure ARod is a fabulous ball player and even his poor seasons are full of highlights and amazing performances--unfortunately for ARod playing in NY means playing in front of some of the most spoiled fans( I am certainly one of them so I know of what I speak) in all of creation--and some of the most savvy. Yankee fans know a big moment and they remember the guys who deliver something at the big moments-- those "refuse to lose" moments-- those "big momentum" moments-- Jeter diving into the stands face first-- Bernie hitting a rbi hit in the late innings to bring us back to within striking range-- Posada turning on a fastball in the World Series- Strawberry's power, Tino's steady play, Rivera, Paul O'Neil.. a long list of clutch players. Arod is different he will amaze you with a 3 homer, 10 rbi game and then drive you mad leaving the runner at first with nobody out late in a game-- if he has a fault to his game-- he doesn't give in to the situation and this violates the team concept that the Yankees use as a rule-- rules are broken and I have seen Jeter and Posada and Bernie swing for thye fences when a ground ball to the right side is needed-- the Yankees pick each other up and work as a team when they play well. If ARod were traded the Yankees would still have a fabulous offense without adding another player--they could promote from the minors or sign a cast off and keep on truckin'-- but with ARod they Yankees give their fans another thought of greatness- the expectation of seeing something truly memorable- 160 rbis, 70 homers, a 4 homer game, a season long exhibition of excellence and hard-nosed play, like Jeter did last year, like Cano can do next year, and like some future unknown young kid from the minors in some future season.

TIGERS ARE A FORCE, FEEL BETTER?

2006-10-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

NO- heck NO! Yankee fans feel cheated this season by the Motown Mow Down but they know that they were badly outpitched--there is something else there too-- the meltdown by Detroit against KC--KC beat them five in arow before the playoffs and it cost them a division title --now long forgotten in Detroit- bu-u-u-t in the process the Tigers gained the advantage of zero expectations- a lighter yoke to bear than "George expects his team to win the World Series"--but the radar guns tell a more important tale in the run up to the playoffs the Tiger starters and Zumaya in relief turned into breaking ball pitchers- if you scouted the last 10 Tiger games you saw starters throwing a lot of change ups and breaking balls many of whom left KC bats and found the outfield turf. In the playoffs they turned it around and added 5 mph to the fast pitches and you could throw out those scouting reports- if it had been a horse race they would have been testing saliva- Kenny Rogers at 94-95mph wow he couldn't have done that when he was in his 30's. So the Yanks were caught by surprise but they were beaten by a better pitching staff than they have had for the last four seasons.

It Got Late Early this Season

2006-10-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yogi must be as shocked as most casual Yankee fans at how their season ended in Detroit--but truth is the Tigers had more talent where it mattered most- STARTING PITCHING AND MIDDLE RELIEF. Joe Torre won four titles with arms like Cone, Pettitte, Wells, Clemens, Rivera, Stanton, Nelson and Mendoza among many others. That was good starting pitching, good middle relief and a great closer. They lost to Arizona with a pretty good pitching staff because Arizona got lucky in a close game 7. They were dominated by Florida in the Series- young arms, upper 90's, and great defense. Jim Leyland has been there before and his teams know how to win. The Tigers are just starting to get some respect from fans and media but the OWNERS NEED TO HAVE THE NATIONAL LEAGUE WIN THE WORLD SERIES because the growing belief that their league is inferior might begin to hurt them at the gate-- Tigers go to the Series but the Mets would be favored to win if they are the opponent. It will depend on the health of the Tiger relievers because they are having some problems now with Zumaya... Yankee fans can look forward to an off season where some big needs get looked at with much more urgency--look for some big efforts to trade for young power arms.