Imagine 20 years from now. You sit there telling your kids or grandkids the days of the great tandem of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Now on Derek Jeter you speak of greatness that does not appear in numbers, but in A-Rod, you speak of the man who broke just about every offensive record in the history of the game. A man who might go down with 800 HR's, 4000 hits, and 2500 RBI.
You speak of him to the children around you in the same manor as those before you spoke of Mantle, Ruth and Gehrig. Mythical beings who get bigger with time. You tell the kids of greatness that brightens your eyes and lifts your spirits as you remember how lucky you were to lay your eyes on a legend. What you don't tell them is whether you were one of those who booed him. If you did, you won't tell them that, you'll say you were one of those who supported him, were with him through and through. Has anyone come out to admit they booed Maris? Why would anyone admit to booing the greatest? It wouldn't make sense.
What we have here is one of the greatest athletes in professional sports. We sometimes judge players on championships but we forget that as a team you must win. Marino never did it, Ewing and Barkley never did it, and as of yet, A-Rod has not achieved the greatness of a Championship. Being that he is the highest paid player in the game, he shoulders all the blame. Just because a player has rings, does it make him a better and more accomplished player? Would you trade Luis Sojo for A-Rod straight up? I think not.
Last year was the toughest year for anyone in all of sports. No one experienced what A-Rod went through. Not even cheaters like Bonds or Giambi. The same fans that booed A-Rod were loving Giambi as a hero, a savior. The comeback kid if you will. A-Rod didn't put up the numbers he is used to, so the fans turn on him. They turn on a player who sacrificed so much to come to New York to play for the best team in sports. He moved over to a position less familiar to him than the one he was the best at. He gave up the chance to eclipse his idol Cal Ripken Jr as the career leader in HR's at SS so he could play for a winner. He did all of this, yet was loathed for a season.
His contract was blamed. His arrogance was discussed. Everything you could imagine was mentioned just so "fans" could justify their hatred for him, but in all actuality, it was their jealousy of him. To be the man you got to beat the man. A-Rod was able to beat most men in an "off" year and people hated him for it. They said he didn't appreciate the game and wanted him gone. They felt someone in the likes of Aaron Boone would be a better solution. All because of a lucky swing on a knuckleball. They say the sun shines on a dog every now and then, the sun was shining that day for Boone, but for just that day. The sun shines down on A-Rod everyday, yet fans were looking away.
What was overlooked was how he took to the young players on the team. How well mannered he was with the media and fans after everything they dished out. How he still showed class as the same fans who booed him a few at bats earlier were now calling him out for a curtain call. A lesser man, but a more intelligent man would have refused to come out. Ask Carlos Beltran why he went out for curtain calls last year. He didn't want to, he was TOLD to. No one told A-Rod to come out, but he still did. He wanted to be loved, but found nothing but hate. Yet he still tried and said the right things.
Pointing out postseason stats are irrelevant. Look at how he was used in the postseason. The one time he was used correctly, in 2004, he was a monster. In 2005 he was moved to the number 2 hole while he batted 4th all season. In 2006 he was just an extra player because his manager had no faith in him while he still showed faith in bullpen pitchers who gave up leads like a slut gives up ass. It made no sense. Everyone believed it was just because A-Rod was awful. Think about it, what is a number 2 hitter supposed to do? He is supposed to get on base to give the guys behind him a chance to drive him in. Did you know A-Rod was on base at a .435 clip in the 2005 postseason? Of course not, he didn't hit the 3 run bomb. It wasn't his job to, he was supposed to get on base. He did, he just wasn't driven in. Yet A-Rod shouldered the blame.
You see the awful news on A-Rod in bold letters while miss the great news because it is in fine print. A-Rod, for all the negative stuff said about him is still a class act. He is still a hard nosed player. He takes everything serious. He doesn't have to, his contract is guaranteed, yet he still busts his ass. Not because he is trying to earn a new contract, but because he loves the game and wants to honor it like those before him did. Just the other day, they spoke of A-Rod running pass patterns in the OF with Melky and Cano just to loosen up. A-Rod probably makes more in one game than they do in a year...combined. Yet there he is, displaying his leadership abilities that no one cares to recognize. Who else does that?
It is time to embrace him. It is time to enjoy what you are seeing. Jorge Posada moved into 9th place on the Yankee All-time HR list. A-Rod will surpass him in 2 years. He tied Reggie Jackson last night and did it in 119 fewer games. The man will probably take over the single season HR record as a Yankee with over 61. He should be celebrated because those who broke the real record did it with some extra oomph. A-Rod will do it with hard work and God given talent. He should be a hero because he never cheated. Instead fans will celebrate Bonds when he breaks the record, but there will be others who will look to A-Rod to save the face of baseball, he is your hero, he is our Superman.
His stats are not empty. When the Yankees make it this season and come back after everyone gave up on them, look back on every HR he hit. How clutch has he been? He has earned the right to not hit a pitch out of the infield during the postseason because if there IS one, it will be because of him. Remember that, because in 2005 most of us forgot it. To be clutch in the postseason you have to get there first. Without A-Rod they have no chance, know it, believe it.
What we are seeing this season is what you will talk about to those kids in 20 years. It will be a story about a man who was once so small, growing to become a giant, a legend. You will speak of it like those before us spoke of Mantle, Ruth and Gehrig. Your eyes will sparkle. You will live 2007 all over again. What we witness with each swing is a story in itself. Enjoy it, because you will never see it again. Appreciate it because if you don't you'll regret it.
There is no such thing as a "True Yankee" or anything of the sort. A Yankee is someone who wears the uniform. A-Rod wears our uniform, time to treat him that way, through thick and thin. Time to wake up, rub your eyes, and meet the next great one....Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, Third Baseman, New York Yankees.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
You're a Yankee Fan?
To the "fans" who think they are fans of the Yankees...STFU!
You embarrass me and you shame me. All you can do is find the negative and all you can do is blind yourself to reality. You can't think for yourself so you wait for the bloodsucking media and other moronic Yankee fans to tell you how to think. You say you love the Yankees? I say you love the fact that they have won so much so you can brag to all your so called friends who only deal with you so you don't put a bullet in your head. Do us a favor and do that.
Why do Yankee fans get all the flak from other fans? It is because they are spoiled and demand the best without thinking first of the consequences. Winning is not something that can be expected always, if so, why even play the game? If you knew the Yankees were going to win the World Series, why even follow them during the season? Don't follow them, please, move on to other things like knitting or removing road kill to feed you and your family. You aren't needed.
A majority of baseball fans do not have the privilege to say they have a CHANCE to win EVERY YEAR. Last year the Yankees lost to a better and more balanced team. It was all over after that. The negativity came and disgust was thrown in the same sentence with the word "Yankees." Ask fans of the Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Rockies, or even the Cubs if they would trade their past few seasons for one of ours. They would do it in an instance.
You are the first to show no class when your team wins, and when our Yankees lose you run and hide and let fans like myself mop up your mess that you left behind. You don't show up and support the team until the team has something to brag about. Where were you when they were out of 1st place and their injuries mounted into something we all thought resembled the end? You were probably blaming it on Alex Rodriguez, a player 1000 times the player you are and 10 times the human being you are.
You complain about our players when they don't deliver. You say they suck when you are sitting on your couch with Cheeto's on your chest and stomach wasting away your life, while they talk about stepping up and delivering hits not talk. All you provide is talk and you won't shut up.
You have the greatest players in the game and can't appreciate that your owner is doing everything in his power to give you what you want to win. When it doesn't work you want to try something new. If it were the stock market you would have jumped already, and most of us wish you did.
You want nothing more than to get rid of possibly the greatest player to put on a Yankee, or let alone ANY uniform because you come up with nonsense and don't come up with numbers or proof. You say that if one doesn't deliver in the clutch, they mean nothing. When it gets brought up that it would mean the whole team means nothing you bring up players of the past who had the supporters to do so, but today have not brought anything in return. The hits of years back do nothing for us today, yet they mean more to you in an argument than to cheer for your own players on your own team.
You'd rather focus on what papers write about instead of the box score and the victory column. A division championship or home field advantage is just another day at the park for you. You trivialize winning when other fans wish they could be as arrogant as you are. You take for granted the love of the game and all you care about is the end state. You forget that there is a road to be traveled, and when you travel off that road and wake up in a ditch with no end state other than the one that has haunted us the past 6 seasons. You are then the first to read the tabloids and point fingers, instead of realizing it takes a team to be a team.
You took for granted possibly the greatest dynasty in professional sports in the late 90's. You didn't watch baseball 'til the final out of the World Series so you could wear your Yankee cap and feel proud to be a Yankee fan, even if it may be part time and self convenient. You don't understand that how that Yankee dynasty could be better than any of the others. In the past they had to win FOUR games to be champions. Now they have to win ELEVEN! You forget that you had what will never again be accomplished, yet you expect it to come every season just as the first pitch does in April. You have fooled yourself with your stupidity and ignorance, but you haven't fooled anyone else.
You go into this season expecting to cheer whatever effort comes from 24 players but you are on edge and prepared to boo one other. You think all off season on what to say and what chants you want to say to get others to follow you into your stupidity and make you feel some self worth. How about you add "less" to that and get worthLESS, because in all actuality that is all you have become.
You aren't a Yankee fan, you are a soap opera fan. You don't cringe like the rest of us when we hear anything other than baseball. You salivate when you hear about drama in the clubhouse. You get the popcorn to watch a special on Alex Rodriguez and his issues, and believe every bit of it. You are too into your ways to understand that when A-Rod reaches the Hall of Fame and reaches immortality, you will be nothing. If reading up on his so called issues makes you feel good about yourself because the "Big Bad Millionaire" gets made fun of, than you are so blind to see how pathetic you have become.
We go into this great Yankee season like every Yankee season. We go into it expecting the best, but prepared for the worst. YOU on the other hand go into this season expecting the worst while preparing for your venomous words. What are your intentions anyway? To cheer for the success of the Yankees or to cheer for the demise of your personal adversaries on your OWN team? I say you have chosen the latter, and it disgusts me.
I am a Yankee fan. I respect the game and respect the history. I respect that it takes beating other teams to be great, and we just have not been doing that. I respect the fans of all teams that respect themselves and share the same love of the game and their team as I do. I do not gloat nor will I make excuses for a team that I love. I will go down with the players who wear the colors of the team I love. I will not boo them or chastise them in anyway. No one goes into a battle expecting defeat, but in all battles, someone will be defeated. Sometimes it's your team.
I support my team, my players, my city, my home. I support my TRUE fans and will stand with them until the final out. I am grateful for all that has happened in the past and will be grateful for whatever they give me in the future, because to be able to be a fan of the Yankees is something I am honored to proclaim.
I am a fan of the New York Yankees, I can honestly say that, but can you?
You embarrass me and you shame me. All you can do is find the negative and all you can do is blind yourself to reality. You can't think for yourself so you wait for the bloodsucking media and other moronic Yankee fans to tell you how to think. You say you love the Yankees? I say you love the fact that they have won so much so you can brag to all your so called friends who only deal with you so you don't put a bullet in your head. Do us a favor and do that.
Why do Yankee fans get all the flak from other fans? It is because they are spoiled and demand the best without thinking first of the consequences. Winning is not something that can be expected always, if so, why even play the game? If you knew the Yankees were going to win the World Series, why even follow them during the season? Don't follow them, please, move on to other things like knitting or removing road kill to feed you and your family. You aren't needed.
A majority of baseball fans do not have the privilege to say they have a CHANCE to win EVERY YEAR. Last year the Yankees lost to a better and more balanced team. It was all over after that. The negativity came and disgust was thrown in the same sentence with the word "Yankees." Ask fans of the Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Rockies, or even the Cubs if they would trade their past few seasons for one of ours. They would do it in an instance.
You are the first to show no class when your team wins, and when our Yankees lose you run and hide and let fans like myself mop up your mess that you left behind. You don't show up and support the team until the team has something to brag about. Where were you when they were out of 1st place and their injuries mounted into something we all thought resembled the end? You were probably blaming it on Alex Rodriguez, a player 1000 times the player you are and 10 times the human being you are.
You complain about our players when they don't deliver. You say they suck when you are sitting on your couch with Cheeto's on your chest and stomach wasting away your life, while they talk about stepping up and delivering hits not talk. All you provide is talk and you won't shut up.
You have the greatest players in the game and can't appreciate that your owner is doing everything in his power to give you what you want to win. When it doesn't work you want to try something new. If it were the stock market you would have jumped already, and most of us wish you did.
You want nothing more than to get rid of possibly the greatest player to put on a Yankee, or let alone ANY uniform because you come up with nonsense and don't come up with numbers or proof. You say that if one doesn't deliver in the clutch, they mean nothing. When it gets brought up that it would mean the whole team means nothing you bring up players of the past who had the supporters to do so, but today have not brought anything in return. The hits of years back do nothing for us today, yet they mean more to you in an argument than to cheer for your own players on your own team.
You'd rather focus on what papers write about instead of the box score and the victory column. A division championship or home field advantage is just another day at the park for you. You trivialize winning when other fans wish they could be as arrogant as you are. You take for granted the love of the game and all you care about is the end state. You forget that there is a road to be traveled, and when you travel off that road and wake up in a ditch with no end state other than the one that has haunted us the past 6 seasons. You are then the first to read the tabloids and point fingers, instead of realizing it takes a team to be a team.
You took for granted possibly the greatest dynasty in professional sports in the late 90's. You didn't watch baseball 'til the final out of the World Series so you could wear your Yankee cap and feel proud to be a Yankee fan, even if it may be part time and self convenient. You don't understand that how that Yankee dynasty could be better than any of the others. In the past they had to win FOUR games to be champions. Now they have to win ELEVEN! You forget that you had what will never again be accomplished, yet you expect it to come every season just as the first pitch does in April. You have fooled yourself with your stupidity and ignorance, but you haven't fooled anyone else.
You go into this season expecting to cheer whatever effort comes from 24 players but you are on edge and prepared to boo one other. You think all off season on what to say and what chants you want to say to get others to follow you into your stupidity and make you feel some self worth. How about you add "less" to that and get worthLESS, because in all actuality that is all you have become.
You aren't a Yankee fan, you are a soap opera fan. You don't cringe like the rest of us when we hear anything other than baseball. You salivate when you hear about drama in the clubhouse. You get the popcorn to watch a special on Alex Rodriguez and his issues, and believe every bit of it. You are too into your ways to understand that when A-Rod reaches the Hall of Fame and reaches immortality, you will be nothing. If reading up on his so called issues makes you feel good about yourself because the "Big Bad Millionaire" gets made fun of, than you are so blind to see how pathetic you have become.
We go into this great Yankee season like every Yankee season. We go into it expecting the best, but prepared for the worst. YOU on the other hand go into this season expecting the worst while preparing for your venomous words. What are your intentions anyway? To cheer for the success of the Yankees or to cheer for the demise of your personal adversaries on your OWN team? I say you have chosen the latter, and it disgusts me.
I am a Yankee fan. I respect the game and respect the history. I respect that it takes beating other teams to be great, and we just have not been doing that. I respect the fans of all teams that respect themselves and share the same love of the game and their team as I do. I do not gloat nor will I make excuses for a team that I love. I will go down with the players who wear the colors of the team I love. I will not boo them or chastise them in anyway. No one goes into a battle expecting defeat, but in all battles, someone will be defeated. Sometimes it's your team.
I support my team, my players, my city, my home. I support my TRUE fans and will stand with them until the final out. I am grateful for all that has happened in the past and will be grateful for whatever they give me in the future, because to be able to be a fan of the Yankees is something I am honored to proclaim.
I am a fan of the New York Yankees, I can honestly say that, but can you?
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Classless Acts by "Professionals"
Class....
That is what should have been displayed by the Nuggets in the first place, and it ended with the Knicks not showing class either. Do what Dante Hall did the other night when T.O. spit at him, maintain your composure and try not to hurt the team. Either way we look at it, the Knicks can't be hurt much more than they were hurting all season.
This is not street ball. It is the National Basketball Association. It is a business and there are rules. The players are supposed to be looked up to. They are not showing kids anything when they do shit like they do. Kids who love "Marshmelo," as one fan put it, now think it's ok to sucker punch someone and run away. He's supposedly the bigger man because he got the hit in and didn't get one back. Also, it's called street ball for a reason, it's played out on the streets, not the Garden.
Then I look at the interviews with the players. Can any of them try to let go of the mentality of "I'm the big dog" or whatever? Can they speak proper English? They aren't paid to be all ghetto like Nate was the other night. They are paid to put the ball into the basket and win games. They haven't been able to do that so Nate decides to escalate a situation that should have been dead.
I love Nate, but what he did was disgusting. He talks about Smith dunking on his court, wasn't he the one was chastised for trying a circus dunk in a game? When asked if he would try it again he said, "Only if we're up by 20." Isn't that a bit hypocritical on his part?
What about when Eric Anderson used to come into blowout games for us when we were actually GOOD? Remember when he used to take 3's with the Knicks up by 30 or more? Would a brawl be started then? Couldn't you argue that by him taking 3's he was trying to show up teams?
I will only commend the players who didn't get involved and one who was, that was Jeffries. He tried to stop it from becoming what it did and wasn't helped by his teammate Nate Robinson. When his teammate was cowardly sucker punched by a bitch of a man, he lost it and went after him. I don't fault him for that.
This was a personal battle between Karl and Thomas. Neither of them are losing a day's pay from this, the players are. Maybe they should take a look at that and realize how stupid they look. I am sure Isiah didn't tell them to foul hard, but you don't have to say the words to get your message across. Isiah isn't going to pay the salary of the players who are going to miss games, and neither is Karl. Maybe they are the only winners in this one, as sick as it may sound.
That is what should have been displayed by the Nuggets in the first place, and it ended with the Knicks not showing class either. Do what Dante Hall did the other night when T.O. spit at him, maintain your composure and try not to hurt the team. Either way we look at it, the Knicks can't be hurt much more than they were hurting all season.
This is not street ball. It is the National Basketball Association. It is a business and there are rules. The players are supposed to be looked up to. They are not showing kids anything when they do shit like they do. Kids who love "Marshmelo," as one fan put it, now think it's ok to sucker punch someone and run away. He's supposedly the bigger man because he got the hit in and didn't get one back. Also, it's called street ball for a reason, it's played out on the streets, not the Garden.
Then I look at the interviews with the players. Can any of them try to let go of the mentality of "I'm the big dog" or whatever? Can they speak proper English? They aren't paid to be all ghetto like Nate was the other night. They are paid to put the ball into the basket and win games. They haven't been able to do that so Nate decides to escalate a situation that should have been dead.
I love Nate, but what he did was disgusting. He talks about Smith dunking on his court, wasn't he the one was chastised for trying a circus dunk in a game? When asked if he would try it again he said, "Only if we're up by 20." Isn't that a bit hypocritical on his part?
What about when Eric Anderson used to come into blowout games for us when we were actually GOOD? Remember when he used to take 3's with the Knicks up by 30 or more? Would a brawl be started then? Couldn't you argue that by him taking 3's he was trying to show up teams?
I will only commend the players who didn't get involved and one who was, that was Jeffries. He tried to stop it from becoming what it did and wasn't helped by his teammate Nate Robinson. When his teammate was cowardly sucker punched by a bitch of a man, he lost it and went after him. I don't fault him for that.
This was a personal battle between Karl and Thomas. Neither of them are losing a day's pay from this, the players are. Maybe they should take a look at that and realize how stupid they look. I am sure Isiah didn't tell them to foul hard, but you don't have to say the words to get your message across. Isiah isn't going to pay the salary of the players who are going to miss games, and neither is Karl. Maybe they are the only winners in this one, as sick as it may sound.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Villone Refuses Arbitration
After Torre abused Villone and destroyed his season, I don't think Villone will be the same. Kind of like Tanyon Sturtze. He had nothing left and to sign him and give him a raise would be encouraging decent or sub-par seasons vice great seasons. Still though, the Yankees are thinking about 13 pitchers vice 12 because of Mr. Torre's abuse of the pen. Time to start pitching these starters past 6 innings.
If we do sign Pettitte and if Pavano for some reason comes back to earn some of his contract, Igawa might assume that role as the lefty long-reliever out of the pen.
I have said it once and I will say it again. Joe Torre created the 6 inning starting pitcher. Look no further than game 1 of the ALDS. He takes out Wang for NO GOOD REASON in the 7th with no one on and 2 outs and brought in Myers. Myers gives up a "meaningless" HR to Granderson. The next day Granderson drives in the tying and winning run. The rest of the series he was great. I still will blame that series loss to something that is overlooked like a managerial move.
Cashman, instead of pressuring Joe in NOT abusing relievers, is instead going to give him one more reliever. 13 pitchers in all compared to the normal 12. Proctor pitching 100 innings last year upset me greatly. If he burns him out and ruins his career, I will once again ask for Torre's head.
But on Villone, he showed the signs of overuse. It can affect you later in the season and even the next season. Look at Sturtze. After a good second half of 2004, he was never the same. Bruney was a God-send last season, but now I fear for him too. With the signing of Pettitte and Igawa soon, I see this as the 13...
SP's
Wang
Pettitte
Mussina
Johnson
Pavano
Igawa - Long relief
Karstens - Long relief
Britton - Middle relief
Bruney - Middle relief
Myers - Lefty Specialist
Proctor - Setup
Farnsworth - Setup
Mariano Rivera - Our Savior
Remember when Torre said he didn't want to use Proctor and Farnsworth the same game but ALWAYS did anyway? Well he will have to this year if he wants to win. Bruney and Britton can switch off too.
I don't think this is a bad way to go. Villone is a good guy and he did a lot for us. I liked what he said while playing the Mariners after giving up the game winning HR against Adrian Beltre. He said that everyone in the Yankee bullpen wants to pitch. If there is anyone who doesn't want to pitch because they are tired, he doesn't want to be teammates with them. Classy statement, but even professional ball players are human, they need rest.
I think he goes elsewhere and he might not be the same. If he isn't you have to look no further than Joe Torre.
If we do sign Pettitte and if Pavano for some reason comes back to earn some of his contract, Igawa might assume that role as the lefty long-reliever out of the pen.
I have said it once and I will say it again. Joe Torre created the 6 inning starting pitcher. Look no further than game 1 of the ALDS. He takes out Wang for NO GOOD REASON in the 7th with no one on and 2 outs and brought in Myers. Myers gives up a "meaningless" HR to Granderson. The next day Granderson drives in the tying and winning run. The rest of the series he was great. I still will blame that series loss to something that is overlooked like a managerial move.
Cashman, instead of pressuring Joe in NOT abusing relievers, is instead going to give him one more reliever. 13 pitchers in all compared to the normal 12. Proctor pitching 100 innings last year upset me greatly. If he burns him out and ruins his career, I will once again ask for Torre's head.
But on Villone, he showed the signs of overuse. It can affect you later in the season and even the next season. Look at Sturtze. After a good second half of 2004, he was never the same. Bruney was a God-send last season, but now I fear for him too. With the signing of Pettitte and Igawa soon, I see this as the 13...
SP's
Wang
Pettitte
Mussina
Johnson
Pavano
Igawa - Long relief
Karstens - Long relief
Britton - Middle relief
Bruney - Middle relief
Myers - Lefty Specialist
Proctor - Setup
Farnsworth - Setup
Mariano Rivera - Our Savior
Remember when Torre said he didn't want to use Proctor and Farnsworth the same game but ALWAYS did anyway? Well he will have to this year if he wants to win. Bruney and Britton can switch off too.
I don't think this is a bad way to go. Villone is a good guy and he did a lot for us. I liked what he said while playing the Mariners after giving up the game winning HR against Adrian Beltre. He said that everyone in the Yankee bullpen wants to pitch. If there is anyone who doesn't want to pitch because they are tired, he doesn't want to be teammates with them. Classy statement, but even professional ball players are human, they need rest.
I think he goes elsewhere and he might not be the same. If he isn't you have to look no further than Joe Torre.
The Frustration of Yankee Fans by Yankee Fans
I can't believe I read what I read earlier when it was said that Giambi was not one of the worst signings in the Brian Cashman era. My response...
Giambi wasn't the one of the worst? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Out of all the signings he probably is the worst. With the exception of ONE phenomenal season, he has been a guy we can't get rid of. Let's go through the years...
2003 - World Series he went out in Miami got so wasted the next day he couldn't start a game. Later on he pinch hits and gets a HR. We LOSE the game and you know about the series.
2004 - Game 6 ALCS we have Tony Clark, TONY CLARK as our last at bat because of Giambi's abuse of steroids that caused a bad knee and even a benign tumor. (Cancer is a reaction your body makes to something foreign in your body, everything is cancerous, especially steroids). Clark ends the game and we know what happens that year.
2005 - He is so bad and has so much controversy attached to him that everyone wants him out. Lo and behold, he comes back and everyone gives him all the credit in the world. Had it not been for A-Rod, Jeter and Cano, we MISS the playoffs.
2006 - His fielding is so bad that they have to move Gary Sheffield into the 1st base position right before the playoffs, the PLAYOFFS!
You can argue that Giambi is probably the WORST signing in the Yankee ERA. Remember he was signed to put us over the top because the year before we didn't have a great offense. Had we beaten the Diamondbacks we would have still been outscored by plenty for the entire series.
Also this list adds to the A-Rod argument. It's fucking stupid, really it is. He is one of the best and one of the worst? One thing I will blame A-Rod for is for carrying the Yankees in the 2004 ALDS against the Twins. Had he not, we would not be suffering from what was to come.
Every trade and signing the Yankees made would be made again! When they are made at the time glorification is made and everyone sticks out their chest for the move. Want signings that are horrible and haven't brought us anything? Let's see....
Mike Mussina
Derek Jeter (contract extension)
Jason Giambi
Carl Pavano
Randy Johnson (contract extension)
Anyone else after 2000
Best
Bernie Williams (re-signing)
David Wells (first time)
David Cone (re-signing)
Chili Davis
Trades, no one got mad when we got Kevin Brown. They got mad after he punched the wall and broke his hand and SUCKED.
No one got mad when they traded Lilly for Weaver.
No one was upset that Soriano was traded for A-Rod.
Things work and other times they don't. If you don't do anything you are crucified for it. Basically damned if you do it and damned if you don't.
If anyone still thinks Soriano for A-Rod was a bad deal you are looking at two hits from Soriano that sticks out in your mind. 2001 ALCS game winning HR against Seattle and then 2001 World Series game winning hit against Arizona. You forget that in 2003 he was a liability and set the record for strikeouts in a postseason.
A-Rod carried the team in the 2004 ALDS and hasn't done much since. How many series? 2 and a half series of futility. Soriano? 3 series in one postseason.
Take emotion out of it and look at the facts. We all love Aaron Boone for that HR. He was lucky if anything. He came in as a defensive replacement and got lucky. Same for Luis Sojo in 2000. He came in as a defensive replacement and got a 24 hop grounder up the middle that ended up beating the Mets and Leiter who threw 140+ pitches.
It's a game of skill and LUCK! You can only get lucky so often, and we haven't in years.
Giambi wasn't the one of the worst? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Out of all the signings he probably is the worst. With the exception of ONE phenomenal season, he has been a guy we can't get rid of. Let's go through the years...
2003 - World Series he went out in Miami got so wasted the next day he couldn't start a game. Later on he pinch hits and gets a HR. We LOSE the game and you know about the series.
2004 - Game 6 ALCS we have Tony Clark, TONY CLARK as our last at bat because of Giambi's abuse of steroids that caused a bad knee and even a benign tumor. (Cancer is a reaction your body makes to something foreign in your body, everything is cancerous, especially steroids). Clark ends the game and we know what happens that year.
2005 - He is so bad and has so much controversy attached to him that everyone wants him out. Lo and behold, he comes back and everyone gives him all the credit in the world. Had it not been for A-Rod, Jeter and Cano, we MISS the playoffs.
2006 - His fielding is so bad that they have to move Gary Sheffield into the 1st base position right before the playoffs, the PLAYOFFS!
You can argue that Giambi is probably the WORST signing in the Yankee ERA. Remember he was signed to put us over the top because the year before we didn't have a great offense. Had we beaten the Diamondbacks we would have still been outscored by plenty for the entire series.
Also this list adds to the A-Rod argument. It's fucking stupid, really it is. He is one of the best and one of the worst? One thing I will blame A-Rod for is for carrying the Yankees in the 2004 ALDS against the Twins. Had he not, we would not be suffering from what was to come.
Every trade and signing the Yankees made would be made again! When they are made at the time glorification is made and everyone sticks out their chest for the move. Want signings that are horrible and haven't brought us anything? Let's see....
Mike Mussina
Derek Jeter (contract extension)
Jason Giambi
Carl Pavano
Randy Johnson (contract extension)
Anyone else after 2000
Best
Bernie Williams (re-signing)
David Wells (first time)
David Cone (re-signing)
Chili Davis
Trades, no one got mad when we got Kevin Brown. They got mad after he punched the wall and broke his hand and SUCKED.
No one got mad when they traded Lilly for Weaver.
No one was upset that Soriano was traded for A-Rod.
Things work and other times they don't. If you don't do anything you are crucified for it. Basically damned if you do it and damned if you don't.
If anyone still thinks Soriano for A-Rod was a bad deal you are looking at two hits from Soriano that sticks out in your mind. 2001 ALCS game winning HR against Seattle and then 2001 World Series game winning hit against Arizona. You forget that in 2003 he was a liability and set the record for strikeouts in a postseason.
A-Rod carried the team in the 2004 ALDS and hasn't done much since. How many series? 2 and a half series of futility. Soriano? 3 series in one postseason.
Take emotion out of it and look at the facts. We all love Aaron Boone for that HR. He was lucky if anything. He came in as a defensive replacement and got lucky. Same for Luis Sojo in 2000. He came in as a defensive replacement and got a 24 hop grounder up the middle that ended up beating the Mets and Leiter who threw 140+ pitches.
It's a game of skill and LUCK! You can only get lucky so often, and we haven't in years.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
It's Not Over 'til Money Says it is
They say the Manny deal is done?
I don't think this deal is over because the Red Sox won't be able to sign other players they need to plug in the holes of their team. Their main need was left handed relief pitching and they signed a lefty specialist from Japan. Is that going to be what they need to win, nope, cause that was their main need of MANY needs.
They still haven't signed Matsuzaka, and rumor is they are still far apart. One of the many reasons I hate the Red Sox front office is because of their shady dealings and pigheadedness. They low-ball players and expect them to bail them out. They lost out on Damon because they didn't want to go more than 10 million a year. Now they bid 51.1 million on Matsuzaka and expect him to compensate them by taking a lower deal. They actually feel that part of the posting fee should be included in the contract. I hope they blow this, cause it will open more eyes to shady dealings.
With Manny he actually isn't disliked by his teammates. The only one who dislikes him is Curt Schilling. Though Curt himself is the most disliked ball player on the team. Manny has no class on the field, but his teammates love him. He also doesn't take shit from the front office so they want him gone. He doesn't want to be there because of the front office and the media. As a teammate they want him there. I am starting to think he acts in his "Manny being Manny" way to piss them off.
Let's take a look at the Red Sox for a minute and realize their reasoning in things. Remember when they called us the "Evil Empire" because we signed Contreras? Remember how they booked EVERY hotel room in the area just so the Yankees could not have an advantage? They fail in signing him and we are the evil ones. Who does what they do and can get away with it? No one. Had the Yankees or even the Mets done what they did in booking all the hotel rooms and signed the guy, it would have been all over the news and NESN operated ESPN.
Remember when they tried to trade for A-Rod and was approved for the trade by the owners, but the players union revoked it because A-Rod actually took a paycut in devaluing his salary? The Red Sox and the players union were 12 million dollars off in that deal. 12 million over 7 years? The deal was dead and when the Yankees swooped in and took A-Rod off the hands of the Rangers, the Red Sox weeped and moaned about a Salary Cap.
Let's look as recent as this past season when the Yankees were called an "uber team" by Epstein and how he said that the Red Sox would never put so much money into one player to risk the future. That was a shot at Cashman and the Yankees who outbid him and the Red Sox for Abreu. Now the Red Sox are signing people like Drew for 5 years and 70 million and Lugo for 4 years and 36 million. Before that they throw 51.1 million dollars into a fireplace for Matsuzaka and now expect to get bailed out by him and accept a lower level contract. Boras won't budge.
Now let's look at their classless dealings and rumors of tampering. The Dodgers and Devil Rays think the Red Sox might have tampered with both Lugo during the season and with J.D. Drew this offseason so that Drew would opt out of his contract and sign with them. Why else would someone like Drew who breaks his ankle running treadmills and playing jump rope opt out of 3 years and 33 million guaranteed?
Want the worst?
Remember when the Rockies were supposed to trade Larry Bigbie to the Red Sox? The Sox asked that the Rockies trade for Bigbie so they can deal some prospects to them. The Rockies traded Eric Byrnes who they just picked up from Oakland to Baltimore for Larry Bigbie. The Red Sox pulled out of the deal after the trade was made. It caused the owner of Colorado to say he would never deal with the Red Sox again. Do you wonder why the Phillies took less from the Yankees than they would have gotten from the Red Sox for Abreu? It's because the Red Sox front office lacks class and integrity. The Red Sox spin it so the Yankees look like the bad guys and that the Sox are the poor team who can't compete.
Look at them now. They can compete alright. They might even pass the Yankees up on salary soon. If you are wondering why the market has exploded, look no further than 51.1 million offered up on a pitcher who hasn't thrown one Major League pitch. It will be fun to see what happens next season. I say that because the Sox have everyone fooled, but even the dumbest people can't be fooled for too long.
I don't think this deal is over because the Red Sox won't be able to sign other players they need to plug in the holes of their team. Their main need was left handed relief pitching and they signed a lefty specialist from Japan. Is that going to be what they need to win, nope, cause that was their main need of MANY needs.
They still haven't signed Matsuzaka, and rumor is they are still far apart. One of the many reasons I hate the Red Sox front office is because of their shady dealings and pigheadedness. They low-ball players and expect them to bail them out. They lost out on Damon because they didn't want to go more than 10 million a year. Now they bid 51.1 million on Matsuzaka and expect him to compensate them by taking a lower deal. They actually feel that part of the posting fee should be included in the contract. I hope they blow this, cause it will open more eyes to shady dealings.
With Manny he actually isn't disliked by his teammates. The only one who dislikes him is Curt Schilling. Though Curt himself is the most disliked ball player on the team. Manny has no class on the field, but his teammates love him. He also doesn't take shit from the front office so they want him gone. He doesn't want to be there because of the front office and the media. As a teammate they want him there. I am starting to think he acts in his "Manny being Manny" way to piss them off.
Let's take a look at the Red Sox for a minute and realize their reasoning in things. Remember when they called us the "Evil Empire" because we signed Contreras? Remember how they booked EVERY hotel room in the area just so the Yankees could not have an advantage? They fail in signing him and we are the evil ones. Who does what they do and can get away with it? No one. Had the Yankees or even the Mets done what they did in booking all the hotel rooms and signed the guy, it would have been all over the news and NESN operated ESPN.
Remember when they tried to trade for A-Rod and was approved for the trade by the owners, but the players union revoked it because A-Rod actually took a paycut in devaluing his salary? The Red Sox and the players union were 12 million dollars off in that deal. 12 million over 7 years? The deal was dead and when the Yankees swooped in and took A-Rod off the hands of the Rangers, the Red Sox weeped and moaned about a Salary Cap.
Let's look as recent as this past season when the Yankees were called an "uber team" by Epstein and how he said that the Red Sox would never put so much money into one player to risk the future. That was a shot at Cashman and the Yankees who outbid him and the Red Sox for Abreu. Now the Red Sox are signing people like Drew for 5 years and 70 million and Lugo for 4 years and 36 million. Before that they throw 51.1 million dollars into a fireplace for Matsuzaka and now expect to get bailed out by him and accept a lower level contract. Boras won't budge.
Now let's look at their classless dealings and rumors of tampering. The Dodgers and Devil Rays think the Red Sox might have tampered with both Lugo during the season and with J.D. Drew this offseason so that Drew would opt out of his contract and sign with them. Why else would someone like Drew who breaks his ankle running treadmills and playing jump rope opt out of 3 years and 33 million guaranteed?
Want the worst?
Remember when the Rockies were supposed to trade Larry Bigbie to the Red Sox? The Sox asked that the Rockies trade for Bigbie so they can deal some prospects to them. The Rockies traded Eric Byrnes who they just picked up from Oakland to Baltimore for Larry Bigbie. The Red Sox pulled out of the deal after the trade was made. It caused the owner of Colorado to say he would never deal with the Red Sox again. Do you wonder why the Phillies took less from the Yankees than they would have gotten from the Red Sox for Abreu? It's because the Red Sox front office lacks class and integrity. The Red Sox spin it so the Yankees look like the bad guys and that the Sox are the poor team who can't compete.
Look at them now. They can compete alright. They might even pass the Yankees up on salary soon. If you are wondering why the market has exploded, look no further than 51.1 million offered up on a pitcher who hasn't thrown one Major League pitch. It will be fun to see what happens next season. I say that because the Sox have everyone fooled, but even the dumbest people can't be fooled for too long.
Friday, December 01, 2006
A Bold Statement
You can quote me on this one. I have done some scouting on both pitchers and there is more upside to me with Igawa than there is Matsuzaka. Reasons...
I look at the pitches both of them throw and the types of pitchers they are. Matsuzaka is a power pitcher. Power pitchers dominate in the Japanese league. They don't so much in the Major League. Igawa is a pitcher who changes speeds and hits spots. They ARE successful in the Majors with key lefties that come to mind in Jimmy Key(no pun intended), Tom Glavine, Jamie Moyer. In Japan pitchers like Igawa get hit more often than not, but he hasn't.
Matsuzaka throws a slider, curveball, fastball and a splitter. His out pitch is his slider. Pitching in the Majors he will have to throw his slider a lot more often than usual. Also, with a 4 day rest period instead of a full 5 that they had in Japan, will his slider be as sharp as it was in Japan? I doubt it. His fastball tops out at 95. His splitter is what people mistake for the Gyroball. They are good, but they have to be on point to get Major League hitters out.
Igawa throws a slider, fastball and a changeup. His change is just dazzling. One thing I know from pitching is that you can't hang three pitches... a knuckleball, a fastball and a changeup. He uses his change on both righties and lefties and has used it well against the likes of Ryan Howard. He is not afraid to pitch inside either. His fastball can top out at 91, but he is not here to strike out batters. His game is changing speeds and getting the batter out of whack. He can do that.
The biggest thing for me is the delivery. Matsuzaka has a pause at the top of his windup and looks like he is counting to three before completing his windup and pitch. He uses too much arms and legs and baserunners in the US will go crazy with him. If his delivery is off, you can forget his mechanics and control to anywhere near what we heard it to be. I expect the seats on the Monster in Fenway to welcome a lot of HR's due to hanging sliders to righty batters. Someone like Sheffield with the Tigers is going to jump all over this guy.
Igawa has a very FAST delivery and he hides the ball well. There is no pause in his windup. This is very interesting to me in that he pitches like a Major Leaguer. He gets the ball and delivers. None of this thai-chi crap in mid delivery. Plus he keeps the ball behind him as long as possible. The batter does not see the ball until the last minute. That is very El Duque-esque minus the hitch in delivery.
Money is also pretty interesting. Yankees are looking to lock him up for 4-5 years for an average of 5 million a year. That is VERY good considering what Adam Eaton got (3 years 24 million). Also, being that he isn't as big a name as Matsuzaka and not represented by Boras, he is going to be far cheaper. Arn Tellem is his agent, and he represents Moose, Giambi and Matsui.
In the long run this looks to be a better signing than the big named signing of Matsuzaka. This guy looks like he has some serious balls. He also has what I look for in pitchers. Guts, control, on the same page with their catchers and gamesmenship.
Mark my wards, he will be BETTER than Matsuzaka.
I look at the pitches both of them throw and the types of pitchers they are. Matsuzaka is a power pitcher. Power pitchers dominate in the Japanese league. They don't so much in the Major League. Igawa is a pitcher who changes speeds and hits spots. They ARE successful in the Majors with key lefties that come to mind in Jimmy Key(no pun intended), Tom Glavine, Jamie Moyer. In Japan pitchers like Igawa get hit more often than not, but he hasn't.
Matsuzaka throws a slider, curveball, fastball and a splitter. His out pitch is his slider. Pitching in the Majors he will have to throw his slider a lot more often than usual. Also, with a 4 day rest period instead of a full 5 that they had in Japan, will his slider be as sharp as it was in Japan? I doubt it. His fastball tops out at 95. His splitter is what people mistake for the Gyroball. They are good, but they have to be on point to get Major League hitters out.
Igawa throws a slider, fastball and a changeup. His change is just dazzling. One thing I know from pitching is that you can't hang three pitches... a knuckleball, a fastball and a changeup. He uses his change on both righties and lefties and has used it well against the likes of Ryan Howard. He is not afraid to pitch inside either. His fastball can top out at 91, but he is not here to strike out batters. His game is changing speeds and getting the batter out of whack. He can do that.
The biggest thing for me is the delivery. Matsuzaka has a pause at the top of his windup and looks like he is counting to three before completing his windup and pitch. He uses too much arms and legs and baserunners in the US will go crazy with him. If his delivery is off, you can forget his mechanics and control to anywhere near what we heard it to be. I expect the seats on the Monster in Fenway to welcome a lot of HR's due to hanging sliders to righty batters. Someone like Sheffield with the Tigers is going to jump all over this guy.
Igawa has a very FAST delivery and he hides the ball well. There is no pause in his windup. This is very interesting to me in that he pitches like a Major Leaguer. He gets the ball and delivers. None of this thai-chi crap in mid delivery. Plus he keeps the ball behind him as long as possible. The batter does not see the ball until the last minute. That is very El Duque-esque minus the hitch in delivery.
Money is also pretty interesting. Yankees are looking to lock him up for 4-5 years for an average of 5 million a year. That is VERY good considering what Adam Eaton got (3 years 24 million). Also, being that he isn't as big a name as Matsuzaka and not represented by Boras, he is going to be far cheaper. Arn Tellem is his agent, and he represents Moose, Giambi and Matsui.
In the long run this looks to be a better signing than the big named signing of Matsuzaka. This guy looks like he has some serious balls. He also has what I look for in pitchers. Guts, control, on the same page with their catchers and gamesmenship.
Mark my wards, he will be BETTER than Matsuzaka.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Still not the right guy
"Jeter was the most consistent Yankee, he was the MVP."
Well I do agree he was consistent this year, there's no doubt. I still think he is getting WAY too much credit for keeping the Yankees afloat with all their injuries. Johnny Damon himself said that Cabrera should even garner MVP votes for all he has done. I would like everyone to tell me what leadership he displayed that counts as intangibles? What I saw this year were people like Jorge Posada stepping up after Tony Pena told him it was his team. That the team always belongs to the catcher and that he needs to take it.
If a player is consistent, do we reward him the Most Valuable Player award? It all depends the type of consistency he is displaying. The driving force for Jeter this year was not the numbers. His numbers put him in the debate, but his "intangibles" is what everyone thought would win him the MVP. Who doesn't have intangibles? Johnny Damon has intangibles. Look at the difference he made during the season. Giambi has intangibles, like saying his shit don't stink. But my argument is that Jeter's intangibles were supposedly the reason the Yankees had an enormous lead against the Red Sox, what were they?
NY is a city that creates heroes and goats for the drama that is everyday NY. It glorifies certain players while it destroys others. Was Patrick Ewing the reason the Knicks never won the championship? Is A-Rod the reason we haven't won in 6 years? Is Derek Jeter the reason we won 4 World Series championships or even the AL East this year? He is ONE of the reasons.
On Mariano, take him off the team and you don't win as much. Take him off the team and you lose that sense of stability and invincibility. Hands down Mariano Rivera is the most important Yankee and the Most Valuable Yankee. The MVP is designed for pitchers as well. Mo doesn't pitch everyday, but he damn near has to.
I said before that if Jeter had won it wouldn't have been a bad choice, but people have said it was the wrong choice that Morneau won. The guy had a great year and when the Twins had that stretch he was their best player. Do I think he should have won the MVP? No, I think it should have been Santana, then Mauer, then Jeter. Though it can't be proven we could win without Jeter, you can just about guarantee that if one of the Minnesota players gone down, they wouldn't have won their division.
Now my opinion on Jeter's leadership comes from my Marine Corps background. His leadership style really disgusts me. Nothing against the guy personally, I own one of his jerseys, but I cannot stand his style of leadership. If you remember, I picked Jeter for MVP back in June/July timeframe, then I started to watch him. I started to look at the bench, I read and heard his quotes, and I saw him during the AL East celebration. If you are the Captain you display all facets of the word leadership. Here is an acronym we used in the Marine Corps, JJ DID TIE BUCKLE
Judgement, Justice, Decisiveness, Integrity, Dependibility, Tact, Initiative, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, Endurance.
If Derek Jeter has all of them then he is doing his job. You can't do some of them, you can't do all of them SOME of the time. You have to do it all of the time. Is him not going to the charity event a lack of LOYALTY to his fellow teammate? I dunno, when one of his former teammates shows up, and other teammates show up it shows one thing. Then when he appears a few days later as a guest of a college he did NOT go to in Columbus, it shows me something.
I know I will be disagreed with and will probably be bashed as a Jeter hater, A-Rod lover, etc. All I know is that I will call it like it is. Jeter was not the MVP and there are reasons for it in my opinion. I still love the guy, he's a Yankee, but he is not the most VALUABLE Yankee.
Well I do agree he was consistent this year, there's no doubt. I still think he is getting WAY too much credit for keeping the Yankees afloat with all their injuries. Johnny Damon himself said that Cabrera should even garner MVP votes for all he has done. I would like everyone to tell me what leadership he displayed that counts as intangibles? What I saw this year were people like Jorge Posada stepping up after Tony Pena told him it was his team. That the team always belongs to the catcher and that he needs to take it.
If a player is consistent, do we reward him the Most Valuable Player award? It all depends the type of consistency he is displaying. The driving force for Jeter this year was not the numbers. His numbers put him in the debate, but his "intangibles" is what everyone thought would win him the MVP. Who doesn't have intangibles? Johnny Damon has intangibles. Look at the difference he made during the season. Giambi has intangibles, like saying his shit don't stink. But my argument is that Jeter's intangibles were supposedly the reason the Yankees had an enormous lead against the Red Sox, what were they?
NY is a city that creates heroes and goats for the drama that is everyday NY. It glorifies certain players while it destroys others. Was Patrick Ewing the reason the Knicks never won the championship? Is A-Rod the reason we haven't won in 6 years? Is Derek Jeter the reason we won 4 World Series championships or even the AL East this year? He is ONE of the reasons.
On Mariano, take him off the team and you don't win as much. Take him off the team and you lose that sense of stability and invincibility. Hands down Mariano Rivera is the most important Yankee and the Most Valuable Yankee. The MVP is designed for pitchers as well. Mo doesn't pitch everyday, but he damn near has to.
I said before that if Jeter had won it wouldn't have been a bad choice, but people have said it was the wrong choice that Morneau won. The guy had a great year and when the Twins had that stretch he was their best player. Do I think he should have won the MVP? No, I think it should have been Santana, then Mauer, then Jeter. Though it can't be proven we could win without Jeter, you can just about guarantee that if one of the Minnesota players gone down, they wouldn't have won their division.
Now my opinion on Jeter's leadership comes from my Marine Corps background. His leadership style really disgusts me. Nothing against the guy personally, I own one of his jerseys, but I cannot stand his style of leadership. If you remember, I picked Jeter for MVP back in June/July timeframe, then I started to watch him. I started to look at the bench, I read and heard his quotes, and I saw him during the AL East celebration. If you are the Captain you display all facets of the word leadership. Here is an acronym we used in the Marine Corps, JJ DID TIE BUCKLE
Judgement, Justice, Decisiveness, Integrity, Dependibility, Tact, Initiative, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, Endurance.
If Derek Jeter has all of them then he is doing his job. You can't do some of them, you can't do all of them SOME of the time. You have to do it all of the time. Is him not going to the charity event a lack of LOYALTY to his fellow teammate? I dunno, when one of his former teammates shows up, and other teammates show up it shows one thing. Then when he appears a few days later as a guest of a college he did NOT go to in Columbus, it shows me something.
I know I will be disagreed with and will probably be bashed as a Jeter hater, A-Rod lover, etc. All I know is that I will call it like it is. Jeter was not the MVP and there are reasons for it in my opinion. I still love the guy, he's a Yankee, but he is not the most VALUABLE Yankee.
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