Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Custer had a plan too.

Good morning, Ken.

It will be fun to watch that group of Yankee fans who argued vehemently last offseason that a seven or eight-year guarantee to even a premier starting pitcher was out of the question, now clamor for giving CC whatever he wants in order to have him pitch in the Bronx.

Ken, I don't doubt that Cashman has a coherent plan, at least on paper. However, I remain unconvinced that he will have carte blanche to reshape the Yankees this offseason -- or ever, for that matter. In order to truly become his own man, he should seriously consider a move to Seattle this fall.

JE, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on that. Since October of '05, there isn't a move the Yankees have made that Cashman didn't either conceive or bless. That's a significant sample size of independence.

By the way, congratulations to Sarah Palin for being chosen as McCain's running mate.

Michael Palin would have been a better pick. A grad in communications from U of Idaho who was a sportscaster and mayor of a podunk city and governor for two years?

Here's what I don't understand about the Yankees (full disclosure, I'm a Mets fan)...

They keep talking about all of this money coming off the books which will allow them to spend in free agency. But aren't they still way over the luxury tax threshold? Even with all those salaries disappearing, wouldn't they merely be getting closer to the luxury tax threshold?

I know this may be semantics, but the spin doesn't make any sense to me. If I'm $5,000 in debt and pay off a $500 credit card, I'm not ahead. I'm just behind less.

Ken, does that sample size include the Joe Torre situation last Fall?? Or was that more Steinbrenner's offer than his?

I actually think the Yanks would be better off spending 12 million a year for four years on Burnett than 20 million for 7 over CC. Burnett is actually having a pretty good year, and though he'd miss pitching against the Yanks, he does strikeout more than CC. (Not that I'm totally falling in line to your way of thinking on the K, but he actually went from your aberation to almost proving your point)

As for the Yankee kids, what a wasted year it was. But that doesn't mean next year will be a waste. Though I think if they improve, it wont be the Cliff Lee variety improvement. My prediction?? No postseason for the Yanks next year either.

BTW, that is tampering right? Like all jokes aside, legally speaking if the owner of a team says he wants another teams player that's totally tampering right?

And why dont you think the Yanks will re-sign Abreu? (I think he's a free agent) He's huge for them.

(Back to the jokes) I hope you're not horrified when Pelfrey eats the whole lobster, while cutting it 108 times!

Andy, I don't think they'd ever tried to pretend like they're going to be under the threshold. They'll be over it. They'll just be over it less - and the threshold keeps rising, too. It's $162 mil next year, $170 mil in 2010 and $178 mil in 2011.

Richie, absolutely, Cashman wanted to replace Torre with Girardi. He didn't necessarily approve of the lame, one-year offer to Torre, but the end result was what he wanted. And that's an interesting point on Burnett vs. Sabathia. While Burnett will probably cost more than 4-48, there's something to be said for the fewer years he'll get that Sabathia.

And yes, it is technically tampering by Hank, but I'd be shocked if MLB disciplined him at all. Re: Abreu, the Yankees have Nady ready to take over in RF, and Abreu will probably get a higher offer elsewhere. While Abreu has been great for the Yankees, they want to get in the habit of letting players go as they enter their expected decline years, rather than retain them and quickly regret it (Posada).

Let's give the Yanks' front office some credit - at least they will not lose in the fisrt round of the playoffs this year...

Ken, I should have been clearer in arguing that I am looking forward in terms of his independence. My bad.

Do you think that Hank will remain just a cheerleader and not put additional pressure on his general manager to conform to a Steinbrenner ideology? After the disastrous Pavano/Wright signings, why would Cashman now entertain Burnett? And why the sudden backtracking on long-term contracts to pitchers?

Sarah, will prove to be an excellent running mate, Bob, just as Michael was invaluable to the Monty Python cast! I have no doubt that many Hillary Clinton backers who are currently on the fence will go McCain's way. And imagine how foolish Biden will look when he starts "lecturing" Palin on the ways of the world. Remember the reaction to Lazio's invasion of Hillary's space?

I should never have bookmarked this page. I skip over the actual news and now I have no idea who the eventual VP will be. Damn you JE!!! j/k
Though props to you for bringing up Rick Lazio. I interviewed him a million times. Hilary would always show up an hour late to her own events. I hated her for that. Go Lazio!! He's back Baby!!

Ken, yeah, I was thinking Burnett might get some stupid team to give him 14 a year for 4.

As for Abreu...if he goes for 14 mil for four years, I'd probably take it. You know what you're getting, and I think his second half #'s the last two years are too important to overlook. I know you disagree, but I think the Yanks end up signing him.

JE, I can't stress it enough on Hank: There is zero indication - absolute zero - that he has any desire to actually work hard enough to implement any thoughts he has. He spent last winter speaking with the media (which, believe me, was very much appreciated) and doing nothing else. He kept saying, "I still might get Santana," but he never said anything like that to Yankees officials, and they made their decision and stuck with it in mid-December. Hank has been to three home games and one road game this year. He never goes to the minor-league games in Tampa. He is important only because of his last name.

As for the backtracking on long-term deals on pitchers, Cashman seems to feel that Sabathia is the sort of known commodity worth such an investment. I'll still be curious to see how much they actually offer Sabathia.

Richie, it sounds like we have two friendly wagers now: Whether Abreu returns to the Yankees, and whether Pavano (assuming he pitches well for the rest of the season) gets a multi-year deal.

Bob Tufts....

I'm calling you out and jumping into this political discussion.

You are GONNA LOVE Sarah Palin.
She's gonna be a classic "Mrs. Smith goes to Washington"
Not only is she a hot looking 44 year old woman, she's a lifetime member of the NRA AND Feminists for Life, has smoked pot, has been known to abuse her power as governor (bully pulpit), was Captain of her HS hoops team (played a championship game with a broken ankle), kick starts her vibrator and rolls her own hygiene pads.
She WILL deliver a zinger of a speech in Minneapolis.

My kind of woman.
McCain just stole my vote from the Libertarian Candidate.

WOW!! I'll tell you you what, McCain showed me some guts by picking a woman as his veep. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is 44 years old and is younger than Obama. Obama could had pick Hillary Clinton as his veep, but Obama didn't even consider Hillary and chose Joe Biden instead. Palin is a former sports journalist and is a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association and an avid hunter and fisherwoman. This is an interesting choice by McCain. Were see what the reaction to this choice by McCain will be.
As I said before, I would not go after Burnett if I were the Yanks. Burnett is a guy who has been inconsistent his entire career and he gets hurt sometimes. Burnett is a tease who has great stuff, but can'put everything together at once.
Ken, isn't the Yanks and Mets exempt form the Luxury tax because they are building new stadiums?

Just your opinion, I-505?!? ;-)

Thanks for setting me straight, Ken. Assuming that you're correct, though, I cannot fathom how anyone would rate Cashman in their top-5 of general manager rankings. He's pretty much middle-of-the-pack.

Sarah Palin also had her sister's husband fired as a highway patrolman because of the ugly divorce, although at this time she hasn't been accused of it but when the investigation is done....Now if people wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton to run for president, why would they vote for McCain when there is more than a 50-50 chance this woman will eventually be the president? If I'm going with someone with no experience and someone who has a foreign policy background, I'm going Obama and Biden not old man and woman. Sorry John, you just lost. And she may have been a beauty queen, but she doesn't look that hot to me.
Richie, CC is a much better pitcher than AJ Burnett would ever hope to be. His recorfd is barely over .500 his era is barely under 4.00 (both lifetime) he's absolutely not an ace and for me to say he's a topflight pitcher would be pushing that term a lot. However, the Yankees might not have much of a choice considering everyone thinks CC is headed west.

Sandy, there is no evidence that Palin had him fired. Trust me: if that charge had had any merit, there is no way that McCain would have picked her.

I give Palin props for being anti-Ted Stevens and doubt that AB Culvahouse would not have vetted her appropriately regarding the charges.

I give you props for bringing up Rick Lazio - a good guy who was screwed over by the state party and Guiliani during the 2000 campaign. I know Rick and like his family. I can only hope that Biden takes the bait and acts like the boorish bloviator that he is and that HRC's supporters are mad enough to vote for a VP who is pro-life, antigay marriage and business friendly - one of those gun totin' bible-clutchin' people.

--

As for baseball, Sabathia over Burnett anyday, but due to CC's tendency to impersonate David Wells' body type, I'll want a shorter contract and some codicils regarding his tonnage.

Dennis, the stadium exemption applies to revenue sharing, not the luxury tax.

JE, I'd agree - I don't think anyone would rank Cashman as Top 5. However, I think he deserves another year or 2 to fully evaluate what he's doing here.

Bob, check this link: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mccain-picks-sarah-palin-running/story.aspx?guid=D899CC99-49A4-4345-8980-9814FBCC06C6&dist=SecMostRead.

"Palin is part of a rising generation of young Republicans who believe the GOP has to update its policies while at the same time sticking to its conservative roots. She supports more oil drilling in Alaska, for example, but also backs tighter environmental regulation. And although she's a social conservative who opposes abortion, Palin signed into law a state bill giving benefits to same-sex couples."

She's not so right-wing as the CNN "newsroom" is openly opining....

Her credentials make Obama look like a heavyweight. PTA, soccer mom, lobbyist (albeit not the normal lobbyist), mayor of a small town, governor. Yep. The future of politics is here. The rep seat for my district is open and no one is running against the republ;ican, based on this, I think I'll go in as a write-in candidate, I'm qualified to be in politics, after all the guy I'll be running against is a customer service rep.
Ken who do you think are the top five GMs besides Theo ( guess)?

I live in Rick Lazio country and don't feel very sorry for him. He turned out to be a terrible candidate on the stump, moved too far left on some issues, leading conservatives to sit on their hands despite an intense dislike for Clinton, spent in the neighborhood of $25 million on the campaign and was especially lousy the last two weeks. Plus, he landed himself a very cushy job in the financial sector and has rebuffed every effort the party has made to get him back into elected office. He has turned his back on the party that made his career.

Sorry the above was me, Ken.
The choices we get for antional office woudl be laughable if they weren't so pathetic.

JE - For the past month I have been following a "scandal" in Alaska involving Palin and her husband and ex-brother in law. You might be well aware of it. The Alaskan Senate has authorized an investigation into whether she used her position to get the disciplined/fired. The Democrats are going to have a field day with this. She isn't known by anyone in this country and she will be defined now. That's the risk of picking a "nobody." This is extremely risky strategy. I share many of Palin's views but would have rather seen someone else picked for strategic reasons.

JE and Sandy,

You both got it wrong on the State Trooper dismissal.

Checkout wikipedia....Under Commissioner Dismissal Scandal.
(BTW, get to it quick...things are being added and changed in there FAST AND FURIOUS....LOL)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

Sandy,
You got a problem with an "old man and a woman"?
Sounds a tad "prejudicial" to me.

I got a problem with a presidential ticket called Obama Biden
Laudunum.
Too close to a very bad day.

Anon...
By all means run for office.
The beauty of this country is that you do not need to have a PHD in Piled High and Deep to be a LEADER.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IS ALWAYS WELCOME.

Ok 505 I'm hiring you to be my campaign manager. How quick can you get down here to the beach (and don't forget there's a hurricane out in the Atlantic ready to visit me!)?
I've got no probelms with an old man and a woman if they were qualified, however, McCain is showing me almost everyday he can't do the job and his judgement has to be questioned on every decision he makes. If you were to pick a "rebel" candidate who would cost you an election, you might as well go with Joe Liberman at least he's got credentials. If you are going down go down crashing and burning.
As far as former beauty queen sportscasters, I'll take Heidi Watney and Erin Andrews :(

Ken, your insights into Hank S. are very valuable. It leads me to believe that Hal is the one really involved, but that he trusts Trost, Levine and Cashman. He appears to be running the show like he should by not handling day to day matters but instead letting his executives do that. Is Hank more interested in the horse business? With George and Hank on the sidelines, perhaps Hal will be able to thrive in the position.

JE

"She's not so right-wing as the CNN "newsroom" is openly opining...."

The Repubs are gonna have a field day with Clinton/Feinstein's
"No Child Left Behind" dogma when they take it a stepback further.
You want "no child left behind"? How far behind you wanna go?
Palin and husband CHOSE to DELIVER a diagnosed Down's Syndrome fetus.

McCain's pick is brilliant.
Although I've got some old friends up in the Palmer/Wasilla area (I lived in 907 from 79-86) that are "in the loop" and "entrenched" Dem's. I'm gonna have to drop on e-mail on 'em and see what kinda dirt they got on the girl.
BTW, her Green Party opponent in her gov race? David Massie? Know the guy very well. Spent many nights in AK getting green with him, he passed out on my couch numerous times, and I on his.

Oh yeah.....GO YANKEES!!!

Jim and I-505, I will assure you two that nothing will come from this "Troopergate II" story. Funny how the MSM showed little interest when Bill Clinton who was involved in this kind of "scandal".

Take a look at this, by the way:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/defending_against_the_first_at.html

Meanwhile, Obama's campaign has managed to churn out a childish response to Palin being selected. Does anyone think that belittling small-town America ("the former mayor of a town of 9,000") is going to play in Pennsylvania?!?

JE, as you know, in politics, perception is much more important than reality. Dan Quayle was a two-term senator from a major state and look what the Dems did to him. I like Palin. I support her on all the social issues dear to conservatives like me. But, politically, she is an unknown and thus ripe for defining negatively by her opponents. Alaska is a safe GOP state in presidential elections and I wonder how she is going to help in the 3 or 4 states that will really decide the election.

Obama is an empty suit in my opinion and I haven't been able to stand Biden for more than 25 years. His smug grin and "I'm smarter than you" attitude is an incredible turnoff, throw in his positions on all the issues - wrong positions in my book, and I wouldn't vote for him in a one man election.

JE,

"Jim and I-505, I will assure you two that nothing will come from this "Troopergate II" story."

I concur 100%. In fact this will be spun into a positive.
Simply a strong willed mini-TR exercising the "bully pulpit".

Major leaguers born in Delaware: 48

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Delaware

Majoir leaguers born in Alaska: 9 - including Curt Schilling

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Alaska

In picking Alaska Gov Palin, McCain just "iced' the election of Obama...Ken, LOL on your son referring to him as A-FLOP !

Wouldn't you know, Bob? Nothing yet on Palin at http://38pitches.com!

Jim, you are right to express that concern. She is a relative newbie. But think about it: anyone highlighting her inexperience has to then say why BO's resume is so impressive. And that's what McCain wants: a comparison between Obama and Palin -- a Chicago machine pol versus an independent and reform-minded governor.

Great political debate, guys, and I'm not at all averse to keeping it going. I hope you'll forgive me for largely staying out of it.

Jim, re: the Steinbrenner boys, yes, I think there is reason to be confident about Hal's leadership skills. He does seem content to let the New York folks largely run things. As for Hank...he doesn't seem to be committed to much of anything. I feel bad for him. It couldn't have been easy as George's first-born.

Thanks for the endorsement Ken, I am kinda uncomfortable blogging here about politics, but, SO FAR, this is one of the few cubbyholes within the blogosphere with demonstrated intelligent life and demeanor in such matters.

The person who has THE MOST to lose (and very little to gain in the short term) in the Palin nomination.........
Is her oldest son. (gotta love an ex-hockey player).
He is being deployed to Iraq on 9/11. (No Child Left Behind?)

While one part of my brain says he will most likely live the active duty military life comparable to a British Royal Family Member and spend his time as a REMF, safe from any danger, the other part of my brain fears dark sinister plots.
There are those in the "power elite" of this country, people whom Sarah has yet to meet, that would not hesitate to put this kid in harm's way if for no other reason than to make a hero or a martyr out of him, and get his mother a couple of more million votes.
A dark observation by me for sure....but a fact of life(?) in this era nevertheless.

I will say a prayer for this kid every night until the election.
He's just become a pawn.

Just me opinion...deluded as it may sound.

Ken, how about weighing in on the Dodgers, assuming you didn't do so earlier this week while I was away?

Losing seven in a row in Phily and DC is bad enough, but there is less life in that dugout than at any point during the Mets collapse last season. At least, Coletti and Torre acknowledged that Sturtze was not the answer to all of their challenges when they DFAed him last night.

Do they win in the desert this weekend? Thanks to the Arizona bullpen, there remain only 3.5 games separating the two....

JE - Again, I agree with Palin on almost all of the issues. But, when you pick someone from left field that isn't defined in the eyes of the public, it is a risk. You can bet that the misuse of power investigation is going to get lots of play. The Democrats will say that there are hints of corruption, etc. The average person hears "corruption," "abuse of office," "Palin" and it isn't good. I think there is plenty "there" with Obama and Biden, too. (The stuff on Biden's son the lobbyist is definitely ripe for picking.) I also wonder how it will play that a mother of five, including some young children, is visiting some factory in PA when her kids are in the school play, etc? Politics is very nasty. I know. I ran several campaigns for a member of the state legislature. Conservatives couldn't have gotten a better VP pick than Palin, but it won't be an easy road ahead.

Ken, give me your gut feeling: Does the Steinbrenner family still own the Yankees in five years? When was the last time you interviewed George one-on-one or at least without other reporters present? Can you get such an interview now? Would you consider trying to get one? I would absolutely love reading it.

I agree, Jim: it won't be easy for her. Trust me, though: McCain is baiting the Dems to attack her in ways that will clearly backfire with women, blue-collar workers, and small town America. Expect CNN, MSNBC, and other talking heads to question her credentials after shooing away talk of Obama's experience. Expect them to examine her ethics while ignoring Senator MBNA's connections to the credit card industry. (By the way, I will even go so far as to say that Biden is the only VP candidate who has used (abused?) Botox ! And let's not even discuss his hair plugs! Yikes!) All that will do is reinforce the perception that the MSM is in the tank for BO.

"Smugs and Plugs" '08

But who will Bud Selig, Billy Crystal and John Stearsn vote for on Election Day?

I think McCain was trying to do something different as far as his veep choice. He could have gone with Romney, Lieberman or Pawlenty. Instead McCain choice a woman who has been the Governor of Alaska for 2 years. I gather one of the reasons that McCain chose Sarah Palin is beacuse he wants to get all the Hillary Clinton supporters to vote for him. The Democrats are choping at the bit because they are going to say that Palin is more inexperience than Obama. This is definitely a risky choice by McCain.

Good stuff, JE, good stuff. I might have to go to the prez debate at Hofstra.

I don't agree with Ken that Pettitte is likely to return. If the Yankees sign a free agent pitcher, I wouldn't be surprised if the don't retain Pettitte.

Where's Dennis? Making his way back from the convention in Denver or making his way around the country with McCain/Palin?

Jim, I'm at work. I work during the week. And I watch the DNC on TV.

OK, Dennis. Good to hear from you. Agree the Palin pick is a risk.

Dennis, should the Steinbrenner family sell the team or should the current arrangement continue?

Now the feds are looking to bring criminal charges against Greg Anderson's wife and mother in law to "encourage" him to testify about Barry B. Eliot Ness will stop at nothing to nail Bonds. Americans should pay attention to this. The is our government at its worst.

The charges would involve some bogus "tax issues" related to a transfer of some assets. This is sickening.

I hope at the end of this case, Novitzky, the other investigators and the prosecutors are all jailed.

Here's the link to the NY Times story about the Bonds case that was posted this afternoon: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/sports/baseball/30bonds.html?ref=sports

Jim - thanks for the link, I hadn't seen the NYT yet today.

Truly amazing! There was another story today where the city of Milwaukee has foreclosed on a man who owed a $ 50 parking ticket for having an unlicensed van in his parent's driveway.

Just remember, if you allow certain legal liberties by prosecutors "jusr bcause it's sports" or allow the use of international law to cover U.S. citizens, it will set precedent that will be used against everyone.

A million things. The political rantings of a Cuncussed Madman to follow

1) Ken, I will take that friendly wager on Abreu, not so much on Pavano. First its doubtful he will pitch well. Second, too hard to define well. ERA under 4.00 and has to average 6 IP per game? And I maybe hoping he gets a multi-year deal more than I BELIEVE he will. But it is possible.

2) I never said Burnett is better than CC. I said I'd rather pay the discounted price of AJ over CC. I think Sabathia is going to be a lot of trouble at the tail end of his contract. I think he's going to want 7 years where Burnett may only get 4. But I can see Burnett pulling a Pavano. Much like Kenneth tried to pull a Ronald Miller. (A dollar to anyone that gets that reference. Kenneth has nothing to do with Davidoff)

3) Stearns goes with McCain.

Uh-oh. Stearns goes with McCain but Riche G. is an Obama man? Humm.

Abreu is not coming back. He will get a multi-year deal from some team and the Yankees don't want to go that route with him. They have to leave room for Austin Jackson and have those other young outfielders. Damon and Matsui are both back for 2009, they still have Cabrera around and Nady is back. With Posada back and a better year from Cano, the offense will live on. If the Yankees spend bucks it will be on a front line starter and the take it or leave it offer to Teixeira. I don't think they make a run at a FA outfielder until after next season. Depending on how he does in 2009, they will tie up Nady for 3 or 4 years without it reaching FA. But that is off in the distance.

I'm not an Obama man. I actually like him enough, but I despise democrats and Hate Republicans. Its always the lesser of two evils in American politics.

I cant believe JE wasn't joking about McCain picking a woman. Wow. Freaking wow!! Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. This is why the Republicans will never lose another presidential election for the next 20 or so years. They will do what it takes to win. I mean really, how many Americans could be this dumb back in 2004?? GWB gets his third term, and we stay in Iraq forever. And more 20-somethings die every day in Iraq. All because the democrats have no balls, and the Republicans are evil geniuses. The most dangerous man to Americans isn't Osama Bin Laden. It's George W. Bush. Osama knocked down a couple of buildings and gave us random acts of terrorism. GWB is more like whats going on in Israel. Daily car bombings that kill 2,3,4 people. They add up. McCain may not be evil like GWB, but he's clueless. I think people give GWB far too much leniancy when they say he's stupid or that he's immature. He's downright evil. He's killed far more people than Osama Bil Laden has. All for what? Finishing his Daddy's war?? We're making a lot more terrorists than we are killing them. I saw a package on 60 Minutes where a boy was visiting his Uncle in Afghanastan and we bombed the boys house. All his family was killed. They asked the 7-year-old what he thought of America? He said he hated us. Really?? Can you blame him? What's going to happen to this boy when he grows up? He's going to want to kill us like we killed his family. And that's going on daily in Iraq.

And dont think this is me saying war is never the answer. But lets go after the right guy for Christs Sake!! As Obama said last night, McCain will follow Bin Laden to the depths of hell but wont go to the cave he's living in. But you know what?? Its too late to find the guy. And he's not worth the thousands more lives of Americans we've lost. I'm tired of losing my people in a foriegn land. I'm tired of thousands of innocents dying in Iraq so we can kill a large handful of terrorists that weren't coming after us anyways. We need to get out of Iraq today. But we'll be in there for the rest of our lives. Because this country will never elect another democrat. democrats are weak and pathetic...sorta like Mets fans. And Republicans are strong and narrow minded, sorta like Yankee fans. We need a third party in the worst way. One that wont owe to foriegn interests and big companies. Its impossible and it will never happen. But its what we need.

LIke I said, the rantings of a Concussed Madman.

I don't think the Dodgers are a lost cause, JE, thanks to the D-Backs falling apart against the Padres. I'll say the Dodgers win 2 of 3 this weekend in Arizona. But I do think the D-Backs will eventually win the division.

Jim, I have never had an extensive, in-person, one--on-one interview with George Steinbrenner - there were times when I grabbed him for a minute or two, but never an arranged sitdown. Back in the late '90s, early '00s, I often spoke with him on the phone one-on-one. Now, I don't think he's in any condition to conduct a one-on--one interview of any sort. Now that the Yankees have finally acknowledged that George is no longer "The Boss," there's not that journalistic need to go after him. Really, I think it's more respectful to give George his space.

Five years from now...it depends on whether George is still with us.

BTW, Jim, given Posada's health, I'm more skeptical about the "take it or leave it" offer to Teixeira. As you know, these situations are always evolving. I could see them signing Pettitte, Mussina AND Sabathia, if the Dodgers say no, giving them a rotation of Sabathia-Wang-Joba-Mussina-Pettitte.

BTW, Mussina obviously pulled a Bart and sold his soul to Millhouse for 5 bucks to be pitching like he's pitching this year. Next year, Mussina will have an ERA in the mid 4's if lucky and be the old pitcher he was supposed to be this year.

I never liked the guy but I am rooting for him to win 20 this year. Its kinda a neat story. But the Yanks will pay for his success this year next year.

RG - the 2,3,4 car bombings a day aren't happening in Israel.

Rockets are launched from Gaza against civilian Israeli populations. Car bombings stopped with the construction of the wall and stepped up security searches at the border, which has caused great agits among many whiny Palestinians and Peace Now activists, causing them to change their adult diapers regularly.

Our Arab brethren - they've been hijacking our planes, kidnapping our citizens, joined the forces of fascism in the 30's and 40's, threatened to finish the job of Hitler and also destroy the civilized world for the entire last century. They've been boyoctting Olympic events with Israeli athletes and Europe, the spineless continent that it is, refuses to take action.

I frankly don't care if the people who danced in the streets when the towers fell suffer some collateral damage on their own as the price for anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism and anit-humanity.

Jim, In 5 years, George might be gone for good. It depends on how Hank and Hal get along. So far Hank like to talk, while Hal seems more hands on with the team than Hank. If they do sell the team, I will be praying that the Dolans don't get the team. The last thing i want is the Dolans ruining another franchise like they have with the Knicks.

Bob, I want every person who danced in the streets to die a horrible death. But not at the expense of our guys/girls. Why are we fighting their war?? We're in their country, on their streets. Of course its a war we cant win. We have the best weapons etc. and yet we battle them with sticks and stones. You wanna bomb the crap outta Iraq? I'm not for it but I'd rather do that than fight a ground war. They will never wake up and accept us.

And I'm just using the daily car bombings that went on in Israel as an example.

Clinton missed his chance to go after Bin Laden. Bush never even tried either.

1. Nunerous UN resoultion violations - based on years of violations and then on intelligence (hah!) data that was agreed upon by the major powers. Well the countries with the biggest oil deals with Iraq (France, Russia and China) were not exactly along for the ride - for them it was blood for oil. Ironically, it has been said that Saddam Hussein faked weapons programs in order to try to scare off the Iraqis, who he also feared.

2 With the surge (which McCain supported and Obama and Biden derided - and should have been done earlier), the government is in place. And we win...excpet for mullahs killing mullahs.

3. We had our troops stand down as opposed to acting like troops. Armies are built to destroy things - not to be local police and sitting targets. Wasted time and lives.

The war was fought like a WWI battle by General Hague. Rumsfeld and Tenet deserve to be beaten like a drum for their 3 year idiocy. But once the battle commenced, the choices of leaving pre-surge and splitting into a balkanized country would have been far more disastrous

just my opinion...

The mistakes that were made has cost us thousands of US troops we cant get back. I have no confidence in anything GWB or anyone who believes in GWB (McCain) says. Military speaking.

Plus GWB posing for pics as thousands of black people were on their roofs begging for their Government to help is an image I will never erase. After finishing his book, GWB knew that he had to at least mention 9/11. It took him way too long to even glance at Katrina. Had those people been white, GWB would have cared.

If anyone deserves some spit, its GWB. And THIS is why I tried to keep my mouth shut.

Richie, I wouldn’t even know where to start to address your comments. It is far better for bombs to be exploding in Iraq than on 5th Ave. in NYC. We are attracting and drawing out the bad guys in Iraq and killing them a few at a time. Every one of our soldiers there is a volunteer. No one was drafted. I deplore the tremendous waste of money there and would have rather seen us dispose of the Baath Party elite through the use of Special Op forces and then had a government in exile ready to go but am shedding no tears for us liberating that country that had been under a brutal dictatorship. Plus, we the run-up in oil prices and the riches that have flowed into the coffers of some really bad people, it’s good that the bad guys aren’t running Iraq any longer. Who knows what they would have done with the bucks and who they would have funded.

Kids that I coached died on 9/11 at the WTC. These terrorists over there do indeed threaten us here. I rather fight them over there than here. The comments about Hurricane Katrina are just plain wrong and have been debunked many times. The LA governor blew it more than anyone and partly because of it was defeated for re-election. New Orleans is a Democratic Party stronghold. Don’t blame GB for the screw ups of others.

Read history and see that many Americans didn’t want us involved during the run-up to WWII or the early years of the war. They said we weren’t threatened. We know now how wrong they were. When evil is on the march it must be confronted. Richie you are advocating surrender. McGovern did that in a famous speech in 1972 and went on to lose 49 states.

Richie G., George W. Bush doesn't care what you or I or anyone else thinks of him. He is loyal to a fault.

Jim, I am not advocating surrender. Once again you are putting words in my mouth. Your hero, thye man who can do no wrong GWB is the worlds most dangerous terrorist. There...I said it.

So just because N.O. had a bad Mayor, means GWB wont help an American out?? I mean he's the freaking President of the United States!!!!! He could throw the guys on the roofs a few bottles of Aquafina no??? Maybe some Poland Spring???

He's the worst President in the history of America. And McCain is using his blue print.

The 5th Ave. bomb threat is right out of his playbook.

Aide: "Mr. Bush, your popularity is dropping."

Bush: "Have Chaney shoot one of his friends and raise the terror bar to orange. Works everytime."

Aide: "You want the Vice President to shoot someone??"

Bush: "Sure, why not hahaha. Let em' know even if you're with us we can still get you."

True story.

Ken, you have left too much hanging in your last response.

All of us are going to die one day, including George S. Assume he is dead in five years. Does the family sell the team? What does you gut say? Have you met one-on-one with Hal? Is there fire in his eyes? Do you think he is in for the long haul?

If Posada's arm/shoulder is a real issue doesn't it make it more likely he will be the first baseman of the future and make it less likely they make a big run at Teixeira? Now you think a 7 year/$175 million NYY contract is possible?

If Pettitte returns, is it for $16 million a year or something around $10 million? Do they give CC 7 years or limit it to 4 or 5 with more per year?

What is GS's real problem? Parkinson's? Dementia? Alzheimer's Personally, if he is at all coherent, I think it would be interesting to hear what the Boss has to say about the team. His appearance in the golf cart at the All Star game made me very uncomfortable and left me feeling sick. Is he that much out of it?

I might be the only man willing to say I think Hughes has a good chance to be in the starting rotation next year. I still believe he is going to be a very good pitcher.

BTW, the Republicans are the one that have surrendered. GWB surrendered to Osama Bin Laden by not even trying to find him.

Richie, if you really believe that Dick Cheney shot someone to improve Bush's ratings or to intimidate people then I am speechless.

To say Bush is the world’s biggest terrorist is an absolutely outrageous and irresponsible statement and it you wrote that seriously then I feel sorry for you. You really do not understand the real threat we are under today.

Withdrawal in the manner you suggest is surrender.

You are regurgitating the Democratic playbook about the 5th Ave bomb. When it happens, I would like to hear what you have to say.

I recall Bush being on the ground in N.O., talking to people, them hugging and kissing him and the feds spending tens of billions of dollars.

Bush the worst president? No, not even close. That would be Jimmy Carter, who is still shooting off his mouth as of yesterday.

60 Minutes? Are you kidding? How many hatchet jobs do they have to do for you to look skeptically at anything they come up broadcast?

Bush has been relentless in pursuing OBL. He pushed Musharraf to go after him even though the tribal regions are the equivalent of the Wild West. You contradict yourself time after time on Bush. Wouldn't it benefit him to get OBL's head on a platter?

Back to beisbol...

Ken - lots to consider for the NYY in November. What does Cashman do with a 35 year-old SS that has lost a lot of range and can't hit near .300 any more...?

I thought yesterday that Giambi, a lifelong Yankee fan, made a statement yesterday. He wants to stay...

Good to see debate on line, it's great for all of us. let's keep it as fact-based as possible and clean. That's what makes Ken's site the place it is for all of us.

The more I hear about Palin, it appears that she has the right enemies in politics (the alaskan republican party of earmarks).
But I do fear the Curt Schilling campaign appearance!

And the more I see the Cubs...how will any NL team beat them?
Steady hitting, solid starters, quality bullpen....and a "John Stearns" like manager!

Bob T., I sure hope you don't think anything that I wrote is over the top or otherwise made up out of whole cloth.

On Palin, many people might not realize she was an insurgent in her race and the earmark champs didn't want her.

Schilling on the campaign trail? That's a definite.

Read "The Nightengale's Song" by Robert Timberg. Great profiles of USNA grads such as McCain, Ollie North, Jim Webb, et al.

Regarding those impressive Cubbies, Bob, here are some thoughts from Joe Posnanski:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/joe_posnanski/08/27/playoffs.cubs/index.html

By the way, Jim, there's still no comment from Schilling about Palin on his blog. (It was last updated on Friday the 22nd.)

Jeter will play short next year, Gerry, but I'd be interested where he plays in '10. Second base? Center field? First base? And will he still be a Yankee after that season?

Ken, I have my doubts about CC going to the Dodgers. They were supposedly in the running for A-Rod's services last offseason, but didn't step up. In the wake of Juan Pierre's disastrous five-year deal, I am unsure that McCourt wants to pony up seven years for anyone.

By the way, guys, check out HRC's statement regarding Sarah Palin:

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/hillary-weighs-in-on-palin/

This is the kind of statement that should have been uttered by Obama spokesman Bill Burton. Instead, he took the low road....

JE - the Cubs can stillblow it. Perhaps Carlos Zambrano will go all Joaquin Andujar (STL '85) or Roger Clemens (BOS '90) and lose contact with reality in the playoffs?

Jim, clearly I whiffed in what I was trying to say about Teixeira. The point I was trying to make was that I think they'll stay completely out of the Texieria sweepstakes - because they want to leave 1B open as a safe haven for Posada, and maybe Damon, and maybe even the 35-year-old SS whom Gerry mentioned - although, Gerry, I'd bet they simply go another year with Jeter at SS, and I just don't see how they bring Giambi back, at this point.

As for George...yes, my gut tells me that they'll sell after George is no longer with us. I've met both Hal and Hank, and I think they're being good sons in following their father's wishes. That's my gut. It wouldn't shock me if they held onto the team.

George is ill. I think that's pretty apparent. It's not mere old age. What exactly does he have? I don't know for certain. There are natural guesses - Phil Mushnick once reported that George had dementia, and I'd say that's accurate - but I'm not comfortable reporting something without an on-the-record quote from his doctor, which probably isn't coming. From when I saw him in Tampa during spring training, he could carry on a limited conversation.

Yes, I'd guess they'd ask Pettitte to take a pay cut...and try to get CC at a very high base for 4-5 years.

JE, you could very well be right about McCourt and CC. But maybe they'll offer something like 5/115 rather than 7, and maybe the Yankees will make a similar offer, and maybe no one will go higher than 5 - in which case I think the Dodgers would win.

Okay Ken, boys and girls, I have found a home for my newfound political blogging obsession.

I'm moving over to the Spin Cycle, there are some blog writers over there (John Riley for starters) who really make me itch.

Strictly baseball over here again for me...

Go Yanks?

"Go Yanks?" Where to, I-505? Fourth place? ;-)

Let's go METS!

No doubt the Cubs are the best team in the National League. But since they are the Cubs, they still might find a new way to lose in the playoffs. If the season ended today, the Cubs will play the D'Backs since the Brewers would be the Wild Card. The D'Backs have Webb, Haren and Johnson and they could pose problems. If the Cubs win the World Series this year, that means the Red Sox, White Sox and Cubs would have won the World Series in this decade after 80 plus years for each team.

Thanks, Ken for the GS information and all the other bits of analysis and insight. I misunderstood your initial point on Posada, thinking you meant he might be completely finished and thus the need to bring in Teixeira. Now, after reading your last entry, when I read what you earlier wrote I understand it perfectly.

This has been a difficult season for Yankee fans because the team has been so uneven. But, the kids in the minors have had another year to develop and the team has brought in a good outfielder in Nady, allowing them to excise Abreu at the end of the year.

Last questions of the night: As of right now, do they exercise Marte's $6 million option for 2009? Do they negotiate a new deal? For how many years and how much money?

I don't see how they exercise the $6 mil option, Jim, based on how shaky Marte has looked at times. They could offer him arbitration and, if he accepts, take him back for a year ($4 mil?) and if he declines, get the draft picks. Cashman has been adamant about not signing setup-type relievers to multi-year deals. If he flip-flops on that one, I'm ripping him good.

If you have Carl Pavano outpitching A.J. Burnett tonight, you won. Once again Pavano came out of the game in one piece. The Yanks scratch out 2 runs against Burnett to win 2-1. Rivera came into the 8th inning for the 2nd straight game, but this time in a save situation getting 5 outs.
With 2 outs and nobody on and down 2-1, the Mets string together 2 base hits and a hit batsman and then Beltran hits a grand slam to make it 5-2 Mets. But then the Marlins got 2 runs off of Ayala to make 5-4 and had the tieding and winning runs on at 2nd and 3rd and Ayala got the final out and the Mets win 5-4. Seems to me that Jerry Manuel has confidence in Ayala to the point that he is using Ayala as the closer.

I go out in the afternoon and this post had 31 comments, now...
Ken a few years ago, maybe 3, in the winter, Page Six had a blind item about a New York sports owner who had a stroke and his team was covering it up. The only 2 sports owners who ever fit that blind item were the Maras and George. So, I'd say George is suffering from the debilitating affects of a stroke.
Jim, it has been well documented that the image troubles the Republican Party is having right now isn't due to the iraq war, it's due the the sorry images of New Orleans in the days after Katrina, the lack of action by the federal government (although the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, wasnt much help) and Bush sitting on his ranch on vacation, then coming out and telling us what a great job Brown was doing to help N.O. That period was the first time I ever heard the word "incompetent" used in association with the POTUS in my entire life. Bush is clearly incompetent, these two aren't much better, but no matter what both are a step up from the disasterous 8 years this country has been through. The damage Bush has done here and internationally to America will take decades to clean up. The basic problem is this: back in 2000 when he was running, political analysts told us this: he is unqualified to be POTUS, he has no foreign policy experience, is inarticulate and wouldn't unite the country. Unfortunately, these experts were correct. Now they are saying many of the same things about Obama. So I worry about history repeating itself, especially since I see the smugness Obama has and the lack of any vision he has to cure the problems this country has. He speaks yet says nothing, yet unlike Bush he seems to have some intelligence. TV wants him as POTUS and TV didnt want Al Gore back in 2000 to become POTUS. And I worry that if he becomes POTUS we are in for 4 more disastrous years.(The media understands they are dealing with a country full of easily manipulated morons and acts accordingly to them.) The only possible reason I would have voted for McCain was to avoid those 4 years,after today and his questionable choice for VP, I can't. I see he has absolutely nothing to offer this country. God only knows if any of the candidates that ran who were ignored by the mass media would have been any better. As far as Carter being the worst President ever, he at least has a peace treaty between