On the Yankees beat

About Wang, if it weren't for the rash of injuries to the pitching staff last year, I'd bet that George would've had him traded away for some ineffective, injury-prone veteran schmuck that probably wouldn't even be with the team this year.
Same with Cano. They contemplated about trading away him last year also.
Freakin' George always seem to be obsessed with other people's player for some strange reason.

I agree with Eric.
One thing that always beats me is how George turns to some expensive pitchers for help, and those expensive pitchers just end up getting injured.

The emergence of Wang,Cano and Melky is the foundation for our revival of the farm system. If, George is involved and I believe that he is. He should trust Brian to do the right thing. I was watching the game last night. Wang gave another gutty performance. The announcers were indicating the money the Mariners have shelled out for Washburn, 38 million after one winning season. In addition Beltre and Sexson were given multimillion dollar contracts with limited production in return. The Yankees would serve themselves to develope from within (small market mentallity) and sign to longterm contracts if the players produce. Jeter, Posada, Williams,Riveria and Pettitte sounds like a good up the middle team to me. Let the trading deadline pass and the front office show its mettle to not panic buy or trade. Let the teams with high price dumping projects come to us then we can pick and choose. Mr Gordon (flash) would be a nice pickup if it didn't cost us much from the farm because of his age. Cash should be good enough for him since he was a FA signing.

I agree with not trading good young players, but only if they are pitchers. Melky, Cano, Phillips, Thompson, Reese, and Duncan are all "trade bait." With George's money they can be replaced. Good, young, pitchers are a very rare commodity. I was a Yankee fan in the mid to late 60's, the entire 80's, and early 90's, when they were a laughing stock, and our seasons were over by Aug. With free agency and George's money, you can "play for today." Offensive talent can be bought or traded for at anytime. Pitching is the commodity tht you have to horde. I'm sure George knows he doesn't have an abundance of Summers left. He will and always has "played for today." With no real salary cap, and an abundance of capital, that is the way to go.

The injuries (and the horrible record to start last season) definitely gave Wang (and Cano) an opportunity, but I'm not sure that George would have traded them. Cash seemed to gain power (if not in writing, then in practice) during last season.

The idea that the Yankees can trade position players is absurd. The Yankees are tired of having such an obscene payroll. It's not necessary and the concomitant luxury taxes have taken their toll.

This idea that George's money allows them to play for today is now a thing of the past. It was that mindless mentality that caused a decline of the farm system and on the field since 2001.

It's as if some people are amnesic about the fact that the championship run was built on a foundation of homegrown players: Jeter, Bernie, Po, Pettitte, and Mo.

Wasn't the "play for today" mentality the reason for the laughing stock teams of the '80s? Trading away talented young players for "veterans" may sound good, but when they flame out/break down/get fat and lazy...what then? How many times during the '80s/early 90's have they traded talent for that last elusive cog that would guarantee them a championship, only to come up short? How many big-$$ veterans have Yankees signed over the last 5 years? Giambi, Sheffield, Matsui, Pavano...the list goes on. And how many rings did that bring them? Zero. If the '90s dynasty has taught us anything, it's that you have to build a core of young players from within, that you can then surround with veterans for complementary parts. But you CANNOT put together team that consists of 30-40 year old superstars and expect to win it all, all the time. If nothing else, the injuries will take their toll, as we've seen over the last 2 seasons. And even should you win NOW, what about next year or five, when your farm system is barren, and your team is loaded with aging players with huge contracts whom no one will take off your hands? What then? Even George can't keep spending a quarter billion every year if it brings back nothing.

Oh, and how could I forget the immortal Raul Mondesi???

I absolutely agree, YM, the winning teams build from within and supplement with free agents and trades.

Roy says: Melky, Cano, Phillips, Thompson, Reese, and Duncan are all "trade bait."

I could not disagree more. These are the core of the team and the keys. We need to stop thinking of fielders as a commodity to buy and sell for other bright shiny objects, but as people, parts of a team.

While baseball is a collection of individual performances, wins and losses are a result of team efforts. Players build a level of chemistry among them that creates a winning attitude. I think these Yankees have that.

Trade one or more of these exciting kids for one of the aging veterans with an attitude and you will guarantee a fast exit in October, if they even reach the playoffs.

How has that play for today philosophy been working out for the Yanks since 2000?

Now is the time to try a different approach.

The Yankees are exciting. They are the underdog. This is the most exciting Yankee team in 10 years with all these new young players.

Do not consider trading them.

Will people PLEASE stop booing A-Rod? Do you really not want this guy to do well? Give him a break. He's not the reason for the Yank's troubles. And at half-a-game out in an exciting pennant race, how troubled are they in the first place?
The Yanks' record so far is a product of when the starters and the pen pitch well, and when they don't. End of story.
Also, for all the booing, name ONE American League third basemen you'd rather have than A-Rod? Sure, he's faltered this year, but it seems like the media and fans are working hard to make sure his failure is a self-fullfilling prophecy.
If you're a Phillies fan, you should boo Brett Myers. If you're a Giants fan, you should boo Barry Bonds. You don't boo a guy for being guilty of trying too hard.

Pete, I couldn't agree more with your urging of the fans to stop booing A-Rod. They must forget that he wants what they want but must produce it while they (fans) sit and hope for it. I hope the fans embrace Sidney tonight. He could be the missing link to our run for the ring.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic about Ponson, Larry, but he definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt...at least for the next couple of games. If he bombs, he won't be around long enough to get booed.

Interesting point brought up by Chris Russo on WFAN today: Arod got booed after his K w/bases loaded even though Yankees were already ahead. If anything, this just shows that booing ARod has become a knee-jerk reaction, regardless of the circumstances. It's absurd, surreal, borderline comical and it's not going to stop. I just hope that ARod somehow learns to ignore it.

I hate it when people bring up the fact that the Yankees haven't won a ring since 2000, and that the teams of the past five years have been inferior to the teams of the late 90s. The Yanks are still (and have always been) a championship caliber team. In 2001 we were one inning away from a ring; we made the World Series in 2003 after winning one of the greatest ALCSs of all time. 2004's catastrophe was merely bad luck (except for game 7) and we were once again one inning away from going to the World Series. If Joe had called a pitchout when EVERYONE knew that Roberts was stealing, we'd be the 2004 Champs.

With a few timely hits here and there, a couple of better calls, and a couple of favorable bounces, the Yanks could have been the 2001, 2003, and 2004 World Champs. We have always had the personnel to win a championship, but luck still plays a big factor in the post season and we just haven't had much of it lately. We can win with this team.

I've never been a fan of A-rod. Ever since the trade, I thought we would regret getting him. It is nothing personal against him, I just thought that the money could have been better allocated to other talent that, while not as good in any one player, would have produced a better team.

I say that because, while I still think the acquisition was a mistake, the treatment he receives is completely out of step with reality. A-Rod is a superstar, and while he had a very subpar June, and some serious fielding flubs here and there, he is generally performing as such.

Let's stop A-Rod bashing. Let him play, he'll produce.

To YM:

I'm a Yankee fan from back in the middle 50's. The Mick and all that goes with being a Yankee fan. I don't agree with every player transaction that the Steinbrenner team has conducted but I know the man and his front office want to win. I embrace every Yankee player who wears the pinstripes. They play well. We may get another shot at the ring. And to me it is about winning.

Larry, I totally agree with you in that I will root for the players the FO brings in, and that the goal is winning. However, the way they've gone about it in recent times has been...shortsighted, I guess.

I agree with the comments about booing A-Rod , I think that if people gave him a break , he would let up on himself and end up playing better.
having said that , I also want to know -whats with the 3 errors he made on Monday night - whats with the sidearm /underarm throw ?
All 3 were thrown the same way and all 3 blooped
towards first-perhaps a
little minor league rehab is called for to teach a better throwing style? That is a joke of course but if a pitching coach can see that in a pitcher why doesnt anyone
tell A-rod to go back to basics ??

Oh my god. Someone brought up Raul Mondesi.
That one hurts just thinking about it.
Didn't they traded Ted Lilly for him?
Bone heads.

I think they traded Lilly in a three-way deal to bring Weaver to the Yanks from Detroit. Man, would the Yanks be in a lot better shape if they had Lilly, Lieber, and/or Pettit still holding spots in our rotation...

Yeah, meanwhile what do we have to show for all those players that are gone now? Nothing. Not one thing.

And the list just goes on. Jeremy Bonderman, a pitching star for Detroit right now was also traded away by the Yanks.

Try getting him back from the Detroit Tigers now and see what they'll say.
The Tigers will laugh in your face.

The Yankees and their star-crazy fans are suckers.

If they weren't spending money like crazy, this organization would be perennial losers.