On the Yankees beat

I disagree, I think that IS a lot of activity in a couple months. How many years do you see trades of all star guys like Tejada, Renteria, Cabrera, Haren, D-Train...and of course one of the best hitters in the league that has yet to turn 25 in Miggy. Then we have the Santana drama, mix in the Opt-Rod drama and we have had a pretty decent offseason. Not sure what else people want? If Santana is traded this may have been the busiest offseason in years, without him being dealt, its still above average.

Speaking of Johan, I have GREAT NEWS to report!!!! ( great for some of us at least )

Source: Yankees pull trade offer for Santana
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3195926

YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!

Ohhhh look .... Georgie Porgies son FREDO has once again pulled a deal off the table....Can you say Pyschoooooooo???

Flip Flopper? Undecided? Clueless?

Please pick an adjective!

My adjective would be BIG MOUTH. Im sure all club owners flip flop on potential deals, Hank’s only fault is that he makes it public. Not a big deal as long as in the end, the right deal is made.

Resigning A-rod, the right deal was made in the end due to us needing a 3B, RH power bat for the middle of our lefty lineup. Since it only cost money and not prospects ( AKA Miggy ), Im more than pleased with the job Hank did on that deal.

As you all know Im for not signing Johan, so again, I love the job Hank has done so far. He didnt make a knee jerk move, he talked to the baseball people and the players, then formulated a conclusion. Again, the only fault is that he told us each day what he was thinking...he's a rookie at this, so hopefully he will learn this over time.

Rosenthal: Jays Could Finish Above Yanks

[quote]
http://waswatching.com/

I heard Ken Rosenthal talking about the Toronto Blue Jays today during "Baseball This Morning" on XM Satellite Radio.

Ken said that the Jays “had a chance” but “not a great chance” to “finish above the Yankees in the standings this year.” He was not talking about Toronto finishing in first place. So, basically, what he was saying here is that the Yankees have a chance (albeit, in his estimation, not a huge chance) to finish third in the A.L. East in 2008. (I assume third since I can’t imagine anyone, today, picking the O’s or Rays to pass the Yankees in the final standings.)

So, Yankees fans, how do you feel about this? Related, if it comes true, and the Yankees do finish in third place this season, what kind of grade would you assign to the Yankees for 2008?

Me? I guess I would have to say, now, that I would not be shocked if the Yankees finished third this year – I can see their bullpen and the question marks in their rotation being a potential downfall. But, part of me still thinks that Joe Girardi will find a way to make the Yankees into a team that will win 90+ games this season. As far as a final grade, if the Yankees are the third best team in the East this season, I dunno? It would not be an “A” or a “B” – for sure. Their win total would dictate whether it’s an “F” or a “D” – so, for now, I would offer that a third place finish, at best, means the team would earn a “C” (from me) – and maybe lower.
ht: Steve L from Waswatching.com
[/quote]

Yankees will finish third behind Jays because The inexperience in Yankees rotation

Theo Esptein Flip Flopper or wearing a Gorilla outfit after coming back as Gm in 2005

Are you really taking a week off? Don't you normally put in a fraction of the effort of the other beat writers? Does your poor coverage really entitle you to vacation time? At least this means Jim Baumbach might be back for a little while.

jb....I love preseason rankings!!! Let me flash you back to last season.......

Yanks were picked to finish in 1st place.

Toronto just signed the Big Hurt. They then signed Vernon Wells to a big contract They teams both up withh Glaus, Rios and Matt Stairs. The experts picked the Blue Jays to content for the AL East title.

Sox were picked to finish 3rd after not making the playoffs the previous year and their only major pickup was Dice-K, who had yet to throw a pitch in the majors. The Sox had major question marks in the bullpen, so much so that they needed to keep Paps as the closer after wanting him for the rotation. Beckett was deemed a minor bust after getting hammered his 1st year in the AL East. Manny trade talks were front page in Boston. Things were not good in Bean Town.

The "experts" were very strong in their feeling that the Sox were the 3rd best team in the AL East.

We all know how that one finished....

I fully expect the Yanks to have a slightly "down" year ... you can't expect all 3 kids (if Johan trade is not done) to pitch up to expectations. If they do, I'll do a back flip and be ecstatic. But, w/ all 3 on inning counts and really starting in the majors for the first time, it will be surprising (no matter how good they seem to be). First base is still a question mark (Giambi? Duncan? Betemit?) ... can't expect Jorge to have same monster year (although he'll still be solid) ... bullpen has plenty of question marks .... Damon/Hideki in left has it's issues too. So, although I believe the Yanks will be in the midst of a playoff hunt come Sept. 1st, it wouldn't shock me if they are watching the playoffs from the sideline. But all that means is that they should be more seasoned for 2009 and if they could somehow land Tex for 1B after this season I'll be jumping out of my skin!!!

True, Roy, we don't have regular blogging by the 'owner.' But we have DRU!!! More verbiage than any regular blogger in town... ;-)

Where are our former regulars, though?

Among the 165 posts over at Pete's?

Hanging on River Ave?

Can't be bothered submitting every post multiple times?

On vacation with Kat?

Yankee Bri, it wouldn't bother me to take a step back if it meant greater future success, with that said, I addressed some of the issues you have with this season a couple threads ago =

"No Worries on Cameron"
Posted by DRU | January 14, 2008 13:30

It was way to freakin long, so I didn't repost it...lol

NSH...HAHA...thanks man!

NSA, I think we're alone buddy. The regulars have boycotted the new security code system.

Really wish Yanks would have made a deal for Miggy Cabrera to man 1B. His RH bat would have been exciting in this lineup.

This offseason was a big downer - negative b*llshit for most of it with 'roids, Santana dry heave, media overblowing everything as is their wont re: Arod et cetera. Folks gots to make a living, but every single angle overandoverandoverandoverandover again is nauseating. I stopped listening/reading anything Clemens-related 2 days after "it" happened.

Looking forward to the season - it'll be interesting as far as where the Yanks end up. Pettitte/Wang/Chamberlain/Hughes/Mussina/Kennedy? Too many question marks - the Sox also have question marks - hell, everybody does from one season to the next. Beckett and Ortiz could hold hands and fall down an elevator shaft tomorrow, fer chrissakes.

I don't see them as a lock for first at all, but 3 rookie pitchers on in the Yank rotation might help them.

I will make sure Ortiz and Beckett take the stairs

This Blog is sad. Do you think the regulars will return even when it is fixed? I say He@@ NO.............

Go to bed Sully. No one cares. Get back in your hole.

Why would the brass pull out of the Santana deals right after Santana tells the Twins trade me within the next couple of weeks? Hate to say it, but this Hank guys is a moron. Here come the 80's again folks. Buckle Up!

ESPN.com reports that the Yankees are still having "a little discussion" with the Twins about you know who, contrary to what they reported a couple of hours ago that the Yanks had pulled out again.
Man, the Yanks pull out and jump back in more than Ron Jeremy these days.

Congratulations to Newsday for ruining what was once a great blog.

Typing your name, e-mail address and a 6 number code shouldn't be a big deal if you want to post something. It's not brain surgery.

test

I love how cool DRU is and how angry DUR is...
I wonder if they are the same dude with a split personality

Twins want more
Experts agree Sox’ talent better, split on two offers

QUOTE
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basebal...94&srvc=rss

Jim Callis, executive editor of Baseball America, said that even if the Yankees were to include left-hander Ian Kennedy in their offer or the Mets were to include hitting phenom Fernando Martinez, neither team’s package would be better than the Lester-Crisp package (Callis’ first choice) or the Ellsbury (No. 2 for Callis) offer.

“The Red Sox are in the best position to offer blue-chip players as well as depth,” Callis said. “And, the Red Sox are under less pressure to make something happen because they need Santana less because they have fewer holes.”

The Yankees shouldn’t be dismissed because their offer is led by Hughes, a pitcher who Callis and Manuel agree is the single-best talent being discussed. Melky Cabrera is no better than an average major-league outfielder, according to Callis and Manuel, and right-handed sinkerballer Jeff Marquez projects no higher than a No. 3-4 starter. Callis said Kennedy has “fringy” stuff; Manuel said he and scouts question if the lefty has one above-average major league pitch. The two do not believe that Kennedy’s inclusion in a Yankees deal should be a difference-maker for the Twins

IPK's a lefty? hahaha.. Crisp's a blue-chip talent? Hughes> Ellsbury.. Marquez = Masterson. Masterson projected to be in bullpen in majors ,had 4.00 era both pitching in Lancaster and Portland

Yep - must be the Globe because Ian Kennedy is a righthander, not a lefthander.

Cripes.

This offseason might seem slow but it's only because the Yanks didn't do much. --Thankfully--. If we (no one else) would've done Johan, this would have been the 'blockbuster winter'.

Rosenthal is no expert. He's stirring the pot to keep his job. He was just reporting Cameron to NYY. The Jays are good. They'll beat the hell out of any NL team and all but 5 or 6 AL teams. Still leaves them way out in 3rd, in the AL East. Didn't they just trade Glaus, who is hurt all the time, for Rolen, who is hurt all the time? Yah, that'll help.
Jim Callis, apparently, hangs out with Ken Rosenthal.

Hey Jim A., I hear Ron Jeremy and Hank are buds. Hank calls him up on the big screen from time to time.
Aussie Gary is right and so is DRU. Plus they're positive. That's better than being right and being negative. Jim.

Celts lose 3 of 4? SD upsets Pats? Manny & Big Papi show age and wear? None of that can happen.

My dad would always say,"lean horse for a long race". I know ths concept but how does it apply to baseball and the Yankees and Jays.

In my humble opinion the the season is long and the variables of players having career years or better than average years and teams being blesssed with fewer injuries to key people is more meaningful than the stats on paper. The Yankees as we all know had a miserable time of it with the SP's and injuries but still finish 2 games behind the Sox's who had a superior staff. This year I look for a more youthful staff less injuries. Some will say, youthful staff not many wins. Its my belief the wins will come with young guys who have shown that they can keep us in the game and our hitting will prove more timely this year than last year. My real concern is the bullpen and the Yankees stand pat this Hot Stove season. Maybe there's nothing out there and our farm hands are as good as the trash pile. We shall see.

As someone who has lived through the ‘depression’ years of the late sixties/early seventies (not to mention – along with a few others on this blog – the 80’s), I not only feel really fortunate to have experienced the Yanks most recent run (failed playoff appearances included), but I’m perfectly ready to be patient for another year, and possibly miss a playoff this year, if that’s what it requires in order to build a new dynasty for 2009 and beyond (and by ‘dynasty, I mean a young team that will be in the mix every year for years to come.) We really don’t have much sympathy for folks who have such an incredible sense of entitlement that they can’t be patient for even a single season.

An awful lot about the current youngsters on the ML team and the boys coming along (Horne, Jackson, Tabata et al.) down the pike should be learned this year. The Yankees will be in a much better position to make the kind of moves this fall that should cement the foundation of a great club for years to come. Maybe, I’m only speaking for myself and a few others like Viper, Peter Lacock, Aussie Gary and, of course, favorite son, DRU, but I’m not only excited about this team, I also intend to follow them closely all year, and root for them all year – regardless of the ups and downs.

Jim A. is Ron Jeremy really still in action?! Man if so, someone should investigate HIM for PEDs!

Yes, agreed that this blog has very unfortunately slowed down. We rarely see Chip or Rick (the two former debating masters who I had so much fun following last year), but also folks like Diane, Marianne, Bronx Bomber and others. I will say, however, that in spite of the relative inactivity of the posting, it’s still like a favorite, cozy little bar where good friends meet. I hope the activity will pick up, but I also hope that it retains that great atmosphere.

By the way, I’m a huge Yankee fan, but I’m also just a very big baseball fan. I don’t HATE any other clubs (no, not even the Red Sox), I just like other teams less. But put me down in any ballpark, ML or the minors, single A to Triple A, to even the independent leagues (I’ve been to a number of Newark Bears and Somerset Patriots games when I’m in the States) and I’m one happy camper.

By the way, Anon at 13:57 yesterday, was talking about flip-flopping on trades. Can anyone recall having read about perhaps the biggest flip-flop ever? I believe that it was during the 1948 WS that Yawkey and Dan Topping shook hands one boozy evening on a Di Maggio/Williams deal only to change their minds when they sobered up the following morning. Does anyone else any information on any other big trades that were pulled back over the years? What trades does everyone think were among the most unusual ever? How about Rocky Colovito the year’s HR champ for Harvey Kuenn, the years Batting champ? Would anyone recall some other Frank “Trader” Lane deals? Just thought I’d throw that idea out there while things are still slow!

P.S. Aussie Gary, I quite agree, except that sometimes you have to resubmit your post numerous times before it gets posted; especially when it tells you that you’ve made too many submissions and in reality you haven’t posted for two days - which is really a drag!

A-Gary:
It's not the simple typing of a code or username that bothers people, it's the fact that 9 times out of 10 your post gets rejected because you've "submitted too many posts in a short period of time" even when you haven't posted for hours or days. I've posted a way to trick the system but by the time you do it, the flow of the conversation is lost. Just go back and read some of the threads from last summer when this blog was humming along, it was awesome.

Peter:
I don't know why you keep accusing me of being negative, but that's cool w/ me. I have always been an optimist when it comes to the Yanks but I've simply stated that betting on all three young pitchers working out the way we hope is not realistic, especially when you have the chance to trade one of them for the best pitcher in the game long before his 40th birthday when the Yanks of old normally would have acquired him.
As I've said before, the farm system should be used for two reasons:
1. To bring along players to play on your major league roster.
2. To be used to trade for needed parts.

Since we've all heard how stocked the Yankees system is with RH pitchers, why not trade one or two of them for a LH pitcher, who happens to be the best LH pitcher in the game at 29 years old? If you trust what the experts predict about Hughes, then surely you trust what they say about the rest of the players in the system. Sure, the team loses Hughes, Melky and a couple of others, but they gain Santana and they still have high ceiling prospects like Horne, Sanchez, Brackman etc.

I have labeled myself as a worry wart fan. I'm not negative but I try to temper my enthusiasm and be realistic. Last season I felt the Yanks were short a top of the rotation starter and I think the playoffs proved that point. This year they are almost exactly the same as last year and some are predicting a championship and while I'd love to see that happen I just don't think 2008 is the year for us for a couple of reasons:
1. Three young starters on innings limits
2. A lineup that may still scuffle against LH pitchers.
3. Two important players had monster years in '07, can they repeat them?
4. Players are a year older.

Those are problems that existed last year for the most part and they haven't been corrected.

Just so I throw something positive in here to not get labeled as a hater, I'll give you this:

1. The three youngsters could carry the team and eliminate all the injury problems of last year.
2. Cano is just getting better.
3. Giambi in a contract year.
4. A-Rod and the fans will come to terms w/ the fact that he is here for 10 years and all will be comfortable so he will produce, even in October.
5. The kids in the bullpen can't be worse than last year.
6. Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Cano will probably start off better than last year.
7. Melky is still learning and may get better.
8. Girardi will probably hold the team (especially vets) more accountable than Torre did.
9. God is a Yankee fan
10. Shelley Duncan might provide the RH pop to make teams think twice about lefties against us.
11. A rested Mussina may actually have a good year.
12. Igawa......nah, I can't go that far.
13. Pavano is gone!
14. Pettitte will be determined to put the HGH stuff behind him and wants to pitch in the new stadium.
15. WE HAVE JETER!

How's that?

To Jim A; number is the one variable that holds the most hope!

Larry,
Say that again please....I missed the number.

Jim: Number 9

#13 was my fav

Sully....damn that DUR!! The KARR to my KITT, you can be Michael Knight Sull.

Hey Jim, I happen to agree with most everything you say. You are obviously knowledgeable and a Yankee fan. Almost always you would be right to say all 3 of these guys aren't going to be good. Except this time. There's too much evidence pointing to all 3 of them suceeding. Too many good scouting reports. Too much desire by other teams to get them and too much reluctance by the Yanks to let them get away. Too much success at every level including, albeit brief, stints in the Majors and in the case of Hughes, in the playoffs. I'll mention again what I said in another thread, Joba-star, Hughes-stud, Kennedy-horse. I hope Yanks61, Viper, Aussie Gary and, of course, favorite son DRU (and Cashman) are right because if they are, these 3 can lead a strong defense for 1 or 2 decades. And it's not just the 3, it's the pipeline that it seems Cash has created with Jackson, Tabata, Horne, Angelini, Melancon and the boys coming in the next months and years. It can be really special. Something not seen. If you keep them together it may or may not happen. If you split them up it can't happen.

Peter,
I hope so, I really do. This could be a very exciting time for the Yanks with a rotation that could look like this for the next 10 years:

Hughes
Joba
Wang
Horne
Kennedy
w/ Brackman, Sanchez, Marquez, Betances and more coming.

This is what we've wanted all along, for the Yanks to put their money to use in more ways than buying free agents who are past their prime. They can afford to and appear to have built a top notch scouting dept. and I hope it churns out lots of fine players over the next several years. I also think they are doing great things overseas and I hope to see some fruits from that effort soon enough.