Puig's New Car Is Awesome

Dodger's outfielder and anti-communist hero Yasiel Puig's Mercedes reached recorded speeds as high as 110mph. Can your car do that? Didn't think so.

Buyer Beware

As the race to overpay Masahiro Tanaka heats up, teams need to take into account two very important factors: 1) the Yankees really want this guy, and 2) if the Yankees really want this guy his best days are probably behind him and he's almost certainly going to underperform.

In fact, the best way to measure a player's future performance is in inverse relation to the Yankees's interest in the player. Are the Yankees making a push? Bidding against themselves and pinning the team's future on this player? Run, don't walk, away. Far away. Get a job in a league in another country if you have to, just to stay away.

Are the Yankees showing complete and utter disinterest? Go in. Hard. Remember when the Yanks wouldn't even call Ibanez after he was the only player who showed up to the 2012 postseason? He hit 29 home runs in 2013 for someone else. Remember the players the Yanks signed to replace him? Maybe, but you remember them from previous years when they were performing for other franchises.

Oh Snap!

The Rakuten Golden Eagles have posted Tanaka. Normally this would be grounds for celebration, but in doing so the Golden Eagles have made a couple of my previous posts completely moot, making me look like a complete @$$hole.

You'll pay for this Golden Eagles!! You'll Pay!! You better save those $20 million you get from the posting fee, you're going to need them for Youkilis's medical bills.

Are the Rakuten Golden Eagles the Yankees of Japan?

After signing an injury-plagued, former MLB star in Kevin Youkilis, it begs the question. Right now the answer is: it depends.

If the Eagles hold onto Tanaka, then Youkilis is a complimentary piece that one hopes will bring some veteran know-how and presence to a contending team. If the Eagles, on the other hand, have decided to part with a younger, effective player and have decided to appease the fanbase by signing older, injury ravaged versions of former stars, then yes, the Rakuten Eagles are the New York Yankees of Japan.

Choo Takes Less Money to Stay Off Sinking Ship

Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has agreed to a 7 year, $130 million contract with the Texas Rangers. This represents $10 million less than the deal he turned down from the Yankees about a month ago, when he decided he didn't want to spend his late thirties on a team with no pitching on the 25 man roster or the minor leagues.

Additionally, with no Texas state income tax, Choo will pocket slightly more than he would have had he accepted the deal in New York, guaranteeing that he will actually be able to afford a home in New York City—should he inexplicably decide to live there—something that New York's offer could not guarantee.

"I like New York and would love to be able to live in Manhattan," explained Choo. "But if you're not the head of a large bank or brokerage you basically have to live in Jersey, or Westchester. I was not moving to @#$*ing Westchester."

Choo's agent, Scott Boras, explained the economics in these terms, "Basically, the Yankees would have to have offered $1.3 billion in order to match the housing buying power Choo will enjoy in Arlington Texas. That was our counteroffer, but the Yankees were worried about guaranteeing that much money to a player on this side of forty. Maybe in seven years."

Ownership Stops Trying to Make Sense

The news coming out of Japan is that the Rakuten Golden Eagles are planning to offer Tanaka a record one year contract rather than post him and send him to the Major Leagues. With the new posting system in place, this is hardly surprising. For a player like Tanaka, the team knows they will get the maximum $20 million bid whether they post him now or next year—their last chance to do so before he becomes a free agent.

It may make sense, in such a situation, for the team to hold onto the player as long as possible, maximize his profit-generating value to the team, and then collect the $20 million later, since they know that's what they're going to get anyways. By capping the posting fee, teams with high level players like Tanaka know exactly how much they are going to get so the best business plan is to wait to post the player (sure, there's always the risk of injury but that clearly isn't influencing Rakuten's thinking right now, and I wouldn't expect it to be).

What's strange is that this deal was supposedly intended to level the field for small- and mid-market teams who could not compete with some of the outrageous posting fees for higher end talent being posted from Nippon Professional Baseball. But under this new system, multiple teams can bid the maximum and then have to compete on contract size, which leaves the small- and mid-market teams at the same disadvantage they were in under the old posting system.

The only leveling effect this new posting system has is to make more of the money a team spends to acquire a Japanese player through the posting system liable to the luxury tax. Maybe that's all the smaller market teams wanted, but then why not just make the posting fee taxable rather than cap it? The smaller market teams would then see more of the total money spent on the new player taxed and redistributed to them (currently, the $20 million maximum posting fee would not be factored into luxury tax calculations), and higher level players would be more likely to be posted. (You could also make any amount of the posting fee over $20 million liable to the tax, and it would have the same effect as the current system except it would make it more likely that players get posted earlier). It's in Major League Baseball's best interests that these players be posted because they tend to be impact players (early Dice-K, Yu Darvish) which generates increased interest, revenue, and on-field competition. It also helps Major League Baseball be more international, something they have pursued aggressively.

Increasingly I feel like this posting system was put in place by owners who didn't have a clear sense of what they were doing. Limiting the posting fee doesn't help smaller market teams. It doesn't help NPB or MLB. The only person helped by this arrangement is the player being posted. That hardly bothers me as I'm a labor guy, but it seems weird that ownership would make this move unilaterally since it serves none of their interests. Either these owners know something I don't, or we've just exploded the myth of the meritocracy.

This Could Be Trouble

Nothing official yet, but reports are indicating that Tanaka will not be posted.  It makes sense.  With the new posting system, his home team would be receiving $20 million.  By contrast, Matsuzaka's former team got over $50 million under the old posting system.  A young ace phenom like Tanaka is worth more to his team than $20 million.  So it's looking like Tanaka won't be available to the outside world until maybe 2015 (if his team decides to part with him then), or in 2016 as a free agent.  This will work in our favor because at that point there will be no artificial budget caps, and they can do what they do best: spend, spend, spend.  If this is true, then the Yankees need to hope that Sabathia returns to form, Kuroda continues his dominance, Nova builds off of last season, and Pineda, Phelps, Nuno and anyone else can hold down the end of our rotation. 

How Many Physicals Has Beltran Failed?

With the pick ups of Matt Thornton and Brian Roberts, the Yankees continue their trend of getting older, more brittle, and overall worse than they were last year. I can only assume that's their organizational mandate and orienting philosophy. Which is why I find it so odd that they haven't announced the Carlos Beltran deal yet. How bad are this guy's knees that even the Yankees are hitting pause? I mean, I know there's no cartilage there but maybe it's even worse than that. To give the Yankees pause, I can only assume Beltran no longer has knees, and that his femur has fused to his lower leg bones, the names of which I am completely and utterly ignorant. But I'm not so ignorant as to let Google have a record of my having searched 'names of lower leg bones'. Employers read that $#!% nowadays and I'm not going to risk future employment opportunities for the sake of self-improvement. #capitalism.

Yanks to Sign Roberts

Though he has been limited by injuries for the past several seasons, it is being reported that the Yankees are likely to sign former Oriole second baseman Brian Roberts. Roberts will fill the hole vacated by Travis Hafner: guy on 40-man who spends most of the year on the DL.

Yankees Have No Choice but to Continue to Operate at Sequester Levels

While the recently revealed budget deal struck between Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) lifts sequester level spending caps from many federal agencies, the New York Yankees received no such reprieve and will have no choice but to continue to operate at sequester levels.

"Obviously, we're less than pleased," explained team president Randy Levine. "But this is a bipartisan deal and is likely to pass. We're simply going to have to find a way forward even though we believe these across the board cuts could have been lifted by finding savings elsewhere."

The Yankees have been hamstrung in recent months by an operating budget below $200 million, the lowest for the agency since the Clinton era.

"These aren't the gold old, dot-com days anymore," lamented Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "With current tax rates, they're stifling innovation and creativity, and it's hurting the job creators. We used to go up to a free agent—any free agent—and just be like, 'Want a job? Here's a blank check, write whatever you want on it.' We used to get some real creative numbers, innovative unfathomable numbers, but now we just can't create jobs like we used to."

Some experts have pointed out that the New York Yankees are not a federal agency, and that their current budget cap is self-imposed rather than a function of the sequester.

"People will believe whatever they want," explained acting head Secretary Hal Steinbrenner. "This is America's team, and it's being limited by a congress who seems to have prioritized scoring cheap political points over job creation, tax relief, and general preparedness. At day's end, we're all losers."

Internal Documents Reveal Yanks Concerns over Cano's Age

A trove of internal documents acquired by RJG show that the Yankees held extensive discussions about Cano's age prior to determining that a long term deal was not in their best interest. According to these documents, the Yankees questioned giving so many years to a player under the age of 35, pointing out that their current road map is based on the principle that a player's most productive years are between ages 37 and 43.

"Look," explained one Yankee official who insisted on anonymity in order to speak freely about internal strategy meetings, "when you look at our track record, we only like giving multi-year deals to players like Ichiro, or old Jeter. On the trade market, we generally go for older players with multiple years left on their contract like Wells and Soriano. We're not about to blow up our whole plan of having the oldest roster in baseball by doling out contracts to guys in their early thirties or late twenties. That's just not how we're built."

When it was pointed out that Brian McCann was signed to a multi-year deal at age 29, the official defended the consistency of the team's position.

"That's not fair. You have to understand that at McCann's weight, he's at least 36 in catcher years, which is a metric developed internally to ensure a consistent rate of passed balls from year to year. If there's one thing we don't like, it's change. And youthishness. Cano was youngish for a second baseman. McCann is in a different category."

Despite their average age, the Yankees have been remarkably consistent over the years, generally making the playoffs and entering most years as World Series contenders. Some, however, are wondering if the Yankees are currently reaching the limits of their approach to team building.

"The Yanks' decision making seems to be ruled by a lot of weird, old-timey values that don't make sense anymore," suggested one rival executive. "They like old vintage style ball players, like those videos from the 20s and 30s where the legs are moving really fast but the player is moving really slow. That's why they sign guys like Teixeira, or Posada. The fans don't help either. Their best hitter and defender doesn't run out a bunch of automatic outs and they get mad. The franchise responds but the team gets worse. Maybe it's time to play 2014 baseball and not 1927 baseball, even if that was Murderer's Row."

Yanks Must Now Look to Trade Market for Second Baseman

With Omar Infante off the board, the Yanks must now look to the trade market to fill their hole at second base. Usually the grounds crew takes care of that sort of thing, but I suppose a trade is just as good.

With their outfield depth, the Yankees could look to move one of their excess outfielders for a second baseman. Some have suggested trading Gardner, but the Yankees need Gardner for when Ellsbury inexplicably destroys himself for absolutely no reason.

Here does not endeth the lesson, however. The Yankees could look to move Ichiro Suzuki, a living legend who brings a veteran presence and instant star power to any team. He could be an attractive candidate, particularly for a younger team needing an outfielder and some veteran leadership.

In light of this, I have the perfect candidate: the Seattle Mariners.

Think about it, they have some money and they need to replace Ibanez. They could take on Ichiro in exchange for second baseman Robinson Cano. Cano currently has 10 years left on his contract and is still owed $240 million, but at 31 he's young enough to continue to play at a high level for some time and has been durable enough to not be overly concerned about the length of the contract. After all, the way the Yanks have spent this offseason, they are clearly living for now, so why not make the switch? Seattle, though they have some cash on hand, is currently somewhat hamstrung by Cano's contract, unable to make any really significant moves.

By trading Ichiro, the Mariners get a player who is not only legendary, but has proven he can play in the demanding spotlight of the Northwest media and fanbase. The Yankees fill their hole at second and would be set at the position for the foreseeable future. Considering Seattle's financial handcuffs, they would probably pick up part of the costs of Cano's contract in order to facilitate the deal, easing the Yanks' own concerns about a ballooning payroll. Everybody wins.

Oh $#!%, Breaking News! Yankees Farm System Consists of Actual Farms

It is no secret that the Yankees have not produced a quality Major Leaguer since they tried to trade Cano before letting him try-out at second. A recent investigation by Respect Jeter's Gangster has discovered one possible reason for the lack of player development: the Yankees farm system largely consists of actual farms.

While this does not bode well for the Yankees' future, the front office has assured RJG that these farms provide all the organic produce served at Yankee Stadium concession stands. This explains how the Yankees are able to pass along the savings to their fans, who enjoy some of the most affordable concessions in all of baseball.

Yanks Miss Out on Infante after Disrespecting Cano, And Cashman Is in Denial

The collective hopes of Yankees' fans everywhere had settled on Omar Infante playing second base for us next year. It's not that we really wanted Infante, but he was kind of all that was left after we had made Cano cry and forced him to find solace in the arms of $240 million. That whore. Sorry. I'm still sort of bitter about the break-up I guess.

By the way, none other than Boston slugger David Ortiz agrees that the Yankees disrespected Cano, and since Ortiz is the principal authority in Yankee Land on all baseball related matters, I win.

We lost Infante over 1 year and $6 million, which is actually the Yankees' operating budget for second base in 2014.

That said, we'll probably need those $6 million to pay the medical bills when Jacoby Ellsbury inexplicably runs into a wall or another player attempting to field a ball he couldn't possibly reach anyways. He plays the game the right way: delusionally.

When asked about Ellsbury's injury history, Cashman seemed to act like his injuries were all freak accidents. This is kind of true, but some players attract freak injuries. Nick Johnson anyone? He broke his leg much the way Jacoby broke his ribs. Some guys just tend to find ever more unbelievable ways to end up on the DL. How many of Pavano's injuries were recurring and how many were weird, freak events? Some guys just break easy.

The Yankees may have passed on Infante in the hopes that Tanaka eventually gets posted, knowing that under the currently proposed posting system they will likely need to make a bigger contract offer to retain Tanaka than originally thought. I suggest this on the assumption that the Yankees have some rational thought process behind their roster building strategy this winter, and that Hal Steinbrenner isn't simply collecting outfielders because he's mad with power.

Cano Felt Disrespected By Yankees

Apart of the news coming from Cano's introduction as a Mariner, is that he felt disrespected by the Yankees throughout the negotiations.  The basic issue was that the Yankees never offered above 7 years, $175 million, which was a solid offer, but when you're comparing that against a 10 year, $240 million contract, it's easy to see which team wants you more.  Being a Mariner does not have the same impact as being a Yankee, and allegedly, being in New York can only help your endorsement deals.  However, not paying income tax in Washington allows Cano to hold onto more of that money, and winning teams tend to bring in endorsement deals for their star players. 

Now there is this enduring myth in baseball about player loyalty to teams.  It goes back to a time before free agency, when baseball players stayed with the same team their entire careers (unless they were traded), because well, the teams controlled the players.  Now, teams control the players for about 6 years.  After that, the players are free to test their value on the open market.  Not all players chase the largest contract.  Cliff Lee spurned the larger offer by the Yankees to play in Philadelphia, and Dustin Pedroia famously accepted a well-below average contract for his services to stay in Boston.  But do not be deceived.  Both players are being paid over $100 million to play baseball, and in Lee's case, it's not like he took the lowest offer.

The myth of player loyalty to teams is built on two false premises.  First, there's the idea that this team drafted you, developed you, and made you a star, so now you're turning your back on them by signing elsewhere.  The reason this is a false premise, is that the team drafted you because of the value they believed you could have to their team.  They weren't loyal to the player, they were interested in their talent.  If the player struggles, they are cut.  Plain and simple.  And whether they're performing or not, this player can be traded at any time at the whims of the team.  It's a business, and and the teams loyalty is to the company.  The only reason a player makes it to the big leagues is because they perform, and the only reason they become a star, is because they continue to perform once they make it to the big leagues.  Their performance at the big league level makes the team a lot of money.  That's the reason they remain on the team.  If they do not perform, then trust that the team has no enduring loyalty to that player.  If the player is worth less than their roster spot, then that player will no longer be on the team.  So when that player becomes a free agent, there is no reason to believe that they owe their team anything beyond an opportunity to listen to their offer. 

Now, in some cases if a player feels particular loyalty to a team, they may feel compelled to give a home town discount if the money for the large contract just isn't there.  But this is because the player is placing value on other considerations (playing for the team closest to their home, or they're on a small market team that they've come to like).  Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox who are ranked as the 1st and 3rd most valuable baseball franchises respectively with a net worth in the billions, should not be given home town discounts.  Their financial success is based on the performance of the players.  As the Yankees learned last year, and the Red Sox the year before, fans don't suffer the cost of $10 beers to watch a losing team. 

The second premise is more of a perception.  We, the fans, view the team from the perspective of fans.  So we expect the players to have the same loyalty to the team that we do.  But none of us would accept this premise for our own lives.  If you were hired by a company out of college, trained by them, and given the opportunity to advance, then another company comes and offers to up your pay 100%, are you saying that you would stay with your company out of loyalty?  Especially knowing that your company won't match that offer, even though the work you're doing for them is making them mounds of money?  Get out of here!  You may be willing to negotiate a pay raise where you still accept less money, but you won't take a substantial pay cut just to stay with them.  We can have undying loyalty to our teams, but we can't expect their employees to feel the same.  It's a different relationship altogether.

And this is what bothers me about what CC Sabathia said:

“Just a player like that, putting on the pinstripes, and being able to play your whole career in New York means something – to me, obviously....It didn’t mean that much to him (referring to Cano)."

CC Sabathia came to the Yankees not because he wanted to be a Yankee, but because we outbid the closest team by $40 million.  Then let's not forget how he asked for an opt out clause in case his family wasn't adjusting to New York, only to then exercise it so he could get an extension, and more money.  Putting on pinstripes only meant something to Sabathia because of the millions of dollars they paid him to put them on.  Ironically, the extra $65 million Seattle was willing to pay Cano, was enough to make him value putting on a Mariners cap.  Funny how that works.

Cano Felt Disrespected By Yankees after Yankees Disrespected Him

At his introductory press conference, Robinson Cano claimed the Yankees made no effort to retain him and that they disrespected him. A lot of people will complain, seeing just another self-indulgent athlete, and say that they would love to be disrespected with $175 million, but this misses two key points.

First, you are not Robinson Cano. You are not the best second baseman in baseball and on a Hall of Fame trajectory. You work at a desk, or maybe standing, just not standing at second base for a major league baseball team. $175 million to you would be a gross overpayment relative the economic value you produce in return. That is not the case with Cano.

Which brings us to the second point. $175 million, in baseball, is not a lot of money. It sounds like a lot of money to everybody else, partly because wages have stagnated in this country since the '70s and partly because it is $175 million. But within the framework of baseball economics, it is not a lot of money for a player of Cano's caliber, especially when players like Ellsbury are getting $153 million and players like Hughes are getting contracts at all.

The teams have a lot of cash right now, cash generated by the players. Cano is one of the best players in the game, and so he deserves to be paid like it. In an era where salaries are continuing to rise, his deal is not that gargantuan. Believe me, in the next five years, more than one player will surpass it.

Offering Cano $175 million is at best willfully ignorant of the value he generates for the team. Some will say people didn't come out to watch Cano last year when he was the main attraction, but I think that's unfair. The Yanks were losing in a town used to seeing them win at least 94 games a year. Add completely irrational Yankee Stadium ticket prices to the mix and there was bound to be a drop in interest. I went to a few games last season, and watched many on television, and the only players I really cared about were Cano and later Soriano.

But back to the issue at hand, the $175 million offer. It was an insult. It was a thorough undervaluation for the only durable and productive player that has performed consistently for the Yankees for quite sometime. Cano and his agents negotiate on behalf of Cano's business and financial interests. Cano was going to get a contract starting with a '2', which means the Yankees were at least trying to get a 12.5% discount. Considering he ended up with $240 million, the Yankees' offer meant a 27% undervaluation. Sure, the market hadn't produced the $240 million figure yet, and many would say that offer itself is an overvaluation, but in this league, with its current economic state, the Yankees were basically asking Cano to play for them, a team willing to devalue him to his face, for a discount.

Cano is a baseball player, not Wal-Mart. He doesn't do rollback sales. He gets paid to play baseball. The team he had played for was busy painting him as a greedy person who only cared about money as they tried to hold onto as much of theirs as they could. Why would he give them an almost 30% discount? Or even 12.5%?

We can pretend that we prefer the Pedroia's of the world, players who take less money to stay with one franchise, but the Pedroia deal has to look completely idiotic at this point. Think about it, Dustin Pedroia has a worse contract than Jacoby Ellsbury. By choice. And why? So he can be associated with the same corporate entity (the Boston Red Sox) for his entire career. That's completely stupid.

Cano was not stupid, and the Yankees were disrespectful in their approach to him. They frankly wasted his time and should have simply said we're moving in a different direction because we've decided we don't want to spend what it is likely going to cost to retain you. Instead they tried to bully him and diminish his value through the press by blaming him for their declining ticket sales. Disrespectful.

Miscellanea

The Mariners have officially introduced Cano to their fans, and they have this cool 'Hello Cano' logo with Cano's stance post-hit. Cano has grown out his beard, and while the Mariners may not yet be better than the Yankees, they clearly have a better graphics department (Yankees Universe anyone?). If the Yankees strategy of growing the farm system by overpaying free-agents instead continues, it's only a matter of time until the Mariners's graphics department has a baseball team they can be proud of.

Joba Chamberlain has agreed to underperform for 1-year for the Detroit Tigers. Who knows, maybe he'll have success there like Phil Coke. More likely, however, he'll continue to eat up way more food than quality innings.

The Yankees are looking at Omar Infante, but so far have been unwilling to budge from their 3-year offer. Since his name isn't Robinson Cano, expect the Yankees to budge.

The Yankees Without A Franchise Player

With Cano signing with the Mariners, and the Yankees picking up Ellsbury and Beltran it got me thinking.  For many Yankee fans, we never experienced a franchise that didn't have a franchise player.  Even when we weren't winning, we still had at least one iconic player that represented the brand.  We have been extremely lucky to have several over the years, and since 1996 we have had some combination of Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera.  The players we picked up who supported them also became core Yankees (the Paul O'Neil's, David Cone's, Tino Martinez etc.) but we always took particular pride in the core four.  Before the dynasty Yankees, we had Don Mattingly through the 80's and early 90's to put our hope in.  I bring this up because Derek Jeter is likely to retire after the 2014 season.  He will be the last of the core group to go, and will mark the end of an era for the Yankees.  So when we return for the 2015 who will be the face of the franchise?  Ellsbury?  Beltran?  Sabathia?  McCann?  Teixeira?  Let's say Robertson and Gardner are still around, will they stand out as the next line of franchise players?  I think the Yankees are in for a new era of their history, where their most iconic players will be hired hands instead of home grown guys.  Even when the Yankees have been bad (and they've had their stretches) they've had a homegrown guy the fan base could support and get behind.  With Cano gone, we are going to see the culmination of the Yankees team-building strategy: a team without a face.

We Better Not

Apparently the Phillies have placed Papelbon on the trading block. If we trade for Papelbon instead of giving Robertson a chance, the sort of thing that would be classic Yankees, especially with three or four superfluous outfielders on the 25-man, I will not be watching this season. I don't care how many outfielders we sign.

The Two Things I Still Don't Get About the Yankees Position Vis-a-Vis Cano

I understand why the Yankees may not have been willing to go to 10 years on a contract with Cano. We all know what a debacle the A-Rod contract has been and that's a lesson worth learning. That said, Cano has been one of the best players in baseball at a time when there was a fairly strong PED testing policy in the sport, and so some of the issues that have arisen with A-Rod (both in terms of injuries—which may very well be linked to his steroid use—and in terms of off the field and suspension issues) do not apply to Cano.

The Hamilton and Pujols deals are also cautionary tales, but those deals looked bad in year one, and so they seem more like bad bets in toto not bad deals because of diminishing returns in the back end of the contract. Unless you think Cano will forget how to hit next year, those contracts aren't clearly lessons in this case either.

That said, the Yanks did not want to go 10 years. Fine. But part of the Yankees's pitch was that playing in New York provided Cano with two things that no other location could provide. First, Cano would have the chance to become a legendary Yankee, maybe even the first Dominican-born player to be enshrined in Monument Park. Second, if Cano is serious about extending his brand beyond baseball, then New York was the place to do it, as it offered more advertising opportunities.

The second claim is complete nonsense. Like it or not, a Kevin Durant has a far bigger national profile than anybody in baseball right now, and he plays in Oklahoma. Playing in New York alone won't make Cano a national figure. Hanging out with Rihanna in the Philippines will. Being a baseball ambassador abroad, as Cano has been the last few years, will. Frankly, being the attraction for a major American sports franchise, the way he will be in Seattle, will do more to make Cano a brand than playing in New York. Remember when Ichiro toiled in obscurity in Seattle? No, because he was the face of the franchise despite not even speaking much English.

Now the first claim is the one that really irks me. You can't say to someone that there is value in being a Yankee for life when you're not willing to give him a contract that extends through his baseball career. Whether he'll be the same player or not, Cano will probably still be playing baseball 8 years from now. Which means that being a Yankee for life is only possible if the Yankees would still commit to him 8 years from now, which, based on how they are treating him now, is hardly a lock.

Derek Jeter was under contract, coming off a completely lost year in which he suffered two ankle breaks, and got a raise for no reason that increased his share of the Yankees payroll for luxury tax purposes, a payroll the Yankees are supposedly so concerned with decreasing. That's how you treat a life-long Yankee. The Yankees's pitch to Cano seems to have been: "You could be a life long Yankee! Just not with us."

His agents must have known this, and if Cano didn't, his agents informed him. That, more than anything about the contract, is why Cano left.

What Exactly Is the Yankees's Plan Right Now?

They wouldn't go beyond 7 years, $160-170M for Cano. They would, however, go 7 years, $153M for Ellsbury, a far lesser player regardless of what you think of Ellsbury. They threw money at McCann, and as best I can tell, they are still considering signing Shin Soo Choo, which means they might still be in on Beltran too. If they sign either, the Yankees will have Soriano, Gardner, Wells, Ichiro, Ellsbury, plus Shin Soo Choo or Beltran. The only player out of that group with any trade value is Gardner, and that value is minimal. He's not a star player, he gets hurt a lot, and he's a year away from free agency.

So, as best I can tell, rather than invest in Cano, who may not be great for all of the next 10 years but will almost definitely be better than all six of our potential outfielders over that span, the Yankees have decided throwing big contracts at outfielders before even signing a single starting pitcher (we currently need three, though Kuroda seems to be on the verge) is their best course of action moving forward.

Does this make anyone feel good? Does it give you any confidence this team isn't flying completely blind? When the 2013 season ended, was your first thought 'We need more offense from catcher and another Gardner-type outfielder or we're #$*&ed' or was it, 'the Yanks better re-sign Cano or we're #$*&ed'?

Now we're apparently planning to make Soriano a DH, even though we need that DH spot if A-Rod/Jeter/Teixeira are going to be in the line-up more than 3-4 times a week, while simultaneously rotating five outfielders in and out of the line-up. Wow. Meanwhile, our solution to our disastrous player development track record has been to fire no one and to ask our scouts to discuss players less with other scouts so as to not have any preconceived notions influencing the evaluations. WTF?!?!

I'm not saying the Yanks had to match Seattle's offer, but if the Yanks had signed Cano for $225M but not signed Ellsbury, would you feel better or worse about this team (long term or short)? This doesn't make any sense to me.

Did Cashman Get Boras'd Again?

The Yankees were very clear that they had learned their lesson about giving big money, long term contracts to players in their 30's.  They always come back to bite us, because we end up with a roster of unproductive, oft-injured players who are being paid for the production they had with their previous team.  That is why the Yankees would not go up to $200 million and 8 years for Cano.  It was a sensible response to the lessons learned from A-Rod, Pujols, Hamilton etc., and the Yankees were right to consider the impact of long term deals like those.  Then the Yankees signed Ellsbury.   The 30 year old outfielder got a 7 year deal worth $153 million deal.  But let's not forget the option year which would bring the deal to 8 years and $169 million.  So yes the Yankees had learned their lesson, until super agent Scott Boras came in.  Apparently, the same tricks that landed A-Rod and Teixeira their mega deals, were in play when Boras came to the Yankees peddling Ellsbury.  I don't know what was said in those meetings, but I don't doubt that Cashman walked out of those meetings believing that Ellsbury will be healthy, hit 30 homeruns in Yankee stadium, and be productive at age 38.  The Yankees are also apparently in on Scott Boras' other client Shin Soo Choo, because as we all know, we just don't have enough outfielders.  Is it possible that Boras' negotiation tactics include hypnotism and/or the mafia? 

Yanks Get More Injury Prone

We all know the Yankees have refused to sign the best player on the free agent market because they have learned their lesson about long term contracts. The Yankees have now applied that time worn wisdom by signing a player on the wrong side of 30 with a long injury history, and who is at best a mid-, not top-, level major leaguer, to a seven year contract. Let's not forget that he's also a legs guy whose own team did not even try to resign him.

The Yankees have learned that when you sign older, injury prone, but proven players—players like Nick Johnson, Kevin Youkilledus, and Travis Hafner—they always provide above average major league production for a healthy part of the season. Granted, their healthy part of the season does not extend past April, but that's besides the point.

With this signing, the Yankees are out of the Beltran sweepstakes. Beltran has his own health issues (knees), but has stayed in the line-up and is a very productive hitter. The Yankees were reluctant to give Beltran a third year, and have instead opted to do the responsible thing and sign an injury prone Ellsbury for seven years.

If this reminds you of letting a productive Ibanez go in favor of an always injured Hafner, it should. The better option was easily within reach and the Yankees chose the worse one. Why? Because Brian Cashman is not a very good GM. He's just not.

He knows how to close deals, but with Yankee money that's not exactly hard to do and he consistently makes bad personnel decisions while speaking out of turn publicly about far better players who are both more productive and durable. Let's not forget he's been in full charge of baseball operations for some time and our minor league system hasn't produced any high impact players during that time, except maybe an 8th inning reliever. Great.

Cano Denies Asking for $300 Million

Because he asked for $310 million. Over 10 years. Get it right stupid.

Pre-Thanksgiving Post

Since I last wrote that Yankees have signed Brian McCann and emerged as the front-runner for Carlos Beltran. They haven't signed Beltran yet because they don't want to add a third year to his contract offer, on account of his old age/knees. The Yankees have also met with Cano's representatives in order to inform them that they are asking for way too much money and that Cano shouldn't be so greedy when negotiating with a strictly-for-profit corporation.

But there are much bigger issues on the horizon as Thanksgiving approaches. For example, if you're living in the world today, then you are probably familiar with a particularly troubling social phenomenon: people with ugly babies. It is a delicate situation to encounter such a person, but unfortunately there is only one way to deal with hideous baby havers: You gotta tell them. You gotta tell them their baby is impossible to look at. In daylight anyways. And to take that ugly @$$ baby and keep it indoors, away from my sensitive optical nerves. That's all there is to it.

This won't be a comfortable conversation. But ugly baby havers can't keep pretending their babies are beautiful. A plain looking baby is one thing, but you can't be showing off an ugly baby. Especially that #$&@ing ugly.

Hideous baby havers lying about their baby's good looks is how we end up with people like Brian Cashman, ugly and yet way too full of themselves. It's gotta stop. Now. Some babies are ugly. Deal with it.

In Case You Missed It...

The Yankees have signed catcher Brian McCann to a 5 year $85 million contract, placing $17 million towards next years payroll.  I think the message it sends is clear.  Cano has been pretty public about his desires for a mega deal in the $300 million range, and is willing to wait until January to get the best possible offer.  The Yankees cannot wait until then to figure out their 2014 roster, so they've begun to do what they need to do, which is fill holes.  The signing of McCann is a signal to Cano's camp that they're moving forward one way or another, and Cano either needs to start dealing now, or have the Yankees out of the picture when he's dealing with teams in January.  The truth is, there are teams that could sign a second baseman, it's just that there are 0 teams that are willing to go anywhere near Cano's asking price.  So far, Cano's new agency has met with the Mets and the Tigers.  The Mets have no money after losing it all to Bernie Madoff, and the Tigers just unloaded one of their larger contracts and got a really good second baseman in return.  My fear is that Cano and his representatives will overplay their hand, he'll wait until January and end up accepting a contract that is smaller than the $160 million, 7 year deal the Yankees have reportedly offered.  I mean, what teams are involved here?  The big market teams don't seem to be involved.  The Rangers just picked up Prince Fielder, the Angels and Dodgers are already saddled with big contracts, the Tigers just picked up Ian Kinsler, and none of these teams seem to be expressing a realistic interest in Cano to begin with.  Who are you left with?

A-Rod Hearing Over, But Decision Could Take A While

According to this article, the decision on the A-Rod hearing could take until January to come out.  This puts the Yankees in an odd position, because there is an easy $30 million wrapped up in A-Rod that they would like to spend, but cannot until the decision comes down.  It can be easy for us fans to get upset at the potentially long waiting time for this decision, but we have to consider the situation.  Just because juror's on murder trials, and drug convictions usually take a matter of hours to come to their decisions, doesn't mean that an arbitration hearing should follow their lead.  No, there are so many variables to consider when it comes to A-Rod's suspension, and his legacy is on the line here.  It's not as simple as putting someone behind bars for the rest of their lives.  Besides, think of the benefits of waiting until January to get their $30 million.  By then, there will be a number of bargain bin castaways that the Yankees can pick up for cheap, and the lack of options will ensure that the Yankees don't make anymore stupid signings (Wells anyone?).  So look to the positives Yankee fans.

Maybe It's Not Just Our Poor Player Development

Hindsight is 20-20, no one wants to pay an expert just to recount what has already happened.  That's why History majors are always broke.  You pay experts instead to give some clarity into the future, and the more accurate their projections are, the more valuable they are.  Today I read this article, which takes us back to 2007, when the Yankees declined to negotiate a trade with the Marlins for Miguel Cabrera, because they wanted Phil Hughes and either Joba Chamberlain or Ian Kennedy.  In hindsight, we see this as the best trade idea ever.  In the moment, the Yankees declined.  That was back when Phil Hughes was the next Roger Clemens, Chamberlain was the next Mariano, and Kennedy was the next Mussina.  At least that's what the hype said, and I'm sure the experts projected them along that trajectory as well.  Why else would you pass on Miguel Cabrera?  Instead, Hughes became a 6th starter, Joba became a middle releiver, Kennedy has become a back end starter in the national league, and Cabrera has been one of the more prolific hitters in the majors.  Could we have seen this coming?  Well given that Cabrera was already a great hitter in 2007, and only 24, I have to think that they saw something there.  But back then, Cabrera had attitude problems, the Yankees had lots of offense, and the Yankees needed pitching.  Hindsight is 20-20, but man do I wish we made that trade!

RJG on the NFL Bullying Scandal

News in the baseball world is a bit slow, and probably won't pick up until the Winter Meetings which take place before winter even begins. Stupid. So I'm going to discuss the ongoing bullying scandal in the NFL.

I realize that being a professional athlete may mean operating in a state of perpetual adolescence, but at some point your job is to go to a stadium and play a game. If you work in an office, or anywhere else on earth, you can't go to work and behave like Richie Incognito has. You have to at least pretend to be an adult.

For a long time, other work environments excused boorish behavior, but now that sort of thing leads to all sorts of discrimination and harassment suits. I'm sorry pro athletes, you make millions of dollars to play a game we teach children so they'll leave us alone for a few hours, you're just going to have to live with the fact that when you go to the locker room, you are at the office not the frat house.

What's particularly troubling to me about what happened in Miami is that Incognito is 30 years old. If he was 23, I'd still say it was inappropriate, but the average 23 year old is only a person in the most minimal sense of the word, and so it would not surprise me. At 30 though, you have to be better than this. You are 30 years old, grow up already. Really.

How Drunk Are the Yankees?

The Post is reporting that the Yankees are not currently pursuing David Freese of the Cardinals because they still don't know how many games they'll have A-Rod for. Here's the thing: A-Rod is no longer a third baseman. It's not that he can't play the position, it's that he can't play the position AND stay healthy.

A-Rod needs to be a full-time DH, with maybe an exception for National League parks and days when the regular third baseman needs a rest. He hit brilliantly out of the two-spot, but then playing in the field everyday took its toll.

I'm not saying we need to pursue Freese per se, but we need a new everyday third baseman. If the Yanks think they can keep A-Rod at third then everyone in the organization is about as competent as the team that built Healthcare.gov, which I understand actually consisted of Cano and some of his buddies, who took the job despite their lack of coding knowledge because they love money so much.

Yanks GM Tries to Manipulate Cano

"He loves the money."

Those were Cashman's words. As in, he loves the money more than the team. The team who taught him how to play baseball and rescued him from that cave where he was being raised by wolves to be an accountant. As in, doesn't Robinson Cano realize how ungrateful he'll appear if he doesn't resign with us? If he's greedy instead of loyal?

Frankly, Cano is lucky the Yankees have even made an offer considering what a capitalist son of a #*&@ he is. I mean, how much money does he really even need?! Why can't he be more loyal to the team that taught him to hit, whose wealthy-beyond-imagination owner is currently attempting to lower payroll in order to keep more money in his own pocket rather than in Cano's. But it's not because he loves money, it's because he's fiscally responsible. Greed isn't a really a white-male vice anyway. It's those materialist coloreds who don't know what to do with money once they have it, and quickly forget everything the Yankees have done for him at no profit to themselves.

Okay, enough sarcasm. We have to ask the question though, should Cano even want to sign with New York at this point. Let's not forget that Cashman alienated Jeter during their last negotiation, which may be why Jeter went to Steinbrenner directly when he was interested in negotiating a new deal this offseason. And let's not forget that Cashman has completely alienated A-Rod, a friend of Cano's and, for better or worse, one of the team's remaining stars. Is that the sort of boss you want to work for? A guy whose first move in the negotiation is to question your integrity as a human being, hoping that cows you into accepting whatever the Yanks offer in some effort to protect your legacy?

Here's the thing, it's not 1955. Nobody really cares whether you play with one franchise your whole career anymore. When was the last time you heard this conversation:

Person 1: Should this guy get into the Hall of Fame?

Person 2: No, he played for more than one franchise.

Person 1: Good point.

Sure, these guys get paid more than well enough to stay with one team, but there isn't actually a good reason for them to limit their earnings just to do so. We may have grown up as Yankee fans, but the players aren't fans, they're employees. How loyal are you to the first place that gave you a job? Still working there? Exactly.

Increasingly, I am not only skeptical of the Yankees's approach to building a roster, both from a free agency and player development standpoint, I dislike the personalities in the front office. True, we root for the players, but in this day and age the front office is much more the face of the franchise than the players because of free agency, and these guys are not easy to root for. We have a d*#kish GM whose personal woes increasingly seem to stem from an all-around d*#kishness, and an owner whose biggest concern seems to be not spending money he'd never miss anyway.

Go team.

Yankees Hot Stove

There are many exciting thoughts early on in the hot stove season, though not much has happened.  So far Kuroda, Cano, and Granderson have declined the qualifying offers, as they were expected to, and are now free agents.  The Yankees continue to be linked to Japanese pitching phenom Masahiro Tanaka.  The posting system is an interesting exercise as it is essentially a blind bid, which requires theatricality and deception to win as opposed to calculated business processes.  However, blind bidding is something the Yankees are experts in, as it has seemingly been their strategy on the amateur draft for over a decade.  The Yankees stated that they would like to add 400 innings to their rotation, and Tanaka may be the best bet to do so without effecting the payroll limit the Yankees are trying to reach.  The posting fee would not apply towards the total payroll.  If Tanaka can eat up 200 innings, the Yankees could try to bring back Kuroda to fill the other innings.  If that fails, there are some intriguing possibilities.  Following the strategy of signing formerly hated Red Sox players, the Yankees could go after Bronson Arroyo, a perennial innings eater who may not break the bank.  Another intriguing possibility is looking to conduct a trade with the Tigers.  Detroit is allegedly open to trading either Max Scherzer or Rick Porcello.  It is yet to be seen if the Yankees can lure Detroit into a trade with their wasteland of a farm system, but if Scott Boras could convince the Mets on the merits of Oliver Perez, perhaps the Yankees could sell Detroit on the come back story of the Killer B's. 

On the bad news front, Cashman has already begun to lay the groundwork for being outbid on Cano.  He didn't say anything that we didn't already know.  Basically that another team could pay Cano a lot more than the Yankees are willing to offer, and Cano may choose to follow the money, which is certainly his right.  The Yankees could also be out of range on Shin-Soo Choo.  He will likely command a good contract with many years, and with Boras by his side, it is unlikely that he will come at a bargain.  Beltran seems like a more likely fit.  These are just some of the musings on the free agent market.  We will see what transpires next!

Yankees Re-Sign Jeter, Confuse All of Baseball

Derek Jeter had a $9.5 million player option that he could take to play in 2014, and most people believed he would pick this option up.  But the Yankees decided this was too easy, and instead offered him a new deal valued at $12 million.  This triggered a series of calculations about the luxury tax that has confused the baseball world.  Joel Sherman has the deal as costing more towards the luxury tax than the option would have, while the good people at fangraphs have it costing less.  Given Sherman's explanation, I believe he is correct in saying that the Yankees just upped the value set against the luxury tax.  It certainly wouldn't be the first time the Yankees bid against themselves to acquire a player they wanted, but it would be the first time they did so while attempting to get their payroll under a certain level.  It's a curious tactic to be sure, but it could work in their favor.  In giving Jeter a few extra million dollars, maybe they can convince Cano that he needs to take a few million dollars less.  Maybe.

Hot Stove Coming Real Soon

Tonight or tomorrow, the world series will come to a close, and then will come the best time in baseball: the hot stove season.  It's a time of dreams, where your team can become anything you imagine it to be.  Every free agent is a possibility, every trade a reasonable proposition, and every international signing the second coming of an iconic player.  It's a beautiful time indeed, and there will be non-stop rampant speculation about the Yankees.  There will be long periods of quiet, followed by intense periods of activity.  Things we have to look forward to:

-The Yankees figuring things out with Cano.
-A-Rod's arbitration case, followed by his law suit against major league baseball.
-Jeter picking up his option.
-Yankees figuring out whether they can bring in McCann, and Beltran.
-Yankees seeing if Kuroda's going to retire.
-Yankees bidding on Japanese pitcher Tanaka.
-Other free agent signings, scrap heap pick ups, bullpen acquisitions and minor league deals.
-Trades.
-Vernon Wells getting sent elsewhere.

So hold tight, the hot stove season is a-coming!

Game 1 of World Series Pretty Awful for St. Louis

I don't know how many Yankee fans out there are following the world series, but last night's game proved to be surprisingly uncompetitive.  I am not so surprised that Boston won.  Lester was starting in Fenway, so the advantage lay with them.  What I am surprised about is just how awful St. Louis played.  The one thing I placed in St. Louis' favor going into this series was that they were a team who has been to the world series before, has a core group of veterans, and they wouldn't be intimidated playing Boston.  My assessment appeared to be entirely wrong, as they looked like they were playing scared all game.  Stupid errors, bad pitching, and worse hitting led them to an 8-1 loss.  But that wasn't even the worse news of that game for St. Louis.  Losing Beltran, the only player who seems capable of driving in runs when needed, came out of the game after running into the wall while robbing a homerun.  Whether or not he plays will be a game time decision, but an achy rib cage could very well effect that swing of his.  The Cardinals better stop acting star struck if they hope to avert another 2004 style sweep at the hands of Boston.  Pull it together Cardinals!

Collision's At Home Plate

I don't know if you are following the post-season, but yesterday evening I was watching the Tigers vs. Red Sox game, and in the 2nd inning, there was a pretty hard collision at home plate.  Tigers catcher, Alex Avila, was leveled by David Ross (also a catcher), and he held onto the ball and made the out.  A couple innings later Alex came out of the game with a knee injury, a result of the collision.  The collision was definitely rough, and has led to plenty of discussion today about whether MLB needs to place rules about plays at home to protect the catchers.  There seems to be two schools of thought here: old school, and new school.  The old school thought is that this has always been apart of baseball, and the rules shouldn't change.  The new school thought is that baseball players weren't built like linebackers back in the day, and we need to do a better job of protecting catchers from these collisions.  So what do you think?  Should there be new rules protecting against these collisions, or should it be played the way it always has?

The only thing I would add to the discussion is that until the rules change, people can't be mad at the players for colliding at home.  Ross' hit was brutal, but it's how the game is played.  We can't be mad at him.  He's a catcher and understands fully what it is to get leveled. 

Yankees Unwilling to go 10 Years With Cano

Not that it comes as any sort of surprise, but Hal Steinbrenner said that the Yankees are not willing to go 10 years with Cano.  In that same interview he expressed the Yankees interest in retaining Cano, and that they are going to make a good offer.  The big difference is that Hal is now expressing a new philosophical approach the Yankees are going to try, which is called being responsible.  It's a drastic change in direction for the organization, but there are hopes that this new approach will limit A-Rod sized screw ups in the future.

An Objective View on Cano, House of Representatives Edition

Cano is the best hitting and best defensive second baseman in the Major Leagues. Fact. The Yankees should not only meet his contract demands, no matter how untethered to reality, but they should exceed them just in case the Dodgers or anyone else should try to lure him away.

Here is why such a contract makes sense for the Yankees. First, I think Cano is the best player on the team, so give him the money.

Second, if you don't give him the money, thus validating my position regardless of its merit, I'll shut down Yankee Stadium. I will get all my like-minded friends together and make sure that Yankee Stadium never opens again until we resign Cano for exactly the amount of money he is demanding, no matter what plurality of fans disagrees with me and my ilk.

Also, I have other demands. Cano should be more explicitly Christian. Baseball, like constitutional democracy, is a Christian game and with Mo and Pettitte gone we need more explicit levels of devotion. If that doesn't happen, I will shut down Yankee Stadium.

Does it make sense to threaten shutdowns against both Cano and the Yankees? Yes. Let me tell you why: because I win, that's why.

An Objective View On Cano

It has been widely reported that Cano's camp is seeking a 10 year $305 million contract for next season.  The deal amounts to what A-Rod would earn if he reached all the homerun incentives, and would easily be the largest contract in baseball.  I half believe that this is just a strategic move to up his total value, but if it's not, I'll be the first to say that Cano is insane if he thinks he will get that sort of contract from the Yankees or any other team for that matter.  The Yankees have recently been reported to have offered a 7-year $161 million deal for Cano, which would put him at 2nd base until he's 38.  But as this article states, this offer is still ridiculously high for Cano, and he would be crazy not to take it.  This contract is for 7 years and $23 million a season guaranteed.  As the article mentions, players in any position are at their peak performance at around age 28 (Cano will be 31 next season), and only 18 players from 1921 - 2004 have deviated from this trend by having peak performances later in their careers.  Out of these 18 players, we have all-time greats such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGuire.  So in other words, unless the Yankees want another A-Rod level PED scandal, we're going to be paying for the declining years of Cano.  Now with that being said, Cano's value to the Yankees is far greater than his on-field performance.  He's a homegrown player, well-liked by the fan base, and we're coming off a demoralizing year.  He's the best hitting second baseman in baseball, and a top level defensive player.  That being said, 7 years and $161 million is more than just reasonable, it's over paying for what we're going to get out of him going forward.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely.  This compensates him for how well he's played for us thus far, and as I mentioned, he means a lot to us beyond his on field performance over the next 7 years.  They could up the total deal by $10 million and still have it be worthwhile.  Should we pay much more than that?  Absolutely not.  In this scenario, the only players on the Yankees making more than Cano would be A-Rod and Sabathia: No reasonable person in Yankee land thinks the A-Rod deal was smart, and Sabathia is signed through 2017, and is already showing signs of wearing down (4.78 ERA, gave up the most earned runs in the league, allowed a career high in homeruns).  

Might Cano get more money from another team?  Maybe, but even the top spenders in MLB are leery of the big contracts they've taken on, and are probably gun shy about paying top dollar for players in their early 30's.  The Angels got burned with the Pujols and Hamilton contracts, the Dodgers already said they'd pass on Cano, the Red Sox have a second baseman they like, there are other teams that may make a surprise bid (Phillies, Cubs, Nationals etc.) but I have to think even they will be shy about topping a 7 year $161 million deal.

In short, if I were to offer any advice for the Yankees it would be this: if Cano is offered anything near the $305 million he is looking for, let him walk.  The Cardinals did it with Pujols, and have been extremely successful as a franchise. 

I love Cano, I want him on the Yankees, but the only consistent thing we've learned about these types of  contracts is that they come back to bite us in the rear in major ways.  They give us $20+ million players who miss entire seasons at a time.  Pay the 7 years, and $161 million, up it a few million or add some incentives if it gets the deal done, but if he's going to hold out for much more than that, let him walk. 

Flush With Cash

Going into this season, the Yankees had the highest payroll they ever had, marked at about $228 million.  This didn't really translate onto the field, but none the less was the most they ever put into a roster.  The Yankees projected goal is to get the payroll under $189 million for next season, which is a difference of $39 million from last season.  Currently, the Yankees have a number of contracts coming off the books, including the money we were paying the Pirates for AJ Burnett:

AJ Burnett - $8.5 million
Jeter - $9 million (This is assuming he takes the Player Option on his contract valued at $8 million)
Cano - $15 million
Granderson - $15 million
Kuroda - $15 million
Pettitte - $12 million
Youkilis - $12 million
Rivera - $10 million
Hughes - $7.15 million
Logan - $3.15 million
Hafner - $2 million
Chamberlain - $1.875 million
Overbay - $1.25 million
Francisco - $1.1 million

Total - $113.03 million

Also, we have the pending decision of A-Rod's case, that could knock off up to $26 million from our payroll if he is suspended for the whole season.  We have 9 players due for pay raises through arbitration, but this won't impact the budget too much.  So with over $100 million coming off the books, the Yankees have to fill the following positions:

2 Starting Pitchers - (This assumes Nova and Sabathia are locks, and that the 5th starter role will go to the best of Michael Pineda, Phelps, Warren, Nuno, etc.)
1 Closer
1 Second Baseman
1 Third Baseman

Additionally, the Yankees would be wise to acquire a few additional pieces:

1 Outfielder
1 Lefty Reliever
1 Catcher

Replacing Granderson is not a necessity since we currently have Soriano, Gardner, and Ichiro with Vernon Wells as a backup, but with Gardner being injury prone, and Wells being a hitting void, it would be valuable to acquire another outfielder.  The experiment at catcher this year was lacking and the Yankees really need to consider bringing a catcher who can hit at a big league level.  We really only need a short term third base replacement, and a guy like Mark Reynolds may be a good and inexpensive option there.  Nonetheless, the Yankees have some major holes to fill, and will need to be smart as to how they allocate their money. 

So this is the current state of the Yankees: they are flush with cash, but still need to be smart about how they spread around this money.  There are a lot  of decisions to make this winter.

Season Over

The Good

We swept the Astro's to end the season, and gave our younger players a chance to stand out.  Pettitte pitched a complete game for a win, to give him an 11-11 record for the season and ensuring that he never had a losing season in his career.

The Bad

 Hafner got to play the last game of the season, going 0-4.  A fitting way to end this season.

The Ugly

This is the first time the Yankees have played meaningless games of baseball to close out a season since 1993, 2008.  The year Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain were the bulk of our rotation.  Also a year before we went on a spending spree and won our last championship.

Now we sit back, watch the playoffs, and wait for the hot stove season to kick off.

One More Before We Hit the Road

Reynolds hit one last homerun to end the season, which ends the year with $288 going to charity. 

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 7hr = $14
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 17hr = $34
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 3hr = $6
Alex Rodriguez 7hr = $14
Mark Reynolds 6hr = $12
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

Total 144 hrs = $288

Fans Bid Farewell to Mo, Mo Cries about It

The Good

Since the Yankees are out of contention, we can really savor the meaning of this moment. For 19 years we have had the honor and opportunity to watch a giant in the sport of baseball, a sport itself defined by giants. For 19 years, We watched the broken bats and helpless swings and walks back to the dugout we knew would happen the moment the batter stepped into the box. Mo may not have been perfect, but he's been superhuman. Mariano, it's been a privilege.

The Bad

I now have to choose which team to root for in the playoffs. It's a bitter choice, like choosing which child of yours to punch in the face, only the right answer this time isn't 'all of them'. I'm leaning Detroit right now. That city's been through a lot and I've always like Leyland as a manager. Jury's still out though.

The Ugly

They never let Mo get an inning in center field. Racists.

The Children Want Their Money, Don't Make Them Break Your Thumbs

They'll do it too, but the Yankees seem to be asking for it. Stupid. I'm not even going to put the homer total down because that just infuriates the children more.

New York Times Publishes Racist Sports Article

So I was perusing the nation's paper of record, as I do every morning, when I came across this sports commentary comparing Evan Longoria and Robinson Cano.

As it turns out the virtuous (white) Longoria took a pay cut to remain with one team for his whole career. Playing with one team your whole career? That's an old school value, like grit and hustle, like Dustin Pedroia has.

Will Cano stay with one team his whole career? Especially now that the Yankees may not be able to guarantee annual contention? His black agent Jay-Z probably won't let him. Besides, Cano's probably too black for that sort of thing anyway. Bad news for virtue. Good news for the Dodgers.

The Yankees Are Officially Eliminated

The Good

The Yankees were eliminated last night, which may not sound like good news at first.  But consider that if Cleveland lost, and the Yankees won, we would have to keep pretending that we're in this race, and now that burden is removed.  Now I'm hoping we can get a longer look at some of our rookie pitchers, and perhaps see Mariano play centerfield.

An interesting thing to note, Eduardo Nunez hit .286 in August and has hit .305 in September.  He also hit a homerun last night. 

The Bad

Remember when we let Raul Ibanez walk in the off season?  He's hit 29 homeruns this year.  Just saying, it seemed like a no-brainer to bring back Ibanez, and now we may have been sitting in a very different place had we signed Ibanez instead of Hafner.

The Ugly

The one regret I have is that with Mariano and Pettitte retiring, it would have been nice to see them in one final playoff push. 

A Case for Charity

At the very least the rest of this season can have meaning for charitable causes.  Nunez' homerun adds $2 more for the Children's Health Fund.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 7hr = $14
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 17hr = $34
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 3hr = $6
Alex Rodriguez 7hr = $14
Mark Reynolds 5hr = $10
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

 

Total 143 hrs = $286

Reality Sets In

The Good

The Yankees didn't drag this out.

The Bad

It is what it is.  The only realistic scenario for the Yankees to make the playoffs began with sweeping Tampa Bay, something they failed at after the first game of the series.  Now we're technically not eliminated, but we would have to win every game, and have Cleveland and all the other competing teams lose every game.  Possible?  Yes.  Likely?  No.

The Ugly

The Yankees are playing like they've already been eliminated.  A 4 hit shutout by Tampa Bay, combined with another terrible outing out of Kuroda places the Yankees one loss away from elimination, but in their hearts, they've already been eliminated.

Not Last Night

My vote is for the Yankees to take the rest of the season to just swing for the fences.  What do they have to lose? 

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 7hr = $14
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 5hr = $10
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

 

Total 136 hrs = $272

Yankees Celebrate Mariano Rivera Day With a Loss

The Good

Pettitte carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning, and ended with 7 innings and 2-runs, which is a good start.  Mark Reynolds hit a homerun, and Cano had 3-hits which ups his next contract by at least half a million.

The Bad

The Yankees saddled Pettitte with a loss on a day when he pitched well, and they needed to win.  But as has been the case all year, this team folds under pressure, and nothing, not Granderson, not Soriano, not A-Rod could right this sinking ship.  The Yankees are not eliminated yet, but the only hope they have is a sweep of Tampa and a sudden psychological change that makes them think they're winners. 

The Ugly

It was a 2-1 game in the 8th of a must win game.  The Yankees got runners on second and third with 0 outs.  The tieing run just 90 feet away and the go-ahead run in scoring position, 3 outs still available.  What unfolded next can only be described as ugly.  Soriano hits a ground ball to third, no problem, it's just an out.  Well, it was a problem because Almonte who was at 3rd ran for home and got thrown out by a mile.  1 out, runners on first and second.  Granderson goes up and strikes out swinging, 2 outs.  Then Nunez does exactly what we needed him to, he hits a single to left field.  Cano is waved home, and promptly gets thrown out.  3 outs, no runs, best chance of a rally done in by poor base running decisions.

Reynolds Cares

Mark Reynolds hit a homerun, add $2. 

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 7hr = $14
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 5hr = $10
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

Total 136 hrs = $272

Mathematically Possible

The Good

Kuroda put up a quality start, and Granderson hit a homerun.  Life appears to still flow out of the Yankees.  Also good, it's still mathematically possible for us to make the post season, and there's still an outside chance that the Yankees could catch on fire and play good baseball.  It's possible.

The Bad

The Yankees lost the rubber match against Toronto, leaving the Yankees 3.5 games out of the wild card.  At least we know Joba won't be back next year.

The Ugly

I bought tickets to Saturday's game in August thinking that the Yankees might be in contention, playing inspired baseball, and in easy reach of the wild card.  The Yankees still are in contention, and are not out of the wild card race, but they are not playing inspired baseball, as evidenced by a series loss to the last place team in our division.

A Little Hope

$2 from Granderson's homerun will go to support the children.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 7hr = $14
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 4hr = $8
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

Total 135 hrs = $270

A Win

The Good

The Yankees won with an 8th inning, 4-run rally against Toronto.  The combination of Hughes and Huff as a single starter continues to bear good results.  7 innings and 3 runs is what we got out of them, and it is unlikely that we would be able to get that out of one of them.

The Bad

Yes the Yankees rallied in the 8th inning to top Toronto, but Toronto is the last place team in our division, so the fact that we were down 3-0 through 8 innings bears mentioning.

The Ugly

The fact that a win doesn't merit much confidence in this team should be fairly telling.  I know they're still in this wild card race, and could very well make it, but this team is fragile, and plays fragile baseball.  The result is that I'm left unimpressed when they rally against a last place team.

Power Outage

Maybe they're just saving the homeruns for the one game wildcard playoff.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 6hr = $12
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 4hr = $8
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

Total 134 hrs = $268

Well That Was A Waste of Time

The Good

Pettitte pitched well.  Might even be able to roll it into a contract for next year.

The Bad

The offense mustered 5 hits, only 1 for extra bases.  I would say that it had to do with RA Dickey's knuckleball, but we've seen this sort of weak hitting all year long, so I'm going to instead attribute it to the deficient lineup we put out every game.

The Ugly

If getting swept in Boston diminished any hopes of post season success, a 2-0 loss against the last place team in our division has diminished hopes of seeing any sort of post season baseball period.  It may very well be for the best, because who wants to see this team in the post season?  A fragile offense, a fragile psyche, and pitching that has run out of steam just wouldn't be fun to watch.  Now I'm all for a team getting on a hot streak at the right time and playing good baseball, but you would have hoped the Yankees to do this after the sweep in Boston.

Bombers for Poverty

A double was all they could muster, so $0 will be going to the babies.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 6hr = $12
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 4hr = $8
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

Total 134 hrs = $268

Weekend Recap: No Postseason for You!

The Good

Did anyone notice how clean the uniforms looked at the beginning of the games? Whoever is doing the laundry for these guys is exceptional.

The Bad

Remember when our starters were good? Just kidding they were never good. Except Kuroda and Nova, but now they're both bad. I guess making Phil Hughes our new pitching coach was a bad call.

The Ugly

You know who did have a good series in Boston? Joba. Are you #@$&ing kidding me?! Joba showed up to the Boston series? GTFOH. Also, having the chance to demonstrate some class, Boston decided to roast Mariano Rivera instead. I guess Boston is like school in the summer time, the worst place to be always.

Homers for No Reason

Somebody named Ryan who plays shortstop is the only player on the team who hit a home run this series. Now everyone drink.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 6hr = $12
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 4hr = $8
Brendan Ryan 1hr = $2

Total 134 hrs = $268

Big Win in Baltimore

The Good

The Yankees were ahead most of the game, with homeruns from Reynolds and Granderson, plus a 2-run single from Wells leading the pack.  The combination of Hughes and Huff through the first 6 innings seemed to work really well.  Each got 3-innings, and each gave up 1 run.  In the end, it was like getting 6 innings of 2-run ball out of a starter, which we simply couldn't do if Hughes or Huff had been the sole game starter.  They may be onto something there.  In the 8th, with Robertson pitching, Soriano stole a homerun from Manny Machado.  It wouldn't matter in the end, since Robertson was set on giving up that lead, but in the moment it was pretty nice.

The Bad

Gardner came out of the game with a strained oblique.  I guess Cashman's decision to stockpile outfielders is now paying off.

The Ugly

After carrying a 5-2 lead into the 8th, Robertson gave up a 3-run homerun to tie the game.  It wouldn't haunt us in the end, since our offense came alive, and scored on a series of errors not unlike the Red Sox did to us a week back against Mariano.  Still, it's a little close for comfort, and therefore belongs in the ugly section.

More Money For Babies

Reynolds and Granderson's homeruns add $4 to the piggy banks of the babies over at CHF.  Hopefully, these babies have money managers, because parents are notorious for dipping into their kids coin jars.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 6hr = $12
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 4hr = $8

Total 133 hrs = $266

Yankees Take Game 3 Against O's

The Good

The Yankees came from behind to top the O's in game 3.  Cano, A-Rod, and Granderson all hit homeruns with Pettitte giving the team a quality 6.1 innings of 3-run ball.  We need a series win here, and we're now positioned for it.

The Bad

Mariano was shaky again.  He gave up 1 run, but still managed to close out the game.  He's been seeming a lot more hittable of late, which does not bode well for a fragile team in a wild card race.

The Ugly

Jeter is lost for the season.  We already hadn't seen him much this year to begin with, but at least with Jeter we had a major league bat, who wouldn't get overwhelmed by a playoff push.  Unfortunately, we'll have to see what he does next season.

Babies Benefitted

3 homeruns adds $6 to the babies cough syrup fund. 

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 5hr = $10
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 6hr = $12
Mark Reynolds 3hr = $6

Total 131 hrs = $262

Yanks Take Second Game from Os

The Good

Soriano hit two home runs, Mo secured a four out save, and A-Rod continued to thrive in the two-spot.

The Bad

Nova did not pitch poorly, but we need more than 6 innings and 4 runs from our starters right now.

The Ugly

Austin Romine doesn't know where he is right now. Or his name. Or how he got here. He knows the weakness of every hitter on the Os. When he steps into the dugout, he starts looking for scouting binders and checking the sight lines toward the foul posts. He knows exactly how long it will take for him to throw to second, from home, with a runner advancing toward second base. Why does he know these things? Who does that?

Power Alleys

Soriano had two home runs. Mark Reynolds only had one. It's only a matter of time until Mr. Reynolds finds himself designated for assignment.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 26hr = $52
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 15hr = $30
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $10
Mark Reynolds 3hr = $6

Total 128 hrs = $256

Yankees Drop First Game Against Baltimore

The Good

Homeruns from A-Rod and Overbay made the Yankees feel young again.

The Bad

The Yankees took a loss after the Orioles exposed a deep-seeded flaw in the Yankees: we're not very good.

The Ugly

The truth is, this team can be better, and has played better in different stretches of this season.  Early August seemed to suggest that this very team can win games.  However, as we're fighting for a wild card spot, we look out matched, and frankly we lack fire, and confidence.  We just look like a team that's defeated.  We have to turn this around.

A Case for Charity

A-Rod and Overbay each hit homeruns to deliver $4 to the Children's Health Fund.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 26hr = $52
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 14hr = $28
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 13hr = $26
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $10
Mark Reynolds 2hr = $4

Total 125 hrs = $250

Red Sox Weekend Recap

The Good

The Yankees scored a lot of runs over the weekend, and managed to avoid a sweep.  Overall, the Yankees were a huge disappointment.

The Bad

Two blown saves by Mariano led to one loss, and a near sweep this series.  It didn't much matter, because the Yankees looked dominated all series long.  They got some hits, and scored some runs, but the Yankees never seemed in control of a game, even when they had a lead.  It was embarrassing to watch this team over the weekend.

The Ugly

I was in the left field bleacher seats during the Saturday game this past weekend, and the one piece of advice I have is this: if a cop asks you to leave, don't tell them to make you.  This happened to a visibly drunk and belligerent fan sitting in my section, and at the end of the day, the cop can and will make you leave, and no one thinks you're a hero for taking a drunken stand against being tossed out. 

Were there homers at least?

Yes, one from Soriano.  The kids will have to feast on that for a little while.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 26hr = $52
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 13hr = $26
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $8
Mark Reynolds 2hr = $4

Total 125 hrs = $250

That Was Disappointing

The Good

After falling behind 7-2, the Yankees mustered a 7th inning rally, scored 6 runs, and gave the lead to Mariano in the 9th to shut it down.  Mariano had 2 outs, and 2 strikes in the 9th...

The Bad

Then everything fell apart.  A border line pitch that could have easily been strike 3 was called a ball.  Then Mike Napoli hit a single.  A pinch runner came in and went for second.  Romine threw the ball away, sending the pinch runner to third.  Then, the very next pitch was a single from Stephen Drew tying the game...

The Ugly

Then the game got ugly.  The Yankees had Cano, Soriano, and Granderson up to bat in the top of the 9th of a tied game in Yankee stadium.  It had walk-off written all over it.  Cano decides to swing at the first pitch, as he always does in big situations, and lines out to first.  One pitch, one out.  Soriano works a walk and steals second during Granderson's at bat.  Then Soriano decides to try to steal 3rd for reasons still unexplainable by human logic, and gets caught in a run down, and tagged out.  Very next pitch was a swinging strikeout of Granderson.  The Red Sox ended up taking the lead in the 10th on a throw to home by Ichiro that if handled by Romine could have been an out.  The Yankee offense went down quietly in the bottom of the 10th, and that was all she wrote.  We had this game in the bag, but a series of judgement errors and bad plays put this one in the L column.

No Homeruns

We had some clutch hits, but no homeruns.  Ironically, a homerun was all we would need to win, but it wasn't meant to be.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 26hr = $52
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 12hr = $24
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $8
Mark Reynolds 2hr = $4

Total 124 hrs = $248

That Was Close

The Good

We got from Sabathia what we've been looking for all year: a decent outing.  7.1 innings and 3 runs is pretty decent, despite the fact that the White Sox field a lineup reminiscent of the Yankees lineup circa June.

The most impressive piece of hitting came from Gardner who has been a clutch player this season.  He hit a 2-run triple in the 4th to put the Yankees up 5-1.  Cano also had a great game, making some nice plays in the field, and going 3-4 with a homerun.  Rivera locked down his 41st save of the season.

The Bad

After the Yankees went up 5-1, it seemed like the Yankees could manage a win here.  Girardi put in Robertson in the 8th to ensure the lead would be put in Mo's hands, but Robertson unraveled.  The White Sox scored a combined 4 runs in the 8th, and the Yankees were up 6-5.  Mo had to come in to give us a 4-out save.

The Ugly

Tonight we face the Red Sox, which should be an exciting game, but what we have in store for ourselves is 4 games of Yankees batters getting plunked, and not a single Yankee pitcher doing anything about it.  That is ugly.

Homerun Club Captain He Is

Robinson Cano hit a homerun last night.  As Homerun Club Captain he must have felt obligated.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 26hr = $52
Ichiro Suzuki 7hr = $14
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 12hr = $24
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $8
Mark Reynolds 2hr = $4

Total 124 hrs = $248