Thursday, December 16, 2004

Wait and See; Renteria = Jeter?

Been busy lately, so not much time to blog, but a quickie here.

a) I'll admit. As a Sox fan, I was hoping for them to get Pavano. And yes, the Yanks will probably end up getting Johnson and Beltran. But remember last winter: After getting Brown, Vazquez, Gordon, and especially A-Schmuck, the Yanks looked like the team to beat. And what memorable moments did those guys provide? Brown, punching the wall and breaking his hand? Vazquez morphing into Jeff Weaver? Gordon barfing in the bullpen during game 6? A-Schmuck flailing at the ball in Bronson Arroyo's hand like a 2-year old during the ALCS?

Look, a lot of deals look good at the time. If you would've told me 3 years ago after Giambi signed with the Junkees that 3 years later they couldn't get rid of him fast enough, you would've looked at me like I was from Mars. Ask Schmet fans about Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughn. And I remember my Yankee-fan friend telling me how Weaver was gonna win 20 games in pinstripes, and how the Vazquez deal will be viewed as one of the best trades in Yankee history.

Basically, a lot can happen. Let's see what happens come next October.

b) I may offend a bunch of Yankee fans and 16-year old girls with this one, but new Red Sox SS Edgar Renteria is as good (ok, arguably a drop worse) than Derek Jeter. Let's compare their numbers from '02-'04:

Renteria:

AVG .308
OBP .362
OPS .802
HR 34 (11.33 per year)
SB 73

Jeter:

AVG: .302
OBP: .371
OPS: .818
HR 51 (17 per year)
SB 66

Aside from the power numbers (a 6 HR difference per year for Jeter) and a slight edge for Jeter in OBP and OPS, the two are basically the same. Both are gold-glovers, too (Renteria 2, Jeter 1), although Renteria is probably the better fielder.

The major difference here? Salary. Renteria's getting about $10 mil a year from Boston, and Jeter about $19 mil. Is Jeter worth nearly double the price, Mr. Ca$hman? Maybe they pay him to be the first to high-five everyone. Or to pull off the tired "Mr. Torre" shtick. That's right. An extra $9 million for Jeter's priceless "intangibles." Too bad he can't rub Zim's head anymore.

Of course. Overpaying is part of the Yankee way.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, you don’t offend Yankee fans by saying Edgar = Jeter, you just show what a stupid homer you are. If you polled everyone in MLB that is not a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan who would they rather have on their team, the answer would be obvious. So obvious.

Jeter is worth, not two times the money, but three times the money. How many championships has Edgar LED his various team to? (like you would understand championships in the plural sense) How many tickets do you think Edgar sells?

You do realize that Edgar’s recent spike in power is due to steroids, don’t you? Outside of his ‘roid years, he’s a slight upgrade from Cabrerra.

As a Red Sox fan, you want to discount the intangibles. Those intangibles sent your team home, crying like babies, many times. Jeter has destroyed the Sox over the years and will continue to do so.

BTW: I know that winning your little championship last year makes you think that last season is the end all be all, and that you can judge deals like the A-Rod move in the past tense. It’s still very much in the present. He didn’t sign for only one season with the Yanks. He, Matsui and Sheffield will be in pinstripes for a long time and will have many opportunities to rip the Sox a new a-hole.

Speaking of which, how’s your rotation shaping up? No Pedro, no Schilling until May. David Wells, opening day starter. LMFAO @ you as you crow about Edgar being your savior when Johnson and Beltran are on the way to NY.

Boston Rotation
Schilling – post May 1
Wells – ace of the squad until Schilling fully recovers LOL
Arroyo – Sox can’t wait to get rid of him, offered up for more trades than Javy Vazquez
Wakefield – old enough to be everyone’s daddy
Halama – even though he was signed for pen duty, you don’t have sh#t else for a #5

Oh, you might sign Clement, but it seems like Theo is getting outbid for every available starter. Lost Pedro. Lost Pavano. Lost Hudson. On the bright side, Wakefield, as a knuckleballer can be your #4 and #5 starter while Shill has his leg up, eating Doritos and watching your team flounder.

You won’t repeat with those arms against

Johnson
Pavano
Brown
Mussina
Wright

allitalian said...

Hey jackass, look up the meaning of the word "intangibles." Your quickness to be a douchebag just further illustrates your status as a Yankees fan.

That was the point of the post, to compare the numbers, and not the "great leadership" qualities of Edgar Renteria.... Derek Jeter has been to 6 world series (4 for 6) and Edgar has "brought," not necessarily led his team to one in Florida and one last year in STL. (You said he's had "many" teams, check your stats before you say dumb shit because he's only been with the two - I knew that off hand and I rarely follow the National League) That's pretty good for any player under 30 years old (which Jeter is not)...

Now this is a far shot in making a point here, but do you honestly think Jeter would have led the Texas Rangers to 2 world series over the last few years if he had to compete with the Braves or the NL Central, or for that matter the Yankees in his league each year ? Highly Doubtful - You have to remember he plays for the Yankees, the biggest stage in baseball, and the Yankees buy world Series tickets like Christmas presents after midnight on December 24th.

Anything can happen in the season and I'll admit this seasons pickups seem a whole lot more sensible than lasts.... Lofton was a dead duck, you knew Kevin Brown would have an injury stricken year (although the punch was self imposed), Gordon is a work horse, and Jose Contreras looked like a joke being the big off-season signing... well that is until Aaron Boone's freak accident.

The facts: Well I've stated my case on Wright, and Pavano is easily overrated, the second coming of Javier Vazquez with a little more confidence, we'll see how he holds up in NY... you can ask any real baseball fan how they feel about Carl. Now Randy Johnson will be dominant... for at least 4 more months, and it's just a matter of time before Mussina begins his downhill slide, at which point the Yankees will disrespect and betray him like they do every other pitcher. That leaves Hernandez or Brown who I wouldn't trust enough in the playoffs as much as I would trust Derek Lowe before the '04 Postseason.

By The Way, Championships aren't won in April so the Schilling news is no big deal. I'll take a #4 in Bronson Arroyo over Jaret Wright any day of the week.... now ponder this, is Wright worth 10 times the money than Arroyo for a 10 game winner? Wakefield is two years older than Mussina, you may get the impression he is older although because he has been with the team 10 seasons, a feat matched by no current Yankee pitcher. Mussina has the senior seat after only 4 seasons (excluding Rivera). Wakefield will be 39, Hernandez & Brown will be 40, Johnson will be 42.... One note, Wakefield throws knuckleballs, which doesn't wear on the shoulder – that was also a dumb comment calling Wake an old man.

And you can blow that steroids bullshit out your ass, that's as much of a lame ass comment as you can make (isn't your first baseman Jason Giambi next season)... he didn't "explode" onto steroids, he simply grew up.... players do that, and they're not all as fast as Derek Jeter. But like the original post states, the numbers are from the last 3 seasons... Since he turned 24, the age in which most players finally REACH the majors... and Renteria IS a better fielder. Nobody is "crowing" him to be a savior - simply an upgrade from Cabrera and to the '04 Red Sox as a whole.

I would just like to point out the fact that you used in your post such queer Internet terms as LMFAO, LOL, BTW, and used the word “homer” in a derogatory sense, even though you're talking about baseball. I know it still fits but it just doesn't go over well with me as people with lives don't used words like that. Also, if there is one thing that I have learned from the Yankee fans over the years, it's that you are nothing until you have proven yourself. I'll say it once like I've said it a million times, only 4 Yankees still have rings from 2000... They haven't proved shit, that's exactly why the boss has gone out and gotten players like Wright, Stanton, and Womack, who have postseason experience. You aren't shit until you've won shit and the Red Sox are defending champions. You can hype up your 2005 team all you want but the season hasn't started yet and that's the truth. Learn to accept it you Bronx bums.

And Finally, Theo is not being outbid – he just refuses to be pushed around. The Red Sox have a lot of work to do and unlike Brian Cashman, Theo has what is called a “budget,” and you can look that one up too while you've got that dictionary open.

My Blog: http://yankeeschoke.blogspot.com

The Yankee Despiser said...

Let's remember, too, that when Jeter missed the first few weeks of the '03 season, the Junkees went 18-3. If Jeter is so important to the team, how did they win all those games without him?

Anonymous said...

Allitalian, a couple of points from your emotionally charged rant:

What if the Yankees had to compete against the Braves?
Um, they beat the Braves for 2 of their 4 championships, and if you check the box scores, Jeter played an integral part in both victories. Yes you are going out on a limb on that one, and it broke off.

You say championships aren’t won in April. What the hell do you as a Red Sox fan know about championships in the plural sense? You won ONE, not four in the past ten years. Typical Red Sox fan, overreaching.

In terms of the rotations:

Johnson vs. Schilling – Draw
Mussina vs. Wells – Mussina, Wells is old
Povano vs.Clement – Povano, if Clement is better, then why was Povano Theo’s 1st choice
Brown vs. Arroyo – Brown, is there even a question when he’s healthy?
Wright vs. Wakefield/Halama – Halama is totally useless, so don’t even try. Wakefield is good one day and very hittable the next. He was the dope that gave up the Aaron Boone HR so don’t talk about how lights out he is.

The SP edge clearly goes to the Yankees and it’s not just Yankee fans that agree.

In response to my post above, you, on another thread, ‘defended’ your post and website. Guess what dickhead, you wouldn’t have to defend yourself on a personal level if you didn’t start calling me names in your little rant above. If you can’t take it, then don’t dish it out, bitch. You are just as soft as your buddy, Yankee Despiser. So if you want to hit me with names and insults, as you can clearly tell, I will be returning fire.

I’m not going to get an ID. You know who I am. If you can’t figure it out by just reading the comments on this site, you are a sorry excuse for a writer. You’d have to be twice the moron you are to mistake me for anyone else who posts here.

And don’t expect me to go over to your site. I’m not going to hunt down every boneheaded jerk-off who thinks he’s making some kind of point by flaming Yankee fans. I have too much fun jacking up Yankee Despiser.

Lastly, you are a plagiarist and a pussy to reproduce comments, made by me here, on your site. Pathetic. If you want to respond, then do so here. If you are a coward, you’ll do so on your site, where no one, including me, will ever see.