I was out of town for the past couple of days, but came back to catch up to a lot of good news.
First off, if you would've told me two years ago that Pettitte, Clemens, and Jose Contreras were going to make it to the World Series in '05, I would've been pig-biting mad. But the way things have worked out, these guys get to laugh at their ex-teammates playing golf, while they suit up for the Series. Good for them.
I just love how Contreras has finally turned into that ace the Yanks thought they were getting back in '03. He's left Junkee fans asking: where have you gone, Esteban Loaiza?
My favorite story, though, has to be that of Mike Lamb, which Buster Olney recently mentioned on his ESPN Insider blog. Lamb was signed by the Junkees in early '04 after Aaron Boone tore his ACL, only to be let go when the Junkees acquired A-Schmuck. I'm sure Lamb did not think that he would soon be playing in the World Series while A-Rod was staying home. A great story. (Oops! Did I say A-Rod was staying home? Of course not! He's busy working out at 6 AM while all the other slackers out there are taking care of their families!)
-- Snorre's return is great news for Yankee-haters. The guy's not a good manager, as we've discussed many, many times on this blog. From Jeff Weaver in the '03 WS to the Konerko incident this past August, the guy's made his share of on-field mistakes.
And I don't care about the fact that the Junkees turned things around this past season when all hope seemed lost. Still, they would be a lot better off with Piniella as manager, and I'm sure many Yankee fans would agree.
After all, the Junkees' turnaround was not about Snorre's meetings, tirades, motivational speeches, or anything like that. It was about A-Rod and Rivera putting up MVP-caliber years, Sheff and Shemp putting up their usual numbers, Aaron Small turning into Sandy Koufax, and most importantly, Juice-on Giambi turning the juice on. If not for all that, Snorre couldn't have saved this sinking ship.
-- As for Mazzone, it's great to see this guru go to a huge division rival. If Angelos and Flanagan get this guy some quality arms to work with, the O's will really be a thorn in the Junkees' side. With new management coming to Tampa and increased payroll coming to Toronto, I'm optimistic about the future of the division. Will Boston get hurt by these developments? Probably. But as long as someone out there can knock the Junkees off the top of the AL East, I'll be a happy man.
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Bloggers Will Interpret News - for a Fee
Bloggers live or die by their wits -- and that especially includes those who try to make a business of it.
Thought you would like to know that.
later,
Mohawk Man
Travel in style with private jets
Thank God Mazzone isn't going to the Yanks. That would have been in line with some of my worst baseball nightmares. His going to Baltimore isn't exactly optimal from this Red Sox fan's POV, but I'd rather have him with the O's than with the overpaid bums in New York.
The AL East is going to get a lot more competative soon, I think. The Blue Jays were in line as legit WC contenders before Halladay got hurt and the D-Rays have one of the best-stocked farm systems in the majors, so it's only a matter of time before that young talent begins to emerge (as it started to this year). Meanwhile, the Yankees are getting older and don't have oodles of good prospects. The next few years could be pivitol in discovering which AL East teams are progressive enough to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, somewhere King George is seething over Contreras and Pettitte playing in the World Series. It's so fitting that things turned out this way this year. Yankee haters everywhere are laughing.
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