Manny made a great point about Guidry a while back, and that is, when you get a guy for PR, it might put a few fannies in the seats, but it's usually a disaster for the team.
Come to think of it, almost all of Old York's PR moves have been horrid.
Johnny Damon: Got him because he was a star for the Red Sox who beat the Junkees with that huge Game 7 home run in the 2004 ALCS. Well, he slugged a robust .396 this year. He's got no arm, and the Junkees would love to dump him for 2008, but is any team dumb enough to pick him up? I think not.
Shemp: Okay, so you get some Japanese gelt, but the guy has not lived up to his reputation as Godzilla (except maybe to Harold Moskowitz, AKA John Sterling), save for 2004 when he smashed 31 homers. Another guy who can't field, creating a logjam at DH with he, Damon, and Giambi.
Miguel Cairo: Ca$hman loves bringing ex-Yankees back, and the fact that he played for the Mets added more to his PR value. Lucky for them Snorre gave him only 107 at bats, so that his .626 OPS didn't totally kill them. But again, he had one good year (2004 - .292 batting average in 122 games), so he's a beloved figure in the Bronx.
Doug Smith (Mientkiewicz): Ex-Met, played for Boston, funny last name - that is awesome PR. Only a September surge saved him from an otherwise abysmal season.
Roger Clemens: No comment necessary.
Well, let this be a lesson for the Junkees. Perhaps when the Mets give Ringo $15 million to hit .250 they'll learn their lesson, too.
Then again, the more PR Ca$hman does, the better it is for me.
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Friday, November 02, 2007
Who's On Third?
With A-Rod likely out of New York, time to figure out who’s next? I’m gonna run down the possible candidates, and give my take on each one:
Mike Lowell – Can’t see him pulling off a Johnny Damon. Then again, who thought Damon would jump ship to the Bronx? I think the Yanks will definitely offer more money and years, and I could see the Phillies jumping into the mix, too. I think he’ll stay in Boston. But if he leaves, I would trust Theo’s judgment. He was right on with not re-signing Pedro and Damon, and Lowe’s been average in a great pitcher’s park.
A-Rod – sorry YD, I don’t think A-Rod’s coming back. Hard to see George bring the guy back after what Hank said. And the way things played out Sunday, where A-Rod barely responded to the Yankees’ offer, also tells me he’s not interested in coming back. Throw in the Joe Girardi factor, and unless the Yanks want to offer $45 million a year, he’s done in the Bronx.
Joe Crede – would be a classic Hank Dolan move. He probably still thinks Crede is good, and may have seen the guy done well against the Yanks a few times. Keith Law referred to Crede as “a terrible player” in a recent ESPN.com chat, but I could see Crede being the ’08 version of Tony Womack.
Scott Rolen – another move I can see Hank doing. Not clear if St. Louis wants to trade him.
Eric Chavez – would not be surprised if the A’s salary dump this guy to New York. Wow, has his star fallen. Beane signing him to a long-term deal? Mistake. Doesn’t really fit the Yanks’ style either, with a .347 lifetime OBP.
Aaron Boone – they’ll sign the guy as a backup. Would be one of the biggest PR moves ever. Let’s see if they dump him when he’s hitting .175 in June.
Wilson Betemit – has about as much of a chance as Mike Lamb did in the winter of 2004. And how about Cashman calling out Betemit for not being in shape? Never seen Cashman do anything like that. Must be hanging around Hank too much.
Miguel Cabrera – My prediction. He’s on the trading block, he’s young, knows Girardi from Florida, and has potential star power. As soon as Hank finds out he’s available, I bet he’ll be willing to give whatever it takes to get this guy. I would love to see this happen, because I think Cabrera would be a bad fit for New York. He’s got insubordination issues, weight and conditioning issues, and would be a great source for back-page fodder. Would Hank fine him for every pound he’s overweight, like his dad did with Lou Piniella? Maybe he and Betemit can eat chips in the Yankee clubhouse.
If the Yanks get Cabrera, count on them getting Willis, too. The guy would be like the Mike Lowell of the deal, as Florida wouldn’t mind getting rid of his $6.5 million salary. He’d be a great PR factor, too – the funky first name, the cool delivery, and would be a good lefty option if Pettitte doesn’t come back. Besides, he’s also a guy that Hank probably thinks is still a dominator.
And if Hank wants him, then he’ll give up some of the kids. I can see the Yanks building a package around Wang or Hughes as well as Kennedy and Melky, for starters.
Mike Lowell – Can’t see him pulling off a Johnny Damon. Then again, who thought Damon would jump ship to the Bronx? I think the Yanks will definitely offer more money and years, and I could see the Phillies jumping into the mix, too. I think he’ll stay in Boston. But if he leaves, I would trust Theo’s judgment. He was right on with not re-signing Pedro and Damon, and Lowe’s been average in a great pitcher’s park.
A-Rod – sorry YD, I don’t think A-Rod’s coming back. Hard to see George bring the guy back after what Hank said. And the way things played out Sunday, where A-Rod barely responded to the Yankees’ offer, also tells me he’s not interested in coming back. Throw in the Joe Girardi factor, and unless the Yanks want to offer $45 million a year, he’s done in the Bronx.
Joe Crede – would be a classic Hank Dolan move. He probably still thinks Crede is good, and may have seen the guy done well against the Yanks a few times. Keith Law referred to Crede as “a terrible player” in a recent ESPN.com chat, but I could see Crede being the ’08 version of Tony Womack.
Scott Rolen – another move I can see Hank doing. Not clear if St. Louis wants to trade him.
Eric Chavez – would not be surprised if the A’s salary dump this guy to New York. Wow, has his star fallen. Beane signing him to a long-term deal? Mistake. Doesn’t really fit the Yanks’ style either, with a .347 lifetime OBP.
Aaron Boone – they’ll sign the guy as a backup. Would be one of the biggest PR moves ever. Let’s see if they dump him when he’s hitting .175 in June.
Wilson Betemit – has about as much of a chance as Mike Lamb did in the winter of 2004. And how about Cashman calling out Betemit for not being in shape? Never seen Cashman do anything like that. Must be hanging around Hank too much.
Miguel Cabrera – My prediction. He’s on the trading block, he’s young, knows Girardi from Florida, and has potential star power. As soon as Hank finds out he’s available, I bet he’ll be willing to give whatever it takes to get this guy. I would love to see this happen, because I think Cabrera would be a bad fit for New York. He’s got insubordination issues, weight and conditioning issues, and would be a great source for back-page fodder. Would Hank fine him for every pound he’s overweight, like his dad did with Lou Piniella? Maybe he and Betemit can eat chips in the Yankee clubhouse.
If the Yanks get Cabrera, count on them getting Willis, too. The guy would be like the Mike Lowell of the deal, as Florida wouldn’t mind getting rid of his $6.5 million salary. He’d be a great PR factor, too – the funky first name, the cool delivery, and would be a good lefty option if Pettitte doesn’t come back. Besides, he’s also a guy that Hank probably thinks is still a dominator.
And if Hank wants him, then he’ll give up some of the kids. I can see the Yanks building a package around Wang or Hughes as well as Kennedy and Melky, for starters.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
YD's Predictions Bound to Go Wrong
(1) Mattingly will be the next manager. After taking a big PR hit with Torre's firing, the bosses will be looking to get back into the fans' good graces. Even Yankee-haters like Donnie Baseball, so he gets the nod. When the Yanks lose a few in a row in May, look for some uncomfortable moments during the press conferences.
(2) A-Rod will opt out, and George will resign him anyway. This will be George's last hurrah. Manny and I thought Clemens was it, but A-Rod's $300 million contract will be the one.
(3) The Junkees will be on the market for a good PR move in the form of an ex-Yankee. Manny thinks it'll be Kenny Lofton. My guess is Tony Clark. Feel free to make predictions in the comments section.
(2) A-Rod will opt out, and George will resign him anyway. This will be George's last hurrah. Manny and I thought Clemens was it, but A-Rod's $300 million contract will be the one.
(3) The Junkees will be on the market for a good PR move in the form of an ex-Yankee. Manny thinks it'll be Kenny Lofton. My guess is Tony Clark. Feel free to make predictions in the comments section.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Yankees-Mets PR Blitz
When I first started following sports, I got excited every time I heard of a guy who played for both the Yankees and Mets. Rafael Santana was the big name in that category for a while. I got very excited when I found out that the awful Tim Leary had a cup of coffee with the Joe Torre Mets in the early '80s. I'll admit, that's creepy. And when Tim Burke and Lee Guetterman got traded, and then in '93 when the Yanks got Frank Tanana for the last week of the season, that was exciting. And then we got treated to some big names: David Cone, Darryl, Doc Gooden.
But now it seems like every few months, someone from the other Subway team gets called up or signed.
I was at the Mets game last night, and was talking to a friend about Ricky Ledee. He mentioned to me that there are 101 players who have played for both the Yankees and Mets. I thought the number sounded way too high. Turns out, he's right.
But I'm not crazy, either. What you may not know is, that ten years ago, following the 1997 season, there were only 61 players on the list. The size of the list has nearly doubled in the last ten years.
Or think about it this way. The Mets came into existence in 1962, and in the 35 years from then until '97, there were only 61 players to play for both teams. That's about an average of about 1.7 new Yankee-Mets a year.
From '98 to '07, less than 10 years, there have been 40 players added to the list. That's an average of 4 new Yankee-Met players per year! The PR war has gotten out of control, folks.
Next time a Met outfielder gets injured, who's gonna get called up first? Aaron Guiel? Do they trade for Bubba Crosby or Kevin Reese? At this rate, they'll be inviting Chad Curtis to spring training next year.
-- Today's the Rocket's biggest test of the year so far. The Yanks need a win today, to avoid slipping back to their old ways. You don't know what Igawa will give you tomorrow night. I know it's Coors Field, but Yankee fans better hope Clemens shows them why they gave him all that cash.
But now it seems like every few months, someone from the other Subway team gets called up or signed.
I was at the Mets game last night, and was talking to a friend about Ricky Ledee. He mentioned to me that there are 101 players who have played for both the Yankees and Mets. I thought the number sounded way too high. Turns out, he's right.
But I'm not crazy, either. What you may not know is, that ten years ago, following the 1997 season, there were only 61 players on the list. The size of the list has nearly doubled in the last ten years.
Or think about it this way. The Mets came into existence in 1962, and in the 35 years from then until '97, there were only 61 players to play for both teams. That's about an average of about 1.7 new Yankee-Mets a year.
From '98 to '07, less than 10 years, there have been 40 players added to the list. That's an average of 4 new Yankee-Met players per year! The PR war has gotten out of control, folks.
Next time a Met outfielder gets injured, who's gonna get called up first? Aaron Guiel? Do they trade for Bubba Crosby or Kevin Reese? At this rate, they'll be inviting Chad Curtis to spring training next year.
-- Today's the Rocket's biggest test of the year so far. The Yanks need a win today, to avoid slipping back to their old ways. You don't know what Igawa will give you tomorrow night. I know it's Coors Field, but Yankee fans better hope Clemens shows them why they gave him all that cash.
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