Yankees vs. Red Sox - Position by Position

Even as New York is covered in snow, I can't ignore the fact that spring training is right around the corner. And with the Red Sox done retooling for the winter, time for a position-by-position comparison:

1B: Giambi vs. Youkilis/Snow - If Giambi picks up where he left off last year, the Yanks will be in good shape. His turnaround was a huge, huge factor in the Yanks' second-half run. Defensively, the guy's a wreck, though. Youkilis has potential to be a Nick Johnson type at 1B - not much power, but a very high OBP. Yeah, and unlike Johnson, he better be able to stay off the DL for more than a week at a time. Ex-Yankee farmhand Snow (traded for Jim Abbott before the '93 season) is good for D; maybe his offense will pick up out of Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T park.
EDGE: Yanks

2B: Loretta vs. Cano - Mark Loretta has been one of the NL's best-kept secrets over the past few years. He's got a .301 career average, and a solid .365 career OBP. Cano had a pretty good rookie year, but has no track record. I would watch out for the sophomore jinx here.
EDGE: Red Sox

3B: Lowell vs. A-Rod - I hate A-Rod, I think Lowell will have a big comeback year, but this one honestly isn't even close.
EDGE: Yanks

SS: Gonzalez vs. Jeter - Gonzalez defensively is excellent, and his hitting should improve out of Florida, but Jeter's offensive numbers are much better. And those intangibles....
EDGE: Yanks

LF: Manny vs. Matsui - Shemp can hold his own, but not against one of baseball's best offensive machines. It makes up for all those times he's taking a whizz in the Green Monster. And late last year, Matsui's defense became quite erratic. Is the streak taking its toll on him?
EDGE: Red Sox

CF: Crisp vs. Damon - Yankee fans were horny and Red Sox fans pissed after Damon left town, but Crisp is just as good, if not better. His offensive numbers are comparable (.810 OPS to Damon's .805), he's also fast, he's got a better throwing arm, and most importantly, he's six years younger.
EDGE: Red Sox

RF: Sheff vs. Nixon - When Trot Nixon is healthy, he's very, very good. He's also better in the clutch than Sheff - remember game 3 of the 2003 ALDS? But over the course of a season, Sheffield has much better numbers, and has been much more reliable than the injury-prone Nixon. I'm just hoping this is the year that Sheff's age finally catches up to him.
EDGE: Yanks

C: Posada vs. Varitek - Posada had been rapidly declining over the past few years. '06 will probably be his last year in pinstripes. Varitek might be the best all-around catcher in the AL.
EDGE: Red Sox

DH: Bernie vs. Ortiz - (I'm simply not going to bother with this one)
EDGE: Red Sox

SP: Schilling, Beckett,Wakefield, Clement, Wells, Arroyo, Papelbon vs. Johnson, Moose, Pavano, Wright, Wang, Small, Chacon -- both teams have their fair share of questions here, but the Red Sox have more sure deals and a higher upside - you know that Wakefield, Clement, and Arroyo will be decent, and if both Schilling and Beckett are healthy, they'll give the Red Sox a formidable presence at the top of the rotation. As for the Yanks, even if Johnson is healthy, he'll never be the Big Unit of old. Mussina has very little left in the tank, and everyone else is just a question mark. Will Wright and Pavano ever succeed in New York? Will Wang stay healthy? Were Small and Chacon just one-year wonders?
EDGE: Red Sox

RP: Foulke, Timlin, Tavarez, Riske, Seanez vs. Rivera, Farnworth, Myers, Sturtze, Dotel, Villone -- Red Sox have more depth here, much more. While you can't discount having the excellent Rivera at the end rather than a questionable Foulke, the Yanks will really miss Gordon. Farnsworth will probably be another Jaret Wright, Myers is good for lefties, and Villone is better off with the Pirates or Mariners. And who knows how Dotel will be after surgery? He could be another Jon Lieber, or he could be another Sterling Hitchcock. As for the Red Sox, even if Foulke stinks it up, they've got enough depth to cover for him, and still have adequate relief for the 7th and 8th.

And at 36, Rivera is bound to lose it at some point. One thing's for sure: he won't be doing as many two-inning saves as he did in '01, although Farnsworth and Co. might make that necessary.
EDGE: Red Sox

The Juice Man, One Year Later

It seems like a million years ago that Jason Giambi was on the cover of the New York Post, with the Post calling for the guy to be fired. It seems like a million years ago when the Yanks tried every way they could to get out of that ridiculous contract. It seems like a million years ago when the Giam-baby made a press conference and apologized for something.

Yet it was only about a year ago when Giambi made his infamous apology. And suddenly, he's a good guy all over again, as discussed in the Times by Tyler Kepner.

The Daily News, too, has nice things to say about Giambi. One thing I found intriguing, however, was the mention that the Juice Man has gained significant weight since last year. Gee, I wonder how that happened?

Why is Giambi suddenly a hero? Did the guy stop taking the juice? Did he go back on the stuff? And if not the juice, then HGH? Or whatever designer product BALCO has in mind? The speculation still has to be there.

Giambi should still be getting the Barry Bonds treatment. Not much has changed since that press conference last year, except that Giambi's numbers were closer to his old self, closer to that goateed guy on the A's taking the clear, the cream, whatever. It brings to mind an excellent Mike Lupica piece from last year, discussing how Sheffield didn't get burned by the BALCO testimony because his numbers were far better than Giambi's in '04.

I think it's awful, simply awful, that the press is now giving Giambi a free pass. What's changed? What more do we know about Giambi that we didn't know on the day of that infamous New York Post cover story?

If anything, after last year's mysterious turnaround, I'm a lot more suspicious of the Juice Man now than I was after that February 10, 2005 press conference.

Kiss and Make Up?

A report in today's Newark Star-Ledger mentions that Pettitte does not rule out a return to the Yanks after his contract ends this year.

A lot of Yankee fans really miss Pettitte. Between seeing Brown and Vazquez lead their team to their biggest choke ever in 2004, and seeing Pettitte lead the Astros to the World Series in 2005, the guy is missed in New York. And all the potential Pettitte replacements - Vazquez, Pavano, Wright - simply have been disasters.

The Yankees, in an effort to make up for the botched negotiations they made after the '03 season, will make Pettitte an offer he can't refuse. They'll be willing to pay him anything, just to bring him back to the Bronx. It's clearer and clearer that pitching for the Yankees is not for everyone, so to find someone with the mettle to handle New York is quite a precious commodity.

This, of course, will all hinge upon whether Pettitte will still be miffed at the how the Yanks treated him in '03. From the way Pettitte sounded, it seemed like he wasn't too peeved at the Yanks. But, if he really loves Houston, he seems like the kind of guy that would stay there. Then again, Johnny Damon said he would never come to New York. Pettitte, however, does strike me as more of a genuine and sincere guy than Damon.

I would love to see Pettitte go to Boston, just to piss off all the Yankee fans. And if not that, how about going to Shea, Andy? Your kid already has the cap (as George let you know), so you may as well just join the team.

Massarotti - On Balance, Sox Better

In a bit of a Despiser echo, the Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti says the Sox might well be a better team in 2006 than in 2005. Not bad for a team that finished 2005 tied for first in their division.

Their defense looks better, their offense looks worse, their pitching remains a relative unknown. But if things break how the Red Sox want, one of the more unsettling offseasons in memory may produce one of the more balanced and versatile teams.
How’s that for an amusing twist?
The 2006 Red Sox still have more questions than answers as things stand, but for a moment try to envision what this team might be. With today’s expected announcement of the Alex Gonzalez acquisition, the Sox will fill the last major hole on their roster. In 2005, Gonzalez made 14 fewer errors than then-Sox shortstop Edgar Renteria, which means the infield defense may be considerably better.
Of course, Gonzalez couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. He rarely walks, provides little power and seldom runs. And because of that, he embodies the new philosophy being implemented at 4 Yawkey Way more than anyone else on the revamped Red Sox.
For months now, we have heard Sox officials speak of how the team needs to improve in the area of “run prevention,” which is a nice way of saying the 2005 Sox could neither pitch nor play defense. Last year, the Sox allowed more runs than all but six teams in baseball: Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Colorado, Texas and Arizona. Combined, those clubs averaged 70 wins and finished a miserable 134 games under .500.
The Red Sox? They went 95-67 and qualified for the postseason, which was both a wildly deceiving number and a testament to their prolific offense.
And when the playoffs started, they got smoked.
Not so coincidentally, the Red Sox now have the look of a team more like the defending world champion Chicago White Sox, who unceremoniously ousted them from the postseason in October. If the Red Sox pitching staff can stay healthy, and that is an enormous, colossal and gargantuan if, the Sox will have a much deeper staff to go along with better defense up the middle. That means they should be equipped to win more low-scoring games than a year ago.
The idea, it seems, is to make the Sox much more like the team from August, September and October of 2004 than the one-trick pony of last summer.
Also, as we approach the dawn of spring training 2006, remember one thing: the game is changing again. During baseball’s Helium Age, the use of steroids and performance-enhancing substances inflated numbers and made offense far more predictable. It hardly seems a coincidence that statistical analysis exploded during a time when, on the mound and in the batter’s box, baseball executives developed an insatiable thirst for power that had nothing to do with the recent upper-management struggle at Fenway Park.
Last offseason, as baseball prepared to penalize steroid users for the first time ever, the White Sox were a step ahead of the competition. The White Sox hit home runs, to be sure, but they did not entirely rely on them. And when it came time to execute a pitch or make a big defensive play, Chicago was just as capable of relying on Neal Cotts or Aaron Rowand as Paul Konerko. And the White Sox could run and bunt to boot.
As for the 2006 Red Sox, only heaven knows if this team will come together because so many parts have changed. The entire infield is new. Much of the bullpen is new. Curt Schilling is a year older and Josh Beckett has a worrisome right shoulder, all while Keith Foulke attempts to return from the train wreck that was 2005.
For now, all of those questions remain. But at least now we know who has been asked to answer them.
And why.

Red Sox Almost Ready to Go

It must've been about a week ago when some Yankee fan was telling me, "your team has no centerfielder or shortstop!" Well, that loser can kindly shut up. The Red Sox are gearing up for 2006 and beyond, and I like what I'm seeing.

For me, the first point in the Crisp-Damon debate is as follows: Crisp is the kind of player whose better days are likely ahead, and Damon's are probably in the past. Damon has played through all sorts of injuries over the past few years, and it's gotta catch up to him sometime.

The numbers aren't much different; Crisp had more homers (16-10), while Damon had a better average (.316-.300). Crisp ended with a slightly higher OPS (.810-.805). Both players have above-average speed and cover their fair share of ground in the outfield. To me, it's pretty much a wash; perhaps you even give Crisp a slight edge due to age.

And as for Alex Gonzalez, I think it's a good deal. Many people, including David Pinto, are ripping the guy a new one for being a lousy hitter. First off, the guy played in Dolphins Stadium, one of the biggest pitcher's parks in the game. His numbers should improve in Fenway. Second, perhaps it's worth it for the Sox to have an "automatic out," if the guy's defense measures up. This is not the NL, where the pitcher already gives you a hole in the lineup. The Sox can throw Gonzalez at the bottom, and hope he can show some flashes of power, like when he hit 23 HR in 2004.

Plus, the guy isn't even 30. If he's good, the Red Sox can bring him back. If not, it's just one year and out. Or, the Red Sox can try to get someone at the trading deadline. If they're desperate, they can try to wing it on Cora and Graffanino, which worked for a while last year (at 2B).

The only thing left for the Sox to do is trade David Wells. You never want to have an unhappy Wells out there. I hated the Wells signing from the beginning, and they better get the guy out of there before he starts causing trouble.

After the Damon signing, I said the Red Sox might still be the team to beat. Now, they're even better. As Peter Gammons points out, if Manny is hot, Lowell has a comeback year, and Nixon pulls it together, the Red Sox offense will be as good as last year's.

And let's not forget the revamped bullpen, plus (fingers crossed) a healthy Schilling and Beckett in the rotation.

Epstein and Co. are trying to get the Sox younger and better for the long-term. On paper, it looks like they're doing one helluva job.

-- A little bit of useless info for all you Jayson Stark fans out there: Alex Gonzalez has a .245 average in his first 8 seasons in the bigs. The other Alex Gonzalez (of Toronto and Chicago) in his first 8 years in the bigs -- hit .245!

Molina in Pinstripes? And Piazza?

ESPN's Rumor Central reports that the Yankees have contacted Bengie Molina, and may be interested in signing him.

I think this just shows how much Jorge Posada's stock has fallen with the Yanks. A few months ago, I reported how Posada is facing a Bernie Williams-esque decline, perhaps accelerated by the wear of tear of Georgie being a catcher. And in a Yankee lineup that, with the Damon signing, looks almost perfect, Posada is looking like a real hole. The guy's OPS has plummetted over the past few years (from .923 to .881 to .782), and it seemed like he was in a slump all year. Even having Flaherty catch every five days didn't help. And even though Johnson was vocal about not liking Posada as a batterymate, who knows? Maybe other Yankee pitchers feel the same way. But if the Yanks are looking into Molina, however casually, it just goes to show how much they want Posada outta there.

And the biggest problem for the Yanks is, Posada is not going anywhere. Very few teams are interested in a 34-year old catcher. Even fewer teams are interested in one who makes $11 million a year.

The Yanks are thinking long-term here. Posada's contract is done, and the Yanks have a team option for '07. So maybe the two platoon, and then Molina takes over the next few years. The Yanks might do it, simply because Molina's value is so low right now.

And the fact that Molina killed the Yanks in the ALDS this year? All the more reason for them to do this.

-- Another catcher the Yanks might be interested in? Mike Piazza. Heyman in Newsday says the Yanks are interested, but the Daily News' Bill Madden says otherwise.

This would be nothing more than a PR move. Potentially a huge one. George has had a fetish for Mets from the '99-'00 era. Ventura. Zeile. Olerud. Leiter. Dotel. Benitez. Even Bubba Trammell. So why not go after the biggest name from that era, Mike Piazza?

Getting Piazza would be a mess, though. He would want to catch, Posada would want to catch. I could see this one getting ugly.

And for all the Yankee fans fantasizing about Clemens coming back to New York after the WBC.... If Piazza's there, not happening.

Good Piece on A-Schmuck

Like I've said before, the CFL and WNBA interest me more than the World Baseball Classic, baseball's worst idea since the radical realignment talk of the late '90's. That said, Ian O'Connor rips A-Rod and the way he's handling his whole situation. If any good will come from this fiasco, it will be that it gives us another excuse to bash A-Schmuck (as if we actually needed one anyway).

The Crisp Trade

I had to go with a very generic title for this one, because all of those awful cereal jokes are making me cringe. In fact, I'm so ticked off that I'm going to ruin your day with this zinger from Baseball Musings' David Pinto:

It's unknown if Snap, Crackle and Pop are included in the deal.

Hardy-har-har.

I have mixed emotions about this one. On one hand, I like Crisp. His numbers have been improving steadily over the past few years (his OPS going from .655 to .790 to. 810). The guy's got some speed, and is a potential 20-20 guy. Someone mentioned that he had 42 doubles last year, and that in Fenway, many of those can turn into homers. That's encouraging.

And his OBP of .345 last year isn't great, but it's not a huge dropoff from Damon's, which was .366. And he batted .324 against righties last year; that's gonna be good against the Junkees, who, aside from the Big Unit, are stacked with righties.

But Boston is giving up a lot here. Andy Marte has received a lot of hype, being heralded as one of the top 5 prospects in the game. But again, once upon a time Gregg Jeffries was supposed to be the next big thing. So you can never take these things too seriously. But if Marte turns out to be a Scott Rolen type, then this will turn out to be a bad move. Crisp is a pretty good everyday player, but he's no all-star. He's not worth it for an all-star caliber player.

And I like Mota, so I wouldn't want to see him go. If they get Riske in return, then it's not as bad. Riske quietly put up some good numbers last year. But Mota definitely has a higher upside. The only thing I would hope for would be for Mota to continue to have bad years like last season.

The Sox are clearly at a disadvantage here, as they're desperate for a center fielder. So the Indians are getting the better of the deal no matter what. But the Red Sox have to make this deal. Should they have kept Damon? Totally different debate. But if this deal goes through, at least we won't see Adam Stern in the opening day lineup.

I'm satisfied with Crisp, though. I know some people out there were all horny about Seattle's Jeremy Reed. But offensively, the guy's numbers were weak. He had very little major league experience, so you had no idea how he was going to hold up in the long run. Plus, the Sox can't afford that hole in the lineup, not with the light-hitting Alex Gonzalez at short. Crisp gives them an established major-league outfielder. Nothing spectacular, to be sure, but a guy who looks like he's still getting better.

Meanwhile, the Tribe has said this deal will only go through if they find a replacement for Crisp. So this whole discussion might be a waste of time. We'll find out soon enough, hopefully.

Theo's Back!

Great to hear the news that Theo Epstein is rejoining the Sox. When he resigned on Halloween, the Yankee fans were all excited. "Wow, that front office is in disarray. What the heck are they going to do without Theo? At least we still have Cashman" and crap like that. And after the Damon signing, everyone was saying how the Red Sox front office was in such disarray and that was part of the reason the Yanks were able to nab Damon.

Now, the Yankee fans are quiet once again. For every Scott Sauerbeck, Mike Remlinger, and Edgar Renteria that Theo picked up, he made the small moves like getting Millar, Mueller, and of course, David Ortiz. Yankee fans fear Theo because, unlike Cashman, the guy actually has a brain.

Now don't get me wrong. Epstein had plenty of help from the owners. The Sox couldn't have had Manny and Pedro without having baseball's second-highest payroll.

But the Red Sox, unlike the Junkees, do not have an all-star at every position (except Cano). They don't have a $10 million+ player at every position (except Cano). The Red Sox have been built like the late 90's Yankees - not a sexy name at every position, but guys who wanted to win. Guys like Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek. And it takes a GM, not just an owner like George, to actually build a team with inexpensive, undervalued guys. That's what Theo did so well.

With that in mind, welcome back Theo. Get our team a CF, a SS, and send the Junkees packing early.

New YD Podcast Coming Up

The Yankee Despiser and Manny Ortiz are planning another podcast, this time without the technical difficulties. If you want a certain topic discussed, please leave a comment below.

PR Bullpen Options for Old York

Perusing the list of free agents, it's obvious that the Yankees' fetish for ex-Mets, ex-Yanks, ex-Red Sox, and players who've killed them in the past are all they're interested in. So far, all but one of the signees fit the bill:

Returning from the '05 Junkees are:

Al Leiter
Shemp Matsui
Bernie Williams
Ramiro Mendoza
The Grand Tanyon


Ex-Mets include:

Miguel Cairo
Octavio Dotel
Kelly Stinnett


Ex-Red Sox are:

Johnny Damon
Mike Myers


The lone exception is Kyle Farnsworth.

But we all know that PR is generally more important than getting a good player. But enough about Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza. Let's see which pitchers are still out there:

Pedro Astacio - ex-Met, so that's good
James Baldwin - ex-Met for two starts, which is enough; will also make the Jesse Jackson crowd happy
Kevin Brown - I think we've seen the last of him in pinstripes
Jason Christianson - was an Angel in '05, although was gone by the time the ALDS rolled around
Roger Clemens - watch the Junkees offer him $20 million for '06
Darren Dreifort - perfect no-lose pickup for Ca$hman
Chad Fox - Marlin in '03 and ex-Bostonian
Buddy Groom - see Kevin Brown
Gary Glover - no one's ever heard of him
Shigetosi Hasegawa - already have Shemp for the Japanese PR
Felix Heredia - see Kevin Brown
Kaz Ishii - ex-Met, and a lefty
Jose Lima - PR move, because he's a whack job
Brian Meadows - ex-Junkee from way back when = perfect fit!
Jeff Weaver - see Kevin Brown
Jamey Wright - if the Junkees want to be like the Mets years back with the two Bobby Joneses, they can sell the fact that they have two J. Wrights...

There are some others, but I'm too lazy to go through them all, so maybe I'll make a part 2....

No Nellie

Looks like Nelson is going to St. Louis, instead.

He'll probably do well there, because LaRussa and Duncan know how to use relievers. And the Junkees will have to find some other way to add to the PR factor.

Whoa Nellie! Third Tour of Duty?

Today's Post mentions that the Yanks might bring back Jeff Nelson for a third tour of duty. It would be their way, perhaps, of answering the Tavarez signing, but also, it's a win-win situation. His 2003 ALCS fracas notwithstanding, Nellie is still liked by Yankee fans, and if he does well, then Cashman looks like a genius.

The guy's ERA has escalated over the past few years. He had a 3.93 mark last year, which is no great shakes when you throw in the Safeco factor. I'd be surprised if his comeback goes any better than Stanton's did last year.

Sox Pen Looking a Lot Better Than The Yanks

Yankee fans may still be horny over getting Johnny Damon and creating their new version of "Murderer's Row", but hey, the games still have to be played. And pitched, mind you.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that even after the Damon signing, the Red Sox may still be the better team in the rivalry. Now with the Tavarez signing, the Sox just got even better.

Now I know Yankee-fan readers of this blog may rip me apart because, after all, I mentioned recently that I wouldn't mind if the Yankees got Julian Tavarez, considering that I thought he might've only done well in St. Louis, where it seems like every reliever has success.

So I'll admit that the Red Sox did sort of gamble here. But their gamble is costing about half as much as the Yankees' similar gamble, Kyle Farnsworth. Plus, it's two years vs. Farnsworth's three.

Tavarez has a career ERA slightly lower than Farnsworth's, actually (4.33 to 4.46). He doesn't have the gaudy strikeout numbers that Farnsworth puts up, and his K/BB ratio is nothing to write home about. But ultimately, they're pretty similar in that they've had a couple of very good years, but otherwise, nothing special.

I like the fact that Boston waited for the market for relievers to slow down before signing Tavarez. Even a month ago, when everyone was in a frenzy over relievers like Wagner, B.J. Ryan, Gordon, and, of course, Farnsworth, Tavarez could've made a good $6-7 million a year. But the Red Sox waited, and got a very good deal in the process.

And getting Tavarez gives the Red Sox some much-needed depth in the bullpen. They've got Foulke at closer, who, if healthy, should regain his 2004 form. Mota's been very good throughout his career, though you've gotta give him an asterisk for pitching in Dodger Stadium all those years. Timlin hasn't shown signs of slowing down, and Seanez is a total gamble.

As for the Yanks, their pen is still a mess. We all know about Farnsworth, we have no idea how long it'll take Dotel to fully recover from surgery, and Ron Villone is one of those guys who's bounced around and doesn't have a good track record. Mike Myers is a one-trick pony, as righties have hit .331 against him in the past three seasons. And then you have Sturtze, who was terrible in the second half last year (and who's much more suited for a "second righty" role that he ahd when Flush was a Junkee), and Scott Proctor (as if you want him in a big spot). So the bridge from the starting pitching to Rivera hasn't looked this tenuous since 2001.

And if the Yanks make it to October with this crew, when the bullpen becomes much more important than in the regular season, they're gonna either have to pull an Ozzie Guillen and keep all their starters in for a while, or they'll have to wear out Mo as in '01. (Hard to believe, but Mo is already 36. Can he still give you a two-inning save on a regular basis?)

Let's not forget that the Red Sox aren't done yet. They're gonna get good players at CF and SS. Maybe not on the caliber of Damon and Renteria, but regardless, they've got still got enough pop in the lineup to afford a mediocre bat or two.

Once a Yankee, Always a Yankee

Words of wisdom from Goose Gossage. I guess this just proves that if and when Goose gets inducted, let's just say he won't be going in as a Padre. Only a Yankee would act like this:

"Oh, man. ... damn," Goose said quietly. "I don't get it. I really don't. What did Sutter do that I didn't?" The former Yankee's fury was about to gain momentum, so he wisely cut the phone call short.

"This isn't sour grapes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed," he said. "I don't understand the voting at all. Today's baseball people are so into numbers and their computers, they just don't remember how the game was played. Or maybe they just don't know, period. Maybe it's not their fault.

"I know I'm repeating myself. I know I keep saying the game has changed - not just for closers, but for everyone. It's like baseball's past is being wiped out, deliberately being forgotten, like Barry Bonds being called the greatest hitter of all time. Give me a break. No one even talks about Hank Aaron anymore."

"I just can't believe Sutter got in before me," Gossage added. "He deserved it. I was hoping Sutter and I could go in together. ... I don't know if I ever will make it."

"You know what, I never hear from these guys who don't vote for me," Gossage said, his voice rising. "But I'll take on any writer, anywhere, on any show, and I will bury him."

"I'm not a campaigner," he said. "I'm just asking questions. The only reason I have ever spoken out is that you hate to see injustices."

Keep talking, Goose. Maybe if you make the writers feel stupid enough, they'll vote you in, I'm sure.

Manny-for-Miggy: Not Happening?

So now word is that Miguel Tejada wants to stay in Baltimore. And Manny says he wants to stay in Boston, while his agent says he wants out. And so, the soap opera continues.

Right now, I don't believe anyone anymore. The game has made me too cynical to take any of this stuff too seriously. Wasn't it about two years ago at this time of year that A-Schmuck was named captain of the Rangers? Which lasted about as long as a Yankee pitching coach in the 1980's.

But again, if the Sox are going to trade Manny, it's gotta be for a player of Tejada's caliber, an MVP-type. They can't afford to settle for anything less. Even a guy like Bobby Abreu (there were rumors of that a while back, but nothing serious) would be a disappointment in my book.

And if Manny stays, the Red Sox still have the best 1-2 punch in the league. But as history has shown, it's way too early to tell where Manny will end up.

Who Is the Most Overpaid Yankee?

Time for another new poll. Now that Kevin Brown's contract has run its course, the answer to the above question is not so simple. Sure, A-Schmuck makes the most dough on the team. But with those gaudy numbers he puts up, maybe he's actually worth $25 million a year. So maybe Derek "Intangibles" Jeter deserves to be picked. Or how about the Moose's huge contract? Or how about our two favorite Mazzone reclamation projects - Jaret Wright and Kyle Farnsworth?

- One slight caveat: I wasn't able to find '06 salary numbers out there, so the numbers used may be a bit inaccurate, give or take about $1 million. I used the '05 numbers for everyone except Shemp and the newcomers.

- And again, if your pick for "most overpaid Yankee" is not one of the choices, just leave your write-in pick in the "comments" section to this piece.

---------- And, by the way, you can now catch the Yankee Despiser Podcast on iTunes!

Yankee Despiser Now on Yahoo! Podcasts

Good news. You can now subscribe to the Yankee Despiser podcast, download it, listen to it, etc.

Check out our page at Yahoo! Podcasts.

A (Thankfully) Quiet Week

After all the hoopla surrounding the Damon deal, it's relieving to see that things have quieted down around the Junkees. When the top Yankees stories are about the World Baseball Classic, I think that's a good sign. As Fred Hickman would say, no news is good news.

The Junkees did pick up Miggy Cairo, officially. It's a good addition on their part; he's one of those few guys in the games that gives a team their money's worth. He's also good insurance in case Cano suffers from the sophomore jinx, though Cairo is definitely not a good everyday option. I'm still surprised the Mets didn't try to re-sign him, although Bret Boone is now in that role (maybe they think there's some PR value with Yankee fans because he's Aaron (----ing) Boone's brother? Don't know.). With old man Julio Franco and now Boone in the infield, I'm waiting for Minaya to try to coax Barry Larkin out of retirement.

I liked what I saw in yesterday's Post, that Clemens will probably not sign with the Junkees. On the Podcast (which is still not iPod-compatible, unfortunately -- gotta work out some problems with Yahoo and iTunes), Yankee Despiser discussed the "Oh S---" factor, and how Johnny Damon doesn't have that. Well, Clemens, even after his iffy postseason, is still as intimidating a pitcher as there is in the game today. If the Junkees would get him, then they would really be a scary team. As we've discussed, their main Achilles heel is their starting pitching. Getting Clemens would make them a scary threat.

The only saving grace would be to hope that Clemens again would have durability issues come October. But right now, we thankfully need not worry about this possibility.

-- Another new poll should be up within the next few days.

It's here! You can finally hear the Yankee Despiser! Hear the Yankee Despiser discuss the latest Yankee rumblings, including the impact of the Johnny Damon signing, the Blue Jays' flurry of moves, and rumors of a Manny-for-Tejada deal.

Powered by Castpost



Unfortunately, the file is screwed up from about the 21:00 mark to the 23:00 mark. Otherwise, it should be fine.

For 2006, the Yankee Despiser gets bigger and better! Coming soon will be the Yankee Despiser Podcast, where you can hear the Yankee Despiser on your iPod! Check back soon!

Another New Poll

Although 2005 ends on a bad note for Yankee haters, with the Damon signing and all, it was still a great year for Yankee haters. It was a year that featured an awful start by the Junkees, embarrassing losses to awful teams, new faces that quickly got old, and, best of all, an early October exit for the Junkees.

What was your highlight of 2005? With so many to choose from, this is not an easy poll. And if your highlight isn't up here, cast a write-in vote by leaving a comment to this post saying what YOUR highlight of the 2005 Yankees season was.

Even After Damon's Defection, Sox May Still Be Better

In my opinion, rumors of the Red Sox demise are premature. After the Damon signing, papers both in Boston and New York talked about what a wide gap there was between Boston and New York. In fact, on a ESPN.com poll, more people picked Toronto to win the East than Boston.

There's been a lot of upheaval in Boston, but come on people, they're still a very good team. Schilling should finally be healthy, and he and Beckett are the guys you want 1-2 in the rotation. Wakefield can still throw the knuckler, and Arroyo is a solid #4-5 starter. And people forget that Clement had an excellent first half last year. If he can keep it going all year next year, the Sox will have some pitching staff.

And Mota is a big addition to the bullpen. Plus, Timlin has shown no signs of slowing down, and if Foulke is healthy, there's no reason he can't return to his '04 form.

The big x-factor is the offense, of course. But Lowell should improve in a hitter's park, Loretta is one of the most underrated players in the game, and Youkilis at first would be a Nick Johnson clone. The question is what they get for Manny. If they get crap like Cliff Floyd and Kaz Matsui, then Boston's in trouble. I'd love to see them trade him for Tejada, and if both players get very unhappy, that just might happen. Whatever it is,Boston has to get another big bat if they trade Manny. And David Ortiz can still beat the Yanks no matter what. Even with Myers or Villone on the hill.

-- Are the Yankees a better team with Damon? No question. But the big question mark will be their starting pitching.

The emergence of Wang, Small, and Chacon, along with RJ's good second half, did a good job of making people forget how bad the starting pitching was for much of the year. Even though Johnson had a good second half, he stunk in the playoffs and isn't getting any younger. Mussina is getting less healthy and more inconsistent as he continues to age. You have no idea what Pavano will give you. Ditto for Jaret Wright. Small looks like a one-year wonder. Wang might get hit with the sophomore jinx. And maybe AL batters will finally figure out how to hit Shawn Chacon.

Those big intra-division games in September will come down to the pitching. And if the Junkees don't have the arms to beat Boston and Toronto, it just might be a Yankee-free October.

-- Thanks to all for voting in the poll. It's very telling how, even in a week where Johnny Damon switched sides in sports' biggest rivalry, A-Schmuck still won out.

Should be a new poll up soon. Check back over the next day or two.

Getting Glaus Makes Jays Legit

So, after a week of awful news for Yankee haters, we get a bit of good news for a change. The Blue Jays' acquisition of Troy Glaus is certainly not enough to take away the awful tastes in our mouths from seeing Johnny Damon in Junkee pinstripes, but getting Glaus perhaps brings us one step closer to a Yankee-free October.

When the Jays got Burnett and Ryan, I was happy to see that there was finally a shift in the AL East's balance of power, but was disappointed that the Jays did not address what I thought was their most pressing need last year: a big bat in the lineup. Without Delgado, nobody scared you in that lineup. Maybe Vernon Wells, and that's being generous.

But now, the Jays haven't looked this solid since the good old days of Henderson, Molitor, and Joe Carter. The rotation is deep; not only do Halladay and Burnett give them a solid 1-2 punch, but the guys in the back of the rotation, Chacin, Towers, and Lilly, are no slouches. Towers quietly put together a solid year, posting a 3.71 ERA. These days, that's very good for a #3 or #4 starter.

And their pen was pretty good last year, too. No-names Frasor, Speier, and Chulk put together some fine numbers. Toronto had a lower bullpen ERA than the Junkees and the Red Sox, and getting B.J. Ryan will just make the pen even better.

And that lineup now looks mighty fine. The lack of a big bopper didn't stop the Jays from scoring the 5th-most runs in the AL in '05. And getting Glaus and Overbay makes them all the better. The only thing I find puzzling is J.P. Riccardi's corner infielder fetish; when you add in Hillenbrand, Koskie, and Hinske, that gives them 5 1B-3B types. Weird. But it does give them leverage to make a trade and perhaps add even more depth.

New Poll!!!

I guess I had a little too much time on my hands, so I put up a poll for the first time. In case you somehow didn't notice it, it's on the right side of your screen. And please vote! I really wanna see the results.

Why Would Johnny Do It?

So, Johnny Damon is coming to town.

So much for all of Brian Cashman's faith in Bubba Crosby. Guess George got in the way, huh? After Kyle Farnsworth couldn't get the Yanks on the back page, the Yanks had to make a splash. So George got his guy in Damon.

So I don't wanna hear anyone complaining about the Mets, or the Blue Jays, or any other team overspending. And I don't want to hear Brian Cashman crying poverty. The Yanks are still the Yanks, after all.

This one sucks, it really does. I said in an earlier post that I was glad the Yanks didn't get Nomar. But now, I'd be happier if they had taken Nomar instead of Damon.

And the Sox need a center fielder. And a shortstop.

A bad day for Yankee-haters. But hey, there have been days like this before. A big Yankee press conference, a big sigh in Red Sox Nation.

And yet, Mike Mussina has been unable to bring this team back to a championship. Neither has Juice-on. Not Shemp. Not Contreras (though a few years later....). Not Sheffield. Not Flush Gordon. Not A-Schmuck. Not Tanyon Sturtze. Not Kevin Brown (ha!). Not Pavano. Not the Big Unit.

So here's hoping Johnny Damon joins the club.

UPDATE: It sucks even more to see Damon's face on the back of all the New York papers. It won't take away from Damon leaving, but Boston has got to get Dave Roberts back. How about trading him straight-up for Wells? Boston needs a link to the '04 magic, and badly. Roberts provides just that.

And that other team from the '04 World Series isn't doing too well, either. First Looper, now Ponson? Has Walt Jocketty jumped the shark?

-- Another thing: if Yankee fans think Damon will steal 40 bases a year like Chuck Knoblauch, well, they've got something else coming. He only stole 18 bases last year, his lowest output since '97. And with Damon's weak throwing arm, Shemp bobbling the balls in left and Sheffield getting a little closer to the big 4-0, the Yankees outfield will be a mess defensively. And, by the way, Mark Loretta has a better career OBP than Damon. But it still stinks too see him go.

They Got Him

Well, I was kinda hoping the Mets would make a run on him, but too bad that didn't happen. This means I'll have to root for Dotel to suck this year,

From the AP:

NEW YORK -- When Octavio Dotel recovers from his elbow operation, he'll be pitching for the New York Yankees.

New York and the reliever reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $2 million, one-year contract.

"I feel very happy with this contract," Dotel said. "This team has a lot of tradition, and it pleases me to know that they want me to pitch for them."

Dotel could earn $3 million more in performance bonuses based on games. His deal contains an additional $2.5 million in bonuses based on games finished, in case he is traded to another team.

He had 36 saves for Houston and Oakland in 2004 but struggled last season with Oakland, going 1-2 with seven saves and a 3.52 ERA before he went on the disabled list May 20. From April 30 to May 11, he blew four saves in five outings.

Dotel had reconstructive elbow surgery June 6 to repair a torn ligament. He hopes to be pitching by midseason.

"What I do know is that it's going to help me to go back to what I like and that is to be a closer," he said.

With the Yankees, he joins several newcomers in the bullpen: right-hander Kyle Farnsworth and left-handers Ron Villone and Mike Myers. New York has struggled to find middle-inning pitchers in recent years, and setup man Tom Gordon left to become the Philadelphia Phillies' closer.

Several teams had sought Dotel, including the crosstown Mets.

Is Dotel Next? Depends Who You Ask

Newsday thinks so, but the Post thinks not. Interesting line in the Post's piece: Dotel, a 32-year-old right-hander who underwent elbow ligament transplant surgery last June, spoke with Cashman early last night from the Dominican Republic and was waiting for George Steinbrenner's approval later in the evening. That approval never came.

You kinda wonder how much of a role George has been playing this winter. Obviously, after Cashman decided to come back, I'm sure that George wanted to put him in charge for awhile, and maybe sweeten things for him. And so far, no Yankee youngsters have been traded yet (except for some no-name for Ron Villone). I do think Farnsworth was probably a George deal, though I wouldn't put it past Cashman, either. But otherwise, with Myers and Villone? Probably Cashman.

And as for Dotel, could this be George taking back control? Getting Dotel is a gamble: the guy could turn out to be another Lieber, or he could be another Wade Miller. But for $2 million, the Yanks have no problem with gambles. If George is really taking back control, we'll probably see an overpaid Johnny Damon in pinstripes soon.

-- As for Farnsworth, we've already discussed why this move is incredibly stupid, and Joel Sherman has a piece with further detail. Gotta love that opening line: REARRANGE the letters in Kyle Farnsworth's name and I believe you spell "Mark Wohlers" or "Jay Witasick."

-- I wouldn't be too upset if the Junkees got Julian Tavarez. The guy's got a temperment that would be a disaster in New York. Also, a look at his stats shows that his numbers were awful for years till he got to St. Louis. I think Dave Duncan has somewhat of a Leo Mazzone effect on pitchers, leading them to overacheive in St. Louis. It could also be the way LaRussa uses his pitchers. But in recent years, it seems like the Cardinals have always had one of the best bullpens in the league. So I think Tavarez would be another Jay Witasick in New York. I've got no problem with that.

I just don't get why the Cardinals decided on Looper instead on Tavarez. I'm sure pizzabagel and the other Met fans out there can explain. But again, you've gotta give the benefit of the doubt to Jocketty and LaRussa, who have done a helluva job in St. Louis.

-- I'm glad the Junkees didn't get Nomar, for one reason: if he would've gotten a big hit in a Yankees-Red Sox game, the papers would've gotten all horny over the guy getting back at his former team. I definitely don't need to see that.

-- By the way, if you want to hear about A-Schmuck and the World Baseball Classic, you'll have to go elsewhere. Honestly, I'm more interested in the NHL (and the MLS, while we're at it) than the WBC.

Junkees' Awful Pitchers

Fun piece in the Times about some of the Yanks' awful pitchers of recent vintage:

Pitching Judgment Has Been Spotty for the Yankees

By MURRAY CHASS

JACK CHESBRO, Lefty Gomez, Herb Pennock, Waite Hoyt, Red Ruffing, Whitey Ford, Catfish Hunter and Phil Niekro are Hall of Famers who pitched for the Yankees. These players have also pitched for the Yankees: Hideki Irabu, Jeff Weaver, Kevin Brown, José Contreras, Javier Vazquez, Jon Lieber, David Wells, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright.

In the latter group are pitchers the Yankees acquired in recent seasons in the belief that they would pitch productively but who in most instances did not, whom the Yankees mostly discarded and who, in some cases, have fared better elsewhere.

"I think you have to look at each pitcher on an individual basis," said Brian Cashman, the Yankees' general manager. "Guys like David Wells have done very well here. There are guys who have been very good elsewhere and have come here and done poorly. Some guys, like Shawn Chacon, have come here and pitched better. Guys like Jon Lieber were good before they came here, while they were here and after they left. Then there are guys we had big hopes for and had high expectations for, and they moved on and rebounded."

For the most part, though, the recruited pitchers have been major disappointments, beginning with Irabu, a Japanese import whose only lasting contribution to the Yankees was Jean Afterman, the team's assistant general manager, who previously worked with Irabu's agent.

Contreras, Weaver, Brown and Vazquez also turned out to be hugely disappointing. Pavano and Wright joined that group last season, though injuries clouded their status.

"I think if they're healthy, they'll contribute," Cashman said of Pavano and Wright, whom the Yankees signed as free agents. "You can certainly judge whether we should have signed Jaret with his injury history, but that's a different issue."

It nevertheless goes to the Yankees' judgment, which has not been very good with some of the other pitchers.

When they acquired Weaver in 2002, he had pitched for Detroit for three and a half seasons, and he had had three and a half losing seasons. The Yankees thought he would pitch more successfully for a better team, but he was only a .500 pitcher for them (12-12 in a season and a half) and didn't produce a winning record until this year with Los Angeles (14-11).

The Yankees traded Weaver to the Dodgers for Brown, who was five years into a seven-year contract and would be 39 years old in his first season with the Yankees. He spent 23 weeks of his 52-week tenure with the Yankees on the disabled list and had a 14-13 record. He had won at least 14 games in a season seven times in his career.

Contreras was a Cuban defector whose signing with the Yankees prompted Larry Lucchino, the Red Sox' chief executive, to call the Yankees the Evil Empire. Contreras, though, was no Darth Vader. When he struggled halfway through the 2004 season with a 5.64 earned run average, the Yankees traded him to the Chicago White Sox, who helped Contreras rediscover the talent that had made him a star in Cuba, and he helped them win the World Series this year.

He compiled a 15-7 record, won his last eight regular-season starts, then posted a 3-1 postseason record.

"Sometimes we might be too quick to judge because of the New York mentality; the patience level isn't there," Cashman said.

"Like with Jon Garland with the White Sox. He had a lot of potential and then last season he developed. Could a guy like that succeed here? We've been guilty of that. We've been guilty of pitchers' not handling the situation. Sometimes pitchers get hurt; sometimes guys have come here and thrived."

Vazquez did not thrive in New York. Instead, he was another of those the Yankees believed had pitched with mixed success for a losing team (Montreal) and would do better for them. One year after giving up three promising young players for him, the Yankees traded Vazquez to Arizona in the deal that brought Randy Johnson to the Bronx.

After pitching no better for the Diamondbacks than he did for the Yankees, Vazquez demanded a trade last month, and last week the Diamondbacks traded him to the White Sox.

"Vazquez was really streaky last season," Cashman said. "But his strikeout-to-walk ratio was tremendous. He still has ability. I think it was a very good move for the White Sox."

Lieber pitched well for the Yankees in 2004, especially down the stretch, but they miscalculated his market value as a free agent and lost him to Philadelphia, where he had a 17-13 record. The Yankees could have also signed Wells a year ago; he offered his services for a third term with them, but they passed.

"We wanted to get younger," Cashman said. (so you went and got Randy Johnson, right? -MO)

Instead of taking Wells, a 41-year-old pitcher who had compiled a 34-14 record in each of two previous two-year visits, the Yankees signed Pavano and Wright and watched as they pitched themselves onto the disabled list, each missing more than half the season.

Not all of the pitchers the Yankees have acquired have been bad. Johnson, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina have won for them, but over all their record is not good.

Offering reasons for the failure of others, Cashman said: "Some could be New York-oriented, some maybe we were too quick to judge, some we made mistakes on our assessments. I think it's the whole rainbow."

Who's Left? Yankee Lefty Specialists in the Dynasty Years

'96 - Steve "a true Junkee" Howe
Paul Gibson (6.23 ERA)
Billy Brewer (9.53 ERA)
Dale Polley (7.89 ERA)
Graeme Lloyd

'97-'02: The Stanton era (1)
'99 -- Allen Watson comes aboard (ex-Met, Queens native, what could be better!)
Tony (36.00 ERA) Fossas
'00 - One of my all-time faves, Randy Choate, comes along
Allen (10.23 ERA) Watson jumps the shark
Cups of coffee for Kiesler, Lilly, and Yarnall

'03 -Chris (better against righties) Hammond
Randy (7.36 ERA) Choate
Gabe White
Felix Heredia
Jesse Orosco

'04 - Felix (6.28 ERA) Heredia
Gabe (8.27 ERA) White
Another favorite, C.J. Nitkowski
Donovan Osborne (more of a mop-up man, but still)

'05 -Mike (7.07) Stanton (II)
Buddy Groom
Alan Embree
Wayne Franklin
Al Leiter

'06 - Mike Myers
Ron Villone

" Competitive balance in baseball is a sham."

Gotta love the first line in this piece from the St. Pete's Times. While I strongly disagree with the guy's suggestions (expanded playoffs? c'mon), I like his take on the state of the game.

Here are the first few paragraphs:

Competitive balance in baseball is a sham.

It doesn't matter how the commissioner's office spins it, or if the Players Association continues to ignore it; the idea that major-league baseball's 30 teams begin each season on an even playing field is a joke.

Limited revenue sharing hasn't solved it. Neither has a payroll tax. And momentum for significant realignment is nonexistent.

So where is the hope in Tampa Bay?

Where is the hope in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Detroit and other communities with lower revenue streams?

Line of the Day

In Tyler Kepner's piece on Snorre calling Nomar:

"If Garciaparra decides he wants to play in New York, the Yankees almost certainly could afford him."

Um, when was the last time they couldn't afford somebody? This is the same team paying Kyle Farnsworth, a reliever with a 4.50 lifetime ERA, $6 million!

And while Kepner says that the Snorre and Damon haven't talked, Newsday says that Snorre did call Damon. Heck, Bubba Crosby has about as much of a chance at being Opening Day CF as Mike Lamb's chance at being 3B before the '04 season. Cashman may have a fetish for Crosby, but when George starts to panic, the Yanks will give Damon an offer he can't refuse.

UPDATE: The folks in Arizona are turning into the Mets, getting a bunch of ex-Yankees. First Vazquez, now El Duque. That organization has jumped the shark in a huge way since winning it all in '01. They gave up Schilling for the awful Casey Fossum, they lost 111 games in '04, there was the whole Wally Backman fiasco, and then they make a couple of "what the hell were they thinking?" moves in giving tons of cash to Glaus and Russ Ortiz.

And I know this isn't a "D-Backs Despiser" blog, but I can't help commenting on how stupid this trade is. They couldn't get anything better for Vazquez? Just a pitcher who's bound to go on the DL at some point during the year, and who simply might not have anything left in the tank? Okay, they got a couple of prospects, but who's to say they won't turn out to be a couple of Casey Fossums? Talk about a poorly-run team.

Junkees Getting Serious on Damon and Nomar?

Jon Heyman has the details on the Damon situation, while George King says Garciaparra might take over for Juice-on Giambi at first. And if Giambi's 1B/DH-splits are meaningful -- I think they're not; Giambi mostly DHed early in the year, when Tino was hot and playing first while Juice-on was suffering from withdrawal symptoms -- this might be pretty good for Yankee haters.

In other developments, the Junkees say they plan on keeping Pavano. They probably should do what Boston did with Renteria and ship the guy back to the NL, but considering the Junkees have seven starters for next year, they can always throw Pavano into a mop-up role in case he stinks up the joint. And of course, the Yankees are no stranger to having overpaid stinkers in a mop-up role.

Cairo and Perez on Their Way?

What could be better for George than an ex-Met and a Yankee-killer? I guess the guy came to his senses, as he's now pursuing Cairo instead of Nomar. And you heard it hear first, just a few weeks ago: the Junkees were horny over Eduardo Perez, and he might assume a Tino-like role next year. Check it all out here:

http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/59339.htm

End of an Error (or, yes folks, there are dumber GMs than Ca$hman out there)

From ESPN.com:

DALLAS -- The New York Yankees traded Tony Womack to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, getting rid of the second baseman-turned-outfielder just one season after signing him. The trade was to be announced later Thursday, a high-ranking baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the teams had not publicly confirmed the swap. It was not immediately known what the Yankees were getting in return. Womack hit .307 to help St. Louis win the NL pennant in 2004, then became a free agent and signed a $4 million, two-year contract with the Yankees. He was their starting second baseman for the first month of the season, but lost his job when the Yankees brought up rookie Robinson Cano. Womack wound up playing just 24 games in second and was shifted to the outfield, where he appeared 40 times in left, 22 in center and four in right. Womack wound up batting just .249 with 15 RBI and 27 steals. He didn't get an at-bat during New York's five-game loss to the Los Angeles Angels in the first round of the playoffs.

Coupla Quickies

Courtesy of the New York Post:

In the "Does This Make Him a True Yankee Now?" Dept.:

Agent Scott Shapiro refused to go into detail about his recent firing by Carl Pavano. Shapiro did say as long as Pavano pays him the commission during the next three years, there won't be any lawsuits.

It's believed Pavano let Shapiro go because the pitcher was told his contract was for four years and $40 million when it was actually $39.95 million.

And in the "They Can't Be Serious" Dept.:

Veteran reliever Jeff Nelson talked to Cashman about a possible third stint in the Yankees bullpen. Nelson is also interested in pitching for the Mets and Dodgers

Boggs, Clemens, Nomar?

The latest rumor in the Junkees' bizarre offseason has Nomar Garciaparra coming to New York as a super utility man.

The whole thing is a PR move. The only thing that gets George more horny than an ex-Met is an ex-Red Sox player. It used to be that the Yanks would only get the ex-Sox that were worth getting. The Junkees needed a 3B when they signed Boggs (which was a bit of a risk after he hit .259 in '92), and the move paid off. And when the Junkees got Clemens in '99, it made sense because the guy had just pitched incredibly well in his two years in Toronto. But now, with the rivalry so much hotter than it was back in those days, George has gone further, acquiring scrubs like Embree and Bellhorn.

Getting Nomar makes no sense. The guy's never gonna play shortstop, his natural position, with his old buddy Jeter out there. He played some third last year, but of course A-Schmuck is already there. So who knows how he'll do at the other positions? Can Nomar play CF? Can the guy even stay healthy anymore?

He might turn out to be a decent DH in the long run, but even then, that's a power position. And Nomar is more of an average hitter.

Ultimately, the Junkees would be better off signing a guy like Miguel Cairo for this kind of role, since at least he's proven he can do it well.

So maybe seeing all those Mets on the back page of the New York papers has gotten George a little jealous. And a little crazy too, apparently.

Mike Lupica's Despiser Echo

You hear this in New York these days: The Mets now spend like the Yankees!

Really? On what planet?

The Mets, according to MLB, currently have around $110 million in committed salaries for next season. Yeah, they spend the way the Yankees did in the 2005 season if between now and Opening Day, Omar Minaya spends another $100 million.

And what the heck, here's a link to the whole piece; more about the Junkees' losing dough.

Selig's Luxury Tax Dollars at Work: Part 2

From ESPN.com: (and by the way, part 1 was posted back in January, after the Junkees couldn't sign Beltran. Speaking of Beltran, with the Mets' lineup improving next year thanks to Delgado and LoDuca, I think Carlos will have an A-Rod-esque bounce-back second year in New York).

The New York Yankees lost between $50 million and $85 million for the 2005 season, the New York Daily News reported Sunday.

Despite drawing more than four million fans, a payroll of $200 million plus an additional $110 million in revenue sharing and luxury taxes has left the Yankees in the red, according to the paper.

"Yes, even George has his limits," one source told the Daily News.

The paper also reports that the Yankees might have to open up their checkbooks even further if a consultant hired by MLB decides the team undervalued their television rights.

The Yankees currently charge the YES Network about $60 million a year to broadcast games, but if it's found to be undervalued, the Yankees will have to make up the difference by putting more money into the revenue-sharing fund, the paper reported.

"They're going to owe us money," one MLB source predicted to the paper.

The final numbers won't be crunched for a few months, but it's believed the final number will be roughly $80 million when all is tallied. According to Forbes magazine, the Yankees lost $37.1 million in 2004.

'06 Offseason - Best Ever! (so far)

Kyle Farnsworth and Kelly Stinnett. Red Sox, watch out!

Let's see, Stinnett fits George's ex-Met fetish, but furthermore, gives the Junkees an excuse why RJ stunk last season - he didn't have a catcher he was comfortable with. Okay, let's see what the spin will be in 2006.... Either way, Stinnett won't hit a lick.

And Farnsworth is a guy who cannot be trusted in a big spot! Does anyone remember him blowing a 5-run lead in the NLDS? I do. Gives up a ton of homers, and will join the likes of Chris Hammond and Steve Karsay as relievers who couldn't get it done in the Big Apple.

And my favorite news item of the day is that Brian Giles is headed back to San Diego. He was the one guy I was afraid the Junkees would get, an on-base machine, and now that he's off the market, it's Johnny Damon, Juan Pierre, Jason Michaels, or some other scrub.

Looking at the starting staff, you have an older Randy Johnson, an unreliable Mike Mussina, two guys you don't know what you're going to get in Carl Panavo and Jaret Wright, and one-year wonders Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon. They're not pursuing anyone good, and if you look at their lineup, sure A-Schmuck and Sheffield are good, and Jeter and Shemp are reliable, but everyone else is a question mark. Giambi? Posada? Cano?

I like what I'm seeing, so this is the best offseason for a Yankee Despiser since 1989, when Steve Sax was the big acquisition.

What Was Better: '01 or '04?

Been thinking about this recently, and I just wanted to throw a question out there:

Which was sweeter, the Junkees losing it in '01 or in '04?

Now, at first, '04 seems like a slam dunk, simply because the Red Sox were involved. But I'm looking at this not so much from a Red Sox fan's perspective (where, duh, '04 was the best year ever), but just from a Yankee-haters perspective (where the Red Sox beating the Yanks is sweeter than the D-Backs beating the Yankees, but not always).

Anyway, I'll play devil's advocate and throw in a bunch of reasons why '01 was better:

- when the Junkees won the first 3 games of the '04 ALCS, the wins were boring. No drama at all. Especially the 19-8 win. But in '01, Yankee fans went nuts when they got the game-tying home run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th two nights in a row. I remember listening to Steve Somers after Game 5, saying there was no way the D-Backs were gonna come back from such devastating losses. He thought the Yanks had won it all, right there.

And, of course, thanks to Luis Gonzalez, that never happened. Gonzo proved that all that Yankee aura and mystique, which had seemed so pervasive earlier in the series, were nothing more than a couple of strippers.

And every time YES shows Game 4 or 5, I just have to laugh. It's like reading 400 pages of a horror novel, then closing the book right before the ending where everyone dies. Just plain silly.

- Also, the '01 series ended in a much more dramatic fashion than the '04 ALCS. After Soriano's homer, the D-Backs looked dead. After all, they were headed to the bottom of the 9th facing Rivera. A few minutes later, Schill and the Unit were co-MVPs of the World Series.

'04 had its share of drama, especially the Dave Roberts game. But for the Yankee fans, it was a slow, agonizing death. It was great watching Kevin Brown get his butt kicked in game 7, but it wasn't much of a thrilling game. The shock value sure wasn't there. Part of what made '01 so great was how it happened so fast.

- And let's not forget: '01 came after the Junkees won 3 straight World Series. The team seemed freakin' invincible. It looked like they would just win it year after year.

But after the D-Backs won, it was the end of an era. O'Neill and Brosius left, the Juice Man came to town, and the Yanks have never won since. And as sweet as '04 was, it wasn't the one that ended the dynasty, the one that made Junkee fans realize, "you can't win it all every year."

Right after last year's high, I easily would've said '04. But now I'm not so sure. Thoughts, anyone?

Mets Like the Yanks? Not Quite

From Bob Klapisch's piece on ESPN.com:

"So, how, exactly, do the Mets afford this sudden swelling of the payroll? Actually, they still project somewhere in the low-$100 million range, with nearly $35 million coming off the books this winter. That will allow the Mets to continue their pursuit of Billy Wagner, to whom they've extended a three-year offer worth approximately $30 million with an option for a fourth year that makes the deal worth $40 million."

Not to mention that by losing Piazza and Cameron, that's about $24 million right there. When you add in Ishii and Minkiewicz, that brings it to at least $30 million. So the Mets are not the new Junkees. When their payroll hits $200 million, then come back to me.

Even When Quiet, Junkees Still Bad For The Game

So far, it's been a most unusual offseason in New York. The Yankees' biggest new acquisitions: Larry Bowa and Tony Pena. The Mets have been stealing the headlines, and heck, even the Red Sox made it to the back page of the Post last week. And the Blue Jays have jacked up the market for relievers like crazy. Rumors swirl around the Mets getting Wagner, a catcher, and maybe even a second baseman. All the while, the Junkees seem to be as quiet as the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Even Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said that Mets fans no longer have a right to complain about the Yankees' spending, saying that the Mets are now in the same boat, with the Delgado acquisition.

So is it time to give up harping on the Yanks? Time to get rid of "Yankee Despiser" and start giving it to the Mets and Red Sox (and the Cubs, while we're at it)?

Of course not. Let's see. The highest-paid player in the game, the A-Schmuck, is still in pinstripes. And even if Wang and Small come back next year, the Yanks will likely have the most expensive rotation in the league next year: Johnson at $16 million, Mussina at $19 million, Pavano at $9 million, and Wright (who will likely assume a Sterling Hitchcock-like role next year -- i.e., you'll only see him if the Yanks are up or down by at least 12) at $7 million. That's $51 million right there -- or more than 8 teams' entire payrolls (9 if you count the Fish's expected $40 million number for '06).

Derek Jeter, with the 47th-best OPS in the game, sure wasn't paid like that, earning close to $20 million. And let's not forget the Yanks re-signing Shemp Matsui at $13 million per year, who, yes, had the same OPS as Cliff Floyd. If the Yanks were a small-market team, they would've waved bye-bye to Shemp back in September.

Putting things in perspective, even with Boston adding payroll by getting Beckett, Mota, and Lowell, -- say, at most, $15 million in all, and the Yanks shedding about $30 million by losing Bernie and Brown -- there's still at least a $45 million gap between the two teams. And the Mets had less than half the payroll ($101 million vs. $208 million) of the crosstown Yanks. So even if the Mets spend $50 million more next year (which wouldn't surprise me), they'd still be spending $55 million -- about as much as the Texas payroll -- less than the Yanks.

--- And Russo can't give the Mets a hard time about Delgado: the Mets freed up a lot of payroll by getting rid of Cameron. Cameron-for-Nady was basically a salary dump for the Mets. Now, if the Mets give Billy Wagner $12 million a year and Bengie Molina $8 million, then I'll agree that the Mets are now like the Yanks. But as of right now, Delgado and Cameron were more-or-less a wash.

--- And as for the Blue Jays, mid-to-small market teams have to overpay to get stars to come to play for them. Look at the Tigers overpaying for I-Rod, Percival, and Magglio Ordonez. Now, I agree that spending $75 million to get an oft-injured player like Ordonez was pretty dumb, but I'm sorry, Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge will not put fans in the seats.

And so too with the Jays -- who says Ryan goes there if the Jays aren't willing to pay him tons of money? (Although I think the money would've been better spent on a slugger like Konerko -- the Jays' lineup was punchless last year).

Now granted, fire sales are never good for the game. Teams screwing up the market for relievers are never good for the game. But the fact that, after all the moves of the past few weeks, the Yanks are still very safely in the top spot of payrolls in the game: it just goes to show how out-of-control the Yankees have been, and how much salary they'd have to dump just to be in the same league as Boston and the Mets.

Jason Michaels, Another Winner

First it was Damon. Then Giles. Then Pierre. Then Rowand. Then, "what the heck, let's just stick Bubba Crosby in there." And the latest CF in the rumor mill: Jason Michaels.

Now, I like the guy's numbers (hard to beat a .399 OBP), and the guy's supposed to be a solid defender. Seems like a good player, even though nobody's really heard of him. This move reminds me of the '90's Yankees, who won with low-key players like Mariano Duncan (which, BTW, was sort of an Aaron Small move. If you would've told me before '96 that the guy would've hit .340, I'd have thought you were nuts. Not to mention the guy went way downhill in '97).

But Michaels hasn't really played every day. He's only had two years of major league experience. So you have no idea if it was all a fluke, if the guy can play 162 games, or if he'll still do as well once the pitchers figure him out.

But the Yanks might strike some gold here, like with Chacon and Small. And Cashman will once again look like a genius.

Just another "nothing-to-lose" move.

Jose Mesa!? These Clowns Are Desperate

From the Star-Ledger, by Dan Graziano:

As they struggle to convince their top choices to sign with them, the Yankees are exploring a wide range of free agents and other options to fill their needs in center field and in the bullpen.

A baseball official familiar with the Yankees' plans said they recently reached out to the Oakland A's to ask about the availability of center fielder Mark Kotsay. The official said the A's aren't opposed to moving Kotsay, but that talks stalled when Oakland asked about second baseman Robinson Cano and pitcher Chien-Ming Wang -- the two players everybody keeps asking the Yankees about.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner expressed some concern at last week's organization meetings in Tampa, Fla., about the team's inability (so far) to secure its top free- agent targets. The meetings were held just after the Yankees found out that left-handed reliever Scott Eyre was signing with the Cubs. The Yankees wanted Eyre so badly that they had manager Joe Torre place a recruiting call to him, but they didn't even make Eyre's final four list of teams. The Yankees are pessimistic about their chances of signing top relief-pitching targets such as B.J. Ryan, Bob Howry, Kyle Farnsworth and Tom Gordon, and they're moving down the list to lesser names.

Howry was said yesterday to be nearing a deal with those same Chicago Cubs -- a three-year contract worth more than the $11 million the Cubs gave to Eyre. And Farnsworth, Ryan and Gordon all are exploring opportunities to be closers for other teams rather than setup relievers for Mariano Rivera in the Bronx. The closer market isn't expected to get moving until Billy Wagner, who visited the Mets yesterday, picks a team.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are making calls to the agents for various other relief pitchers, including right-handers Julian Tavarez and Octavio Dotel and left-handers Ricardo Rincon, Mike Myers and Joey Eischen. They also called to see if Jose Mesa would be interested in signing with them, but he told them he wasn't interested in pitching in New York.

The other player Torre was asked to help recruit, outfielder Brian Giles, was leaning toward a return to the San Diego Padres, according to several baseball officials yesterday. But the Yankees still believed they had a chance to sign him, and he hasn't told them they're out of it.

The Yankees would like to be able to lure center fielder Aaron Rowand from the Chicago White Sox, but as of yesterday the White Sox were working on a deal that would send Rowand to the Florida Marlins for center fielder Juan Pierre.

Junkees Not Getting Their Guys

Interesting piece in today's Times, where Tyler Kepner reports that the Junkees are not having their typical offseason splashes. At one point, the article mentions that Cashman wants to cut payroll, which I find hard to believe. Just getting Bernie and Brown off the payroll has freed up about $30 million. The only thing I could think of could be the luxury tax. I don't know the exact numbers, but the Junkees will most likely have their tax numbers increase, which may be stopping them from being as aggressive as usual.

The piece also mentions that the Junkees might give Crosby the full-time job in center. Hey, I'm all for it. The guy can't hit a lick. Sure, he's a good fielder, but at least Bernie could still get the occasional big hit, even in the past few years. Kepner does mention that the Junkees are still interested in Milton Bradley, whom I would love to see in pinstripes. And Cashman, space in! You are not getting Aaron Rowand! Unless you give the White Sox A-Rod and Rivera, or something like that.

-- For those of you who are too lazy to click the link above, this is the key paragraph of the piece:

"Ryan and Giles, who are free agents, are aware of the Yankees' interest. But neither has scheduled a visit with the Yankees, and a person who has been briefed on the Yankees' plans said neither player seemed serious about signing with the Yankees. The person requested anonymity because he did not want to jeopardize the Yankees' chances of signing those players. Giles could be headed back to the San Diego Padres, for whom he has played since August 2003."

-- My thoughts on the Beckett deal: sounds very cool, but it's hard for me to get too excited. The guy's always had health issues, and has never played a full regular season in the bigs. Everyone just remembers his performance in the '03 World Series, which is very impressive. And there's always that chance the guy could turn into another Carl Pavano, although Beckett has a better track record. I look forward to seeing the guy pitch in Fenway, but with my fingers crossed.

And as for Lowell, the guy's a total gamble. I like the fact that he's a solid defender, but the Sox don't need a .230 bat in the lineup. Then again, he might have a comeback year. He reminds me of when the Yanks got Scott Brosius in '98, after the guy hit .203 in '97. And Brosius ended up having a few solid years left in him. I would love to see Lowell turn out the same way.

I would've liked to have seen the Sox get Delgado, especially if Manny were to get traded. Delgado has a better track record, no injury issues, and could put up much better numbers in Fenway than in Dolphins Stadium. Not to mention his familiarity with the AL.

But the Beckett deal has a much bigger upside to it. If Schilling can come back to old form next year, the Sox will enter October with two of the best postseason pitchers in recent memory. And if Beckett turns out to be an ace and can stay healthy throughout the year, there may be a bunch of Yankee-free Octobers in the coming years.

$hemp Cashes In

So the Junkees are bringing back Shemp Matsui for four years at $52 million. Sure, the Japanese PR factor will help offset some of that, but on the field, this might not be as good a move as you would think.

First off, as Despiser pointed out, the guy refuses to sit down. And that screwed the Junkees in May, when he was really struggling. And it will continue to screw them over in the future, unless Snorre or whoever's in charge decides to put their foot down.

Also, I think the streak is affecting Shemp's performance. His fielding has gotten more erratic. Remember all those dropped catches near the end of the year? So much for "Mr. Fundamentals."

And the guy's been a mixed bag in the postseason. While that grand slam against the Twins in early '03 may have given him a good reputation for the big spot, he was punchless in this year's ALDS (although Shemp did well in the '04 ALCS, even going 5-for-17 in G4-7 while the rest of the team choked). Who's to say that Matsui wasn't tired out by the streak this year?

This isn't to say the guy's not a very good player. I would definitely like to have him on my team. But he's got his flaws, like everyone else. And four years down the road, he probably won't get any better.

-- I like baseball's new drug policy, but what about HGH? Time for some blood tests. Let's see how Giambi would do then.

A-Schmuck Didn't Even Deserve It

Forget what Manny said about how meaningless the MVP is if you hit .133 during the playoffs. He's right, but to me, he doesn't even deserve the MVP in the first place!

Suppose the Junkees didn't have A-Rod. They'd still have Derek Cheater, Juice-on Giambi, Shemp, Ringo Posada, and Gary "I'll dog it if they trade me" Sheffield. Still a potent lineup. Sure, I'd probably groan less, but even without A-Schmuck, they'd score a ton of runs. In fact, they scored a ton of runs, second most in the majors. Their problem was pitching; they ranked 22nd in the majors in ERA. Admittedly, A-Schmuck had a great offensive year, but like Manny said, instead of winning 12-5, they won 17-5. Wow.

Ortiz, to me, was more valuable to the Red Sox. Besides all the clutch hits, he was the go-to guy for the Red Sox. I know I didn't trust anyone else in their lineup (Besides Ramirez) to come up with a big hit. Without Ortiz, Boston doesn't sniff the playoffs.

So let the Junkee fans have their moment in the sun. Bottom line, 5 years and still counting.

A-Schmuck's MVP Can't Make Up for his October

Any Junkee fan who gets excited over A-Rod's winning the MVP instead of Big Papi ought to get a life. A-Rod and Papi had similar hitting numbers, and it was clearly the DH vs. 3B factor that put A-Rod over the top. The Yankee fans that get horny over this stuff are the same losers that brag about winning the AL East a million years in a row, as if that makes up for the Yankees' lousy Octobers since Game 6 of 2001.

So what if A-Rod was the best player in the league from April to September? Big deal. The guy isn't clutch. Don't tell me about his homerun off a rehabbing Schilling in July. I don't care about his 3 HR game against Colon and the Angels. I don't care about all those homers that turned a 17-5 game into a 19-5 game or whatever. Because the guy couldn't hit for beans against Ervin Santana when it counted. Because the guy couldn't carry his team when they needed him most. Because the guy is a far, far cry from Reggie Jackson, whom I would rather have on my team than A-Rod. True, they're both arrogant jerks, but at least a team with Reggie would have a chance at winning it all.

So in the end, A-Rod winning the MVP doesn't bother me at all. After his pitiful ALDS performance, the Yankee despisers certainly got the last laugh.

Jorge: The Next Bernie

Word is that the Junkees are looking to trade Jorge Posada. The guy's 34, his numbers have been on the decline (OPS from '03-05: .923, .881, .782), and the Yanks would love to get Bengie Molina in there (especially with Despiser's theory that George loves guys who beat up on the Junkees, as Molina did in the ALDS). But unless the Dodgers bring back Kevin Malone as GM, the Yanks are stuck with Jorgie. Who in their right mind would take a 34 year old catcher with a n$8 million salary? Come on.

Posada has a clause in his contract that if he catches a certain number of games in '06, a $12 million option for '07 automatically kicks in. So unless Posada goes on the DL or something, the Junkees are stuck.

So it'll be really interesting to see what the Yanks do next year. If they're gonna turn Posada into a C/DH, they'll need a better backup. Flaherty is just like Charlie O'Brien; he's got the hockey mask, and he's about as good a hitter as Wayne Gretzky. Flaherty is good for the Big Unit, but that's about it.

I would love to see Posada play some first base. It was funny seeing Piazza out there, but that's the Mets. To see Posada, now that would be comical. Then again, he might be better than Giambi.

And the most interesting thing of all will be how Georgie handles all this. Bernie was a classy guy, and really handled his decline pretty well. But Posada is a hothead. Remember when he spat on the ump? Or the fight with Amezaga of the Angels? And his fight with Tino (see Olney's book)? Posada will not be happy with his situation next year. Should make for some interesting headlines.

-- BTW Despiser, my pick for backup 1B is not Olerud; it's Yankee-killer Eduardo Perez. Too bad he wouldn't be able to face the Unit then.

Junkees Cold Stove Report

- So Shemp Matsui wants a 4-year deal, the Junkees want to give him three. George is in a tough spot because he likes having Shemp there for PR, so that he sells some tee-shirts to the Japanese fans. If Shemp wimps out, I'll be very disappointed. He can even ask for 5 years, and the Junkees will have to give it to him. Part of me hopes that he goes back to New York so that he can be selfish with that dumb meaningless streak, making one player have to rot on the bench.

- I was surprised Tino was let go. Did George and Ca$hman finally realize that bringing back washed up ex-Yankees did nothing to help the team? Yeah, I know he was good in May. Name one big hit he had after June 1st. Then I hear that they're interested in bringing back John Olerud. So I guess they're still into ex-Red Sox. Too bad it doesn't tweak Larry Luccino. In fact, I'm sure the Red Sox would be thrilled if you took Olerud. Do you want Kevin Millar, too?

- They have no idea what to do about centerfield. That's why you've got to love Billy Beane for resigning Mark Kotsay. Almost anyone would be great. Milton Bradley is a schmuck, Torii Hunter is going nowhere, says the Twins GM, and Juan Pierre could very well be the 2006 version of Tony Womack. And the fact that he fits the profile of guys-who've-hurt-the-Junkees-in-the-past makes him much more appealing to George. And his throwing arm makes Bernie Williams' look like Vlad Guererro's. Johnny Damon? Same thing.

- They'll get another motley crew for the bullpen. Kyle Farnsworth? Will never get you a big out. B. J. Ryan? Don't trust him either.

So you have to love how the Junkees have no idea what they're going to do. And keep in mind that 4 out of 5 rotation spots are set: Randy, Mussina, Pavano, and Wright. Doesn't exactly put the fear of God into anyone's lineup.

It remains to be seen what the buffoon will do over the next few weeks, and you have to love the whining about Cano and Rivera getting robbed of their respective awards, but that's a story for another day.

Do It George! Get Milton Bradley!

One of the rumors swirling around is the Yankees trading for Dodger CF Milton Bradley. There are also rumors about Brian Giles, though I would be surprised if the Junkees go there. The guy is 35, and, while getting out of Petco will help his numbers improve, the Yanks would probably want to go young. There's always Johnny Damon, too, but Boston is gonna try hard to keep him. And he's no youngster, either. So that means Bradley is more of a possibility.

Additionally, I think that George will try to get Bradley, for two reasons: he loves troubled people. Darryl and Doc? The Yanks were ready and willing to take them, with all their baggage. Now granted, Bradley has different issues than those guys (attitude as opposed to drugs), but George loves the idea of taking a troubled player and having him turn his career around in pinstripes. It makes for great PR. Remember Doc Gooden's no-hitter? If his 15 minutes of comeback fame wouldn't have ended so soon, they probably would have made a movie about that.

I also think that George likes to tweak Torre by bringing in clubhouse problems. Heck, that was one of the reasons that Ruben Sierra got a second go-round for the Junkees (although Sierra, to his credit, has matured and toned it down since '96). But even guys like Weaver and Brown: I think George was partly motivated by the fact that he knew Snorre wouldn't go for those guys. And while Sheff, A-Rod, and Johnson are players any GM would get if they could afford it, I'm sure George liked their attitudes, too. And so Milton Bradley might be the ultimate tweak.

Besides, he'd be a great fit with the Yankees. Too bad Brown is done, because I'd love to see him and Bradley try to get along. But the Yanks still have A-Rod, Sheff, and the Big Unit. And Jorge Posada, who didn't talk to Tino for a few months after one of their tiffs.

So for all those Yankee despisers out there, go for it George! Get Milton Bradley! And after that, try to convince Terrell Owens to try baseball.

George's Latest Fetish: Ex-Managers

We know George has his fetishes for ex-Mets (Cone, Gooden, Strawberry, Leiter, Lawton, Armando, Tony Clark, Bubba Trammell, Ventura, Zeile, Orosco, Darren Bragg, Ryan Thompson, Alberto Castillo, Jose Vizcaino, Lance Johnson, Allen Watson....), ex-Yankees (Tino, Ruben Sierra, Rey Sanchez, Stanton, Mendoza, Jason Anderson, Homer Bush, Gerald Williams, Luis Sojo, Roberto Kelly, Jim Leyritz....), ex-Red Sox (Bellhorn, Embree), and guys who've killed the Yankees in the past (Tony Womack, David Delucci, Jaret Wright, RJ, etc.).

Now we find that he has another fetish, and that is, hiring ex-managers as coaches. He rehired Mazilli, after the Orioles saw that the Junkee mystique is a sham, Larry Bowa at third, Tony Pena at first. George can't dump Mattingly because of PR, but I bet he'd love to. They still need a pitching coach and for PR, that'll likely be Ron Guidry, and for bullpen coach, they're going after... what do you know, another ex-skipper (albeit on an interim basis) Joe Kerrigan!

I know, there's also the element of tweaking Snorre, which cannot be overlooked, and as Manny speculates, a means of having a replacement on-hand.

Ah, George. As my dad would say, the man is cute.

The Junkees

Steve Howe

Dwight Gooden

Darryl Strawberry

Jason Giambi

Matt Lawton

We don't call 'em the Junkees for nothing!

A-Rod at it Again

I saw a little bit of the '01 WS on YES last night. And I can't imagine Brosius or O'Neill acting like A-Rod. Here's the latest fiasco:

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez was cautioned by the New York Yankees that playing poker in illegal clubs could be dangerous and harmful to his image, according to a newspaper report.

Early last month, the Daily News reported the star slugger had attended games at an underground club with professional card player Phil Hellmuth.

Scott Boras, the third baseman's agent, denied that the Yankees had warned his client.

"The Yankees have never addressed or spoken with me in regard to any off-field activities regarding Alex Rodriguez. And the Yankees have never spoken to Alex regarding any of his off-field activities," Boras was quoted as saying in a story published Wednesday.

Playing at such clubs is not illegal, though it can be against the law to operate them, the Daily News reported.

Rodriguez was not punished or ordered to stay out of the clubs, but commissioner Bud Selig was monitoring the situation and could intervene if necessary, the newspaper said, citing sources it did not identify.

Furcal in Pinstripes?

ESPN's Rumor Central reports that the Mets are pursuing Rafael Furcal. And with the Braves' limited budget, he's almost definitely out of Atlanta. But I can definitely see the Yanks going after him to play 2B. Besides, when the Mets pursue someone George wants, he will often up the ante and try to snare him away, the lone exception being Carlos Beltran (and unless he improves, Yankee fans will be grateful that he ended up going to the Mets).

What about Robinson Cano? I see the Yanks trading him for some relief help. In his rookie year, Cano brought to mind Todd Walker: a very good hitter, but not a guy you trust in the field. Also, this might be the high point in Cano's value, especially if he goes the way of Mike Caruso. Cashman might want to get the most bang for his buck here (my apologies to ex-YES cliche-master Fred Hickman).

Plus, Furcal has speed, which Cano does not. Perhaps after getting beaten by the speedy Angels, as well as by Carl Crawford and the Devil Rays many times this year, George will want some more speed in the lineup. And the Junkees haven't had a legitimate base-stealing threat in the lineup since Soriano was traded.

And there's reason to believe Furcal would want to come to New York, considering he has family in the Bronx. The Yanks like the occasional native New Yorker joining the club, like Steve Karsay. Plus, the YES-men will get to focus on his family members at the stadium every game, which should prove to be quite exciting.

The reasons I can see the Yankees passing this one up: a) they're hamstrung by the luxury tax, which is highly unlikely, because we're not talking Carlos Beltran money, b) they want to stick with Cano, either because they think he'll improve in the field or simply because the guy is younger, or c) they can't trade Cano for anyone useful.

---- And by the way, I do think B.J. Ryan will be a Junkee next year. Like with Karsay and Gordon, the Junkees will overpay. What can you do?