The Cash Came Back

Ya thought he was a goner
But the Cash came back,
He couldn't just stay away.....

Man, thank the Lord!
Brian Cashman has signed
a three-year deal to return
as Yankees GM.

In the immortal words of Pink,
Let's get this party started!

Lefty

I was wrong about Johan Santana. Johan pitched a shutout yesterday, on three day's rest. The Mets are 89-72, same as Milwaukee, and just like last year, it comes down to one game. Johan cannot pitch today, so the bullpen will implode, leaving the Mess to cheer for whomever plays the Brewers.

That's all background. We could have had Johan Santana from the Twins last year, in exchange for Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, probably two other prospects. Alan Horne? Jose Tabata`? We should have pulled the trigger. Jo's 16-7 with the Mets. I daresay he'd have been 20-5 or so, with the Yanks. The fifth spot in the rotation has been home to several lesser luminaries so far this season [Ian Kennedy, Darrell Rasner, Dan Giese, Carl Pavano - who has actually pitched well - Kei Igawful.....]. I forgot the exact number, but the 5th spot has gone 9-19 or some equally rancid number. 12 games better? Yeah, we'd be in the playoffs. I was wrong.

Now, here's why I was wrong:
[1] I was afraid Johan Santana could not perform in the hot spotlight of Yankee Stadium. We cannot know for sure, but taking the ball on short rest after a career-high pitch count, and then throwing a shutout to keep your team tied for the last playoff spot with one game to go, that's gutsy. I think he'd be okay on the Yanks' hill.
[2] I was afraid of injury. Santana is not the biggest guy, and he showed signs late last year of arm fatigue. I could still be correct [I hope not, I like the guy, I like the Mets and wish them well, and I hope somehow we can pry Santana away from the Mets =:-0]....
[3] I overvalued some prospects. Kennedy has been a wash this season. Melky has returned to replacement-level player. Tabby displayed a bad attitude [and a regression in form] and got banished to Pittsburgh. That leaves either Alan Horne or Dellin Betances, if my memory serves me correctly. Essentially, we'd have sent Horne or Betances or some other prospect, along with three ne'er do wells, to Minnesota, for Johan Santana. I know, I know, hindsight is 20-20. In retrospect, I wish we had made the trade. We'd have made the playoffs this season.

Now, as far as next year goes, it looks like Cash is returning to right the ship. He has the right idea: build up prospects and plenty of pitching. In this one instance, getting Santana would have been the right thing to do, but overall, Cashman has the right idea. Pitching, prospects, speed. We'll be back, you can count on that, maybe even in 2009! [Speaking of back, now that I admitted I was wrong about Santana, does this mean Crazy Eileen is going to start hitting on me again? hahahahopenot.]

Go Yankees!

Abuelo's

Abuelo's will have to wait. The Gators lost [in The Swamp!!] to Ole Miss. Personally, I felt the guys looked flat and showed little sense of urgency, as though they expected to win. After all, they're The Gators, right?

I hate such an attitude :-(

So, I believe good will come from this loss. Tim Tebow really seemed to understand, and he has promised that he will approach things differently. Tim's a real stand-up guy, and a team leader to boot [Quarterback, reigning Heisman Trophy winner and all].

The loss? By one point, as Mississippi blocked a point-after-touchdown kick, and then tackled Tebow on fourth and inches as time wound down on the Gators, driving toward the winning score. I hate losing, but I would far rather lose like this [a game we should have won] than by being clearly inferior.

Rebels? Congratulations on a hard-fought win in enemy territory. Maybe y'all will take this new momentum and gain a bowl berth. Pray you do not have to face us again, in Atlanta.

Gator defense seemed alright from the get-go, but then had some costly lapses. Entering allowing an average of six points, they got torched, and that certainly has to change. 31 points is unacceptable, and I am pretty sure Charlie Strong will have the boys running the stadium steps. I know I would.

The offense seemed totally unimaginative. I know it's the spread offense, but when 95% of the plays are either Tebow running the ball, or something in the flats to Percy Harvin [ok, ok, occasionally, Percy Harvin running the ball], it does not take a genius to key in on what's going to happen next. The offensive line was just that, offensive. Maybe if Jim Tartt had not succumbed to injury.... anyway, the backups need to step up when a leader goes down. No steak for the big boys; hot dogs on paper plates [and doing the dishes afterward!] for you.

We need blocking. We need a traditional running game. We need to throw to wide-outs. Dan Mullen, you are offensive coordinator. How about coordinating some offense, not just something offensive?

We stunk up the joint, but at least it was a team effort.
Now, let's win next week, and build from there.
Still early, plenty of time to get back into title contention,
maybe surprise some teams at the end, just like two years ago.
Let's get the SEC East, and go from there.

Go Gators!

Possible Pitching Prognosis?

This is a short scenario, driven by a question from a friend who likes the Red Sox [he had postulated that the Yanks would land CC Sabathia, and that the Sox would snag AJ Burnett].

Here's a scenario I posted at The Post, envisioning a possible scenario for both clubs if CC goes elsewhere [I promise, I will still do a detailed look at pitching, later on :-)]

Truthfully, not so sure that CC won't turn down the money [and, make no mistake, we'll be lavishing plenty of $$$!]. That means we will make a play for AJ for sure. I still think Sheets is damaged goods [I just mentioned AJ Burnett and held him up as a healthy example. Obviously the world has spun off its axis!] Starting to sound as if Mike Mussina might not be back [that is Jim Palmer's opinion, and he spoke with Moose recently]. I still think Derek Lowe would be good for a year or two, until the kids catch up.

So, if we are correct on CC and Moose, that would give the Yanks:

CM Wang

Andy Pettitte

AJ Burnett

Derek Lowe

Carl Pavano/Phil Hughes/Alfredo Aceves

Notice I actually included Pav in the mix? We hold a club option for 2009 on him, and

[1] He's actually pitched solidly this time, and

[2] It would essentially be a walk year for him, and

[3] He always performs better in a walk year, and

[4] You can never have too much pitching, and

[5] Maybe, once he shows average ability, we could send him to a bad ballclub in need of pitching and get a star in return. Maybe Pittsburgh, and Nate McLouth? [CF]

So, that would leave Boston with:

Beckett

Dicey

Lester

Sheets?

Masterson/Buchholz/Wake/Schill

Plenty of arms to keep things interesting!

Oh, Ian and Joba? IPK's value is low. Keep him down on the farm, re-tooling. Maybe we can build him back up. Joba? 8th inning, building back arm strength [and, auxiliary closer, in case Mo's surgery goes badly]. Aceves? The man knows how to pitch. I really think he will be at Scranton along with Hughsie, mostly because they need to throw innings and be available if/when someone goes down. Andy will have a better off-season and be able to work out correctly. His mind will be far less troubled, and he's a lefty :-)

Center Field

Jon Heyman, over at SI, feels that the Yanks are going to go after Nate McLouth in the off-season. Nate's the Pirates' current center fielder, and the Pirates and Yanks don't seem to have any obstacles to trading, having completed the trade which sent Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Bronx earlier this summer.

Here's the rub: While I like McLouth, I do not see him as an upgrade over Brett Gardner. McLouth looks to be an eventual 25/100/.300 guy. Gardner's game is more speed and finesse, and I don't see him ever hitting 25 homers or knocking in a hundred runs. It's not his game. I do see Brett doing exactly what he has shown so far: running like the wind, playing amazing defense, being pesky on the basepaths, and generally being gritty. His batting average so far is an extremely small sample size, but it has been picking up lately [he's over .200 finally!].

So, McLouth - love the player, hate the cost to acquire. Let's concentrate our resources elsewhere.

At least to me, Gardner projects as a latter-day Mickey Rivers, and that's something we should not turn our noses up at.

How Many Years?

The Detroit Lions finally fired Matt Millen.
How many years overdue is this?

Only Six Games

Hey, don't look now, but there's only six games left in the regular season.....
If we win all six, and if Boston loses all six of theirs, we tie for the Wild-Card.
The last three games are Yanks and Sox, from Fenway......

JDB

Now, I ain't namin' any names, but read between the lines.....

"Just Die, Baby."

Yanks 2009: What if Money Were no Object?

What if money was no object? The Yanks are mailing it in yet again, and I’m in a mood for distractions. Many writers consider who should be in the starting lineup, and that’s fine, but for this look, I want to throw money at the problem [namely, the Yanks are a fourth-place team, and we all want a first-place team], and invite a bunch of guys to Spring Training. Whomever doesn’t cut the mustard, cut ‘em. Now, this is theoretical: I don’t really hope the Yanks follow this model. Remember, a team may only sign three “Type ‘A’” free agents [yeah, more or less, depending on how many are available…].

Catcher

Jorge Posada
Jose Molina
Ivan Rodriguez
Chad Moeller
Each one of these guys has major chinks in his armor. Posada’s throwing arm has always been poor, and is now coming off surgery. He’s never been a master of calling games, either. He might be completely unable to catch. Molina can’t hit for crap. He calls a good game and throws out runners pretty well, but breaks down when he plays more than sporadically. Pudge can hit [not when wearing a Yankee uniform, alas] and can throw out runners. He’s maligned for not being interested in game-calling, and his power hitting is a faded memory. Moeller’s perhaps the best third-string catcher around, and doesn’t cost a bunch.

Wishes:
[1] We get to combine the finest attributes of all four:
Posada’s clubhouse presence and clutch hitting, plus power. Pudge’s batting average and throwing arm. Molina’s defense and game-calling. Moeller’s salary.
[2] Okay, okay, I said money was no object. Get Yogi Berra the Fountain of Youth.

Prognosis:
Posada makes the club, but is woeful behind the plate. If he can catch at all, it will be a rare occasion. Look for him to star at DH with appearances at 1B.
Molina makes the club, but cannot catch every game, and can’t hit anyway.
Pudge gets re-signed, which will cost both several years and a ton of money. He’ll hit more singles than Jose, which isn’t saying much.
Moeller spends time on the farm, biding his time until someone gets hurt, or Frankie Cervelli is ready for the bigs.

First Base

Mark Teixeira [Type ‘A’ FA #1]
Jason Giambi
Juan Miranda
Sign Big Tex and see if he can succeed in Da Bronx. If so, he’ll pretty much do it all, making the other superfluous. If no, he’ll be a costly mistake. Slow, but hits okay. Most of his AB’s come from the left side, and with the short porch, he could hit a jillion homers [unless he changes his swing like Giambi did]. Plays good defense, too. Giambino has an option year left. Sign him as insurance in case Tex wilts in the hot spotlight. He can always DH or pinch hit. Juan Miranda deserves a look, too. If we don’t land Teixeira, or if he $ux, JuMi becomes our first baseman of the future.

Wishes:

Reincarnate Lou Gehrig. Then, give ol’ Biscuit Pants the Fountain of Youth.

Prognosis:

If Tex signs, he’ll be the real deal. Giambi gets relegated to spot starts at 1B, plus DH/PH duty. Miranda stays at SWB, maybe becoming trade bait.

Second Base

Robinson Cano

Get ready to sacrifice chickens or goats or whatever, throw some salt, pray, do something. Kevin Long is going to re-tool Canoe’s swing.

Wishes:

[1] Long is successful. Cano hits .340 with 25 homers and 100 ribbies.
[2] We steal Larry Bowa back to get on Robbie’s a$$, keeping him alert in the field.

Prognosis:

There are other areas which will be more of a stretch than Cano. At worst, he’ll be an average second baseman.

Shortstop

Derek Jeter
At some point, Jeets will have to move to another position. Now is not the time. Sure hands but limited range. Hits for decent average with occasional pop and great in the clutch. Slowing down which is causing more and more groundings into double plays. Great leader by example.

Wishes:

DJ goes through another rigorous off-season training regimen, working on speed, quickness, range, and power.

Prognosis:

One more year. Keep it going for one more year. 2009 will be better than 2008.

Third Base

Alex Rodriguez
Let’s get something straight right off the bat: Alex Rodriguez will not be our shortstop. A-Rod plays a decent third base, runs, throws, hits, walks, hits for power….. when it flows, like 2007, he’s even a positive influence to the kids. Seriously, see a sports psychologist – can’t hit in pressure situations. Needs to channel Graig Nettles.

Wishes:

A-Rod realizes the nature of his frailty, and sees his shrink. Oh, and gets back together as BFF with Jeter.

Prognosis:

Like it or not, we’re stuck with the guy. Build the right team [that will succeed in the playoffs] and he will help get us there.

Utility Infielders

Cody Ransom
Wilson Betemit
Nick Green
Face it – none of these guys are good enough to start. Betemit strikes out way too much, and is eating himself out of being anything but a lumbering first baseman [which the Yanks evidently have a passion for, but we already have so many!!] Cody Ransom can hit, but is almost as old as Derek Jeter. Nick Green just can’t hit.

Left Field

Xavier Nady
“X” marks the spot. Surrounded by stars, X-man should see his productivity soar [although his average and probably his power will decline somewhat]. Decent fielder, decent arm. Best man for the job.

Center Field

Rocco Baldelli [not projecting as a Type ‘A’ or ‘B’ free agent]
Johnny Damon
Baldelli has been battling a mysterious mitochondrial problem. Dude’s Italian, and he wears #5 in Tampa. Get it? And, he throws better than JD. Damon hits for average and runs, has occasional pop and can hit in the clutch. Plus, he has sexy calves [he said so himself]. Sadly, he has a noodle for an arm and can be run on by Little Leaguers.

Wishes:

[1] Roc signs and fulfills the promise he has always hinted at.
[2] Damo works on that throwing arm in the offseason.
[3] We combine “JD” and “#5”….. yeah. Right. But, Ted Williams was cryogenically preserved, so……

Prognosis:

This one’s a stretch. Maybe we won’t take a flyer on Baldelli. Maybe we’ll try Melky again. Maybe……

Right Field

Bobby Abreu
Abreu is clearly on the downswing. His power is pretty much gone, his average is falling, and he is losing his selectivity/patience at the plate. Plus, he’s afraid of outfield fences. Still, signing him gives us an above-average player, and buys us time until the kids begin arriving. Remember, money is no object.

Wishes:

George. Herman. Ruth. Plus, he could serve as an occasional reliever!

Prognosis:

On the Yanks, Abreu will be above league average. On any other team, I am afraid his weakness will begin to glare. He’ll want a multi-year contract, which means we’d be eating one or more years.

Outfield Extras

Melky Cabrera
Brett Gardner
Justin Christian
These guys remain the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Lounging in Scranton, they are essentially biding their time until Austin Jackson passes them by.

Wishes:

Bowa comes back and gets after Melky. Melky continues with the A-Rod workout [in the training room, peeps! Geez – dirty minds!! =:-0]. Gardner and Christian mature into stars.

Prognosis:

Gardner gets a little less overmatched at the plate. Christian has some fine numbers in Scranton. Melky shows he’s better than the 2008 model. The burning question is: how much better?

Designated Hitter

Hideki Matsui

All of those consecutive games are finally taking their toll on Godzilla. He'll need to split AB's with Giambi and Damon. Almost worth keeping him inactive until June or July, and then activating him for the postseason :-)

Starting Pitchers

CC Sabathia [Type ‘A’ FA #2]
CM Wang
Mike Mussina
Andy Pettitte
Phil Hughes
Ian Kennedy
Alfredo Aceves
Sidney Ponson
Carl Pavano
AJ Burnett [Type A/B FA #3]
Humberto Sanchez
Sabathia should be an excellent addition, lefty, workhorse. Milwaukee has tried to burn his arm out, so he may have an injury or significant dead-arm period in 2009. If he works out right, will anchor the rotation. Wang is a perennial 19 game winner. He’ll do better, next year. Mussina has reinvented himself in the Jamie Moyer/Greg Maddux mould: at this rate, he will be nearly as effective next year. Andy P had a horrible off-season. With proper preparation, he’ll rebound significantly in 2009. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy get invited to ST but build innings in SWB. Alfredo Aceves comes along for the ride – I think he’d be better served starting regularly in Scranton instead of riding the pine in NYC. Siddy is insurance, as is Pavano. Sid’s a free agent, but will probably sign a one-year deal. Pavano has a club option for 2009, and pitches well when up for a contract. Plus, Pudge seems to find the best in him. AJ Burnett has proven he can succeed in the AL East. Can he stay healthy? Humberto has a power arm and is a local boy; probably needs a year on the farm.

Wishes:

Everyone stays healthy and comes back nicely from injury.
The kids mature and fulfill the promise we all saw in them.

Closer

Mariano Rivera
The Ageless One has another brilliant season.

8th Inning Guy

Joba Chamberlain
At least for now as he builds arm strength. Looks to start by end of 2009.

Relief Pitchers

Jose Veras
Brian Bruney
Chris Britton
Damaso Marte`
Darrell Rasner
Dan Giese
Phil Coke
Edwar Ramirez
Dave Robertson
Mark Melancon
JB Cox
Kyle Farnsworth [Non-Type A/B FA]

Farnsy seemed to find a groove, pitching for his ol’ battery-mate, Joe Girardi. The rest of these guys, shake ‘em up, throw ‘em against the wall, see who sticks.

Okay, that's the "money is no object" look at what can be done with the Yanks. Obviously, I am not serious about this [the payroll would surely be well over $200 mil], but there are some nuggets in there which I will expound upon later. Let's hope Hank Steinbrenner doesn't hear of this [unless he hires me! hahaha].

Mighta' Beens

I haven't been posting of late. It's not because I have nothing to say; ye know me better than that. I've been writing for e-mails rather than posting here, and while that has been the norm of late, a dear friend told me that I should post this info here, so I did. This post, then, is dedicated to my one true reader. Thank you, Cuz :-)

This year is full of might-have-beens for the Yanks.

Play has been shoddy for a number of reasons and we have missed out on any number of golden opportunities.

Seems like half of the brand-new starters are rolled out to face the lads, who oblige by batting as though Cyclone Young or Amos Rusie have sprung back to life.....

I give Joe G. a little slack for this being his first year; but then, how many Yankees managers have won big in THEIR first season?

Bucky Harris, 1947, won WS
Casey Stengel, 1949, won WS
Ralph Houk, 1961, won WS
Yogi Berra, 1964, lost WS
Bob Lemon, 1978, won WS
Dick Howser, 1980, won AL East
Joe Torre, 1995, won WS

Dang! Is there ANY manager that went on to greatness AFTER the first season?
Well, Miller Huggins and Joe McCarthy come to mind.....
and that's pretty much everybody [1981 and 1982 are pretty much a blur - I think we had three managers in each of those years and lost the WS and LCS, respectively], oh, and Buck Showalter, made the playoffs in 1995, lost, lost his job.

So, Joe G. has his work cut out for him! Personally, I think he and Cash will both return, but I could be mistaken.