Archive for the ‘Yankees’ Category
The Yankees are showing interest in 1B-3B Shea Hillenbrand.
Yankees P Scott Proctor might be moved to the rotation for 2007.
The A’s have promoted bench coach Bob Geren to be the clubs next manager.
The Red Sox are showing interest in former Expos and Brewers P Tomo Ohka, who was a former prospect in the Red Sox organization.
SS Alex Gonzalez has been offered a 3-year, $15 million contract from either the White Sox or Reds.
A’s owner Lewis Wolff said the club will consider bringing in OF Barry Bonds to replace the all-but departed DH Frank Thomas.
The Orioles could persue either Mariners 1B Richie Sexson or Reds OF Adam Dunn this winter.
The Cubs are open to trading C Michael Barrett for some pitching help.
The Astros and Rockies have discussed a trade that would bring P Jason Jennings to Houston while sending either OF/2B Chris Burke or P Brad Lidge to Colorado.
The Mets are showing interest in P Adam Eaton, but his agent says he believes the Mets have Eaton as a “backup choice”.
SNY had former Met Lee Mazelli in their headquarters for an interview yesterday. It is believed he would work during Mets broadcasts.
The Red Sox could try to convince P Roger Clemens to return to Boston to be the teams closer.
Sphere: Related ContentKen Rosenthal of Fox Sports has a crapload of nuggets this morning:
The Mets are still interested in White Sox P Javier Vazquez, but he views the Rangers as the most likely trade partner. Rosenthal suggests the Sox trade Vazquez and OF Brian Anderson to Texas for some of Texas’ pitching prospects, namely Thomas Diamond and John Danks.
The Dodgers are close to signing 1B Nomar Garciaparra to a 2-year deal.
With the departure of DH Frank Thomas to the Blue Jays, expect the A’s to inquire about C Mike Piazza, OF Cliff Floyd, OF Aubrey Huff, OF Frank Catalanotto and 1B Shea Hillenbrand. The alternative route would be to acquire a bat by trading P Esteban Loaiza.
The Giants, Rangers, Orioles and Astros are the four teams most interested in OF Carlos Lee. Lee is a fallback option for the Giants if they fail to re-sign OF Barry Bonds.
If the Devil Rays move either OF Carl Crawford or OF Rocco Baldelli, they will be moved for a young pitcher with ace-like potential. Possible targets include Angels P Ervin Santana, Dodgers P Chad Billingsley and one of the Marlins young pitchers.
Astros.com reports Astros GM Tim Purpura denies having discussions with the Red Sox about P Brad Lidge.
Newsday reports Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez has no plans to waive his no-trade clause.
The Boston Herald is reporting that the Red Sox and Scott Boras plan to keep the Daisuke Matsuzaka contract negotiations “as quiet as possible”.
The Philadelphis Inquirer is reporting that free agent OF-2B Alfonso Soriano has said he prefers to stay on the east coast.
The Denver Post reports that the Cubs, Rangers and Astros are all showing interest in P Jason Jennings.
Joel Sherman of the NY Post reports that the Rockies have told the Yankees they will take on half of the $23 million still owed to P Carl Pavano.
Sphere: Related ContentAccording to the Baltimore Sun, the Yankees have agreed to trade P Jaret Wright to the Orioles in exchange for P Chris Britton. The Orioles are also expected to recieve $4 million to help pay off Wright's $7 million salary.
Britton was 0-2 with a 3.35 ERA and one save in 52 games as the set-up man behind closer Chris Ray. Wright finished 11-7 with a 4.49 ERA.
I think the Orioles are run poorly than the Knicks. Seriously. When was the last time they made a good move? Melvin Mora? That was 7 years ago. They need to clean house, and it starts up top with owner Peter Angelos.
From Newsday…
the team's $200-million payroll, Torre's $7-million salary and George
Steinbrenner's support.
“I should have such a tough job,” Kay said. “If there's a
broadcast entity out there that wants me to work in the greatest city
in the world, have the best of everything at my disposal and pay me
much more than anyone in the business, please contact my agent.
“Also, if it's OK that I completely miss my company's mission
statement for six straight years and not be fired, that would be cool,
too. I should be such a martyr.”
ESPN reports a story in Sports Illustrated this week that portrays Alex Rodriguez as a loner in the Yankees clubhouse. Jason Giambi confronted Rodriguez as he struggled to get hits in key spots throughout the season.
In an exchange between Giambi and Rodriguez recounted in the
magazine, the Yankees' first baseman challenged the slumping third
baseman to step up his play.
Before approaching Torre, Giambi said he talked to Rodriguez while the Yankees were playing in Boston.
money. Giambi's making [$20.4 million], which is fine and dandy, but it
seems those guys get a pass. When people write [bad things] about me, I
don't know if it's [because] I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the
most money, I play on the most popular team …”
“We're all rooting for you and we're behind
you 100 percent, but you've got to get the big hit,” was his message to
A-Rod, Giambi told SI.
“What do you mean?” was Rodriguez's response, Giambi told SI. “I've had five hits in Boston.”
“You
[expletive] call those hits?” Giambi said, according to SI. “You had
two [expletive] dinkers to right field and a ball that bounced over the
third baseman! Look at how many pitches you missed!
“When you
hit three, four or five [in the order], you have to get the big hits,
especially if they're going to walk Bobby [Abreu] and me. I'll help you
out until you get going. I'll look to drive in runs when they pitch
around me, go after that 3-and-1 pitch that might be a ball. But if
they're going to walk Bobby and me, you're going to have to be the
guy.”
Rodriguez told the magazine that he didn't recall the exchange, but said “I'm sure we had a conversation.”
Today's New York papers get in on the fun as well, as expected.
Quite a contrast from the band of brothers in Queens….
Red Sox Taking Backseat To Mets As Yanks Rival
Posted by Anthony De RosaSeptember 18, 2006 at 3:44 pm
18 Sep
With the Red Sox fading into the Yankees rear view mirror, many fans are now turning their attention to their cousins across town. Wallace Matthews explores the possibility of a rematch of the 2000 World Series, but with the Mets bringing a much more improved arsenal of weapons in today's Newsday.
may remain the enemy, but the players know better. Now the only rivalry
left for the Yankees is strictly intracity. Boston no longer is a
threat. Flushing, however, is.
Going into today's action, the
Yankees and Mets are separated by a half-game for baseball's best
record, but you don't need the standings to confirm what your eyes can
see. These are the two best teams in the game, and barring an early
October collapse by either one, they should meet again in the World
Series.
But this time, the Mets come in with the same
credentials as the Yankees. Both teams can hit the cover off the
baseball. Both teams are unsure about the back ends of their starting
rotations and have concerns about their bullpens. Neither has won a
thing in the 21st century.
And unlike the 2000 Mets, who
magically found themselves in the World Series after someone else - the
St. Louis Cardinals - knocked off perennial nemesis Atlanta for them,
the 2006 Mets have proven their case as the class of the National
League, no matter how long it is taking them to close the deal.
There is no Benny Agbayani in their starting outfield this time around,
no Little Mikey Bordick at shortstop. This is a real team with MVP
candidates whose claims are every bit as legitimate as Jeter's.
For too long, the Mets toiled in the shadow of the Braves and the
Yankees were consumed with the specter of the Red Sox. This year, the
Mets left Atlanta behind and for the time being, the Yankees have
shaken the Red Sox off their ankles. Finally, they have only each other
to worry about.
Now that sounds like a rivalry worthy of a word like eternity.
The New York papers today jumped all over this one, so I felt it would be an interesting topic to share.
number that no one else in the American League will have,” Ortiz,
Boston's designated hitter, told The Boston Globe. “But they'll vote
for a position player, use that as an excuse.
“They're talking about Jeter a lot, right? He's done a great job,
he's having a great season, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an
RBI guy. It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ballclub; the
bottom line is, the guy who hits 40 homers and knocks in 100, that's
the guy you know helped your team win games.
“Don't get me wrong - he's a great player, having a great season,
but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup. Top to bottom, you've got a
guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be.”
Gotta hand it to Papi, he's not afraid to speak his mind, but I think he may have put his foot in his mouth. Jeter responded.
“I don't have to do it in his lineup,” he said.
“I'm not thinking about winning the MVP. We're talking about winning
the division. No one's focus here is on individual awards. We still got
something to play for this season.”
Ortiz is hitting .288 with 48
homers and 127 RBI. Jeter is hitting .346 with 13 homers and 91 RBI as
a No. 2 hitter. He is also having one of his best seasons at shortstop.
Jeter said it wasn't his place to debate who deserves the award.
“It's
always lovely, nice, to hear your name mentioned when people talk about
those kind of things,” he said. “But to be honest with you, I'm trying
to win a division.
“I just go out and try and play every day,
help the team win. Whether that's getting a hit, bunting a guy over,
hitting a ground ball to second, making a play, stealing a base — it
doesn't really make a difference.”
Jeter is right to stay out of the fray, it really is more about winning and making the postseason, something Ortiz may be feeling the heat from and the frustration of being edged out of an MVP once again despite putting up ridiculous offensive numbers. I'm just happy this kind of debate isn't happening over in Flushing. Howard may win MVP because of his breakthrough season, but we're happy to have a couple of MVPs of our own in Beltran and Reyes.
Staten Island Little League Boss Rips Yankees
Posted by Anthony De RosaAugust 22, 2006 at 5:27 pm
22 Aug
USA Today reports that Staten Island Little League president Bob Johnson went after George Steinbrenner and Alex Rodriguez for what he felt was some kind of hand out he and his team were entitled to simply because they play little league in the same city as the Bombers.
“For Steinbrenner, $5,000 is throwing dollar bills in the air,” he told the paper.
But Johnson reserved ire for Rodriguez, baseball's highest-salaried player, too.
“Everything
counts, don't get me wrong, but it's disappointing. And A-Rod, he plays
$1,000 a hand in poker, he might as well throw $1,000 in our dugout. I
don't want Steinbrenner's money. I want A-Rod's money. He's making $20
million a year,” Johnson told the paper.
Johnson contacted the Mets as well, but received no response.
Stadium, the Post reported, and according to Mets VP Dave Howard, would
do so again.
“Once they finish their trip, we would be happy to honor them
appropriately for their terrific accomplishment,” he told the Post.
In today's New York Daily News, Bob Raissman's comments on Michael Kay losing it on 1050 ESPN radio, when someone told him it was poor baseball etiquette to mention a no hitter or perfect game was in progress. In case you missed it, Deadspin has the audio.
He also makes some funny comments regarding Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on WFAN going off about how Jose Reyes got a raw deal on his contract, suggesting Chris and his partner Mike Francesa compare their own WFAN contracts on the air.
Sphere: Related ContentMike Vaccaro in The New York Post outlines how the Mets have saved themselves several years of payroll expense by locking in Jose Reyes at a discount until 2010.
Yankees when their core group of stars inched closer toward free
agency. The Yankees have done little wrong in the past dozen years, but
one place where they were regrettably lacking was in being this
pro-active. It cost them probably $50 million extra when they finally
signed Bernie Williams, maybe as much as $100 million when Derek
Jeter's mega-deal was finally complete.
As a result of the bloated contract they were
forced to give Jeter, the Yankees will pay their shortstop almost as
much this year - $21 million if you include the pro-rated signing bonus
- as the Mets will pay Reyes from 2007-10. By any measure, that's a
damn good value. Especially when you consider that Reyes is the nerve
system that has driven so much of the Mets' success this year.
The
Mets' on-field success had already justified much of the Mets' new
decision-making policies. Taking this step with this player only
solidifies it. If you're a cornerstone Met, you now understand the club
realizes how important you are to the franchise's future. That's good
news for Mets fans.
The great Bob Klapisch weighs in on this early eagerly anticipated match up, and the surging Mets…
York. The Mets rule the National League, if not the city itself, while
the Yankees are losing just as often as they win in April.
Sure, it's a dozen or so games, a small sample. But here's more
proof of how upside-down the world feels. While the Mets are off to
their best start ever, the Braves had the major leagues' highest ERA
until John Smoltz
beat the Padres on Saturday night. Even now, only the Pirates have
allowed more runs in the National League. It's enough to make you think
a revolution is being hatched, and what better time to test this theory
than now.
Read it all here.
Sphere: Related Content
Mike Celizic pens a great piece about the Mets taking back the town on MSNBC.com…
with superstars for the Mets to overtake them in the attendance race.
But the pinstripes aren’t so good that they can smother the roar that
can rise from Shea if the Mets start another of their gotta-believe
seasons. And if the best team Steinbrenner’s money can buy stumbles,
the Mets will take over the town.
It’s happened before. And if ever there were a year when it could happen again, this looks like it.
Read it all here.
Sphere: Related ContentSteinbrenner On Mets : "They're All Right"
Posted by Anthony De RosaApril 14, 2006 at 3:08 pm
14 Apr
Steinbrenner on the surging Mets, from Newsday.com…
The Mets may have the best record in baseball at 7-1, but George Steinbrenner isn't impressed.
Asked after yesterday's 9-3 Yankees win what he thought of the
crosstown rivals, The Boss said, “They're all right. We'll be ready for
them.”
Something tells me they're ready for your team too. See you next month, George.
I don't normally like to talk about the Yankees here but I thought it was worth mentioning that the New York papers are finally taking notice of the potential of the Mets to have a special season. The type of season that puts them in the forefront of the city's consciousness. The type of season that turns the tide to a time when the Mets were the biggest, baddest team in New York. Kevin Kernan of The New York Post envisions the Mets becoming the talk of the two team town….
“Look at the history of it. [Wagner] had the song
before Mariano [Rivera] had it and to me, Yankee history is Yankee
history. It has nothing to do with the song, that's for sure. It's
really laughable to me.” - Willie Randolph
That comment shows how far the Mets have come. They have not
allowed themselves to be drawn into an idiotic fight over “Enter
Wagner.”
The season is only five games old, but the Mets have set a team tone.
Read the entire article here.
David Wright has the right idea, from the NY Post, by way of Metsblog.com….
“We expect to beat everybody every night…It doesn't matter who's on the hill…
“I
think that kind of swagger, that kind of attitude, is necessary. We
understand that it's going to be really tough to go 161-1 over the
course of the year, but we expect to do it.”
Wrights comments resonate with those of Davey Johnson, on the morning of February 26, 1986, the first day of mandatory spring training workouts. Davey gathered his troops and made the following declaration…
Davey's call to arms was more direct and had a hint of ego, calling out his main rival. Wright is beginning to exert his leadership in his own way. The common thread is that they both believe this is their year, and nothing will stop them from taking what is rightfully theirs.
Sphere: Related Content
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