Perfectly said. Sorry Red Sox fans (but not really).
There are players whose life long dream is to play for the Yankees, if Pettitte is happy moving out of the Penthouse so be it.
There are people who bleed pinstripes, guess he wasn't one of them.
His loss.
Mmmm. Careful with Brownie, Yankee fans. Speaking as a Dodger-lover since Steve Sax was tossing routine throws to first into the stands, I can tell you that when he's on, Kevin Brown is one of the best pitchers I've seen in Blue, Hershiser and Valenzuela notwithstanding. On the other hand, he's also been one of the most fragile.
If he starts 30, he's actually a /bargain/ at $15 mil. But take a gander at 2001 and especially 2002. Ouch.
Another potential problem- watch out for those ground outs. I know you folks love Jeter, but let's be fair- he's a defensive liability. And Brownie gets an awful lot of his outs on the infield grass.
What I'd be interested in hearing is who you think will be those two prospects set to come out to LA are... and if they're worth Dem Bums sending Brown's upside to the East.
I wish I could share your enthusiasm. I remember the 15 years of losers parading through Yankee Stadium shortly after the the loss of Reggie to the Angels. I also remember all the talent that was traded away for those same losers. I think we're in for a repeat.
What's going on between the Yankees and Boston is ridiculous. I would much rather see them retool the farm system and bring up more Jeters and Riveras. As much as I respect guys like Giambi, Mussina and now Vasquez, I feel no attachment to them at all. The idea of getting losers like Sheffield just to combat moves made by Boston is ridiculous and should be beneath this team. Who cares if Boston wins? I would much prefer another 26 rings over one season of Boston.
If King George had just spent a minute to tell Andy how much he meant to the team, Pettitte would still be there in the playoffs pitching well when so many other Yankee starters struggle under the playoff pressure. There wasn't a better big game pitcher in pinstripes the last 5 years than Andy.
And Kevin Brown? He's had more injuries than the top 10 Hollywood stunt men combined. Last year was his first in three seasons that he hit at least 20 starts. And I hope you're not using ERA as a comparison between American and National league pitchers, there's a huge difference.
There's a chink in that Yankees armor (hell, there's many, Florida proved that). Why were the Yankees so anxious to dump Soriano? Because his defense is terrible! Do the Yankees really think Giambi will play 120 games at first? Nick Johnson won't be filling in anymore. Jeter's bat has mysteriously disappeared. And do you think Mussina/Vasquez can really compete with Pedro/Schilling?
Sure, the Yanks will make the playoffs. The spend enough to insure that. But making the playoffs are into (remember Anaheim or Florida?). And this year, more than any, Boston isn't going to roll over.
Besides, whoever manages to make it out of the AL will just lose to my beloved Phils in the Series ;-)
Um... at the end there, I meant to say "They spend enough to insure that. But making the playoffs is not enough."
CJ-
I'm not saying Brown's going to be The Savior in NY, but I think you're being just a little quick to dismiss him. There is a league effect in ERA, sure, but I don't think its going to be as debilitating for Brown as you may believe.
Batters a not-fully-healthy Brown faced in '03 posted a pretty meager .236 BA, and an anemic .294 OBP. By way of comparison, NYY's best starter with more than 300 BF was Mussina, posting a .238 BA and .275 OBP. I think we'll see that the two are fairly comparable, and you'll see similar production from Brown as from Mussina.
I recognize the argument for a pitcher's park (Chavez Ravine) vs. a batter's park (Yankee Stadium), but that mainly affects long-ball-out pitchers- a la Jeff Weaver or Roger Clemens, not infield grounder guys like Moose and Brownie. Brown's history from '86 to '94 in Texas- another hitter's park- further supports that, with ERAs ranging around 3.50. I see no reason to expect that to degrade further- barring another health breakdown for the old warhorse.
vasquez: unproven commodity in a pressure market. didn't you hear the same tune about jeff weaver...?
Contreras: seems like he has some hot stuff, but i can picture this dude flaming out in 2-3 years. He is probably a better reliever since he can pitch 96mph more consistently that way. He sucked as a starter last year. sorry.
Kevin Brown: please...this guy is hurt more than pedro. what yankee fans now have is their own pedro martinez. you'll be reading columns all year about how the yankees need to save him for september or "brown will miss next start due to inflamed back"
Mike Mussina: solid pitcher, but not a big game one. seemed to had disappeared during the ALCS. He's not tough enough for NY. Baltimore was the place for him.
John Lieber: hasn't pitched in 1 1/2 years. Think he'll immediately come back and win 20 games? ha! He was lucky even when he did...
David Wells: old, fat insurance policy in the minors...with a bad back.
Gary Sheffield: Malcontent who was playing for his last big contract last year...and he'll get it from Steinbrenner. So now you'll be hearing rants from sheff when the going gets tough and how the yanks will have him on the trading block.
Jason Giambi: News flash! he can't play first base, his body is digenerating more rapidly than ronald reagan, and his hitting is following suit.
Alfonso soriano: how many times did he strike out in the playoffs last year? its telling that nobody wants him in a trade, a bad sign for someone so young and supposedly talented.
how the sox stack up-----
pedro + brown= a wash
schilling = proven winner, durable barring freak injuries
lowe = consistent, clutch (see 2003 playoffs)durable
wakefield = consistent, durable, clutch (see 2003)
but the sox will probably lose anyways, so why'd i write all that? Just as long as the yankees finish 2nd.
How hard could it be to be the Gm of the Yankees? Seriously, any 13 year old kid who is a fan of the sport can do the job. You have an owner that wants to win at all costs, you have the #1 market in the league, and you have the history of the Yankees behind you.
It's such a shame. Baseball really needs to look at basketball and football to try and understand that a salary cap is not the worst thing in the world. King George and court jester Cashman would never survive if given the restraints of the salary cap......
Excellent point about bringing up the home-grown kids -- Petitte, Soriano, Jeter. People who say the Yanks are just a team of mercenaries bought by free-spendin' Admiral George are wrong.
But ... what other team in baseball could afford to KEEP all those stars? If developing talent were the only side of the ledger, the Expos would have been Series contenders every year since 1995. The criticism that the Yankees' inflated payroll is the only thing keeping them in contention is wrong, but the payroll does have an awful lot to do with it.
No matter which way you slice it, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins of the world can develop all the talent they like (Lieber, Knoblauch) but as soon as the kids make good, someone with deeper pockets is going to sweep in -- a Yankees, or a Dodgers or a Red Sox.
The Dodgers fail because they have the money (Rupert) but not, apparently, the brains. The Expos, before MLB took them over, failed because they had some good brains in the front office, but no money to hold on to their Pedros and Units and such. The Yankees have succeeded by blending money and brains.
In a perfect world, perhaps, the money would play a lesser role and the teams that can develop the talent or make astute trades for it -- Yankees included -- would be the best teams.
As long as the Yankees' deep pockets mean that they have more ability to hold on to their own talent -- and increase the disparity by raiding less fortunate teams' farm systems -- I'm afraid that the "Damn Yank free spenders" stereotype, while it doesn't tell the whole story, will be too close to the truth for anyone's comfort.
It took 30 years, but I finally understand how the other half — OK, the other 90% — feels, having my favorite baseball team lose a player in his prime and get nothing in return.
Perfectly said. Sorry Red Sox fans (but not really).
Posted by joe at December 11, 2003 11:33 PM