Topic: Yankees Baseball

How do you solve this riddle?  There is not fool-proof solution but one of them is listening to those legions of butt kissers (scouts) and make up your mind NOW and decide where this guy fits better and go long term with the solution. He’s a starter? Fine let him start and give him a couple of years to prove himself and keep him away from all the pressures that playing in NY involves.

He’s a future closer? Fine then on he goes to the bullpen where he remains until Mariano grows old and ineffective because HE WILL one day soon) and stop being quasi-sentimental about it. If he (Joba) is bright as they say he’ll make the best of the opportunity given to him if not we should have the replacement ready and forget about the feel good aspect of the story.

This is business and we should be in the business of making sound decisions that would benefit the team short, medium and long term  that’s why the decision to keep Kevin Long just because he’s under contract really suc&s.

Take a page from the Sux they have a formidable team not only because they have better scouts, better GM, better talent evaluators other than scouts (and all the beatching in the world by Hank is not going to change that) but also they treat their team as business they are in the business of putting a highly competitive team on the field (instead of just saying they do) regardless and they are not sentimental about it. If a players needs to be dumped and his salary absorbed they do it; if a player is popular but needs to go he’s gone and screw the tabloids; is a player is immensely popular but he got old he’s gone.

We keep hiring those cast offs and holding on to old not so great players like Bernie and Giambi, because they were close to Torre’s heart or A-rod because he fooled Hank at the right time after doing the unthinkable (and A-rod’s problems are just starting but nobody in the organization wants to say it or do anything about it), Jeter is getting old and slow but everybody keeps talking about his leadership skills which he claims they do exist “behind closed doors” conveniently away from prying eyes. Then we wonder why we're no longer a true powerhouse in the ALEast Division   . . . . . . . .    the truth is everybody has a pretty good idea as to why.

My opinion is Joba’s mechanics and the violent jerky motion of his delivery (not my opinion actually but what I’ve have read about other teams’ scouts) doesn’t look well for a starter (how many Tommy Johns can he take?) and if Mgmt decides he should be a closer (future one)  . . . . .  fine  . . . . .   send him to the pen let him grow and take your chances with him. Stop acting like panicky jerks and leave the guy alone in the pen; you look like perfect idiots when you keep jerking the guy’s chain (and ours) every time a starter goes down and the end result is what you’re beginning to have: “DUI in Nebraska” and it could get worse, he’ll talk his way out of this but it could get worse and by then we’ll be screwed.

He’s no superstar like Mantle was    . . . . .   only in the drinking dept.

Put him either in the rotation or in the pen and forget about him he’s no Lester not by far completely different make up and he’s not Papelbone not yet    . . . . .  .    So what are we left with?   Good question    no easy answers.

Off the field he’s a party guy like Cano and Cabrera or Mantle but we don’t give a shiit about the feel good aspect of our players not off the field when they’re partying. The welfare of the team is far more important and we’re in the business of building a steady winning team whether you want to call it a dynasty or a consistent winner is up to you but a perennial contender just the same.

We have the resources, the priciest ticket in sports, tabloids who feel they are entitled (more so than fans) and we haven’t won crap in ages (in Yankee terms 8 years qualify as ages) and the Sux have the money, the savvy and dirty tricks to confuse Cashman and company and they are beating us to it and it doesn’t look good for the next few years either. So we need to be better than good almost better than great otherwise our motto will be “there is nothing wrong with coming up second” and A-rod will probably add “as long as I keep bringing my A swing to the plate”   . . . . . . .    Oh yes we do have this clown on the roster for another 9 more years  . . . . . .

Talk about a nightmare.       

Look at the Sux: they found Kotsay, Bay, Byrd, Casey, Drew when they needed them and I don’t need to tell you about all the young players who came up and performed well. People don’t even talk about Buchholz anymore because they have other arms and players doing well in the Majors that Buccholz became a moot point. Was that a coincidence? I’ll let the Brass in Tampa explain that.

All we had was Mussina's beautiful 20 game season and he almost didn’t make it because A-rod was so nervous about his date with Brady that it almost didn’t happen.

Now this $28 mil. white elephant is going to be busy with his outside business ventures that he’ll barely have time for the team so $28 more Mil. will go to waste.  Talk about a $300 Mil. nightmare coming soon to a gym near you.

Congratulations to the best team in baseball in 2008: The Philadelphia Phillies.

Now Matthews can go and say he picked them back in March to win it all. That Monday morning QB of the local tabloids.

What is it that I read in the local tabloids which has already reached SI under truth and rumors?

Mussina HAS said he was leaning towards retirement.

Wait just up!

I remember that series of statements and he (Mussina) indeed said that he wanted to savor the moment because it was a very special one after a very special and hard season and he wanted to look back and enjoy it accompanied by his family and that he was going to take a break and have a well deserved rest. But he added: “300 (wins) would be nice” “But if I return for one (year) I might as well do it for three”

Nowhere did I read: “I’m retiring and that's final.”

Mussina said he was going to weight in his options but he also said: “If the team wants me back   . . . . .    That would be nice.

Where did it read he’s definitively retiring   . . . . .   retards?

The tabloids are overjoyed with all those millions coming off the books and that it’s swell and mentioning all those great names (on paper) is also great, why not?

In case you’re wondering whether Nick Swisher might help the Yankees next season    . . . . . .  .   The answer is YES.  I’ve been a fan of Swisher since his Oakland days and I think his numbers in 2009 will resemble his 2006 and 2007 seasons more than his 2008. This season was an aberration and the fact that Swisher was playing for that ball breaker Ozzie Guillen.

His stats are bound to improve considerably specially that precious OBP.

The timing is great because it gives the Yankees some breathing room and allows them to concentrate on starting pitching and at the same time it helps keep Boras ever so honest (if that’s possible) on Teixeira.

Mussina did the right thing. First he played last season a very intelligent and productive game and reinvented himself to obtain that 20-win-season that had eluding him all his career lucky for us it happened last season and we surely enjoyed. We wish him a great life accompanied by his family and thanking him for his personal contribution to the team’s results. We didn’t win any WS during his stay with the team    . . . .   nobody is perfect and we came very close in 2004 and that shouldn’t bother him he did great by us and that’s what matters he sort of let that show in his last year and we (some of his harshest critics at other times) warmed up to him and justly praised him for his efforts and gallantry.

He was a true Cardinal to very end of his career and that’s something we’ll always remember. Now we have to chug along one game at a time without him and let Karma take care of itself.

Knowing there won’t be many 300 win-pitchers in the foreseeable future we know the Moose will one day join the baseball hall of fame without a doubt. As Damon has stated it Moose played all his professional life in the toughest division in baseball and that would make an excellent argument comes voting time.

Family and health should always come first. Enjoy your new life Mussina and thanks for those great moments they were worth our while.