As Matthew noted early this morning, Joba Chamberlain plunking Jason Bay following both his home run and Joe Girardi's threats on Monday was a pretty provocative act. Not provocative enough for some, including the Daily News' John Harper, who after passing mention of the bullpen's issues, homes in on what he feels is the bigger problem:
Or maybe the Yankees need to get extreme and go looking for a fight. These teams haven't brawled since 2004, when A-Rod and Jason Varitek squared off at Fenway Park. That brawl, remember, turned out to be what some people around the Red Sox thought was a turning point of sorts in The Rivalry, as the Sox soon after got hot and, of course, went on to finally put an end to the Curse of the Bambino that year.
Since then the Red Sox have had the upper hand between these teams, primarily because they've drafted and developed their own players with far more success than the Yankees.
But clearly the Yankees need to start taking it personally.
Yes, clearly the reason the Red Sox have been beating the Yankees so much lately is that the Yankees aren't beaning more guys or picking fights or whatever. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that, as Pete Abraham notes, "The Yankees have 25 players on their roster and you can make a case that 11 of them (Berroa, Pena, Cervelli, Gardner, Robertson, Ramirez, Melancon, Veras, Albaladejo, Hughes and Aceves) may or may not belong in the big leagues at this point." Certainly it has nothing to do with the fact that they've been missing their best hitter all season, a guy who is supposed to be their second or third starter, and now have lost their starting catcher again. It has nothing to do with the fact that their big free agent imports have started horrendously.
No, it's all about sliding with their spikes up and throwing chin music. Once they do that, I'm sure everything will be just fine.
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great points...of course the NY Daily news has never been known for their accuracy or intelligence so no surprise there.
all good points, but also...who on the Yankees looks like they want to ever fight? El Capitan? Georgy juiced one? the Melk man? who would lead that charge out of the dugout?
The Yankees are coming undone. Poor drafting and Player development. Poor management in regards to players saleries, and a-fraud, I mean a-roid, i mean a rod is a cancer that is eating away at the core of the yankees. If I were the yankees, i wouldn't be so worried about the sox, as so much as worring about Toronto or Tampa Bay, looking for that wild card spot, because for the AL East, it is going to be Boston and Toronto duking it out for first.......
Also.......THE CURSE OF THE BIG PAPI IS UPON THE YANKEES.... DIDN'T GET ALL THOSE BURIED SHIRTS OUT OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE........
I couldn't agree more. Your insight is spot-on.
Isn't the curse of Big Papi more like the .200 batting average he has for the Red Sox right now? Guess he stopped taking his steroids.
Before you go on about players salaries Kingo remember the Red Sox were ready to take on A-Rods salary if the players union hadn't blocked it over deferred income and pay almost what the Yankees did for Texiera. THe bar was raised when players like Albert Belle, Kevin Brown, Jay Bell, Barry Zito as examples were signed and none of that was the Yankees doing. You don't think giving a .250 hitter like Bell $34 mill over 5 years raised the salaries for every other infielder worth anything. Blame the Yankees for something that really is their doing but not salaries. I do wonder though would you be calling him A-Roid if the players union hadn't stopped the trade to Boston, A-Rod was ready to go and the deal was very close to being done, but then again you guys booed Wade Boggs after he was dumped for the great Scott Cooper and became a Yankee. You would turn on your own mothers.
bh0673-
Red Sox bidding on ARod and Texiera was just clever way to get the Yankees to overpay. I think it worked.
The Red Sox didn't "bid" on A-Rod, they traded for him. And they actually accomplished that until the Union stepped in and said that A-Rod wasn't allowed to give up some of the money the Red Sox wanted him to. That wasn't a feint, it was real. Hell, the Yanks weren't even thinking about A-Rod at that point because Aaron Boone was still healthy then, and set to play third base for them. It wasn't until he got injured playing basketball in the offseason that the Yanks started looking A-Rod's way.
As for Texiera, again the Yanks weren't even in on him initially. They swooped in at the last minute. And the Red Sox didn't really affect the bidding because both Washington and the Angels were right there with them.
Adam as I said a lot of these sudden fans with red sox muscles don't know the facts. I have nothing but respect for the ones that do. NeeTee obviously has no idea what reality is.
Enough crying Yankee Fans.
the Red Sox lost 2 of their starters Dice-K, as well as Buchholtz, while relying on Beckett who's also been torched, and Penny. Lester hasn't pitched anywhere near as good as last year. They Lost their starting shortstop Lowrey, Drew is always a nagging injury day-to-day, Kotsay, Baldelli, and Varitek as well as Ortiz are hitting around .200, with the later not even close to hitting a home run yet.
It's called scouting and depth; the Yanks don't have it, the Sox do. Simple. While the yankees always go for the Big home-run signing all the time, with nothing to show for it, the sox have built a very well structured organization from the ground up. The Red sox are obviously not a blow-your-doors off team, as from what I just mentioned, but they find a way to win. Again, simple, really.
Um, the Red Sox didn't loose Buchholz, he's down in AAA pitching just fine. The Red Sox didn't even give him a chance to crack the starting rotation because they felt the need to give $5 million to the corpse of Brady Penny.
When did the facts ever matter to a lot of Boston fans.
I think the NY Daily News has the right idea but its part of a bigger problem. The fact that the Yankees haven't brawled is part of a greater problem with our team mentality and our coaching. Torre might be gone, but his dugout mentality and his successor haven't changed. Torre's approach of keeping your emotions at bay and maintaining a silent / serious demeanor works when you have a highly successful winning team. However, when your team is struggling it is the wrong approach.
Instead, the Yankees should be playing with a lot more emotion. Girardi should appear visibily upset instead of hiding it behind his sunglasses and cool demeanor. Players shouldn't talk about being frustrated, they should show it. If Paul O'Neil were still around we would see coolers being tipped over, helmets being thrown and bats being broken. Thats what this team needs more than anything and that is what is going to pull us out of this. Stop playing for the green and start playing mean.
In response to the laughable KingsofRedSoxNation, its intriguing how Sox fans can maintain such a short-term memory in the face of 2 championships in 90 years. Am I supposed to be impressed by that? What I find funny is that if the Red Sox are as successful this century as the Yankees were last century, none of the Red Sox fans alive today will ever see their precious team pass the Yankees in championships. That's gotta be demoralizing; to know that as long as YOU live the Red Sox will never pass the Yankees in terms of success and fame. Chew on that for a while and remind yourself that its only April...
And in response to JackP it has nothing to do with scouting and you are clearly talking out of your ass. Teams all across baseball scout players the exact same way. Every time you bring a player up you're gambling as to whether or not they will be successful. Some will and some won't. The Sox and Yankees have both drafted lots of players and have had equal successes and failures (Pedroia, Papelbon and Cano, Soriano and Cabrera). The only difference has been in the starting pitching and the Sox hardly "drafted" their best pitchers. (Dice K and Beckett weren't exactly rookies.
Spoken like a true Yankee fan Always bringing up the past. The yankees haven't done a thing to speak of since free agency ruined baseball. they have purchased every championship they own. When someone finally became finacially able to compete they made better decisions and now the yankees have mortgated the future for failed immediate success. Enjoy the past as the rest of the world passes through the shrine and keeps beating you.
Spoken like a true Red Sox fan with absolutely zero baseball knowledge.
"The yankees haven't done a thing to speak of since free agency ruined baseball." -MWRF
Um, we've won like 6 championships (3x as many as the Red Sox in the same time period), 8 or so pennants and god knows how many division titles. Get your facts straight before you post, it saves you the embarrassment.
Obviously you've been a Sox fan for no longer than 5 years and have absolutely no knowledge of baseball prior to that. And hello Mr. "pot calling the kettle black" if you're accusing the Yankees of buying championships. Hello Dice K, Beckett and the second highest payroll in baseball by FAR!
Speaking of purchasing World Series, the Red Sox have the record for first AND second most expensive World Series teams, of which their 2004 had only a single home grown player and 24 hired mercenaries.
, Evan Gilchrest is not wrong. Red Sax fans have a very short memory and a history of turning on their own hero's past.
Red Sox really have the 4th highest payroll this year, not the 2nd as stated above.
Plain and simple you can't get what you used to for a half a billion dollars, and billion dollar staduims don't make good ball clubs. Looks like Epstein is lightyears ahead of old Cashman, when it comes to making solid decisions on players. So on an ending note, lets just say this....No Dice-K, A cold bat from Papi and veritek, No Manny or Father Curt Schilling, and as you see OUR REDSOX are 5-0 With to sweeps on the Yankees. Steinbreinner should have used all that money on something useful like a Gold Hip or a Fancy smancy nursing home....Farewell Derek Jeter era. Farewell Curse....Hello this is the future, and it is the BOSTON REDSOX...... Keep Juicing Yankees looks like youll need it after all!!!!!!
It's May 6th make that comment in September.
Wont be a problem. We have effective proven pitchers that unless are on the D/L will be ready to go. Remember we have Beckett, Lester, Dice-k, Wakefield, Penny, Smoltz, Delcarmen, Okajima, and Papelbon that all have positive experience in the post season. Unlike A.J. Burnett who has never pitched in a post season game, or C.C. Sabathia who has a very hefty 6.14 era in divisional series(not to mention his last divisional outing he gave up 5 ER in 3.2 innings of work with a era of 12.27) and his alcs era is 10.45. Joba is reckless, so the only 2 pitchers you have left are Wang, who has been horrible(lest we forget his last start and current era) and pettitte who is your only stable and proven hoss on the staff. and further more a 4 man rotation isnt going to cut it! It doesnt matter who you have on the team and ill say the roster is pretty impressive, will never be effective enough to carry a team past bad pitching. Even if you carry a lead into the 9th Rivera is not the pitcher he used to be. So if you think im full of pinned stripped yankee hatin turds, look at the stats yourself. So im sure ill have no problem repeating my self when the Yanks do 1 of 2 things. 1) miss the post season all together or 2) get sent back to the billion dollar house that Hank built.
Baseball is a long season, injuries, wear and tear can change the dynamics between April and September. The real thing you need to bring back into perspective here is the Yankees are only 3.5 games out. Next week Boston goes to LA and Seattle west coast swings are not easy after facing Cleveland and Tampa, the Yankees stay on the east coast and face Tampa two games, Baltimore and Minnesota and we both face Toronto so we could be looking at a totally different standings in two weeks and the schedual I think favors the Yankees along with the possibility of A-Rods bat back in the line up. So before you raise the pennant and buy play off tickets you may want to wait.
As a life long Yankee fan, it's not easy for me to admit that the Red Sox are just a better team at the moment. 5 wins 0 losses so far vs NY is not a fluke. HOWEVER... it has more to do with the Yankees shooting themselves in the foot, than it does the Red Sox overpowering them. The amount of men left in scoring position by the Yankees is RIDICULOUS!!! The batting practice style of attack of the Bullpen is PATHETIC!!! Another point is the DL... aside from A-rod the doosh, we're missing Xavier Nady, Wang, Bruney, and someone else eluding my memory right now...
As far as a brawl getting something going for them... I don't think it would work if it's pre-meditated like this.. it has to happen naturally... but at this point, I'd give anything a try to get the Yanks feeling hungry and confident again. The Sox have gotten in the Yanks heads, and that is bad.
Girardi should have done something more drastic if the Sox first base coach was in fact tipping off pitch location to the hitters. That was a justified catalyst for a brawl right there.
Lifelong Sox fan here but, a fan who appreciates the game, INCLUDING people like Rivera, Jeter, Posada etc etc. Let's talk age. The Yankees have simply gotten older. It's not the money they've spent but, where and how they spent it. Epstein spent the ranch on Drew. Will it work? Probably not. As he, and many GM's say, you think you made the right decision and blam. It blows up n your face. Where did Youkilis and Pedroia come from? Who could project their success? Yankess have some bad luck, some injuries, some prospects that will make it, some that won't, and an aging team. Comes a day, and ask any player it sneaks up on you, that you can't turn on the fastball. See Rich Gedman.
That is the reason, like last year getting runners in from scoring position is a big problem. Of course I do remember Auguet 2006 Yankees took 5 games from Boston up at Fenway in one weekend and that didn't decide anything listening to most Boston fans either they forgot or have selective memory. It is May 6th not September the Yankees are at .500 3.5 games behind Boston and you guys are already blowing your horns? There are still 13 games between them and a lot of Baseball to play. The next two weeks we both face Toronto so there is a chance Boston or the Yankees could pull ahead and Boston goes out to LA for a west coast swing which could change things. There are other teams in the league I know that may surprise all of you Boston fans pounding your chests.
Furthermore....seems all the yankee fans can say is look at our championships, blah blah blah...you dont hear us say hey we've won 2 since your last one, or better yet since you got A-Rod. Talk about the here and now, not about ages long and gone!!!!FACE IT The yankees are done. Remember they didnt make it to October last year...Or have you forgotten that. Just remember like Old Hanks HR record....the Yanks championship record can and will be beaten!!!!!
I'm a long time Red Sox fan and expect them to do well this year. However, I know the Yankees will come to life and have just as good a shot at the division as my team does. The season is very young and as much as I would be glad to see it happen there is no way Texiera and Sabathia won't end up being worth their contracts. And although I think A-Rod is a jerk...he can hit the ball and will do so soon enough. I don't hate the Yanks as much as some people in Boston do with one exception.....Mr. Chamberlain!! Being frustrated with a pitch call and giving up a home run is never a good reason to throw a baseball at another person. I wonder how Joba would feel if that pitch didn't go where he aimed it and hit Jason Bay in the head???. I'm glad the Sox didn't retaliate it shows they have class
Finally a real live rational sox fan... I'm a life long yankee fan who doesn't actually hate the sox... at least not anwhere near as much as I hate their (typical) fans. As you can see by some of the posts above, they can get very confrontational very quickly... you know like a really insecure short but muscular Italian guy, or a NY Taxi driver of Arabic lineage who's been awake for 3 days straight... real short fuses. And while there absolutely are Yankee fans who act the same stupid way, In my experience, I find the sox fans get nastier, ruder, and if in large drunken groups more prone to violence.
Anyway it was nice to hear a rational sox fan speak some facts instead of typical "yankees suck" BS... thanks for that.
Actually if you really read what a lot of them wrote and the level of intelligence I thought they were just Phillies fans on the wrong Blog.
Thats right cgardner we do refer to our championships since we've won close to 25% of all championships ever. Just because Tiger Woods is struggling this year doesn't mean he's not the greatest golfer ever. Same with the Yankees. It was nice having last post season off for a change. I'm sure Jeter, Posada and the Steinbrenners finally had time to polish all of their shiny rings and trophies.
Evan Give-it-a-rest,
I think polishing their knobs is more like it.....problem is, they still seem to be be doing it during the season.
I won't argue with that. If they relaxed anymore in the dugout they'd be sleeping. Wake up and win games YANKs.
Let's take that inane analogy one step further then. Let's say Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer ever but since his surgery is no longer capable of playing at that level consistently. How exactly is that going to help him win this week? The Yankees are a flawed team as currently constructed. No amount of reminders about their past glories are going to consistently make them play above their capabilities. Those previous titles mean jack once the umpire yells "Play Ball!"
I'm sure that there are young players who step into the Stadium the first time and are a little jittery. But they are not facing Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry or a 26 year old Andy Pettitte. The Celtics were every bit as succesful than the Yankees were in their own sport but until the guys inside the uniforms played at a level comparable to that of their championship winning predecessors, the jerseys and the crowd had little to no effect on the outcome of the games.
"Let's say Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer ever but since his surgery is no longer capable of playing at that level consistently. How exactly is that going to help him win this week?" - Robb Lee
1) If you're going along with my analogy you are admitting that the Yankees are the greatest baseball organization ever. Thanks.
2) How does this week, this year or even this decade mean anything if it represents a TINY sliver of an overall body of work? Do you think Tiger is worried about his legacy if he has a temporary setback due to injury? I doubt it. The Yankees have had trouble recently. They'd have to have trouble for a couple of decades before I'd start to worry about a trend.
You know its impressive that the Yankees have won 26 titles....the last coming in 2000. In the Jeter era there are only for so this team right now has 4 rings. So what he is saying is this team has done impressive things in the past. but over the last 8 years the yankees havent been so hot. So with that said are you ready to look at the here and now or what babe ruth or lou gerig did 60 or more years ago...
the joe we needed is in la. never saw such stupid managerial moves. for starters phil hughes against boston. please. who is setting this rotation. stop the excuses and get a manager who can plan.
We Northern New Englanders sure hope the Yankees get better. There's nothing like a pennant race to make the summer months more enjoyable, and we know the Red Sox will be in one. It's not quite the same without the Yankees.
Agreed... boring as hell without the rivalry firing both teams and fans right up to the end.
Evandently confused:
All the Yankee fans ever talk about is the past. It is irrelevant, Where is the Roman empire today, how is your horse and buggy working? Who cares?, noone is interested in what you did yesterday...you're the past and we are the future, the best you can do is hope. I was thrilled when you resigned A-roid, it was like hanging an albatross around your neck. As long as he's around the Yankees will not win a championship....only nine years to go before things start to turn around, his effectiveness is only beginning to wane. By the way it's May, April ended 6 days ago.
We're the greatest organization in the history of sports BECAUSE of our history. Why not talk about it? Because it reminds you of how grossly unsuccessful your franchise has been. Hell, the Florida Marlins are a better organization than the Red Sox because they've won 2 championships and have been around like 90 less years. It's a sad reality and thats why you guys pretend like baseball was invented 4 years ago. I guess for most sox fans that's when they started watching so your short-term memories kind of make sense.
The Yankee fans are stuck in the past huh? Irrelevant? really? Lets see: who is the reigning AL Champ, the Red Sox? Nope. The Sox won it all in 2007, the past is the past whether its 2 or 9 years ago-its all history. So for 2009, after a total of 26 games (aprox) and 5 weeks, nobody has won anything. The 2 teams play 13 more times and I would at least suggest waiting to Sept to make any stupid predictions about how the Red Sox or the Yankees will end up. Remember its now 26-9 between the 2 teams for championships and I dont believe the Sox will be close anytime in our life.
Evan Gilchrist what you said is hey everyone...BLAH BLAH BLAH.....Like the man said Where is rhe roman empire now....Stop talking about the past and complain about the future. the here and now.
Like I said in a Boston Globe blog yesterday, Joe Girardi is going to end up like the charactor in One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest. You know, the guy who sits in the corner, rocks back and forth, sucks his thumb, and wets himself silly.
The Yankees are an average to slightly above average team, whom I liken to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.. Not bad enough to be completely lousy, but not good enough to be applicable. Personally, as a life long Sox fan, it could not have happend to a better organization.
I will say this, Hank and Hal have destroyed this franchise. If "Don" errr... George were stuill viable, they might not be in this situation.
Go SOX!
STOP THE INSANITY!!!!!!! I am so sick and tired of the Red Sox nation constantly bashing the acheivements of the Yankees and their past accomplishments. What kind of narrow mindedness does it take to say such idiotic things. Greatness is the ability to be the best over the long haul. It is not in the now IT is in the past, moron. A team that is great has been for a long time. You cannot dismiss the longevity of a franchise to stay at the top spot. Steinbrenner did not own the Yankees since they were founded so how can he be the one who bought all the championchips? If the Red Sox keep up the winning ways that they have done in the recent future, they too will have a shot to be a team of the ages. But if they too start to fade into the abyss of mediocrity again, I will bet my life they will bring up the past accomplishments that they are so quick to dismiss of the Yanks. But there is one point that either side can refute. Without either team baseball would just not be as much fun. You need two teams to make a rivalry. Without it, it would be like 162 games of spring training. I do not hate the Red Sox, I am just tired of the fans, who incidentaly were a very quiet few just a few short years ago. Now that there is a couple of world series wins in the past century, it seems fashionable for people to admit they are a Sox Fan. As far as Harvey and his stadium goes, the only thing I still remember about the one game I went there was it smelled like urine and there was a lot of obstructed views. So take some of the cash and clean it up, but don't be an @!$%# like the steinbrenners and price the fans out of the game.
Actually, if you knew anything you would know that Red Sox games are like 39480298409328 more expensive than Yankees games because their stadium only fits like 20 people. Check stubhub if you don't believe me, its a riot.
They have very short memories.
hahahah...Yankees can't even manage their own stadium security yet alone their team. They will soon need a bailout.
Security is run by a separate company and as with anything there are some bad eggs, the fans need to know that they can complain and the Yankees will listen.
The championships are the reason the ticket prices are so high(that and paying for salaries and a new staduim). The Stienbrenners are stuck on the same thing: Championships and recreating greatness. Look at a few years back the Yankee players were on and off the D/L. Many were Struggling and Slumping more than they had in the past. What happened. They let one of the best managers leave and go to Los Angeles. And look what has happened. The Yanks are struggling and The Dodgers Are Kicking you know what and taking names. You can't build greatness with bad Development and GM Decisions, expect to be great like so many years past, and blame Torre. In my opinion, as a redsox fan, Cashman should have been fired. and a new upper managment team taken over. The key for the yankees isn't signing tex or sabathia. its building a farm system, developing players within the organization, and letting them become the future of the club. Like we have with pedroia, ellsbury, lester, Papelbon, and youkilous. Not signing big players with big contracts and no way to fill huge holes in depth.....and most importantly the bullpen
If you take the premium seats out of the equation the average Yankee Stadium ticket is cheaper then Fenway. I sit on Main level and my seats are only $45.00 a ticket what does $45.00 buy you at Fenway? The problem isn't bad development, big contracts or GM decisions it is fire, this team lacks the grittiness and fire that made them champions something the Red Sox currently have. This team is capable of winning it all the question is how badly do they want it and who will light the torch.
I am a Sox fan. I don't hate the Yankees (they did give us Elston Howard in"67") but if their fans want to revel in the past then that's their problem because it's not helping rght now and that's all that really counts. After all Boston fans have our own dynasty in the Celtics but we're not looking good for the playoffs this year. What really counts is the here and now and Toronto is in first place. Both the Sox and Yankees have issues with injuries right now but the Yankees don't seem to have the quality depth to deal with them. The big ticket new guys for the Yanks really just replaced some pretty good players so I'm not sure the Yankees are really much better than last year. CC will probably end up winning 20 but so did Mussina and he's gone. Giambi put up some pretty big numbers so the upgrade at first is not as significant as one might think. It's very early in the season and I expect both teams to be competitive as the season matures but I'm not sure the Yankees have improved enough to be a real factor in the AL East. Both Tampa and Toronto may be better so starting a fight with just the Sox probably isn't going to help much.
Plain and simple there really hasn't been any real fire in the Yankee Dugout since O'Neill retired. THen again the current Red Sox team isn't the team of days past, gone are Manny, Schilling, Millar and Pedro.
You can be a Sox fan without "hating" the Yankees. When the Red Sox play them, I'm hoping for a sweep. But when it comes down to the last day of the season and the Yanks are one win away from making the playoffs - I'm rooting for them. I WANT to see both teams go head to head in the post season because its damn good baseball. All of this stuff about past championships and whose better in this century and on and on.. .it just seems like a lot of childish posturing on both sides.
So all that said - watching the 5 games this year between the teams - a few things.
I don't see how you replace Torre for Joe G. The questionable calls (pull Joba after striking out 12, and go to a weak bullpen in a tight game? Have your 40 year old catcher with prior leg issues try to steal a base?)
The farm system matters - the biggest differenc I see in the Sox and the Yanks is the depth and use of their farm system. Both clubs have the money to pick up the major components, but the Sox have supplemented with some fantastic home grown talent (Paps, Bucholtz, Elsbury, Lowrie, Delcarman) and have made prudent pickups that have a high potential value for little down payment. (they picked up Baldelli, Smoltz and Penny for about 5 bucks and a cheeseburger - if any of these guys manage to have a break out month or two - the Sox have made their money back)
So yeah -its the money (how many other clubs could have bought Dice K?) but its also the homegrown talent that allows us to focus money on those high priced players, and create the chips we need when trading time comes. Remember, we didn't buy Beckett, we traded for him by giving up H. Rameriz (a top 10 shortstop for a number 1 or 2 starter) AND we were FORCED to take lowell in the deal. You don't have the farm system - you don't get those guys, and you don't win a WS in 2007.
I think the comparisons of the farm system is crap there. Even if you ignore the older homegrown Yanks like Jeter, Mo, Pettitte and Posada, the Yanks have still produced talent from their farm system in recent years like Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Mark Melancon, Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson (who should be up later this year).
And outside of Damaso Marte and Brian Bruney, the entire Yankee bullpen is homegrown. It may not look so hot right now, but that's just some small sample size noise. This is basically the exact same bullpen that was the strength of the team last year when it's collective ERA was in the 3 range. Part of building a bullpen is recognizing that most relievers are extremely inconsistent so depth is key. The Yankees have bullpen depth, the entire AAA bullpen is MLB ready. They just have to sort out who's going to be the guys for this season. That's what April is for.
As for trading farm talent for major league players, they acquired Nick Swisher by trading minor league pitching they will never need, they acquired A-Rod by trading Soriano, a home grown talent.
As for the cheap talent of Baldelli, Smoltz and Penny, they cost more than 5 bucks and cheeseburger, those three players alone cost over $12 million, and that's if they don't reach a single incentive. That $12 million is over 60% of the Florida Marlin's entire roster cost. Most teams could never afford to pay that much for a 4th outfielder, a 5th starter and a swing-man.
Somerville, a very intelligent analysis. Well said. Drives me nuts when fans talk about the greatest is the history blah blah blah.. Yankees were the greatest. Canadiens were the greatest. The Celtics were the greatest. Packers were the greatest. Were would be the operative term. As Pitino said, Bird, Parish and McHale aren't walking in that door. Paul O'Neil isn't walking in the door. Munson isn't walking in the door. Bart Starr isn't. Be proud of history sure, but let it go. It has nothing to to with today or tomorrow Mr. Gilchrist. Of course they were the best. The record is there but it has absolutely nothing to do with the state hey are in today.
bailie when it comes to the referrences to O'Neill I think for most Yankee fans it was the fire and we are not pining his retirement but wishing someone would light a fire under their backsides. They have had no fire since 2001 and the last gasp of fire was 2003 in the great ACLS of that year, after that they have been asleep. I am a Yankee fan since the days of Mantle and suffered through a lot of bad years as well as rejoiced in the victories, but this team needs an O'Neill or someone to light that fire. The current level of play isn't good for anyone expecially the fans on both sides, we all need a pennant race to make the year exciting.
I love the rivalry, without it baseball would be so boring. Seriously though, my gripe with the Yanks is that they just go out and free spend and try to buy every championship. Their behavior is similar to the financial problems that our country has had this year. Instead of cutting back like most teams, they kept spending and spending. Where did that get you? Maybe it is time to stop buying players for $25 million a year and go for depth. It really is shortsightedness views by Cashman and Steinbrenner.
Okay, I will admit their past successes are remarkable. However, get used to seeing the SOX in first place. We have so many more players you Yankees fans have not heard of in our farm that can actually play.
Sox fan go back through the Yankee rosters from 1994 - 2001 the championship years and list all the big name top free agents they got from free spending. Almost every roster in those years was built on trades, farm system and retaining their own free agents even. They courted Cone and Clemens but were out bid and ended up getting both in trades. The first big free agents they went after that panned out were Giambi and Mussina. Lets see how much did Boston pay over the Yankees for the right to talk to Dice-K something like over $20mil more. Remember between the Yankees and Boston they pay enough in revenue sharing and luxury tax to cover several teams.
Gentlemen, lets face it. The Yankee-Redsox rivalry is the best in sports. Idiots who scream Yankees suck, or Red Sox suck are just that. Idiots. Being a fan or buying a seat doesn't give you the excuse to be a fool. You have two teams with money. Not their fault. Sox management squeezes more out of that place and their other revenue streams than many companies. Yes, both are large market teams. Not either ones fault that their fans are passionate. I have no trouble and enjoy debating sports with any intelligent fan. Those that scream so and so sucks, etc, wear the dumb t shirts, are not the ones I want to expose my grandkids to, or my wife. Remember, never argue with stupid people. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with expertise
I agree
Somerville, a very intelligent analysis. Well said. Drives me nuts when fans talk about the greatest is the history blah blah blah.. Yankees were the greatest. Canadiens were the greatest. The Celtics were the greatest. Packers were the greatest. Were would be the operative term. As Pitino said, Bird, Parish and McHale aren't walking in that door. Paul O'Neil isn't walking in the door. Munson isn't walking in the door. Bart Starr isn't. Be proud of history sure, but let it go. It has nothing to to with today or tomorrow Mr. Gilchrist. Of course they were the best. The record is there but it has absolutely nothing to do with the state hey are in today.
Evan Gilchrest is just mad that his team's losing. Roman Empire, Roman Empire, let's go Rome! Don't fall to those annoying and history-less Vandals!
Window you sound as intelligent as a Phillies fan I know they both were red did you get lost?
It's funny when fans try to intellectualize their present anger and indignation into something that seems rational, using past numbers and protracted logic. It's really very basic: The 26-championship Yankees are losing to the Red Sox, who have fared better in the postseason so far this century; many Yankees fans are mad about getting this rubbed in their faces (deep down it must feel like insubordination) and they will fortify the walls of history to prove their point. Which doesn't accomplish anything except the laying of bricks.
I am not intellectualizing wow what a word did you look it up?. I have no anger except at my own team for playing with out any heart. When I look back at Yankee teams of the past there are those I remember fondly and a lot I would love to forget, not as many as you as a Boston fan may wish to forget. Were you mad in 2006 when the Yankees beat Boston five games in Fenway, I didn't count Boston out even then. In 2004 after the Saturday night drubbing Boston took were you mad?, I actually was concerned that that game could wake a sleeping giant and the Yankees had only one game to win it all, even with a 3 games to 0 lead in that series I was worried. There are 13 more games to play and we both have to contend with Toronto and Tampa so I find your glee very short sighted. The Red Sox are playing better they have more fight ok it takes one match to light a fire and we still have 5 months to go a lot can change enjoy the war not the battles.