I love Joe Torre a lot and have no ill feelings towards him or his success in L.A. But let's be realistic, the Dodgers are making the playoffs because of one reason and one reason ONLY: Manny Ramirez

Let's hope Manny hits the FA market and we can snag him. He said he wanted to play in pinstripes. Let's make it happen. Trade either Damon or Matsui, and put Manny in left field.

Immediately it solves a lot of the offensive woes this team has. His defense, while below average, can't be any worse than Matsui's was with his knee problems.

I'm more concerned with our two albatrosses and how they'll play next year - Posada and A-Rod. As you know, I was vociferously against resigning Posada, and as it is signs are he may never play catcher again, which means we just inked a DH for the next 3 years. With Manny, it could help relieve stress off of A-Rod, because we know his fragile ego can't handle hitting with RiSP.

If you do that, I'm assuming you put Nady in right? Also, we know the Yankees are going to go after CC hard but if they sign CC and Manny, you think they still go after Teixera?

I've also heard rumblings that the Mets may go after K-Rod. They need it as their bullpen has blown I believe 29 games this year (most coming as of late which is when they can afford it the least).

Nady is going to be in right field no matter what. The Yankees will not bring Abreu back, 100%, guaranteed. He wants too many years and too much money for absolutely abhorrent defense and a questionable work ethic. He did manage to perform well on offense but I think Nady, with a full year in pinstripes, should be able to better that.

And I think the Yankees are going to unload the warchest. Clearly, they'll go hard after Sabathia, no doubt, he's their biggest target. They'll offer him substantially more money than any other team. They want him bad. If Sabathia - who really wants to play on the West Coast - does not sign, they go down a notch to Sheets and Burnett. The problem is that obviously both are injury prone and thus, don't really solve the problem of having a durable ace.

I don't think Teixiera is hitting the market in earnest. The Angels are having too much success to let him get away. Even though he will, with Boras as his agent, end up as an FA, I think the Angels are going to snag him back.

If the Angels get to the World Series this year, K-Rod will stay with Los Angeles. But I would not be surprised to see Minaya go apeshit on another Latin player and sign K-Rod for an exorbitant deal. Not only would he be someone who is not named "Billy" or "Wagner," he'll be uber-effective in the NL East.

And irrelevant. And silly. And embarrassing.

When you finish third in your division, you have no business crying about not making the postseason.

Well, I just referred to Hank as an asshole, but I'm not quite the gentleman that you are, Klyd. Still, I think we fundamentally agree on this topic.

Too bad that it proves his point - the third place team in the AL East still has a better record than the division champs of the NL West...and most of the other clubs in the other league.

It's not embarrassing at all. It's great.

Greater than making the postseason?

I agree that the AL East is more talented than the NL West, but differences in talent among divisions and leagues are subject to change. The goal of winning championships is not.

By the way, I don't think the Yankees would have any success in the NL. They wouldn't have a pitching staff left if the pitchers had to run bases.

Let's watch Wang run around the bases! Oops! There goes our pitching ace - out for the season!!

Klyd, I'm a big fan of the Yankees, and I have to agree with what you've said here. The Boss was known for blasting away in the press, but he was at least honest about putting the blame on the team. Hank and Hal just seem like snotty whiny crybabies.

How long has there been AL dominance in interleague play? Since it began? The point is that teams in the NL are getting into the playoffs with mediocre records. He's just qualifying it for all the folks who inevitably will pull out the "Torre magic" card.



Hal barely talks to the media. I'm wondering where you got this asinine impression from, considering it's obvious he's the one behind the scenes running the team.

Wow, Chris Britton sucks. I watched the final 3 outs because I knew with a Boston lost they'd be playing the Angels in the first round. Britton went 1 inning, gave up 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout and threw 37 pitches against Boston's B team!

I hadda laugh.... even though the Sox were down by 11 runs, the Yanks had to get somebody warming up in the bullpen. Britton didn't look good at all.

I posted this in June on interleague play. As I recall, the NL had an advantage in IL play until about 2002. I can't be sure.

My only point is that Hank is so hung up on Torre that he feels the need to try to diminish the accomplishments of the Dodgers to justify his team's failure this year.

I don't have the final stats, but the AL certainly won the lion's share this year. The AL had a bigger gap between their top teams and bottom teams whereas I thought the NL had a larger middle class, if you will.


Originally Posted By: SC
Originally Posted By: klydon1
The team with the best interleague record this year? The Kansas City Royals at 10-3.


And the team with the worst interleague record? (First place) Philadelphia.

EDIT: I take that back... it's the Giants. Never mind.

[/Emily Latella]



A couple of other Interleague facts:

Through 2007 the AL has an advantage of 1387-1317. The NL won the head-to-head in 1997 (the first year), 1999,2002 and 2003.
Coming into this season, the Yankees have the best interleague winning pct. overall at .589, followed by the A's .582, the Marlins .565, and the Twins and Mariners at .552.
The Pirates (through 2007) have the worst interleague pct. at .377 while the Orioles have been worst in the AL at .409.
Also, after the 2007 season the best batting avg. in interleague belongs to Michael Young (.347), Thome leads in homers with 53 and Ramirez led with 139 RBIs. The overall RBI lead may have changed as Delgado finished 2007 with 138 career RBIs and ARod had 137.
Mussina led in wins with a 20-12 record and Johann Santana had the best ERA at 2.27 through '07. Rivera had a big lead in saves with 53.

Wow, congrats to Moose. 39-years-old, he finally gets 20 wins in a year and he had a 3.37 ERA all-year in the mighty AL Where would the Yankees have been without him this year?

Fourth place.

True, but it's ok. I'm so glad Tampa won the AL East because now Anaheim will knock Boston out of the playoffs

Cashman wants to return to Yankees

While Brian Cashman remained mum about his future, the buzz smothering the Yankees' universe yesterday focused on the GM telling the Steinbrenner family he wants to return. An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow. "Sooner than later," Cashman said with a smile when asked about reaching a decision. Hal Steinbrenner, who wants Cashman back, hasn't made an offer. However, there are indications Cashman could tell Steinbrenner he wants to return and negotiate later. With Hank Steinbrenner fading from the picture, Hal has been in touch with Cashman more than his older brother. Cashman and Hal work very well together and Hank hasn't been involved in meetings with Hal and Cashman and his involvement has decreased.

Source: SI

Yankees agree to three-year deal with GM Cashman

NEW YORK -- Brian Cashman figures he has more work to do with the New York Yankees. After a sustained run of success, he wasn't about to leave on the heels of a failed season.

Cashman is staying on as general manager of the Yankees, agreeing Tuesday to a three-year contract that runs through 2011.

"I've got a job to finish here," Cashman said in a statement. "That's the bottom line."

New York missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 1993. Cashman took over as GM in 1997 and his current deal was set to expire at the end of October.

He was expected to re-sign, especially after Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner told Cashman earlier this season that the team wanted him back. But there had been rumblings that Cashman might be interested in running another club -- perhaps one without such a vocal, hands-on ownership group.

"I consider coming off a season where we didn't reach the playoffs for the first time since 1993 as a personal challenge. I've never been one to run from a challenge, and I look forward to having the chance to go after this thing again," Cashman said. "It's an incredible opportunity and honor to hold the title of general manager for the New York Yankees. With it comes a great responsibility to ownership, the people who wear the uniform and our fan base."

He has plenty of work to do. Beset by injuries, a mediocre pitching staff and a disappointing offense, New York (89-73) finished third in the AL East this season, six games out of playoff position.

Cashman was criticized for turning down a deal that could have brought ace Johan Santana to the Yankees last winter. He chose instead to stick with a plan of valuing young players, but it backfired when pitchers Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy combined to go 0-8 and failed to stay healthy.

New York is expected to make a strong push for several stars who can become free agents, including ace CC Sabathia. First baseman Mark Teixeira and pitchers Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe could be targets, too.

"Before we could move forward as an organization this offseason, we needed to come to a resolution on the person who would hold the important position of general manager and allow us to make another run at a 27th world championship," co-chairmen Hank and Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. "We are thrilled that Brian has accepted to renew his commitment to this organization for at least three more years."

The Yankees could have nearly $90 million in salaries coming off the books. Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu and Ivan Rodriguez are unsigned for next season, and center field is an uncertainty.

"Brian has shown throughout his Yankees career that he has the dedication, integrity and know-how needed to perform -- and succeed -- in this environment," the Steinbrenner brothers said. "Having him in place allows us to begin an offseason of hard work, and we are pleased he will be working hand-in-hand with us to bring the New York Yankees back to the postseason."

A news conference was planned for Wednesday morning at Yankee Stadium.

Souce: ESPN

Good news, as far as I'm concerned. Teixiera isn't leaving LA - he needs to find another option at first base. They can carry Melky in center field if the rest of the team produces - he's still a stellar defensive player. Dump either Damon or Matsui and sign Manny if he is available. Sign two of Sabathia, Burnett, and Sheets. Sign another lower tier veteran pitcher. Bring back Mussina.

It's not a hard formula. It just requires balls.

Brian Hasn't-Won-a-Thing Cashman. Maybe he'll bring in some more good pitchers like Randy Johnson or Kevin Brown. Oh yeah, and who can forget Carl Pavano and Mr. Statistic Compiler Alex Rodriguez.

He hasn't done a thing, except (just this year alone) Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, etc. etc. etc.

It's amazing the quality of talent that is allowed to grace the team when Cashman actually gets control.

I'll give Cashman this, he got A-Rod from Texas and still had them pay a sizeable portion of his contract until he opted out of it last year. Plus as DJ said, Nady, Marte, etc.

Not only that but when the Diamondbacks wanted Jorge Posada included in a trade for Randy Johnson he didn't budge and still got the Big Unit. Now, how affective he was is left for interetation but the man can make good trades and usually not give up a lot in return.

Time will still tell whether holding onto Hughes, Kennedy, and Melky instead of getting Johan Santana was a wise decision or not.

It wasn't, in my opinion. But that's because of hindsight. Hughes is still going to develop into a decent pitcher (whether he'll be the ace as projected, I doubt. I think he could be a solid #3 or #2 at best, which isn't bad...he can be the next Pettitte I'd take that). Kennedy is done. The kid just does not seem to have the mental/physical capacity to convert his game from the minors. It's like he loses all faith in his stuff, dances around the corners, and then throws a meat pitch.

Melky I like a lot but I know he is not a favorite with the organization. To an extent, I think he earned the role of scapegoat for the offensive woes, but in my opinion, nobody should expect Melky to be more than a decent #9 hitter (which he is). His defense in center - something we haven't had since Bernie in his prime - balances the scales. So I'm glad we kept him.

Also, don't forget that part of the deal also included Austin Jackson, the Yankees #1 outfield prospect. If he is any good, we might see him next year; he should be playing AAA ball this season and if he stays on his current path, could really make some noise.

Even with his injuries, Randy Johnson was still a very good pitcher for this team. His wins totals were definitely something we could have used since he's been gone. And considering that one of the parts we dealt for him was Dioner Navarro - aka our former stud catching prospect who was the heir to Posada and is now on the playoff Rays - it is one of those deals where it's a shame we didn't hold onto him, imho.

How about Humberto Sanchez? You think he could make an appearance at the major league level next season? I know they used him late in the season in the bullpen but I wonder if they'll make him a starter next year?

Bullpen. He'll be a setup man. I don't think his conditioning is going to let him be much more than a reliever, in my opinion.

You think they'll permantely leave him as a reliever or they'll try to work him into a starter a la Joba?

He had Tommy John. I think they'll try to build up his arm and stamina by seeing how he deals with a reliever role. He has the body of a starter (6'6, 235+) but the problem is whether he has the conditioning and arm strength to play starter after so much time on the shelf.

Who was the dopey first baseman they got in the middle of the season. That was a great move. They had a good defensive 1st baseman in Andy Phillips and they let him go.

The problem with Cashman and the Yankee brass is that they tie themselves up with long term contracts with aging players who don't deliver. Then they waste time, money and talent trying to get rid of them, or be stuck with them.

MC, I couldn't remember his name either, perhaps because he was on the team for about 20 minutes, or so it seemed. It as Richie Sexson (or is it Sexon?). And, yes, he sucked. And what happened to Duncan, as well as Andy Phillips? And Miguel Cairo? Didn't they used to have like six first basemen, then all of a sudden it was down to Sexson (or Sexon) and Giambi??