I think he hurt himself more than he helped himself yesterday. The media (at least the New York tabloids) will NOT let up on him. They're killing him again today.

Of all the boneheaded mistakes A-Hole has made over the years in terms of public relations, and he's made TONS, here's the biggest: In calling that writer from Sports Illustrated a stalker, he attacked one of "their own." Their own, of course, being the media. As much as the media collectively grates on me at times, you have to give them this: They stick together. And I respect the Hell out of them for it. I guess it's my Union mentality, but it's refreshing to see that some people still stick by each other on the job today. Like they've been saying for five hundred years: The pen is mightier than the sword.

As far as A-Hole. He's almost 34 years old and he still doesn't get it, which, let's face it, means he's never gonna get it. The guy might still go down as the most talented player ever, but he's still an asshole. His neediness is off-putting, and his life choices are just too much to deal with, especially in the biggest media market in the world.

What a putz.

well as of right now a-rod has more creadbilty over bonds and big mac combined...i really hope he isnt lying...but if he is and its found out that he been doing this longer then he should forever have an * near his stats/records.

and why would you believe him? I'm surprised that someone can believe he only took steroids during that span in Texas.

Ok guys, this is totally not a gag. I haven't checked my voicemail on my cell phone in a few days. I checked today coming home from work and I had 3 voicemails. They were all from Talent Plus (a human resources consulting firm) who were calling on behalf of the New York Yankees. A little while ago I had applied for a position with the Yankees entitled Guest Relations Ambassador. Below is a brief description of the position:

This position is responsible for anticipating needs of guests and executing all requests in a timely fashion. Primary outcomes will include creating an environment and executing service that is second to none, seeking opportunities to create memories by anticipating needs, exceeding expectations and building relationships.

Knowledge/Skills:
 Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
 Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
 Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
 Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
 Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

Talents:
 Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
 Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
 Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
 Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
 Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
 Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
 Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
 Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Deliverables:
 The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong and providing assistance.
 The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
 Provide information about facilities, entertainment options, and rules and regulations.
 Monitor activities to ensure adherence to rules and safety procedures, or arrange for the removal of unruly patrons.
 Keep informed of shut-down and emergency evacuation procedures.
 Announce or describe ballpark attractions to patrons to encourage customers to participate in games and other entertainment.
 Working directly with the public. This includes serving customers inside and outside of the ballpark and receiving clients or guests.
 Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others.

It's just a phone interview but if I do well on it, hopefully it'll work its way into a live interview. I don't know if anyone here is the praying kind but if you are, I would definitely appreciate any and all prayers/positive thoughts. As I'm sure many of you can attest to, working for the New York Yankees would be an absolutely DREAM JOB to me. Unfortunately, the position is only seasonal but if I can get my foot into the door with the Yankees, I'll take it!

Hey, they hired George Costanza, so obviously they don't set the bar very high.

Just kidding. Good luck, son.

Thanks man. I've got my fingers crossed!

Isn't that what ARod said four years ago?

Good luck.

Thanks SC. I'll keep you posted when I hear something back. The interview isn't until next Wednesday.

Good luck, Irish. I hope you get it. I know you'd love the job and bring a lot of enthusiasm to it.

Thanks klydon1. I REALLY hope I get it.

well i wont be surprised if he been doing it longer then what he is saying...idk though a-rod isn't with a good bunch of people since alot of his former teammates in the yanks took steroids...and idk was pudge in texas while a-rod was there?

Sounds Great Irish! Good Luck. The best part of being an usher in the new place will be that you can see all the games for free. AND of course you will let everyone here wet their beaks a bit and get good seats at no cost to us!

Irish, I wish you the best of luck. And I will offer one rosary in exchange for Derek Jeter's autograph!

LoL. I'll see what I can't do.

Jeter, by the way, has the ability always to say and do the right thing at the right time. His responses to the A-Rod situation neither excused or alienated A-Rod, but at the same time were substantive and avoided the meaningless cliches. He was adamant that people not judge the entire era as the Steroid Era, and maintained that most players have been performing without performance enhancing drugs. Jeter and A-Rod are a lot like Kennedy and Nixon. One exudes and inspires confidence and optimism, and the other can't seem to escape a dark cloud of doubt and scandal.

Damon, while a nice and interesting guy, gave me my laugh for the day when he said what A-Rod did wasn't the worst thing he could do. when asked what was worse, he seriously replied, "Murdering someone." I'm sure he's getting a lot of clubhouse ribbing for that line.

This is an old and terribly vulnerable team, starting with Derek Jeter, who turns 35 this summer and continues a gradual decline so evident, the stat guys are calling him the worst defensive shortstop in the American League.

I am so sick of hearing crap like this. The man has always acted with class, given 100% to this sport and his team, and plays his heart out at every game. Sour grapes indeed.

We should all be so lucky to have such a gradual decline.

I agree with you, SB, that the criticism gets tiring. There was a time when I thought that he didn't deserve the praise he gets, but what he has given to that team can't be defined by numbers - and the numbers are pretty darn good.

out of everybody on the current yankees i have respect for him...he loves the game which is rare to find since like i said before players want the green in there pocket.

I saw that Bernie Williams is working out with the team in Tampa. He's going to play in the WBC. Glad to see him with the Yankees again, even if it's short-lived. I hope that they offer him some sort of coaching position.

i thought he retired?

Not by choice - nobody offered him a contract!

Wow, pretty scary stuff

---

Damon, Nady affected by scandal

TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees outfielders Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady are reportedly among those affected by the continuing Stanford Financial Group scandal.

Damon and Nady told FOXSports.com on Friday that their finances have been frozen because of money they have with a Stanford company, including them in the alleged $8 billion fraud scheme involving billionaire financier Robert Allen Stanford.

"I can't pay bills right now," Damon told the site. "That started on Tuesday. I had to pay a trainer for working out during the offseason. I told him, 'Just hold on for a little bit, and hopefully, all this stuff gets resolved.'"

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission froze all assets of Stanford International Bank, Stanford Group Co. and Stanford Capital Management.

"I'm affected in some ways; I have the same [advisor] as Johnny," Nady said. "He said I didn't have money with Stanford [investments]. But all my credit-card accounts are frozen right now because of that situation. I'm trying to get an apartment in New York. I can't put a credit card down to hold it."

Agent Scott Boras, who represents both players, told FOXSports.com that his clients have no reason to worry about losing money. Damon is due $13 million this year from the Yankees, while Nady is set to earn $6.55 million.

"Our personal-management auditors have looked into the financial elements of it," Boras said. "None of our clients is in any financial jeopardy."

Both Damon and Nady were told by their financial advisors that the matter could be resolved within a few days, according to the report.

Asked by FOXSports.com if the situation makes him nervous, Damon said it does.

"I'm not sure if the banks we owe mortgages would understand our money's frozen, start putting penalties on stuff," Damon said. "The whole financial world is all messed up right now. Hopefully, they will go on a case-by-case basis. I'm not sure the mortgage is going to be paid this month. But hopefully, it's only a couple of days."

Source: Yankees

He has more heart than any yankee ive seen in my 14 years watching the team. His range has fell off i agree but there isnt anyone right now id rather have at shortstop, his timely hitting and effort are unmatched.

I only wonder how much longer #2 can stay at short. The posistion is very demanding and over time can take a toll. I think he would be well suited to play centerfield or second in 3 years or so.

i wont be surprised with the state of the yankees with steroids and all that he would retire u know...i mean really he has to be fucking tired of his team mates being caught and maybe reflecting a bad image on him and the team.

I think this was a great idea. Especially after that whole A-Rod/steroid distraction.

---

Yankees ditch bats for pool cues

TAMPA, Fla. -- Joe Girardi was about 10 years old when billiards taught him an important lesson in controlling his temper. Throwing a pool cue into a piece of drywall did not produce favorable results once Dad found out.

Three decades later and a long way from that Illinois basement, Girardi used 8-ball for another purpose. The Yankees manager called off a team workout and organized a field trip to a local billiards hall Monday, part of an exercise to help his club build relationships.

"I've never been on a team that's done something like this before, but I often wondered why," Girardi said. "There's a lot of other sports that do these types of things. We can get away from the park and enjoy each other off the field and get to know each other."

After veterans like Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada signed off on the idea last week, Girardi announced the news early Monday morning, addressing players after they completed workouts in the batting cages, bullpen and weight room.

With smiles circling the room, players were told to change back into their street clothes and board the buses waiting beyond the left-field fence at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which remained shuttered for the afternoon.

"It's all about really getting together," Posada said. "If I was a young man coming on this trip, it's something that you don't see often. You can hang out with the veterans and be away from the field.

"Hopefully, we start some relationships here and get going. We've got a lot of young guys, and we need to be on the same page. I think this is going to help us."

Instead of fielding drills and live batting practice, Girardi sent his players into a two-on-two tournament -- the "Annual World Championship of Pool," the scoresheet announced -- with players chalking their sticks for a NCAA-style bracket.

"Today is one of those days that, as a ballplayer, you'll never forget," Johnny Damon said. "I don't think any team has ever really done this. It says a lot about Joe. He knows we've been working hard and he rewarded us."

Mariano Rivera was the afternoon's big champion, winning twice -- once with Phil Coke and once with Andy Pettitte. The pairing of Rivera and Pettitte defeated the tandem of Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui in the final tournament.

"It looked like [Rivera] was pretty good -- he definitely had that closer mentality, even playing pool," Damon said.

Girardi and the club's coaches were to remain separate, competing in their own tournament. The winners of the players tournament were rewarded with restaurant gift certificates, and other members of the team played cards, darts and dominos before lunch.

"It makes you relax and realize that we can have fun off the field," said Mark Teixeira, who said it was the most fun day of Spring Training in his career. "Once we get on the field, it's business, but we can build some relationships as well.

"Usually during the season, you get to hang out with guys, because we're always on the same bus or the same plane -- our schedules are identical. In Spring Training, you don't go on trips together, the pitchers have different schedules than the hitters and the hitters are in different groups, so there might be a couple guys you don't get to know at all."

The idea hit Girardi in the early days of Spring Training, realizing that camp runs longer this year because of the World Baseball Classic and a day of respite might be welcome before exhibition games begin.

It would also be a good way for Girardi to better familiarize himself with the team.

"I think every year you're here as a manager, you want to have more knowledge about your players and their personalities," Girardi said. "You want to feel closer to your players. You want to bring a group together. It's important that a group is united when they leave Spring Training."

Looking for an event that could not be impacted by weather, Girardi originally considered renting out a bowling alley, but the idea of having his pitchers whipping 12-pound balls down the lanes dissuaded him.

The Yankees found a billiard hall that could accommodate a large group, and Girardi told the Yankees to book it for a few hours. The tournament was expected to last about 2 1/2 hours -- until lunch -- but Girardi acknowledged it might take longer, with no real pool sharks known to be on the roster.

One by one, the 64 players in camp walked through the concrete corridors, many of them grinning at the unexpected twist to their day. Swisher cranked Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on his portable iPod player, CC Sabathia chuckled and Teixeira waved goodbye to reporters, saying, "Field trip!"

It has been a spring of some distraction for the Yankees, highlighted by Alex Rodriguez's 33-minute news conference on Tuesday to address his past use of performance-enhancing drugs. That event, held at Steinbrenner Field, was attended by more than 150 media members and many of Rodriguez's teammates.

With that and other news items sometimes obscuring actual baseball, Posada said that there would be no negative to stepping away for one afternoon and enjoying the day. The Yankees will go through a full workout on Tuesday before beginning exhibition games on Wednesday against the Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m. ET in Dunedin, Fla.

"I think it's a matter of understanding where Joe is coming from," Posada said. "We want to have a fun camp. When it's time to play, it's serious. But when it's time to have fun like this, we're going to have fun together."

Source: Yankees

that will help relations...lets see how much it will help though.

Derek Jeter, Poor Defender: Myth or Fact?

For reasons beyond my understanding it has become popular throughout baseball’s modern statistical community to question the fielding abilities of the New York Yankees’ perennial All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner (2004-06) Derek Jeter.

In early 2008 the New York Post ran an article entitled “Study Claims Jeter Is Worst Fielding Shortstop In Baseball.” The article cited a study by the University of Pennsylvania which was unveiled at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in (get this) Boston. In November of 2008 the Post ran yet another article about Jeter’s fielding abilities. This time a panel of so-called experts, including Red Sox Executive Bill James, voted Jeter 22nd among Big League shortstops. James himself referred to Jeter as “the least effective defensive player in the major leagues, at any position.”

James pointed to a Baseball Info Solutions’ (BIS) study of film as his reasoning for Jeter’s questionable ranking saying, “they [BIS] watched film of every major-league game, and had recorded every ball off the bat by the direction in which it was hit, the type of hit and how hard the ball was hit. They analyzed the outcomes to determine who was best at turning hit balls into outs.”

As I became ever more curious about Jeter’s somewhat surprising defensive short-comings I decided to do some number crunching of my own. I decided to pick apart the box scores to determine what impact, positive or negative, Jeter’s fielding abilities had on the Yankees over the years. I looked at games in which Jeter had made an error and determined (from the play-by-play accounts) whether that error led to the Yankees’ opponents scoring a run(s) and/or winning the game. I then weighed the cost of his errors against the positives of his hitting in those games.

For his career Derek Jeter’s errors break down like this (with DPT being double plays turned):

Year Errors Runs on E DPT Batting
1995 2 1 2 2-7 RBI
1996 22 18 10 17-67 2 HR, 13 RBI, 16 R
1997 18 14 12 15-73 3 HR, 17 RBI, 13 R
1998 9 1 10 23-48 2 HR, 6 RBI, 13 R
1999 14 9 9 20-58 3 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R
2000 24 10 10 33-92 3 HR, 11 RBI, 22 R
2001 15 9 6 14-58 2 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R
2002 14 9 3 16-56 3 HR, 7 RBI, 11 R
2003 14 8 7 21-60 HR, 11 RBI, 14 R
2004 13 6 5 9-52 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
2005 15 8 10 21-59 2 HR, 4 RBI, 9 R
2006 15 7 10 19-64 3 HR, 15 RBI, 7 R
2007 18 14 11 16-60 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R
2008 12 10 10 16-50 3 RBI, 5 R
Total 205 114 115 .301, 26 HR, 121 RBI, 141 R

Out of the 192 games in which Jeter has committed an error he cost his team a victory in exactly 10 of those games.

Two of those games came in 1996 (7/18 and 9/3), three in 1997 (5/5, 5/9, 5/27), one in 1999 (8/19), one in 2000 (6/27), one in 2007 (6/2) and two last season (5/20 and 7/3). The Yankees not only made the playoffs but won the World Series in 1996, 1999 and 2000, so we can assume that those errors are forgiven and forgotten. The Bronx Bombers missed the playoffs by two games in 2007 and six games in 2008. Despite costing his team these games, Jeter did not single-handedly keep the Yankees from playing in October.

However, the 1997 season is a different story. That summer stands out as Jeter cost his team three contests during a season in which the Yanks missed the post season by only two games.

On May 5th, 1997 Jeter booted a ball in the ninth inning allowing the Minnesota Twins to take a 9-5 lead heading into the bottom of the frame. Doing all that he could to make amends Jeter belted a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th but it wasn’t enough as the Yanks lost by one, 9-8. Four days later against Kansas City Jeter’s batting heroics would be overshadowed again. After belting a 2-run homer in the seventh inning to give the home squad a 5-3 lead Jeff Nelson gave up a game-tying homer in the eighth. Finally, in the top of the 12th Jeter committed the error which would cost the Yankees the game as they lost 7-5.

Then, on the 27th of May a Jeter error opened the floodgates on a 5-run Baltimore fifth inning from which the Yankees could not recover. Jeter’s errors cost his team those three games, but it should be noted that all of them occurred in May and, no matter what anyone may say; pennant races are not won and lost in May.

Regardless of the conclusions of any individual study, scientific or otherwise, there is no question that Derek Jeter is nothing less than a solid defender. For anyone to even infer that he may be the worst fielder in all of baseball is simply ridiculous. Truth be told, the current version of Derek Jeter is flashing better leather than the 23-year-old kid who made those costly errors in 1997.

In 2008 Jeter made fewer errors than all but one American League shortstop (Gold Glove winner Michael Young). Yuniesky Betancourt made 21 errors and swung a very average stick. I have yet to see one article proclaiming Betancourt the “least effective” defensive player in the game. Perhaps that’s because articles and studies about Yuniesky Betancourt are about as interesting as an Andy Warhol flick. Derek Jeter’s celebrity is enormous. I can’t think of another shortstop in the big leagues that makes commercials and dates movie stars. Is there a better way to get people talking about your study or newspaper article than to discount the abilities of one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet?

There are plenty of questionable fielders in the big leagues who hold down jobs because they swing a big stick. Ryan Howard made 19 errors at first base last season (tied for the most at that position in the NL since 2001). Clearly this is overlooked when you can drive in 146 runs and lead your team to the playoffs. Hanley Ramirez led the Majors in errors by a shortstop last season (22) and is averaging 24 mishaps per year since 2006. However, when you average 26 home runs, 69 runs batted in, 123 runs scored and 45 stolen bases over that same stretch your errors tend to be overlooked.

Mike Piazza, Jeff Kent and Manny Ramirez have been considered butchers at their positions for years. Still, they all managed to keep their jobs just long enough to produce Hall of Fame careers. Perhaps it had something to do with two factors. First, their perception of bad fielding was always much worse than the reality and second, these guys could flat-out hit. Great offense will always make up for a player’s defensive shortcomings. Players such as the few mentioned above will always have a job whether they can field or not because their offensive run production will forever outweigh the many runs they give up during a poor defensive moment. I don’t care if every computer on the planet says Derek Jeter can’t field a lick; it won’t matter in the least because the man can flat out hit.

In fact, I’ll even go as far to say that fielding a superb defensive player who can’t hit is much more detrimental to a team. Case-in-point: Mark Belanger. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, those Orioles teams he and Brooks Robinson anchored defensively were very successful during the 1970s. Four World Series trips in a decade is nothing to sneeze at. However, when you come away with only one title you have to wonder if Baltimore would have been better off having a player who hit higher than .164 with one extra base hit in their 22 Series games.

Belanger (an 8-time Gold Glove winner) also committed 5 errors and turned only 7 double plays in his World Series visits. In 32 Series games Derek Jeter and his minimally effective glove committed only 3 errors while turning 17 double plays. For good measure Jeter hit .308 in those 32 contests while belting 3 homers, driving in 8 and scoring 27 times.

The point is, unless you want to sound like you have been smoking the finest opium China has to offer, no one should refer to Derek Jeter as the worst at anything baseball related. His accolades speak for themselves. My guess is Derek Jeter could probably care less what Bill James or the University of Pennsylvania has to say about his defense. In all honesty, what do you think Bill James and the Boston Red Sox would rather do on a daily basis, platoon Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie and Alex Cora or pencil in Derek Sanderson Jeter on the lineup card?

Source: Dugout Central

Well to give everyone a quick update, I had my phone interview today with Talent Plus. They said it'd take about a hour but it wound up being 45 minutes. It was an unusual interview for me because she said it was structured and she'd be asking me a series of questions that I couldn't ask her the meaning of. I just needed to best decide for myself what each question meant and answered it to the best of my ability.

But again, overall I think it went well. I made her laugh a few times. She said I'd be hearing back directly from the New York Yankees whether good or bad but she couldn't give me a time frame. So, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. All we can do now is wait. I'll keep you updated when I hear back from them.

I'm sure I don't see Jeter as much as most since I'm not a Yankee fan, but from what I've seen and heard from others is that Jeter's biggest problem is his range has diminished dramatically over the last few years.

Irish, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!