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Thursday, November 05, 2009 |
Quote of the Year?
The Yankees have won 26 World Series without him. Somehow.
Alex has never never played in one World Series game.
I would suggest that if the Yankees did not have Alex, they would be far more likely to win over the long term. His 24 + 1 mentality is not conducive to championship play. I realize it’s spring training, but the Yankees have looked terrific. They’re a much better team when they aren’t sitting around waiting for him to hit a home run. Of course, he’s signed for nine years and he’s a terrific hitter and they need him back. No question. But that money they spent on him in 2007 could have been used elsewhere.
Peter Abraham, March 25th, 2009Labels: a-rod, douchebag, peteabe, quotables
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 1:23 PM
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009 |
Could this be the End for Ransom?
Anthony Claggett is on his way to Toronto, suposedly because Mitre is pitching and if - no matter how unlikely this may seem - he sucks tonight, Claggett can suck up the innings and the 'pen will be saved for the Boston series. It's kind of a no brainer.
That said, the obvious move here is to DFA Cody "Holding 'Em For" Ransom (please?).
PeteAbe speculates that after the game Claggett could be replaced by Ramiro Pena. While Pena is certainly an upgrade over the useless Ransom, the team does *not* need another infielder, as we've discussed before. I'd much rather see Shelley Duncan come back as an OF/bench power guy who can start against lefties. He's been killing the ball all year. Unfortunately the Yankees have screwed with the timetable, because since they sent Duncan down to keep Ransom (!) the other day, unless they put a player on the DL he has to spend 10 days with Scranton before he's eligible for recall.Labels: anthony claggett, cody ransom sucks my balls, peteabe, roster moves, sergio mitre, shelley duncan
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 11:25 AM
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Selena Roberts Doesn't Really Have a Reliable Track Record
Whether or not anything - or everything - Roberts writes about Alex Rodriguez in her character assassination book is true, there seems to be a certain number of people (PeteAbe, for one) who are calling anyone who questions anything Roberts presents as "blind" or "homers" or being "in the tank."
The always excellent ShysterBall has a great piece on Roberts, and her history of smearing for only A-Rod but other athletes.
I strongly recommend reading it, as it details how Roberts pulled a Nancy Grace and buried the Duke Lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape in the press, and when it was revealed that they were innocent, essentially continued to bury them rather than admit she was wrong.
I'm sure the initial leak of the steroid test was sent to Roberts because people had read her hatchet jobs in the past, and figured she'd bury Rodriguez (come on, why else would only his name of 104 surface?). Rather than print that report in the paper, she decided to cash in - cha-ching - and write a full book about it. How best to flesh out the book? Well, you're going to need to find more things to assassinate his character with.
Does Roberts reveal any sources, or back up any of her claims? No, of course not.
She sets up targets and continues to fire, regardless of evidence to the contrary.
ShysterBall also reminds us that this isn't the first time that Roberts has gone after A-Rod either, as is evidenced by her hatchet job from 2007.
Again, I strongly suggest you read the ShysterBall article. It's a great bit of work to get you thinking that things printed in black on white aren't always so black and white. Whether or not A-Rod is a jerk or a liar or a cheater isn't so much the point as where Roberts tries to mix in her own opinions frequently in with facts to present a completely slanted picture.
****************
Update: Roberts explains the pitch tipping. If you didn't think her evidence was flimsy before....
Roberts explains that Rodriguez (then a shortstop) was tipping pitches too early. Normally a shortstop will let his teammates know what pitch is coming or the location
of said pitch so they can adjust their defense accordingly. She goes through a complete explanation for most of the "evidence" of how Rodriguez tipped pitches. Well, he's supposed to. Jeter does it. It's how you let your teammates know what to expect.
She's claiming Rodriguez tipped too early. And as evidence:
At least one teammate in a very gentle way did say, "Hey, you might be tipping a little too soon out there." But one player trying to be diplomatic told me that he said, "I think you're tipping a little too soon," and the response from Alex was, "What are you talking about?" I don't think Alex was irritated at the player; I think he felt that he had been scrutinized too closely, that someone else was trying to tell him how to do his job. One guy says "hey, you might be tipping too soon" and Alex says "what do you mean?" BAM! There's your gotcha moment!
Also, here are some reactions from former teammates:
Both (Doug) Glanville and (R.A.) Dickey were reluctant to believe the allegations, which are a part of Selena Roberts' forthcoming book "A-Rod," until further information is made available, but neither could be sure that it didn't happen either. "I certainly didn't know or see anything like that," said Glanville. "Obviously if that's true that would be insane. I don't remember hearing anything about that when I was there. Of course it would be egregious and unforgivable."
"From personal experience, I can tell you I've seen nothing or heard nothing that would support any chapter in that book that says that," said Dickey. "Then again, it's not so far outside the realm of possibility where you could dismiss it because obviously it could happen. It's mind-boggling."
Not to (Shane) Spencer. The journeyman outfielder said that while he never saw or heard of other players doing that, he wouldn't have been surprised if Rodriguez wasn't the only one doing so. "I'm sure it does happen. There are friends of friends. I'm sure there are catchers out there that have told guys what's coming. Hopefully it didn't happen [in Texas] and hopefully it didn't happen that often."
The allegations, which were first made public in a New York Daily News story on Thursday, are in Roberts' book, which will be released on Monday. In a phone interview with SI.com, Roberts said that over the course of a couple years, some people with the Rangers began to detect a pattern whereby Rodriguez would appear to be giving away pitch type and location to hitters, always middle infielders who would then be able to repay him in kind when he was at the plate, with his body movement. According to Roberts' sources, "If it was a changeup, he would twist his glove hand. To indicate a slider, he would sweep the dirt in front of him and he would bend in the direction of where the pitch was going to be, inside or outside." Roberts' sources stressed that this only occurred in games that had long since been decided and was done for "slump insurance. You can count on your buddy to help break you out of your slump. There was no intent to throw a game or change the outcome."
That explanation wasn't sufficient for Glanville or Dickey, who said "There's no situation that would ever justify him doing that on any level. That's somebody's ERA that's somebody's livelihood, that's somebody trying to provide for their family. I'm holding on to the belief that it's not true. No one with a conscience could do that. Blows me away."
Dickey does, however, have first-hand knowledge of Rodriguez's involvement with calling pitches. "My first year there (2001) there were a couple of games where he called the pitches from shortstop or helped the catcher called pitches, in a couple of my starts I know he did that," he said. "Einar Diaz was our catcher and Alex did that on occasion on a couple of my starts. I never knew it until after the fact but he helped [our] catcher out a couple times. But as far as giving away pitches I couldn't speak with any amount of knowledge on that subject."
Damning evidence.Labels: a-rod, douchebag, mediots, peteabe, selena roberts
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:23 AM
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Guest Blogging on Lohud Today
Here's the link if you want to check it out. It's also posted below.
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We’ve heard squawking from some team owners recently, jawing and complaining about the Yankees’ spending this past off-season. What, this is new? Despite the fact that the payroll for the 2009 season is lower than that for 2008, some such as Houston’s Drayton McLane and Milwaukee’s Mark Attanasio are crying for a salary cap, or anything to artificially inflate the price of the franchises that they bought for less than what Mark Teixeira received.
Well, be prepared for more complaints. The Yankees’ financial advantage isn’t going anywhere but up. The people in charge of the franchise have finally learned how to truly exploit the market.
In 2002, the Yankees (or rather, a company now known as “Yankee Global Enterprises, LLC,” which incidentally now also owns the Yankees baseball club) founded the YES Network, and has reaped huge financial rewards from it. Cable companies were paying the Yankees millions of dollars per year for the rights to broadcast games, and yet were still making huge profits on the product. The Yankees realized that by starting their own network, those profits could be theirs as well and the rest is history, culminating in the new ballpark across the street — the House that YES Built.
The new ballpark opens new avenues for revenue beyond luxury boxes and ticket price increases, which I’m sure we’ve all heard enough about. An aspect of profit most may not think about that the Yankees are about to exploit is concessions.
Every major league ballpark has concession companies bid for long-term contracts in order to provide services for the fans: food, beverages, souvenirs, restaurants, etc. Of the 29 other MLB teams, 28 are serviced by either Aramark, Centerplate, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, or Levy Restaurants (the Marlins fall under a contract that Dolphin Stadium already had with Boston Culinary Group). Rather than follow the tradition route of bringing in an outside vendor, the Yankees instead are following the blueprint they laid out when founding the YES Network. They’re doing it in-house by founding Legends Hospitality Management with partners CIC, Goldman Sachs, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Don’t think there’s a lot of money to be made in this industry? Let’s look at the examples given above. Annual sales (2007) for Aramark, Delaware North, and Levy were $12.4 billion, $2.0 billion, and $610 million respectively.
Centerplate, which ran the concessions at the previous stadium, earns $740 million in annual revenue. However, Yankee Stadium was their largest source and generated approximately $70 million per year. With the new amenities, restaurants, shops and bars at the new stadium, expect that $70 million figure to rise starting in 2008. Why would the Yankees decide to share $80, $100, $150 million in sales revenue with another company when the team itself could reap the profits?
The value of the new ballpark to the team goes far beyond new ticket prices, synergistic YES marketing, naming rights, partnerships, and advertising deals. It’s yet another chance for the Yankees to truly flex their financial muscles and reap as much benefit as possible from their brand.
As long as they continue to sink it back into the team on the field (and – through luxury taxes – the rest of MLB) then count me as satisfied.Labels: finances, peteabe, shameless self promotion, this blog
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:47 AM
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008 |
You Have to Love the Cash Man
Per PeteAbe:
We asked Brian Cashmam how he got to Oakland last night.
“Commercial flight,” he said.
“Not private?” I asked.
“We’re not the Red Sox,” Cashman said with a laugh. Labels: brian cashman, peteabe, quotables
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:29 PM
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008 |
Writers Do Not Make Good GMs
Peter Abraham on his LoHud blog has proposed a number of trades for the Yankees to acquire C.C. Sabathia this season. His "untouchable list" is Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, Phil Hughes, Andrew Brackman and Mark Melancon. Two options are offered for Sabathia:
Kennedy, Tabata and Betances
or
Tabata, Betances and Cano
Abraham believes one of these deals would be worth it even if Sabathia elects to leave as a free agent after 2008, because the Yankees would get two draft picks.
That is ridiculous. Unless you get a window in which to sign him to an extension, you absolutely do not make those deals. For a 2008 rental, the Yankees would be better served looking for relievers, anyway. Once teams start to fall well below .500, some quality arms will be available.Labels: crazy trade ideas, peteabe
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:01 AM
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Abraham Should Scold his Media Buddies, Not Just His Readers
Fair is fair, right? If you're going to scold your readers for something:
10:05 a.m., 3/4/2008:
I just flipped through the comments. I can’t believe how many negative and generally ill-informed “fans” there are. Mike Mussina has won 250 games and pitched well last September. How he pitches on March 3 in Kissimmee is meaningless. By your logic, Johan Santana is a bum, too.
But I suspect these are the same people who “knew” the Yankees wouldn’t make the playoffs last June. How did that work out?
Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe calls it the “Fellowship of the Miserable” and he’s exactly right. The talk-radio culture and the internet has spawned this class of fan that hates everybody and everything.
I follow the traffic on my blog closely. It spikes when the Yankees lose or there is some problem with the team. Why is that? Aren’t sports supposed to be fun?
Jeff Karstens threw five pitches on a broken leg for your team last season before he had to be helped off the field. Then he went to Taiwan to throw extra innings to get ready for the season, Then he showed up in Tampa in December to start throwing.
He throws three scoreless innings and the Yankee Panic Society dismisses that to focus on the 40 pitches Mike Mussina threw. Pretty grim. Try and have some fun, it’s spring training and your team looks good.
6:10 p.m., 3/3/08:
I’ve been reading through the comments. Funny to see so many people wanting Mike Mussina executed at dawn because he pitched poorly on March 3.
Just so you know:
Mussina is not going to request a trade. Mussina is not going to the bullpen. Mussina is not going to be released.
Barring some sort of injury, he’s going to start against the Blue Jays on April 3 as the No. 3 starter. Whether you or I or anybody else agrees with it, the Yankees are going to give him every chance to be part of their rotation.
As he said today, somebody has to suck up those innings.
For a veteran player, especially a pitcher, spring training results are meaningless. There are no scouting reports. Certain pitches are left in the bag. Pitch sequences that would be used in April are ingnored in March. It’s about getting stronger and staying healthy.
The Yankees play Houston this season. You really think Mussina wants to give them something to go to school on?
Relax and enjoy the fact that your team has energy, youth and a bright future. Focus on how Dan McCutchen struck out Brad Ausmus or how Mark Melancon didn’t let an error bother him in the ninth inning.
Sweating how pitcher performed on March 3 is a waste of emotion.
It's only right to call out one of your peers when they do the same:
This is the position the Yankees have put themselves in, praying that an ugly first spring training outing for Mike Mussina is not reason to start worrying about a need for Plan B.
After all, the popular notion that this season is all about the kid pitchers is somewhat misleading. By October it could indeed be the story line, but because the Yankees seem determined to protect Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy with strict innings-restrictions, they are going to need help getting there.
As such the three-run monster home run that Carlos Lee hit off Mussina Monday was enough to set off alarms - March or not - at least among Yankee fans.
Perhaps most significantly, Joe Girardi said he doesn't believe the Mussina from last September, whose fastball was being clocked regularly at 86 mph, is the Mussina who will pitch in 2008.
"I think he'll be 87 to 91 mph," Girardi said. "I think we'll see better velocity because I think his legs are healthier."
That estimate may be wishful thinking. You could probably get better odds in Vegas on Hank Steinbrenner never again second-guessing himself on not dealing for Johan Santana than on Mussina lighting the radar gun at 91 mph this season.
Oh and this image is run on two articles today (including this one), and in the paper:
Nice, Harper. Nice.
The point is, Abraham was 100% right with his comments, but it's too bad John Harper doesn't read his blog.Labels: john harper, moose, peteabe
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:50 PM
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 |
Source: Aliens Have Landed in Central Park
I'm not sure if this is true, and if it is a reference to immigrants or space creatures. More on this as it develops or as sportswriters return from poorly timed vacations.
(Source)Labels: douchebag, peteabe
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 3:10 PM
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Peter and Joseph, Sitting in a Tree
Bear in mind, this was posted on Peter Abraham's blog five hours after the Torre decision came down. I mean, just start with the headline:
Move starting to backfire on Yanks already Well I assume we'll see how the move "backfires" in the article, right? Posada signed with Houston? A-Rod opted out and went to Boston? Rivera is going to be setting up for Trevor Hoffman in 2008?
Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci is right on the mark with this column.
As he points out, Joe Maddon and Ozzie Guillen got multi-year extensions. Joe Torre was offered one year? Nobody is buying what the Yankees are trying to sell.
The Yankees better hope whoever gets the job gets off to a good start. There can be no honeymoon for the next manager based on the comments of Randy Levine. If 94 wins and a playoff berth aren’t good enough, the next guy better win 95 games and get in the ALCS. Because Kenny Williams made an idiotic move to extend Ozzie Guillen, who is perhaps the worst manager in the game (well, Dusty Baker is back now, so there will be some competition) the Yankees should feel compelled to follow suit?
Oh. So.. no backfiring except for sportswriters and the media, whom Joe "managed" his entire career, are upset that he's gone. Because he was their friend.
Seriously if you think I'm kidding, just look at Abraham's entire blog for the day:
Shocking day marks end of an era
An offer he had to refuse
So who’s in charge here?
Hendricks: Joe special to Pettitte
Please Peter, find more breaking news like Andy Pettitte's agent saying that Andy Pettitte liked Joe Torre.
The entire blog is full of blaming every playoff loss on the players and crediting every postseason berth to the manager.
Sorry Pete. Can't have it both ways.
Jim Leyritz had a good take on it on ESPN. He said that he didn't think the offer was unfair, and that one year made sense because if Torre didn't at least make the World Series in 2008 he would have been fired anyway.Labels: douchebag, joe torre, peteabe
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 12:25 AM
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Look Out For The Dangerous Pineiro
Strong words from MLB scrub (and former potential Red Sox closer) Joel Piniero. Commentary from Peter Abraham:
'I can’t wait to get out there. I can’t wait to go out there and beat up
on the Yankees. ... The fans in Boston, they want us to rip their heads off.'
Good luck with all that. Oh, by the way, you’re Joel Pineiro. If the Red
Sox hadn’t offered you a contract you’d be pitching for Starbucks in the Seattle
Slo-Pitch Coed League on Sunday mornings. Take it easy. Labels: joel piniero, peteabe, redsox
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 7:01 PM
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So, Papelbon's Closing Again in Boston
I had planned on giving my take on this, but PeteAbe said it best:
Tony La Russa drives in a straighter line than the Red Sox.
In August, Theo Epstein stood on the field at Fenway Park making excuses
that he couldn’t have a payroll like the uber team Yankees. Two months later
they were spending money wildly to get Daisuke Matsuzaka, Julio Lugo and J.D.
Drew.
Then we heard that the best thing for Jonathan Pabelbon’s sore
shoulder was to start. Terry Francona swore at the start of spring training that
he would never use him to close. It has to be about protecting the kid’s future,
he said.
Now Pabelbon is the closer again. The party line out of Fort
Myers is that he asked to close. Oh, well that makes perfect sense. I’m sure the
medical reasons will just go away. Perhaps Manny will ask to play
shortstop. Labels: cardinals, lies, peteabe, redsox
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 7:53 PM
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