Daily Archives: November 24, 2003

OF COURSE YOU KNOW, THIS MEANS WAR

This just in. According to Lee Sinins, a major trade is in the works:

The Diamondbacks have traded P Curt Schilling to the Redsox for P Casey
Fossum and a couple of prospects.

However, Schilling has a no trade clause and still has to approve the deal.
So, the deal is being sent to bud’s office in order to officially start the 72 hour window to allow the Redsox to talk to him about a contract extension.

…According to Peter Gammons, the Diamondbacks would send Fossum to the
Brewers for Richie Sexson.

Just a note here–I’m hearing about Gammons’s report through WFAN’s Mike Francesa and I was also distracted by something else while listening to him. So, there may or may not be a detail or two that should also be in the
report.

Wow. Think George will take this one well? If this goes through, Steinbrenner is going to hit the roof. Heads will roll; money will be spent, and maybe A Rod finds his way to the Bronx after all.

Schilling said a few weeks ago that he wasn’t interested in playing in Boston. A right-handed fly-ball pitcher isn’t the ideal fit for the Fens. Still, from my perspective as a Yankee fan, Schilling is the perfect Red Sox. He looks like a Red Sox and is easy to root against. And talk about quotable. Between Schilling and Pedro, it certainly won’t be dull in Boston. They’ll be bashing the Yanks from February through October.

If this trade goes through, it will be the biggest killing of Theo Epstein’s young career. And another memorable chapter in the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry. The Hot Stove just got hotter.

The Yankees could sport an updated version of the M & M boys if they manage to lure Japanese infielder Kaz Matsui (no relation to Godzilla Matsui) to New York this winter. According to the Daily News, moving Alfonso Soriano to the outfield and convincing Matsui to move from his natural position of short to second base if part of Boss George’s master plan.

Another Matsui sure would make for some clever headlines.

For many, the answer is simple: “yes.” The statisitics prove that Jeter is a below-average defensive shortstop. If he moved to third, he would still be a good offensive player. Plus, the Yankees could find a slick-fielding shortstop which would help address one of the team’s most glaring problems: the up-the-middle defense. Then again, for many fans, the answer is equally as simple: “no.” Derek Jeter is the greatest shortstop in Yankee history and there is no need to move him at this point in his career.

I am for Jeter changing positions and have been since the 2002 season. He is considered a “true team player” who puts winning above individual achievements. While I don’t doubt that he is a “team-guy”, I’d like to see him put to the test. Great players have changed positions before. However, I seriously doubt that Jeter will be moved anytime soon. At least not as long as Joe Torre is around. Maybe the Yankees will consider moving him for 2005 or 2006; that all depends on how rapidly Jeter’s already suspect fielding continues to decline.

Steve Goldman addressed the $64,000 Derek Jeter question with clarity and poise last week in his Pinstriped Bible column:

Is it asking too much of a player with the ego necessary to be a star in professional sports (for that indomitable will to always appear at one’s best is as much generated by self-adulation as by a sense of honor) to swallow his pride and admit that another man is his better? This winter Jeter and the Yankees have an excellent chance to demonstrate that pride of winning comes before pride of self.

I don’t think it’s too much to ask. I’ve heard people say that if Alex Rodriguez was ever traded to the Bronx, A Rod should move to third, not Jeter. Jeter has to stay at short out of respect. For what? Jeter’s feelings? Puleeze. When did this become a diva cat fight? I thought all Derek Jeter wanted to do was win championships. Last I checked Alex Rodriguez has won two consecutive Gold Gloves and is one of the 10-15 greatest players in the history of the game. Now, let’s talk about respect.

Of course, it is highly unlikely that Alex Rodriguez will ever play for the Yankees, just as it is unlikely that Derek Jeter will be asked to move his position in the near future. Still, I think it has become increasingly clear that moving Jeter out of short would be the best thing for the Yankees.

I don’t know if I’ve ever written a post concerning the commisioner of baseball, Bud Selig. There are some things I just don’t have the stomach for. But Selig has made the news on several fronts recently, most notably in America’s Heartland. Doug Pappas has been all over the disaster area that the Brewers have become, and Jay Jaffe wrote several good posts explaining the current situation too.

If that’s not enough for you, Jayson Stark has a column over at ESPN about how Bud and MLB have continued to make a laughing stock of themselves with regards to the Montreal-San Juan Expos:

“It’s like a whirlpool,” says one baseball man who once worked for the Expos, “that has turned into a cesspool.”

It is a shame that they will not make a competitive offer to keep Vlad Guerrero, who is possibly the greatest player in franchise history (taking nothing away from Rock Raines or Andre Dawson