If C.C. signs with the Yanks, I fear some entrepreneur will start printing up “Black Sabathia” t-shirts, showing him biting the heads off of baseball bats.
But I digress … here now the news:
- Over at LoHud, our buddy PeteAbe has photos from inside the new stadium. Unfortunately, there are 12 photos, and they’re not all in one post. You’ll have to page through them, but its worth it. Pete also reports that Hank Steinbrenner “wants all the pitchers.”
- Hold the phone on yesterday’s report that the Metsies would go after C.C. Marty Noble at MLB.com spoke to a source within the organization, and got a different take.
- Out in Milwaukee, GM Bob Melvin is a bit flummoxed by the supposed offer to C.C. (as per the Journal Sentinel)
“It sounds like they’re overbidding,” Melvin said. “If the speculation is true that we’ve offered CC $100 million, why would you offer $140 million? Why wouldn’t you offer $110 million?”
“(The Yankees) have been pretty adamant about bidding on everybody. That doesn’t mean that’s what the market is. That’s just one team’s offer. Until all the bids are on the table, I don’t know what the market is.”
- The News‘ Bill Madden likens the Swisher deal to similar trades in prior years:
His .219 batting average notwithstanding, Nick Swisher looks to be a high-upside acquisition in the same mode as Scott Brosius (.203 with the Oakland A’s) in 1997 and Paul O’Neill (.246 with the Cincinnati Reds) in 1992. That is, a quality all-around player who, for whatever reasons, had a down year and was in dire need of an environment change. Just as O’Neill had a personality conflict in Cincinnati with Lou Piniella (who wanted him to pull the ball more and hit for more power), Swisher fell into a batting funk early on with the White Sox last season and resisted advice from hitting coach Greg Walker and manager Ozzie Guillen.
- Also at MLB.com, Robert Falkoff reports that the Padres and Yanks have had numerous discussions regarding Jake Peavy, despite the no-trade clause in Jake’s contract.
- Darrell Rasner asked for and was granted a trade to a team in Japan, according to ESPN.
- Dwight Gooden, one of a few ex-Mets to pitch a no-hitter for someone OTHER than the Mets, turns 44 today. Dwight no-hit the Mariners on May 14, 1996.
- On this date in 2002, the Yankees and the Yomiuri Giants sign an agreement to form a working relationship, hoping to establish scouting and marketing ties which will benefit both teams.
'Pete also reports that Hank Steinbrenner “wants all the pitchers”'
Hank Steinbrenner is an idiot! Talk about blowhards!
Hank is there to be the "face" of Big George. I don't mind that he's a blowhard because you can't really take a guy like that seriously, but I dislike his Big Mouth; his penchant for revealing FO strategy. Cashman makes most of his better moves like he's playing poker, and Hank has been making a lot of revealing statements about who they're thinking about and how they intend to approach him, which has to make Cashman's job a little harder to say the least.
Hal seems like the true shark in the family, if you follow what the media has reported. And if what is said is true, we don't have much to worry as he's more in tune with Cash and Stick than anyone else... Hank is of little consequence except possibly blowing Cashman's leverage in negotiations. As long as they can keep him preoccupied during serious talks, he can be an idiot (diversion) to the papers all he wants.