Powered by the moving memorial service for Todd, here’s the news:
- Mike Lupica tries to give us the straight dope on the Stadium financing deal. He includes some pointed remarks from State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky:
“… Even NYC officials now admit the truth of what we’ve been saying, that taxpayer dollars are tearing down The House That Ruth Built, and replacing it with The House That You Built.”
“Here’s how they do it. The city sends the Yankees a property tax bill like everyone else gets. The Yankees write a check (about $70 million a year) to the city for that amount, just like everyone else. But next, unlike you or I, the city winks and sends that check to the Yankees’ bankers to pay off the $1.4 billion mortgage, plus the $1.4 billion in interest on the new Stadium. You or I can’t get that deal, but the Yankees did.
“And they got a lot more. The got an additional $575 million directly to build parking garages and sewers and other stuff for the new Stadium. They don’t have to pay sales tax and mortgage recording taxes that every other taxpayer pays, and they get interest rate subsidies. That’s an additional taxpayer subsidy of about $350 million.
- The AP reports that CC Sabathia believes he’ll be able to handle the pressures of pitching in New York:
‘If you ask anybody in my family or anybody that knows me, I don’t think there’s any outside pressure that could be put on me that I don’t put on myself,’ Sabathia said Saturday night before being honored with the Warren Spahn Award. ‘I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to go out there and perform and expect to win every game, expect to pitch well in every game.
‘I think having the guys in New York _ the A-Rods and the Jeters and these great players, and Tex _ I think it will help me be a better player.’
‘To have that bullpen and have just the support of that team, that team is unbelievable,’ Sabathia said. ‘To add me and A.J and put Tex in that lineup, I think it’s going to be an unbelievable team. Hopefully we have a special year.’
‘That’s what I’m looking for. That’s a thing that I’m big on is having great team chemistry, and hopefully we can get that in New York,’ Sabathia said.
- New HOFer Jim Rice vents his frustration over having to compete against the free-spending Yanks during his playing days, as per Newsday:
“During that time, Steinbrenner spent more money than the Red Sox,” Rice said. “He had more free agents. So when you get the best free agents, and you get the superstars from other ballclubs, that’s what made you have a better team. The more money you can spend, the better you should get.” …
Even now, Rice remains annoyed by the Yankees’ habit of throwing money at their problems. Not surprisingly, he lauds Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein for doing things the right way. “If you look at the Red Sox now, you see them bringing guys up in the organization,” he said. “That’s why Theo has been the person he’s been over the last couple of years. He’ll bring young kids up and stay within the organization.
“The Yankees haven’t won in the last eight years. What do they do? They go out and buy high-priced players in the hope to get back the winning percentage they had 10 years ago.”
[My take: Would Rice be so upset if that ball hadn’t gone through Buckner’s legs, and the Sox had won a Series during his career?]
- The Yanks haven’t traded for a CFer this off-season, but the Orioles have, acquiring Felix Pie from the Cubs.
- Over at LoHud, PeteAbe has a nice post about the memorial service for Todd.
- The News catches up with Bernie Williams:
“I’ll be 70 and I’ll still think that I can probably play,” Williams says later, seated comfortably on a lounge sofa on a patio overlooking the Intercontinental pool and the aqua waters of the Caribbean. “I don’t think at this point I want to consider myself officially retired.”
- The Post catches up with Tony Kubek:
At age 73, Kubek’s passion is working with about 5,000 Hmong immigrants living in the Appleton, Wis., area. He teaches English to Hmong and Latinos and helps with their everyday needs and a scholarship program.
- Meanwhile, Newsday catches up with “Sudden” Sam McDowell:
He was all but thrown out of baseball in 1975 because of alcohol addiction. Three years later, his wife had left, he was living with his parents and he had 35 cents in his pocket when he finally decided to check himself into an alcohol rehabilitation unit.
But McDowell didn’t turn only his life around; he decided to help others do the same. He went back to college and became a licensed therapist in sports psychology and addictions. He worked for two major-league clubs, the Rangers and the Blue Jays, as a counselor for their players. He also founded City of Legends, a retirement community for former professional athletes in Clermont, Fla.
- Belated happy 55th birthday to Scott McGregor. McGregor was a first round draft pick of the Yanks in 1972, but was dealt away on June 15, 1976, before pitching a single inning for the big boys. He went along with Rick Dempsey, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, and Dave Pagan to the Orioles for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Grant Jackson, Ellie Hendricks, and Jimmy Freeman.
- On this date in 1972, the Yankees acquire outfielder Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees will end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping pitcher Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17.
That McGregor/Dempsey/Tippy trade was a key step in building the 1979 and 1983 pennant winners for Baltimore.
“I’ll be 70 and I’ll still think that I can probably play,” Williams says
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Poor guy... just can't let go.
Maybe he should look again at his stats for his last 2 year.
[2] That's harsh. I don't think he meant playing at a high level. I can understand that mentality, it can't be easy to let go of your profession so easily - especially one where you are an athlete, where your teammates are like family and the team you played your entire life for was the New York Yankees.
Sometimes things have nothing to do with stats, sometimes people are just human and emotions get in the way of practical thought. I'd be the same way as Bernie.
[3] yeah man. i couldn't imagine being in a profession where you're washed up, done and/or kicked out at such a young age - say, mid/late 30's to early/mid 40's (in some cases). i'm a professional musician and i damn well better be playing when i'm 70...and beyond! even though bernie's got his music and his family, i'm sure the idea of not playing pro ball tugs at him hard every single day...
heads up: the Banter's own Emma will have a guest post at LoHud tomorrow! actually, pete usually posts the guest ones sometime 'round midnight. i'm looking forward to emma's writing!
wish i could've been at Todd's memorial yesterday... : (
[3] I agree; Bernie's been one of the hardest-working ball players during his career, as he said baseball didn't really come naturally to him, yet he's a winner 4 times over and a batting crown titlist to boot. Did you see how excited and happy he was to hear the applause at the last game? The man's heard his name chanted over and over in the same place for nearly half his life; that's gotta mean something to him when he still feels capable of playing. That may be one reason why he's devoted so much of his "down time" to playing music; to staying in the public eye and mind (or it may not), but Bernie's never struck me as the type to hang around the home and grill or do chores. It's hard to see him pining away to play when no one on the major league level is considering him.
Why not do what Ricky did, though? Play for the Newark Bears? Lots of guys who used to play and are either trying to get another look or just want to play ball (or need the money, one). Bernie would do himself and the independent leagues a world of good; he'd satiate his baseball fix and the league would have a classy ambassador for their game, not to mention a boost in attendance and a mentor for young on-the-cusp players looking for an in. I'd go see him play if I could. And I'd be happy for him.
"titlist"... seems derogatory at first glance, but nope, Firefox's spell-checker claims it's correct, which means Tiger and the Titleist company is either selling us on bad spelling, dumbing us and the rest of America down, or perhaps thinking the same thing I am and not wanting to be associated with dirty minds like mine... (but, if you were thinking that way, who makes that list?>;)
Poor guy… just can’t let go.
FWIW, Luis Polonia's still playing. Jim Bouton and Bill Lee were playing until fairly recently, I think Lee may still be playing.
As for Jim Rice, it looks like he doesn't know what he's talking about. Other than 1998, they've had a pretty consistent winning percentage.
[7] Re: Rice, this came to mind...
"I like cherries, cuz cherries taste better... and grapes are sour,
(ah-hah cuts galore, ah-hah cuts galore)
I like cherries cuz cherries taste better... and grapes are... sour!"
I'm almost certain his time in Boston did a number on his nerves, not to mention having waited on the cusp for years until his last year of eligibility to be sworn in as a secret agent for the HoF. I'd let him blow off all the steam he wants in that regard, but somebody better check on "B. Home" Blylevin before the next round of idiocy...
yeah, dimelo, thelarmis, and chyll all said this - but i can understand the way bernie feels. playing sports and getting to the pinnacle the way bernie did is a wonderful place to be.
[9] It's an honor to play "Dog pile on the Rabbit" with you all >;)
[7] We're only officially two seasons removed from Julio Franco on an MLB roster (which was two years after Omar Minaya gave him a two year deal with the Mets at age 47. Bernie may still be looking at that and saying, " WTF?? (wink to Dimelo >;)
Gotta think that if Bernie had accepted the non-roster invite (which was cold, but sensible from the team's circumstances), he would've gotten what he wanted; playing ball for the Yanks, a guaranteed contract at the start of the season and multiple chances to start while Torre was still around. I also think that non-roster invites are what the Yanks will do to Jorge and Jeter if they start showing their age like Bernie did at the end of their contracts. Sad. I'd hate to see either one of them playing out the string in another uniform.
[3,4,5,9] You're all a bunch of sissies!!!
Really... EVERY player in ALL of sports eventually retires. Bernie ain't the first. Bernie had a lot of dignity when he played. How about having some now?
Let's see... they guy is worth over $100 million, so it's not like he has to be a janitor post-baseball to make a living. Oh... that's right... HE'S A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN NOW. Poor guy. When he's lamenting not playing baseball, he drowns his sorrows by JAMMING WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN!
But no..... let's watch him drag his corpse back on the field and see how he humiliates himself. Maybe he can pull a muscle in the OD circle taking his warm up swings. Maybe falling down in the OF chasing a fly ball (after all, that was good enough for Willie Mays).
Yeah... I think those of us who aren't worried about losing our homes or jobs should give a little love to poor Bernie. We should be happy that he's tuning himself up for his big comeback in the East Angola summer winter league. I hear the Maui Pineapple League is looking for a good CFer. Maybe Bonds and Sosa can help you get back 'in shape'?
You are done with baseball Bernie.
DONE DONE DONEDONEDONE!
Come to Yankee Stadium and HAVE YOUR DAY!
Let us all love you for a day and then
MOVE THE FUCK ON!!!
(And Derek... look at Moose and look at Bernie. Ghosts are supposed to be dead people. Do the right thing when your time comes.)
[9] OK... Maybe Bernie can play ing the Maui Pinnacle League?
[12] Ummm... are you okay there, my friend? I know I've had some bad days around here too >;)
Look, I think you missed the point. I don't see where anyone said that Bernie should still be playing, I understood it to be that we all can relate to Bernie's desire to keep playing, as he might have been a productive bench player had he looked at it from that standpoint. As it was, he is a former star player who played his entire career for the most storied team in baseball, and letting go of that had to be difficult in his mind. No one suggested paying any million for Bernie to be a backup on a team that doesn't need him after not playing ball for two years. I reiterate, if he wants to play ball as badly as he says he does, there are a lot of teams and leagues around the country and the world he can play for. But the Yanks don't owe him anything except, "Thanks for the memories", which they gave him on the last day in the Stadium.
That said, it's not undignified for a player on his last legs or out of baseball to want to keep playing, but it is for said player to allow himself to be exploited by a team that only wants him for a draw (Willie Mays, as you suggested). Don't hate the playa, hate the game! >;)
And for what it's worth, i agree that Bernie doesn't have enough left to be the productive, everyday player he might think he is, but I don't feel it's beneath him to feel like he can. Ricky spent the last couple of years of his baseball-playing career chasing that carrot in the indie leagues and he still got in the HoF on the first ballot (and still thinks he can play today!); but that's an entirely different bitch's brew >;)
[12] And mind whom your calling a sissy, bub... you forgot Raf >;)
[6] Morganna the Kissing Bandit?
[16] And her evil twin, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!
[14] My sentiments exactly, thanks Chyll. I know I wasn't saying the Yanks should make Bernie their everyday CF, I just understand it's OK for him to miss playing, feeling like he can still play and wanting to play.
It's like that Twilight Zone episode where the old people long to play "kick the can" and feel like they still can.
Off topic but..that was really cool to read about Tony Kubek. I always liked him as an announcer growing up, great to read that he's involved in something so productive.
OYF, you're killing me!
Money has ZERO to do with anything, here!
Sissies!
First of all. I don't care what Jim Rice thinks.
Second off, we just wrote a bunch of irresponsible bankers a $700 billion bailout check, and I don't remember getting the chance to vote on that.
If anyone thinks I'm going to get worked up about tax dollars being spent on baseball stadium, they are sadly mistaken.
My tax dollars are spent on so much shit that I vehemently oppose, it's ENRAGING. Spend some of my taxes on baseball? Be my fucking guest the alternative is potentially a hell of a lot worse.
[21] :)
[22] Point well taken.
I just wanna know how a stadium withOUT a roof can cost $1.4 billion? And I thought the cost was even higher. Lot of money must be being pocketed.
[22] Even though I feel I can easily make a case for why the Stadium benefits the city and the team alike, ultimately, I agree with 100% with your last point. And, I don't think we are in a small minority either, which is probably one of the reasons this issue has failed to gain much popular traction even as pols like Brodsky and ideological columnists try their best to force it.
Also, if Bernie wants to make a comeback, good for him. Regardless of how improbably it might be, I'd be rooting for him all the way. Who cares about how much money he has made in the past.
Looks like Rice hasn't gotten over 1978 yet.
[21] funny! but it reminds me of one of todd drew's last posts. he was talking about juan carlos - or someone around the morning donut vendor and 2 train (i could look it up, but it'll probably just upset me...) - and he was saying how the folks around him would say something to the effect of: "only sissies blog about baseball on the internet!" that's the last thing in the world todd was. i hope marsha is hanging in there...
Bernie, who was on with Framcesa yesterday, said that his shoulders, which have been chronically problematic, have healed considerably as a result of his prolonged inactivity.
As long as Bernie's comeback rises or falls on the merits, more power to him. The problem with Bernie that I had is that he was kept in CF long past the time that he should have been moved to another position. We have seen the same misplaced deference extended to Jeter, although his defense was somewhat improved last season.
Regarding tax dollars, I'm for anything that would stimulate the economy right now. The consumer isn't spending and business isn't investing, so the only remaining actor is the government.