Today’s news is powered by . . . rockin’ ukes!:
- Buster Olney defends the Captain against Jim Rice:
According to The Associated Press, Jim Rice told Little Leaguers, “You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod, you see Jeter. Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare.
“We didn’t have the baggy uniforms. We didn’t have the dreadlocks. It was a clean game, and now they’re setting a bad example for the young guys.”
I cast a vote for Jim Rice to enter the Hall of Fame because he was one of the best players of his time. I don’t know, however, whether he’s the wisest judge of the players of this era or even his own. It’s not entirely clear whether Rice was talking about the differences between the generations in their respective standards of play, or in collective character, or in style, or maybe all of the above.
. . . Rice owes Jeter a public apology for the way he spoke about him, because after 15 years of playing in the majors, there are three indisputable truths about Jeter.
- He plays hard.
- He plays well.
- He represents the sport well.
- Could the Yanks see Billy Wagner in a BoSox uni next month?:
With the Red Sox trying to acquire left-handed reliever Billy Wagner from the Mets, a big question has been if Wagner would waive his no-trade clause to come to Boston. The answer is yes.
Wagner’s agent, Bean Stringfellow, said that while Wagner would like to close next year, he’s willing to go anywhere that will give him a shot at winning a title now. He’s due an $8 million option in 2010, but Stringfellow stopped short of saying that Wagner would only accept a deal to the Sox if they agreed not to pick up the option.
. . . The Mets have until 1 p.m. on Tuesday to work out a deal with the Red Sox. The 38-year-old Wagner is just coming back from Tommy John surgery. He hit 98 mph in his first appearance on Thursday, striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning against the Braves.
[My take: With the Sox starting pitching in a shambles, it might make sense to load up on as many relievers/fresh(er) arms as possible.]
- Jason Giambi, recently released by the A’s, has signed with the Rockies.
[poll id=”36″]
- Brett Gardner turns 26 today. Get well soon Brett!
Bean Stringfellow?
Crazy thought of the day: let Damon walk, re-sign Matsui for a year (maybe even two).
We all say the Yanks need a big bat for next year. Matsui is a bigger bat (.483 career SLG) than Damon (.439 SLG). And Matsui is younger. So what if he can't play the field? Damon is not a great fielder. He's having an obvious career year this year, and so is very likely to do worse next year. Use a Melky-Gardner-Jackson rotation in LF/CF in 2010 instead of a Melky-Gardner-Damon rotation. And Damon's ability to the play the field, such as it is, and bat near/at the top of the lineup, will make him more attractive to other teams than the DH-limited Matsui, so Damon is more likely to bring back draft picks. Who's with me?
[1]
I believe "Bean" is a nickname/adopted given name
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=string001tho
[2] I would offer Damon a one year deal. If he declines the offer, then I would consider making a similar offer, at less money, to Matsui.
If they don't re-sign Damon, and maybe even if they do, they probably need to add or upgrade the OF, possibly be trading Melky, Gardner, or Jackson plus parts for a young veteran who can SLG and field.
btw, Matsui and Damon both have an 128 OPS+ right now.
I'd take Jake Shimabukuro over all those guys in my fantasy uke-orchestra draft.
Just watching some of last night's game, this time with the sound on. I'm finding myself positively relieved when Miller and Morgan take over for a while, that's how dreadful Phillips is. Holy cow that man is an idiot.
Morgan is at his best when he talks about pitch sequences and how it affects what a hitter is looking for in a particular situation and/or count. I also like that ESPN has gone back to displaying a hitter's stats in any given count.
The Ukelele Orchestra of GB are awesome! I was pleasantly surprised to see them here. I especially like their rendition of Ennio Morricone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3gp7B8WC4Q
[7] He might work better if paired with someone who actually knew the game in and out, as opposed to trying to make up for his lack of knowledge by being "wholesome".
[2] Damon is not good, but he can at least play in the field--included (gasp) CF in a real pinch. And he played a couple games at 1B. And he can still run. If I had to choose between the two, I would have to offer Johnny a contract over Matsui.
[7] i also like when Morgan--or any former player--talks about his playing days (managers, teams, opposing players, etc.), so long as they don't romanticize too much. I am a big fan of managers of different eras. Hearing about Sparky Anderson as a manager (from the player's perspective) is interesting to me, and the sort of insight a Morgan can supply that a Miller, Kay, Sterling, etc simply can't.
[10] i guess the real question is what is the prospect for matsui's knees? This was first season after surgery. Is it totally out of the realm of possibility that he can play a corner OF position again? I don't know myself but I would think that could play a part in any decision.
[12] It's not outside the realm of possibility, that Matsui plays the OF. But I think his days of being a FT player may be over. I don't think he was ever that good defensively, and I don't think that age and knee surgeries will help.
[2] You are correct. CRAZY. As good as Mats is, the last thing we need is an oft injured player who can NOT play in the field. With a 40 year old C, and 2 35 year old infielders, do can NOT have a permanent DH. What we need is the BEST OFer we can buy. Money is not an issue if Mats and JD are off the books ($26m).
You trade Mats and JD for Holliday or Bay (or another .850 OPS guy) and we have the a simlar offense to this year, are younger, save $10+m, and are more flexible.
I'd resign Hinske (he won't be expensive and will like another shot at the PS). An OF of NewGuy, Brett, Melky, Swish and maybe AJax (and Hinske if the team gets hit with the plague). DH is Hinske and Po/ARod/Jeter/Swisher.
We have Po, ARod and Jeter (together) for 2 more years. We need to take it easy on these guys if we want them to be healthy and productive. If they are overused, we could easily lose .050 OPS pts on each of all three!
Holliday will NOT be overpriced after this year. No one thinks he is an impact player. He is an .850 OPS corner OFer. Above average but not great. In this economy, he won't get the 'Big Contract'... and I'll bet he would love a 4/$56 deal with the Yanks.
[14] Except that there's no reason to make Matsui the "full-time" DH. Girardi could DH Matsui ~120 games next year, and still give ~15 games each at DH to Posada, A-Rod, and Jeter. Shoot, if its that big a concern, DH Matsui 100 times and then you could give 20 DH games to Posada, A-Rod, and Jeter.
I'd much rather have Matsui hitting in those 100 or 120 games than some combination of Cervelli and Pena. Plenty of teams succeed with a DH who can't play the field well or really at all.
And Holliday is, seemingly, an impact player - in the NL. Some NL team will offer him big bucks (the Giants would be my first guess, they need the bat) and to be honest, after his performance in the AL, I don't think I want him anymore anyway.