"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

News of the Day – 3/25/09

Let’s dive right in . . .

  • Ken Rosenthal lists the Yankees CF battle as one of the top positional tussles of the Spring:

The team only will benefit from the way Brett Gardner has pushed Melky Cabrera. Gardner looks like the favorite to win the job, but Cabrera also has played well, knowing he is less secure.

Gardner can loosen up a defense with his speed and bunting, but he lacks power and is not necessarily the answer over a full season. No problem; Gardner can start 100 games and Cabrera 60, or vice versa. Ideally, they will continue bringing the best out of each other.

  • PeteAbe puts his two cents in on the Derek Jeter decline conundrum:

I find the idea that Derek Jeter should go play the outfield to be ridiculous. We have no idea if he can as he’s literally never played there a day in his life. So his lack of range at shortstop will disappear in the outfield?

He’s your shortstop until his contract expires after the 2010 season. Then you have two choices: Bid him a fond farewell or offer him some sort of DH/super utility role at a respectful salary.

The Yankees painted themselves into a corner when they signed Posada for four years, A-Rod for 10 (Seriously, great idea Hank. Just excellent.) and Mark Teixeira for eight. You can’t move Jeter to first or third and Posada isn’t going to be an everyday catcher forever. He’ll DH at some point.

  • Apparently the Colorado fans are wondering if Jeff Baker is going to the Bombers:

Baker would make sense for the Astros or Yankees. However, the Yankees,a source close to their situation said tonight, are committed to giving Cody Ransom a shot while Alex Rodriguez is out. They liked him as a utility player before A-Rod’s surgery and he has enjoyed a strong spring. Remember, when Derek Jeter was hurt a few years ago, they went with a no-name for a few weeks.

Circumstances could change, but they don’t want to be held hostage in a trade for a player they might only need for 75 at-bats or so.

Wang is going to be a free agent after the 2010 season so to keep him the Yankees are going to have to pay him elite dollars over a long-term to stay: He will likely have a case that he should be paid commensurate with the five years at $82.5 million bestowed A.J. Burnett. And the Yanks, internally, are not positive about going to such extents with Wang. He has pitched four seasons in the majors and two have been interrupted by injury. They wonder how a pitcher who does not strike out batters will age as he loses some bite on his sinking fastball, especially since he has been sketchy in developing the rest of his repertoire. And he would begin a new contract in 2011 at age 31, so you almost certainly are buying declining years.

Because of all of this, the Yankees have weighed trade scenarios in the past involving Wang and, I suspect, they will continue to at least listen, especially if they believe that (Phil) Hughes is capable of being, at minimum, a cost-effective, mid-rotation starter.

  • Audi is now the “official luxury vehicle” of the Yankees.  So what does that entail?:

The new relationship also includes the naming of the Audi Yankees Club, an exclusive viewing location and membership restaurant, located on the H&R Block Suite Level in left field.

The Audi Yankees Club will be a branded space with the Audi logo displayed on the glass entrance doors and on a glass partition at the entrance. The Club will provide guests a luxurious location to view the game in true Audi style.

Additionally, the Audi logo will be prominently located on the exterior facade of the H&R Block Suite Level and the Audi brand will be featured on napkins, brochures and televisions within the space.

The deal will also see elements including in-stadium branding opportunities and select Audi vehicle display dates on the Babe Ruth Plaza at Yankee Stadium.

  • Keith Olbermann now has his own baseball blog over at MLB.com.
  • The Times offers up background on the new MLB Network from a media and advertising perspective:

Media buyers said that the talent the network had hired — Bob Costas, Al Leiter, Harold Reynolds and Barry Larkin, among others — had given the network credibility. Reaction to the network’s signature studio show, “M.L.B. Tonight,” similar to ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight,” also has been positive. With the start of the M.L.B. regular season on April 6, the network will expand its “M.L.B. Tonight” studio show to about nine hours, from one hour, each night.

Tony Petitti, the former executive producer of CBS Sports who is now the M.L.B. Network president, said multiple sets in the studio would be used during the “M.L.B. Tonight” broadcasts, to “accommodate advertisers with in-studio signage opportunities.”

  • A-Rod’s stock has dropped in fantasy baseball.
  • Pat Borzi of the Times paints a depressing picture of the aging and aged Boss George:

About half an hour before the start of Tuesday night’s Yankees-Red Sox game at Steinbrenner Field, two Yankees employees prepared a wheelchair in the wide hallway across from the Yankees’ clubhouse. One couldn’t decide whether to put one cushion on the chair or two. “One,” the other said. “He likes one.”

Moments later, a golf cart chugged down the hall carrying Steinbrenner, with his familiar shades-and-windbreaker look. Steinbrenner often buzzed around in a cart in the old days, but this was different. Several workers helped him into the chair, and they wheeled him to an elevator in the lobby, which whisked him up to a luxury suite on the first-base side.

  • Lee Mazzilli turns 54 today. He was acquired by the Yanks in 1982, for another one-time matinee idol, Bucky Dent.

Categories:  Diane Firstman  News of the Day

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51 comments

1 Cliff Corcoran   ~  Mar 25, 2009 10:14 am

Looks like I was right on Wang.

2 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:07 am

Agreed on Wang and of course it makes no sense, if you can avoid it, to have a sinkerballer on staff with Jeter at short. I wonder if he could be mid-season trade bait for Holliday if Hughes is doing well. I could see Beane getting in on Wang for two plus seasons.

3 randym77   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:10 am
4 Biscuit Pants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:14 am

PeteAbe is starting to bug me. There's no way in hell that Jetes is at SS next season. I think as the season progresses this will be borne out.

Stick to the news Pete, leave the opinions to someone else.

5 Shaun P.   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:33 am

[3] I knew Tabata got married when he was 19, so I was surprised to find out that his wife is as old as she is. What a crazy situation.

[4] Some of us were talking about Jeter in one of yesterday's threads, and I believe our conclusion was the same one Pete posted later. (In fact, I made the same point about Jeter being a DH/part-time SS if he was still on the Yanks after 2010.) You're right, sometimes Pete Abe's opinions are not based on the soundest of analysis, but in this instance, I think he's got it exactly right.

6 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:35 am

Stick to the news Pete, leave the opinions to someone else.

It's been that way since he started blogging. Think of him as a transcription device. He records what's said and passes it along. Any thing more than that, turn him off.

7 Cliff Corcoran   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:35 am

Agreed, Shaun. Jeter is either going to be the Yankee shortstop or not a Yankee. I don't see him being moved, at least not before his current contract is up.

8 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:36 am

How does a part-time SS work exactly? Is that just a euphemism for Alvaro Espinoza?

9 Shaun P.   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:37 am

[1] Cliff, when's the last time the Yanks developed an average-to-very-good starting pitcher, and then let him go as a free agent when he reached the end of his arb years? Might this be a first?

10 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:40 am

I don’t see him being moved, at least not before his current contract is up.

The only leverage they have on an extension is if they move him before the current contract ends. Basically - trade an extension for a position switch. But I don't see them signing him to an extension if they aren't sure he'll be able to handle another position.

LF is open next year. I could see him being a DH/LF if they went out and got someone like Hardy.

Can anyone clue me into Curry's report that Cashman has previously criticized Jeter's defense?

11 Biscuit Pants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:40 am

[5] I missed yesterday's thread, But I'm not sure I agree. The range issues that Jeter has at SS aren't necessarily going to manifest themselves in LF. And the reality is, the Yanks have to strike a balance with his ego vs. what's best for the team. Yes, they have painted themselves into a corner, but personally, I'd rather see a trade than a DH/part-time SS scenario. LF seems like a decent compromise.

12 Cliff Corcoran   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:42 am

What they should do and what they will do are two different things, Biscuit Pants. I don't disagree that Jeter should be relocated next year, but I do disagree that it will actually happen.

13 Biscuit Pants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:46 am

[12] True enough, Cliff. I guess I never expected his skills to decline like this . . .

Maybe if he gave Yuri a call . . .

14 randym77   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:48 am

I dunno...left field should be a power bat. Even if Jeter can handle the transition on defense, he doesn't have the power you expect from a corner outfielder.

15 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:49 am

[10]

Here you go ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/sports/baseball/24jeter.html

Interesting quote from the Captain:
==============================

The rotation with Jeter and Rollins accentuated how much quicker and more reliable Rollins is. Jeter, 34, who is older than Rollins, 30, and looked it in the tournament, has bristled when asked about his defensive shortcomings.

“They think they have a mathematical equation that figures everything out,” Jeter has said. “Like every single person is out there with the same runner and the same pitcher, and the ball is hit in the same exact place. It seems like once somebody says one thing about you, people tend to run with it and we never hear the end of it.”

16 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:55 am

I guess I never expected his skills to decline like this . . .

It's been coming. Last year should have been the wake up for management. Now it will be this year. And with only one year left, hopefully they use the carrot of a 3000 hit extension to move him.

I dunno…left field should be a power bat.

Sure, but there's a lot less wear out there. I could see him OPSing .800 if he only played 60-80 games in the field. But that's a best case.

17 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 11:58 am

I think someone needs to point out to Jeter that few successful teams have EVER had a SS over the age of 35, especially 35+ year old SS with 1,500+ games under their belt.

18 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:00 pm

@15

Yeah that was the piece I was referring to. But re-reading the section:

"General Manager Brian Cashman, who has often mentioned the Yankees’ poor defense, would not discuss Jeter’s future or whether he expected Jeter to stay at short."

I realize he's not specifically referring to Cashman's view of Jeter's defense. The next quote is the terrifying reality, however:

“That’s two years away,” Cashman said. “That’s not something we’re even thinking about. Hopefully, Derek will be with us for a long time.”

The quote from Jeter you copy is hilarious. It's like the media hasn't been fair to him or something. Denial...

I still think this is a third place team with the primary culprit being Jeter. If I'm correct, hopefully management sees the cause.

19 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:02 pm

"I think someone needs to point out to Jeter..."

Surely you jest. I mean, which NY mediot is going to bring that up to his face?

20 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:05 pm

FWIW, B-R.com's top comparable for Jeter right now is Roberto Alomar. Alomar was a full-time player at age 20, and performed at an All-Star level until his age 34 season, when he fell off a cliff after approximately 2,000 games, with roughly half of them on artificial turf.

Jeter was 22 when he became a full-time starter, and to this point has 1,985 games, mostly on grass.

21 The Hawk   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:09 pm

Wow, I really do find some of these comments somewhat mind-blowing. Jeter is the reason the Yankees are a third place team?

Also, with Wang, there is something strange about this need to move him. Up until this year he has been their best pitcher since he's come up. It's even possible that will be the case this year -certainly it's possible he'll be the second best. They're worried about his injuries (when one of them was from running the bases? How does that project to trouble down the road? It was an accident) ... but they signed Burnett who actually is very injury prone. It's bizarre.

22 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:10 pm

@20

Excellent find. Larkin and Trammel are pretty good comps too. Trammel was done as a full-time SS at 32. And Larkin managed to hit until he was 36. The only problem is both started as far superior SS's than Jeter has ever been.

The end is coming - quickly...

23 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:10 pm

Longest career for players who manned SS in at least 95% of their games:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/3k2G

24 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:15 pm

Most games played for those age 35 or older, with 95% or more of those games at SS:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/j59H

25 monkeypants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:18 pm

Another Jeter discussion? This is crossing well into dead horse territory. Meanwhile, no one discusses the third scenario--perhaps the least likely but not entirely implausible--that Jeter does not steeply decline over the next couple of years and puts up basically last seasons' numbers. In this case, the organization would need not choose between Jeter at DH or no Jeter at all, because he would still be a serviceable albeit highly overpaid SS.

[18] I still think this is a third place team with the primary culprit being Jeter.

A strong statement. So, an underperforming corner OF (Nady) or CF (Cabrera or Gardner) will not have much impact, but Jeter is already the main reason for a third place finish?

[17] Few unsuccessful teams have 35 y.o. SS with more than 1500 games. It's tough to invoke such historical examples when the case your dealing with is already an outlier.

As I said above, this really is dead horse material. Jeter is the SS this year pretty much unless his legs fall off or the like. After another 600 ABs we will see if he is Robero Alomar or Alan Trammel (who hit 138 OPS+ at age 35, mostly but not entirely at SS).

26 tsengsational   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:19 pm

[21] Totally agree with you on Wang. Of course, I'm biased since he's my favorite Yankee player at the moment. If the Yanks part with him I'll be very disappointed but I guess business is business.

27 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:19 pm

@ 21

That's why I stop by.

@ 23

Great list. Jeter's the worst defender in the top 10. Seems like Larkin is the best comp and hope going forward. Still, he slugged .500 at age 34.

28 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:23 pm

@ 25

The defense in CF will be above average. The offense in RF will be about average. Jeter is already below average defensively, and with the way he looked at the WBC, he's well on his way to being a below average bat.

Of course, there is the value argument. And from that perspective, Jeter is the worst value on the team.

29 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:23 pm

The 1986/7 Yanks got rid of a severe GB pitcher who went on to a serviceable career, but declined significantly at age 32:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/tewksbo01.shtml

30 monkeypants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:25 pm

[24] An interesting list. If you look at the more modern players who stuck around a couple of years at SS as after age 35, what stands out is that they are all very weak career hitters. In other words, they stuck around because of their perceived defensive value, it seems.

That is why Jeter is not really comparable. We all know he is a poor defender. His value is tied to his bat. So again, we will have to see if last year was the sign of real decline or an injury-related anomaly. I would not be surprised by either outcome.

31 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:26 pm

@ 30

Do you believe he's healthy now? Cause his bat is slllloooooooooow.

32 monkeypants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:30 pm

W-e-l-l-l-l-l, Wilbur, as much I would l-o-o-v-e to rehash all the same arguments, it's about t-i-i--i-m-e for me to get back to w-o-o-r-k.

33 The Hawk   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:31 pm

The funny thing about Jeter's declining skills is after reading that Torre book it seems like he's never been able go to his left very well. I didn't really remember that being discussed before, but I guess it was.

Anyway it's weird to me some people have a hard-on for faulting Jeter ... I don't recall this being the case before A Rod's arrival. I wonder how many people think Jeter is a major problem who also are hardcore A Rod supporters - or vice versa. All the stats and (somewhat) empirical evidence that are marshaled in this argument seem to still take a back seat to some kind of law of repulsion between Jeter and A Rod.

34 monkeypants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:35 pm

[31] I have no way to evaluate a sllloooooowwwww bat objectively. I can look at his numbers, which look like serviceable spring training numbers (WBC 727 OPS , with a high OBP; spring training 928 OPS).

As with "effort" and "grittiness" and "smarts," I suspect that "Jeter's bat speed" is one of those things that one sees in it what one wants. I prefer to look at the numbers. Talk to me at the end of the season.

35 Biscuit Pants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:42 pm

[33] As much as Jeter has been deified in the media, he has always been equally criticized on the interweb for poor defense and general overratedness. He's probably gotten too much credit for the success of the nineties and too much blame for the mediocrity of the oughts. Let's see what happens this season.

36 Bum Rush   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:42 pm

@ 33

Actually, I get hard-on's for winning baseball. The 96 DVD still gives me a wife-pleasing three-hour woody. It popped my cherry, if you will.

Jeter, right now, is like a naked Roseanne Barr. I suppose there are folks who would like that. I'm just saying "It's Roseanne Barr! And she's nekkid!".

37 ny2ca2dc   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:43 pm

Oye, this is getting old quickly. As RLYW has shown, Jeter is a bad defender but not the historic butcher some would like to paint him as. He lost about a win of value on D last year, and projects to be about the same (-1 or -1.5 on D) next year. He was still one of the most valuable SS on offense, and one of the most valuable SS in total. The problem is that he's overpaid, not that he's terrible. Most teams would love to have Jeter at SS for them, but no one would like his current cost. I smell a lot of overreacting.

As for the future, here's a solution I haven't heard, which would accommodate a goal of keeping Jeter while still competing: Sign Holiday next year to replace Damon in LF (Swisher in right). Sign someone (Abreu?) for 1 yr to DH. Jeter stays at SS (I think he'll be about average O+D in '10, so again overpaid but not killing the team by any stretch). In the next offseason, sign JJ Hardy to play SS and Jeter to DH. It really doesn't have to be a crisis, as the Yanks can afford stars elsewhere on the roster to cover for Jeter's decline - if that's a primary goal.

38 Biscuit Pants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:43 pm

[31] Beat me to it.

39 OldYanksFan   ~  Mar 25, 2009 12:45 pm

Even with his poor defense, in terms of overall production, Jeter is still an above average SS, probably in the top 1/3rd. I'm pretty sure we won't be able to say that about him if he were an OFer.

The Yanks will want Jeter to get 3,000 hits, so my guess is he'll get a 1 year contract after 2010, in the $10m area. The Yanks fell out of love with Bernie when he shit the bed and Jeter will be no different. If Jeter wants to be a Yankee after 2011, he's looking (at best) at $5m as a utility guy. Frankly, my point of view is that he retires after 2011.

40 SteveAmerica   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:19 pm

Jeter was arguably the second most valuable AL shortstop last year based on O and D combined. So, opinions and internet bragging about our woodys aside, this seems like a rather silly thing to start flaming about.

41 Diane Firstman   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:21 pm

We're not flaming .... I thought we were having an intelligent discussion with points and counterpoints and real data being cited.

42 SteveAmerica   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:21 pm

Also, I'm fine with letting Wang walk before he becomes expensiver than he's worth, however, if they trade him they better get some real hot shit in return. Letting him go elsewhere and not recouping anything would be a real stupid move.

43 SteveAmerica   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:22 pm

[41] Maybe I should have said smoldering, I feel like I've been watching the exact same arguments posted over and over for the last two weeks.

44 PJ   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:30 pm

Is it me, or am I the only one around here wondering just what it's going to take during ST for Austin Jackson to earn a spot on an Opening Day Roster?

I would have no trouble at all with an Opening Day outfield of Jackson in LF, Gardner in CF, and Damon in the smaller RF with Cabrera, who like Gardner and Jackson can play all three positions, coming off the bench. All four have flatly outplayed both Nady and Swisher... in the field and at the plate... no contest, and Jackson is the keeper, not Nady and/or Swisher! Hits would be very hard to come by indeed in a Yankee outfield with those four for the first time since their title years when they fielded Justice, Williams, and O'Neill with Raines or Strawberry off the bench. Hardly anyone would run on them unless Damon was playing. I cannot say that with Nady and/or Swisher out there from day to day.

I don't know about you, but I have a problem with any veteran player having an equal amount of hits and walks while hitting .257 in the spring (Swisher). Haven't we had enough of Jason Giambi type numbers, a . 400 OBP notwithstanding? I sure have, especially when our homegrown talent is so overwhelmingly superior right before the start of the season. It's like Tampa sending down B. J. Upton in favor of Gabe Gross fer Christ's sakes!

I mean promoting Jackson isn't like retaining Berroa or anything... is it? I would hate for him to languish in AAA ball, waiting on Swisher and Nady to fall on their collective asses... or am I just way off base here?

As far as the Captain goes, lighten the hell up! I want to see him actually struggle to a .270 - .280 batting average for a year before I will declare Jeter "unfit" for being in the front end of the order. To date, he plays most every game, he always is among the league leaders in multiple hit games, and he has never hit below .025 pernts of his career average in the three-teens. We certainly cannot say that about the "OBP King" Jason "The Schlub" Giambi now, can we? Wake me when Jeter hits .100 pernts less than his career high please. We suffered through three such seasons in the name of OBP with the schlub, who by the way is "hitting" a Varitek-esque .150 with no power with Oakland these days...

The least we can do is allow Jeter a few retarded twelve hoppers to Tex at 1B, a trip or two on the seam chasing a grounder, or hitting Mrs. Olbermann in the face like Giambi, Sax, and Knoblauch did during their tenures before we throw dirt on Jeter's defensive coffin, shall we? For those of you who dare to place all of the blame at the feet of Jeter for the Yankees '08 failure (It was all Pettitte's fault with his .500 winning percentage if truth be told, hardly worthy of his $16M salary!), I suppose in your mind, the Red Sox won their title in '07 because of Julio Lugo! Laughable...

If you want to climb his ass about something, how about raking him over the coals for his gigantic and AIG-like societal/cultural blunder of building his monstrosity of a house like he's auditioning for the next episode of Cribs. I would argue that is as bad of a message to everyone here as anything A-Rod has ever done. It's a "Let them eat cake." attitude and we all know how that ended up. If not, I'll give you a hint... heads rolled...

The bottom line is as Captain, the organization will give him every opportunity to get 3K hits and play SS while getting there. He is not nearly as abysmal as Bernie Williams was from '03 until the end. Don't like it? Go join your buds in the "Joba should be used in the eighth inning!" line!

;)

45 Horace Clarke Era   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:32 pm

37, 39, and 40 ...

Why'd you guys take so long to get it right here? There is a bizarre anti-Jeter thing at work (some guys get love when they age, some get slagged) and it may be, as suggested, a weird anti-Rodriguez thing. Me, I see it as the overloved now overdissed thing, also mentioned above.

But the numbers are what matters. His D is below average but it doesn't -signify- a whole lot. He drops a run on D. He makes up a few at bat. Till the latter disappears (and it may, this year, next year...) he's an asset at short, as OYF and Steve are noting. To therefore say -he- is the reason this is a 3rd place club (last year or this year?) is lame, and a major overreaction.

The problem, seems to me, is us ... fans want him to still be the golden boy, and we call it 'ego' if he just wants to play his position, where he's a serious net asset.

46 williamnyy23   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:52 pm

[25] Agreed...people need to remember that Jeter is just one year removed from an OPS+ of 121. If he returns to that level, Jeter could tie both his legs together at SS and still be a very valuable player. While I am always concerned about his defense, I am not ready to throw in the towel on his bat. The only reason Jeter's defense is being examined so thoroughly is because he is coming off a relatively poor offensive year (that was still above average). If Jeter goes back to his 1998-2007 numbers, he'll be firmly in place at SS in 2010. I think Jeter deserves the benefit of the doubt and am surprised so many are ready to ship him out. The pitchforks can come out if he slumps in 2009 as well, but can't we at least wait and see what this year brings?

47 williamnyy23   ~  Mar 25, 2009 2:56 pm

[45] That's another good point...if Derek Jeter were to demand that he be the DH, he would be hurting the team. Jeter's value is that he can play SS (even if he rates well below average) and has always hit around 20% above the league average. If he were to be a DH, he would not carry as much value, especially if the full-time replacement was a slick fielding black hole in the lineup.

Eventually, the Yankees will need to find a new SS, but I don't think that time is now. So much can happen between now and 2011, that it is really futile totry and predict what will happen. For all we know, Arod's hip could make him a permanent DH, opening up 3B for Jeter.

48 cult of basebaal   ~  Mar 25, 2009 3:30 pm

Another Jeter discussion? This is crossing well into dead horse territory.

c'mon MP, you're an old-timer here. you should know Banter is a veritable glue factory by now ...

at least the "Joba to the pen" meme seems dead.

49 monkeypants   ~  Mar 25, 2009 4:38 pm

[48] Hah! and Mute point!

50 cult of basebaal   ~  Mar 25, 2009 5:48 pm
51 Rich   ~  Mar 25, 2009 9:28 pm

Ham's comment is ill-founded.

Jeter is great going back on balls in the OF, and his lack of range is due to having a deficit in quickness rather than foot speed.

It's quite possible that playing the OF will help Jeter save his body from wearing down thereby making him more productive offensively.

There may no ideal solution for Jeter in terms of where he should play in the field, but it isn't SS, and it's most likely the OF.

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