Blog Archives

George King has a story today about Hideki Matsui. Still no clear word on whether the Yanks will trade him or if he’ll waive his no-trade clause. Murray Chass has a piece on Bobby Meacham, a player who is memorable for all the wrong reasons for Yankee fans.

Not much else going on in the world of the Yankees at this moment, so allow me to digress. I just finished a story for Variety on how genre movies have fared in the Best Picture department over the years (not well). Here’s something to chew on–what are the best movies that were nominated for Best Picture but did not win? Here’s my list of the Top Twenty. Oh, and I’m a sucker, I didn’t have stones to make a Top Ten…Also, you can choose a movie even if you think it wasn’t the best movie of that particular year. For instance, I have “Chinatown” on my list even though I wouldn’t have given it the top prize over “The Godfather II.”

The Front Page
Grand Illusion
The Thin Man
The Maltese Falcon
Citizen Kane
Great Expectations
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Sunset Blvd
12 Angry Men
Bonnie and Clyde
M*A*S*H
The Last Picture Show
Chinatown
Dog Day Afternoon
Taxi Driver
Jaws
Tootsie
The Right Stuff
Nashville
Dangerous Liasons

Honorable Mention: Raging Bull, The Philadelphia Story, E.T., Hope and Glory, Breaking Away, Prizzi’s Honor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

And hey, while we are at it, how about the Top Ten Worst Movies to Win Best Picture? (There are so many, I know…)

The Greatest Show on Earth
Mrs. Miniver
The Sound of Music
Chariots of Fire
Ordinary People
Rainman
Million Dollar Baby
Crash
Dances with Wolves
Forrest Gump

Whatta ya got?

I could hear the groans across the tri-state and beyond when I read this.

The New York Post says that Carl Pavano will accept an assingment to the minors, and that Dan Haren is on the Yankees’ radar. In the News, Anthony McCarron, has the latest on Godzilla Matsui. Oh, and Steve Lombardi has the scoop on the latest Yankee gear.

By the way, it was no surprise that Marvin Miller was not elected to the Hall of Fame last week. But it was pathetic. And it’s been nice to read all of the support Miller has received ever since the snub was announced.

So it doesn’t look like the Yankees are going to trade for Johan Santana after all. According to reports, the Red Sox are in “serious” talks with the Twins. It sure would be uncomfortable for us Yankee fans if Santana goes to Boston. I still think the Yanks should make a deal if they can, but it’s hard to complain too much if they don’t, because I’m also interested in seeing how Hughes pans out.

I have to say that I love the Marlins-Tigers deal at least for aethetic reasons. The Tigers home uniforms are easily top five in the game, and arguably, the coolest uniforms, period. I think it’s nifty that Cabrera, the best right-handed hitter not named Pujols, Ramirez, or Rodriguez, will be playing for a good team with a great uniform. And how about the D-Train in Motown? Dontrelle with that royal “D” on his chest? That should be fun. And they are playing for Jim Leyland? What’s not to like if you are a Tigers fan? Of course, the deal makes the American League that much tougher than it already is. Jeez, think about it–Granderson, Polanco, Magglio, Cabrera, Sheff, and Guillen. That’s ill.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Andy Pettitte will return to the Yankees next year:

Andy Pettitte, who contemplated retirement this winter, has told his good friends, a few former Astros teammates and some current Yankees teammates that he will return to the Bronx for the 2008 season.

Through people close to Pettitte, the Chronicle has learned that the veteran lefthander has told family members and teammates that he has decided to return to the Yankees in 2008.

…That wait is over, and the Yankees have been informed of the decision by Pettitte’s agent, Randy Hendricks.

When reached by telephone this morning, Hendricks, who was in route to Nashville for the start of baseball’s winter meetings today, confirmed that he has advised the Yankees that Pettitte will play for them in 2008.

Whoa. If this is true, it’s a very good thing. As for Johan Santana, it’s been a busy weekend of rumors. First, the Yankees officially included Phil Hughes in an offer, then the Red Sox countered. Now, Hank Steinbrenner wants to get something done quickly (re: today), otherwise, the Yankees are prepared to move on.

“This is not a bluff; it’s just reality,” the senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said in a telephone interview Sunday night. “It’s a fact. The Yankees will not be used to jack up the price on people — whether by agents or other teams — ever again. That’s over.”

…”I don’t want to continue this dog-and-pony show, playing us against the Red Sox,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m not going to participate in that. This is our best offer. Minnesota knows it’s our best offer. Everybody knows it is.

“We need to get this done. If we don’t, I certainly won’t be upset about keeping Hughes and Cabrera. I definitely won’t. I don’t think Minnesota wants to be stuck negotiating with just one team.”
(Kepner, N.Y. Times)

First day of the Winter Meetings. Be sure and hit up Pete Abe’s blog for all the latest.

We need a No.1, and I think that’s one of the reasons we’re going after Santana,” [Jorge] Posada said. “It is a need in October, no question about it. When you look at the past World Series champions, they were able to have a No.1 throwing at least two games to win the title.”

…”I was really, really impressed with him during the All-Star Game when I caught him,” Posada said. “To face someone is completely different than catching him, and I was really comfortable with him. I would love to have him.”
(Feinsand, N.Y. Daily News)

Jorege Posada’s deal was made official yesterday and Posada spoke to reporters. Pete Abe has the audio.

Elsewhere, according to ESPN, the Red Sox have a deal on the table for Johan Santana, which includes Coco Crisp and John Lester. This morning, Buster Olney reports on his blog:

There are a lot of factors involved in these talks, including the desire of ownership, so it’s possible that the Red Sox could finish the deal. It’s possible that the Steinbrenners will push for Santana. But I would bet that if you gave truth serum to either Boston general manager Theo Epstein or Yankees GM Brian Cashman, they would tell you that they secretly hope the other team winds up giving up the boatload of prospects and dollars for Santana — because doling out this kind of package in prospects and money is not something Epstein or Cashman believe in, philosophically.

I’d bet if you gave Cashman and Epstein truth serum, they would admit that they would prefer to package prospects and trade them to Oakland for Dan Haren, the 2007 AL All-Star starter who would be a much more cost-efficient acquisition because he is under contract for only $16.25 million (including an option for 2010) over the next three years.

But Epstein and Cashman have to stay at the Santana table, playing this game of pitching poker, because their rival is staying at the table.

Finally, there is this from Jack Curry on Andy Pettitte:

“He’s so torn right now,” [Andy’s father] Tom Pettitte said. “Everybody knows that he was done last year and he didn’t want to play because he wanted to be with his kids. That’s what this is all about. He’s not looking for more money or anything.”

…”I guess if he hadn’t had as much success as he’s had or accomplished as much as he’s accomplished, I don’t know, it might be different,” Tom Pettitte said. “He’s pretty much accomplished everything he wanted to.”

Maybe, maybe, if the Yanks make a boffo deal for Santana, we’ll see Pettitte return, unable to resist the chance to win another Serious. But right now, it looks as if Andy is looking out the front door for good.

Here’s a shocker. There are a couple of few other teams interested in the services of one Johan Santana. The Mets for one. I actually think the Mets will end up with Santana before all is said and done. As far as the Yanks are concerned, man, I don’t think anyone is untouchable in a Santana deal–Hughes, Joba, Melky, and on down the line.

There is an undeniably obsessive quality to blogging. Take for instance, Pete Abraham, who finally had some time to himself a few weeks ago when he announced he was going to take a break from posting for a minute. Well, um, he hasn’t. Sure, he isn’t posting as frequently as he does during the season, but he just can’t stay away. Which is good news for the rest of us, as Pete’s blog is essential reading for Yankee fans; moreover, I don’t know of another mainstream beatwriter who gets blogging more. Try as he might, Pete just can’t keep himself from the blog.

Anyhow, the backpages are splashed with photos of Johan Santana today. There is nothing to report other than the fact that the Yankees are one of several teams interested in trading for the Twins’ stud southpaw. Yo, tell us something we don’t know.

Meanwhile, the latest Hall of Fame candidates were announced yesterday. Tim Raines is in the group. I know many of my saber-minded colleagues–from Jay Jaffe and Steven Goldman to Jonah Keri and Rich Lederer–are all huge Rock Raines fans, and you can expect the bandwagon to beat loudly around the ‘Net in the coming months. I’m riding shotgun and there’s plenty of room. Climb aboard.

…While Waiting for the Alex Rodriguez contract to get done…

I’m sure you’ve heard some Johan Santana gossip over the weekend. Here is a bit of leftover Sunday Turkey from Buster Olney:

Our colleague Peter Gammons is hearing that the Twins want this three-player package from the Yankees, in any Santana conversation: pitcher Phil Hughes and center fielders Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson. Given that the Yankees will probably be asked to pay Santana a deal of at least six years and $150 million to convince him to stay, I’d be shocked if they seriously considered that trade. Part of the equation for the Yankees or any other teams, as they make decisions about a possible Santana deal, is this: Even beyond the question of swapping promising young players like Hughes and Cabrera and Jackson, how much money does it save them to have cheap players on their roster? How much will it cost them to replace a Cabrera or Jackson? Without either Cabrera or Jackson, the Yankees might have to sign a veteran center fielder in his place in a year or two.

And it’s possible that within three or four years, as Santana gets older and Hughes progresses, that Hughes might become something close to what Santana will be then. And you could say the same for Clay Buchholz.

Speaking of leftovers, check out this fun Yankee Thanksgiving article by Steven Goldman.

I’m a nice guy. Ask anyone who knows me. It’s true. I’m the kind of guy who’ll hold the door of a store open for a woman with a stroller, even if I’m just passing by, with no intention of going into the place myself. It’s a reflex, not even something I think about. I’m pathological about helping tourists with directions–I have to force myself not to ask it they need any help. When I see a guy with a fat wallet in his back pocket, I discreetly mention to him that the wallet is practically an invitation for a pick-pocket.

I’ve been consumed with being nice since I was a kid, because I come from a family of nice guys. The first time I became aware of this was in high school. I thought my friend Phil Provost’s older brother, who was two years older than us, was cooler than cool. One day a friend of mine, some fink, I can’t remember who, reported back to me that Phil’s brother complained about me, “All he ever says about people is, ‘Is he nice?, Are they nice?'” I felt humiliated. As if I was so shallow, so desperate for approval, that being nice was the ultimate characteristic a person could have.

The problem I’ve had with being nice is separating my true nice guy self from the one that is put-on. What I mean by that is that from a young age, I bought into the fantasy that if I’m nice enough to people, I will get my needs met. It’s a classic passive-aggressive stance–the futile attempt to get from the outside world what you can only do for yourself. So I would be extra nice, extra good, and when it wasn’t reciprocated, I would then allow myself to fly into a rage. It didn’t matter if I directed that rage at someone or, more often, at myself. I was being nice only to treated nicely in return.

Now that I’m on my way to being grown, I’ve come to recognize the difference between my genuine niceness and the kind that is a set-up. When I’m nice because it makes me feel good, no more, no less than that, then I’m being myself. When I’m being nice to get something back, I get in trouble. When I held the door open for the woman with the stroller yesterday, I did it without thinking, just as, without thinking, I immediately focused on her response. She didn’t say “Thank you.” But instead of being angry, unappreciated, snubbed, I was just happy that I did something nice that I wanted to do.

(more…)

After some deliberation, Mariano Rivera has accepted a more than generous offer to stay in pinstripes. It’s a legacy deal, an outrageous sum to pay for a closer, but hey, this is Rivera and this is the Yankees we’re talking about. We knew the Yanks would overpay to keep him (as they overpaid Posada), just as it was clear that nobody else was going to give Rivera nearly as sweet a deal.

Oh, by the way, congrats to Alex Rodriguez, who won his third MVP award yesterday, and his second in four years with the Yankees. Over at BP, Nate Silver writes that Rodriguez was the clear cherce:

What might be more surprising is that A-Rod’s numbers were even more impressive than they appear at first glance, because of one area for which he’s traditionally had a poor reputation: his performance in the clutch. Rodriguez hit .333, with 98 RBIs and a 1.138 OPS with runners in scoring position. He hit .357 in “close and late” situations. He hit .500 with a 1.286 slugging percentage in 14 plate appearances with the bases loaded. At he hit .362 in September, as the Yankees climbed back to reclaim their spot in the post-season.

Rodriguez, of course, renewed doubts about his clutch ability with his relatively poor performance against Cleveland in the ALDS, when he hit .267 with just one RBI. In other words, he had a bad series. On the other hand, over 162 games during the regular season, he was the one guy you wanted up there when the game depended on it. Which performance do you trust more: 583 at-bats in the regular season, or 15 in the playoffs?

Yes, Rodriguez has disappointed in the playoffs in the past. But the bottom line is this. Firstly, clutch performance is mostly about luck: the same player who is clutch one year can be a choke artist the next. And two, the Yankees ought to have every bit of confidence that Rodriguez can not only get them to October, but win them a title once they’re there. Rodriguez is the MVP – and the highest-paid player in baseball – for a reason: no player provides his team with a bigger head start toward winning a World Championship.

And that’s word to Big Boid.

Mariano Rivera is still a free agent and so is Alex Rodriguez. However, both are expected to re-join the Yankees. Rodriguez will win his third AL MVP later this afternoon. Ah, the Magic number. It sure will be easier to appreciate his accomplishment now that it appears that Rodriguez is gunna stay with the Yankees.

Man, you think Captain Wunnerful is thankful for Barry and Alex today? Saved him from making the front pages, that’s for sure. What’s a little problem with the tax man when compared with the Bonds fiasco or the Rodriguez affair?

Still no word on Mariano, yet. Reports have it that he’s holding out for a fourth year, that he wasn’t thrilled with Hank Steinbrenner’s comments after the Yankee offer was made public. The Yanks did sign Jose Molina, however, to a two-year, $4 millon deal.

Finally, here’s an interesting bit on Rodriguez from Alan Schwarz.

Whatta ya hear, whatta ya say? Schmooze away!

The details still need to be worked out, but it looks as if Alex Rodriguez is coming back to the Yankees, to the tune of 10 years, $275 million. Here is the outline of the deal, and the first look into how it all went down.

The story was released tonight shortly after the Barry Bonds indictment story had a good hour of the newscyle headlines. Many Yankee fans that I spoke with today were unhappy to hear that Rodriguez was coming back, even if some of them softened their stance after learning that Rodriguez approached the Yankees without his agent, Scott Boras. I assume even more will stop worrying and learn to love the bomb when he’s knocking in 40 dingers a year. Still, my initial feeling was that Rodriguez will have to be part of a World Series winner or approach Barry Bonds’ home run record before he is ever truly embraced by the baseball public, let alone Yankee fans.

Only Bonds and Boras getting flogged could possibly make Rodriguez look okay in comparison, and guess what? It happened. Now, Boras takes a massive “L” and Bonds is really in the soup. Rodriguez? He’s only about to sign the biggest contract in baseball history…for the second time. How you like me now, indeed.

I don’t think Rodriguez is that bad–he’s just a bit of a fink that’s all. He’s like the kid you knew when you were growing up, where’d you’s say, “Mattingly hit .340 last year,” and he’d go, “No, he hit .343.” If you gave a buck to a Salvation Army guy on the street, he’d go to the ATM and give the guy a twenty, is how a friend put it. He tries to be a goody-goody. It’s a different kind of arrogance than Bonds. (I don’t think he has the stones to be like Bonds.)

He’s already a Hall of Famer six ways to Sunday, and he’s only 32. He always hustles. I’m eager to keep watching him play for the Yanks. So he’s not perfect, he’s got two left feet when it comes to handling things. He’s like a manicured, movie-star/jock version of Michael Scott–he always says the wrong thing. He’s not as funny, but he’s often just as painful. And like Scott, he just wants to be loved. In a strange way, I find his A-Rodness endearing, even if it is annoying. So, he’s meshugenah? Since when doesn’t that play in New York?

Over at ESPN, Buster Olney confirms the Daily News report from earlier today that Alex Rodriguez is in fact talking directly to the Yankees, sans Scott Boras, about staying in New York. Here’s the story.

While we chew on the latest Alex Rodriguez rumor, I just wanted to take a second to mention that Bronx Banter turned five years-old this month. I’m very proud of that as we head into year six. And for three years now, I’ve had a great co-writer in Cliff (not to mention all the great contributors over the years–from Will, Emma and Bruce, to Ed Cossette, Allen Barra, Chris DeRosa and Brian Gunn, just to name a few). Most of all, thanks to you guys for continuing to drop by.

“My first priority is the Yankees,” Posada said. “I would like to stay with the Yankees.”
(New York Times)

From what I’ve been reading, it seems as if the Yankees are moving quickly to re-sign Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. The deals could happen as early as this week. Posada is looking for more than three years. That is crazy talk for a 36-year-old catcher, but with Jason Giambi in his final year with the Yankees in ’08, Posada would ideally slide into the DH role. Slowly, he could give up catching entirely and be the full-time DH, don’t you think?

Andy Pettitte, on the other hand, appears to be a longshot to play ball again. But if the Twins decide to move Johan Santana next month at the winter meetings, the Yankees will be involved…

Happy Monday, troops. Whatta ya hear, whatta ya say?

Rest in Peace, Norman Mailer. You will be missed.

I’m in the process of putting the final proof-reading touches on The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan. (The book will be released next spring.) I am the editor of the project, which, in many ways, has been like making a literary mix tape. Jordan has long been one of my favorite writers, so it has been an utter joy to read through well over one hundred of his magazine pieces from the past 40 some oddd years and select 25 cherce cuts for this collection.

I’ll have more to say about Pat and the book as the release date approaches. In the meantime, you can check out a bunch of Pat’s New York Times work, which has recently been made available via the Times on-line archive (the only piece that is there that is also in the forthcoming book is the Roger Clemens story).

Here is an excerpt from a piece Pat wrote about clubhouse harmony in spring training, 1989, when both the Mets and Yankees were dealing with “chemistry” issues. I thought you guys would get a kick out of it:

Reporters, however, take the…disturbances seriously. They wonder, in print and on television, if dissension is ripping apart what they perceive as the delicately stitched fabric of clubhouse harmony each team must weave if it is to be successful? They see it all so clearly from their perspective, as men and women who have never been part of such clubhouses. They have always imparted to clubhouse harmony a certain romance of brotherhood they would only laugh at if someone tried to impart it, say, to the boardroom of I.B.M. They see relationships among players in a baseball clubhouse as merely an extension of the child-play relationships they remember from their youth.

In a way, this is condescending to the players, implying as it does a childishness on their part, which, as grown men, they don’t have. What reporters see, then, exists only in their mind’s eye. Which is why the players laugh. They know that clubhouse harmony or the lack of it hasn’t much to do with a team’s success on the field. Players know that good-natured camaraderie in the clubhouse, shared intimacies over a locker, plans to get together with families for a cookout on a day off, all have nothing to do with a team’s success.

…Like most men in business, baseball players compartmentalize their jobs. What goes on across the white lines is infinitely more important than what goes on behind them. A close friend who consistently strikes out with the bases loaded isn’t as much use to a ballplayer as a despised teammate who consistently strokes game-winning hits. The respect a player feels for a teammate’s personal life has nothing to do with the respect he feels for a teammate’s baseball talent. Babe Ruth, Pete Rose and Wade Boggs are three of the greatest hitters ever in the game, and yet not many teammates might envy their personal lives. Yet to a man, every player in the game would want one of those three at the plate if a World Series championship was on the line.

Check it out. There is even a “Rickey being Rickey” line about Henderson, the original Manny.

Who was the first celebrity that you ever had a crush on? I think the first woman whose sexuality overwhelmed me was Deborah Harry. It was intimidating–the red lip gloss, the bedroom eyes. She just seemed so adult, so nocturnal, so foreign. I knew there was something inherently exciting about her, but it was scary too (and if Deborah Harry made me uneasy, then Grace Jones simply terrified me). I’d probably say Bo Derek was the first sex symbol that I was down with. Lynda Carter was there too, along with Valerie Bertinelli, Daisy Duke, Pam Dawber, Julie Newmar and Agent 99 (re-runs). I was hot for Bailey on WKRP too. Later, the first woman I really fell in love with on screen was Jessica Lange in Tootsie.

What about you? And this doesn’t just have to be a straight guy thing.