Blog Archives

You know, I’ve been so consumed with work over the past month that I forgot to mention that Bronx Banter turned four years old back on November 7th. Here is a look at the first post I ever wrote here. Anyhow, I feel great going into Year Five. Cliff has been a valuable addition over the past two seasons, and I’m proud of the community of readers that keep coming back (both those who use the comments section and those who don’t). The whole pernt was to build a community in the first place so I feel as if the banter has been a success. I’ve always been more interested in starting up a dialogue than I have in necessarily being any kind of expert. While I feel that I’ve grown considerably as a blogger, I also know that I’ve learned so much from you all, and for that I am grateful.

I’ve spent much of the fall working on new writing assignments, including some freelance work for Variety, not to mention my gig with SI.com. I’m also contributing a few chapters to a forthcoming Baseball Prospectus book as well as editing a compilation of Pat Jordan’s best journalism. I’ve read over a hundred of Pat’s articles and profiles over the past six weeks, material which covers almost forty years. Picking out the best 30 or so is not easy but is a tremendous amount of fun–it’s like making a literary mix tape. In addition to selecting the pieces, I’m also contributing an introductory essay, and I’ve conducted a Q&A which will appear in some way, shape or form, at the back of the book.

Yo, when I started doing lengthy interviews with baseball writers back in 2003, Pat was one of the guys I most wanted to speak with. Now, I’m responsible for proposing, pitching and selling a project devoted to his best writing. I can’t tell you how stoaked I am about this. Yup, Bronx Banter has been a great launching pad for me, and it is still rewarding to blog about living in New York and following the Yankees with you guys.

Keep comin’ back. We’ll leave the light on.

The Yanks lost out on the Matsuzaka bidding as the Red Sox hope that they’ve landed another Pedro Martinez. However, the Bombers are this close to signing Mike Mussina to a two-year deal: reports from the Post and the News.

I would have loved to see Matsuzaka in pinstripes. Even though he’ll be pitching for Boston I still hope he does well in the majors. The Yankees did hold their own against Pedro, after all. When the Sox ink Matsuzaka he sure will make them a tougher team. That’ll give the Yankee-Sox rivalry more juice, which isn’t all bad.

According to all reports, the Red Sox have indeed posted the winning bid on one D. Matsusaka. How much they’ve spent is not official yet. I’ve read it could be anywhere between $38-$50 million.

According to Bill Madden, who loves to chide the Red Sox:

Once the number is confirmed with the official acceptance announcement tonight by Lions, it will be very interesting to hear commissioner Bud Selig’s response to his friend John Henry’s fiscal behavior in this matter. Imagine if this were the Yankees blowing open the market like this? (Sources say George Steinbrenner’s bid for Matsuzaka was around $30 million and somehow even The Boss won’t mind having lost this one considering what it would have cost him.)

In any case, Selig’s salary police are in for a rough winter. Regardless of how Boras’ negotiations with the Red Sox over Matsuzaka turn out, the first shot over the bow has been fired and starting with his other high-profile pitcher, Barry Zito, we can expect the dearth of quality starting pitching in baseball to create another wild spending spree. How quickly everyone will forget two years ago, when Carl Pavano, Matt Clement, Eric Milton and Russ Ortiz all cashed in on the coattails on the $7 million per year contract the Mets gave Kris Benson – and all proceeded to crap out.

Christina Kahrl believes that Matsusaka will be worth every penny.

Murray Chass thinks that this whole business says a lot about George Steinbrenner’s diminishing role as The Boss in the Bronx:

In the past, Steinbrenner would not have passed up an opportunity to comment caustically on what the Red Sox bid, especially with the evil empire label still in his mind. Those who have heard many of his comments can only shake our heads in sorrow and accept that an era has passed.

In Steinbrenner’s place, can we throw Lucchino’s comment back at him? Is there anything evil about what the Red Sox have done? Mind boggling perhaps, but not evil. Stunning perhaps, but not evil. Incredulous maybe, but not evil. Obscene, as an executive of another club said, but not evil.

What the Red Sox have done is forfeit their right to complain ever again about economic moves the Yankees make.

Meanwhile, Joel Sherman likes the moves the Yankees have made early on:

But the tough part comes now. It begins in earnest tonight with the official announcement that the Red Sox have the winning bid to negotiate exclusively with Daisuke Matsuzaka. In addition, the Yanks strongly believe Boston is pushing hard to sign J.D. Drew to bat behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

Thus, the Yanks could be witnessing their most bitter rival exerting its financial might with a quick 1-2, $100 million-plus statement. The Yanks’ bid on Matsuzaka was considerably lower and, privately, they feel Boston’s total outlay for the righty will be too high and could keep it from addressing other shortcomings. And – like many in the industry – the Yanks wonder if Drew, whose passion is often questioned, has the makeup for The Rivalry. Yankee GM Brian Cashman would only say, “My job is to try to attack our areas of need, period, and not worry about what is going on around us.”

Finally, on a minor note, Joe Girardi will return to the YES Broadcast booth next year.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Yankees have traded Jaret Wright and cash to the O’s for relief pitcher Chris Britton:

Britton, a 23-year-old right-hander who was the Orioles’ eighth-round selection in the 2001 draft, was possibly the team’s second-best reliever as a rookie this past season behind closer Chris Ray . Britton was 0-2 with a 3.35 ERA and one save in 52 games.

However, team officials were concerned about Britton’s lack of command of a second pitch behind his fastball, and they also were worried about ongoing conditioning problems.

The Yanks have traded two veterans this week for young arms. This is what everyone has been asking for, right?

According to Jon Heyman, Sheff is headed to the Motor City.

* * *

Cliff here with some quick takes on the three pitching prospects the Yankees have obtained from the Tigers (from my comments to the previous post):

Humberto Sanchez is a big Dominican righty who went to high school in the Bronx. He’ll be 24 in May and cracked AAA for the first time late in 2006. He pitched well there in nine starts, but was shut down in late July with tenderness in his pitching elbow (a reoccuring problem as he’s made no more than 23 starts in any single season). His track record doesn’t wow you, but he has high strikeout rates and seems to have brought the wildness he suffered in the low minors under control. Last year he allowed just four homers in 123 innings over 20 starts thanks to a Chien-Ming Wang-like mid-90s sinker. Bottom line: he’s young, gets his Ks, is reducing his walks, keeps the ball in the park and on the ground, and is almost ready for the show. Assuming he passes his physical, he should be inserted right into the fifth starter equasion with Darrell Rasner and Jeffrey Karstens.

Kevin Whelan, apart from being hilarious as Mr. Subliminal back in the day, is a high-strikeout, high-walk righty reliever who was drafted by the Tigers out of Texas A&M last year. He’ll be 23 in January and flat out smoked the Florida State League (high A) this year to the point that his high walk rate almost didn’t matter. Anthony Claggett is a very similar sort, but with fewer walks, but also fewer Ks and six months younger. He didn’t allow a home run in 59 1/3 innings in the Midwest League (A-ball) in 2006. Basically these two are both like some sort of mix between Kyle Farnsworth and J. Brent Cox, with Whelan being more of the former and Claggett more of the latter. I expect both to advance quickly as long as they’re able to make some small improvements on their control.

So, you didn’t think Sheff was going to leave with quiet dignity or something silly like that, did you? Hey, he ain’t goin’ out like that.

Rest in Peace, Johnny Sain.

Baseball America lists the Yankees top ten prospects. Thanks to Steve Lombardi for the link.

It’s a slow news day in Yankeeland as we wait on all things Sheffield, Mussina and Matsuzaka.

In the meantime, I ain’t got nuthin’ for ya man, so here’s something dopey to chew on:
Pepe on Torre.

Oh, my bad, I almost forgot. In case anyone missed it, check out Brian Gunn’s fine recap of the World Serious over at THT.

I turned to Emily late last week and said, “I miss baseball.”

“Me too. Things feel so empty without it.”

I’m fortunate enough to have a woman in my life who not only tolerates my passsion with baseball but who thoroughly enjoys it herself. (Is it any wonder we’re getting hitched?) Em usually catches the first part of the game on the radio during her drive home; if I come home late, nine times out of ten, she’ll be sitting there on the couch with the game on, waiting for me. You know the old Weaver saying: “This ain’t football, we do this every day.” Baseball is a lifestyle.

But now there’s nothing, and we’re adjusting to our winter routine–cooking shows, channel surfing, Netflix. We actually watch a lot of movies in the winter, and find oursevles spending evenings watching no TV at all (perish the thought, I know). I have only a casual interest in hoops at this stage in my life and I find pro football boring (I did catch portions of the Colts, Patriots game last night, however, and around all the penalities and instant replay challenges, thought it was an exciting game). One the one hand, the break is okay. We get to catch up on other things in life. I sleep better at night when there is no game to replay over and over in my head. The other day, I thought, “Wow, there is a lack of neurotic tension in my life during the off-season.” That can’t be all bad, right? Still, that’s part of the emptiness.

How many days ’til pitchers and catchers again?

The Yankees picked up Gary Sheffield’s $13 million option today, according to MLB.com. It looks as if they’ll agree to a two-year deal with Mike Mussina sometime this week.

Oh, and here, check out the Top Ten Yankee Prospects over at Top Prospect Alert.com. The top five? Some kid names Hughes, followed by Jose Tabata (OF), Tyler Clippard (P), Joba Chamberlain (P) and Ian Kennedy (P).

Here’s the latest on Mike Mussina and Gary Sheffield. According to Joel Sherman in today’s Post:

The Yankees intend to sign Mike Mussina to a two-year contract and trade Gary Sheffield, sooner rather than later on both moves, to initiate an offseason plan in which they will emphasize upgrading their rotation, bullpen, catching and – if possible – farm system.

Bill Madden and Anthony McCarron add in the News:

The Yankees apparently won’t wait until tomorrow’s deadline to pick up the contract option on Sheffield. According to club sources, the Yanks were planning to trigger the option last night and begin entertaining trade offers from six teams, including the team that knocked them out of the playoffs – the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

In addition to the Tigers, the Astros, Indians, Rangers, Padres and Orioles all have inquired about the slugger, who played in only 39 games last season because of a wrist injury. The Cubs may have interest, too, according to a source.

Meanwhile, Ed Price reports that there may be some shady business in the D. Matsuzaka business.

Tyler Kepner writes about Mike Mussina and Jaret Wright today in the Times:

Mussina, who turns 38 next month, has known that the Yankees will not pick up his $17 million option. But he wants to stay and the team wants him back. Arn Tellem, Mussina’s agent, said in an e-mail message that he has had positive talks with the Yankees, but he added that the sides had just started the process.

The Yankees would like to re-sign Mussina for two years, and they seem to understand it would take more than $10 million a year to sign him.

Wright would cost the Yanks $7 million next year but they can buy him out for $4 million.

Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera has some words of encouragement for Alex Rodriguez:

“They didn’t give the guy a break. New York, the town,” Rivera said of Alex Rodriguez. “He’s done a good job. If you ask me who has hit in the playoffs, I am going to say two or three guys. Alex is one guy, he is not the team. You can’t win with that on one guy. A team is 25 guys.”

…”It’s not up to me whether he is here or not or whether the Yankees want him here or not,” Rivera said. “He wanted to be a part of the team, part of a winning team. He’s done everything. He works so hard, it’s amazing.

“It’s not easy being himself sometimes,” Rivera said. “It’s tough on him.”
(Kristie Ackert, Daily News)

Hey, bro. It’s not easy being green. Such is life.

Derek Jeter haters have another reason to roll their eyes. The Yankee captain has won the Gold Glove award again. Congrats, DJ.

Let the Daisuke Matsuzaka Sweepstakes begin. According to Adam Rubin in The Daily News:

Before a crowd of 200 reporters in a ballroom at the Takanawa Prince Hotel, Seibu Lions president Hidekazu Ota confirmed the team’s intention to make Matsuzaka available via the posting system.

Once Matsuzaka is posted, major-league clubs will have four days to submit sealed bids. The Lions then have four days to accept the highest bid, which could reach $20 million – $7 million more than the Orix Blue Wave got in 2000 for posting Ichiro Suzuki. (Seibu is supposed to know only the amount, not the winning bidder.) Once the offer is accepted, the Lions will pocket that eight-figure payment, provided Matsuzaka and the major-league team come to terms on a contract within 30 days.

You’d have to think the Yankees will be involved.

Meanwhile, it’s official: Don Mattingly will replace Lee Maz as Joe Torre’s bench coach (triple A hitting coach Kevin Long will take over for Mattingly). This doesn’t necessarily mean that Mattingly will one day take over for Torre.

“You can’t just assume something will be given to you,” Mattingly said. “I need to earn everything I can get. And I don’t have to be in a hurry. I don’t need to put any kind of timetable on it, to put that kind of pressure on the situation. I need to learn.”

General manager Brian Cashman said he even made a point of telling Mattingly last week that this promotion doesn’t “guarantee” him the manager job – although obviously it’s a very encouraging sign.

“Brian made it pretty clear to me … he wasn’t guaranteeing anything for me,” he said. “He felt like I had the mind to be able to do more, to be able to manage someday, but obviously the New York Yankees is a huge job and there’s a lot that goes with it.

“Obviously,” he added, “this puts me in a better position because I get to do a lot more in the game and be involved in a lot of different areas that I couldn’t be before.”
(Jim Baumbach, Newsday)

Mattingly doesn’t strike me as the managerial type, but what do I know? I’ve said all along, ideally, you don’t want to be the guy who replaces Torre, you want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaces Torre. But Mattingly is a Yankee legend so you never know.

While Gary Sheffield appears to be the first order of Hot Stove business for the Yankees, Bernie Williams filed for free agency yesterday. You wonder if there is a place on the 2007 Yankees for the best center fielder in team history not named DiMaggio or Mantle. (Meanwhile, Jets running back Curtis Martin, another “soft superstar,” will likely never play another game.)

The bidding for D. Matsuzaka will begin shortly.

Steve Lombardi has a link to a Phillip Hughes website.

Finally, The Times has more on the latest health scare for George Steinbrenner.

I’m not much for Halloween but I know some people who absolutely love it. An ex-girlfriend couldn’t wait for it to come around each year and she’d spend weeks preparing what she’d wear. To me, it’s like New Year’s Eve in that it is Amateur Night in NYC. But hey, I’m a snob, and to be truthful, Halloween has a lot of redeeming values that New Year’s Eve doesn’t, like all the great costumes.

I remember being terrified on Halloween as a teenager. If you didn’t go out, you were a wus. So I’d go out with a band of friends. We dreaded running into older kids, but we always did. At which point they’d pelt us with eggs, and shaving cream, and pound us with socks filled with flower (we heard rumors that some kids has socks filled with quarters but never actually saw them). Lots of nervous anticipation and lots of running. And for what?

Last night was unseasonably warm in New York. I saw clusters of little kids in their outfits–a fat kid wearing a Darth Vader costume, and his fat father wearing the helmet next to him. As I approached my apartment building I saw three skinny teenage boys walking quickly. They looked nervous. One was talking into his cell phone. “Nah, you better stay about from 231st street–they’re throwing eggs down there.” Man, I wouldn’t go back to being a teenager for all the tea in China.

Our pal Pete Abraham has a wonderful blog entry about how newspapers cover Hot Stove rumors.

In other news, another report on George Steinbrenner’s health.

Who are the cherce free agents this winter? A quick look via the Associated Press.

Jeez, well that wasn’t even close, now was it? The Tigers kicked the ball around for five games, couldn’t hit worth nuthin’, and got stomped by the Cardinals. It wasn’t a particularly exciting Serious. Actually, other than the Mets-Cards, the entire playoffs were boring.

My immediate thoughts go out to Brian Gunn, Larry Borowsky, Will Leitch, Dayn Perry and all the other great Cardinal fans I know out there. First championship for St. Louie since 1982–good for them. Who would have called it, right? And our boy Jeff Weaver pitched a whale of game last night–guess he fixed that lazy three-quarter arm angle problem that kept him a mediocre pitcher for so long. The only regret I have is not getting to see The Gambler out there in Game Six with his back to the wall. Oh well. A surprising champion in what was a most entertaining year in baseball. We don’t have to like it, but we’ll take it.

How many days ’til pitchers and catchers, again?