It’s awfully nice being on vacation, but there’s an equally nice aspect to returning home. Not much Earth-shattering news during my time away, other than the long-overdue signing of Johnny Damon. Let’s run down a few things to get the week started:
Given the late timing, the $8m contract (none-deferred) is more than solid. There’s no way around the fact that Damon and Boras misread the market, badly, and their turning their noses at the Yanks larger (in total dollars, years) looks now like a big mistake. At least Damon has his nomination for the IIATMS HOF to rest his head upon as he weeps into his over-stuffed pillows.- For a ton more on Damon from IIATMS, have at it here.
- I almost feel bad for Dave Dombrowski. Boras pulled the end-around, donned his surgical gloves, and put his hand up owner Mike Ilitch’s backside to stroke his brain into offering Damon more than any other team was gonna offer. Damon and Boras had no leverage, yet Ilitch was cajoled into paying Damon, along with giving him a no-trade clause. I feel for Dombrowski because he was “forced” (or was it “encouraged”) to deal fan favorite Curtis Granderson to the Yanks. Granderson, by the way, will earn $5.5m this year, some $2.5m less than Damon. Sure, Granderson’s contract runs for three more years ($25.75m, all in, including a $2m buyout), but do Tigers fans feel happy about this trade-off? Was it worth trading a fan favorite and someone under a reasonable contract for three more years for one year of Johnny Damon and the potential of Austin Jackson and a higher contribution to the payroll in 2010 to boot?
(click “read full post” to read more)
Late in 2004, I started hearing whispers of an incredible Japanese pitcher. Reports varied–some said the youngster threw 6 average to plus pitchers, some said 8. All agreed that he had easy 98 MPH heat, and a pitch that no one else threw–the legendary gyroball. The kid had already won the Japanese versions of the ROY and the Cy Young. He started the All-Star game as a rookie. His first three seasons he led the Japanese leagues in wins, took home a gold glove, and was awarded to the prestigious “Best 9″ award. Not one in each year, all three in each year. In his second year he led the league in strikeouts, and did so again the following year, when he was also awarded the Japanese version of the Cy Young.
The year before he’d been drafted by the Seibu Lions, he had one of the most ridiculous 4 game stretches in the history of ridiculous. In game one, he threw 148 pitches, coming away with the complete game shutout. In game two (yes, he started both), on a total of no days rest, he threw 250 pitches over 17 innings. Even god rested on the seventh day, and so Dice-K was relegated to playing LF in game three, but still managed to throw 15 pitches in a relief role. And to top it all off, he threw a no-hitter in the series final.
He was going to be a star, make people forget about Matsui and Ichiro (indeed, his first time facing Ichiro at age 18, he struck him out three times). He was going to obliterate the all time record posting fee–(the cost US teams pay to Japanese teams for the right to even speak to their player regarding a US contract)–some speculated he could cost as much as $10 million. And people started to dream.
(click “view full post” to read more)
Was finally finishing the Dead Torre Scrolls, or as others refer to it, The Yankee Years (by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci), while on vacation and I was breezing through Chapter 13 “We Have A Problem”. This chapter relives the point in time, right about this time of the year, as players are reporting to Spring Training (in 2007) as Johnny Damon is out of shape and strongly considering retirement. Whatever the reason (injury, burnout, re-marriage, new family, etc.), Damon was set to hang up the spikes on the eve of the season. There are many, many good stories from this book that were never told and this is another example.
The reason for bringing this up, three years later, after Damon chose to let the Yanks’ offers pass and is, as of right now, languishing in free agency. The following passage was so revealing and I wish he re-heard it or remembered it. The set-up is how Damon, on February 24th, told Cashman he was seriously considering quitting baseball and how he wanted to be with his father on his birthday:
Damon jumped in his car and drove home to Orlando. He played with his kids and took his father out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. Who knew how long he would stay away from baseball? A day? A week? Forever? His dinner with Jimmy [Damon's father] actually convinced him he needed to get back to baseball, at least for he time being, anyway. Jimmy told him life after baseball would always be there for him, but for now, baseball afforded him a national platform to affect people’s lives. Damon, for instance, helps raise awareness and funds for the Wounded Warriors project, a charity that assists soldiers injured in battle to transitio into civilian life. Being a baseball player, especially a Yankee, Jimmy told him, made his contribution to that kind of work much more impactful. On the third day of his sabbatical, Johnny Damon drove back to Tampa and became a baseball player again.
(click “view full post” to read more)
Brian Cashman spoke quite candidly at Univ. of New Haven yesterday about a number of subjects, notably about Damon, but also touched about his policy of not negotiating contracts until they expire. (h/t to i-Yankees).
Let’s begin with that Damon rascal:
My attitude is if this is the place you want to be, you will make it happen. Johnny Damon professed his love for the Yankees, wanted to be here and was given every chance to be here. He’s not here anymore and I don’t feel that is the Yankees’ fault. They have to reconcile why they are not here, not me.
[...]
“I told (Damon and Boras), ‘I don’t know if Hal (Steinbrenner, the team’s part owner) would approve it, but I’m not going to fight for it unless we know you will do it,’” Cashman said. “Scott Boras said, ‘Bobby Abreu’s (new) contract is $9 million a year right now on the table so why would we do that? So I expect to see a Bobby Abreu contract.’ … I hope he does not sign for something less than our offer. That means he should have been a Yankee and that’s not our fault.”
Damn well said. I created this blog because of the repeated hypocrisy with so many players… ones like Damon who profess their love of a team, city, whatever, then bolt to a less favorable position when the other team offered $1 more than the team he professed to love. So we’re clear, I don’t begrudge any player for making as much as they can, particularly the younger players. This is what they know and in many cases, all they know. However, with more senior guys like Damon, with nearly $100 million in career earnings (just salary), his being so disingenuine (or is it another word? You tell me) is what troubles me.
Now, with Jeter, Mo and Girardi, Cashman had this to say:
(click “view full post” to read more)
Well friends… it’s time for a bit of downtime for me. Heading on vacation on Friday 2/12 and will return on Saturday 2/20. I’ll have my trusty laptop but I don’t expect to be posting all that much.
I’ll leave you in the more-than-capable hands of Will and Tamar (and maybe Brad, too!) during my absence.
During my absence:
Johnny Damon will sign for the same money, or less, than the Yanks would have given him (and if it’s Detroit, why did they “need” to deal Granderson for payroll issues?)- Lincecum will be very wealthy
- Joba and Hughes and the #5 starter will be debated, again
- Someone’s coming to camp in the best shape of their life
- The contract statuses of Jeter and Mo (and Girardi) will be annoyingly rehashed
- Pitchers and catchers will report and everyone will begin to feel a heckuvalot better
In the meanwhile, have a safe week, wherever you are, whatever you are doing.
Remember: Baseball’s around the corner.
Here’s wishing Tom Glavine all the best as he heads to his new job:
Tom Glavine has officially ended his playing career and reunited with the Braves’ organization.
The Braves have announced that Glavine has accepted the invitation to serve as a special assistant to team president John Schuerholz.
Make no mistake about it, Glavine’s a Hall of Famer, retiring with 305 career wins, which places him #4 amongst lefties all time. Yeah, he was really good for a long time. I won’t let his Mets’ tenure taint my image of him as a Brave.
Though, the truth is, Glavine was about what we could have realistically expected from him, starting at age 37, wasn’t he? Still made at least 32 starts every year as a Met, with an ERA below 4.00. Wasn’t “great”, but solid.
(click “view full post” to gawk at his stats)
UPDATE: Tweets SI_JonHeyman
If you read below, that’s EXACTLY what I projected, though I called for a three-year deal. At $23m for the next two years, that’s a fine compromise for both. He gets LESS in 2010 than the previous offer ($9m vs $9.5m), but will make more in 2011 than the previous offer: $14m vs. $12.5m). Giants get a steal this year, which helps their situation. Still, leaving a guaranteed year on the table is a surprise. So basically, Giants won the arbitration.
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Reports out today indicate that the SF Giants have offered uber-ace, ultra-bargain Tim Lincecum a three year deal worth $37 million.
A major-league source said the Giants have made a three-year, $37 million offer with annual salaries of $9.5 million, $12.5 million and $15 million, and that the Lincecum camp countered with a proposal north of $40 million.
If Timmy asked, I’d tell him:
(Click “view full post” to read more)
Fellow Yanks blogger and all-around good guy Moshe Mandel of TYU penned a whopper of a post today, touching on the most sensitive of topics: racism in baseball. The Yankee blogosphere is quite crowded, but work like Moshe (and his team) often stands out. This posting is no different.
This is an extremely touchy subject that I have held off on posting about for a while due to its incredibly volatile and incendiary nature. That said, I think the time is ripe for some brief thoughts on the issue, and then I hope you will join me in a reasoned discussion in the comments.
Do yourself a favor and head over there, have a read and join him in the discussion. It’s worthwhile.
Driving into work today, while dodging snow bombs falling off car and truck roofs and navigating the horribly unplowed Long Island roads (memo to the plow drivers: It only works when your plow is touching the ground!)… I caught a bit of Artie Lange on XM. His rant was about ARod, as well as some Bob Uecker stories. His best line:
To be more like Babe Ruth, before the play-offs last year, A-Rod went to a hospital and promised a dying kid that he would ground out to second for him.
Here’s Lange on Letterman, retelling the Uecker stories:
(click “view full post” for the video)
My West Coast correspondant, HIM*, sent me this in response to the Jeter-babble and Mariano-babble that’s running wild:
“To be a Yankee is a thought in everyone’s head . . .Just walking into Yankee Stadium, chills run through you. I believe there was a higher offer, but no matter how much money is offered, if you want to be a Yankee, you don’t think about it.”
- Jim “Catfish” Hunter pitcher (1975-79), on his heralded free agency signing, New Years Eve 1974
Again, I’m not worried (yet?) about Mo and Jeter leaving. I might worry about them destroying hindering the team’s payroll flexibility for a few more years, but not about them wearing another team’s uniform.
* Continued best wishes for a speedy recovery from knee-replacement surgery!
Thank you, Ken Davidoff, for the nice words:
So, what did we miss? Not a heck of a lot, as we mentioned, particularly with our two local clubs. Marcus Thames? Yawn, although I like the new look of the linked blog, “It’s About The Money, Stupid.”
Props to my man Brad for all of his help with the redesign!
Reason #5,804 why I can’t wait for the guys to report and the games to start: We can pull back on the hyper-focus of the contract situations. I know that’s just a wish as we’ll probably hear too much about them all season, but…a guy can wish, right?
More proof:
Still, he is not going to undersell himself. But the hidden card is what does a fair contract mean to Jeter. His contract averaged $18.9 million a year and he will make $21 million this season.
Is that the right area for two or three years? Or does Jeter demand a contract until he is 42, like the Yanks gave to his frenemy Alex Rodriguez? If so, that would mean a six-year deal before even contemplating that Rodriguez averages $27.5 million a year with a high of $32 million.
My gut tells me the agreement point will be toward the middle, think four years at $100 million. However, to convince the Yanks that is a good idea — to create an age-challenged infield left side of Jeter and A-Rod for years to come — Jeter is going to have to play like in his prime again; show that athletic arrogance in which he proves he is still a great shortstop, not just to himself, but to the Yankees and the world.
We get it. The left side of the infield will be both old and absurdly expensive (well, it is already) in a few short years. A $50 million left side of anything is crazy.
(click View Entire Post to read more)
Lindsey Lohan has competition, it seems:
Nationals ‘aggressively pursuing’ Wang
Stuck inside during a lovely blizzard today and I’m already getting stir-crazy.
