What does the Crawford Sigining mean for the Yanks?

So now that Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox, and with Adrian Gonzalez also on his way to bean town, what does this mean for the Yankees?

I'm actually less worried about A-Gon than I am about Crawford, despite what the numbers may say. A-Gon hasn't seen American League pitching, where as Crawford has dominated the AL, and brings with him significant speed.

What really scares me though is that Fenway's dimensions are shrinking. The place is already a band box, and now they're bringing in the fences in right field. And they call Yankee Stadium small. Just look at this overlay of the current dimensions: (NYS = New Yankee Stadium)

 Once they bring in the fences, the only place Fenway will be bigger than Yankee Stadium is dead center. This will play perfectly to A-Gon and Crawford's strengths, not to mention Ortiz. Now that's scary.

Boston is still lacking in the Pitching department, which will be emphasized by the smaller dimensions, but as of now so are the Yankees. If the Yankees don't sign Lee, they're in even more trouble in 2011. They could conceivably miss the playoffs all together.

How heavy does Pettite's decision weigh?

So last year I felt like Pettite should have retired after the '09 season, going out on top as the winner of the World Series clinching game. Boy was I wrong. Prior to his injury, Pettite had a killer year. Now he is holding Yankee Universe hostage. Until we know his position on retirement, we don't know just how much we need Lee, or how much we're going to have to look internally for rotation positions.

Now we hear that he's leaning towards retirement. That means that in the event that we do not get Lee, we're looking at Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova as our 4 and 5 pitchers. That could be the killer for the Yankees in the stacked east, and we may be looking at a second or third place finish and miss the playoffs all together.

Waiting on Cliff

The Yankees lost out on Crawford and Werth, and aren't willing to let go of any big name prospects for Zack Greinke. That means that Cliff Lee is no longer just their primary off season  target. He's their only one.

Pavano is still out there, but I wouldn't wish that on The Red Sox The Mets my worst enemy.

 The Yankees have allegedly offered three deals: 5 years $123 MM, 6 years, $144 MM, or a whopping 7 years $161 MM. The Rangers, the only other team believed to still be involved in the negotiations, have been rumored to offer a 5-year deal with a sixth year option. If Nolan Ryan is right, we're looking at at least one more day of waiting before any decision is made. Who will he wind up with? Yankee officials have expressed some sceptacism,  but I believe the smart money is still on the Yankees. Expect to see Lee in pinstripes by mid-week.

The Yankees need to do whatever they can to stay competitive in the AL east, especially with the moves Boston has made over the last few days. Cliff Lee is much more important right now to the Yankees than he will be too Texas. The Yankees already missed out on Lee once, don't expect the Steinbrenners to miss out on him twice.

Don't make daddy's ghost mad.

Tampa Sinking

So how good will Tampa be this year? Crawford signed with Boston (more on that later), Pena signed with the Cubs, Matt Garza is being shopped, Bartlet is a Padre, and Choate is close to a deal with the Marlins. So where does this leave the Rays in 2011? Metaphorically speaking...

They're sunk. While they do have one of the best farm systems in baseball (a few years ago their AAA team may have been able to beat the Pirates major league team), their rookies are just that, rookies. They're untested, and being tossed right into the fire that is the AL east will undoubtedly be too much for them to handle right away. The Yankees missed the playoffs in '08, the Rays in '09, and the Red Sox in '10, it's the Rays' turn again. I predict them to be in the position often held by the Blue Jays of "If they were only in a different division they would have made the playoffs...", and win 89 games, finishing behind the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Rising Sun: Washington Nationals

Are the Nationals the next Tampa Bay Rays? With the news this week that they signed Jayson Werth to a 7-year $126 million contract, a record for outfielders, combined with recent draft picks Bryce Harper and the now-injured Stephen Strasburg, the team is setting themselves up to be one of the better teams in baseball within the next 5 years or so. Gone are the days when Owen Wilson might actualy be able to pitch for the Nationals.

Nationals 2009 Opening Day Starter

So what do I make of all these moves? Well taking into account that Strasburg will probably miss most of 2011 with Tommy John surgery, and now that they've lost Adam Dunn to the White Sox, I don't project too much of a difference this year (however they may still show marked improvement, perhaps finishing ahead of the Mets) however two or three years from now, the Nationals could be a force to be reckoned with in the NL east. The addition of a guy like Werth, who, while not the best outfielder brings postseason experience and knows how to play on a competitive team in the east and how to supercharge a locker room, could conceivably give a big boost too a Washington club that's needed just that for some time now. Here's my 2011 NL east prediction:

Philadelphia 95-63
Atlanta 89-73
Florida 75-87
Washington 74-86
Mets 69-93

So there you have it, for only the second time in their history in Washington, the Nationals will finish out of last in the East. As for the Mets...well...

I Told You I'd Be Back....

So it's been a while since my last post, and I apologize for that. Things have been a little hectic around here lately, but with the winter meetings now behind us, I can promise that we will have much more content shortly!

John Miller and Joe Morgan Fired!

I'm a little late to the show, but John Miller and Joe Morgan have both been fired! Not sure who will fill in for them, but anyone will be better. Hopefully this will put an end to the Anti-New York bias on Sunday Night Baseball. Perhaps Michael Kay will be the replace meant? He already has an ESPN show. One can only hope.

Hat of the Week:

Sorry this week has been light, I've had a lot going on, just getting around to writing some posts now. Heres this weeks hat of the week:

There it is, your retro Brooklyn Dodgers ballcap. I have one of these (not by NewEra through) and it's a great hat. Only problem with it is the uneducated always think it's a Red Sox hat...

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me...

I've mentioned before that I'm not the biggest fan of Joe Buck, and now I have one more reason - during the world series, this graphic was flashed up on the screen:

seems fine and dandy right? Only one problem:

 Last time I checked, St. Louis was west of the Mississippi.

and, technically, up until the year before, there were actualy two teams in St. Louis, the other being the Browns, who moved to Baltimore after the '53 season:

I guess no one at Fox owned a globe.

By the way, as much as I hate the Cardinals, this is one of the coolest logo's in baseball history.

This would make a great sleeve patch.

Analyzing the 2011 Free Agent Class Part II: The Maybes

This is part two of our four part series. Today we're going to take a look at the players that the Yanks could make a run at this offseason. This is the first of two posts on the maybes.

Adam Dunn:
First things first...I love Adam Dunn. Hes one of my current favorite non-Yankees. I remember watching him in the '09 World Baseball Classic and he was just an exciting player to watch. Yeah, he strikes out a lot (he only bated .260 last year) but man does he hit the hell out of the ball. Since 2004 he has hit at least 38 home runs each year, and only the last two did he hit less than 40, and that was in a weak Washington lineup. Not to mention, Nationals Park is 335 down the line where as Yankee Stadium is only 314. Imagine him in that ballpark, with the kind of protection that the Yankee lineup provides? He'd be a home run machine, easily hitting at least 45, maybe as many as 50, especially if he's in the 5 or 6 hole, hitting behind Alex or Robbie. This could potential be a very good pick up at DH for the Yanks, however I feel that he'll be looking for similar money to the $12 million he got last year, which may prove to be too much once the Yanks sign bigger names (more on that thursday), but I would still love to see this happen.

Victor Martinez:
As much as I would love to have Jesus Montero be the everyday starter next year (and some think he is), it wouldn't make sense to expect him to catch 162 games right out of the gate (and yes I know he'll probably never catch every game, but you get the point). The best option is to platoon him. Assuming we don't sign Adam Dunn, the Yankees will still have a gaping whole at DH. Which is why I propose moving the aging Possada to DH, and platoon Martinez and Montero. Cervelli won't cut it as a backup with a rookie as your full time starter. It makes way too much sense, not to mention while his defense isn't great, Martinez would be an obvious defensive upgrade over Possada, who throws out about as many batters as my 4 year old cousin each year.  Not to mention, signing him would piss off bandwagon nation Red Sox nation, and nothing makes me quite as happy as that. 3 years, $22 million.

Giants Win World Series

Congrats San Fran, you earned it. Now tomorrow you'll make weed legal and the rest of us will never have to hear from you again.

Presidential Hardball

For those of you who watched game 4 of the World Series last night, you saw President (and former Rangers owner) George W. Bush throw out the second World Series first pitch of his career. The first was prior to the start of Game 3 of the 2001 World Series at Yankee Stadium after the September 11th attacks. The last nine years haven't done the President's arm too well however. The 2001 pitch was a strike from the mound while wearing a bulletproof vest, where as the 2010 pitch was about half the distance from the mound and wide right. Check out both video's bellow and compare for yourself:

2001


2010

Yankee Stadium Parking Prices Increase (Again)

Multiple sources are confirming that the third party company which owns the parking around Yankee Stadium intends to increase this year's parking prices from $23 to $35 for standard parking, and from $36 to $45 for valet parking. Bronx Parking Development, the organization in charge of parking, is the same group that jacked prices up to $40 for this years ALDS and ALCS games.

Apparently this is an attempt to avoid defaulting on millions of tax-exempt bonds issued by the city. The company will be unable to to make their next $6.8 million dollar payment due in April. If the city does not wave this payment, the BPD says they will be forced to charge $55 PER CAR next year to avoid default. This is absolutely outrageous, however not surprising. According to The Daily News, even with the Red Sox in town in late August and a capacity crowd on hand, less than 60% of the parking spaces were filled.

So whats the average fan to do?

The B, D, and 4 Trains all run to the ballpark, and only cost $2.50, a fraction of the cost of parking on site. I already take the subway to every game, and it really is the best way to get to the Bronx. I recommend you do yourselves (and your wallets) a favor and try it out.

Analyzing the 2011 Free Agent Class

 

With the demise of the Yankees 2010 season and the World Series a game away from ending, its time to turn our attention to 2011. Remember, there's only 105 days until Pitchers and Catchers report! We already know that Joe Girardi will be back, and over the next few days we'll take a look at the 2011 free agent class. For this first post, we'll take a look at the 2011 free agents who we're with the Yankees in 2010.

Derek Jeter & Mariano Rivera:
The Captain and Mo have a lot in common: Both are true Yankee greats, both first-ballot hall of famers, both will have their numbers retired one day, and both will be back next year. Jeter's numbers have fallen in the last few years, but he's still Derek Jeter. He'll get paid whatever he wants. His last contract, for 10 years and $189 million, is the third largest contract in the history of sports (behind only a-rod's last two contracts), and he will probably make similar money to that. The fact of the matter is, Jeter will never play anywhere else, and as much as I would like to see him take one of those small contracts like Piazza did towards the end of his carear, I don't think that is going to happen. Picture 4 years, $84 Million, loaded with incentives and a club option for a fifth year. As for Mariano, another 3 year $45 million dollar contract, also with incentives sounds about right.

Andy Pettite:
 Another year, another waiting game with Andrew Eugene Pettite. Long story short, if he wants to come back, he will. He'll solidify the back end of the rotation, and give the Yankees a reliable arm. However, the news that Pettite was injured in the postseason, along with his often stated desire to spend time in Texas with his family, raises doubt on Pettites possible return for 2011. If he wants to come back expect $12 Million for 1 year.



Lance Berkman and Nick Johnson:
The Yankees have declined the options on both Berkman and Johnson following the 2010 season. Both players underperformed in 2010, and I do not expect them to be back. Berkman will probably sign with another club, most likely in the NL. As for the last man to play with Babe Ruth Nick Johnson, his wrist surgery this year has quite possibly ended his career.

Kerry Wood:
The Yankees have also declined Kerry Wood's option for 2011, however, thanks to his stellar 2010 performance, I expect the Yankees to offer him a contract for less than the $11 offered in his option. $6 million, one year.

Yanks gear up for football

Yankee Stadium will host Notre Dame against Army on November 20th, followed by the Pinstripe bowl on December 30th, and the Field is starting to take shape.

Photos From the LoHud Yankees Blog

The Pinstripe Bowl is the first in New York City since the Gotham Bowl between Miami and Nebraska at Old Yankee Stadium in 1962, and is one of three current Bowl games played at Baseball-only facilities, joining the Craft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco, and the Beef O'Brady's Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Yankee Stadium has previously hosted several non-baseball events, including September's Jay-Z/Eminem concert, NYU's graduation ceremonies, and the Cotto-Foreman super welterweight championship fight in July. Here's hoping Rutgers can find their way into the bowl game this year!

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

While 161 and River is intended as a mostly Yankee-Centric blog, there's a lot in the sports world that's been bothering me over the last year or so that I would like to address, so here it goes:


Rays' Attendance:

Proposed Meadowlands Ballpark

For years we kept hearing the same diatribe about how "they'll draw when they're competitive". Well guess what? The Rays went to the World Series in 2008, competed with the Yankees and Red Sox in 2009, and had the best record in baseball in 2010, yet still finished with the 9th best attendance out of the 14 American League teams. It got so bad that the players started calling out the fans and the team was forced to give away 20,000 tickets to what became the Division Clinching game, and only drew an average of 23,025 fans per game, despite being neck-and-neck with the Yankees for the majority of the season. Face it, the Florida baseball experiment has failed. The Marlins and rays both post some of the lowest attendance figures in the league, despite being two of the best teams. It's time to consider relocating the Florida Franchises. The Marlins just got a new stadium, so they're not going anywhere, but the Rays play in one of the worst stadiums in baseball, and draw flies. Since the Athletics are moving to San Jose, there are only a few options left for the Rays to move to- Portland, Vancouver (who just renovated their BC place stadium that was origionaly intended to attact MLB), North Carolina, North Jersey (The area CAN support a third team, it has before), and, dare I say it, Montreal who has been without a team since 2004. The Rays need to move, because whether they like it or not, the Yankees are still the most popular team in Tampa, and no matter what they do, that's not going to change.

New Marlins Ballpark Rendering

The Florida Miami Marlins:
While on the topic of Florida teams that should move, the Florida (soon to be Miami) Marlins finaly recently received the permission and funds to build a new retractable roof stadium on the Orange Bowl site set to open for the 2012 season. This sounds great, and since we always hear that a retractable roof will make the attendance in Miami reach respectable levels. The problem, however is that the long held-belief that the Marlins owners have been taking the majority of the money they receive each year in MLB luxury taxes for profit, rather than reinvesting in the team. It gets worse though. The Stadium Project, which is estimated to cost taxpayers $2.4 billion over multiple generations, was said by the Marlins to have been to expensive to undertake on their own, so Miami-Dade county gave them the stadium at tax-payer expense. However, an analysis of the Marlins' finances shows that not only could they have payed a significant portion of the stadium, but they would have turned a profit at the same time.  So there you have it, full-on stadium socialism! As John Hammond would say "we've spared no expense".

Soccer Fans:

At least the NY Post got it right

Once every four years these people come out of the woodwork, telling us that we should care about the World Cup because everyone else does. Well you know what? I'm as patriotic as the next guy, and I'd like to see my country do well, but I don't give a shit about soccer. It's boring. Nothing about it is appealing. They kick the ball around for 90 minutes and nothing happens. Hell the game can even end in a tie! What the hell is that? That's not exciting! That's called being anti-climactic! When I invest time of my life into a game there had damn well better be a winner at the end. And whenever the players get mildly tapped, they roll around on the ground like they just got shot (see: diving), and that's considered good strategy in soccer! Please, I watched Mark Texeria play first base with a broken toe for most of the season and he didn't let up on his play one bit. If this happened in any other sport that would be outrage. In fact, it did happen, to Derek Jeter just this past season, and it was all over ESPN, MLB network, and the internet people were absolutely furious about this. And Jeter didn't even beg for the base, he was given it and just didn't give it back. But in soccer, that's a great play, not unsportsmanlike conduct. And one more thing, it's called soccer, not football. We already have a sport called football, and a lot more people like it here.

Anti-New York Bias: 
I don't watch ESPN any more. I exclusively watch MLB network for highlights during the baseball season, NFL net for football season, etc. Why you ask? Because whether it's the Yankees, the Giants, the Rangers or even the freakin' liberty ESPN hates New York. Maybe it's because their headquaters is well behind the lines of Red Sox Nation, but whatever the reason, they're reporters, there should be no bias either way. The same goes for Joe Buck, the Fox sports broadcaster who hates the Yankees more than anyone I've ever met. Even worse is MLB umpire Angel Hernandez. Whenever I see him behind the dish, it seams like the New York (Yanks or Mets) pitcher will be done by the forth inning thanks to a series of bad calls, and the opposing pitcher will have the best game of his career. He is easily the worst umpire in MLB. At least we've got John Stewart on our side.

Rally Towels:
Has there ever been a more vile invention? These things are so stupid, designed for fans who don't want to watch the game. Here's a novel idea..how about you..ya know watch the damn game! The same thing can be said for the wave, which I have been seeing a lot more than I should be at Yankee Stadium this year. If you want that gimmicky shit, go to Queens! The Bronx is for baseball purists. We don't do the wave here! OK, rant over...

 SF Giants fans smoking weed in the stadium:
 We get it, your star pitcher smokes weed and you're a generally progressive city. Hell, by Tuesday it might even be leagal to smoke weed in Cali, But wait till Tuesday, ok? The fact that most San Franciscan's can't go through a whole baseball game without smoking up is scary. Josh Hamilton, a recovering addict, has even smelled it in the outfield. And one Texas-based reported has even smelled it on multiple occasions around the city. So long story short San Fran - wait till Tuesday to light up. And even then have some respect for the people around you.

Hat of the Week:

As some of you know I have a bit of a Hat obsession. I'm going to use this segment to once a week show off a hat, be it Minor League, Major League, or other wise that I think is the best hat of the week. (Disclaimer: The standard Yankee cap is unarguably the best cap ever made and will not be featured in this segment as it would be unfair to all other caps). The first featured cap is that of the Australian Baseball League's Melborne Aces:

 

They could have very easily went the boring route and put an Ace of Spades on the cap, but no, they went with the significantly cooler fighter pilot Ace look, and is by far the best hat in the ABL. I love this hat, but $45 plus $15 for shipping is a little steep for  a poor college student.

What went wrong?

 2010 American League Championship pennants sit unused in the bowels of Yankee Stadium

Alright, so now that we got the first post out of the way, it's time to look a just what went wrong for the Yankees this season. There was a lot that contributed to the Yanks downfall this year, from the front office down to the coaching staff. Let's start at the top:

GM Brian Cashman:
A series of bone-headed off season moves, including signing Nick Johnson, trading for the most hated man in New York, and allowing the World Sereis MVP to walk, Cashman's bad season culminated in allowing a no-name prospect to prevent Cliff Lee from coming to New York on July 9th, a move that more than likely cost the Yankees the Pennant. Cash, you're lucky Big Stein isn't here anymore, 'cause you'd be looking for a Job with the Nationals. Speaking of which...

 Javier Vazquez:
Javy had a less-than steller first stint in New York (The picture at right is from the 2004 series that we don't talk about), and clearly couldn't handle the pressure of pitching in New York. Somehow this made Cashman think that bringing him back after a very good season in the Minors National League for a non-contender that he could handle the pressure of the Bronx. Long story short, he couldn't. In fact, his season was so bad that he was left of the playoff roster all together. It's not at all surprising that Javy has been linked to the perennial also-ran Washington Nationals even before the end of the World Series.




 

Nick Johnson:
Cashman has admitted that Nick Johnson was his Plan C this off season, behind Damon and Matsui. Regardless however, Nick Johnson was not the Yankees DH answer this year, and Cashman of all people should have been aware of Johnson's history with injuries and his inability to perform in New York. Johnson's 1-year $5.5 million contract amounts to a little more than half of Damon's $8 million 1-year contract with Detriot, however Damon produced much better numbers than Johnson, who even with the shortened season only batted .167 on the year. Bottom line, Damon would have been worth the extra $2.5 million, and would have contributed way more to the club than Johnson, especially considering how Damon thrived off the short porch in 2009.

Joba Chamberlain:
If you had told me three years ago that Joba would have been so ineffective in 2010 I would have said you were crazy. After all, he allowed one (1!) earned run in all of 2007. Since then however, the constant back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen has taken it's toll on the once star prospect. Maybe he should focus on baseball more, and try to avoid the DUI's.






Alex Rodrigez, Derek  Jeter, Jorge Posada:
All three had off years. A-Rod spent time on the DL (but still got 30 HRs and 125 RBIs). Jeter's defense continued to fall, showing almost no range to the left side, although both myself and the skipper think Jeter's still got some gas in the tank. And Jorge...well lets just say hopefully Jesus Montero is good to go in 2011, because right now a block of wood would offer more defense behind the dish.


Joe Girardi's Bullpen Management:
Joe Torre took a lot of flack in his later years in New York for his bullpen management (just ask Scott Proctor), but Girardi seemed to be different...until 2010. If I see him take a pitcher who is on a roll out one more time for a match up or to go lefty-lefty, and then have that relief pitcher promptly give up a home run, I'm not gonna be a happy camper. Just saying.





Last but not least - A.J. Burnett:
I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet - The man lost more games than any Yankee in the last 20 years...yet somehow earned the right to be the only pitcher on the staff to get his own catcher. He blew a game in the ALCS that the Yankees should have had, and throughout the season suffered multiple self-inflicted injuries. I think Tony Soprano put it best:

"Tony Soprano: Jesus Christ, A.J. I mean, you make me wanna cry....Ya gotta grow up. You're not a kid anymore. You hear me, you...you...you gotta grow up."

Thanks Tony