"In addition, Sony PlayStation 3 entertainment systems and VAIO notebook computers will be available to fans in select locations throughout the Stadium."

Great- now not only will the twit in the front row be waving to the camera the whole game, he'll be blogging/Twittering/Facebooking the entire thing.

I was at Reggie Jackson day in 1993- the game where Domingo Jean got stuck in traffic and allegedly hopped out of his cab on the GWB and ran to the Stadium.

Ahh, the days when a sell-out crowd would actually catch the players off guard...

I was pushing for this a few weeks ago, so it won't surprise anyone but ... I'm unhappy the BoSox got Baldelli for only $500,000 guaranteed (performance bonuses can take him to 5 million but only at levels where he's entirely worth it).

I think the Yankees should have gone for it. It would have made it even easier to deal one of SwishNady, keeping some OF insurance around. I suppose the argument against (health is no factor at that price) was an already crowded outfield, but I see this as just making it easier to adjust the OF, deal for prospects, and have a 4th guy there.

Boston are playing the 'buy cheap with upside' game, it looks like.

I'm VERY disappointed in Andy. Did Burrel take a pay cut? Will Abreu? How about Jason going from over $20m to under $6m? No.. he didn't have a terrible 2008, he's just in a depressed market. And if you go out, past your budget, and splurge on an expenive home entertainment system, does this mean you can now overpay for other items?

Yeah... I guess Andy wants to play in the new stadium and have a good shot at a WS really badly. Wow... who knew his ego was this big?

Keep all the OFers unless someone gives us somebody we really NEED for Nady. Keep Swisher. He's just the kind of guy we want, could blossom, and we need OFers next year. I like the X-Man, but last year aside, I think Swish is more talented.

Giambi has become a real pinata for some of the mean spirited press. Ya didn't hear much about Thome's defense, or Papi's, or any other defensively challenged slugger. Even with 2 poor years, Jason has an AVERAGE OPS, over 7 years with the Yanks, of .925. Would you take that from Tex?

I love Jason. It was his time to go, but I will miss him. An imperfect player who still busted it and always tried to win. Takes a $15 MILLION dollar pay cut and only has great things to say about the Yanks and the A's. Jason is a really good dude. Too bad people can't appeciated him for what he is.

Let me wish Ralph Terry, one of my favorite Yankees, a very happy birthday. Quite underrated and underloved.

As to the underloved, he gave up the immortal homerun to Mazeroski in the seventh game of the 1960 Series. He lost two games in that Series, one in which the Yankees creamed the Pirates in the games they won and didn't in the games they lost. Home field advantage at Forbes could be blamed for the last loss (a bad bounce to Kubek's throat), but Casey's decision not to start Ford in game one, which would have made him available for a third start in game seven, could also be blamed.

I have never recovered. It is a pain I regularly return to, because the picture is one of the greatest sports photo ever taken. I love looking at it.

As for underrated, I contend he pitched the greatest game seven in Series history. Adding to his losing streak in the post season, he lost the only game the Yankees dropped in the 1961 Series with the Reds won by the Yanks 4-1.

Leaving aside our recently departed God, Johnny Podres, no one stepped up better than he did. Terry pitched a complete game, besting Terry Sanford to sew up the Series at Candlestick. Check out the stats of the game. Four hits, no walks, 4Ks and no runs. A shutout in game seven! Never again.

The two Willies had two doubles and a triple. After a McCovey triple, he struck out Cepeda to end the inning. The ninth inning would send even the stongest among you, Alex, Cliff, Lally, Schechter included, to the bathroom. Matty Alou singles. He strikes out Felipe Alou and Chuck Hiller. Mays doubles, sending Matty to third. McCovey slams a liner which Richardson snow cones. Damn good ballgame.

Don Larsen won game six for the Giants, relieving in the 6th with the score tied 2-2. He walked Berra to put runners on second and third and then got Kubek to ground out. .1 of an inning against his old team to get the win.

[2] All things being equal, given that Baldelli is from MA, it's reasonable to think that he would have chosen the Sox over the Yankees (unlike most MLB players w/o a strong geographical tie).

That aside, signing Baldelli, Penny, and Smoltz are very good signings given the risk/reward ratio.

[3] Pettitte has every right to demand more. No one should begrudge him that. Unless/until I hear Pettitte criticize the Yankees for excercising their right to offer him what they think he is worth, I have no problem with his actions.

[5] Baldelli, Penny and Smoltz could wind up costing Boston $13mn combined...even if they all never play a game. Smoltz and Penny are both coming off shoulder problems. It would be a surpise if either or both do not pitch until June or July (or later). Because the Red Sox have the money, I guess it is worth the risk to gamble on three players rather than, say, sign a Pat Burrell. Of course, the Red Sox did come up $10mn short in their bid for Teixeira, so one wonders if that $13mn couldn't have been added to their offer?

The Yanks could have given Baldelli a cool million guaranteed. He'd be perfect as a platoon mate for Melky/Gardner and occasional pinch hitter for them. For the money they could have helped CF quite a bit. Of course they were never going to carry six OFs, but five seems reasonable if they use options for the 26th and 27th men, rather than carry seven guys out in the bullpen.

Penny is going to get killed - check out his K rates. Smoltz was pricey. Atlanta only wanted to give him $3 million. Seems like they knew a bit more about his should and they had sentiment on their side. I know I wouldn't be surprised if Smoltz never makes it back. But he'd be a heck of a stretch pickup if he does.

Baldelli is the only one I regret seeing ... as [7] notes, we could easily have beaten Boston's guarantee and been on the very inexpensive side. Incentives are a solid solution to high-risk players. If they earn them ... they've earned them!

[4] I am also old enough and will out myself to say that Maz's home run off Ralph Terry is my first baseball memory as a child and it still burns. I have a friend whose favorite team is the Pirates (don't ask) and he takes deep delight in talking about that day. Often. Too often.

[3] OYF ... exactly, and well put. Anything close to .925 from Tex for 7 years ... we'd love it. I think Giambi became the #2 steroid lightning rod after The Barry. This is NOT to condone, but to note that the media and fans appear to pick our spots. It could be argued that since he (pretty much, though I know it was not explicit) admitted what he did, it is an unfortunate signal, compared to players who ducked low and kept denying.

[7] [8] For the Yankees, it's not really an issue of money as much as it is a spot on the 40-man roster. With 6 outfielders in the mix, it wouldn't make much sense to add a 7th. From Baldelli's standpoint, I am sure he sees that log jam as well (i.e., you can't hit incentives without playing time).

Also, while Baldelli does have talent, his career OPS+ is 102. It's not like he has been great even when healthy.

i would have liked the yanks to take a chance on baldelli too - but who the hell knows what goes on behind the scenes- that is though i think it would be worth the risk, i don't think cashman is a dog becuase he didn't get him, which has been expressed in other places (though not here).

my 2cents on giambi and the perception of him. i think a sizeable portion of yank's fans feel they were sold a false bill of goods with giambi. that is, the steroids made him the player he was in oakland and thus he didn't "deserve" the contract the yanks gave him. then, that he lost substantial playing time to the pituitary gland which many attributed to his use of peds really hurt him.
i am with the view expressed by oyf and hoss (and others in our numerous giambi discussions) that giamb'is numbers here were quite good. i really like jason and enjoyed him with the yanks, but my occasional frustrations with him were the crappy defense and his personal preference / improved offensive numbers as a 1b rather than dh and i get a little frustrated at times with guys who rank pretty high on the 3 true outcomes rankings.
one of these days, after i finish my dissertation, i want to test my theory that 3 true outcome guys rank pretty low on rbi percentage.

@9

The mismangement of the 40 man is disgusting. There was no reason to protect guys like Hacker and Dunn or Jackson and Claggett. And there still isn't, not when a clear upgrade for the big team is available (on that point River Ave Blues has a good post on Juan Cruz).

Still, Baldelli , as a righty, would have been a fine platoon partner for the two young lefties (since Melky is a switch hitter in name only). His career line against LHP: .296 .347 .494. That's like having DiMaggio out there compared to Gardner and Melky, even if it was only against the likes of Lester and Kazmir. And he could have easily seen that CF was his full-time, over those two, if he was productive and healthy.

Oh, and there's absolutely no reason to carry both Melky and Gardner. They're almost completely redundant. If one is playing, the other needs to be in Scranton. Plus there's no way Matusi should be ever play the outfield.

So that's four OFs on the team right now. Baldelli, as the fifth, wouldn't have been bad since there are no other platoons on the team. That makes Ransom and Molina on the bench with whichever two OFs didn't start on a given day.

[1] i was at that game too, with my brother! i believe it was against the oreo's. got the nimoy (?) poster. that 2nd wave of Reg-gie bars with peanut butter instead of caramel, simply RULED!!!

[5] et al - Baldelli was born in Woonsocket, RI, and IIRC, went to high school in Cumberland, RI (where his family still lives), not MA. Its close enough (less than an hour from Boston) that I'd bet being very close to home and family played a big deal in his decision. Dude is in his mid-20s and has a freaky disease that almost ended his baseball career (and still might). Given those circumstances, I'd want to be as close as possible to my family too, and money wouldn't be my biggest concern.

[11] "If he was productive and healthy" is a big leap for someone like Baldelli, especially if you are counting on him to play CF. I think a lot of people are overestimating the amount of playing time that Baldelli will be able to give you.

As for Juan Cruz, I am not sure what RAB said, but I believe he is actually a Type-A free agent, meaning if the Yankees signed him, they couldn't go after Pettitte as well. Also, $4mn is really closer $6mn for the Yankees. If the Yankees really have the right handed pitching depth in their system that so many believe, signing Cruz would seem to be a misallocation of resources.

[12] Why would Baldelli want to be a 5th outfielder? In Boston, his prospects for playing time are much greater. Without ABs, Baldelli can't reach incentives, so I don't see why he'd sign with the Yankees without a significant amount of guaranteed money (and that wouldn't be worth it for the Yankees).

@14

And yet, what better pays medical bills than cash? Further, Cumberland is a 2.5 hour drive from the Bronx.

If he was on the Yankee radar, they could have gotten a deal done. I just don't think he was. They were looking at shinier objects, even for CF (Cameron). But Baldelli would have fit pretty well.

Don't get me wrong, it's a minor complaint. But it's one area where the Sox have to be smarter and so they are. I bet they knew Baldelli's splits, especially as a platoon partner for Ellsbury and to help rest Drew against tough lefties (who actually has the worst split of the two).

@15

There would have been a clear path to a full-time slot on the Yankees. Even if he only started against LHP, that would have been very helpful for the Yankees with Gardner or Melky as the other starter. If he proved healthier than recently he could have easily won the full-time job over those two.

Explain how he gets more than that on the Sox. Drew and Bay are easily better than any outfielder the Yanks have, and Ellsbury is easily better than Melky or Gardner. If Rocco was looking for the best chance of playing time, of the two, the Yanks would have been a better choice to earn those incentives.

I am not sure what RAB said

You know what's amazing about the internet? Everything's available at the click of a button.

If they signed Cruz, he would easily be the second best arm in the pen for only the cost of a fourth rounder and cash. A 12+ K rate, even with the high BBs, is ridiculous. Let him learn from Mo. It's a closer-type power arm on the cheap.

[17] Again, you are assuming that Baldelli can withstand the rigors of CF, which is where he'd have to play, considering the presence of Damon, Nady and Swisher. Also, being the RH part of a platoon isn't a clear path to a ton of ABs.

The reason he stands to gain more playing time in Boston is because Drew is far from durable and I am sure Papi will need some extra days off. Unlike the Yankees who have three corner OFs to share DH with Matsui, the Red Sox have no one else.

**
You know what else is amazing about the internet? You can choose to read only the blogs you want.

Once again, if you sign Cruz, then you forfeit the chance at signing another Type A (there are limits to how many you can sign in a season). That would include Pettitte and even Manny if the market plummets. The Yankees are flush with right handed power arms in their system. Giving 3 year deal to a 30-year old set up man would be a serious misallocation of resources. I appreciate that Cruz had a very good season in 2008, but so did Farnsworth in 2005.

Withstand the "rigors" of CF as a platoon partner against LHP once a week? Yeah, that analysis makes a ton of sense. If he can't play the field once a week, he doesn't deserve a roster spot. A platoon DH (with a career 325 OBP) is easily replaceable. Still, that question was worth $1 million guaranteed from the Yankees.

Furthermore, you're saying the mere possibility of playing time with the Sox is worth more on an incentive-based contract than the certainty of playing time on the Yanks? Good one.

You know what else is amazing about the internet? It only takes 30 seconds to find someone is wrong on their interpretation of the quota rule. I'll let you spend the same 30 seconds to correct yourself.

[19] "If he can’t play the field once a week, he doesn’t deserve a roster spot."

Exactly!! And that's probably what the Yankees were thinking. Considering that you seem to have refuted your very argument, I'll give you the last word.

@20

Hmmmm, except that for the cost/benefit, it was worth a look as to whether his health really has changed even based on guaranteed money. When the alternatives are Gardner/Melky or Cameron for $10 million, $1 million to help mitigate the damage from the former is nothing. The Sox surely expect him to play the field...

[21] Well, that may be the Sox's mistake, not the Yankees'.

Whether Baldelli can play CF more than occasionally is one question. Whether he can play it on demand - say, as part of a L/R platoon - is another. In fact, whether he can play on demand at all is probably questionable. Essentially, he's day-to-day for the entire season, probably for the rest of his career.

The Yankees have enough question marks, and center field is one of the biggest. Adding another question mark isn't much of a solution.

[15] It's not clear to me that signing Cruz would mean that they couldn't sign Pettitte.

The limits on A/B FA signing depend on the total number of players who declare free agency - not just the A & B free agents, all of them. Here are the limits:

0-14 free agents = limit of one A/B signing per team
15-38 = limit of 2 A/B FA
39-62 = limit of 3 A/B FA
"If there are more than 62 such Players, the Club quotas shall be increased accordingly."

I believe there are 200-something declared free agents. I have no idea what the limit is in that case; I don't know if anyone knows. I don't even know who decides.

We'll have to disagree. For the cost, they had little to lose. At worst, he would have helped balanced their OF/DH where they currently have three or four lefties (Damon, Matsui, Gardner/Melky, one true switch hitter (Swisher), and one righty (Nady). No doubt that's also why the Sox liked him (3 leftties, 1 righty).

[23] I was always of the belief that the parameters referred to A/B free agents (i.e., 39-62 A/B = limit of 3). Otherwise, the limits would be meaningless (it would allow 9 signings). My understanding is that the Yankees would be allowed 4 FA signings because they were losing 4 A/B free agents (and I believe the rule stipulates you could sign up to amount you were losing OR the stipulated limit). To be honest, this is one of the most confusing rules there is, and I've never been able to find a complete interpretation of it.

I've left Bum Rush to defend the Baldelli Clan honor all day ... but I basically am in 'what he said' mode. The cost is trivial. The outfield glut may be illusory as there's so much being said about dealing one of Nady and Swisher. Agree also that it is really weird to think of both Melky and Gardner taking roster spots at the same time. Can't see it, absent injuries elsewhere.

BUT ... this is not a big deal. And as someone said (Ms October?) there is a lot we may not know about health and family issues in a case like this. I was mainly just noting that he seemed really worth exploring, certainly more so than Cameron at 10 million, to me.