Panic in the Streets … $207 million team starts 0-1!
OK … here’s the real news:
- Our own Cliff Corcoran provides his usual excellent recap of yesterday’s game.
- Here are some other recaps:
- USA Today (Associated Press)
- MLB.com
- PeteAbe with a not-too-overly-concerned Joe Girardi
- Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus.com starts the Yanks out in the top position of his weekly rankings:
A $441 million spending spree brought the Yankees the winter’s biggest haul, but their self-loving $300 million slugger—a former steroid user, in case you hadn’t heard—starts the year on the DL as the team moves into its charmless $1.3 billion new ballpark, the House That Ruthlessness Built. This is the third consecutive year the Yanks top the pre-season Hit List, but money guarantees nothing in the top-heavy AL East. (800 RS/635 RA)
- Tyler Kepner writes about the risks the Yankees are taking in signing CC Sabathia:
The Yankees gave him the most money ever guaranteed to a pitcher — $161 million for seven years — without any precedent to study.
“There’s no doubt there’s risk,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “You try to assess the ability of the player and you look at body type and all those things. Regardless, even if there were some comparables, good or bad — which there weren’t — there are always stand-alones.” . . .
“You look at his legs, and they’re huge, but they’re solid muscle,” the Yankees’ pitching coach, Dave Eiland, said. “For me, that’s where most of his weight is, and that’s good weight. He’s 6-foot-7, big-boned, a thick guy. At 250 pounds, he’d look like Manute Bol, maybe.”
Sabathia’s bulk helps hide the ball in his delivery, and his height gives a better downward plane on his pitches. His reach allows him to release the ball a bit closer to the hitter.
[My take: Well, its not Wayne Garland-risky, but its still a LOT of money. I don’t know if ANY pitcher is worth being in the top 5 in annual salary.]
- Dave Anderson gives us a Yankee history lesson on Opening Day games with missing stars:
A-Rod, recovering from surgery on his right hip, won’t be in the Yankees’ opening day lineup, just as Joe D was missing in 1949 with a painful bone spur on his right heel, and the Babe was in St. Vincent’s Hospital in 1925 with what was known as the “bellyache heard around the world.”
Only time will tell how much the Yankees will be affected by Rodriguez’s predicted absence until mid-May, if not longer should a recurrence of the hip problem force season-ending surgery.
For the Yankees as a team, the DiMaggio and Ruth comebacks began in June, but with much different immediate and eventual outcomes. Glorious in one case, miserable in the other.
- USA Today details the salaries across the majors to start the season:
The average salary saw a modest 4% increase, to $3.26 million. But even the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have cut payrolls, based on documents obtained by USA TODAY from the Major League Baseball Players Association, clubs and MLB’s central office. The Yankees still lead with a $201.4 million payroll, but despite committing $423.5 million on three new free agents, their payroll is down $8 million. The Red Sox lowered theirs by $12 million to $121.7 million, dropping them behind the Yankees, New York Mets ($149.3 million) and Chicago Cubs ($134.8 million).
- PeteAbe comes up with his own estimation of the Yankee payroll.
- Baseball America runs down the Yankees’ minor league transactions from the past week.
Poll Time!
[poll id=”28″]
- (This one is for Alex) On this date in 1971, the dismissal of Curt Flood’s suit against MLB is upheld by a three-judge U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
- On this date in 1998, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays retire uniform No. 12 in honor of Wade Boggs. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees third baseman only spent just two seasons with Tampa Bay, he hit the franchise’s first home run and became the 23rd member of the 3,000-Hit Club as a member of the team.
[My take: This was during the early years of the D-Rays, when they were run by the clueless Chuck LaMar. Who was the person who thought Boggs deserved this “honor”?]
- And finally, congrats to “Heel Yeah!” for taking the 2009 Bronx Madness title! “Bama Yankee” and “Fred Fest” finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Unless you think Sabathia is hurt (and knowing Girardi's history, he may very well be) I can't imagine being all that worried about CC.
[0]
There’s no doubt there’s risk...
Isn't there ALWAYS "risk", signing any player at any position?
...but their self-loving $300 million slugger—a former steroid user, in case you hadn’t heard—starts the year on the DL as the team moves into its charmless $1.3 billion new ballpark, the House That Ruthlessness Built...
*Yawn.* Jay can do better than that.
But even the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have cut payrolls...
But...but..but...The Yankees are ruining baseball....
[2] Crap...forgot to close a tag.
I got you covered, monkeypants, you just put the slash outside the brackets is all.
That said, I actually think "the House that Ruthlessness Built" is pretty darn brilliant.
As for Boggs, the word at the time was that there was a deal between Boggs and the Rays that Boggs, who was sticking around as a member of the team's front office (though that didn't last) would to into the Hall of Fame as a Ray in exchange for them retiring his number. Of course, the Hall of Fame wouldn't stand for that.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have still not retired Boggs' #26, though they're not handing it out either. Ditto Roger Clemens' #21.
[1] A worthy theory ... Sliders are easier on the arm than fastballs. And CC threw a LOT of sliders yesterday. We can always send a note to Will Carroll and see what he hears through the grapevine.
Yesterday's outing notwithstanding, there have been a number of baseball writers who have said that they are "certain" that CC will opt out of his contract in three years, either to return to the West Coast or to gain leverage to procure an even larger contract. From my perspective, given his age, body type, and the Yankees' developing pipeline of young starters, opting out may work to the Yankees' ultimate benefit.
In a more immediate timeframe, it was really nice to see Matsui and Posada SLG again.
I was surprised that Coke came out for the 8th with a well-rested pen and an off day coming up.
"The New Yankee Stadium is soulless" "The Yankees spend too much" "Money guarantees nothing."
Wake me up when somebody writes something interesting. I'm really getting sick of reading the same dumb storylines over and over and over.
Panic schmanic, Diane! LOL I'm gonna get me one of those belly warmers! 5 XL please...
I can feel the heat now! Undoubtedly my wife will steal that from me, too (she's a notorious blanket thief)...
How about posting up pictures of those (or of hot water bottles) for strikeouts at the home opener for him?
"House that Ruthlessness Built", eh?
Jay needed writers to come up with that one! I'm sure he will be grateful for the free press access to YS2.0... eventually... perhaps when they get the blood flowing without so much as a stab or poke on his rare steaks, you know, just the way he likes it!
Boggs deserved better from Boston. Alas, haven't we heard that before? He, along with his peccadilloes of chicken before every game, and a woman in every town, while he hit in most every game, seems like Mary fricken Poppins these days, albeit one with fake hair...
Take charge!
;)
“The House that Ruthlessness Built” is as inane as it gets. Ignoring the fact that the Yankees have not done anything ruthless (unless you consider pumping millions of dollars into the sport and helping to greatly increase its popularity as ruthless acts), the criticisms of the new YS are becoming so dull and unoriginal. They seem to either stem from a political philosophy, a general disdain for the Yankees or a hypocritical aversion to others making money. There are legitimate points to be sure, but the dramatic and exaggerated tones are so silly they are easily dismissed. Being a contrarian isn’t bad, but when you take that position just to draw attention to yourself it becomes pretty weak.
Nevermind the Mets decided they were better off selling the name of their home park to a bailed out bank than keeping it named after a public servant who they owe a good deal of their existence too. That and the fact that up until a few months ago they had Bernie Madoff's season ticket deposit in hand.
But the Yankees are soulless for having a martini bar. Cute.
[0] Congrats, "Heel Yeah!". I'm getting pretty good at finishing second in these tourney pools (the last two years in The Griddle pool over on the toaster and now this one)...
[9] OT - Hey William: i spun Buddy Rich's version of "The Frim Fram Sauce". it's really good! it's live from the Hollywood Palladium, March 1946. the Big Band horn section is excellent. Buddy comes out front to sing, and his voice is amazing!!!
obviously, there is a fill-in drummer, and this is too early to have Philly Joe Jones occupy the drum throne (as was Buddy's choice later on, when he sang...), so the drumming on this track is notably "less than." otherwise, it's a worthy version of this fun song!
Cliff FWIW, the Red Sox have a policy that, for them to retire a guy's number, he has to meet a bunch of qualifications, including having been inducted into the HoF and (IIRC) retiring with the team. They waived that one for Fisk, the official reasoning being he was a native New Englander - and probably because he (unlike Boggs and Clemens) was still beloved by the fan base when he was inducted into Cooperstown (1999). The things you learn on the Fenway Park tour (which, of course, made fun of how many numbers the Yankees have retired).
I think it may be a long time before Boggs gets his number retired by the Sox, and I doubt Clemens ever will.