Nobody around here is going to sniff at Derek Jeter winning SI’s Sportsman of the Year honor. That’d be like moaning about Paul Newman finally winning an Oscar for The Color of Money. Over in the Post, however, Joel Sherman wonders if Alex Rodriguez isn’t a better cherce:
Sports Illustrated should not run from an atmosphere it helped create. After all, SI is the entity that outed A-Rod as a steroid cheat.
And Rodriguez should win this award. He embodies where sports are now. He is the intersection of illegal performance enhancers, advancements in sports medicine, celebrity and on-field genius.
Rodriguez could end up in People or US Weekly because of Madonna, Kate Hudson or his inner Centaur. Or he could end up in the New England Journal of Medicine for his rapid, successful return from major hip surgery. He could be in a game of shadows over “boli” or playing his game, baseball, brilliantly.
And his 2009 story also included redemption. He became a better teammate — less obsessed with himself — and as the hitting star of the postseason, he freed himself from the choking shackles.
[0] Not surprising, considering that for the first several years of his Yankee tenure, Joel was one of a few writers Alex would not blow off for 1-on-1 interviews. They have a unique writer-player relationship for this current era.
Moving Will's holiday Halladay/Holliday thread discussion up to the top. I hate chasing threads down the list here.
I'm with william on this ... Cano isn't untouchable at all, but he's way too far from a 'prospect' to put in as just trade bait. He's an established major league bat and this team CAN carry a player or two who doesn't walk. I also agree with Will (what's wrong with me this morning?) that there is no way NY does Roy without an extension. Four years 20 million is probably right. He has to be above AJ in $. And I also agree (sigh) with whoever said that if NY took on Vernon's contract, the Jays would accept Cervelli (joking to make a point) in a trade all by himself. If they take HALF of Vernon (his deal not himself!) they bring down the Roy-cost a lot. Jays are dying to get out of that contract.
My question is this: how much better is Roy than Lackey? He IS better, but if Lackey comes for AJ money and years and no players, is it Lackey + Joba vs Roy? I'd do the first deal.
I am slowly coming around to Matt Holliday though I'm not a huge fan ... in part he'd be okay I think because I think this team is so deep in batting that players get relieved of pressure to perform in a big contract. If Holliday, then no Damon for 2 and yes Matsui for 1 year?
And yes (again!) to JoPo for 100-110 games behind the plate this year absent injury. The trade off, as someone said, between a good hitting C and a good hitting DH (say, Matsui) and a weak C bat and a good DH (Posada) is considerable. He sits for AJ from April, and 25 other games and he pinch hits, as he did in the Serious.
Any other problems anyone needs solved?
The Hoss Dr Is In
Some nice Yankee memorabilia up for auction
http://www.auctionscc.com/auction/new-york-yankees/
[2] Can you solve the Israel vs. Middle East thingie?
Cano isn't untouchable, but you then do need a second base guy. I want a good glove/serviceable bat in that spot. I don't want to trade Joba, I think he can be a good front line starter once the shackles are taken off him. Cervelli has at least shown that he deserves an extended major league look, and while there may be better prospects in the minors, I prefer a guy who at least has shown some competence at the major league level. Not untouchable, but you've got to overwhelm me.
A rotation of
CC,
A.J.
Roy
Andy? 1year, 2?
Joba or Phil?
That could rival the early 1970s Orioles.
No, no, no no no.
[2] Can you solve the Israel vs. Middle East thingie?
My sources tell me there are no Israeli Middle relievers good enough to pitch in the AL East as of now and the Thingie pitch is best handled by waiting it out, it is rarely thrown for strikes.
Next?
Hoss Dr.
I'd rather send Cano out for a young outfielder. Matt Kemp comes to mind and they have Pierre under contract.
[1] Interesting but how do you know this?
"The Hoss Dr Is In"
First off, a veterinarian is simply a guy who couldn't hack med school!
I am back-and-forth on Holliday. I do want him. He is a perfect fit. I see him as a young Matsui type (.850+ OPS, 20+ HRs) with better fielding talents. I also think he will thrive in our loaded Yankee lineup.... maybe in the #2 slot.
However, each time I look at the commitments the Yanks have for 2012-2015, I get scared shitless. After playing in the WS in '64, nobody saw '65 (6th place) or '66 (10th place, LAST) coming. Maybe with Free Agency, that kind of apocalypse is now avoidable, but we have a fortune tied up in (getting) older players for the next 7 years.
Halladay not only get us a little closer to 'the apocalypse', but as a pitcher (as opposed to a position player), his last year or 2 would be harder to bank on. Now, when we talk about giving up Joba, AJax + prospect for him.... it's just insanity.
Holliday however, is a little more sane.
1) A 6 year deal puts Matt at 35 in his last year. That ain't young, but MANY 35(+) players have very good years (witness the 2009 Yankees).
2) My guess is he would love to be a Yankee, and considering the economy, with hard negotiations, we might get a decent deal (5/$88 or 6/$100).
3) With Holliday replacing JD, if we can't get Matsui or a decent DH cheap, we could go with internal options, and still have a very good offense.
As far as Posada goes:
In '08 (injury year), Po was in 51 games.
In '09, Po was in 111 games, although we know a number of them were 1/2 games. While age/fatigue have not caught up to Po's bat, his defense, especially in the PS, is obviously taking a big hit. My guess is Po starts no more then 100 games. Certainly both Jeter and ARod get 10 games at DH. So if we have a Matsui type DH, we will be paying 1/2rd of a salary to sit either Po/Jeter/ARod or 'Matsui'.
So, what kind of team do we have with Holliday in LF, $8m for a SP, and Miranda/extra OFer/Montero as a 1/2 DH?