Whaaaaa?

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2010/12/12/sources-mariano-rivera-initiated-contact-with-red-sox/

Who cares really; I'm just trying to not think about the Jets

1) I saw that but who cares? That's just bizness. It was never gunna happen.

Understood re: the Jets. That was ugliosisty yesterday.

[1] Jets really embarrassed us, if not themselves. I've been wary all season of fully rooting for them because of the strong idiot factor Tannenbaum built into the team and I fear it's ugly head has begun to rear.

I could never be embarassed by the Jets.

And by the way, I'm beginning to agree with some that whoever doesn't get Lee is the lucky one. Yanks can probably afford to make a mistake on Lee, but at this point with the numbers where they are, the fall and resulting fallout will be uglier than what AB referred [2]. Karma's a biyotch...

[4] Low expectations? >;)

[2] Not that anyone cares per se but it was initially painted as the Red Sox trying to make a move on Mo, and how dare they etc etc. There were so many comments here and elsewhere giving them shit for it - this tidbit turns that on its head a bit.

I don't see how karma factors into the Jets' fate at all. Just talking a lot shouldn't produce bad karma. Something like what Belichick pulled when he dumped the Jets for the Pats should've produced a bad karmic result, if anything - and it decidedly did not. So even if the Jets have it coming - **** karma.

Lee has me on pins and needles waiting for him to announce his decision. I keep checking here and ESPN every few minutes.

9) I know, it's not a good feeling.

I have a really, really bad feeling

[11] Meaning what? Yea or nay?

[12] Nay. And I don't think there's anything close to a plan B out there. I really have less than zero interest in Gavin Floyd.

What about Greinke?

Multiple sources reporting Rangers pursuing Adrian Beltre.

Don't know what this means vis-a-vis Lee, but it IS interesting from a payroll $ perspective.

[14] Whats it going to take to get Greinke? Especially when the Royals know they have us over a barrel?

[16] It's true, but I would be willing to take a gamble if it's, say, Montero as the centerpiece.

[17] As much as I don't want to see the Yankees enter the season with this shambles of a rotation, I really, really can't watch Frankie Cervelli catch over 100 games next year. And I think if you give Girardi any semblance of a choice, he;ll pick Cervelli.

[18] I know, but I feel like in the long run it'd be worth it. Also, I'm not as down on Cervelli as you are. I don't think that's a total disaster in the making.

Conventional wisdom is the Yanks have to excellent catching prospects. Greinke isn't a sure thing but he's done more at the major league level than either of those prospects. And since there are two of them, the Yanks can afford to take a chance, I think. The upside is huge for Greinke.

I just looked at Cervelli's stats for 2010. We know he has no power but .271 BA with a .359 OBP, with a demonstrated knack for timely hitting, it's not bad. Plus he could improve. He was bad behind the plate last season, but he had seemed to regress; it's not unfathomable he could improve there as well.

[19] sorry, but, how is the upside "huge" for greinke? he won the cy young two years ago, regressed last year, and has anxiety issues. might be better to trade prospects and roll the dice, instead of shelling out $150mn+ for lee, but, greinke is not a sure no.1 pitcher in the short, medium or long terms.

[21] No he's not a sure #1. You don't talk about upside or taking a chance when it's a sure thing.

Joe Pos rips Murray Chass (deservedly so)
http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/12/13/blogger-ethics/

24) Murray must really have pissed a lot of guys off. When Joe Pos rips you, you know you done fucked up. I'm not saying Chass doesn't deserve it but I don't think Verducci or Pos' columns are especially worthy of the men writing them. Both wrote in anger and without much wit or humor.

[24] I guess what I meant was, he had a career year, regressed, and has mental health concerns....I don't see "huge" upside, as I don't see the potential for a sure no. 1 (he wasn't one in 2010).

[13] Options are to make a trade, promote from within, or sign someone. A lot can happen between now and pitchers and catchers. The Yankees as constructed are built to hit their way to the playoffs, the one year they didn't, they missed the playoffs. While it would be nice to have Lee, I'd be more worried about the offense getting old more than anything else.

[16] The Royals signed Melky Cabrera AND Jeff Francouer, so I'd imagine it probably won't take much to pry Greinke away from the Royals.

[17] I doubt that the Yankees will trade Montero for Greinke.

[18] The Yanks are in on Russel Martin, with the intent of making him the primary. At any rate, you're looking at 3 catchers on the Yanks, some combination of Martin (if he signs), Montero, Posada and Cervelli,

[25] The huge upside would be represented by that Cy Young season he had. That's how it works. It's a risk. If it works, you get the upside. If it doesn't I guess you get the downside. But Greinke has demonstrated he can pitch at the very highest level, over a full season in the AL.

Again if it was a "sure" thing there wouldn't be a question, he'd be more sought after than Cliff Lee right now.

I watched Olney's report on ESPN.com. It made my skeptical bone tingle. The Rangers have made their best offer. If they are serious contenders, what is taking Lee so long? He has got to be counting on the desperate (yes, you are desperate, Brian) Yankees upping their offer before accepting. This is his one and only big contract.

[24] Huh?

Sometimes, anger *is* the appropriate response.

Chass tossed Verducci under the bus based on hearsay.

When called on it, he offered a half-hearted apology somewhat along the lines of "the dog ate my homework ... and, uh, got hit by a bus. Yeah, that's the ticket!"

Frankly, Poz went easy on him.

[28] I don't think the Yankees are desperate at all. The Yanks won 95 games despite the ineffectiveness of Burnett & Vazquez and Girardi punting the month of September. Cliff Lee will help, don't get me wrong, but I don't think the Yanks will punt 2011 if he doesn't sign with them.

29) I don't take any exception with Pos writing the piece just that neither Pos nor Verdooch showed much wit or humor in the process. So in the end, although they are in the right, it sounds like a cat fight. That said, if I were the one misquoted maybe I'd have a different take.

LOL

I think Grienke would be at least as good an option as Lee. I don't understand people not seeing a huge upside and anxiety can be controlled. Heck, he may even thrive in New York. Having seen him pitch twice, I think he's a great fit except he's a right handed pitcher and it helps to have lefties to pitch in Yankee stadium if you want to win.

[31] Again.

Huh?

Chass didn't "misquote" Verducci, he accused him, via hearsay (Marvin Miller told him that he heard of Verducci's vote from someone else) of not voting for Marvin Miller for the HOF and then, to put a point on the attack-via-hearsay, added a little personal character assassination on top to boot “When Verducci covered baseball for Newsday, the Long Island daily, he hated covering baseball labor. And when he did cover it, he wasn’t very good at it.”

And when caught, Chass' response was to continue to equivocate, "apologizing", but continuing to cast aspersions at Verducci's claim to have released his vote, then sorta saying he knew he was cutting corners to begin with but hey, he was on vacation and he didn't have his email addresses, so he let it slide, but don't get to thinking he did that sorta thing in the past, you know, when he was a "real" journalist and not some blogger in a basement somewhere (even though this is exactly the sort of things he's excoriated bloggers in their basements for doing in the past).

The world isn't always "Fair and Balanced". Sometimes, one side is just fucking wrong.

Like Murray Chass here.

Oh, actually, that's J.G.Taylor Spink Award winner, Murray Chass.

You know, someone fellow professional sports writers might reasonably expect to behave better?

I never said Chass was right. I said that Verdooch and Pos didn't show much wit in bashing him. Just a matter of taste.

[34] Eh, I guess I just don't get why an attack on one's professional standing can only be answered with a "witty" response, but that's just me ...

[34] I here you on Pos' take, but as far as Verducci I don't blame him for not being amused...the guy's reputation was being attacked, I wouldn't be in a particularly "witty" mood either. But as far as JoePos, yeah I agree it got to be a bit gratuitous at that point.

AND ANOTHER THING! Am I the only one getting sick and tired of Marvin Miller? He's a 93 year old labor attorney who never owned, managed, ran, played for, or broadcast for a single baseball team in his life. I think he should be in the HOF, but I don't think not voting for him is an unforgivable sin on par with leaving Rickey Henderson or Joe DiMaggio off your ballot. And he really hasn't done himself any favors with his seemingly bitter rantings regarding the subject.

I always found it to be a big turnoff when guys like Blyleven or Gary Carter openly campaigned to be enshrined, but at least those guys...ya know...played.

[36] Well, except for the part where M.M. actually *asked* to be removed from consideration for the Veteran's Committee Ballot in the 1st place because he was 90+ and sick and tired of the whole thing, year-after-year.

Dude *is* 93.

I figure that's worth *some* slack at this point ...