As we all wait for the outcome of meetings that could determine the fate of the Yankee organization for years to come, here are a few nuggets to chew on:
Still trying to figure out why it's been so hard to repeat the success Joe Torre found earlier in his tenure? Just remember-it's more about the horses than it is the jockeys.
From 1996-2003 the Yankees played 99 postseason games (66-33) and used 10 different starting pitchers. From 2004-2007 the Yankees played 24 postseason games (10-14) and used 11 different starting pitchers.
The Yankees have been shuffling the deck every year and keep coming up with the jokers instead of the aces. When they get back to a stable starting rotation, then they can look forward again to another run of success. You can hit your way to 90+ wins, but to get those last 11 that lead to a parade you have to have the starting pitching…and the Yankees haven't in recent years.
Alex Rodriguez is the best player in the game and the highest paid. So why does he get paid more simply for living up to that? Because his agent is good at what he does, that's why.
Thanks to the incentive clauses in his contract, A-Rod earned $100,000 when he was named to the Sporting News All-Star team Monday and another $100,000 for being named Player of the Year. Earlier this summer he got an extra $100,000 for being elected to the All-Star Game and another $100,000 for being the top vote-getter. He'll pocket another $100,000 when the Silver Slugger winners are announced and if he earns a Gold Glove that's worth another $100,000. When he wins the AL MVP award next month it will be his third MVP award under the current contract. He was paid $500,000 for the first one, $1 million for the second one. He'll make $1.5 million for the third one.
So in addition to the $27 million in salary, Alex Rodriguez could make an extra $2.1 million in bonuses.
By the way, he would have earned another $150,000 if he had been named Division Series MVP or ALCS MVP and $200,000 if he had been named World Series MVP. And no, there is no such award as the Division Series MVP, never has been.
Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera both have said they are willing to test free agency and talk to other teams when that time comes. Even if they don't mean it, they sound convincing enough when they say it that you know they've been listening to their agents tell them how much extra money stuff like that can get them.
It's never a good idea to eliminate teams from competition when you're a free agent. Although not the case here, it is especially true when you're coming from a place other than New York. In 2003, Vladimir Guerrero privately told people he didn't want to play in New York, but never made that statement public. It surely helped his negotiations with the Angels.
Back to A-Rod for a moment. I know how much Brian Cashman wants to protect the $21 million the Yankees are getting from Texas. But are we really to believe the Yankees are not going to pursue Alex Rodriguez when he opts out? If the third baseman for the Chicago White Sox hit 54 home runs and drove in 156 runs this year, would we believe the Yankees when they told us they would not pursue the best player on the free agent market? Yea, I didn't think so.
There's a theory in baseball that set-up relievers usually have one good year then one bad year, so it's sometimes worth taking a risk on a guy that had a down year as long as he's healthy. Based on that, I have absolutely no idea how to evaluate Luis Vizcaino's 2007 season. Part of it was good, part of it was bad. Is there any way at all to figure out how he'll do in 2008?
By placing "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" in the encore set of his current tour, Bruce Springsteen seems to be positioning it as a new classic. And yes, it's that good.
And as much as I appreciated the guys in the Porta-Potty line at the Meadowlands last week asking me if there was any news on Joe Torre…probably not the time or place. Okay, definitely not the place.
Finally, Esquire Magazine has just named Charlize Theron the Sexiest Woman Alive. In other shocking news…scientists have discovered that water is wet and fire is really hot.
Thanks for reading. Send comments and questions to Yankees@wfan.com.
Go back to 1997, the year after the Yankees won their first World Series under Joe Torre, and two of the most talked about players were a couple of kids who were less than two years removed from their big league debuts in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
Welcome to February. It may not feel like it outside, but spring is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers are just two weeks away, and if that’s enough to warm you up right about now then try another pair of socks and some hot tea.
I can’t imagine I’ll ever have the privilege of covering a player like Hideki Matsui again. The word “unique” is thrown around too much, but this was indeed a unique experience, right from Day One.
A few thoughts heading out of Indianapolis: *Assume for a moment no Johnny Damon in the 2-hole. On days when Jorge Posada doesn’t catch and bat 5th, who’s the best option for the Yankees in the 5-hole behind Alex Rodriguez?
Andy Pettitte’s one-year renewals have worked out very well for the Yankees. After signing for the 2010 season for essentially he is now entering the final year of a 4-year, $54.25 million contract.
Yankee fans should be thankful Curtis Granderson’s OBP dipped down to .327 last season (from .361 and .365 the previous two years). The price the Yankees paid for Granderson wasn’t very high if you think about it.
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