Steinbrenner Takes Ill

MSNBC article detailing incident over the weekend.

Suppan to Yanks?

The Post says we're looking at Suppan. I'll say one thing for our front office, they are consistent.

Let the Speculation Begin

Can we start now? Gentlemen, it's time for my 2nd favorite part of player movement. Behind only leading up to the trading deadline, let's hear some thoughts. Who should stay? Who should go? It should be fun.

Only 114 more days until pitchers and catchers report.
(I'm guessing that day is Feb. 19th.)

Mattingly One Step Closer To Managing

10/27/2006 10:29 AM ET
Report: Mattingly replaces Mazzilli
Yankee legend becomes Torre's fourth bench coach since 2003


NEW YORK (AP) — Don Mattingly will take over as bench coach for the New York Yankees next season, replacing Lee Mazzilli, according to a newspaper report.
The move puts Mattingly one step closer to manager Joe Torre's job, making him the favorite to take over when the long-time skipper leaves, Newsday reported in Friday's editions.

The Yankees would not confirm the report when reached Thursday night by The Associated Press.

Torre's contract expires after next season. Mattingly has been the Yankees' hitting coach for three seasons.

Mazzilli was fired during his second season as manager of the Baltimore Orioles and joined the Yankees as the bench coach last November. He also was New Yok's first base and outfield coach from 2000-03.

As a player, Mattingly was a six-time All Star with a career batting average of .307 in 14 major league seasons, all with the Yankees.

World Series Wrap-up

Well, that sucked. I guess that's what you get when the best team from the American League is again sitting on its ass for most of October.

Sheff for Kenny Rogers? It could happen. It should happen.

World Series Wrap-up

The Series sucked. I expected our American League brethren to do slightly better than win one game. Well, that's what you get when the best team is sitting on its ass for most of October because it couldn't rise to the occasion (yet again).

HOLY SHIT! REAL NEWS!

The Yankees are reportedly picking up Sheff's option, and he's not at all happy about it! Read it and let's talk.

Jeter weighs in on some stuff

Jeter article.

Kenny Rogers is dead, Long Live Kenny Rogers.

World Series Open Thread

Is anyone even watching these games? How about those midterm elections?

Have at it, you barbarians.

More on Dirtgate

"Kenny Rogers' pitching hand during Game 3 of the ALCS (left) and in the first inning of Sunday's Game 2 of the World Series. The lefty appears to have a similar-looking brown substance on his hand in both instances."


Come on, can't we all agree that this is a little coincidental? Look at that stuff, it's too glossy to be dirt.

Dirtgate

I know it's not the Yankees, but this is too silly to ignore. I personally doubt Kenny had anything illegal on his hand. I know he's been pitching better in big games than he ever has before (giant understatement), but the Cardinals would be throwing an absolute hissyfit if they even suspect it was illegal, and Larussa is keeping his mouth shut.

Copyright Infringement?

"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" will be released nationwide on November 3. Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO’s hit comedy “Da Ali G Show,” takes his outrageous Kazakstani reporter character Borat to the big screen. In this hilariously offensive movie, Borat travels from his primitive home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations. My question is: Which came first, "Borat" or "The Republic of Tajikistan"?

Let's Talk Yankees, But No Transactions Until After The World Series

A week is too long to go without some Yankee news. I'm holding off all speculation on player moves until after the World Series. But that begs the question, what do we talk about? Here are some thoughts to hold us over.

One interesting possibility is the potential Yanks return of Joe Girardi, who was fired by the Marlins after one year as manager. Girardi was Joe Torre's bench coach in 2005 and, if a spot comes open on the Yanks' staff, he could be brought back if he hasn't signed on as a skipper elsewhere.
I wouldn't mind.
Jason Giambi underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left wrist yesterday and is expected to be ready for the opening of spring training. The surgery was performed by Dr. Andrew Weiland at the Hospital For Special Surgery in Manhattan.
He better be with all the money he's making.
The Yankees did not renew the contract of longtime senior vice president of media relations Rick Cerrone, who had been with the team for 11 seasons. No replacement for Cerrone was announced. "It was the best decision I ever made taking this job," Cerrone said in a telephone interview. He added, with a chuckle, that "it was 11 great years - which is 10 more than I thought it would be when I started." Cerrone - who was sometimes mistaken for former Yankee catcher Rick Cerone - also said, "I wouldn't have changed a thing. Working for Mr. (George) Steinbrenner was a privilege."
I thought he was the former player. Then again, I can't remember either one right now.

In "Defense" of A-Rod

This is a very interesting piece of scientific research done by the New York Times. Bottom line: A-Rod makes Jeter a better shortstop and according to their statistics, is more valuable in terms of causing the Yankees wins than Jeter! Who knew? File that in the "Keep A-Rod" bin.

A-Rod Trade Rumor #312: CUBS

The Chicago Cubs Manager-Elect "Sweet" Lou Piniella, a man who has my unmitigated devotion and respect, holds a candle for A-Rod.

Aramis Ramirez and that monstrous lefty Sean Marshall sound like reasonable compensation in this potential exchange.

A Man At Work

An interesting column today by one of my favorite writers, George Will, in the Washington Post.

Money quote:

"But the 2006 Yankees did baseball -- and the rest of America, if it learns the larger social lesson of the story -- the favor of demonstrating the steeply declining utility of the last $100 million of payroll."

That's an interesting claim right there, that the return on investment in salary declines after a certain threshold. Could it be argued that at a point there is even negative utility? The Yankees are the only team in baseball that has to ponder this, but it's something to think about.

A-Rod's plane skids off runway

No, I'm not kidding. Thankfully he and nobody else on the plane were hurt, but what a strange story.

Needless to say, I still support our trading him ASAP.

A-Rod Trade Rumor #283

This is what our winter will look like-- daily A-Rod trade rumors. Today, I have one involving the Chicago White Sox, which alleges A-Rod could be traded for Joe Crede (a Steiner fave) and Freddy Garcia, an overpaid boob. Still, Garcia is an upgrade from Randy Johnson (I never thought I'd say those words). Discuss.

Cory Lidle's plane crashes into NYC highrise

This is coming out in the midst of breaking news, and it may not be accurate information, but the reports are that a single-engine plane registered to Cory Lidle crashed into an Upper East-Side apartment building this afternoon.

On a lark, I googled "Cory Lidle pilot" and came up with this story from February. Lidle just got his pilot's license this year.

And now, it's just been confirmed by CNN. Cory Lidle was killed today in a plane crash. Sad news.

Cashman: Yankees not looking to trade A-Rod

Check out this blurb from the Espn Story.

"I fully expect him to be here," Cashman said Tuesday. "We're going to figure this thing out together."

Warm up the hot stove!

Alex Rodriguez c. 2001.

You know what looks right about this picture? No pinstripes. Let's make that happen again.

But seriously, let's get into how to move A-Rod and what needs we have to addressed.

Our first priority is our greatest weakness-- our uneven rotation. Wang is our top arm as of now. Philip Hughes seems set to come up from AAA. We still have Wright under contract for one more year, but we have a $4 million buyout option available. We also have Randy Johnson for one more year at $16 million. I wonder if Randy will finish his contract, with his health being as it is. And of course, we have Mike Mussina with a team option. I say it's 50-50 on keeping him, let's see what we can get for A-Rod first and then make a decision on Moose. Personally, I'd rather we get someone new in there, as Moose has been nothing more than above average on his best days. And Pavano? Don't even mention his name when discussing the future of the Yankees.

As for offense, I don't know where to begin because we have a 1-9 that was allegedly the best in baseball a week ago. Sheffield looks to be the odd man out. But what about Giambi? Do we *need* his bat? We certainly would do better on defense to get someone else. I'm not sure. And like I've said before, Giambi has been playing hurt for the past several weeks, so his recent performance may not be that by which we should judge his worth. We should find a way to get Melky in the lineup everyday. Maybe float the DH spot between LF (Matsui), CF (Damon) and 1B (Giambi)? I don't know.

And as for the bullpen, Dotel and Villone are free agents. If we don't bring them back, those spots need to be filled.

Discuss.

God Loves Joe Torre

Well our love affair with Joseph Torre will continue for at least one more year. Praise be the Lord!! Praise be Him!! Mr. Torre congratulations, and thank you for a wonderful regular season. This post season was not your fault. Our players laid down, died, rolled over exposing a sad, weak underbelly. You can't hold their hands on the field, Joe. I know you probably will, but please don't blame yourself, Joe. You are my shining star.

REPORT: TORRE SAFE

Friends, Joe Torre was named Yankee manager when I was 16 years old. The Post reports that He will manage into my 28th year. Praise the Lord and the Apostle Joe Torre, my youth continues.

-Steiner

MORE TORRE

Here's an interesting article from Klapisch. I think the malaise of the clubhouse is overstated, but the sentiment rings true- these soft millionaires don't rise to the challenge and Torre will pay the price.

TORRE POLL

SHOULD JOE TORRE BE FIRED?
	Yes
	No
Free polls from Pollhost.com

"THIS IS THE END, MY ONLY FRIEND, THE END" -The End, by The Doors

Call it what you want humiliating, aggravating, feeling ashamed, etc. but the season once again is over early. We've come to expect World Series wins as we've come to expect breathing clean air, drinking clean water, etc.

With expectations high, we feel down, upset.

Do changes need to be made? Should changes be made? Time will tell.

I will say this. (Watching) 2006 baseball is over for me. It does not matter what happens now. I will not play the blame game. The team did not succeed. The team did not win.

I know you'll probably feel different so lets hear it.

We come to the game, we win the game...

The best thing about a 5 game series is that you're always pretty close to winning it. Sans souci. Jaret Wright does the job tomorrow and we're back in New York.

Go Yanks.

-Steiner

20 LOB

Well, the 2004-2005 Yankees were on hand for this afternoon's loss. It felt like we were sitting around waiting for the blast all day. We got the pitching we wanted but just couldn't get that base hit when it counted.

Would Bernie or Melky have made a difference? I don't know. But Sheff and A-Rod are killing us in the heart of the order so far.

Tomorrow Randy Johnson goes against one of the greatest pitchers ever. The following day Wright goes against the very tough Bonderman. It will take much better baseball than we played today to win the series.

-Steiner

Game 1

Ok, my quick thoughts to spur discussion:

1) Obviously Jeter is the heart and soul of this team and he proved it again tonight. Going 5-5 was a magnificent performance. He is a tremendous ballpayer and we should always recognize that without Jeter, we don't talk baseball in October.

2) Wang threw a solid game. For a young guy to pitch so well in a pressure situation is impressive. Thank you, Wang!

3) Speaking of Wang, let's analyze Torre's decision to yank our starter in the 7th inning. With two outs and nobody on (and with Wang in a good groove) Torre makes a move to the bullpen to bring in Mike Myers. Myers gives up a HR and its shifted the game's momentum. Against a better team, this is a critical error by Torre. Yes, we escaped disaster, but Torre must recognize the potential disaster he almost created by being trigger-happy.

4) And as for our bullpen, Farnsworth was shaky. Bruney may need to get some innings logged in if Farns is unable to a) throw strikes and b) throw that 98 mph fastball we all know he has in his arsenal. Farnsworth topped out at 96, and he struggled miserably. As a side note, for Torre to announce Mariano Rivera is only going to be used for 3-outs tops is a silly thing too. Why telegraph that? And even then, why let hitters think Mo is vulnerable? I don't get it.

5) Jason Giambi was hit twice by pitches. Giambi hit a 2-run HR. Giambi also stole second base.

6) Bob Abreu is smiling constantly. He should be.

Discuss.

John "Bluto" Blutarsky, Director of Optimal Performance

D-Day (Bruce McGill): War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter (Tim Matheson): [whispering] Germans?
Boon (Peter Riegert): Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough... [thinks hard] the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go! [runs out, alone; then returns] What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer -
Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.
Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.
D-Day: Let's do it.
Bluto: LET'S DO IT!!

BREAKING: PACINO ADDRESSES YANKS

Did you know that we have a "Director of Optimal Performance"? Yes sir. Our very own Chad Bohling treated the Yankees to inspirational snippets from some of the best movies ever made yesterday eve, including Al Pacino's unambiguous speech in Any Given Sunday. Read all about it here. According to the Post, the clips were "mixed in with highlight clips of [the Yankees] for positive reinforcement."

Bohling chose other great scenes as well, including some from Rudy, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Philadelphia.

Terrible stuff. Billy Martin would have up and pissed on the screen, pissed on Bohling, and then pissed on Reggie Jackson for good measure. What a bunch of candy asses these guys are.

Game 1 Lineup

(8 p.m. ET) Joe Torre's Game 1 lineup:
1. Johnny Damon, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Gary Sheffield, 1B
5. Jason Giambi, DH
6. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
7. Hideki Matsui, LF
8. Jorge Posada, C
9. Robinson Cano, 2B

I guess the only notable here is ARod batting 6th. I like that -- let the Sheff man the cleanup spot.

Everyone's Pickin' the Yanks

From SI to ESPN to Foxsports, everyone seems to be picking the Yankees to run away with this thing. As they should. With a payroll three times Minnesota's, twice Detroit's, and almost twice the Met's, a lineup twice as good as any in the game and pitching equal, we should be 2/1 favorites or better.

This year we play for respectability, not glory. Let us win or let us be embarrassed.

-Steiner.

It's on!

ALDS, Tuesday 8:05PM on ESPN. The Tigers of Detroit are coming to Yankee Stadium. Nate Robertson (13-13) v. Chien-Ming Wang (19-6). We're playing a team that's in a bit of a disarray. I'm looking forward to this series.

P.S. Unit is set to pitch Game 3.

Marcavage Sells Rights to Steiner's Warriors; Maintains Exclusive Control Over Content

Friends,
I have an important announcement. I have sold the rights to Steiner's Warriors for $1.4 million, and the Yankees are wasting no time using the household Steiner's name to push various Yankee-related goods and services.

An example from yesterday's game in the Bronx:

























Surplus will be distributed according to quantity and quality of posts.