A-Rod in Pinstripes

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Posted By: Dave

Well, it seems that money is being spent at the high end of the league. I bet the NY salary is greater than the sum of the lowest 5 teams.

Sounds fair to me.

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Posted By: Marc S.

That their team's salary is now around $190 million.

Peter Gammons had this to say:

"Because the Yankees-Red Sox war has escalated to an unprecedented level, both in terms of rivalry, ownership vitriol and their own neighborhood -- where Boston's payroll is 20 percent higher than 28 other teams, and the Yankees are close to 50 percent higher than the Red Sox, it has become a show separate from those other 28 teams. "

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

any player they want.

Does anyone but me think that getting rid of Soriano was a bad idea? Even for A-rod?

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Posted By: jay behrens

I was sort of thinking the same thing. This isn't the mid 90s when there was a glut of stellar 2Bs. Even if A-Rod is the best player in the game, I'm not sure I'd give up Soriano either, especially since the Yanks have one of the best SS's in the game.

Jay

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Posted By: Hankron

In the end, the Yankees have to win the World Series and they haven't done it the last two years.

Some times it's the owner who should be fired, not the Manager or GM.

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Posted By: Mike Williams

I'd rather NOT have ARod...enough is enough IMO.

Take care all

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Posted By: John(z28jd)

Soriano is a 2ndbaseman in name only.He wasnt even decent in the field and might not have stayed at 2nd past this season.There was talk last year of moving him to the outfield where he could do less harm ala Chuck Knoblauch.

Hes a good player with an extremely poor strike zone but he doesnt perform well under pressure.This past postseason should stick out in that hes been there before.Hes got power and speed and hes young but if he has a tremendous season in Texas it doesnt mean he wouldve done it with the Yankees and he would also have to do it without the crazy offense thats been around him his whole career.
Soriano seems like he had more personal goals than team goals,like when he was going for 40/40 and he couldnt hit a homer in the last 2 weeks despite going for the fences on every swing.Arod in that lineup should be fun to watch if youre a Yankee fan.Me,im a Pirates fan for life and ill have to be content hoping for a .500 record

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Posted By: Jay Miller

When you consider that the Yankees will lose Boone's salary, Soriano's salary and no longer have Hensen's salary, along with what Texas is picking up and with the $1 million A-Rod salary deferral, the Yankees are increasing their payroll by only $750,000 this season for A-Rod. This is not a great deal---it's a steal!

John is exactly right about Soriano--he has a poor batting eye and is a below average fielder. Besides which, he is only signed to a one year contract so maybe in a season, if he imprioves his play, the Yankees will resign him as a free agent.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

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Posted By: ramram

They get their extended name for a reason. As a Royal's fan, I'm sure as hell glad I'm not stuck in the AL East. Like most, I've despised the Yankees for a long time but, as much as I hate to say it, it's probably good for baseball. Every good story line has a villian. The Yankees make a good one and it helps stir the pot. IMO, they should have a third league and put the Yankees in it all by themselves (ala Notre Dame). They can go ahead and barnstorm around both of the other leagues but not screw up any of the pennant races. Of course you may have to throw Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta and a couple others in there soon and start the long-anticipated "haves" and "have nots" leagues.

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

Boy, that luxury tax that Bud implemented is really paying off dividends isnt it?

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Posted By: JC

Finally my penny stocks are starting to be noticed. I have been collecting A-rod's 93 Best minor league cards for the last 5 years. His true rookie card and they are all limited production runs on the auto's. If anyone does stats, the last decade was probally the best numbers for offense in baseball. TIP: Watch Vladimir over the next 5 years... Try to find his 1996 West Plam Beach cards (2000 production run)... Enough on current minor league... Back to the Obaks, T-4's, Zeenuts, Big Eaters, and Zeenuts.

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Posted By: Kevin Cummings

The Yankees look very good offensively on paper, but they haven't won anything yet. If they score 10 runs a game, then their pitching staff (which, despite the off-season acquisitions, I feel is not as good as last year's) might not be an issue, but maybe George isn't finished spending yet!

As for Soriano, his fate was sealed when he stunk up the playoffs. Although I don't recall seeing George say anything publicly (I suspect because George was thinking to trade Soriano all along and didn't want to lessen his chances with potential trade partners), I'm sure George thought Soriano had Dave Winfield (aka by George as Mr. May) Disease.

P.S. I hope A Rod doesn't like basketball!

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Posted By: Julie

Got a rookie Eckersly, well-centered (!) last year, and a perfect rookie Henderson to replace the one my son collected in 1982. Also a '84 Fleer extended Puckett, to go with the Clemens (I guess they're supposed to be fakes--mine look real). Also an '87 Fleer Barry B. to replace the one I sold years ago.

19th century anyone? Not that I really care...much...

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

Whoops. Came with a Bure.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

ugh -- I hate Jeter. If he didnt play for the yankees, no one would talk about him. Has terrible range at shortstop, and his overall fielding is average at best. If the yanks were smart ARod would be their SS with Jeter moving to third. Good performances in the postseason and playing in New York have made him a "superstar". Give me Edgar Renteria anyday -- of course I am a Cards fan!

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Posted By: jay behrens

Jeter is a lot like Mattingly in that if he played in pretty much anywhere but the Yankees, he would barely register outside of diehard fans. Playing for the Yankees and Dodgers tends to make good players 'great' becuase they get so much press coverage.

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Posted By: Julie

Every time the Yankees beat the As in the post season,
Jeter's behind it. How about traversing the field from SS to between home plate and first to catch an errant throw to the catcher, catching the ball and flipping it to the catcher in time to tag out the runner coming in from third? No range, huh?

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

Jeter is an average fielder at best. He made a great play in that playoff series -- That play also had no bearing on his overall range as a shortstop; if I remember it correctly he grabbed a wild cutoff throw from in front of the pitchers' mound and flipped it home. If you like, I can dig up all the statistics and articles from the "experts" that back up my argument. Like Jay said, he is a star because he is a New Yorker, plain and simple.

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Posted By: Kevin Cummings

.....to A Rod for making the gesture that Jeter should have made.

I was just thinking about this issue this morning. It is public knowledge supported by statistics that A Rod is a better fielding shortstop than Jeter. Everybody wins if Jeter volunteers to move to third base. The Yankees get the better shortstop in his natural position and are not forced to confront the inevitable grumblings and potential ugliness when Jeter bobbles a few at short. Since third basemen don't need as much range as a shortstop, Jeter is better suited to play that spot and A Rod doesn't have to suffer the agony of being under the New York microscope while switching positions. And, if he flubs a few at third, Jeter doesn't lose face and can always write it off to playing out of position.

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

you would think the Yankee captain would do what is best for the team, not his own image...

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Posted By: Kevin Cummings

If he really wanted the trade to have the most positive benefit for the team, he'd move over.

Even though Julie's comment above on "the play" was not a great example supporting the point in general, when Jeter made that play everybody said what a great "natural athlete" he was. If that is true, shouldn't the move to third for him be less of a trauma than for someone who was less of a "natural athlete?"

Think about it - he can't lose if he moves! Win or lose, he can always say he took one for the team by doing so. And if his batting average drops to .250 he can blame that on "new position anxiety" as well.

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

Every time Jeter makes an error or cant get to a ball that other shortstops could have, the Yankee fans and press will be all over him. The Yankees are weak defensively at 3 of the infield positions now, and they are playing a gold-glover out of position at the fourth...

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

Cute as he is...

What excatly was wrong with "the play," anyway? Sure took the wind out of the Athletics. Almost like Gibson's home run in '88. Now lets here how bad THAT was!

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Posted By: Kevin Cummings

But that's all it was - a play. To use one play to prove that Jeter is a great fielder is no different than using one of his errors to prove that he's a crummy fielder. Neither extreme is true.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I think David Eckstein said it best over the weekend (Angels leadoff hitter): "Those Yankees, all they care about is winning." Right. That is all they SHOULD care about, winning every GDMF year, which is all the players should care about too. And Eckstein plays for a team whose owner deserves major props for the way he handled the offseason acquisitions.

As far as Soriano goes, he is an exciting player who will either become great or another Raul Mondesi, but he is always going to be Dr. Strangeglove at 2B.

Let's face it, when you have the chance to pull the trigger on a deal for arguably the best in the game, you do it, if you want to win. I agree with the post re Boone and Henson; look for the Yankees to void Boone's contract and save that salary in the near future.

I can tell you that the Yankees are the envy of baseball fans out here not because of the money (the Dodgers make a boatload of moola, their rigged books notwithstanding) but because of the attitude. Take it from a Yankees fan in LALA Land watching the franchise self-destruct out here: Steinbrenner deserves props, not criticism, for doing all he can to win. If every team had a similar attitude, MLB would be a lot better off. Instead, the Dodgers, who I follow as well as the Yankees, show every year that they don't give a crap about fielding a team that is anything more than mathematically competitive so that they draw their 2.75-3 million to the park, sell their $8 beers and $5 dogs, and make a mint. The fans out here are being royally ___ed without being kissed, and it just plain sucks. Live under that regime for a few years and you would embrace Boss adn his win-at-any-cost attitude with open arms. I will close with a rip off of a poem that was tacked to the Yankees bulletin board in the late 1950's when they dared to lose a pennant race, because it sums up the Dodgers situation:

Although you were defeated Bums,
You shouldn't feel too blue.
Just think of all your bars and banks,
And Bowling alleys too.
As businessmen you guys are tops.
It really seems a shame,
That you should have to leave your shops,
To play some stinking game.

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

Steinbrenner does posess a win-at-all-costs attitude that many baseball owners simply do not have. A lot of owners should take a page from his book instead of sitting on their wallets. George also has access to money from television and endorsement deals that teams in cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Kansas City will never see...

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Posted By: Mike

As for what was wrong with Jeter's " spectacular" play against the A's, if Giambi slides like he should have we never have this conversation.

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Posted By: John(z28jd)

The thing about Jeter is if he wasnt withthe Yankees,not only would he not be so highly rated but he wouldnt have a chance for all those post season heroics that make him so much more highly thought of.If he was with the Blue Jays(poke at Elliot) nobody would be claiming him to be a Hall of Famer.
He is a good hitter but hes helped by the team hes on,altho i will say hes a great clutch hitter.Strikes out a little too much for someone with no power.If you see him play day in day out youll realize hes at best an average fielder who tries to make great easy plays look great by adding flair and it backfires alot.

I showed my grandfather stat after stat after stat showing how Jeter was at best right in the middle as far a fielding for shortstops.Showed him stories proving my point and he still thinks Jeter is great and his argument went just like Julies did,what about those 2 plays in the playoffs! He also points out that Jeter goes into the hole and throws while in the air and no one else does.When i pointed out that every shortstop will catch the ball,then plant their feet and make the throw with alot behind it instead of stupidly jumping away from your target and trying to throw in the air!! His response was,ive seen Jeter make that play before and get the guy out. Well of course if a guy tries that 2 times a game hes going to make the play sometime,not every batter is Lou Brock out of the box,half of them are Ron Hassey-esque because theyre bulked up so much

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Posted By: Julie

I never heard so much bad news about a well known player in such a short period of time!

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

I have no interest in Jeter or the Yankees really outside of this discussion, as my favorite team wont play them unless they both reach the World Series. I just think its an interesting subject to talk about on a boring day at work.

That said, I do feel Jeter is overrated. He is an above average hitter for a SS and a below average fielder at the position. The fact that he made a few spectacular plays in the playoffs does not change that. I was at a game in St Louis one time where Kevin Mitchell caught a ball on the warning track, on a dead run, with his BARE HAND! Greatest play I ever saw. That did not suddenly make Mitchell into a great, or even average, outfielder defensively anymore than Jeter's play against Oakland made him a great defensive SS.

Ask baseball General Managers if they would rather have Jeter, Orlando Cabrera, or Edgar Renteria as their SS. I would be shocked if many at all would choose Jeter. Then compare the amount of publicity the latter two get compared to Jeter. Next to none. Jeter is a product of where he plays as much as how he plays...

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Posted By: John(z28jd)

Basically Julie,this just proves,dont believe everything you read and dont base a persons career on a couple events,otherwise we would all be mentioning Mark Whiten or Johnny Vandermeer as surefire hall of famers too.

It also proves that theres alot of people on this board that follow baseball close,but not so close that they cant see whats in front of them.

Jeter by the way was badmouthed for his fielding all weekend on espn when they announced Arod was switching to 3rd and not him.

Hes a good shortstop,dont get me wrong but i dont think hes top 5 overall and have a hard hard time putting him top 15 in fielding.Yankees won with Almonte at ss last year(20-7 in games started while Jeter was out at the beginning of the year),they would win with Wilson or Miguel Cairo or Tony Kubek this year

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Posted By: j.

it's that what you hear partly governs your subsequent perceptions of play.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

He had the 3rd highest BA in the AL in 2003--.324.

Was that, too, done with mirrors?

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Posted By: Chris (the illini)

Where did anyone say he was a below average hitter Julie?

I think everyone has agreed that he is an above average hitter for a shortstop.

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Posted By: julie

about the play--i guess maybe jeter knew giambi didn't slide much, if at all. multitasking again--talking on the phone with the other hand. ohh, mr. hand...