New York - City of Losers

[packs]

I just find it funny that people are upset at the Yankees "buying" championships, which is absurd once you start talking about the teams who won. The Core Four were entirely home grown players, and that doesn't include Bernie Williams, another home grown player, or bit players like Ramiro Mendoza, who were also home grown players.

So, what was bought when three of your best hitters were signed out of high school and your two best pitchers were signed as an international free agent and a 22nd round draft pick?

Even if you look at 2009, 5 out of the 9 starting players had only played in a Yankee uniform. In the rotation, 2 out of 5 starters were drafted by the Yankees and the bullpen was anchored by Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, David Robertson, and Phil Coke, all guys who had never worn another uniform.

[packs]

I'm not really understanding what's to be admired about a team like the Rays either. How can you celebrate losing? Or want to emulate a team who lost enough to finally be good? How is that a recipe anyone would want to follow? You think there are teams out there considering being terrible for 20 years on purpose to finally be good and still not win a World Series?

[Hxcmilkshake]

Originally Posted by packs

I'm not really understanding what's to be admired about a team like the Rays either. How can you celebrate losing? Or want to emulate a team who lost enough to finally be good? How is that a recipe anyone would want to follow? You think there are teams out there considering being terrible for 20 years on purpose to finally be good and still not win a World Series?

And if the Rays could spend money they would. They aren't being noble, they literally can't afford any body.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[packs]

Hard to believe a billionaire owner can't afford something. Whether or not they care about the team is different from being able to afford one. If you have a team at all, you can afford to make it good if you wanted to.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by packs

I just find it funny that people are upset at the Yankees "buying" championships, which is absurd once you start talking about the teams who won. The Core Four were entirely home grown players, and that doesn't include Bernie Williams, another home grown player, or bit players like Ramiro Mendoza, who were also home grown players.

So, what was bought when three of your best hitters were signed out of high school and your two best pitchers were signed as an international free agent and a 22nd round draft pick?

Even if you look at 2009, 5 out of the 9 starting players had only played in a Yankee uniform. In the rotation, 2 out of 5 starters were drafted by the Yankees and the bullpen was anchored by Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, David Robertson, and Phil Coke, all guys who had never worn another uniform.

Add in a long stretch of what were really good decisions on who to sign, who to trade and when etc.
Whoever was doing their player selection back then did an amazing job.

And that's from a Red Sox fan who was a bit jealous his favorite team couldn't get that right most of the time.

[Shoeless Moe]

Originally Posted by packs

I just find it funny that people are upset at the Yankees "buying" championships, which is absurd once you start talking about the teams who won. The Core Four were entirely home grown players, and that doesn't include Bernie Williams, another home grown player, or bit players like Ramiro Mendoza, who were also home grown players.

So, what was bought when three of your best hitters were signed out of high school and your two best pitchers were signed as an international free agent and a 22nd round draft pick?

Even if you look at 2009, 5 out of the 9 starting players had only played in a Yankee uniform. In the rotation, 2 out of 5 starters were drafted by the Yankees and the bullpen was anchored by Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, David Robertson, and Phil Coke, all guys who had never worn another uniform.

Yah they didn't buy a championship in 2009, you're a funny guy.

http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/mlb/id/4054743

[packs]

Again, I think you're making the mistake of assuming that if you pay your players to remain on your team, you've somehow "bought" a championship. I already went ahead and broke down the starting line up and pitching staff for you.

[Shoeless Moe]

Originally Posted by packs

Again, I think you're making the mistake of assuming that if you pay your players to remain on your team, you've somehow "bought" a championship. I already went ahead and broke down the starting line up and pitching staff for you.

Can you break down their payroll and free agent acquisitions?

[Shoeless Moe]

....and I love Bob Costas but for f--k sake learn how to pronounce the players names on games you broadcast.

It's not EL-LOY.....it's E-Loy!!!!!

[egri]

Originally Posted by packs

I just find it funny that people are upset at the Yankees "buying" championships, which is absurd once you start talking about the teams who won. The Core Four were entirely home grown players, and that doesn't include Bernie Williams, another home grown player, or bit players like Ramiro Mendoza, who were also home grown players.

So, what was bought when three of your best hitters were signed out of high school and your two best pitchers were signed as an international free agent and a 22nd round draft pick?

Even if you look at 2009, 5 out of the 9 starting players had only played in a Yankee uniform. In the rotation, 2 out of 5 starters were drafted by the Yankees and the bullpen was anchored by Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, David Robertson, and Phil Coke, all guys who had never worn another uniform.

Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett were key parts of that team, and they were all signed as free agents the previous offseason in a massive spending binge. They took a team that had missed the playoffs the year before and won a World Series. Even in the 1990s/early 2000s teams, David Cone, Roger Clemens, Paul O'Neil and David Wells (just off the top of my head) came to New York either as free agents or in trades.

[packs]

So what? The core of the team was built from within. Unless you're saying Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada were inconsequential to their championships and it was just a total coincidence that when they emerged on the scene the Yankees won for the first time in almost 20 years. And that's not even taking into account heroes of the moment like Ramiro Mendoza or Shane Spencer, or Ricky Ledee and you're seriously discounting the Yankees ability to sign the right guy at the right time, which can't be reflected more clearly in guys like Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson. You call that buying players but I don't think anyone could have possibly anticipated what you were getting when you got guys like Jeff Nelson, or Mike Stanton. Paul O'Neil was a one time All Star that they traded Roberto Kelly for. That's an intelligent trade and not "buying" a player.

[Shoeless Moe]

Originally Posted by packs

So what? The core of the team was built from within. Unless you're saying Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada were inconsequential to their championship and it was just a total coincidence that when they emerged on the scene the Yankees won for the first time in almost 20 years.

So what?????

So your argument completely fell apart.

"massive spending binge"

Cmon Pac Man remove your New York arrogance and ignorance and admit it!

There's no shame in being wrong. Which you are.


https://www.espn.com/mlb/freeagents/...8/type/dollars

[packs]

Fell apart how? Half the starting line up on that team had never put on another uniform, 2 out of 5 starting pitchers were drafted, and the entire bullpen was anchored by players who never pitched in another uniform at the time.

Find one person who talks about Yankee championships in terms of Mark Tex and AJ Burnett. You won’t find one because although they were on the team (like say a Jacoby Ellsbury) their tenure was not that of a savior.

[egri]

Originally Posted by packs

So what? The core of the team was built from within. Unless you're saying Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada were inconsequential to their championships and it was just a total coincidence that when they emerged on the scene the Yankees won for the first time in almost 20 years. And that's not even taking into account heroes of the moment like Ramiro Mendoza or Shane Spencer, or Ricky Ledee and you're seriously discounting the Yankees ability to sign the right guy at the right time, which can't be reflected more clearly in guys like Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson. You call that buying players but I don't think anyone could have possibly anticipated what you were getting when you got guys like Jeff Nelson, or Mike Stanton. Paul O'Neil was a one time All Star that they traded Roberto Kelly for. That's an intelligent trade and not "buying" a player.

The core four had missed the playoffs the year before, and hadn't made it past the first round since 2004. Unless you're saying that adding a former CYA winner, the AL strikeout leader from the year before, and the league leader in home runs that year was all incidental to their title run. Alex Rodriquez and Hideki Matsui had something to do with that run as well. Then they've bought plenty of players who haven't worked out either, like Carl Pavano, Jacoby Ellsbury, or Kei Igawa. I'm not sure what 'heroes of the moment' has to do with anything; sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle, sometimes you don't, and for each time you do, there are plenty of backup players who were put in the spotlight and wilted. They did a good job drafting and developing the core four, but what put them over the top was the free agent signings. The 87-win 2000 team doesn't make the playoffs without Roger Clemens, and he always turned it up a notch in the postseason.

[tiger8mush]

every thread requires a card (not mine)

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

every thread requires a card

Frank was being a card in post 109. Does that count?

[cardsagain74]

Going back a little further, but Mattingly had to leave NY to get a title too: