Re: Anybody else watching the World Series?
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:10 am
I don't know if you read Joe Torre's book yet. One section is devoted to the Yankee front office trying to trade Pettitte in either '98 or '99, in a vintage reflexive Steinbrenner fashion. Of course, it never happened, and everyone was better for it. I never understood why they let him go to Houston a few years back, either.
I've never cared for Steinbrenner, but at the same time, I know that his commitment to winning, while detrimentally excessive at times, is a net plus. Until you see what it's like to have owners who could spend Yankee money (as the Tribune certainly could have done that) and choose not to spend it and let the team languish in mediocrity for year after year, it's hard to appreciate it.
Going to the free agency market is always fraught with risk. It's not enough to merely spend money, as the Mets have proven time after time. Not everyone can deal with New York, and every free agent signing can affect the environment in the clubhouse. The money has to be spent smartly. The Red Sox have often spent theirs smartly in this decade. Last winter, Teixeira and CC were especially smart signings, though both did test everyone's patience in April. Burnett, that was definitely a throw of the dice given his history, but it worked out. As I said before, given that the Yankees' farm system is pretty barren, they have no margin for error in the free agency market. It should also be noted that the teams that won 4 out of 5 times in the late 90s were built through the farm system and through smart trades, and not so much through the free agency market. It was when they signed Giambi that they departed from that winning formula. Torre's book does talk about how Torre was dead against signing Giambi. You might have heard how Jeter refused to make a recruitment call to Giambi, primarily because it meant that Tino was no longer going to be a Yankee. It should be noted that this year was finally the year where the Yankees weren't weighed down by too much payroll from bad signings.
I do wonder what they will do this winter. The team will have some needs to address, primarily in the outfield. Matsui, as much as I like the way he plays the game, is probably not healthy enough to be on the field, and would be getting his at bats at DH. Damon's contract is up now. And I have to wonder if the youngsters like Gardner and Melky are up to the task. Posada is probably getting to the age where it's time to start thinking seriously about the future at that position, also. Mo is going to be 40 this month. Who will step in when Mo decides it's time? I know they'll take care of Jeter and allow him to retire a Yankee, but there is a future to think about at short (though not too loudly on that). It should be interesting, anyway.
I've never cared for Steinbrenner, but at the same time, I know that his commitment to winning, while detrimentally excessive at times, is a net plus. Until you see what it's like to have owners who could spend Yankee money (as the Tribune certainly could have done that) and choose not to spend it and let the team languish in mediocrity for year after year, it's hard to appreciate it.
Going to the free agency market is always fraught with risk. It's not enough to merely spend money, as the Mets have proven time after time. Not everyone can deal with New York, and every free agent signing can affect the environment in the clubhouse. The money has to be spent smartly. The Red Sox have often spent theirs smartly in this decade. Last winter, Teixeira and CC were especially smart signings, though both did test everyone's patience in April. Burnett, that was definitely a throw of the dice given his history, but it worked out. As I said before, given that the Yankees' farm system is pretty barren, they have no margin for error in the free agency market. It should also be noted that the teams that won 4 out of 5 times in the late 90s were built through the farm system and through smart trades, and not so much through the free agency market. It was when they signed Giambi that they departed from that winning formula. Torre's book does talk about how Torre was dead against signing Giambi. You might have heard how Jeter refused to make a recruitment call to Giambi, primarily because it meant that Tino was no longer going to be a Yankee. It should be noted that this year was finally the year where the Yankees weren't weighed down by too much payroll from bad signings.
I do wonder what they will do this winter. The team will have some needs to address, primarily in the outfield. Matsui, as much as I like the way he plays the game, is probably not healthy enough to be on the field, and would be getting his at bats at DH. Damon's contract is up now. And I have to wonder if the youngsters like Gardner and Melky are up to the task. Posada is probably getting to the age where it's time to start thinking seriously about the future at that position, also. Mo is going to be 40 this month. Who will step in when Mo decides it's time? I know they'll take care of Jeter and allow him to retire a Yankee, but there is a future to think about at short (though not too loudly on that). It should be interesting, anyway.
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