You will have to forgive me if I am a bit scattered this morning, as it is currently 8:15 on the morning after the Yankees won their 27th Championship.
This should not be a surprising outcome- The Yankees established themselves as the best team in baseball, without question, shortly aftr the All-Star break. I don’t have the overall record, or the home record at my fingertips right now, but suffice it to say they were both outstanding. The Yankees were a better team than the Phillies, they should have won the World Series, and they did.
The Phillies are a good team with some glaring holes.- Despite what his initial playoff appearances may have shown, Brad Lidge is not an elite closer. You simply can not count on him in a big spot, and marquee failures are scattered along his track record.
Ryan Howard has put up some mammoth numbers the past several seasons, but he was badly exposed against lefties. Damaso Marte (and who could have expected his postseason?) made him look very bad at the end of last night’s game. Reader Sherm pointed out that you can pitch to Howard with breaking stuff away, and he will offer at it. Howard did, and struck out a whopping 13 times, his homerun last night notwithstanding.
Cliff Lee is a stud pitcher, and Hamels has good stuff. However, when you count on Pedro Martinez to beat an AL bomb squad, you get what you ask for.
Alex Rodriguez should be good for a while- This was about the best outcome that A-Rod could have hoped for after his tumultous start to the season. Steroid admissions and a hip surgery had Alex in big trouble personally and professionally. As I have noted on this blog, his numbers following his return were subtly outstanding (if such a paradox can exist), and in my opinion worthy of comparison to the other MVP candidates. With 6 HR and 18 RBI, A-Rod had an outstanding playoffs. He also had HUGE clutch hits, late game-tying home runs, and an intimidating presence. The proverbial monkey should be off of his back, and he should rightfully get some leeway from fans.
Joe Girardi should also be good for a while- Replacing Joe Torre was going to be a difficult task for any manager. Combine that with the Yankees missing the playoffs in 2008 for the first time in years, and Girardi was looking a bit shaky. Now, with a 103 win season and a 27th championship to match the number on his back, Girardi has shown the doubters a little something. Even in the midst of this playoff run, where the team went 11-4, the Yankee manager found himself being second guessed left and right. I still have yet to hear an equal measure of praise for his good decisions as I heard criticism of his questionable decisions. Did the Yankees win the championship or not? The ring will be Girardi’s fourth with the Yankees, the first three having come as a player. This puts him into a select group, and he deserves some credit.
Hideki Matsui was a stud- His 6 RBI in game 6 were the key to victory, and he essentially put the game out of reach early. His .615 average with 3 HR and 8 RBI made him a deserving MVP, even as he tied for the fewest AB by a Series MVP in history. The Yankees have a decision to make in the offseason, as both Matsui and Johnny Damon’s contracts are up this season. With a solid regular season and a dominant World Series, Matsui is doing his best to make the Yankees’ decision very difficult.
Mariano remains the best ever- The Yankees have asked Rivera to protect a four-run lead 205 times. His record in those situations… 204-1. 5 post season saves this year, 0.74 ERA, 1 earned run total. In the playoffs he stood apart from everyone; Nathan blew a game, Papelbon blew a game, Lidge blew a game, Broxton blew a game, Street blew a game, Fuentes blew a game….only Mo was perfect. As he stood on the big stage, Mo gave Yankee fans another thrill, stating that while he considered retirement he might now pitch another 5 years. We can only hope that he will.
This team was not dependent on anyone, they were dependent on everyone- Everyone on the team had a hand in the championship. Guys found their spots, and picked each other up. Mark Teixeira did not have an outstanding postseason with the bat (though he did have some clutch hits), but his defense was incredibly important, and the Yankees don’t make the playoffs without his fantastic regular season. AJ Burnett lost his last start of the year, but his arm and his personality came up huge in many important spots. Phil Hughes was the 8th inning bridge that turned the Yankees into a juggernaut, yet it was Joba Chamberlain who was brought into the deciding game to get the ball closer to Mo. All the free-agent signings helped turn this team into a champion, and yet it was Pettite, Matsui and Mariano who sealed the deal.
Met fans who crossed over the the Phillies are to be thanked- Your support meant a lot to Philadelphia. The Phillies remain better than the Mets, worse than the Yankees. Hope this helps clarify the NY pecking-order for you.
The Yankees are champions of baseball- Yup.
November 6, 2009 at 2:22 pm |
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/11/05/yankees.payroll/1.html
November 6, 2009 at 3:50 pm |
So in the years they don’t win its “haha, all that money can’t buy you a championship”. In the years they do win its “so what, you bought a championship”
Do you expect me not to enjoy winning the world series? If you do, too bad, I’m loving it. Great team, great playoffs, great storylines.
Bud Selig is happy, the union is happy, and the fans are happy (as evidenced by the record jump in viewership when the Yankees replaced the Rays in subsequent World Series). 2 million people lined the streets on Manhattan today, happy.
As long as the Yankees operate within the rules, shell out their revenue sharing cash, and put the money into the team, I’m happy. No amout of articles from Joe Blow at SI is going to change that for me.
I may be interested in debating baseball economics in a week or so, but I’m enjoying a championship today.
November 6, 2009 at 4:28 pm |
“Joe Blow” is a very bright and rather witty guy. You should make it a practice to read him. He has a blog worth following. Joe Posnonski, Keith Law, Bill James, and the BP guys are all worth reading.
You have every right to enjoy the championship and I hope that you do, but to deny that it was bought is pure folly. As for operating within the rules, weren’t Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, AIG, Citi, et. al. doing the same thing when they caused the economy to collapse last year? The rules need to change.
The pressure is going to be on the Mets to make a big signing like the Yanks did (3X) last winter. They’re gonna have to cough up big for Holliday. I’m thinking big $ for Holliday, and try to get Randy Wolf and/or Brett Myers on the cheap, and maybe Bengie Molina as well.
November 6, 2009 at 5:46 pm |
Indy filmmakers can’t compete with Hollywood studios, they can’t draw the big actors, let’s cap Hollywood spending.
Lawfirms in Peoria can’t pay the same as mega NY firms, cap that too.
Las vegas has much higher revenue stream than the riverboat casinos in Memphis, that’s not fair to gamblers in Tennessee who can have the same gambling experience.
Baseball is fine and the whiners will get over it soon.
November 9, 2009 at 10:44 am |
Apples and oranges, Charlie. And baseball is not fine.
WTF is up with the Giants?
November 9, 2009 at 10:50 am |
The Giants seem to be missing, for lack of a better term, some balls. Eli has never been the most skilled QB, but he always found a way to punch in that TD. A field goal and defense yesterday was utter crap. The secondary is being exposed, and the lack of Kenny Thomas and Aaron Ross as they were is glaring.
November 9, 2009 at 10:54 am |
and dont forget that Tom Hicks with the first A-Rod deal, Gil Meche to KC, Adrian Beltre to Seattle, Mike Hampton for 100 mil…etc are all non-Yankee moves that set salary precedents. Lots of teams overpaid for guys rather than making moves they could afford. Its not like the Yankees were the first to make huge money deals, but they are certainly in the position to have to pay over the top to get guys because they are the Yankees. If a small market team goes 80 mil for a middle of the road star, how can they Yankees get their guy but to pay over that?
November 9, 2009 at 11:47 am |
You’re ignoring that the Yanks have driven up costs for all teams. A small market team has to pay 5/55 for Meche because that is the market created by the Yanks’ spending. The players union should be very grateful for Steinbrenner.
And Meche is a good pitcher, by the way. KC was starting to look smart for that deal, until the injury bug struck him this year.
Rumor has it you’re gonna go hard after Lackey this year. He’ll take a Burnett deal to get done, I suspect.
November 9, 2009 at 1:31 pm |
I dont hear those rumors. I really think that’s pushing it spending wise. I heard a smaller guy if anything.
CC, AJ, Pettite (if he wants to come back), with a combo of Wang, Gaudin, Hughes, Mitre and Kennedy will be fine for the regular season IMO, and they showed 3 is all you need in the playoffs.
November 9, 2009 at 1:37 pm |
Wang is gone. He’ll be non-tendered. They are not gonna give him a raise while recovering from career-threatening, shoulder surgery.
The rumor regarding Lackey is out there, but it might just be a ploy to get Pettitte to sign quickly. Personally, I would bring Pettitte back and fill-out the rotation with Hughes and Chamberlain, with Kennedy in AAA.
November 9, 2009 at 1:41 pm |
I have compiled by FA wish list for the Mets: Matt Holliday, Randy Wolf, Felipe Lopez and Miguel Olivo. Cut Castillo and leave Murph at first for a year with Ike Davis in AAA. Lineup: Reyes, Lopez, DWright, Holliday, Beltran, Frenchy, Murph, Olivo. Rotation: Santana, Pelf, Wolf, Maine and Perez, with Niese in AAA.
November 9, 2009 at 3:23 pm |
Yankees have not ruled out both Damon and Matsui coming back accoring to Heyman. I wouldn’t hate one year of Matsui and two of Damon. Im thinking Matsui wants 2 and Damon 3 though. That would be an oldish team in a few years.
You dont like OC for the Mets?
And by the way, welcome on board with Holliday.
November 9, 2009 at 3:36 pm |
I would extend one year offers to both Damon and Matsui, and sign whoever takes it and tell the other guy to get lost.
Mets have no choice with Holliday.
November 9, 2009 at 3:48 pm |
Bay?
November 9, 2009 at 4:13 pm |
I hope not. He was fading fast until Fenway Park revitalized his career. And playing left at Citi will be challenging enough for Holliday, impossible for Bay. I’d rather overpay for Holliday (7 yrs./110m) than pay market-value for Bay (4/yrs/50-60m).
November 10, 2009 at 1:52 am |
http://www.subtraction.com/2009/11/08/watching-yankees-spending
pretty much what I’ve been getting at
November 10, 2009 at 10:31 am |
Flawed nonsense fabricated by an obvious Yankee lover. But what about the YES revenue? We can just ignore that when calculating the investment percentage? What about the concomitant increase in franchise worth? George’s 20m investment is now worth 1b. We’ll just ignore those numbers as well I guess.
November 10, 2009 at 10:52 am |
“What exactly should the Yankees do with the profits the team generates, if not spend it on ballplayer salaries? Keep it in the Steinbrenner family pockets? Yankees fans don’t feel guilty about the Yankees payroll. It’s not like the team is run at a loss. It’s a business, and their business is winning baseball games. Winning leads to profits from ticket sales, TV, and merchandise; profits are used to sign all-star-caliber talent; and the talent leads to winning.”
You seem to overlook the fact that this isn’t amateur competition played merely for the purity of the game, its business. The Yankees make money, spend it to produce a winning product, and make more money. Explain to me how the Yankees are hurting the MLB bottom line?
November 10, 2009 at 11:09 am |
By making it difficult for small market teams to compete and fostering a sense of unfairness, and thus lowering interest in baseball nationwide. Spend some time talking to fans outside of boston and new york. Baseball is becoming irrelevant in many small cities and towns.
And no, the money should not go into the Steinbrenner family pockets, but to the other teams in a real revenue sharing system like football. And you are still ignoring the fact that his 20m investment is now worth 1b. Do you deny that those 980m will be going into the “Steinbrenner family pockets”? And what about the YES money? I really dont feel like getting into the revenue sharing argument b/c I know you don’t give a shit, but my point was simply that the fuzzy math in that article was fundamentally flawed. It omitted 2/3 of the equation.
November 10, 2009 at 12:45 pm |
you still fail to acknowledge that there are many people with the financial wherewithal to operate just as the yankees do; regardless of market size, or revenue stream. It is done all over the world in many sports. But you think that a sport which continues to do well and draw fans on TV and in the ballparks should change its rules to accomodate owners who can’t/won’t spend money?
and football and baseball are as much apples and oranges as anything else. so the comparisons aren’t fair.
November 10, 2009 at 1:28 pm |
Nonsense. Biggest team in the biggest market. The other teams would have to operate at massive losses to keep up with the Yankees, and that’s a fact, not an opinion.
As for football/baseball being apples and oranges, you’re absolutely right. The NFL is a legitimate league where all teams compete fairly on a level playing field. MLB is a farce.
November 10, 2009 at 2:16 pm |
It wouldn’t be if the Mets had won the WS I’m guessing….
And what is this keep up with the Yankees crap. Didn’t teams from 2002-2009 keep up, if not surpass? So now they are penalized for years they could have won too? Your argument that teams can’t keep up with the Yankees falls flat because they have done just that.
Its not about the money, its about how the players who make that money perform. I really don’t want to hear this crap about them having such a huge advantage over other teams, because it hasnt manifested itself in either
a) an overwhelming number of titles, or
b) a hit on baseball’s bottom line, or the finances of teams
Sorry dude, not buying that baseball’s in trouble when the union, the league and the ratings say otherwise.
November 10, 2009 at 3:14 pm |
I’m guessing you didn’t read that Posnonski article.
As for TV ratings, you are just plain wrong. The WS in the 00’s did worse than the WS in the 90’s, which did worse than the WS in the 80’s, which did worse than the WS in the 70’s… The WS does no better these days than a good 4:00 NFL regular season game.
November 10, 2009 at 3:50 pm |
I read the whole article…
I’m not sure if we should go into an extended discussion of cable TV, internet streaming of games, mobile devices, slingbox…etc, but I assure you that ratings relative to market are strong.
I actually can definitively say that of the 29 teams with data available (Blue Jays werent) 16 teams experienced an increase in viewership and an increase in ratings.
I can also say for fact that despite the economic climate, and factoring in the decrease in size of both Citi and Yankee Stadiums, baseball still put up one of its top 5 overall attendance years.
I can also refer you to the overwhelming evidence that the playoffs did great this year, winning each night of television and the week overall. I am also pretty sure that winning Sunday at 4:00 with nothing else on is not the same as winning prime time against CSI, NCIS…etc.
So, in essence, I am not “just plain wrong” but correct with evidence.
November 10, 2009 at 3:56 pm |
World series ratings are way down decade over decade over decade. And that’s a fact. This decade being the worst.
November 10, 2009 at 4:00 pm |
Nice gold gloves for Jeter and Tex today. But those are pointless, right?
And World Series ratings are down decade after decade as other options for viewers increase decade after decade. You are using silly logic. Albums in the 90s sold 10-12 million copies for a smash hit. Now they sell 3 million. Do people like music less?
November 10, 2009 at 5:03 pm |
Yes. Gold glove voting is as meaningless as All-Star voting. Ignorant fools voting for their favorites like prom-queens. Truly pathetic.
By the way, I was not that impressed with Tex’s defense this year. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an excellent and extremely polished defender with fantastic hands and footwork around the bag, but his range is not what I thought it was following his career pre-Yankees. In the NL, Pujols, Derrick Lee, Ishikawa and Loney are better.
How are the Super Bowl ratings compared to WS? They have been pretty consistent, despite the “other options.”
November 10, 2009 at 5:51 pm |
Other options on superbowl Sunday, a Quasi national holiday? Right
November 11, 2009 at 3:14 pm |
But its the nationwide interest in the NFL which made the SB a quasi-holiday, not the other way around.
Meanwhile, I just read that the Reds are looking to trade Brandon Phillips, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang because they need to dump salary. Yeah, the unlevel playing field of MLB is just great.
November 11, 2009 at 4:06 pm |
Suggesting that a one game championship, featuring teams who have played only 2-3 other games in the postseason is the same as a 15-20 game playoffs is just silly.
And baseball at least takes care of it’s players. Imagine if baseball did to star pitchers what football does to star RB.
And the reds should trade those guys of they can’t pay them. Package the two pitchers for Halladay, and trade BP for a good triple a and two good double a guys.
November 11, 2009 at 5:13 pm |
That Hank Aaron award was the biggest joke of all time, and it’s voted on by the fans.
Yes, what the NFL does to its ex-players is a disgrace, but blame the weak and corrupt union for that. Doesn’t change the fact that the NFL provides for a level playing field on which teams can compete fairly and equally, unlike MLB.
November 11, 2009 at 6:37 pm |
The sports aren’t nearly the same.
Admit it man, if by some miracle you became a Yankee fan, everything about the year was great. It was awesome to follow that team day to day.
If you think the system is flawed, I’m willing to argue. But, if your willing to insist that the Yankees are doing something wrong, thats just a non-arguable for me. The team itself did nothing wrong/illegal/unfair.
November 12, 2009 at 9:42 am |
Red herring. No one is accusing the Yankees of violating the rules. But the rules need to change, and the Yankees benefit most from the flawed system. A real revenue sharing system with a salary cap is what I want, plus an NBA-like slot system for the amateur draft. But the big-market owners don’t want to share revenue, and the union will never agree to a cap without a real revenue sharing system b/c it will just deflate salaries. And there is no commissioner looking out for the best interests of the sport long-term.
As for doing nothing “unfair”, of course its unfair for a team to “compete” with others with 2x or 3x the payroll and a larger budget for amateur players. Was it “fair” of them to offer CC $62M more than the second highest bidder? Was it fair of them to pay out $450M in guaranteed contracts (plus take Swisher’s shitty contract off the White Sox hands), while the other teams were attempting to control costs due to the recession? And don’t get me started on the “fairness” in utilizing public financing for a private stadium built on public property at the expense of the children who have now been displaced from their playgrounds while the City is laying off teachers and teacher aides.
November 12, 2009 at 11:06 am |
I’m not sure if you follow the NBA as much as I do, but the league is in real financial trouble, and the draft system encourages a brutal amount of tanking. There are several teams each year who basically don’t try in the hopes of working something out for the next year. If the Knicks had the latitude that the Yankees have to spend the Dolan money, the premier franchise in the NBA would not be such a disgrace right now.
The most current numbers i found showed the Yankees paid a record $77 million toward baseball’s revenue sharing system. And the Yankees accounted for 27% of all league merchandise sales, the profits of which get shared equally throughout the league to the tune of more than $3 million per franchise. They also provided an average 18.2% attendance spike during road games. Plus, before interest, income taxes and depreciation the Yankees took a loss of $50 million (not counting the $62 million generated from YES).
so the Yankees esentially shared more than the payroll of 13 MLB teams, infused them with another free agent’s worth of cash in merchandise, and pumped the attendance of all teams they visited. What greedy jerks….
November 12, 2009 at 11:13 am |
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-11-10/sports/dont-like-the-yankees-success-blame-capitalism
November 12, 2009 at 1:39 pm |
No one is going to “tank” for a pick in a baseball amateur draft. I was referring to making players declare themselves eligible and setting their signing bonuses to the number at which they are picked. The current system is unfair because the big-market teams can draft a kid in a later round and convince him not to go to or stay at college buy paying him like a top pick. That defeats the purpose of the draft.
The problem I have with your Yankee benevolence stats which you overlook is that the yankee popularity is at the expense of other teams’ and is the result itself of the unlevel playing field from which the Yankees benefit. Its a vicious cycle: Yanks have most $, Yanks buy best players with the $, Yanks win b/c they bought the best players, people like winners, people become yankee “fans.” Throughout the 80’s the Royals routinely had greater attendance numbers than the Yanks, now thus must thank the Yankees for increasing their attendance at a 1/2 dozen games a year? That’s bullshit. Create a financial system where all teams can compete fairly, and this won’t be an issue.
November 12, 2009 at 1:56 pm |
I just read that article you posted, and I agree that a cap wont work without revenue sharing. So, lets share the revenue. That’s what I have been saying all along, isn’t it?
November 12, 2009 at 2:02 pm |
Did you miss the part where football and baseball are not at all the same systems, or the part which reasonably exonerates the Yankees for working as the money machine they are within the current system>?
November 12, 2009 at 2:01 pm |
For someone a bit older than me, you really are neglecting about 60 years of baseball history. Did the Yankees start winning when they started spending? Didn’t they win 20+ championships? You are viewing the down 80s as the rule and not the exception. The Yankees have nearly always been a winning and popular team, and they didnt win 40 pennants in the late 90s.
And FYI- there were 4 years in the 1980-90 where the Royals had better attendance, and 7 where they didn’t. Not much of a routine.
November 12, 2009 at 2:45 pm |
Yes, the NFL owners realized long ago (early 60’s) that they’d all benefit from treating each other as equal partners. MLB owners have yet to be forced to reach such a conclusion.
You need to brush up on your Yankee history. To answer your question: Yes, the Yankees never won until they started spending. Ever. They were a laughingstock franchise purchased by Ruppert because he kept getting rejected in his efforts to buy the Giants (from whom Yankees rented the polo grounds). And how do you think Ruppert built the great teams of the 20’s? By buying players from teams who had owners in need of money, with Babe Ruth being the best example. They built off that success by building Yankee Stadium and signing the best amateur talent (until the draft was instituted) and having the largest minor league system. How do you think they got Dimaggio? He was purchased from the SF Seals of the PCL. Did they draft Mantle, or just sign him as an amateur FA? The latter of course. Same goes for all of those old Yankee stars. There were decades when the Yankees would have twice as many minor league teams as many of their “competitors.” The period in history when their financial advantage was limited was from the beginning of the amateur draft until the the beginning of MLB free agency. And that’s when they sucked (no wins from 61 until they could finally buy a title in 77 with Reggie and Catfish, et. al.)
I point to the 70’s and 80’s a lot because that was before the cable tv money gave big market teams a large advantage again and because I’m 42.
The financial advantage the big-market teams now possess trumps the equality which had been created by the amateur draft.
November 12, 2009 at 3:19 pm |
Arnold Johnson and Hary Frazee were selling, so why not buy? Ruppert was a brewery owner, and not posessing of that much more cash than owners at the time.
Show me some data that shows the Yankees outspending other teams back then.
November 12, 2009 at 3:21 pm |
They bought practically every player from money-strapped teams, including the Babe of course. The Red Sox’ owner gave the Yankees a mortgage against Fenway Park for an additional loan they gave with respect to the Ruth purchase.
November 12, 2009 at 3:29 pm |
I have no idea how to procure such data, but I know for a fact that they routinely bought players from other teams, made trades of players plus cash for players, and signed the best amateur free agents and assigned them to the vast minor league system other teams couldn’t afford. Google “Clete Boyer” to see how they got around the old bonus-baby rules.
November 12, 2009 at 3:36 pm |
Remind me on sunday I have a baseball book I’ve been meaning to give you.