yankees228

Doesn't surprise me. Unlike the NFL draft, I think a lot of the teams are very close in this one.

There's definitely a possibility. It's impossible to know what Cashman is thinking, but it wouldn't surprise me. If he does leave, I wonder if Oppenheimer would get a shot.

Yeah, this is the way it has to be done. We can't risk personal conflict having an affect on the voting.

I'll take care of this now. Just need to think things over.

Right, I completely agree. But my original point was just that they were right to consider the possibility of bringing him back. Not that it was realistic or a great fit.

It is, by no means, a perfect fit. But he's better than Sergio Mitre, and he's better than any other alternative at this point. If they could have brought him in on a one year deal, I don't think it would be a bad use of resources.

Why shouldn't they discuss Pavano? They have a gaping hole in their rotation, and Pavano would fill it very nicely. He has stayed healthy the last two years, and amassed nearly a 7 fWAR over that time. He's a solid pitcher. What happened during this first stint here was nothing more than an enormous fluke. You think this report should worry Yankees' fans, but I see it as quite the opposite. I'm pleased that management doesn't hold grudges based on past incidents, and is willing to look at every single option which could make the Yankees a better team on the field.

I agree, people will always look for something to be upset about that. That's just what a lot of us do. But based on my standard of courtesy (and because this is an opinion thing, that's what matters), the proper thing to do was let Cleveland know ahead of time. That doesn't make me right, and it doesn't make you or Lebron wrong. It's not a big deal, but it's simply what I think is the right thing to do. I can't speak for everyone, but the reports at the time seemed pretty definite and I remember giving up hope of him coming to the Knicks. Jim Gray asked Lebron if the teams knew of his decision, and all he said was that he had just informed the team he was going to of his decision. The way he worded it made it seem like he had only spoken to the Heat, but I could be wrong about this. I don't think Lebron is an appropriate messenger, in this instance.

The principle (being courteous), can not really be used to justify him staying Cleveland. That's a huge life decision, and no one would argue that he should be swayed one way simply because many feel it's the right thing to do. Couple points on how it might effect his show. 1. As of late Wednesday night, everyone pretty much knew he was going to Miami anyway. There was little suspense left. 2. He only let Miami know just before the beginning of his show, and he could have done the same for Cleveland, which would have eliminated the possibility of them spoiling his show (more than it already was). From what I understand about negotiations of this type, what Cliff Lee did is common courteous, but I can't say that with any certainty. Regardless, if you acknowledge that it would be the courteous thing to do, but you find that courteous to be unnecessary, then we've reached an impasse and it would be useless to take this part of the discussion any further. We'll have to agree to disagree, rather than rehash the same points over and over again. On contraction, again, this just comes down to courtesy. It's not the most important thing in the world, by any means, but I don't think an NBA player should be openly pushing for other NBA players to lose their jobs. I agree with the general premise of his point, but I just don't think he's the appropriate messenger.

River Avenue Blues suggests how the Yankees can maximize Soriano's value to the team, and I think they're spot on. Hopefully this is the approach Girardi takes. http://riveraveblues.com/2011/01/the-way-to-use-rafael-soriano-41540/

J_E, he didn't have to give Cleveland advanced notice, but it could certainly be argued that was the courteous thing to do. That was his home for all those years, and they desperately wanted him back. I have absolutely no issue with him leaving, but he could have let Cleveland down with a more personal touch. Take Cliff Lee for example, who personally called Nolan Ryan before signing with the Phillies. This isn't black and white, but informing your previous employer of your departure is typically what people do. As for contraction, again, not black and white, but I don't think he should be openly advocating for the unemployment of his co-workers.

'Do you have any family members that think the way you do so you can bring them to board? We need more people like you.' Haha thanks for the compliment RSFFL. I don't, but I'll try to continue to keep up my end of the bargain.

Possibly, and I don't think anyone denies that he should have informed the Cavs of his choice prior to The Decision. While this is a valid point, no one is arguing the opposite.

That's a team accomplishment though. And if you want to talk in those terms, few players have accomplished more with less around them than Lebron has.

Most of this has been discussed in the last few pages of this thread, but the bolded part interests me. Do you think he hasn't?

Thanks. I see both sides to this. It's an interesting situation considering all the different aspects involved.

All reasonable. I certainly agree that he should have informed Cleveland of his decision prior to announcing it on National TV. I'd be interested to hear J_E's take on this, but I don't see how even the most ardent Lebron supporters could argue that not informing Cleveland didn't lack a proper amount of tact. As for The Decision as a whole, while parts of it were poorly handled (as you've outlined), I don't have an issue with the general idea of it. The Lebron James situation was a very unique one, and with so many people hanging on every little rumor or tidbit about where he was headed, an announcement of this sort seemed like a reasonable and logical way to inform the world of his decision. I don't love the Cleveland talk either, and that just fits right in with my opinion that he has a habit of saying goofy things. That stuff just doesn't bother me, but I understand how it bothers others. The tattoo thing, while also a little silly, just confirms that Lebron, like so many other people, loves himself. I don't really find that to be a big deal.

I don't mind at all that he left Cleveland and chose to join Miami. Playing year after year without a supporting cast must be quite frustrating, and I can understand Lebron wanting to play with other stars. I actually find it kind of interesting that most athletes get killed for prioritizing winning over money, yet Lebron gets the same backlash for clearly caring about winning. On the other hand, I see how people can find him unlikeable. His move from Cleveland to Miami can be construed as some sort of cop out, and while it doesn't bother me, I do see the other side to it. He also says some rather idiotic things (more so than most athletes in my opinion), whether it be about his race or NBA contraction. The main reason that Lebron doesn't bother me is that, in almost every case, I only care about what these athletes do on the court/field. There are exceptions to this (Michael Vick), but for the most part their goofy actions off the court/field are meaningless to me.

Jacko, I've been mulling this over a lot - where do you think Montero fits on this team going forward?

Another starter would definitely help, but if Pettitte comes back and AJ pitches well (two assumptions, but ones that they'd know half through the year, or so) I don't think acquiring one is absolutely necessary.

So it looks like they're on the verge of signing Andruw Jones. I think the only thing left is possibly acquiring another starter. The urgency to make that move might depend on where Pettitte stands.

This. Comparing the two contracts makes absolutely no sense. They overpaid for Soriano, but not nearly by the amount that your comparison suggests.