Gom

Does this make any sense to you guys? They asked for Wang and Kennedy, and settled for crap from the Mets? Did it ever occur to you that this is what the Yankees FO is planting? How do you possibly compare what the Yankees were told to offer as opposed to what the Twins took from the Mets? Are you going to hear the Red Sox had to offer Pedroia and Lester? Get real. The NY times, when it comes to news in New York is unparalleled. When it comes to sports, they are clueless.

It's a non-move. Ensberg hasn't been the same since he's been injured. Just because they have a lot of crap players to play first doesn't mean they won't be crap. Just a different style at the plate, but still crap.

There was doubt that the Red Sox would even make the playoffs this time last year. You had finished 3rd behind us and the Blue Jays. The season is long, my friend. Remember the axiom...you're never as good as you look when you win, and you're never as bad as you look when you lose. Who would have thought that Pedroia would be as good as he was? That Lowell would have an MVP caliber season? That Beckett would rebound to a Cy Young caliber season from an atrocious 2006? That your rotation would stay literally injury-free all season? The gap between the Yankees, Red Sox, Guardians, and Tigers is very small. One of those teams is out. Which one? Your team underachieved? Get real. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't make the playoffs. I wouldn't be all that surprised if we didn't either. The only team that would surprise me at not making the playoffs is the Angels and the Mets.

I would have traded Jackson, Kennedy, Melky, and anyone else they wanted. You guys keep falling in love with players who, statistically speaking, do not pan out. The truth is, the Red Sox dropped the ball as well. I am making an assumption here, but I can't see them dropping the demand for just the Yankees. If you had to have given up either Lester or Ellsbury, and you didn't do the deal, it's almost as bad. Your rotation would have looked like this: Beckett Santana Matsuzaka Schilling Buchholz There was no space for Lester anyways. Wakefield is your back up. Unreal. Cashman and Theo should be infected with the Cordella virus, circa 24" season 3. Lester, most favorably, has been compared to Pettitte. Pettitte is no Santana. What the hell are these guys thinking?

Jacko, are you nuts? This is the best pitcher in the game! This is like saying you don't want Angelina Jolie because she slept with Brad Pitt. Kennedy will NEVER be as good as Santana is from this point forward. Ever. Melky is the most overrated CF in the AL. Let me ask two questions here: 1) For Jacko: Do the Yankees beat the Guardians if we had the extra home game? 2) For Red Sox fans: Over the course of the regular season, does Santana in pinstripes make up the difference in the standings? I think the answer to both is YES. Cashman should be fired. NOW.

What a dope. I am not high on Kennedy, and I'm not high on Melky. We could have wrapped up the AL East with this move, and we didn't because Cashman wants to say that he built the Yankees up from scratch. We should have fired his ass long ago. Kennedy might...just might....be a #3 pitcher...and that's a stretch. Had I known that before my post, I would have put the Yankees in the position of BIG LOSERS. What a dope.

Well, for once, both my Yankee brethren and the rest of you Sox fans can actually breathe a sigh of relief on an off-season move. Here is my take on the Santana deal, the winners and losers, in order. Let me know what you think. Winner [huge]: Santana Everyone is missing this one. First of all, the Mets didn't give up anything of any value to get the best pitcher on the planet, so his new team is strong and not gutted. Secondly, he goes from what was the most competitive division in baseball [this honor has returned to the AL East after this trade] to one of the weakest offensive divisions in baseball. Also, the switch to the NL from the AL will help him, as well as moving to a very strong pitcher's park. Pedro went from Boston to New York, and his ERA dropped a point. Expect Santana to do the same, and win the NL Cy Young in 2008. Winner [big]: Mets The Mets got who they wanted, and Minaya just guaranteed himself an extension. They gave up a very weak class of prospects relatively speaking to get the best pitcher in the game. Minaya bided his time, and hoped and prayed the Yankees were out of it. Expect Minaya to send Cashman a case of Crystal for letting Santana go. After this season, he may even be offering Cashman a job. Winner: Guardians, Tigers Everyone is focusing on the Yankees/Red Sox winners, but it's actually these two teams that will benefit the most. Santana would face them an average of four times each a season. By removing Santana from the equation, it lessens Minnesota's impact on the race, and giving the loser for the division an better chance of making the wild card. Winner: Red Sox I still believe, and always believed, the Red Sox never wanted Santana. They just didn't want to see him go the Yankees. Their offers got better as the Yankees offers got better, and when the Yankees announced they were out, the Red Sox pulled Lester out of the deal, thereby guaranteeing Santana would go to the Mets. As good as Santana is, a lefty fly ball pitcher in Fenway is not a blue print for success, as his poor record at Fenway helps attest. Winner...and also loser...maybe: Yankees Cashman has wagered his job on this move. If he had traded for Santana, even against his wishes, he had made it very obvious in the media that he was against the deal, and could take credit for it if it worked out, and could have teflon-ed his way out of blame if it didn't. It is my opinion that the Yankees had made the best formal offer, which they later withdrew. In short, the Yankees should have stayed in it, and pulled the trigger. The NY media will remind Cashman of his failures if Santana racks up wins [which he will in the weak NL East] and Huhges doesn't pan out. If Hughes turns out to be an All-Star this season, then the Yankees are big winners. If he turns out to be a back of the rotation starter, or if the Yankees fail to make the playoffs this year, the Yankees are big losers, and Cashman is out of a job. Loser [HUGE]: Twins An absolutely asinine deal for the Twins. It is indefensible. First year GM Smith of the Twins has been a GM for two years too long. Regardless of which offer you think is best, there is little doubt that that the Yankees offer, as well as both Red Sox offers [Lester offer, Ellsbury offer] were far and away better than what the Mets offered and the Twins eventually took. Being in a bad position, as Gammons has alluded to on ESPN isn't the point. He had three better offers, and overplayed his hand. Smith has now edged Boras as idiot of the 2008 off-season.

We both win. If you had gotten him, we'd be looking at the wildcard at best for the next 3-4 years. It is now obvious that the Red Sox never really wanted Santana. They pulled Lester off the table when the Yankees pulled out of the race for Santana. The big losers here? Twins. They turned down the Yankees offer of Hilligoss [sp], Cabrera, Hughes, and Marquez. The talent level between what the Yankees offered and what the Mets gave up is laughable. Cashman got what he wanted, Theo got what he wanted, and Minaya got what he wanted. The Twins are the only real loser in this deal. P.S. If the Yankees don't make the playoffs or if Hughes sucks up the joint, Cashman should be fired, and jacksonianmarch should be banned for life from this site.

We both win. If you had gotten him, we'd be looking at the wildcard at best for the next 3-4 years. It is now obvious that the Red Sox never really wanted Santana. They pulled Lester off the table when the Yankees pulled out of the race for Santana. The big losers here? Twins. They turned down the Yankees offer of Hilligoss [sp], Cabrera, Hughes, and Marquez. The talent level between what the Yankees offered and what the Mets gave up is laughable. Cashman got what he wanted, Theo got what he wanted, and Minaya got what he wanted. The Twins are the only real loser in this deal. P.S. If the Yankees don't make the playoffs or if Hughes sucks up the joint, Cashman should be fired, and jacksonianmarch should be banned for life from this site.

Giants pull off the biggest upset in Super Bowl history, 31-28.

LOL! I couldn't resist.

I hope he goes to the Royals.

I pretty much agree with everything said in this thread so far.

I have the B game schedule, both bleacher [section 39] and upper deck Tier 7 MVPand 9 MVP. Take a look at the schedule and the seats and let me know if you are interested. http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ticketing/season_plans.jsp?content=b Like I said, I'll sell, but I've never seen a game at Fenway, so I'd love to trade. Upper deck [tier 7] four tickets [will sell 2] Upper deck [tier 9] two tickets Bleachers 39 three tickets...will sell 2. Let me know.

Damn it...I wanted in.

Ok, I'm in charge of my company's baseball tickets this year. Got a bunch of tickets for Yankee Stadium games, including Yanks/Red Sox games. I'd be willing to sell you guys tickets, but what I really want to do is trade. I've never been to Fenway, and I'd be willing to trade. Either way, let me know if you guys are interested in buying/trading tickets.

I have the utmost respect for Bill James. He has revolutionized the way people look at baseball, and brought mathematical analysis to a different level. He is as much a Hall of Famer as any executive, and more than most. However, due to his being employed by the Red Sox [which is an absolutely brilliant move by the Red Sox FO], I do question his objectiveness. I would question his objectiveness if he was employed by ANY team, even if it was the Yankees. His employer does write the checks, after all. As for the analysis, I have no problem with analysis, and value it in most cases. However, baseball is not an exact science. Factors outside of baseball do have an effect. Not all players age the same, or learn to adjust the same, or use PEDs or whatever. Now, I don't analyze baseball for a living. However, I look at the reports, and base what I feel as well on what I see. It's not exact, but it works for me. As someone who watches over 120 Yankee games a year, I see the slumps and the hot streaks. I look at how a batter hits. How he's being pitched to. How he adjusts. How a pitcher locates his pitches. I admit, it's not the most scientific way of doing things. It's also my opinion. It says to me Matsui is going to suck. Drew is going to improve. Jeter is starting the slow decline. Manny will continue to cheat on the breaking stuff away, which will leave him vulnerable inside. Schilling will finally start to get hit hard. Kennedy will shine, Hughes will have some growing pains. Ortiz continues to be the new Anti-Christ. Giambi will be horrendous. Damon will rebound slightly. You won't even notice Abreu...but at the end of the year, he'll have excellent numbers. Take it for what it's worth.

Look, nothing wrong with analysis in general, but I base it on what I see as well. How players respond to how their being pitched, how pitchers adjust to their declining velocities, etc. For example, Cano. A good player, with a world of talent. Learning patience at the plate, which will give him better pitches to hit. I disagree with the analysis. Completely. Giambi. Does it take into effect his unwillingness to use all of the field, and that his stats were undeniably helped by his usage of P.E.D.s? That his bat speed has slowed? No. I would be SHOCKED if he had a good season, due to his diminished skills, his inability to stay healthy, and his lack of "vitamins". Abreu...massive decrease. Why? A solid second half, great eye, good batspeed. What exactly do they see that causes them to view this? Not all 30+ year ball players are the same. Cabrera. Unless he elevates the ball, and shows that he can lay off off-speed pitches away from the right side of the plate, he won't be on the Yankees the following season. Improvement on all three? Why, cause he's young? Good, but not a great reason. I'm not even touching the Sox. Keep in mind, these things tell you the trend. However, they don't tell you the full story. Is anyone here willing to bet me on Cano? I say he ends up with a better year OPS wise than last year. Your "stats" say no way. My toilet paper has more value than these reports. Secondly, I strongly disagree with the "neutral" statement of projections from Bill James. Last I heard, he was employed by some baseball team. Not sure who, though.

Greene=Petrocelli? Sure. While you're at it, Crisp=Bernie Williams. Matsui=Manny Ramirez You=Common Sense Compare the stats of those players with players of their time.

....to all hot and sexy female Red Sox fans living in New York or surrounding areas. I have to admit, I got the hots for you gals more than the girls for my beloved Yankees. Something about that jersey just gets my blood up. Couple that with an obscenely high testosterone level...well, you get the picture. So, if you are interested in living life on the edge, look me up. I just couldn't resist.... [This may have been about the most honest post I've ever written]. :thumbsup:

Another example of homerism. Manny in great shape...yada yada yada. More than ever, he's having issues with breaking balls away. This is because he's starting to cheat a bit. I like Manny, but he's starting to slow down. Same thing with Jeter, who's never been the hitter that Manny is, but they're starting to cheat a bit. Varitek has started his decline, and lets face it..when you're on the wrong side of 30, you start slowing down. Now..is Manny one of the best hitters in the game? Of course. However, his production will start to decrease. So will Posada. As for pitching for the Yankees...the starting pitching can't really be worse. Even if the vaunted three, Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain don't get into the Hall of Fame next year, look at what they are competing with. Desalvo, Wright, Igawa, Henn, Pavano etc. We were one elbow strain away from jacksonianmarch filling in. So the pitching will be much better on the back end. Now do I think the Yankees will challenge the all-time win mark? No. However, you'll see a decrease in their offense, and in increase in their pitching. On another note...jacko...Matsui isn't just the numbers. He's on the Giambi train of losing the ability to go the other way. That is why I am convinced he's going to suck. Compare his ball placement over the years..he's pulling off the ball, and if you were going to get rid of him, right now is the best possible time. I'm willing to bet that Drew will have a better year than Matsui. Goodness knows I pray I'm wrong.

I forgot about Lowell.... Definitely down. For the Yankees: Up: Hughes [more usage] Chamberlain [more usage, numbers down, overall more value to team] Kennedy [ditto] Cano [numbers took a dip, as he develops more patience will improve] Damon [will depend on his health, but will probably have stats in between 2006 & 2007] Farnsworth [going to wind up late last season will prove to be his saving grace] Same Wang [getting tired of his big game meltdowns] Pettitte [moving on to HGH] Mussina [due to decreased workload, you will see more quality but less innings] Abreu [keep on truckin....] Cabrera *slight improvement possible* [he's about reached his ceiling] Down Arod [see Beckett...tough to repeat a monster season] Jeter [body will start to break down] Posada [knees will start to catch up] Matsui [will have biggest fall off...the Yankees version of 2007 Drew] Rivera *slight decrease [guy is timeless] The thing I believe is true for the Yankees is what I think is true for the Sox as well...although you will have more players declining, the upswing is going to be collectively greater than the decline. So both teams...once again....will battle it out to the end....again.

The Sox will come down a bit to earth. You're never as good as you look when you win, and you're never as bad as you look when you lose. Both teams are on the wrong side of 30 for the majority of their core players. This may be a year where only one team comes out of the AL East. I doubt it though, lol. Here is my prediction on key Sox players who will go up or down as compared to last year. Up: Pedroia [this kid has proven me wrong. Eckstein with better talent] Lester [hopefully fully recovered] f***ing Youkilis [i just hate this guy [i'd love him if he was on the Yankees though]] Drew [can't be much worse, will adjust and be a solid contributor] Same Wakefield [this probably stays true until he joins the AARP] Ortiz [all depends on health. He'll hit no matter what] Paps [he really can't get any better] Down Beckett [although will be solid, very hard to recreate such a great season] Manny [bat is slowing down, starting to show a weakness at breaking pitches low and away, a sign of cheating] Varitek [normal decline for the classiest Red Sox of them all] Schilling [Father Time moves on from Mussina to Curt] No idea Matsuzaka [Hideki....Nomo, or Irabu?] Crisp [May not be on the team next year] Ellsbury [Will be solid, but how good is he?] Buchholz [Ditto]

I am really sick of this Santana stuff. I hope he stays with Minny and they make a run in the Central.