2010-2011 Hot Stove Thread

[Quincy]

My feelings about the Yankees in general right now are no secret, but I always liked Pettite, and still do. Great player, class act, and oh by the way, am I alone in thinking that when he was a much younger player he would have looked great, definitive even, in one of those 1920s-era photographs?

Try the '20s minus the 1900. I could picture him wearing a toga and an olive leaf crown.

[JSngry]

Should've been more specific...I meant a photo of a 1920s baseball player.

[ghost of miles]

I suppose there's an outside chance that Pettitte could return in mid-season ala Roger Clemens, but I rather doubt it. He strikes me as the kind of guy who once he makes up his mind, he sticks with it. Agree that he's a class act. Lots of players could pattern their behavior on and off the field after Pettitte and be the better for it. It'll be awhile before I forget that stare, when you could barely see his eyes between the bill of his cap and the top of his glove. If I ever saw one, that was a look that meant business. You can't say more about any athlete than when the big games rolled around and all the chips were on the table, he was at his best. That was Andy Pettitte.

As to what this does to the Yankees rapidly fading chances, I guess we've at least hit the bottom of the barrel. It's comforting in its own way to know that there's really no place to go from here but up.

Dave, I think we've just become a longshot to even nab a wildcard slot... 2011 could end up looking a lot like 2008. What a motley crew we have competing for the back end of the rotation! (Not to mention that we're also hoping our #3 starter returns to .500 "form") Still really looking forward to the start of the season, even though it will be very, very strange to not have Andy Pettitte suiting up.

I was just perusing Pettitte's lifetime postseason line--it's the equivalent of a full season in the old every-fourth-day/game scheme of rotations:

GS: 42

W-L: 19-10

ERA: 3.83

IP: 263

H: 271

SO: 172

BB: 73

NY Times: After 16 Seasons, Goodbye to a Gamer

Edited February 4, 2011 by ghost of miles

[JETman]

Not to break up the pity party here, but it still strikes me as rather odd that after the last 15 or so great years that the Yankees have had rather recently, all y'all are freaking out about a few impending dry years.

Try being a Mets fan. Seven trips to the playoffs in FIFTY years!

[Dave James]

Not to break up the pity party here, but it still strikes me as rather odd that after the last 15 or so great years that the Yankees have had rather recently, all y'all are freaking out about a few impending dry years.

Try being a Mets fan. Seven trips to the playoffs in FIFTY years!

We can't help ourselves. It's that darn entitlement mentality.

On the upside, if you're a Mets fan, I hear Mark Cuban has reached out to the Wilpons to make it known that he'd be interested in owning a piece of the team. That might shake things up. Can you even imagine Fred Wilpon and Mark Cuban in the same room?

[JETman]

Not to break up the pity party here, but it still strikes me as rather odd that after the last 15 or so great years that the Yankees have had rather recently, all y'all are freaking out about a few impending dry years.

Try being a Mets fan. Seven trips to the playoffs in FIFTY years!

We can't help ourselves. It's that darn entitlement mentality.

On the upside, if you're a Mets fan, I hear Mark Cuban has reached out to the Wilpons to make it known that he'd be interested in owning a piece of the team. That might shake things up. Can you even imagine Fred Wilpon and Mark Cuban in the same room?

No thanks, I've already got an idiot running the Rangers and Knicks!

FWIW, to fully understand my views on the Yankees and their fans, you REALLY have to live in New York.

Also, let's not nominate Pettitte for sainthood quite yet. He's admitted to having done steroids, AND he's about to testify against his former best friend. Nice!

[Brad]

I'll take Cuban as owner. Where do I sign?

It will be interesting to see home the trustee is seeking to recover when the lawsuit is unsealed today. Apparently, negotiations collapsed yesterday, with the trustee reportedly seeking $1 billion.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Brad

[JETman]

I'll take Cuban as owner. Where do I sign?

Really? How many titles have the Mavericks won?

To me, he's just a clean-shaven version of Dolan.

[Dan Gould]

Not to break up the pity party here, but it still strikes me as rather odd that after the last 15 or so great years that the Yankees have had rather recently, all y'all are freaking out about a few impending dry years.

Try being a Mets fan. Seven trips to the playoffs in FIFTY years!

We can't help ourselves. It's that darn entitlement mentality.

On the upside, if you're a Mets fan, I hear Mark Cuban has reached out to the Wilpons to make it known that he'd be interested in owning a piece of the team. That might shake things up. Can you even imagine Fred Wilpon and Mark Cuban in the same room?

No thanks, I've already got an idiot running the Rangers and Knicks!

FWIW, to fully understand my views on the Yankees and their fans, you REALLY have to live in New York.

Also, let's not nominate Pettitte for sainthood quite yet. He's admitted to having done steroids, AND he's about to testify against his former best friend. Nice!

He's about to testify in a criminal prosecution.

Its what honorable people do.

Its what citizens are supposed to do.

And apparently you think it reflects poorly on his character.

[JETman]

Right on time, Dan. I can almost set my watch by you. A day without your chiming in is like a day without sunshine, I must say.

[Brad]

The lawsuit has been unsealed and the trustee, Irving Picard, is asking for $300 million in "fictitious profits" as well as hundreds of millions because of what the trustee describes as willful negligence. According to a lawyer for the trustee, as set forth in an article that just appeared in the New York Times, the amount could reach $1 billion.

If it's anything close to that, the present owners will, in all likelihood, have to sell the Mets and their station, SNY, just to cover these debts. The trustee has made some big recoveries in the Madoff litigation (there was one investor whose widow returned $7 to 8 billion to the trustee) and who is to say that he won't make one here.

[J.A.W.]

The lawsuit has been unsealed and the trustee, Irving Picard, is asking for $300 million in "fictitious profits" as well as hundreds of millions because of what the trustee describes as willful negligence. According to a lawyer for the trustee, as set forth in an article that just appeared in the New York Times, the amount could reach $1 billion.

If it's anything close to that, the present owners will, in all likelihood, have to sell the Mets and their station, SNY, just to cover these debts. The trustee has made some big recoveries in the Madoff litigation (there was one investor whose widow returned $7 to 8 billion to the trustee) and who is to say that he won't make one here.

And here I was, worrying over a few euros...

[Quincy]

Also, let's not nominate Pettitte for sainthood quite yet. He's admitted to having done steroids...

It wasn't steroids. He sucked the pineal glands out of newborn babies.

[JETman]

Also, let's not nominate Pettitte for sainthood quite yet. He's admitted to having done steroids...

It wasn't steroids. He sucked the pineal glands out of newborn babies.

Does this pass for yuma out in the Pacific NW?

[JSngry]

I'll take Cuban as owner. Where do I sign?

Right here...

I've evolved, incrementally, from being a big Cuban fan to not digging him at all. The way he allowed - and then for all intents and purposes rewarded - the players for their de facto backstabbing of Avery Johnson should be viewed as one of the greatest acts of ownership chickenshit in the history of professional sports.

Ultimately, he's Jerry Jones with high-grade internet skills and a little less greed.

[Brad]

Let's face it, we probably wouldn't want to be friends with any owner of a professional sports team.

[JSngry]

No doubt, but I like an owner who in some form or fashion prevents bullshit that contributes to losing rather than encouraging it, and Cuban is not that.

[Dan Gould]

As much as I have enjoyed the off-season travails of the Yankees, I'll believe its 2008 all over when its August or September and they are out of it. The reality is that Burnett could very well pitch like 2009 again and given his history is probably more likely to bounce-back than to be as awful as 2010. And Hughes could very well prove that he's figured it out, and pitch to his press-clippings again. Hell, Joba, with no more BS "is he a starter or isn't he" questions, might pitch like its 2007 and imagine if the Yanks line up Joba, Soriano and Mo for innings 7-9?

If just the first two scenarios happen, the Yankees can be fine by pounding the opposition into submission on the days Larry & Moe pitch. And on that question, aren't there pretty good odds that Jeter regains a little mojo? Or that A-Rod plays closer to the way he did in September than the way he did in July-August?

I'm not burying the Yankees yet and until they are buried, their fans should minimize the "woe is us" talk.

Hell, don't you know its February, and everyone "is in the best shape of (their) life"? And that every team has playoff aspirations?

[Matthew]

Pablo Sandoval, looking semi-in-shape for the upcoming year, the bad news is that he seems to be falling under Barry Bonds tutelage. Bonds trainer, Greg Oliver, is now working on Panda, and this is a guy that is forbidden to come to the Giant clubhouse. Not sure how good of an influence Bonds is at this point, be we'll see. Don't know about the Giants for this season, the offense might be a problem again, they will have a full year with Madison Boumgartner, and that pitching staff will keep the in every game, they'll be hanging around the top for the year, I don't see any team in the NL West getting any better.

[Dan Gould]

I think I like the Red Sox latest bullpen addition, Dennys Reyes on a minor league deal. He's long past the time when he was a shut-down set up guy in Minnesota but lifetime he's held lefties to a .238/.332/.337 line, for a .669 OPS allowed. In some ways he's the best option they'll have for lefty specialist, at least in terms of length of success in the majors, and having him on a minor league deal is an extra benefit.

And, he looks a lot like a left-handed El Guapo.

[ghost of miles]

As much as I have enjoyed the off-season travails of the Yankees, I'll believe its 2008 all over when its August or September and they are out of it. The reality is that Burnett could very well pitch like 2009 again and given his history is probably more likely to bounce-back than to be as awful as 2010. And Hughes could very well prove that he's figured it out, and pitch to his press-clippings again. Hell, Joba, with no more BS "is he a starter or isn't he" questions, might pitch like its 2007 and imagine if the Yanks line up Joba, Soriano and Mo for innings 7-9?

If just the first two scenarios happen, the Yankees can be fine by pounding the opposition into submission on the days Larry & Moe pitch. And on that question, aren't there pretty good odds that Jeter regains a little mojo? Or that A-Rod plays closer to the way he did in September than the way he did in July-August?

I'm not burying the Yankees yet and until they are buried, their fans should minimize the "woe is us" talk.

Hell, don't you know its February, and everyone "is in the best shape of (their) life"? And that every team has playoff aspirations?

Too many "ifs," Dan. While I agree that Jeter is likely to have a bit of a bounceback this year, I'm much more ambivalent about Hughes, A.J., and A-Rod (who had a decent year in terms of power and RBIs, but not so much otherwise). I wish some of our young arms in the farm system were further along, but IMO only Nova has a real shot at sticking as a 4th or 5th starter this coming season. NY will still be a good team, but quite likely an 85-90-wins good team, which will get them coffee and a third-place finish in the AL East. (Hell, maybe even fourth-place!) But no self-pity on this end. Dave's jokey remark aside, I've never felt any sense of entitlement about the Yankees and postseason appearances, and I'll still enjoy the season (if nothing else, it will certainly start with a low level of expectation!). We will indeed have a very strong 1-2 knockout punch out of the pen (and grateful that Joe Girardi will no longer be tempted to pitch Mo more than an inning... I don't think he has the gas for much more than 3 outs anymore), but the rotation is a huge problem & not easily solvable at this point. I have thought, "Man, Dan must really be enjoying this offseason!" One of the best for Boston in my memory, and certainly one of the worst for New York. Jeter alienated, Lee signing elsewhere, Pettitte not coming back... and a lot of low-risk bets placed on low-return players. Not getting to see Pettitte pitch again probably bums me out more than anything else, but at least he went out at a high level of performance.

So, Boston...if youse guys stay healthy, think you have a shot at NY '98/Seattle '01 W-L numbers? I'll be pulling for the Yanks as always to go all the way, but if that doesn't come to pass (and I highly, highly doubt that it will), then I'll hope for a Boston-Philly series, which would be a clash of epic proportions, methinks.

[Dan Gould]

Speaking of too many "ifs" - there is no reason to think 100+ wins unless every "if" starting with Beckett, Lackey & Papelbon pitching like they have in the past comes to fruition.

If there are no major injuries, and Lackey pitches like a No. 1 in the four-spot, then yeah, maybe they can get to 100 wins. Maybe.

I'd settle for 96 and a pennant.

[Chalupa]

Don't know about the Giants for this season, the offense might be a problem again, they will have a full year with Madison Boumgartner, and that pitching staff will keep the in every game, they'll be hanging around the top for the year, I don't see any team in the NL West getting any better.

You're kidding, right? The Giants are the team to beat. They have the best pitching staff in baseball. Their much maligned offense plays in one the toughest hitter's parks in MLB. Additionally they will have a full season of Buster Posey at the plate not a 1/2.

[Matthew]

Don't know about the Giants for this season, the offense might be a problem again, they will have a full year with Madison Boumgartner, and that pitching staff will keep the in every game, they'll be hanging around the top for the year, I don't see any team in the NL West getting any better.

You're kidding, right? The Giants are the team to beat. They have the best pitching staff in baseball. Their much maligned offense plays in one the toughest hitter's parks in MLB. Additionally they will have a full season of Buster Posey at the plate not a 1/2.

It's just that all the stars seemed to align right for the Giants last year, plus, I'm always leery of the year after for a team with "great chemistry," and don't forget the only reason they got in the playoffs in the first place was the collapse of the Padres. They really don't have a great batter that they can count on to carry a team through dry spells. Also, the players seem to be in party-mode right now, and I wonder how they will handle success. I know I'm in the minority, but I see a lot of question marks for the upcoming season.

[Matthew]

Thank goodness football is finally over, let baseball, the best sport in the world, take over now.