Open Thread: Recapping what went right and wrong
ByOver the past few weeks, we’ve been taking a look at what went right and what went wrong for the 2009 Yankees. Obviously, the former category got much more play. There were 13 posts in all, so in case you missed any of them, here’s a recap:
What Went Right
- The Seventh Inning On
- Gardbrera
- The Bullpen Makeover
- The Offseason Pickups
- Injury Bouncebacks
- The Midseason Pickups
- The Kids Are Alright
- The Improved Defense
- Andy Pettitte
- New Yankee Stadium
What Went Wrong
Yeah, we probably could have drummed up a few more What Went Wrong posts, but I can’t think of any glaring omissions. Maybe Xavier Nady or the April bullpen?
Anyway, here’s your open thread for the evening. The Jets are taking on the Bills in Toronto, and the game will be on WPIX (channel 11) if you’re in the Tri-State Area and don’t have the NFL Network (like me). Rex Ryan brought Joe Girardi in to help Mark Sanchez with his slides, though that might not have been such a good idea considering how bad the Yankees were at running the bases in 2009. The Isles are also in action. You know the routine, so have at it.
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Yeah, we probably could have drummed up a few more What Went Wrong posts, but I can’t think of any glaring omissions. Maybe Xavier Nady or the April bullpen?
How about the 59 regular season games the Yankees lost? Or the four in the playoffs? I demand 162-0 followed by 11-0 every year.
I’ll never forgive the Yankees for losing the first game of the season AND for losing the first game ever in New Yankee Stadium. That completely ruins everything in the world for me and they’ll never ever be able to fix that in a bazillion years.
/Lombardi’d
Hey everyone, if you haven’t already, the guys at TYU would really appreciate it if you all took a read through here:
http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/?p=12027#comments
Yes it’s a link and I’m not self promoting. You know how rare that is.
Were outlaws. Gangstas.
I suggested resolving this the gentleman’s way, with a duel. Going 20 paces with Lonn Trost. But he didn’t return my e-mail for some reason.
If it makes you feel any better, you might be able to sell that site name to MLB.
Look at where http://www.redsoxnation.com redirects to. Or http://yankeeuniverse.com/ for that matter.
I’m but a mere soldier. Mo is our Don Corleone.
Even Carig mentioned you guys on Twitter
ooooh an Alexander Hamilton reference. I think I’m in love.
Hamilton is boss. I had a bit of a fixation on him in high school and that might have led me to becoming a history major.
A self made man, and a capitalist through and through. I thought he was right about having the business capitol and political capitol in the same city. We’d be a much different (I think better) country if he prevailed on that.
Keep the domain name.
Rebrands the site as:
They ank ee universe.
In all seriousness though, I wouldn’t take personal offense to this.
A lot of times, when a big company comes after a small site, minding its own business, not doing anyone any harm (like yours), the first thought is ‘wtf is wrong with those assholes’.
The thing about intellectual property laws is that you have to actively defend your copyrights. Later on down the road, is the Yankees are in a legitimate dispute, they can point to this cease and desist letter and proof of actively protecting that copyright. More importantly, their opponent won’t be able to point to a site with the exact same domain name as one of their main branding tools as an example of the brand entering the public domain.
The Daily Beast is reporting that Elin Woods is renegotiating Tiger’s prenup with her so she gets an immediate $5 million payout from her husband and as much as $55 million more to stay with him for two more years. That tells you all you need to know about what Tiger did.
Elin Woods basically said “If you don’t pay me fifty-five million dollars, I am going to go motherfucking public and DESTROY YOUR IMAGE. In return, I will remain your wife for the next two years”
And you know what? Good for her. She’s using her leverage. True capitalist, I like her.
I’m sure their sex life is great:
“Per addendum b subsection 14, paragraph 4, you are allowed to interact with my genitalia for A) 30 minutes a day, 3 nights a week when I am not menstrating or B) 45 minutes per day, 4 days a week following the week of a golf tournament.”
Sadly for us $55 million is about a years worth of appearance fees for Eldrick.
Just to make sure everyone here’s seen this takedown of our favorite blogger
http://fackyouk.blogspot.com/2.....ading.html
Man I am in a vindictive mood tonight. It’s kind of awesome.
At this time, I’m still mulling some changes to the future format of WasWatching.com — and I may elect to have some additional writers added to the blog (to join my voice). But, I’m not certain, at all, that I will go this way. I still find myself going back to the question of: “Did Leonardo da Vinci [sic] have some others help him paint the Sistine Chapel?”.
*rubs eyes and reads it again*
Did . . . . he just compare himself and WasWatching to Leonardo DaVinci and the Sistine Chapel?
I’m . . . speechless.
Greatest. [sic]. Ever.
It’s funny because, you know, Michaelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel.
Shh, that ruins the gag.
Like how Arthur Miller’s play “A Streetcar Named Desire” was so totally amazing.
I literally had to finish that book 2 days ago for English. It was pretty damn good.
You just read it and STILL don’t get the gag?
Where are you from? Do you live in Tennessee, Mister Williams?
See the sad thing is that I knew something was up with Arthur Miller so I checked it out and I saw Arthur Miller somewhere in a Goggle result when typing in Streetcar so I was like yeah…
But I read the Crucible a day before that so that’s why I got confused.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!
We also would have accepted “ADRIAAAAAANE!”
HEY STELLA!!!!!!
I finished “All My Sons” a few days ago……pretty good
Heh, thanks for pointing that out, I’m such a dumbass. I was like BUT THAT IS HOW YOU SPELL LEONARDO DA VINCI,!!!!
I even read The Agony and the Ecstasy, I am well aware that Michaelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. It still went right over my head.
I’ll miss your misattribution jokes most of all.
Lombardi does his blogging laying on his back, as well. He has a computer mounted to his ceiling.
I know everyone thinks it is practically a given that CC opts out if he has two more seasons like the last one, because players almost always opt out. That year though:
Felix
Verlander
JJ
Cain
Could potentially all be on the market. And would all likely draw more interest (due to age) then CC. Even if two of them sign extensions, CC would be only the third most valuable pitcher on the free agent market when he opted out.
In conclusion: I think there is a pretty good chance CC is a Yankee for 6 more years.
I don’t buy into the whole “there’s more quality players at a position, so the prices will come down” stuff. You named four pitchers, five plus CC. That represents 3.3% of all of the available rotation spots in the game.
If CC pitches like a hero the next two years, he can still pull down a $120M deal somewhere, even with those guys on the market with him.
I don’t buy into the whole “there’s more quality players at a position, so the prices will come down” stuff.
This is generally overblown, yes, but this would be an extraordinary case. But how many teams in any given year are willing to give out a $120 for a specific role? In CC’s first free agency, in his prime, he only officially got two such offers if I remember correctly. If he is only the third highest valued FA pitcher that year (or worse) do you really see three different teams signing $120+ deals for starting pitchers?
Could happen, but its a long shot.
And it’s gotta help that CC will be the best lefty and presumably coming off a great stint in the most pressure-packed place to play
Both of those are true, but you have to assume that (if those pitchers continue on their current paths) CC would command the least value on the long term deal simply because of everyone’s respective ages, no?
Yea, I would think so. Personally, I’d want Felix most and then CC.
Safely assuming that in order to get $120 or any of these pitchers you need at least a 5 year deal, you would value CC’s 35-37 years over Johnson at 31-33 and Verlander 31-32.
That is just the end of the contract. You would also get those pitchers prime years (against Sabathia’s still very productive, but starting to leave his prime years).
Oh I realize they might be better than CC. CC is just my sentimental favorite
I disagree. He was coming off of two Cy Young caliber seasons (would have won in 2008 if he’d pitched in one league the whole year), and got $161M over 7 years. Considering that he will be 3 years older and probably not coming off back to back Cy Young seasons, and I would expect him to get a deal more in the $100M range (probably over 5 years). That doesn’t seem like enough of an increase over the $92M/4 that he would still be guaranteed from the Yankees for him to opt out – especially if there are other ace pitchers on the market.
One thing everyone seems to neglect is that chances are, one or more of these future FAs will stumble. Not because of ability but because of injury.
That said, you do make a good point.
/Curb Your Enthusiasm’d
I did eliminate 2 from the market, due to extensions/injury but yes, it is highly possible less than 2 of them make it to FA valued as highly as predicted.
Should be “Having said that”
/nitpick
(Sorry, I love Curb and still appreciated the reference)
Haha damn
Nady Nation ‘Are you my caucasian’?
players almost always opt out
Alex Anthopoulos is sure hoping for this
Does Vernson Wells have an opt out?
Sorry Alex, there is a reason I said “almost”.
yup–after the 2011 season, right before the first year of the really big-money part of his contract. He could save the Jays $63M by exercising that.
Anthopoulos just might resort to kidnapping family members to get him to do it
right
beforeafter the first year of the really big-moneyThere is a negative-percent chance of him opting out of that money.
Thursday night tv is the best.
It’s impossible to watch them all, I guess it would be different if I had a dvr.
Office, Parks and Rec, Community, Flash Forward, Fringe, Always Sunny and I’m probably missing a few.
The League too.
Agreed, all are awesome.
Supernatural is a great show.
i love the office and 30 rock but i just can’t stop missing Arrested Development
+1 SO fucking good.
Nice article and video tribute to Tommy Henrich.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....8;c_id=nyy
If you consider yourself a big Yankee fan (as I’m sure most do) you should really know a few things about Old Reliable. He was a fixture during the late Gehrig years and DiMaggio years on teams that won like crazy. It’s a good read.
So I was in the bathroom today before class, and I made a comment about my professor who always takes a dump before class. I turn to my friend and say “oh it smells like shit in here…professor ____ must have been here already”…turns out he was, and still was there…in the stall next to me.
Douche Chill!
I have a Yankee snuggie. I win at life.
Quick question: How many more years do the Yankees have Joba and Hughes under control?
4
they are free agents after the 2013 season. Both are first time arbitration eligible at this time next year
At TYU we’ve been knocking the Yanks all night long over the name thing, but now I just find out that the letter came from Major League Baseball Advanced Media, not the Yanks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.....nced_Media
Major League Baseball Advanced Media is owned by the League, not the Yanks. That’s like sort of, important, in a way.
Look at what I said here:
http://riveraveblues.com/2009/.....ent-703298
There are probably a few monkeys at MLBAM whose entire job is just this, its just a liability thing.
FIGHT THE POWER!!!!!!!
Fight the power is great for the little guys until the bill comes due, right? Who’s going to be paying when the Yanks or MLBAM or whoever sues TYU for a near slam-dunk trademark case? Or files a UDRP against them?
MLBAM is the company that runs all of the MLB.com sites, and they have the rights to everything MLB online. That said, the teams work closely with BAM, and the letter most likely came via a request from the Yankees. That’s how things work there.
Yup. It comes from a request from the team, as far as I could tell from my conversation.
OK, but how would embarrassing the Yanks in any way do any good? They’ll just say its in the League’s hands, that they have nothing to do with it.
What do you mean “embarrassing the Yanks”?
Spreading it around the blogosphere, as it already has started to be.
I’m pretty sure they won’t give two shits about being embarrassed by it. Carl Pavano is more embarrassing.
Yeah, I guess. But I’m sure Mo’s post will get picked up by some other bloggers. Jason at IATMS has already done a piece on it.
My post is their letter, and that is pretty much all. I doubt this is any more embarrassing than if we had done a post on Kei Igawa that got picked up by the blogs.
I think they’d trade enforcing their intellectual property rights for a little bit of bad press. That’s just way of it.
The Bills look like blueberries.
/Corningstone’d
Veronica Corningstone?
http://www.sportspickle.com/mi.....r-meetings
I am so ready to give up on watching football and professional basketball ever again
Remembering the last time these two teams hooked up, I understand. That game was all about who wanted to lose more.
Anyways, GO BUFFALO!
I would had done a post about Swisher’s red hot April while Teixiera was slumping like crazy
Wow… wtf is wrong with Braylon Edwards?
Also, wtf is wrong with Buffalo’s run defense?
Girardi didn’t visit him.
Braylon needs a visit – but from a higher authority. (Mo?)
Revis is a tremendous corner, and fortunately Fitzpatrick sucks.
Run Jones until the Bills show they can stop him
I’m not sure even a visit from Willie Mays could help him now.
Then the guy makes two great plays after blowing the TD
Suzyn, you just can’t predict football
/Sterling’d
Why is it so fuckin cold outside?
http://web3.twitpic.com/img/47.....2-full.jpg
That link didn’t work for me, but where are you that its so cold.
Today was a highly unlikely 70 degree day in Boston, I just got back from the corner store wearing nothing but a tshirt.
. . . wearing nothing but a tshirt.
Isn’t that illegal?
It IS Boston…
Near Denver. It’s 5 fuckin degrees here!
Was a beautiful Day on Long Island today.
Where in Denver?
Colorado*?
But I thought Denver was The Sunshine State?
…
Being a Bills fan from Rochester, I want them to win. But latley I have been wishing for them to get a better pick. However, this week I will be rooting for them again because the only thing I can stand to listen to on the Diet Coke Francesca show is him ripping apart the Jets.
You have to play frst and den talk! You cant do all teh talkin and then do da playin!!!!1!1!!1!!11!!!
Yeah, I Need the Lions, Browns and Rams to win almost the rest of their games… Ndamukoh Suh looks good for the Raiders. Maybe Okung. But… we all know Al Davis will blow the pick.
Shit, a Raiders fan? Ouch.
Yeah, the Cream will rise to the top again… when Al Davis is not around.
Omg I’m also a Bills fan from Rochester!
The Mariners are the clear frontrunners to sign free-agent third baseman Chone Figgins
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/s.....3B-Figgins
Good. I hope they sign him ASAP just to make sure he doesn’t end up on the Yankees.
+1
I’m really not concerned with us signing Chone, I just don’t see it happening. I’m hoping the Mariners end up overpaying for Bay instead.
I don’t think they will. Zduriencik really values defense.
Zduriencik would indeed be wise not to sign JBay. Seems to be the rumor du jour, so I hold out hope. Its alway fun to see the BoSox get cockblocked.
RIP Hofstra’s football program.
Marques Colston and Wayne Chrebet shed tears.
HAHAHAH that corner or safety just tried to tackle T. Rich and bounced off.
HAHAHA somebody called Sanchez a homo as he walked into the tunnell. Oh drunk jays fans you continue to amuse.
Why can’t Brandon Jacobs be half as good as T. Jones??
This “Civil War” game is quite entertaining.
Rotoworld blurb: Lider, a Venezuelan newspaper, is reporting that Marco Scutaro has agreed to terms with the Red Sox.
But now Rogaine can’t move over to shortstop!
Not sure what to think. Kinda makes me remember last off-season’s sham report that Manny Ramirez had signed with the Yanks. That FAIL’d call was Dominican-based. Lazy reporting.
Everything’s lazier in the Dominican. Duh.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks Lou Holtz sounds like “Rainman.”
Revis should have had 2 picks that drive.
Well … that second pass would’ve been a heck of a catch as josh reed had his hands out too.
Reevis took over on that series. G-men could use him. Corey Webster = OVERRATED.
C-Webb= Exposed. It’s easy to play CB when the d line is in the backfield all day. They’re not doing shit this year.
Let’s have fun with CHONE!
It projects Evan Longoria will triple slash .275/.354/.504 in 138 games in 2010. Certainly a campaign most players only wish they could have … but considering this is one of the most promising athletes in the sport, I don’t buy it.
I know CHONE is grumpy but I just don’t get this. Last year, at age 23, he went .281/.364/.526 in 157 games.
I honestly don’t know anything about how it calculates its numbers. I always thought it was based on some kind of mathematical formula but this makes me think it might just be some pessimistic asshole.
I think Bill James has a much more accurate projection of .287/.371/.548 in 157 games. That makes sense – a slight increase in his ability to hit for average and to hit for power, with an overall jump in OPS of 29 points (from .889 to .918). Makes sense. Kid has been awesome for 2 straight years and he’ll play through the entire regular season at age 24. There is just no reason to think he has any less of a season in 2010 besides the fact that its baseball and shit happens … but for projection purposes, that’s not something you account for.
Longoria has played two seasons. In them, he played 122 and 157 games. Average that out and you get 139.5.
Career triple slash – .277/.355/.528
The projections are really only slightly off from the average of the 2 seasons he’s played so far. Projecting a lower slugging than he had in either of his seasons seems a little odd, but perhaps it’s just magnifying the “trend” that his slugging declined from ’08 to ’09.
Can’t find a quick reference on this, but I think CHONE uses the last 3 years to do projections, so it tends to be less accurate on guys with under 3 years in the majors.
Clemens got destroyed right there.
Revis
Dayum.