Open Thread: Brian Cashman, ninja (or elf)
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"Derek said he'll sign for 3/45 if you rappel down the side of the building." (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
When he’s not busy chasing Cliff Lee or staring down Casey Close, Brian Cashman is a community man. He’s going to spend this upcoming weekend dressed up as an elf and rappelling down the 22-story Landmark Building as part of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District’s annual Heights and Lights event. He’ll be accompanied by local weatherman Rick Reichmuth and, of course, Santa Claus. The trio will make a practice run on Friday, then do the real thing at 4:30pm this Sunday. I assume Cash will then jump on the Steinbrenner’s G6 and head to Orlando for the Winter Meetings.
If you’re in the area and are going to the Heights and Lights events, snap some pictures and email them to us so we can post them on the site. Thanks in advance. Otherwise, here’s your open thread for the evening. The Knicks and Nets are playing each other in the Garden tonight, which is all we’ve got for Tri-State Area sports. Talk about whatever the hell you want, just be cool about it.
147 Comments»
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The Mason Williams Watch
New favorite name, current player division:
http://www.baseball-reference......burq001alb
Too bad he isn’t in the Dodgers farm system. Him on their AAA team would be awesome.
It’s a shame this guy never played for the Indians.
That looks like something baseball-reference made up just to mess with us.
Kind of like when a video game adds in random players to fill out rosters or for guys who aren’t in the players’ association.
Haha, exactly. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that as a made up video game name before.
Ahem
Wow, words don’t exist to describe a name that awesome.
Stonecipher is good, but I still gotta stick with Stoneburner
Sequoiyah >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Graham
Sequoyah Trueblood >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Graham Chappell
what kind of parents let that happen? Jeez, why don’t they just change their last name to Caholic and just get it over with?
Micheal Kay might wanna read this http://community.livejournal.c.....21905.html
Sounds like a bunch of hooey.
That’s pretty fascinating. I had no idea that adults could be that selective in their eating habits. (And for the record, I’m the exact opposite — I’ll try anything.)
I sense a lot of Phil Rogers Specials* in our immediate future in the wake of the news that Grienke declaring the Yankees in play.
(*He’s the new king of “your trade proposal sucks”.)
He’s the reigning and defending “Your Trade Proposal Sucks” champion, everyone’s favorite hit show!
I’m sure we’ll see several people challenge him for the title this winter, though.
I dunno, I suspect a large number of people who propose idiotic trades are the same idiots who are like “grenkey is too big of a headcase/girl/etc to be a true yankee!”
I dunno, I suspect a large number of people who propose idiotic trades are the same idiots who are like “grenkey is too big of a headcase/girl/etc to be a true yankee!”
Which is just as idiotic as people saying he’d be totally fine as a Yankee, and overcoming his mental illness means he has strong will. We have literally zero information (although medical information suggests that a recurrence of one of his conditions is as likely as it is not to happen) yet everyone here seems to jump on one side of the narrative with joy.
Its an issue and risk, but it doesn’t mean he couldn’t succeed here (nor is there anything guaranteeing he wouldn’t flame out).
My opinion is that he probably knows his mind best – if he is willing to come here then he must have it under control but don’t act as if this is a chicken little concern. Its a real condition.
Of course it’s a real concern. I was talking more about the people who belittle him because of it and therefore will have no reason to consider trading for him.
I only wish Brian Cashman would stop wasting time on these kind of things. Didn’t he see Ryan Theriot signed omg!!!!
Another wasted opportunity. Cash is clearly the Tony Womack of GMs.
I still can’t believe that was trending worldwide.
People are booooooreedddd
Wasn’t Theriot traded?
Bah. You’re right.
Jeter and Close are having a meeting right now… I hope it goes along the lines of Close saying that there are no serious bidders so they’ll have to take whatever the Yankees give them.
No. He is suggesting that Derek seek a deal comparable to the one Tulowitzki got.
Close: Tulo just signed a phat extension that will pay him through his age 26-35 seasons, like you did 10 years ago. You know what he’s going to do when that’s over? He’s going to ask for 6 more years at 25M per, that’s what he’s going to do.
This changes nothing. NOTHING!!!!
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-yo.....eping-joke
the Yankees’ front office… is treating a report in Tuesday’s editions of the New York Daily News that Pettitte had received a feeler from Rangers president Nolan Ryan as a “total [bleeping] joke.”
The report, since denied by Ryan to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, drew an irate reaction from a member of the Yankees’ hierarchy, who requested anonymity for fear of alienating Pettitte, who, the source said, has yet to inform the Yankees whether he will pitch in 2011.
“Pettitte’s gonna pitch here or he’s gonna pitch nowhere,” said the source…
As others have pointed out, it’s probably Randy Levine blabbing to the media again. But the fury of this amused me. It’s like it was me rambling on, or something!
Those guys at ESPN New York must think the Rangers going after Pettite is some kind of retaliation for the Yankees going after Cliff Lee.
Why can’t these people stay out of the media sounding like idiots? When did we turn into the Mets?
Because someone let Randy Levine and Hank Steinbrenner free?
Didn’t the Yankees have exclusive rights to talk to Andy during that time period?
I may be wrong.
since i’m unfashionably late for the Greinke-likes-NY thread, i’ll put my 2 cents on this open thread.
Cashman should only go hard for Greinke if the Lee signing doesn’t happen. Hopefully Lee makes a decision in the winter meetings and puts this board at ease (largely). Even if Pettitte retires, I can’t imagine Cashman would try to replace the loss with a Greinke trade. The need to pull that off just wouldnt be there with CC and Lee on board. It just isnt worth the cost.
Brackman might be more than capable of contributing in the opener of 2012. Brackman might very well need just ONE more season before he’s ready to come in and be the #5 guy.
Till then…WEBB on a one-year flier?
You were doing so well, until that regrettable final sentence.
+1.
Or really:
+80. Tops.
Hah. You fun-nay.
I always liked Webb, but let someone else deal with him at this point.
And I bet Webb would have next to zero interest in signing on with the Yankees, where the road to climb would be steep. He’d sign on with a smaller-profile club with fewer big-dollar starters to displace (and stave off) to make it back into a big league rotation stalwart.
Like what Dontrelle Willis did, signing with the Reds, who have both a larger need and a greater opportunity for a reclamation project starter.
There’s another similarity to Dontrelle.
He’s finished.
He’d be interesting on a minor league deal, but I can’t imagine that there are no teams willing to take a flier on a major league deal. And even if he does have to settle for a minor league deal, he’ll probably looking for a team where he’s got a better chance of sticking in the rotation immediately.
How about calling up Syd Thrift and asking what it’d take to get Bob Walk in pinstripes?
Maybe he meant Ryan Webb.
http://www.baseball-reference......ry01.shtml
I’d take a flier on him, if the Padres non-tendered him (which they wouldn’t). Seems like a decent kid.
Perhaps he meant former NBA slam dunk champion Spud Webb:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUu7drj9hPw
At the very least, he could probably outjump Cody Ransom.
This kid was in my Algebra 2 class in high school…
http://www.baseball-reference......211;001ala
Webb on a minor league deal couldn’t hurt.
Counting on him to contribute in 2011 is going to get someone burned, though.
Not to mention, he’d likely sign with a club with a less settled rotation — although maybe he’s confident enough in his past track record to think he can crack anyone’s rotation — and he certainly could, if he’s even 90% of what he was.
Question, bros:
If Troy Tulowitzki can get that contract today from the Rockies, how much would Troy Tulowitzki be worth on the FA market?
At least 8/180, probably more.
Now? Dunno. 10 years in the future? 6/150.
Idk how many years, but I would bet 25M/yr.
Yup. 10/250M is reasonable. A 25 year old cornerstone SS who’s put up 19.0 bWAR over the past 4 years? A plus player both offensively and defensively who puts up a .300/30/100 in the Triple Crown stats, who hasn’t entered his prime yet? That’s probably the most valuable player since ARod hit the market a decade ago.
The only real knock on him is that his numbers are Coors-inflated, but he’s still a stud who should easily best the recent Mauer and Tex deals (and better the Jeter deal from a year ago) and at least equal the first ARod contract (which was so big, it’s still an outlier).
The only real knock on him is that his numbers are Coors-inflated
Disagree. The Coors issue is a problem, but he’s shown he can hit on the road. I’d be more concerned with his injury issues, as such things tend to recur.
8/190 in my opinion. I’d have a tough time giving him 10 years or over 200 million.
If he were a FA today (at age 26), he’d be a 10/210-230 kind of guy.
He might be able to get more AAV with fewer years.
His road splits would drive his price down a bit.
It would be years before he could go anywhere, therefore staying the face of the ballclub while taking all the risk of injuries/decline out is a smart move.
Mauer, King Felix, Cano, etc. have all taken the that risk away while securing their futures at a discount to their actual market worth. In every case I believe it was the smart play, but to some the extreme money left on the table was a poor decision.
For every Matt Holliday (that didn’t take the early $), there seems to be several that make the safe bet. Non-Boras clients though.
Is it just me, or does this year seem to have an especially large class of quality relievers?
Not a ton of huge names, but plenty of ability to go around:
Soriano
Benoit
Choate
Fuentes
Downs
Feliciano
Gregg
Rhodes
Romero
Rauch
Wood
Balfour
Crain
Durbin
Frasor
Putz
Dotel
CHoP
There will almost certainly be some useful relievers in this year’s bargain bin.
Chan Ho Park, Part 2. This time it’s personal.
Giants sign Tejada. I wish the hot stove woul…ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
If Sandoval plays 3B and Tejada is SS again, that’s gotta be less range than Jeter and A-Rod. That’s kind of frightening.
Significantly less I think.
;_;
Typical Sabean deal. Why couldn’t he swing a deal with the Twins for JJ Hardy (even though Minnesota would be better off with Nishioka at SS and resigning Hudson to play 2B with Casilla as the backup)?
But Sabean is a GENIUS because Edgar Renteria was WS MVP!!!! the Yankees are just old and lame and doomed though
Hmmm. Ol’ Derek sure could use a Scott Boras brand Mystery Team®
A-Rod’s #7 on the Prime 9 3B.
Pretty sure he holds a similar position on the SS list.
He’s #2. Which is too ludicrously high (and no one’s a bigger A-Rod fan than me). Like, Cal Ripken Jr. was #3… what.
Was Derek Jeter #4?
No, #7. Which as I said in the Open Thread – too low. He should be over Smith and Banks at least. And A-Rod too (we’re just talking their careers at SS, not their overall careers).
At least A-rod has still spent more than half his career at short, though that won’t be true by the end. Banks also was less than half.
A-Rod as a SS >>> Jeter as a SS. He was a better fielder and a much better bat. If we’re not knocking A-Rod for not staying on SS, I don’t know how he can be worse than Jeter.
That. I have no problem keeping ARod above Jeter at SS, particularly since he didn’t move off of the position naturally due to decline (but instead artificially due to politics).
I consider longevity at that position so I am knocking him for staying at SS, not that it was his fault. He’s still probably a top nine SS of all time because SS have sucked historically, but not #2.
Ehhh…he probably is the second best player ever to play the shortstop position. I would say he’s the second best player ever to play Third Base too.
Yeah, each half of ARod’s career is better than probably 99% of all other big leaguers’ careers.
To be fair, like a top 100 player is probably like the 99.99999th percentile of major league players. There’s plenty of Troy Glauses throughout history along with guys who were just rock solid players their whole careers but never impact guys.
Oddly enough though, on the subject of A-Rod’s place in baseball history I think he’s behind:
Ruth
Wagner
Mantle
Bonds
Williams
Cobb
Mays
Hornsby
Aaron
Gehrig
Musial
Morgan
Schmidt
Henderson
Collins
Foxx
There’s a few Negro Leaguers that were probably better than he was, and a few pitchers but then there’s the group of “maybes” that I have: Frank Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, and a few others.
Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, John Henry Lloyd, and Martin Dihigo would be good names to name.
Cool Papa Bell, Cristobal Torrente, and a few others…I just don’t really know how to rank all of them.
Half of those guys (Collins, Foxx, Schmidt) I don’t think are in A-Rod’s league.
also, A-Rod’s career bWAR with Seattle and Texas: 61
Jeter career bWAR: 70.1
A-Rod’s career >>>> Jeter’s career, but Jeter’s SS career > A-Rod’s career.
of course, that should be Jeter’s SS career > A-Rod’s SS career.
But ARod’s SS career was artificially cut short. He stopped playing SS at 27, while his body clearly could have continued doing so.
Add on just four more years to his SS career, and his bWAR rockets past Jeter’s total (89.7 through the first four years of his Yankee career). And that’s assuming he moves off of SS at age 31… which is still probably way too soon.
ARod put up 61.7 bWAR in 8 years of SS. It took Jeter TWICE AS LONG, 16 full seasons, to put up 70.1 bWAR at SS.
The 8 years of ARod’s SS career >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the 16 years of Jeter’s SS career
This is a “if things were different they wouldn’t be the same” argument. Was A-Rod’s peak better – by a lot? Yeah, but so was Nomar’s.
The fact remains, Jeter’s 16 years of SS have been worth more, even with crap defense, than A-Rod’s 8 years of SS. Do I wish Alex hadn’t gotten moved off the position? Hell, yes. There’s some alternate universe where he’s the Yankees SS and that’s probably an awesome alternate universe. But it’s not this universe.
The fact remains, Jeter’s 16 years of SS have been worth more, even with crap defense, than A-Rod’s 8 years of SS.
I still disagree, though, because you’re ignoring the massive rate-stat difference. The focus shouldn’t be that Jeter’s been 9 wins better, but that ARod is only 9 wins shy of Jeter’s total in half as many seasons.
What you’re saying is akin to saying that the 20 seasons of Frank Tanana’s career at pitcher (54.6 bWAR) is worth more than the 10 seasons of Sandy Koufax’s career at pitcher (54.1 bWAR).
I don’t think I can agree with that.
I can understand this argument, sure. And I definitely think there’s room for objectivity in these sort of lists. But 9 wins is a lot (though granted it’s in double the time) – you can probably write off 0.5 WAR between all the static that gets involved in the calculations and stuff. But 9 WAR isn’t really something you can write off.
In overall value then yes because Jeter’s had much more playing time at SS than A-Rod. The fact it’s close like that speaks of A-Rod’s insane years at SS.
If A-Rod was a Red Sox he’d probably be killing Jeter is both forms of WAR.
Got it. I misunderstood your wording here. “And A-Rod too (we’re just talking their careers at SS, not their overall careers).”
If we do consider A-Rod not staying at SS then Jeter probably should be ahead of him but if we just compare their SS years, even if we ignore Jeter’s ‘declining’ years I think A-Rod is considerably better.
He has to be the only player on two lists, no?
Babe Ruth? Robin Yount? Ernie Banks?
(FULL DISCLOSURE: I have no idea how the Prime 9 show works. Never seen it.)
How would Babe Ruth make it on two different lists?
Outfielder and pitcher?
He wouldn’t be among the top 9 of all time in any conceivable pitching category
Like I said, I have no idea how the show works.
They just run down what they feel is the top 9 of something.
Top 9 home runs
Top 9 World Series
Top 9 ballparks (Fenway over YS? come one)
Top 9 pitching seasons
Top 9 characters
Top 9 unique pitching deliveries
et cetera, et cetera
Babe was a terrific pitcher but only pitched for the smaller half of his career. And he wasn’t one of the best 9 pitchers all time (which is what I assume these lists are all about.) Maybe if it were a top 50 he could be considered in that category.
OF and pitching.
and Pete Rose and George Blanda
meh they’re ok. the top 9 comebacks involved like 30 games in which the Yankees lost. And the 86 Mets were on there about 8 times. the 2004 red sox were #1.
Prime 9 World Series was like “here is a list of ways the Yankees lost in gut-wrenching ways”
Ernie Banks as a top nine 1B? No thanx.
They talk about the 1986 Mets in like every damn Prime 9.
Dear Anthony Mason:
You’re 43 years old now. We love you, bro, but it’s not cool to have your nickname shaved into the side of your haircut anymore.
Sincerely,
Knicks Fans
Could be worse…he could have “point forward” shaved in.
Touché.
As a light-skinned black man, I’d have a soft spot in my heart for the Nets for having the most high-yellow backcourt in the NBA in Farmar/Harris…
… if they weren’t the Nets.
Honestly its crazy that people treat Greinke like he’s a leper because of his Social Anxiety Disorder. He has gone something far more stressful than a game, and came out all the better. Considering half the damn nation is on anti-depressants and/or anxiety the chances are very high that more than a few players and superstars are battling the same issues but aren’t saying anything unlike Greinke.
No one says a single thing about addicts like Miguel Cabrera or Hamilton not being able to handle the spotlight. (an addict is always an addict, hence why no one is ever cured from an addiction) You don’t turn to drugs or booze because your happy, no people turn to those poisons because they are suffering from those same demons as Greinke is yet they weren’t strong enough to seek help.
You don’t turn to drugs or booze because you’re happy…
/blanketstatement’d
Yea, I thought it was pretty common for people to go down bad paths just from getting blasted at parties too often.
Alcoholism does not equal social anxiety disorder. I don’t understand what the two have to do with each other. Greinke isn’t addicted to anything
Alcoholism does not equal social anxiety disorder. I don’t understand what the two have to do with each other. Greinke isn’t addicted to anything
T.H.I.S.
Furthermore, the comparison is inartful, because the reason nobody “says a single thing about addicts like Miguel Cabrera or Hamilton not being able to handle the spotlight” is because the drug or alcohol addictions they suffer(ed) with don’t necessarily have anything to do with a neurological anxiousness related to the spotlight.
SAD does. SAD is a disorder involving anxiety in social situations. Drug and alcohol addition is not, it’s an addiction to a substance than can be manifested in any number of ways, none of which necessarily would theoretically impair a player’s ability to play baseball in pressure situations.
but it does usually have an underlying cause of depression
like all self destructive behavior it has some form of mental instability as an underlying cause
If he came to New York I think the sicker elements of the MSM would be his problem rather than the fans. It’s really disheartening to see how low they have sunk. On the other hand, their inefficiency
and irrelevance have facilitated the growth of great sites such as RAB. There is good in everything.
That building is right near my intern school; I need to schedule an impromptu field trip.
Bring a net or a large inflatable bounce house. Saving the GM from a potentially fatal harness malfunction = instant front office job.
Definitely.
Finally, Mimbro will have the power to give us fans the cotton uniforms and doors that go all the way to the bottom of the stalls that we’ve been clamoring for!
Fitted caps for cap day, baby.
You could probably convince Danny Tartabull to partake in that PBS telethon, too.
Tedy Bruschi breaking the #1 code of being a media member, admitting he was wrong.
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston.....on-sanchez
ESPN 1050 was hilarious today. Hilariously bad.
In the 2:00 hour, McDonald & Tierney gave Bruschi props for admitting that his earlier comments that Sanchez was a “frontrunner” and a poor leader were a mistake and too hasty, saying that it took a real man to publicly admit that his criticism was off the mark.
In the 5:00 hour, during The Michael Kay Show, the station was running promos featuring Bruschi’s initial statements (the ones he has now-publicly retracted) that were critical of Sanchez, and basically challenging Jet fans to “shove it in Bruschi’s face!”.
Same day.
[facepalm]
Wow, that’s pretty awful.
it’s not like ESPN NY is running the Boomer and Carton show (what is Boomer thinking?)… and I thought Mike and Mike was bad. I turned Boomer and Carton on once and they were making chicken noises for like 5 minutes. it was ridiculous. Its got to be the worst sports show on radio
Steve Somers is a ridiculous hater – his head shot on the WFAN website looks like its from the 70s.
Jody McDonald is totally nuts, I wrote about him last August: http://bomberbanter.com/2010/0.....ly-insane/
I think Joe and Evan have the best show on radio; Mike Francesa’s show is also good, but not AS good.
Tejada signed, Jeter has no options left. Cashman smells blood.
If Casey Close was Scott Boras, he’d have been floating the “mystery team” that was prepared to offer Jeter the 5/125M he wants.
While I like Wilson Chandler overall, he’s missing just a little something from his game. He’s got some nice moves with the ball, but he’s just not talented enough to hit the shots in the positions that the moves get him into. Of course, if he were talented enough to hit those shots, he’d be Kobe Bryant.
Raymond Felton is coming on strong and it’s awesome to see the chemistry that he and Amare are building.
Which championship ring is Al Trautwig wearing?
So Tejada’s 1/$6.5 sets the market for well past their prime statues at SS right? Give Jeter a week to sign, then pull it.
wow. aggressive much?
let Dj come to you. he eventually must find a port to call home … once more.
Yeah, I probably really wouldn’t pull the offer anytime soon, but I wouldn’t increase it either.
There’s no reason to budge from 3/45. I hope the Yankees don’t, but they probably will.
Yeah, I expect them to budge a little, but only on $$. I think it’s 3 years no matter what.
I totally agree with you Steve. Tell them the offer is time sensitive. I wouldn’t pull it but tell them in seven days the offer goes down to 12M a year.
There are all kinds of players available this off season and the Yanks need to know if that money is going to go to Jeter or if they should start looking to improve their team in other ways.
Any chance Larry Fitzgerald gets dealt? I know they won’t want to deal him, but I wonder if he’ll demand it, unless they find a sure thing to shore up the QB situation. Pats and their 7 picks in 4 rounds might be a fit…..
I think TSJC and all Jets fans on this board just fainted at the thought.
Fantastic fit. Fitzgerald is an ambassador of the game and would add a deep threat second to none to that Pats offense.
Gruden to The U is picking up steam.
There’s been way too much smoke for there not to be any fire.
So the Yankees are going to agree to deal with Jeter and not announce it. Once they agree with Lee, they’ll announce the Jeter deal and he will have a press conference the next day announcing he gladly took a paycut to help the team remain competitive and leave more money to bring in new players. Next day magically Lee signs. Jeter saves face as “ultimate teammate”, Yankees save money.
I’m having mixed feelings on Greinke here. His ERA went up two runs this year. While no one can be expected to maintain a 2.16 ERA (his ’09 ERA) 4.17 is eh.. His hits allowed went up significantly while his K’s went down. He also gave up seven more homers than ’09. He def didn’t perform at an elite level this year.
Is the real Zack Greinke 2009 or 2010, or something in between?
In between. He was a victim of a horrendous defense which must have inflated his ERA a bit. While his 2009 probably won’t happen again, I think Greinke is still a solid number 1 or 2 guy.
Greinke 2007-2010: 773 2/3 IP, 3.32 ERA, for a 132 ERA+. I’d say ~120 is a reasonable expectation.
And while his HR rate and BB rate both got worse, they’re still well within acceptable ranges. His K-rate went from excellent to merely good, though. Is that a cause for concern? Who knows.
He struck out sixty one less batters in only nine less innings. That’s a substantial drop off for a guy going from his age 26 to age 27 season. Did his Velo drop?
His FB velocity in 2010 was 93.6. In 2009, it was 93.7. It was pretty much a regression in LOB% and K/9. The K/9 regressed to his career numbers and got unlucky with his LOB%.
Anybody considered that maybe Greinke’s anxiety issues on par or maybe even lessened with the ones he has/had in Kansas City because he’d be expected to be a third starter in New York instead of an Ace.
I mean, i know New York is worse just because it’s New York. But would it be fair to say that being a third starter in New York has roughly equal pressure as being the Ace of most teams?
The third starter notion is of course dependent on signing Cliff Lee. Which, we have to.
Nope. The media situation is night and day even compared to other big cities. To Kansas City? Welcome to the terrordome.