It's finals time for me, so I apologize for the lack of updates lately - this situation shall be rectified in short order and I'll be back to posting multiple times a week soon, I promise!

To tide us over until my schoolwork is complete tomorrow, here's an interesting little nugget courtesy of the New Haven Register, who had a chat with the Cash Man recently. Cashman confirmed to the Register that the Yankees made not one but two generous offers to Damon, both of which $cott Bora$ turned down. The first offer was a 2-year, $14 million deal, which was promptly turned down despite the fact that that was pretty much exactly what Damon had requested (and about four times what he's worth). The Yanks tried one more time before signing Nick Johnson, this time offering one year for $6 million - far less than they had originally asked for, but by that point the demand for him had dried up considerably and the Yanks needed Damon less thanks to Granderson, so still a decent offer all things considered. Needless to say, that was rejected as well.

Per the Cash Man, Bora$ cited Abreu as the reason for the rejections, saying: "Bobby Abreu’s (new) contract is $9 million a year right now on the table so why would we do that? So I expect to see a Bobby Abreu contract."

As Damon approaches the last few weeks before Spring Training without a contract, I can't help but wonder if he's as pissed at Boras as he should be. Sure, "Abreu money" would be great, but times have changed - teams aren't doling out millions of dollars for dudes with sub-par fielding skills (even ones who can hit 25+ home runs in the new stadium). The offers the Yanks made were perfectly reasonable, and methinks Boras and Damon made a huge mistake in assuming that other teams would be looser with their wallets than the Yankees. It's not 2006 anymore (thank god) - the days of absurd contracts are largely over.

The Cash Man got a little jab in, saying "I hope he does not sign for something less than our offer. That means he should have been a Yankee and that’s not our fault.”

According to a tweet (the most official and scientific of all resources!) today by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Yankees plan to announce a deal with former Padres GM Kevin Towers sometime before Spring Training, most likely as some sort of "special consultant" (the Cash Man ain't going anywhere, simmer down). Buster Olney predicted it back in October, and Towers himself said during the Winter Meetings (during which he met with several teams, including the Yanks) that he'd like to work with an American League team, so while Nightengale's tweet is not "official" news, Towers almost certainly will be joining the Yankees in 2010.

Whatever it is he'll be doing for the Yanks, I'm willing to bet it will result in all sorts of goodness. Even with the Padres' budget, which is approximately equal to my salary at my after-school job in high school (Jane's Cakes and Chocolates, represent!), the Padres won four division championships made it all the way to the World Series in 1998 during his reign. Before becoming GM, Towers was a scout, and used his skills to put together some surprisingly impressive teams made up primarily of random under-the-radar dudes - particularly pitchers - who had been cast off by other teams (deemed "dumpster diving" by the San Diego Union Tribune). He was also responsible for one of the most ridiculous trades of the past couple years, when he arranged a deal that sent a minor league catcher (Billy Killian), Akinori Otsuka (whose performances in the local "Corkys Pest Control" commercials remain the highlight of his career) and Adam Eaton to Texas in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young and OF Terrmel Sledge.

He won't be in sole charge of trades in New York, but I look forward to seeing what he comes up with for the Yanks - with his keen sixth sense for under-valued talent and the Yanks' money to behind him, I anticipate big things.

Girardi, the Cash Man, and all the Steins promised there would be changes this off-season, and they weren't lying. It's too early to start kicking players to the curb and shelling out the dough for anyone deemed potentially heroic enough to put the team on his back and keep them out of Loser City in 2009, but there are plenty of other changes the boys can make while we wait for Teixeira to dry his tears (incurred, obv, by the ALDS).

The first soldier to get the dishonorably discharged today was none other a man whose shoulder had seemingly been operated on to replace bones with a motor, third base coach Bobby Meacham. I couldn't find the number of how many Yanks he got a little too zealous with and subsequently cost the Yanks an out at home, but believe me - it was a lot. There is no worse out to make than an out at home, and there is no reason that should happen if the bases aren't loaded. Assuming he has a vague idea of the zippiness of his player's running and the arm of the dude in the field, I really don't see any reason why this should happen more than MAYBE once. It was maddening.

Perhaps he just had too much faith in the team's speed. Usain Bolt they are not.

In addition to my usual Yankees Chick posts, I have also begun writing regularly for AOL's FanHouse blog. I will post the beginnings of those articles here on YC, and then you'll have to click the link to jump on over to FH to read the rest... stick with me here, amigos!
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Brian Cashman has had to deal with threats of being fired several times now -- what with all of the playoff busts -- but now that Big George Steinbrenner has surrendered much of his control to his sons, the firing talk has simmered down and extension talk has taken its place. Hank Steinbrenner, who has proven himself to be much more level-headed than his father when it comes to matters like hiring and firing (not to mention trades), has confirmed that he is open to discussions about a contract extension for The Cash Man.

Continue reading Hank Wants More Cash(Man)

February is drawing to a close, and as we head into March, I must say that all seems right in the world at long last. I've been sprung from the clink, the boys are throwing the ball around down in Tampa, and Pavano has made his annual weak "See, world? I'm totally still a pitcher! Change my label from "Pavano must die" to "Pavano must LIVE" again, YC!" performance. Perhaps I'm simply projecting my glee over being free from the clutches of doctors (not to mention phlebotomists, YC's blood's mortal enemy), but I am feeling ridiculously positive about the upcoming season - and I think y'all should feel the same way. Need a reason? I've got ten of them!

Top Ten Reasons To Be Optimistic About The 2008 Yanks:

10) I-Ken
9) Joe Girardi
8) Santana is safely sequestered in Queens
7) Posada's still looking sharp. Age shmage.
6) Hughsie
5) There are no talks of bringing Bonds to the team.
4) Joba.
3) The Steinbrothers have shown they are not as quick as Papa to make big trades.
2) They are hungry for a title. Starving. Salivating. (Now I'm starving... for In N Out).
1) A-Rod.


Read last week's Top Ten: Baseball-Related Stuff I Miss

Like most Yanks fans (I think, anyway...) I love Bernie Williams. His contributions to the team - yes, even in his last year! - are countless and undeniable - and I truly find it hard to believe that anyone invested (emotionally or otherwise) in the team would have hard feelings towards the dear man.

Apparently there is at least one man harboring feelings that are a tad bit less cheerful toward the Bernster: The Cash Man! On Friday night he expressed some feelings on Bern, saying that he had a "terrible" season in 2005 and it was wrong of Torre to play him as much as he did. To be fair, Bernie did have a poor year offensively - .249 average, 12 homers .321 OBP - but his defense was fine (.991 fielding percentage) and he still had a positive impact on the team as far as attitude and morale goes. The real surprising part of this story to me is that considering the fact that Cash really hasn't been all that outspoken when it comes to dissatisfaction with individual players, and saying such things about a player that isn't even on the team anymore seems pointless (what is to gain?), why would he bother?

I don't know, folks... what dost thou think? Should he have shut his face and kept his negative feelings about a player that has meant so much to the fans and his teammates to himself? Or are his feelings valid and perfectly fine to share in a manner that obviously would make its way to the public?

Whether you celebrate Christmas (most of you, I am guessing), Hanukkah (some of you), Kwanzaa (a few of you), or just spend the holiday season being harassed by family, buying expensive gifts for others*, and wishing your list to Santa had been read more clearly** (all of us), I have a hunch that now that it's the 26th you're breathing a sigh of relief that the stress is finally over. Of course, the stress of BASEBALL is always with us - tis the burden the diehards bear - and regardless of the gifts you and I received during the holiday season, there are a lot of things left on the Yankees' wish list. With just a couple short months (!) left until the crew lands in Florida, there is not much time left for Big and Little Steins (oh yeah, and that dude the Cash Man that apparently has been locked in Hank's closet since October) to put the finishing touches on the team. Personally, I think the team is actually shaping up quite nicely (thank you, A-Rod, for not leaving us with a gaping hole in that 3rd-base-slash-power-hitter role after all), but I'm sure there were some things on Big Steins list to Santa that he did not receive. Lucky for you faithful readers/people that accidentally clicked on this while doing your Google search for "chicks that love Doug Mientkicantspellhisname", I happen to have a direct hotline to Big Stein's office, kind of like the one between the USSR and the US (sidenote: I have to say that I absolutely adore the fact that the "solution" to a decades long war was a telephone), and he dictated his Christmas list to me last week - along with some comments. He told me to keep it a secret, but I'm a bad secret keeper, so I'm going to share it with you!

Top Ten Gifts Big Stein Wanted For Christmas

10) Carl Pavano's head
9) Johan Santana (just give up everyone, I don't care)
8) George Costanza (he's not a real person?! But he was such a good assistant to the traveling secretary)
7) One of those beds Lindsay Wagner sells on the TV
6) The Florida Marlins (I will call them Yankees Junior)
5) The fine team of doctors over at BALCO... I have some work they can do.
4) That "farm system" Cashman made, so I can turn it into my own personal bank and sell it to the highest bidder in exchange for....
3) Raul Mondesi!
2) A DVD of that 2004 match-up between my team and the Red Sox... I never heard how it turned out
1) A ring for my 7th finger... no one knows about this deformity, but it is because of my freak hand that I am so unhappy with 6 World Championships in my tenure.


Read last week's Top Ten: Baseball Degenerates


* You're welcome, Dad
** YCLS (Yankees Chick little sis): This comment is not directed at you. You did damn good. In fact I am wearing one of the shirts you gave me at this very moment!

Over the last few months, we've heard a lot in the media about what the Steinettes have been up to, particularly the Hankster (apparently Hal is either mute or just not allowed to speak). Little Stein has been featured in newspapers and websites spouting off about what he plans to do with the team, wrestling the reigns from Big Stein quite successfully…. But this begs an important question: what the hell has become of the Cash Man? We have barely heard a peep from the dear fellow since the commencement of the Steinette takeover, and while The Hankster has actually not made any moves that screamed “I’m just like Daddy and will ruin everything that the Cash Man has worked on lickety-split,” I am more than just a smidge fearful that perhaps all the hard work Cash has done to get this team away from their old sell-the-young-to-get-the-ancient habits might be for naught if he’s pushed completely out of power.

Of course, I don’t really know if the Cash Man actually has been usurped by Hankster, but it is certainly strange to me that he has been so silent. What dost thou think??

Goodness gracious great balls of fire, my lovelies.

After all the uproar over the changes that took place at the beginning of the offseason, things are beginning to fall into place quite quickly. In fact, the 2008 crew is actually shaping up to look... well, a lot like it looked in 2007.

In 2007, Jorge Posada caught 138 games. In 2008, he'll be back behind the plate.

In 2007, A-Rod hit 54 homers, had 156 RBI, and made 13 errors at 3rd base. In 2008, he'll be making a f*ckton of money and playing 3rd base again.

In 2007, Mariano Rivera pitched in 67 games, earning 30 saves. In 2008, he'll be pitching to the tune of Enter Sandman for a 14th season.

In 2007, Kevin Long hitting-coached the team to a collective .290 batting average. In 2008, he'll be working with the cream of the crop again... let's shoot for .291 this year, kiddos.

In 2007, Tony Pena parked himself on the first base line to pat baserunners on the ass and send them on stealing missions. In 2008, he'll be right back out there with his butt-patting hand at the ready.

In 2007, Rob Thomson was the "Major League Field Coordinator" for the team (what does that mean? No one knows.) In 2008, he'll be The Girardino's right hand man on the bench.


I am very pro-Girardino, and I sincerely have high hopes for the 2008 season. I like the idea of keeping so much of the core 2007 team together while injecting some fresh blood to shake things up a bit. What the Yankees were missing last year was not talent. It was unity, motivation, attitude... factors that I feel a little shaking up could help. A lot.

A-Rod is gone (though not forgotten...although I'd like to forget about him), and in his wake he left the Yankees not only with a good chunk of freed-up salary dollars but a gaping hole in that #5 spot in the defensive inventory. The good news is that there are some peeps available via trade or free agency: Miguel the T, Miguel the C, Joe Crede, et al, but the even better news is that the Cash Man is steadfast in his desire to refrain from trading his beloved youngsters. Of course we are indeed in desperate need of a third baseman (I really don't think Wilson Better Mint is going to cut it, and I think everyone knows that) and will most likely end up having to trade someone for a replacement at some point, the very fact that the Cash Man is so committed to finishing what he started - building up a farm, breaking down Big Stein's legacy of old-dude-buying - is a delicious idea I want to savor for as long as I can. It is a strange and wonderful thought for a Yankees fan, to be able to watch kids get drafted and then eagerly anticipate their arrival in the big leagues and actually get to enjoy seeing their talents benefit the YANKS rather than some other team.

Stranger still is the sight of other teams falling into exactly the same habits that the Big Stein-run Yanks used to utilize while the Yanks go the farm route; teams like the Mets who have left themselves with just a few prized prospects and run after every big name on the market (Beltran, Glavine, now even A-Rod), or the Sox, who traded kids like Hanley Ramirez, Josh Bard and Anibal "No-Hitter at Age 22" Sanchez to get veterans and are speculated to even trade their remaining youngster Buchholz this year for another old guy. It's a crazy time indeed. Sure, we haven't won a ring in a few years. But 7 or 8 years to rebuild a dynasty is time well-spent if you ask me...

It seems it was just yesterday that the World Series was being played in Colorado (no mas Rocktober… que triste), but it's time to get into "let's work on 2008" mode. The offseason may have just started, but it's has been a whirlwind of change for the Yankees. We have a new manager, a vacancy at third base, and as always, we are yet again in desperate need of serious pitching help. The winter might be the off-season for the players, but this is when the Cash Man and the 3 Steinmeteirs need to get their asses to work, STAT - the Boss-Folk are down in Orlando this week to get to work on filling in a whole buncha gaps in the roster. It was announced yesterday that Pettitte has declined to act on his player option, but he and the Cash Man have both made it clear that the opt-out does not mean he is throwing in the towel necessarily, just that he needs more time to think about whether he wants to retire. All year dear Andy has been promising that he will either retire in 2008 or come back to pitch for the Yanks, so there remains the possibility that if the Cash Man and the Steins roll out the red carpet again like they did last year they may be able to finagle another 1-year deal; AP single-handedly won quite a few games for the Yanks and, along with the Rocket, provided a nice veteran role model for the youngsters. If they can’t convince him to get his beautiful face back in the Bronx then the list of “shit the Yanks need desperately” grows longer yet again. There is word that the Yanks are very close to locking Big Mo down for a 3-year deal worth $40 mil, which, while a tad nutso considering the fact that the man is an old fogey in baseball terms (38!), still seems like a wise decision – who the hell else are we going to get to close? If you argue to move Joba into the closing role, that just opens up another hole in the starting rotation. Mo will be solid, if not for the full 3 years than at least for the first 2. Posada is also very likely on board for another deal, but I think he and his agent are going to make sure to use Jorge’s unprecedented superhuman crazyman season numbers to ensure that they get the best possible deal available, something in the “bunch of years for a bunch of cash dollars” range.

The other big topic in Orlando is the Miguel Cabrera hoopla - a lot of folks think he'd be a perfect replacement for A-Rod. On one hand, he is a proven slugger, a youngster (yay to non-old dudes!), has already worked with The Giardino to great success, and really wouldn't be all that expensive salary-wise (possibly $10 mil after arbitration). On the other hand, the Marlins are definitely going to want either Hughsie, I-Ken, or Jobamania in return, and he's also kind of a fatass, which is not exactly ideal for a 3rd baseman. The Cash Man says that he doesnt want to trade those 3 aforementioned home-bred pitchers, but as much as I like all 3 of them, I would say trading either Hughsie or I-Ken (not both... the Yanks can throw in some cash and some marginal prospect perhaps?) would be ok if we could grab a guy like Cabrera. After all, a trade is almost definitely going to have to be made to get someone to replace A-Rod, and it seems to me that the Marlins and their love of prospects and hate for paying players more than Missouri's minimum wage makes this trade seem like one that could actually get the Yankees a lot of bang for their buck. Just dont touch my Jobamania. I will hurt you... And I fight dirty.

With A-Rod, Torre, and Mattingly gone, the status of Pettitte, Posada, and Mo all up in the air, and a strange possibility of seeing Cano over at 3rd if the Cash Man can't find anyone else to plug that hole, it is natural and understandable for us Yanks fans to feel a bit flustered - things in Yankeesville certainly seem to be in quite the state of disarray. Rest assured, though, that not everything will be different next year. Besides working on convincing Pettitte to exercise his player option and stay with the team for 2008 and hopefully hammering out deals with Jorgie Porgie and Sir Mo, the Yanks have already made a few deals to keep some familiar faces around for next year. Tony Pena obviously wasn't as disappointed about not being offered the managerial job as Mattingly, because he has agreed to come back as first base coach, and Kevin Long, whose batting coaching skills helped the team achieve the best collective batting average (.290), slugging percentage (.463) and RBI total (929) in all of baseball this year will also be back. The team also announced today that they picked up Bobby Abreu's $16 mil option, so at least we don't have to add "right fielder" to the list of gaping holes that need to be filled this off-season.

We're only a few days into this new Girardi-led era, but I must say that I am feeling good about things. I really did want A-Rod to stick around, but it seems abundantly clear that he is obviously not the type of team player we had hoped he would be ($350 mil just to talk? You make me sick.) Abreu is a man of pure golden consistency and is a shining example of good attitude and teamwork, and at $16 mil he is certainly affordable in today's market. The Cash Man has also said that convincing Pettitte to stick around is a "priority", so that is a good sign, as well, and we have thus far heard no rumblings of ridiculous "all our youngsters for one old dude" trade rumors, which one might expect to be hearing with A-Rod gone. I love Torre. I love Mattingly. I even love (or loved, anyway) A-Rod. But you know what? Out with the old. I'm on board with Girardi.

It's been a wild, wild week, chock full of a whole buncha shit that I either wasn't anticipating or was just fooling myself into believing would not happen - well, that's not entirely true, I was somewhat expecting Torre to be outski (but certainly not in the manner in which it went down) - and my Yankees Chick brain is still spinnin' like a top.

The disappointment of Torre leaving and now the surprise and anger I'm feeling towards A-Rod (I mean Betray-Rod; does he realize how much effort I have put into supporting him and telling haters to shut the f*ck up every time they called him out?! OK, breathe... serenity now... more on that disappointing development at another time in life [AKA tomorrow]) have left me a smidge concerned about the future of the team, but those fears were assuaged a bit by my excitement over the fact that Girardi was confirmed to be the winner of the 2008 Yankees Manager Lottery And/Or Death Trap of High Expectations And Intolerable Scrutiny. The Girardino was my pick for the job, and I really do have high hopes for the team under his leadership, but his hiring has left another couple of nice dudes in the lurch: Mr. Pena and dear, dear Donnie Baseball. Tony could surely get a managerial job elsewhere - he was, after all, Manager of the Year in 2003 - and has even said he would be happy to stay in NY in a coaching position under Manager Girardino, so we surely can't feel too poorly for him, but Mattingly is disappointed and done with the Yanks.

Girardi was the right choice. More right than Mattingly or Pena, and even right-er than Torre, much as we love him. Mattingly would have been not much more than a sentimental hiring, chosen purely out of the Yanks' collective love for him, which, with the efforts the Cash Man has made to turn this team around, would not make much sense at all. What will become of the man, though? He has already said he would not accept a coaching offer with the Yanks, so unless he magically comes out of retirement and kicks Giambi's fat ass out of first base to join the roster next year, his time as a Yank is dunzo. Will he manage somewhere? Coach? Minor leagues? A tour on the Professional Motivational Speaker circuit?

Hey, if Torre gets an offer somewhere (LA?) perhaps he will bring his old bench coach along for the ride? You never know...

Despite the fact that earlier this week there were rumors that the Yanks might make an announcement by the end of today about who they had chosen to succeed Sir Torre in the managerial throne, no such conclusion graced our ears/eyes/hearts. Howard J. Rubenstein, the official spokesman, said "there has been widespread speculation about who the next manager of The New York Yankees will be. The evaluation process is continuing and there will be no immediate decision or announcement", crushing our hopes that we might get some news before the weekend. Alas, the day is over and we probably won't be hearing anything till early next week at the earliest, but we can still speculate and pick quotes apart. Let's play that game while we wait!!

Little Stein: “What we’re looking for is a guy that’s maybe going to be one of the greatest managers, maybe, of all-time, over a period of 10, 20 years, who knows?” (In other words: "We are looking for a Torre clone, someone my dad won't hire and fire 5 times in as many years")

Little Stein: “As far as making the decision, it will be before the end [of the Series]. No question." (Well hurry the F up, Steinette, because the Sox could be done with the Rox in a matter of hours here)

Little Stein: "I think from the start the guy that I was leaning towards and the guy [Cashman] was leaning towards, it's the same guy. So his job wouldn't be on the line if I tend to agree with him." (In other words: "As long as the Cash Man is smart enough to agree with the 3 Steinmatiers, we're good to go")

Big Stein: "Do you really want me to tell you who? It's Leo Durocher. Really, I got nothing I can tell you." (Oh, Big Stein, you are a riot as always! I tend to forget your job title is really "comedian")

Big Stein: "The baseball people are going to obviously be relied on heavily, and I don't see any reason to not go with their decision. You have to respect the opinions of your experts." (Who are the "baseball people" he is referring to?! And where have they been for the first 30 years Stein has owned this team? He has baseball people he could have been relying on?!)

Little Stein: “I think the most important thing is whoever we hire, give him a chance because he’s not getting the ’96 Yankees,. He’s getting an even younger team or for the most part a team in transition. Give him a little while. " ("And by 'give him a little while', I of course mean 'he has 1 shot to make this team the greatest team that ever lived in the history of the universe or the 3 Steinmatiers will come down upon him like a plague from above'")

Word on the street is that Big and Little Steins may have made a choice about Torre's successor by Friday. Since it can't be the Yankees Chick, I had to pick another horse. Who do you want?

Mattingly and Girardi – currently the top two candidates for the prestigious and nearly impossible-to-execute role of “fill Torre’s shoes without alienating the team by being too radical (the boys are, of course, accustomed to the milk-and-cookies, pat-on-the-back management style) but providing a little spark to prove to the fans that they can expect some actual change” – have completed their first interviews with Steins Big and Little. I would imagine any word from the IYD (Important Yankees Dudes… jeez, how many times do I have to tell you?!) will be a ways off, but both Donnie and Joey submitted themselves to press conferences after their respective interviews to let us know how they thought things went.

Still in a smidge of shock about the Torre developments. My conspiracy theory of choice: Big and Little Steins never had any intention of re-signing him, but they didn't want to fire him - they actually have a little respect for the man and know that they would incur the wrath of gazillions of fans; additionally, whoever came in to manage next year would be under such incredible scrutiny it might be unsurmountable. Instead, they agreed with Torre that they would make him an offer that he would then reject, allowing the IYDs (Important Yankees Dudes, remember?) to look slightly less douchebaggish and Torre to maintain dignity.

On the other hand, maybe Torre had just had enough. Or wanted to go write a juicy book about the inner workings of the Evil Empire.

What the hell?

Did NOT see that one coming.

I guess he's had enough of Big Stein jerking him around year after year....?

My first thought was, good for Joe! They (management peeps) have shown little respect for him over the past few years, and this latest affair - keeping him waiting in the wings for over a week - was just too much.

Then I thought, damn, I really hope Joe isn't doing this to try to get more money. He's better than that. Unless, of course, Boras is HIS agent somehow, in which case it all makes sense.

Let's blame Boras regardless. It's more fun.

When, in the background at work (because of course the Yankees Chicks is hard at work as usual my friends) I hear a little something on the ol' WFAN announcing that Torre was on the way down to Tampa and that a press conference is imminent, presumably to declare the return of Torre for another year or two. Stay tuned.

While we wait for that, we can discuss our other friend, A-Rod, who was wrapped up in a 3-day marathon meeting with the scary Boras-Man that ended yesterday, probably discussing ways to conquer the world and develop A-Rod into an economic super-power that rivals that of most first-world countries. Boras's latest genius idea is to ask the YES Network to chip in for part of a new contract to keep A-Rod in New York. Yeah, that's right, Boras wants a TV network to pay to keep a player on a team whose games they broadcast. In other words, Boras would like us, the Yanks, and YES to believe that the network would indeed collapse/go broke/become a terrorist target without A-Rod on the team. I love A-Rod and hope he stays in New York, but I think that one is going to be a tough sell, even for Boras. I honestly wonder if A-Rod (or any of his clients) hear/read some of this stuff and feel embarrassed to be associated with him.

Anywho, even though the A-Rod situation will certainly be resolved soon - the opt-out decision must be made within 10 days of the end of the World Series - the will-he-or-won't-he for dear Torre will likely (hopefully!) be determined any minute now, which is great news for all of us folks starved for actual Yanks news... and hopefully for Torre, too.