Valley Fever, strained rib cages, declining payroll and the Madoff clawback lawsuit have been much talked about topics around Port St. Lucie this spring; especially the last week. There will be plenty of time for gloom and doom this year, but yesterday Johan Santana gave the Mets and their fans a ray of hope in an otherwise […]
Eric Chavez has been a great story (.293/1/15) off the bench for the Yankees. Art Stapleton of The Record informs us that Chavez nearly retired this winter, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly talked him out of it. Chavez also tells Stapleton that he nearly signed a deal to go to LA before he agreed to try out […]
Mark Newman sat down with the guys at NoMaas the other day. It’s a lengthy interview, but the one thing I took away from Newman’s comments was that it’s very unlikely that many prospects will ever play in the Bronx. I realized the Yankees have assets, not prospects, and their focus on the farm system is […]
I don’t know why but every year I enjoy writing this post about possible non tender candidates that could be fits for both local teams. The Yankees could probably get anyone they wanted, but for the Mets it’s tricky because of their reported budget ($5 million) this winter. Anyway, let’s give it a try. Hideki […]
Just a day after Phil Hughes pitched a gem at the Stadium and Johan Santana imploded in Philadelphia, Brandon Tierney of ESPN Radio asked this question: Leaving finances out of the equation, over the next 3 seasons, who would you rather have: Santana or Hughes? It’s a tricky question that doesn’t lead to an obvious […]
Wallace Matthews, as only he could, caused a stir in Yankeeland his first day on the job at ESPN NY. To some, it preposterous to think the 2009 Yankees were anything but the class of baseball. Yes, in the end they were World Champions, but the 2009 Yankees had something the 01 to 08 versions […]
As someone who is only 5’8” (with shoes on) I have to admit you get taken aback when standing next to professional athletes. During a trip to Tampa in 2008, I had the chance to cover the Yankees for a couple of days. During that time I am standing in the locker room next to […]
The Met decided to pass up on Ben Sheets, but there still is another high reward starter on the market: Chien Ming Wang. We talked about Wang earlier in the off season. NYBD contributor Frank Russo has been ahead of the curve on the Wang situation. As early as July he talked about the Yankees […]
With Jason Bay in the fold, the Mets certainly seem to have enough offense on hand to get the job done. If Carlos Delgado comes back healthy, and the Mets can work something out, it’s a bonus. Yet, that starting staff behind Johan Santana – John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez – is clearly […]
Earlier today I did the NYBD Mets “All Decade Team”, now it’s the Yankees turn. Only difference is, because of the DH, I named a utility player instead of two pinch hitters. This is based on the best individual season at each position. Starting Lineup C- Jorge Posada (2007) 20 HR, 90 RBI, .338 BA, […]
There is talk that Bud Selig’s newly minted “advisory committee” will actually tackle issues in baseball and push for change in various areas. One of the topics is the future of the designated hitter. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes the DH might be facing its greatest threat since it was permanently adopted by […]
So the Yankees did as expected and did not tender a contract to Chien-Ming Wang. Reports tell you that a few American League and maybe a couple more National League teams may take a shot at the Taiwanese hurler who probably won’t pitch until May or June at the earliest. Wang, of course, after winning […]
Now that teams have non tendered some of their players here are a bunch that should be of interest to the Mets, Yankees, or possibly both. Garrett Atkins Initially he has his warts as Atkins is a product of Coors Field, doesn’t have the best plate discipline, is a below average fielder, and is coming […]
I was thinking what a shame that Chien Ming Wang is going to be non tendered. This isn’t a surprise to us at NYBD, as contributor Frank Russo has been saying this since the summer, but Wang carried the load for the rotation when they had no ace from 2005- to early 2008. It was […]
It sounds like the Yankees are very comfortable with filling out their rotation internally. First it appears they are going to bring back Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin. There is also speculation that Chien Ming Wang would take a lesser deal to stay in New York because of the marketing opportunities the Yankees afford him […]
