Archive for July, 2009

The 103 players that tested positive for steroids on the infamous 2003 list needs to be released.  I am relieved that David Ortiz’s name came out so now Boston fans end their argument that the Yankees’ championships in the 90′s were tainted.  Now we all can say Boston’s two championships were tainted.  At least the Yankees didn’t have to cheat to end an 86 year drought.  The Yankees’ middle of the lineup wasn’t juiced like Boston’s was.  The Yankees didn’t jack home runs like the two juiced Red Sox players did.  

The Mitchell report is flawed, it unfairly targeted New York players because Mitchell’s main source was a New York trainer.  Mitchell was also part of the Red Sox front office staff and didn’t mention any Boston players in his report. The Mitchell report is completely flawed and I am grateful that Boston is finally taking some heat.  

Now we need to get the rest of the list to be released.  Let’s let a Boston player take some heat like A-Rod did and then release the rest of the names at once and get it over with.  It will be better for the game of baseball.  Something needs to be done to end this.  Release the names, clear the air, and let baseball continue on cleanly.

The trade deadline passed and although there were some moves, the big fish stayed put.  It was like going to a concert and there only being opening acts performing and no headliner. Roy Halladay, the biggest fish in baseball for the last several weeks, remains with the Blue Jays.  The deals we did see were Victor Martinez to Boston, Jake Peavy to the White Sox, and Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers among others.  There were a flurry of other trades, but no true pennant race changing trades were made.  Boston gets a nice player in Martinez, but he isn’t a superstar.  We may not be totally done because some players could be traded if they get through waivers.  Don’t count the Yankees out of still acquiring a pitcher sometime in August.

The Yankees made a minor move today and acquired the versatile Jerry Hairston Jr. from Cincinnati for minor league catcher Chase Weems.  They were not able to upgrade their pitching staff, which was looked at as their biggest need.  The Yankees will most likely release IF Cody Ransom because of the trade.

The Knicks are gearing up to make an offer to Ramon Sessions and the Bucks may let him walk because they want to spend the money on Hakim Warrick, this according to ESPN’s Mark Stein.  The Knicks have also been talking to guard Jamaal Tinsley.

Sessions is the best fit for the Knicks and would be an immediate upgrade for them and a player that could anchor the team for the 2010 free agency.

It was reported today by Michael Schmidt of the New York Times that David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.  David Ortiz, who has denied using steroids since day one, is on the list of players who tested positive in 2003 along with A-Rod and Manny Ramirez.  

Ortiz and Manny were the heart of the Red Sox lineup during their two championships in 2004 and 2007.  It took Boston 86 years to win a title and they had to cheat to do it (most of the MLB champions in the last 10-15 years are tainted because of steriods too).

I’ll give you three reasons why the Yankees should not include Joba Chamberlain in a trade;  his last three starts.

Joba is 3-0 in his three starts since the All-Star break with a 0.83 ERA.  He is proving all the naysayers wrong and could be putting the argument of him needing to be in the bullpen to rest.  Joba has always had the stuff, but hasn’t put it all together in a string of consecutive starts until now.  We saw how dominant a pitcher he could be when he came out of the bullpen and now we are witnessing his dominance as a starter.

Roy Halladay won’t be a Phillie.  That we know for sure.  Where he will wind up?  We’ll know by Friday night.

The Phillies acquired pitcher Cliff Lee from the Indians today, leaving one less team that will be involved in Halladay discussions.  The Blue Jays’ deadline to trade Roy Halladay has passed but the MLB trade deadline lasts until Friday.  There have been numerous rumors about where Halladay would be traded to but nothing is imminent.  The Yankees and Red Sox will remain players in the Halladay derby as long as they know that the other team each is still alive in the Halladay chase.

I have said since day one that I do not think the Yankees should trade for Halladay.  I wavered a bit when the idea of Halladay going to the Red Sox dawned on me but I am standing strong and my position has not changed.  Maybe my mind would change if I thought the Sox had a legitimate shot at acquiring Halladay but I don’t think that’s the case.  I don’t think Halladay gets traded and in the small chance he does, I don’t think he’ll be traded to the Red Sox.

It would be tough to see Halladay in Boston, it really would.  Knowing that the Yankees had the goods to get him but took a pass and he wound up in Boston would kill me.  But if it happens, it happens.  This could be a turning point for the Yankees.  I say this because when does the spending stop?  Their payroll is over $200 million.  Acquiring Halladay, then giving him an extension, pushes that number up more.  The spending has to stop somewhere.  For the Yankees to give up their young players for Halladay means that they will have to spend more money when the time comes that those young players would have made an impact on the team.  At the time the prospects would be making an impact, the Yankees will need to dig deep into their pockets for free agents to fill the void.  The spending continues and the payroll grows.  Even the Yankees have a limit and this might be telling us something.  The Yankees would love to have Halladay, no question.  But it would require the Yankees to dig back into the wallet, now and in the future.

This will be the second time we see the Yankees show some limitations.  They didn’t want to give up their prospects for Santana a couple of years ago.  They went with young pitchers in their rotation and although it didn’t work out, they still went for it and gave them a chance.  The youngsters didn’t do well and the Yankees made a huge splash in free agency over the winter.  The Yankees still gave it a shot though.  They showed some limitations.

So if the Yankees don’t trade for Halladay, that will be the second time they have showed some limitation in the last few years and gives me reason to believe they won’t have a $300 million payroll by 2014.  When will the spending stop?  I don’t know.  They could spend a fortune this upcoming offseason if they don’t win and people will say that they should have traded for Halladay and given him the money.  That’s not the point.  The point is, they gave it a shot.  They held on to the prospects.  Who knows, maybe their holding on to a gem.  Maybe they win with what they have.  Maybe they change their ways one day.  The Yankees will probably always have the highest payroll in baseball (as long as there is no cap and the Steinbrenners remain owners) but maybe they’ll slow down and let some other teams catch up.  Maybe we won’t always hear the line “Yea the Yankees won, they have the highest payroll”.

I want to see the Yankees stop buying the best and start growing the best like they once did.  Jeter, Mariano, Posada, and Pettitte were all home grown and major contributors in the 90′s dynasty.  I want to see that again.

Jets’ running back Leon Washington may not have to holdout after all.  According to Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News, Leon’s agent will be meeting with the Jets’ GM, Mike Tannenbaum today.  This could mean that a deal is in place or they could be trying to hammer out a deal face-to-face.  We’ll see what comes out of the meeting.  Hopefully Leon will be at training camp for day one.

The Yankees not only lost to the Rays 6-2 tonight but also lost Wang for the rest of the season, as expected.  According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Wang will have arthroscopic surgery Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season.  Wang ends the season with a 1-6 record and a 9.64 ERA.  This is the second consecutive season that Wang has been injured.  Prior to last season (when he injured his foot running the bases in Houston), Wang had two 19 win seasons in a row and led the Yankees’ pitching staff.