Sports Illustrated is reporting on their web site that the Yankees just got bigger and badder. With money seemingly seemingly flowing like water out of the Bronx this winter, the Yanks just hauled in Mark Teixeira with an eight year, $180 million dollar deal.
Here are some thoughts from a slightly biased Red Sox fan:
This explains why the Yanks weren’t courting Manny. I was actually just about to sit down to blog about how the Yankees weren’t living up to their end of the rivalry by not pursuing Manny more aggressively. I thought Manny to the Yanks made sense cause he’s still one of the best hitters in the game, he’d love to come home to the Bronx and most importantly he’d be motivated to go head to head against the Sox. Imagine the drama that might have been…
In this crazy winter could something completely insane happen like the Red Sox feeling threatened enough to bring Manny back? While I don’t think either side wants to reunite, the Sox have to be sobered by the Yankees’ acquisition of Teixeira. And with his bad deeds catching up to him, Manny is left without much of a market for his services relatively speaking (he’ll still wind of up with millions of LA’s or someone else’s money). It’s closing time and you find yourself alone with someone slightly below your standards, you and she say “what the heck” and leave together. Sound like a story you’ve heard before?? That’s maybe where the Red Sox and Manny are about to find themselves.
How does this impact A-Rod? Is this deal bigger than his on a per year basis? (I haven’t crunched the numbers) Is that a problem? Having another big bat has to help unless ego gets in the way, right?
With the CC signing, the AJ deal and now this one, it’s guaranteed that lightning won’t strike three times. Now, you can look at this in a positive or negative way. I’ll go positive but from the Red Sox POV… There is absolutely no chance that all three of these deals will turn out to be great deals for the Yankees. Life and really I’m talking about sports, just doesn’t work that way. So, count on one or more of these signings to turn out just awful.
Are the Yankees better? ABSOLUTELY. The question is how much better. Well, Nick Swisher isn’t their starting first baseman anymore so that’s got to mean something. Again, maybe I’m a bitter Boston fan, but there’s still a lot of holes on this team, which is has aged. Do the names Damon, Matsui, Jeter, Posada mean anything to you? They are all old guys who are past their prime. Yes, even Jeter. Somebody is going to break down and likely more than one. Although with their cash, the Yankees will have the resources to get replacements next winter. So much for rebuilding with youth, Yankee fans…
Didn’t the Yankees (and my second favorite team the Mets) just ask the city of New York for a ton of additional money to complete their new stadiums? During these tough times will it bother any Bronx tax payers to know that their hard earned money is going to Mark Teixeira and others who they’ll never be able to buy a seat to watch? In fairness, that’s the state of sports accross the US, not just in NY. When will tax payers wake up and demand that these subsidies end? If the Yanks have money for this signing, they ought to pony up the rest of the dough needed to finish their new homes themselves. And that goes for the Metropolitans too.
How will the Red Sox respond? Sure, there’s my Manny fantasy, but that’s not likely. And with their starting pitching mostly set, who among everyday players is left that makes sense for them to chase?
Stay tuned…
The rivalry is back on!
PS – speaking of rivalries. How would you like to be the Mets this winter? You land the best closer in baseball as well as another closer who was pretty good two years ago to fix your bullpen. Meanwhile, your crosstown rivals go nuclear and sign the three biggest prizes available this year. It’s like you can’t win for trying if you’re Omar Minaya. But that won’t stop him from taking another crack at it. And that’s why sport is so much fun!
2 Comments
December 28, 2008 at 1:09 am
Hi there! I love your website
December 28, 2008 at 2:02 am
Thanks very much! And come back soon.