I just did something I’ve never done before in my life — I walked out of a sporting event with the outcome in doubt. Of course, the outcome being in doubt against fricking Duke is the reason I walked out. Feh.
I just did something I’ve never done before in my life — I walked out of a sporting event with the outcome in doubt. Of course, the outcome being in doubt against fricking Duke is the reason I walked out. Feh.
Take that, Yankee roiders.
Duke Mac? Wow…
Even Virginia Tech beats Duke… (Jay’s bloodpressure rises… )
You shouldn’t have left, Mac, Bama’s back up.
Sam, did you consider that maybe that’s why they’re back up?
I’m listening on the radio.
Hahaahahahahaha
Little Dodger comeback?
Time for another basehit…
The Dodgers are coming back- 4-2 now after a double from Loney. This is great because I still greatly respect Greg Maddux and hate to see him leave with a loss, and because I greatly loathe the Mets.
Ironically, Alabama’s basketball team may start the season ranked ahead of Duke’s.
And ironically, Duke’s basketball team could probably beat their football team…
Not crazy about that call. Why not run, if we’re getting 5 yards a pop?
Hey, the Dodgers tied it up!
What a pick!!!!
What a hold before the pick!
Tennessee now leads..
Richt is making some uncharacteristically strange calls tonight.
Damn..complete turn-a-round.
Can’t the Dodgers be good for anything? I really would hate to see the Mets in the World Series and the Championship Series wouldn’t be much fun either.
hmmm 38-27..where have I seen that score before…oh yes..final score of the hokie, GT game.
But Ely-Kelso must be on Vicodin.
Wow. This game is crazy. 38-33.
Wow!!!!
who would’ve thought this game would get in the 40’s?
Who knows who thought that. XD I’m watching it here in the office before I go. 44-33. UT kicker missed the XP. BAD, BAD KICKER.
This thing is over….
Been watching Georgia games since the days of Willie McClendon. In all that time, I have never seen them fall so completely apart. 44-9 in the last 31 minutes.
That game turned quickly early in the second half, basically with the tipped-pass INT.
Wow, I just checked the Yankees game score. Nothing is sweeter than seeing the Yankees getting beaten in the playoff, especially in the first round! Yes, A-Rod, you said it yourself, you suck.
This is such a great day…Any day the Yanks are eliminated is a good day.
Also, I was just reading up on the last thread…while I was watching that game this afternoon, I too thought it might be worth the chance to call up the Yanks for a trade. At the time I was thinking a trade would have to include Andruw, but only if we had a contingency plan for the outfield. I really think a trade of Huddy, Renty, and Salty would be fantastic.
Recycled from last thread, hoping to stir a conversation:
(Irony from a Gator fan)
So how about that LSU-UF game today. I wanna say Florida kicked their butts, but dang, LSU just kinda handed the game to us didn’t they?
(End of Irony)
How about that freaking Tim Tebow?! I’m not one of those “BENCH LEAK! PUT IN TEBOW!” people, but I really like Tebow right now. He’s not playing enough to where his weaknesses would be exposed, and he’s got Leak to get the majority of the playing time while he learns the offense and comes in periodically to throw touchdown passes and knock the living crap out of the LSU secondary, or whoever’s secondary he comes into contact with. Did you guys see him pop the crap out of those two LSU safeties? The guy’s a freshman quarterback!
On a serious note, I don’t care if Auburn lost and Georgia is close right now with Tennessee, I am not at all excited about the rest of the gauntlet.
Go Braves.
Richt’s playcalling wasn’t uncharacteristic. He’s never been good at it.
And while I never could have guessed that the game would feature 84 points, I was right about UT winning by more than 14…
Yeah!!
The Yanks defeat has made my day! The A-Rod spectacle is fun, but I am even happier that Jaret Wright made a real contribution to the Yankee debacle. As 2006 recedes it is some comfort to recognize that the Braves did succeed in dropping th perfect ‘dead cat’ into the laps of the Yanks.
Lets hope that Kyle Farnsworth keeps the tradition (not the the Yanks need to make the playoffs) alive in 2007.
f the Yankees! Trade for A-Rod! And f the Dodgers! The Braves’ cast-offs really came through (G Little, Betemit, Maddux, Drew etc.)
fUGa! And Bama, too. Maybe now everybody on sports talk radio will SHUT UP about the SEC being the best conference.
Sorry Mac, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool GT fan and a Univ of So Cal alum.
Dammit, that was ugly. Put out an APB for the Bulldogs defense. Last seen heading into the locker room at Sanford Stadium at halftime…
I am an Arkansas native and UGA grad, so I’m glad half of my favored Hawgs-Dawgs SEC championship game is still plausible. I’m just surprised by which half.
$200 million choke. How ’bout that? How can you spend so much and still not get your trophy? I’m sure that’s what Steinbrenner’s wondering right now. I’m not. I’m just laughing hysterically, as I have been for the past, oh, 6 hours.
And the “Brian Cashman traumatized face” is my official new favorite, closely followed by the “Manning face.”
As for A-Rod, sure, if the Yanks will cover his salary. His insane contract has four years left to run- at $27 million a year. (The last three years are option years, but there’s no way he won’t exercise them.) Plus deferred salary totaling about $19.5 million the Braves would be responsible for between 2017-20.
Malone,
But SEC teams were beaten by other SEC teams which says nothing about the relative strength of the conference. In fact, with the Arkansas win, one could argue that the conference is stronger than it was thought to be.
Meanwhile, where is Stu?
I am exasperated with the Vandy loss when they outgain a team 400 yards to 170. What a disaster!
Brian,
Why would an A-rod buyer be liable for his deferred salary? It seems like the deferred salary would be paid by the team which him employed him at the time the salary was deferred.
Right the second time, because that’s a provision in his contract. The deferred salary is being deferred from 2007-10 to ten years in the future, so if the Braves acquire ARod, they’re on the hook. The Rangers are responsible for 2011-13 and the Yankees from 2014-16.
I can give dozens of examples of Richt calling the right play at the right time—from UT in ’01 to Auburn in ’02 to CU this year. Lots of big calls, lots of big wins.
He didn’t do it tonight when the ground game was working. I think he got too encouraged by those 3rd-down passes from Joe T. I was as surprised as anyone to see him thread the needle on a couple of those. However, that first INT was death & changed the momentum of the game. I’d have prefered to see Lumpkin right & Lumpkin left down in that end.
The bad news is obvious & numerous; the good news, if there is any, is that we seemed to have found some offense and our receivers actually hung onto the ball.
A freaky game to be sure.
Brian, everything on this earth is negotiable…but why on earth do you want ARod? The Braves aren’t going to win a World Series with that choker on the team you know? Let the Yankees keep him!
Who else is hearing that Joe Torre has been sacked?
That would be crazy, Jenny — so crazy I almost believe it. If so, Joe Girardi?
I am sure that’s the first thing coming out of Big George’s mouth immediately after the defeat.
Save us from A-Rod–though I do not think there is any chance this would ever happen.
Someone told me that one of the NY papers is comparing the Yanks to the Braves…at least JS didn’t drop 200 million to do it.
I’ve heard about the likely hood of Torre’s pending dismissal as well. I also heard Lou Pinella is at the top of the list of possible replacements.
ESPN says Torre is probably goners.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2617224
The Yankees can’t win because it’s too much pressure to NOT LOSE. If A-Rod comes here, he could be rinsed clean of the pressure and perform like the Hall-of-Famer he is. We could probably get him for pennies on the dollar and attendance would go up to cover his salary and put us in virtually guranteed playoff contention and heat up the rivalry with the Mets (which would be good for baseball in general). If we don’t have to give up Andruw, we wouldn’t be depending on A-Rod to carry the offense. We already got offense (#2 in the NL with Andruw taking a step back). He could relax and be a 40-homer, 120 RBI SHORTSTOP (!) — and back-up Chipper when he goes down with another strained oblique.
Think about it, people: new owners, Schuerholz on the spot, a chance to dump Hudson, trade Renteria for bullpen help…
My spine is tingling.
The SEC SUX.
Malone, then the Braves will make the playoff like every other years (except this year…), and ARod will go 0-20 while the Braves exiting again after the first round…
Seriously, ARod = choker = loser. No thanks.
Picking up A-Rod is a bad idea and even at `pennies on the dollar’ he would still be expensive.
The Braves have had enough post-season disappointment and A-Rod would only compound the problem.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Alq4VOmk_dpsRfPTmfFfrqg5nYcB?slug=ap-yankees-torre&prov=ap&type=lgns
There’s that Torre report. Lou Piniella is rumored to be taking over…
If Joe Torre is fired, it would be a classic case of “you don’t know what you had until you lost it.” I mean, there is so much pressure in NY to win now and Torre has done a great job of not exploding or going nuts. He’s been low-key enough to handle whatever is thrown his way. Plus, what he’s done since he’s been in NY has been ridiculous.
If he is fired, I will spend the entire offseason highly amused at the whole thing.
O love it when the Yankees go down. Thye start crying and fireing.
Malone, just becasue you don’t like the SEC, doesn’t mean you have to say stupdi things. Anyone who knows anything about football can easily see the SEC is the best confrence.
Anyone know the final score of the UT game? I turned it off after 7-3, I didint think there would be anymore scoring. ha ha ha!
ARod’s last two postseason series have been terrible:
.118/.200/.118
.148/.179/.259
It’s clear that he’s incapable of producing when it really counts, and is a loser that I would never want on my team.
Whoops, I accidentally posted the stats for Jeter in the 2001 ALCS and WS. Was that a choke job, too, or were the other teams actually trying to win in those series?
I’ll take ARod on my team anytime. He’s one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
The playoffs this year are crazy. If you go by experience and hitting, the Yankees should definitely win. If you go by who has the hot hand at the end of the year, the Twins should win and the Cardinals should lose. If you go by starting pitching, the Mets should have definitely been eliminated!
I don’t care who wins the WS as long as it’s not the Mets!
I don’t buy the PayRod is a choker thing. The fact is that many great players have had bad stretches in the Post season. At the end of the day the post season can be a crap shoot. He is one of the greatest players in the league today and if we can get him for a reasonable bounty, we should take that opportunity.
If we can get A-rod for next to nothing, do it. I do not know what the Yankees would want and such…But they have to get rid of him, people around here want to hang him.
oldtimer?,
Do you consider Tim Hudson “next to nothing”?
Cause at this point I do….We need to make that offer as soon as possible, while the Boss is still fuming…
ATL- A-Rod, and cash
NYY- Tim Hudson, Salty (and maybe Renty, although I don’t think we would have to give up renty, or they would have a use for him…if we keep renty then we might as well trade him for a SP…a halfway decent one.)
The chances of the Braves getting A-Rod are less than that of getting Carl Crawford. It’s pretty pointless to talk about.
And it looks like the Dodgers weren’t my useful idiots. The Pirates could have played the Mets harder than that. Go Cardinals or (less likely) Padres!
Dan,
We have a better shot at getting A-Rod than most teams do..the Yanks need starting pitching…baaaddd!!!! We have Hudson that has a big contract that NYY would take most of it(if not all) plus they are going to deal A-Rod if they get the right deal, and if they take Hudson and salty for him….they would deffintly take on that huge contract of his….
Yeah, Parish, I’m here. We completely dominated that game (as I expected), only to throw it away multiple times and lose (as I did not expect). I thought we had a small chance at a bowl this year (if we’d beaten Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Duke)…still, I firmly believe next year is the year. If we don’t make it to a bowl game next year, I’m not sure we ever will. As long as we stay in the SEC, anyway.
But, man, is it great to live in Athens after the Dawgs get stomped.
At this point, should jenny just change her name to Bill Simmons? She’s fully adopted his writing style; next thing you know, she’ll fully adopt his cluelessness on sports outside LA and the Northeast.
very classy Stu…
Sorry, but I don’t see what Jenny does so wrong…
She didn’t do anything wrong; she just talked about the “Sports Figure X Face” and dispises A-Rod and the Yanks…that’s very Simmonsesque, wouldn’t you agree?
Now, being mocked about class by a Miami fan is something quite unique…
If Torre is, indeed, fired, it’s the best thing that YankeeHaters could ever want. Why? Because Torre is the reason this team hasn’t been a circus freak show in the past decade. I think you’ll see a return to form. It’s about to be an ’80s party in The Bronx.
Torre’s the guy who’s been the buffer between his players & ownership. He’s the guy who gives the media enough to chew on each day without actually stewing the pot. He’s the guy who salves difficult guys like Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson & Mike Mussina, & convinces them to pull in the same direction.
But the fact remains: The Yanks have lost 10 of their last 12 post-season games, and that doesn’t sit well with the old man. I remember in 1995, after the Yanks lost that 5th game in Seattle, Showalter was fired before the plane landed back in New York.
Steinbrenner is a terrible loser & I fully expect him to continue overreacting. That’s why an A-Rod-for-Hudson (or any pitcher with a YankeeBeating track record) deal makes perfect sense in YankeeLand. And yes, I think A-Rod will be gone. He’ll be happy to leave.
BTW, when Tech beats UGA, gimme a shout. UT people can cluck for now because they’ve actually accomplished something, but for the Humble Bumbles, let me remind you: It’s been awhile.
Touche Stu…
Can I mark you down for November 25th?
Don’t go crazy. It would be the first time in 6 years…
Do anyone wanna join fantasy basketball?
League Id#-74680
Password- 102529
Does*
“I’ve never run from problems. I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m committed to come back and have a monster year [in 2007],” A-Rod bravely told reporters Saturday. “I’m 100 percent committed to being a Yankee. That’s the only place I want to play.”
Yeah right.
I just don’t get the A-Rod hate. What’s wrong or so obviously untrue about what he said there?
Would you want to work only in a place where you are hated by the public who are the backbone of your company (without fans, MLB is dead), where the media follows your every step and just waits for you to mess up so they can pounce on you, where you don’t have the confidence of many of your coworkers (if the Verducci article a fews ago is correct) and where all of this has affected you enough that you have begun to doubt yourself (all of the errors and that wretched stretch he went through a few months back)?
I don’t have A-Rod. In fact, I feel kindof sorry for him. The guy is a great ballplayer, but there is no way he will ever be able to play at the level he is capable of if he’s on a New York team.
What I find untrue about that statement is the last part (“[New York’s] the only place I want to play”). I can understand wanting to prove everyone wrong and play the caliber of baseball he can in NY to show the fans what he can do. But the negativeness from the press and fans is ridiculous, and I can’t fathom any person really wanting to live through that.
If it’s me, I would want to play for a team where my talents and ability are appreciated, I could be relaxed enough to play to the best of that ability, and I would feel loved and wanted.
If the Yankees can work out a deal in the offseason and A-Rod approves, it would be New York’s loss and someone else’s gain. And, quite frankly, I would love to see him thrive somewhere else, just so Yankee fans would realize what they could have gotten from him.
That should be, “if the Verducci article a few weeks* ago is correct.”
The way fans boo A-Rod in New York shows how beyond classless they are.
@73
And how spoiled they are due to their unrealistic expectations.
Yes, Yankee fans are spoiled. That’s a fact.
But, believe me, Yankee fans wanted A-Rod to succeed more than anyone. I’ve been to about 50 games in the last 3 years, and let me tell you: If A-Rod didn’t continue to fail in big moments, he’d never get booed.
The fans don’t make him fail. A-Rod is not a guy who’s cut out to thrive in this town. Some are; some aren’t. He ain’t one. He’ll go somewhere else and be fine. Going 3 for 29 in the last 2 post-seasons is not something that’s embraced around here. That’s just life in the big city.
@75
Good point. I have thought before that A-Rod would be fine in anywhere else besides New York.
A-Rod postseason stats:
.305 .393 .534
He sucks alright.
He also totally killed the twins in 04 .421 .476 .737, and hardly sucked the rest of that postseason .258 .378 .516. I guess he just forgot how to thrive. Or maybe it was just 35 or so at bats that don’t have a damn thing to do with anything. He sucks except when he’s great, and even though he’s been pretty great in the postseason, when he’s sucked, while everyone else around him was sucking, that was the time that we’re going to measure him by. Christ, spare me.
Several factors (Arkansas over Auburn):
1) We played horribly in front of an unenthused home crowd at an 11 AM start
2) Our QB (Cox), RB (Irons) are still banged up from the LSU games with foot injuries. Neither are 80%+
3) Arkansas played fantastic. Everything they did worked
4) Every conceivable break went against us
5) Tuberville coached horribly
6) Auburn’s never been a great team when they’re the favorite
It’s okay though. For the last several years, Auburn has been a dominant SEC team. At this level, against these opponents, everybody has a chance every week. Auburn can’t just show up and have the other team fall over dead. You fight, claw, and scrap for 60 minutes.
I really do think Auburn is a more complete football team than Alabama. Worst case scenario I see for Auburn is 2/3 losses to Florida, Georgia, Alabama (although I think it’s unlikely that Auburn goes 1-2 in those three, they will beat at least one), and a Capital One Bowl or Outback Bowl. I have lots of friends in the Tampa area who are graduating this semester or next. Spending a week in Tampa with best friends at New Year’s instead of playing for a mythical National Championship in Arizona – eh, I’ll take it.
Spot on, spike. Unfortunately for ARod, the story has already been written. Success isn’t enjoyed or appreciated, it’s just expected. Failure isn’t tolerated. I know not all Yankee fans feel that way, but it’s axiomatic that while many intelligent, thoughtful people are sports fans, almost all morons are as well.
And it now seems to have reached the point that nothing he does or says can’t be twisted into criticism — not even the stand-up way in which he handled being put in the 8-spot, or how he handled himself after the loss. Those same quotes coming out of Jeter’s mouth would be applauded as displaying accountablity. loyalty, and leadership. With ARod it’s “Sure, he SAYS all the right things, but….” blah blah blah
After this year, though, ububba may also be right — I do believe he’s playing way too tight now, because it’s gotten to him. The fans could go back to cheering him, but he’s gotta be perfect. That would eat at almost anyone.
Spike,
Those are no longer A-Rod’s post-season stats. They don’t take into account this year’s 1 for 14. I think he’s about at .280 now.
Also, since the Yanks ran up their 3-0 lead on Boston in the ’04 ALCS, A-Rod is 5 for 46. In those 12 games, that’s a cool .109 BA.
Yes, he killed the Twins, but he’s done very little of consequence since then to help the Yankees win in the post-season. That’s not piling on, it’s just fact.
I know one thing, I’ll take any player who is hitting .290 with 35 homeruns and well over 100 RBIs in his “off year” any day of the week.
Yankee fans’ easy A-Rod checklist:
Check–Have Yankees pay less than 20 million of salary
Check–Hit over 100 RBIs while with Yankees
Check–Continue homerun tear
Check–Win AL MVP while with Yankees
Check–Get lots of hits
X–Get lots of hits at times we like
Oh sorry A-Rod, you didn’t meet all the Yankee fans’ easy list of requirements to be liked as a Yankee.
ububba –
First off, sorry if I came off testy in those last two posts. Never take things out on a quality poster who happens to disagree – sorry.
Second, let’s talk about the notion of reversibility w/respect to the position “he killed the Twins, but he’s done very little of consequence since then to help the Yankees win in the post-season”
In 04 with the Twins, they lose Game 2, and probably Game 4 without Arod’s heroics.
Against BOS he starts the winning rally in game 1, and has a monster game in game 3, most of it while the issue is very much in doubt.(innings 1,3, and 5)
Do they even make the postseason in ’05 without him on their roster? They only finished ahead of Cleveland by 2 games. Without him, it’s pretty dicey.
All I’m saying is if you want to point to him when the Yanks lose, it might help to check on how they even got that far.
Spike,
No offense taken. It’s all civil.
I’ve never blamed A-Rod for the Yankee losses. There are several reasons beyond A-Rod as to why they’ve lost 3 of the 4 series he’s played in. A lotta hitters failed in these past 3 games—he just happens to be the worst one.
My main point here is that here in YankeeLand his body of post-season work doesn’t measure up. I don’t think the fans are wrong for expecting more from a guy who makes what he makes. I’m fully aware of his first 7 games post-season games as a Yankee. It’s the last 12 that have been abysmal.
If that sounds harsh, well, as I’ve said before: welcome to life in the big city. This is the way they add up the numbers here. It may not be fair, but this town ain’t fair—especially when you’re making $25M per season and hitting 5 for your last 46 in the post-season. You’d expect a guy who’s that good to be better than he has in the post-season.
I, personally, believe A-Rod is a basket case right now. I go to the games. I watch his body language. I’ve seen him fail in spots where the crowd is beseeching him to succeed. They don’t always boo when he steps out of the on-deck circle, as some people believe.
I say again: He would do well to leave this town. It ain’t for him.
Why don’t the fans at Yankee Stadium give Giambi a hard time? It seems to me that he gets a free pass for being a steroid user. After reading the SI article, I now hate Jason Giambi more than I did before. Who does he think he is? He’s no leader or captian. I’m not a big A-Rod fan either but Yankee fans should definitely RESPECT him more than Giambi.
They tore Giambi apart when the news first came out.
ububba, is New York just stuck up or what?
Dan,
It’s not like any other place—and we’re talking the good & the bad.
Personally, I love it. But it’s not for everyone.
I always respect ububba’s evealuations about the Big Apple. It’s a different world. If he says A-Rod’s best option is to get out; I believe him.
Remember David Winfield? I see some striking parallels here with A-Rod. If my analogy works, then next spring training would be all about George and his disdain and criticism of a truly great player. Would George go as far a he did to get rid of Winfield?
I hope not. I hate this crap being heaped on men who truly want to win. I sincerely hope that A-Rod gets a chance to come through like Winfield did.
Ububba,
Do the fans feel like they need to spend more money, or do they think that maybe that should reduce payroll and go find players like O’neill, Brosius, and Martinez? I think that the spending spree experiment has failed in the Bronx.
The fans don’t care how big or small the payroll gets. They just want to win.
But, overall, they like the homegrown Melky Cabreras (and Nick Johnsons) way more than they like the big-ticket Mike Mussinas or Jason Giambis.
Just remember, the last 6 titles they won (77, 78, 96, 98,99, 00) they had the biggest payroll, too. It’s not the money they spend; it’s the players they have.
Also, to address the 3 guys you mention: Tino was a salary dump from Seattle that saw the Mariners get 2 promising players in return; O’Neill was straight-up theft from Cincinnati (Roberto Kelly?); and Brosius was a bit part from Oakland–the Yanks just needed a slick-fielding 3B to bat 9th on an already-stacked team. Each case was different.
But to your point: It’s gonna be a struggle between the very reasonable GM Brian Cashman and the batshit-crazy owner as to how much they spend and on whom. Mussina may have pitched his last game, Sheffield’s gone & Bernie may be gone, so they may just replacing those 3 salaries on new high-ticket items.
My guess: They overspend on starting pitching. Perhaps Zito, who the Mets will also pursue. Perhaps someone else. (I still say JS should offer Hudson & just about anything non-vital from the Braves for A-Rod.)
When the Yankees lose, Steinbrenner tends to look at the team that has beat him, done well against him & or won a title someplace else & try to win with that guy, even if it doesn’t always make sense. Tony Womack, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Johnny Damon–even Strawberry & Gooden, who stole his headlines & spotlight. All of those guys, except perhaps Damon, were well past their primes.
Of course, he still moans about not getting David Ortiz, which is pretty funny, if you think about it.
Great stuff Ububba
Yeah, ububba’s like our own little NYC insider.
Thanks.
But I often wonder if I should consider myself an enemy of my own interests, given that I’ve spent more money on the Yankees over the years than the Braves. But, I like baseball, and going to Yankee Stadium is always entertaining (and one of the more affordable entertainment options in NYC).
I’m never heartbroken when the Yanks lose their last game, but I still kinda wish I were at Game 5 right now.
Ubbuba,
I spend part of each year in Connecticut and I also greatly appreciate your NYC area commentary.
That said, I think that you are on about A-Rod’s head. He has not looked comfortable in NYC (witness the doubling of his errors)for most of the season–pretty amazing given that he was the AL MVP in 2005. Yankee fans have also conveniently forgotten that despite the fact that he had won Gold GLoves, A-Rod came to NYC and had to change positions. A-Rod’s post-season average is not bad, but the trends are not good–if memory serves me right he has been in a dramatic decline since he faced Pedro in 2004.
I would add to this that A-Rod has never really won. The teams on which he was a key part: Seattle, Texas and now the Yanks have underperformed. Now I recognize that it is unfair to hold the collective underpreformance against A-Rod, but it seems at least reasonable to ask whether A-Rod really has the leadership skills necessary for winning.
For A-Rod’s sake I hope he gets out of NYC and when he does I expect him to put up some great regular season numbers, but I would not count on him to lead his future team to the World Series either.
Hmmm…Sheffield is gone. I thought his contract was up. Right now, I am thinking of the moment that he left Atlanta for the Yanks and guaranteed a World Championship. I guess that didn’t pan out. What a shame.
All I want to know is if the Lakeside Lounge is still open (best photo booth evar). After Brownies closed NYC wasn’t the same for me. And now CBGB’s too… BOOOOO! I blame A-Rod, heh.
With regard to A-Rod’s recent postseason struggles, I try to remember that a 12 game slump during the regular season happens to everyone at some point or another. I also look at A-Rod’s hot postseasons prior to his Yankee years. I feel if he gets out of NYC and in a more relaxed environment (LA, anyone?) I would expect him to perform at a more expected level.
I thought they had an option on Sheffield?
Anyways, the hits keep coming for the Mets. Floyd is out the remainder of the postseason.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6042988
I think it was the Tigers fault the Yankees lost
Smitty, good observation. Ol’ Stein doesnt think so
There is an option on Shef, but the Yanks will decline. No more room in the outfield and the last thing anyone wants is an unhappy Sheff. Before the Yanks got Abreu, he’d already made some strange pronouncements about his effort level this year. He’s gone.
A 12-game slump in the post-season can’t be equated with a 12-game slump in the regular season. These games are exponentially bigger. It might work in statworld, but statworld forgives more than it should sometimes.
Remember Sheffield’s 3 for 30 in the ’02 & ’03 NLDS? Sucked pretty bad, huh? People ask me about his tenure with the Braves & my reply is usually, “I saw him hit a GSHR once at Shea & emptied the stadium in five minutes and that was big fun, but he sucked when it counted most—3 for 30 in 2 post-seasons.”
urlhix,
The Lakeside is pretty great. In fact, on my fridge, I have pics of myself & a friend taken from there. My fave bar in NYC, however, is Rocky Sullivan’s on Lexington & 29th. (If it was good enough for Joe Strummer, it’s good enough for me.) Great jukebox, terrific Guinness, attentive bartenders, literature readings early in the night, occasional live bands, a very real place.
Drum major? Someone made a good choice…
http://www.benmaller.com/archives/2006/october/05-west_virgina_qb_dreamed_of_being_drum_major.html
oh yeah, Shula you suck! Hire Petrino!
I think it was the Tigers fault the Yankees lost
Me too. But then again I would take ARod in an instant and understand the concept of sample size, so I’m a little different that way.
Several factors (Arkansas over Auburn):
Here’s my list:
1) The Hogs ran the ball down the Tigers throats. Mustain attempted 10 passes the whole game. If Team A knows Team B is going to run every play and still can’t stop them, Team A is going down.
Watching the Auburn front seven get treated like UCLA was shocking.
In fact, with the Arkansas win, one could argue that the conference is stronger than it was thought to be.
Really? I take it that if and an Arkansas team that USC hung 50 on to start the season is tearing up the SEC, maybe the SEC isn’t as tough as I thought. I really like what Florida is doing though. At this point a Florida vs OSU-Michigan winner title game is the only thing that makes sense. Everybody else, including my beloved by suddenly very ordinary Trojans, are waiting for them to slip up.
Does anyone wanna join fantasy basketball?
League Id#-74680
Password- 102529
Well Robert the second best team in the SEC lit up the second (maybe the best) team in the Pac 10. If the Vols didn’t have some misquews in the fourth quarter it might be the Vols ranked number two in the land
No question. There are a million ways to play that game.
That Tennessee victory is looking pretty awesome right about now as Cal has turned into a monster since that game. Unless USC gets it’s line play figured out their home win streak and conference win streak is going to get ended by the Golden Bears. Then again the way things are going Arizona State my do the job this weekend.
I’m just very happy there will be no Subway Series. Although it hurts me to do so, I’m rooting for the Cardinals to beat the Mets.
A-rod seems willing to go through the hassle of playing more seasons in NY, so I’m not sure why people think he would be willing to waive his no trade clause. While he didn’t play well, neither did anybody else not named Jeter vs the Tigers. It just goes to show what Braves’ fans have known for years: you can’t win a championship on paper. You still have to go out there and pitch well and out score the other team. Anyway if the Braves were willing to pay A-rod’s salary, why not just sign Andruw to an extension instead? The Braves don’t need a shortstop/3rd baseman. What they need is a #2 starter who doesn’t pitch like a #4(5?) and one more quality arm in the bullpen.
Robert, I dont really care about comparing conferences and all that, esp. the PAC 10 vs SEC. Especially when the best team, USC, has struggled the last two weeks against Washington St and Washington. Its not completelty fair to throw in the USC vs. Arkansas game for two reasons.
1. McFadden had a foot injury
2. Mustain didnt start
I’m not saying they would have won, but I highly doubt they could stop a healthy McFadden either.
but, to their credit Cal has turned themselves around also…
Indeed they have. Can they apply for one of those ‘We weren’t really ready’ exemptions? Apparently due to injury they started a freshman corner who never heard of tackling.
Robert,
I’d take A-Rod, too. I’d love to have him on the Braves because I think he’d kick ass & make the Braves better.
But I also believe that “sample size” is code for “it’s OK to suck in the post-season because we believe you’ll eventually come through.”
Unlike some, I believe it’s fine to evaluate the post-season differently from the regular season. In the regular season, a star going 5 for 46 is just in a slump; in the post-season when the games count more, it’s out-and-out failure. It’s simply not OK to fail at that point and you shouldn’t need 502 plate appearances to make your career numbers balance. If you’re really a star, then play like one.
Ted Williams in the 1946 WS? Now that’s certainly a small sample size. How did he do? Lousy. How did his team do? They lost and never got another WS opportunity. If you’d asked Ted Williams about his biggest regret in baseball, I tend to doubt that he’d have mentioned “sample size.”
So what’s your point, that Ted Williams wasn’t a star because he didn’t play like one in the ’46 World Series? Seriously? So a team with Ted Williams on it is a given to be a post season dissappointment?
Guys, I’m drooling just thinking about acquiring A-Rod. Not only would that, in and of itself, be incredible, but it would free up (if not necessetate) a trade of Andruw for some young pitching. I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but it’s an awfully pleasant thought.
We may have a better chance of landing Arod with the Yanks paying part of his salary, than signing Andruw with Scotty Boras doing the asking. If we couldn’t sign Andruw and were going to have to trade him, getting Arod’s bat in the line up would make that pill easier to swallow.
I know what it’ll take to get this board fired up:
The SEC may not be quite as impressive as some may like to believe. Florida is the class of the league because they bring something of interest to the offensive side of the ball. They’re aren’t any other offenses in the SEC that can stack up and I don’t see any defenses stepping up to stop them. Before you ask, I am not a Florida fan. I live in Indiana and we tend to follow the Big 10 where my Wolverines are having a fantastic year.
Robert,
My point is that when you fail in the post-season you don’t get a pass.
A-Rod isn’t good value for the money and he isn’t a great “clutch” type hitter. He’s always been a low contact, high HR type hitter, and looks like he’ll always be vulnerable to top quality pitching that can throw breaking stuff low and away. Much like Andruw.
Racks up good numbers throughout the year, especially against mediocre pitching, but you need a cluster of guys with good eyes, good contact, few weaknesses, yet some pop, to win against the best pitchers (e.g. Chipper, BMac, Dave Justice). The Braves certainly can’t afford to tack on aging HR stars anymore. A starting pitching STAR would be welcome. When’s the last time the Braves found one of those internally, despite all the drafts? I’d rather keep JS focused on his promise to rebuild pitching this offseason. Given the budget constraints, he needs to start getting strong contributions from pre-arbitration eligable pitchers. Otherwise, the Braves are more likely to become a structurally weak organization.
I’d take Andruw over A-Rod, if for no other reason than one is a Brave right now and one is a Yankee…
I’d take A-Rod over Andruw because he’s a better player, and because trading for A-Rod, at least hypothetically, rids us of Hudson, and trading Andruw away nets us pitching prospects.
Also, JoshQ…have you seen UT’s offense? It’s quite good.
UT’s offense was impressive this weekend…I’ll give you that Stu. I’m just not sure if it’s as good as Florida.
ditto on the Arod over Andruw…We will not get top notch pitching unless we trade for young studs and Andruw is the path to that possibility.
I agree that trading Andruw for (good) pitching would be beneficial for the team, especially if we could replace his offense with an A-Rod type player (although including Renteria in a package to get A-Rod wouldn’t be too brilliant. If the guy couldn’t handle Boston, I don’t think he would be able to handle NY.)
It’s just a sad thought to think of Andruw in a different uniform. They guy has given us so many great plays and timely hits over the years, I can’t stand to think of him playing somewhere else.
It’s almost like thinking about ten years from now discussing trading Brian McCann,, it would be sad even if it would somehow benefit the team.
The Renteria/Hudson/prospect deal for A-Rod was mentioned a few times yesterday and Saturday afternoon. That’s what I was referring to in my comment on Renteria.
If we have a catcher for 10 yrs then we have been very lucky
The Yankees already have a shortstop; they don’t need Renteria. They already have a CF; they don’t need Andruw.
Starting pitching, 3B or even 1B are what they’d want in return if they were to deal A-Rod.
I’m thinking it would take Hudson, James, and some other young arm. I think I’d do it.
What are your thoughts on who we should/would have to give up to get A-Rod, ububba? Do you think it’s a realistic possibility that we could get him?
Just thinking out loud here: The Yankees would want Hudson because… ?
Because they’re obviously stupid, as shown by their pursuit of Lounatic Piniella.
Cashman wouldn’t. This is only if the Boss gets involved, I think. Because Hudson was great a short time ago and he has a big name. And George is always desparate to make a splash.
I’ll go ahead and say it if no one else will
0% chanche of AROD with the Braves next year. 70% Yankees, 30% Angels (depends on if they get Tejada or AROD)
What are your thoughts, Mac? Doable? What would it take? What would you give?
How dare you dash my dreams, csg! I think we have at least a 5% chance. Besides, if we can get A-Rod, we can send Andruw to the Halos for Santana+. I’m a dreamer.
We missed the chance to deal Hudson to the Yanks this summer; doing now seems unlikely. The Yanks are more likely to go for Zito and Schmidt.
That said, trading Hudson is at least a good first step to improving our starting pitching–which is what JS needs to get done in the offseason.
Stu,
I think you nailed it in the above post—now that Gene Michael has been de-balled, Cashman is the only one left with any modern baseball sense.
But If you forget for a second about what makes sense and what doesn’t, which is the definition of YankeeLand, I think Hudson, James, Salty is reasonable. I think the Braves would have to insist that some of A-Rod’s salary is eaten, but that may not be such a problem because a) it’s the Yankees and b) Texas is still paying—the Yanks are on the hook for about $10M next year, dunno about the rest of the contract.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to give up James, but I’d damn-sure offer Hudson & Salty. Posada’s not gonna be there forever. But line it up quickly.
Another thing to consider: If they get Lou (and that’s what it looks like as of today), he was A-Rod’s manager in Seattle. Dunno how that’ll impact things.
Sorry Stu, not saying I wouldnt want it but too many other factors would be involved for us to pull that one off.
1- Who moves, Chipper or Rent and what do we do with them. NY doesnt want Rent and no one wants injury prone Chipper as a liability at 3rd. (well we do for some reason)
2. Andruw will have to be traded for pitching and will have to approve a trade. I wish Detroit, but Granderson is hanging out.
3. $$$ – they will have to eat most of the contract, but many other teams will be willing to take on the contract.
4. Convincing Stein that Huddy, Lerew, and Davies are good. Even though we know otherwise.
5. Arod will also have to approve any trade
Good point about Lou. A-Rod loves Lou and vice versa.
I don’t really want to give up James, but if I couldn’t net A-Rod without including him, I would have to do it. I like Chuck, but I still don’t see him being more than a solid 3 (which, of course, has value) in the long run.
The big question is does Arod really want to play there anymore. I wouldnt think so, but maybe he likes being beaten down during every game by their fans. Who knows?
Stu, what would you do if we got Arod. I know about moving Andruw, but what about Chipper and Rent. Could Chipper play 2nd or SS?
A-Rod would approve a trade to the Braves. I have no doubt.
Renty has value…he could either be shipped or moved to second.
Detroit makes no sense. Not only is Granderson there; they have Maybin waiting in the wings.
Andruw destinations would be LA or Boston, I think.
I agree that it’s a longshot, but I like to think about the possibilities.
It seems unlikely, even though I was the one who first brought it up. But the Yankees are unpredictable, except that they will spend a lot of money, and Steinbrenner has always been obsessed with big names. I don’t see the Yankees being interested in Renteria, though. And they need to reinforce their middle relief. This probably wouldn’t work either, but…
Yankees get Hudson Saltalamacchia Brandon Jones McBride
Braves get A-Rod
Somebody gets Renteria and sends a reliever to the Yanks
Chipper would stay at third. A-Rod would be our SS. And I would cry tears of joy.
I’d rather give up James than McBride.
Reasons why A-Rod could be traded to Atlanta:
It’s a good fit for him.
He needs to leave town.
He also gets to leave the AL & start fresh.
Atlanta may have what the Yanks want in return, esp. Chuck James.
Main reason why I believe he won’t be traded to Atlanta:
Money.
I don’t know how you give up a promising LHP who makes no money for a guy who makes Fort Knox.
Chipper, Renteria, LaRoche. Where does A-Rod fit in there? Who moves to first? Do we add LaRoche to the deal?
I wouldn’t worry about the problems A-Rod had in NYC—he’ll be fine anywhere else he goes. Why not try the NL?
If you trade Hudson and James you suddenly have a rotation of Smoltz, Hampton, Horacio, Davies, and Cormier. No thanks!
Another option:
Yanks get Hudson, LaRoche
Braves get ARod, money money money they can use to sign a starting pitcher
ARod stays at third, Chipper moves to first
Exactly, the rotation is scary enough right now. Keep Chucky.
If you can offer Hudson, Salty & that promising arm, maybe they’ll go for it. But get after it while they’re still stinging.
There’s a little A-Rod trade talk happening now, but it seem like the Yanks have some fantasy of getting Verlanders, Zumayas & Bondermans in return.
I sure wish Hudson had a better ’06.
I’d be ok with that last proposal, Mac.
I agree that the proposed rotation is no good…I’m assuming an Andruw deal could bring back another starter to replace Cormier and hopefully push Horacio and Davies down a slot.
Mac,
I thought about including LaRoche, too. I guess I have it in my mind that Chipper won’t move—maybe for A-Rod he would.
Again, we can dream…
I would if we could get by w/ Huddy, Davies, Lerew, and Salty. They can have Todd Pratt also. I know, I know Pratt may be too much
ububba,
If Hudson had a better ’06, I seriously doubt we’d be entertaining ideas of trading him.
Stu,
I agree, but A-Rods don’t grow on trees. I’d make an exception for him.
A-Rod talk today on WFAN with Yankee 3rd base coach Larry Bowa, who is the most brutally honest guy I’ve heard on the radio here since Bobby Valentine:
“Something’s wrong with him. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something. We tried everything with this guy. I wish I knew what it was, but I don’t. We tried to tell him to relax. We dropped him in the lineup. We put him back at cleanup. We told him to go out and have some fun. Nothing worked with him. He’s thinking too much. He’s worried about something. He’s the most talented guy I’ve ever seen, but he didn’t do what he was supposed to [in the post-season, I assume]—a lot of guys didn’t do what they were supposed to do. If you had the key to the puzzle with Alex, you’d be on the Yankee payroll for a long time.”
On the notion that the Yanks are too businesslike:
“You don’t know this, but I got in some faces this year. Joe [Torre] let me be me—if I saw something I didn’t like, I said so. But I’ll tell you, if you need someone to pump you up in a playoff situation, it’s time to take the uniform off. Just hang a nail, put your glove and cleats on it, and just quit.”
More craziness in YankeeLand. Nobody can just shut up.
JIm Capple??? says they should trade Jeter not ARod
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/061009&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1
“All I want to know is if the Lakeside Lounge is still open (best photo booth evar).”
OMG! I have some great incriminating photos from the photo booth when I was on a month long business trip nearby. Killer jukebox too.
No way Arod will come here, JS isn’t that creative – but unless the Yanks are willing to pay a fat part of his check, he won’t command as much talent in return as some of you think, which is why he’ll almost certainly stay a Yankee.
Sheff is now being vocal.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6042616
Sez the guy who went 0 for 8 with 4 Ks & 6 LOB in 2 games.
There’s this thing, it’s called a mirror, Shef.
that’s why I dont care for the guy. Its never his fault. I remember his comments on possibly being traded from the Yankees last year. “Whoever trades for me is making a mistake, I will be the worst teammate they have ever seen.” What a great guy…..He’s a freakin piece of crap. I hope they dont pick up his option and I hope no one signs him either.
I would send Giles, Salty, and Andruw to SD for Barfiled and Davies to NYY
The Padres send Linebrink and Young to the Yankees
The Yanks send ARod, Dotel and $$$ to the Braves
ARods contract isn’t really all that bad because the Rangers are paying for part of him still.
Sheff’s gone from The Bronx. When the Yanks traded for Abreu, his fate was sealed.
It looks like my Arkansas preview was dead on, except the part about battling for third place in the west.
That’s only true for the contract length – I am pretty sure the new team winds up eating the deferred part. Plus, the Rangers are paying that dough to the Yankess – not his new owners.
If ARod came to the Braves, I’d be happy, because, face, he’s a stud.
But, given my druthers, I’d prefer the Braves to work on getting a couple of 6’5″ pitchers with laser arms…you know..if you like that sort of thing…
Anyway, work on that, and I’ll let the ARod saga sort itself out in NYC.
Smitty, I’m gonna need a minute to digest that trade idea. That my friends is thinking outside the box. Either that, or your barber told you about this idea.
that one came from his cousin’s deceased dog
According to Buster Olney, spike, A-Rod carries with him a 4-year, $64-million commitment. So it looks like the Rangers are paying a big chunk, regardless of for whom he plays.
Smitty,
ATL- A-Rod, Dotel, and $$$
SD- Giles, Andruw, and Salty
NYY- Young, Davies, and Linebrink
Looks pretty good to me, everyone would get what they wanted.
Now that leaves Renty. There’s really only two things that could happen with him.
1. He moves to second, Chipper stays at 3rd, and A-Rod goes back to SS.
2. We trade Renty for either pitching or dare I say package a deal to send him to TB for Crawford. I know, I know, let me explain the Crawford thing.
Tampa’s current SS is Ben Zobrist. Tampa wants young, promising pitching. I’m sure we could find something that would catch their eye.
Maybe this.
ATL- Carl Crawford
TB- Edgar Renteria, Anthony Lerew, and maybe somebody else.(don’t know who though)
The Andruw part im still a little undecided about, but other than that the deal doesn’t look half bad.
allright, there it is. Lets make it happen JS
You can’t take on A-Rod’s salary — no matter how reduced — and not get rid of Andruw’s.
Also, that deal makes no sense for the D-Rays, Jay.
We could think about something like Renteria to the Astros for Chris Burke, though. This game is fun.
Alex Rodriguez is the infield version of Victor Zambrano. If we get him, I’ll be as excited as anyone, but I don’t expect him to lead us back to the playoffs.
That’s Bob Wickman’s job.
Or, better yet, Burke and Chad Qualls.
who will take Orr and Langy from us? someone needs them
I dont care if it makes sense for the d-rays…..i really want crawford…have been for months!!!!
Kidding
We’re already likely to lose one Canadian this offseason, csg; I’m not sure this team could withstand the loss of another.
You might not like it… if the Yanks don’t pick up the option… Try to sign Shef… put him or Frenchy in LF. First, you obviously need to get rid of Huddy in order to free up payroll. I am seriously concerned about our corner outfield, even more so than our rotation… 2 year deal for Shef…?!?
A pain-in-the-ass player, past his prime, coming off an injury?
Pain-in-the-ass he was not in Atlanta… Past his prime but times better than Langy, Diaz or Johnson.
I bet the Red Sox pick him up and let him take over in LF
So what’s the deal with Kyle Davies anyway? Is he any good? Was he just lucky in his rookie season (in the beginning). Was he still injured this season. Will he be in the rotation? He@s actually got some decent stuff. His control stinks… Can McDowell sort him out?
#144
You wouldn’t worry about —
I would. This guy spells TEAM with a capital I and his former teammates in Seattle and Texas couldn’t wait until he was out the door.
As to A-Rod being in the Braves’ clubhouse — just transpose the names of Chipper and Jeter.
#152
You’d make an exception for him —
That’s his problem. He always wants and expects to be the exception.
NO THANKS
The Yankees should hire Joe Girardi.
Duke was somethign strange, Alabama’s heart come sinto question, they didn’t play hard, or really at all.
Bama SHOULD have beaten Duke at least 38-10 or around that…they need to have their tails beaten into the ground by the coaches….get tough and install mental discpline.
UT scores 51 in Sanford stadium……what?
Tear Giambi apart? First of all no, and second of all they should have….