Signing Manny Ramirez would be right up Brian Cashman's alley

The other day, I made a cynical, joking reference to Brian Cashman's obsession with the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and now there is a chance that my reference -- about Manny Ramirez -- could come true. Oh, great. Can't I make a winning the lottery reference and have *that* come true instead?

Here's what I am talking about: Kevin Youkilis was the eighth member of the 2004 Red Sox to become a Yankee -- not a coincidence. And Cashman said recently regarding Youk's signing that he did "so much for Boston over the years." Anyhow, I wrote Wednesday: "Did Cash understand that Boston traded him because he wasn't really any good anymore? Manny Ramirez did a lot for Boston over the years, too, but I don't want him as a Yankee in 2013 either." That was a joke, of course, because as of June 19, Manny was a washed-up has-been playing in Taiwan. But as of June 20, Ramirez is leaving Taiwan, and says he wants to play Major League Baseball again.

And you know what that could mean -- Manny as a Yankee. MLB.com's Richard Justice's, perhaps the biggest Cashman suckup in sports media -- and that is saying something -- wrote a column talking about Ramirez being a Yankee that starts with this:

If you don't like the idea of Manny Ramirez playing for the New York Yankees, you have absolutely no sense of adventure.

Sure, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has steered the franchise far from players with the kind of baggage that accompanies Manny.

Well, other than signing Youkilis --  a Red Sox who wasn't exactly a BFF of the Yanks, and who threw temper tantrums all the time. Or bringing back Home Run Javy Vazquez. Or trying to bring back Carl Pavano, arguably the most despised Yankee of all time. Or getting Raul Mondesi. Or bringing back Roger Clemens, me-first "family days" and all.

Justice goes on to talk about what a low-risk, high reward move signing Manny would be, blah blah blah, and does his usual Cashman suckup stuff. Then he writes this jaw-dropper:

Here's where Cashman can lean on the franchise he has built. In going for Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Travis Hafner and others, Cashman went for guys with a team-first attitude who would understand that playing for the Yankees is a privilege. Manny is a lot of things, but dumb isn't one of them. He knows what the Yanks represent. Ramirez surely would know that they could provide him with the opportunity to put a better finishing touch on his career. He would also know they wouldn't put up with him misbehaving.

1. Actually, the people cited there were just happy that any team wanted them. That's more to the point than the team-first hooey Again, Cashman tried to re-sign Carl Pavano, the antithesis of team-first.
2. Actually, Manny is pretty dumb. I think this is a well-known fact (although I did joke for years that he secretly was a genius who was doing complicated math equations in the Green Monster!)
3. Whether or not Manny misbehaves isn't an issue (although it is fascinating to see Justice write such a puff piece on Manny, given how much he has described A-Rod as history's greatest monster.) The real issue is that Ramirez is 41 years old, hasn't been a good major league hitter for years, and has failed three PED tests.

Think about that for a second, if the Yanks do try to get Ramirez. If they go after him at the very same time they are acting like the victims when it comes to A-Rod's links to BioGenesis, they would be the biggest hypocrites ever. Not that Justice or any of the other suckups in the New York media would ever point out such a thing.

Anyhow, over the next few days, expect Cashman's minions in the media, and on other Yankee blogs, to talk about what a great, savvy move it would be to sign Manny Ramirez, paving the way for the inevitable. After all, Manny would be a quintessential Cashman signing -- he's old, past his prime, a steroid user, an ex-Red Sox, and he killed the Yankees time and time again. Why not overpay for him to supposedly stick it to the Red Sox, Cash will think. Good grief.

Kevin Youkilis: Biggest waste of Yankee money ever?

So much for that tough, fierce New York sports media. I haven't seen a single one of them criticize Brian Cashman for the disaster that was the Kevin Youkilis signing, so that means I have to squawk again on this subject and say something!

You would think somebody would notice that throwing a heap of money at an injury-ridden 34-year-old who had missed more time in recent years than Alex Rodriguez did, the man he was replacing, was not exactly a good idea. Now, in the least surprising move since Amanda Bynes tweeted something insane, Youk needs back surgery after playing all of 28 games for the Yankees this season. Since he will need to miss at least 10-12 weeks due to the surgery, the Kevin Youkilis Experience in pinstripes is most likely over.

Believe it or not, $12 million for one season is actually real money, even in Yankeeland. Here's how the money breaks down for what Cashman is paying Youkilis for his fabulous 2013 season, in which Kevin hit .219/.305/.343, with 2 homers and 8 RBI:

• $6,000,000 per homer
• $1,500,000 per RBI
• $1,500,000 per walk
• $521,739.13 per hit
• $101,694.92 per at bat
• $42,857.14 per game

These are Carl Pavano-esque numbers of futility. I would do the math on Vernon Wells, too, another "great" Cashman move, but I am afraid my head would explode!

Oh, and before somebody points out how much A-Rod is making, we 1) all can agree that he is vastly overpaid, but that 2) he got his own ridiculous contract the year after he had the best season for a Yankee hitter in 50 years, not after he hit .235 and spent 40 games on the disabled list.

But Gomer Cashman seems to be all "Golly!" about the fact that a player with a history of back issues would have back issues again: 

“It’s not how you draw it up, there’s no doubt about that,” GM Brian Cashman said. “Kevin is a hell of a player when healthy. He just hasn’t been in position to show what he’s capable of in-season because of the back. He looked great in the spring and we had high hopes. He obviously did so much for Boston over the years. He’s the type of player that, if you could draw it up, that’s the type of player you’d want.”

As I always say, Lindsay Lohan is a great actress when sober. But that doesn't happen very often. 

Clapping your hands and believing in fairies and thinking that a chronically injured player would miraculously be healthy just because he now wears pinstripes is more of Cashman's magical thinking. He did literally the same thing with Nick Johnson, to similar results. 

As for the idea that Youk is "the type of player that, if you could draw it up, that’s the type of player you’d want," I would want somebody who didn't spend most of his season on the disabled list, and who didn't throw temper tantrums all the time. But that's me. As for Youkilis doing "so much for Boston over the years," did Cash understand that Boston traded him because he wasn't really any good anymore? Manny Ramirez did a lot for Boston over the years, too, but I don't want him as a Yankee in 2013 either.

One of my brothers, who has a bad back, pointed out the silliness in Cashman's comment about Youkilis passing the Yankee physical with flying colors. He said that with back issues, unless you have something like a herniated disc which would show up in an x-ray or MRI, chronic back problems may not necessarily show up in a physical. That is something Cashman should have known, given that he is the supergenius GM and all.

Anyhow, don't expect that tough, fierce New York media to say boo to Cashman about any of this. Shocker.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Shocker: Kevin Youkilis is on DL and Brian Cashman is all aflutter

I had to laugh to keep from cringing when my Red Sox friend Johnny pointed out to me Brian Cashman's latest pontificating on the state of the Yankees. Specifically, my friend cited Cashman telling the media yesterday this shocking news about Kevin Youkilis: that "back issues usually don’t get better." Gee, you think? Next thing you know, Cash will figure out that jumping out of an airplane could possibly result in injury!

It's amazing -- when the Yankees got off to a good start this year, Cashman got all the credit. Now that they're struggling, it's all apparently issues beyond Fredo's control.  You know, bad luck like a guy who has been chronically injured for the last five years, missing significant time on the DL every single year, having his back bother him again, and feel even worse after he played every inning in the Yankees 18-inning game last week. Shocking, I'll tell you. Shocking.

When it comes to Youkilis, let me use Hollywood writer Nikki Finke's most famous expression -- toldja! Because I did, when Cashman signed him. I pointed out that the signing made no sense:

Only the Yanks would get "younger" (Youk will be 34 in March) with a player who misses 40 to 60 games a year, and who has been on the DL pretty much every year of his career. Only the Yankees would replace an overpaid, frequently-injured third baseman with an even more brittle version. And give him $12 million (!) to do so.

I said then that I "would have been happy with a rookie or role player who can play decent defense and can stay healthy," but noted that "the Yanks are more interested in big names for ratings on the YES Network than with having some nobody (the horror!) field the position."

Speaking of the ratings, they are down 38% from last year, the Wall Street Journal reports. And last year's ratings were the lowest since 2003.

Anyhow, Cashman gave a bizarre explanation as to why he signed Youkilis in the first place. (I was kind of hoping he would say something like "when you have the opportunity to pay $12 million for an injury-ridden has-been former Red Sox who is going to hit .219 for you and show little power, you have to take it" but to no avail!) When he was asked whether Youkilis' back was an issue this winter, he said this:

“He passed his physical, came in through flying colors, and that’s with a history of back issues and certainly having a full diagnostic workup. And (there was) a comfort level of knowing the White Sox offered him a two-year deal and that’s where he just came from.”

First of all, I don't remember Youkilis being offered a two-year deal by the White Sox, and I was unable to find evidence of it online. Second, even if we say for argument's sake that they did, nobody offered Youkilis anything close to $12 million in one year, the way Cashman did. Third, it makes no sense for Cashman to justify his deal based on what another team did. Lots of GMs do stupid things. Cash should know.

Speaking of stupid things, did you see this bizarre rant from Cashman about Kevin Long saying to the media the obvious, that Mark Teixeira hasn't looked right since he came back to the team from injury?:

"It is alarming that K-Long would say that to the group of reporters, but he has never said that prior to that," Cashman said. "This is a lot of times how things work out when things go bad, things get said. If K-Long felt that way, we should have heard that from K-Long, but we never heard that from K-Long.

"Before anyone asks, 'Am I mad at Kevin Long because of it?' No, but do I think that commentary jives eternally in that clubhouse regarding this player prior to him going down? The answer is absolutely not. ... Some people are better with the microphone than others."

Um, Bri, there is a really cool invention called a pronoun. Instead of saying K-Long (and who invents these nicknames, anyway -- K-Long is so 1997!) a hundred times, you can say "he" or "him."  And the word is "jibes," not "jives." You're welcome.

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2013 Yankees: There must be a pony in there somewhere

It's gonna be a long season. Yesterday's Yankees' opener ticked me off for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is to see the major league debut of the highly touted outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. I am not envious of very much about the Red Sox, but I am envious that their fans can cheer on Bradley, who seems like a good dude, as well as third baseman Will Middlebrooks. Instead, we Yankee fans can cheer on the ancient Vernon Wells in left field, and Kevin Youkilis, the guy who lost his job due to Middlebrooks' ascension. Oh, joy.

But how is it that Boston could have such good young players, given how high in the draft they have picked over the last decade? Isn't that one of the many excuses Brian Cashman has when it comes to the state of the Yankees?

Anyhow, it seems like most of the Yankee fans there at Opening Day seem to be as "optimistic" about the team this year as I am. Which is to say that they are not. Why else would they flee in droves *before* it rained, when the Yanks were only three runs behind in the seventh?

Loved Joe Girardi's excuse that it was a "school night" for fans leaving early. Really, Joe? The game ended at 4:47 p.m.! What a lame rationalization.

And so much for the Yankees' great pitching saving the day. If CC Sabathia's velocity doesn't increase soon, the Yanks will have a very long -- and losing -- season indeed. To top it all off, the Mets had a terrific Opening Day, making the Yankees look even worse in comparison.

I was completely unsurprised by this turn of events for the Yanks, though. Why should we expect crummy ownership, and a crummy general manager, and a crummy manager to produce a diamond in the rough out of this crummy team. Not to mention that the rest of the AL East has improved, while the Yankees have regressed. Maybe we can clap our hands and believe in fairies, but the reality is that the Bronx Bombers are really going to be the Bronx Bummers this year.

Kevin Youkilis sez he'll 'always be a Red Sock'

$12 million for one season doesn't buy what it used to. Kevin Youkilis, who will make more in 2013 than David Wright will, made his New York Yankees debut Thursday. And he promptly announced his loyalties to his old Boston Red Sox team, saying "I’ll always be a Red Sock." Oh, great.

I couldn't stand Youk -- I call him Yuck -- as a Red Sock, and the fact that he is now a Yankee makes my skin crawl. This isn't the likeable, self-deprecating and fun Johnny Damon becoming a Yank at the prime of his career. This is an overpaid has-been who can't stay healthy, and who even some Red Sox fans and players acknowledge is a jerk. Even his fellow players got sick of the way he threw a hissy fit every time he struck out.

Can't say Youkilis has made a great impression on me so far. He's made Joba Chamberlain look like  paragon of maturity -- Joba had the guts to reach out to him first, only to be treated to radio silence for a month. Then when Youk arrives in Florida as a Yankee, the first thing he did was buy a Red Sox fan coffee. Whatta guy.

Some say that he's just being honest by saying that he'll always be a Red Sock. But there is a way of saying that his time with Boston meant something to him, without saying it the way he did.

And really, if he were being 100% honest, here's what he should have said. Even I could have respected this real attempt at honesty:

"Hello, suckers! Of course I'll always be a Red Sox -- their fans are the ones who will be paying my freight at card shows and Red Sox reunion events for the next fifty years. You think I want to pull a Johnny Damon and alienate the people who will be paying for my time on the golf course in my golden years? No way.

"I have no desire to be part of the Yankee way, other than to cash that $12 million check that Brian Cashman gave me. And people think Bobby Valentine is a knucklehead. Only Cash would sign me, somebody who missed more time to injury in 2012 than Alex Rodriguez, to replace  A-Rod. And pay me $12 million to do it, way more than anybody else even came close to offering me.

"But Cash goes crazy for anybody related to the 2004 Red Sox -- me, Derek Lowe, Alan Embree, Mark Bellhorn... I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to talk Curt Schilling out of retirement to make a comeback!

"Oh, and I still hate Joba Chamberlain.

"Now, I'm off to spend $12 million of the Yankees' money while I hang out with denizens of Red Sox Nation. Ka-ching!"

Youk? Yuck. Why the Yankees signing Kevin Youkilis is a terrible idea

Hey, kids. Brian Cashman made history Tuesday! Thanks to his idiotic signing of Kevin Youkilis, the Yankees will be paying more for the third baseman spot in 2013 than any other team has ever paid for any other position in history! That's right, folks. The Yanks will be spending a mind-boggling $40 million year for third base next year, more than the Miami Marlins will be spending for their entire franchise's payroll.

And what are the Yanks getting for their money? As I put it yesterday on Facebook:

Youk is a Yank? Yuck. Yet another dumb move by Brian Cashman in replacing an aging, expensive, injury-riddled third baseman with a bad hip, with another aging, expensive, injury-riddled third baseman with a bad hip. Not to mention that whole Red Sox thing. Good grief.

Only the Yanks would get "younger" (Youk will be 34 in March) with a player who misses 40 to 60 games a year, and who has been on the DL pretty much every year of his career. Only the Yankees would replace an overpaid, frequently-injured third baseman with an even more brittle version. And give him $12 million (!) to do so.

Not to mention that Youkilis is a jerk, and even his fellow Red Sox players long ago grew tired of his hissy fits after every strikeout. (And before you bring up Paul O'Neill, he acted like a baby, too, but he helped the Yankees get four rings. Youk won't be getting his own Yankeeography any time soon.)

Yesterday, I heard over and over from Yankee fans trying to justify the trade about how this was the best Brian Cashman could do. What nonsense. I would have been happy with a rookie or role player who can play decent defense and can stay healthy. But the Yanks are more interested in big names for ratings on the YES Network than with having some nobody (the horror!) field the position. Of course, having somebody who could, you know, actually be a relevant player in 2013, not 2004, never figures into Cashman's equation. (Hey, Manny Ramirez is still out there; maybe Cash can sign him, too!)

And by the way, Cashman has been GM since 1998, and got that vaunted "complete control" of the franchise since 2005. Who has the team's player development system produced since then? Arguably the three best players -- Jesus Montero, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson -- are all playing elsewhere, traded for less than their value. The Killer Bs are nowhere. And there isn't just an MLB-ready backup at third in the Yankees farm system; there doesn't appear to be an MLB-ready anything.

You know who also got complete control as a GM in 2005? Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Bay Rays, who became their GM that year. And yet, with a payroll less than a third of the Yanks, and their best players leaving for free agency, Friedman is able to field a competitive team each year. (And no, it isn't just having had the good draft picks -- look at Kansas City!) In the old days, George Steinbrenner would have poached Friedman from the Rays a long time ago, instead of having a schlub like Cashman as GM for life.

Anyhow, don't fool yourself that Kevin Youkilis has somehow seen the light and will be a great Yankee hero. This is about the Yankees being foolish enough to pay a has-been like him $12 million for 2013. Nothing else. Meanwhile, Brian (Fredo) Cashman will preen somewhere about what a great GM he is, putting this golden oldies team on the field. Good grief. I haven't had somebody join the team that I had such a visceral reaction to since Javy Vazquez Part Deux. This is worse.

Guess what, folks? You can't count on the Yankees making the playoffs with this ancient crew just because they have in the past. Every single team in the AL East got better in the winter this year, except for the Yankees, who got worse (Rafael Soriano not being on this team will come back to bite them.)  There's a reason my Sox fan friends are laughing over Youkilis being a Yankee -- they know what he is now. And the one-time .300+ hitter is not an All-Star third baseman anymore. He's slightly more relevant than Derek Lowe, but that's about it. Good grief.

Who will get your All-Star Final Vote?

I've been busy voting - and voting and voting - for Nick Swisher in the AL All-Star Final Vote campaign. I also wrote a piece for The Faster Times about the battle between him and Kevin Youkilis for the spot.

But I'm wondering who Yankee fans are throwing their National League vote to. I would have voted for Joey Votto - he got robbed of a spot on the All-Star team in the first place - but then he had to form an evil alliance with Youk. So that's out.

So I decided to make my NL vote all about ticking off Squawker Jon. Initially, I voted for ex-Met Billy Wagner. The fact that the Mets lost two draft picks by trading him is something that still ticks Jon off. But then I thought I should also throw some votes Heath Bell's way, given that the Mets essentially traded him for a bag of balls, and he's turned out to be a great closer for the San Diego Padres. Now that Bell has been named to the team as an injury replacement, maybe Jon will have to deal with both Wagner and Bell as All-Stars!

My votes are all about getting Jon irate. Ever wonder why Met-killer Yadier Molina wins the catcher vote every year for the All-Star Game? It's my fault!

Who is Jon voting for on his Final Vote ballot? I dunno, but I heard he's going to announce it tonight in a prime-time special. Where do you think LeBron James got the idea?

Who are you voting for? Tell us about it!

On Joba, the White Sox, Mark Cuban, and the state of the Yankees

Sorry I haven't been squawking much. Between being out of town, and writing for The Faster Times, I haven't had much time as of late. I should be able to get back on a regular squawking schedule this week.

I did write a new piece for The Faster Times called Some New Joba Rules for the Yankees. Check it out.

And I got to watch most of the games this weekend. The Chicago White Sox looked dead, dead, dead. I don't get why Ken Williams broke the bank last month for this team in picking up Jake Peavy and Alex Rios.

And how about A.J. Pierzynski? He continues to be one of the more annoying players in baseball by knocking Sergio Mitre - who was pitching a one-hitter - Saturday with a batted ball. Granted, it was an accident. But A.J. is like the Forrest Gump of mayhem - he always seems to be in the middle of such things.

Did you see the way Mark Teixeira's eyes lit up just before his homer Sunday? That was hilarious.

Jose Contreras looks like he's at the end of his career. I felt a little sorry watching him Saturday.- I rooted for him hard to succeed when he was a Yankee - I was at the first game he pitched with his family back (he beat the Mets!)

Did you see this quote from Ozzie Guillen this weekend?

"I’m always going to say the way it is. Some people have some guts, some people don’t, some people say maybe it’s Ozzie being Ozzie, my honesty takes me to a lot of problems, but nobody is going to change me. And I will keep my head up because I know I was telling the truth. I never lied. The only time I lie is when I tell my wife I love her every day. That’s bull (bleep). But everything else, I’m straight up.

I think Ozzie's going to be sleeping on the couch for a while after that remark. Sheesh.

One of the cool things I did get to do this weekend was to go on New York's 1050 ESPN Radio Friday night. I spoke with Bill Daughtry about my article on why I think Mark Cuban ought to buy the Mets. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to Bill and his producer for putting me on the air.

Coming later today - I actually agree with something Kevin Youkilis said! But in the meantime, please tell us what you think of the state of the Yankees!

Stunning News: Jonathan Papelbon is not a Rhodes Scholar

Quick note: Check out my Faster Times piece on how Red Sox GM Theo Epstein admitted that Jonathan Papelbon is "not a Rhodes scholar." The thing is, I actually think Papelbon was right in his concerns about Billy Wagner, so I come to his defense - a little!

In other news, Squawker readers and Twitter followers are unanimous - if Kevin Youkilis is Fred "Twinkletoes" Flintstone, then Dustin Pedroia is Barney Rubble!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Breaking news - we have a new nickname for Kevin Youkilis, and I actually agree with Jonathan Papelbon on something!

It was so much fun to see our ace CC Sabathia win against Josh Beckett and the Red Sox, and the Yankee offense pound out five homers to win the game and the series. All, that, and we have a new nickname for Kevin Youkilis!

When I was on Twitter during the game last night, I saw Yankee fan/Twitterer Shiney42 write that Youk "reminds me of Fred Flintstone when he bowls. Don't ask --- I have NO idea BUT he just does."

I remembered that Fred's nickname was "Twinkletoes" on the show, and wrote that back. Shiney42 responded, "That's it! Twinkletoes - cause of the way he bats on his tippy toes!!"

So I'm thinking that unless somebody else has another suggestion, we need to start calling Youk "Twinkletoes." It cracks me up to think of Youkilis as Fred Flintstone! But who's Barney Rubble in this analogy? That's the burning question!

* * *

In other news, Jonathan Papelbon (aka Cinco Dopo - and yes, I know some of our readers hate that name!) actually said something that made sense to me. In talking about the Sox possibly getting Billy Wagner, he said:

"What has he done? Has he pitched this year?" Jonathan Papelbon told WEEI.com. "Is he ready to pitch or is he not? ... I think our bullpen is good where we're at right now. Don't get me wrong. But I guess you could always make it better. It's kind of like the [Eric] Gagne thing, I guess."

Here's the thing. Wagner isn't exactly a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. I know I'm a biased Yankee fan squawking here, but I mainly remember his time with the Mets for:

1) Getting bent out of shape and blowing the game, then complaining about being in the game, when Willie Randolph had the nerve to expect him to close out a 4-0 lead against the Yankees,

2) Anonymously putting a "Know Your Place, Rook" sign on Lastings Milledge's locker,

and 3) Calling out teammates Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado for not talking enough to the press.

Do I think Wagner will check his ego at the door in Boston? Absolutely not - he's already having his agent make demands before even getting there.

So yeah, I think Papelbon is right here. (I'm shuddering and shaking over even writing that sentence!)

* * *

Speaking of drama, I think it's time for former catcher Joe Girardi to step in and do something about the Jorge Posada/A.J. Burnett drama. Oh, and by the way, I'm not buying what Girardi said to the media, about how "I have not given anyone a personal catcher." The reality is that he gave CC Sabathia a personal catcher in Jose Molina, but he's loathe to do it with Burnett.

In other news, I've written two pieces for The Faster Times site - one on Mike Schmidt's defense of Pete Rose, and another about what happened in Metland yesterday.

One other note - Squawker reader Uncle Mike shipped up to Boston this weekend - and lived to tell the tale! See, miracles do happen!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Sweeping generalizations: Thy name is Joel Sherman

New York Post columnist Joel Sherman can be good at times, but he also makes a whole lot of sweeping generalizations based on one game. Yesterday he was at it again, trying to find all sorts of eerie parallels between this weekend and 2004. He writes in today's New York Post:

Just about the only downside for the Yankees in Friday night's blowout of the Red Sox was how much it was reminiscent of their Game 3 victory in the 2004 ALCS.

The Yankees won that contest 19-8 at Fenway, Hideki Matsui hit two homers and the Yanks took a three-games-to-none lead. At that moment, the Yanks appeared more likely to join a Broadway chorus line en masse than fail to reach the World Series. Their magic number was one with four games to play. But they never did get that victory, and no one ever Cursed again.

Yeah, because yesterday's game was so much like Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. You had the Yankees leading into the ninth yesterday, until Jacoby Ellsbury stole second against Mariano Rivera, and the Sox went on to win on an extra-inning homer from David Ortiz.

What's that you say? The Red Sox hit A.J. Burnett hard, for the worst start of his career, and the Sox destroyed the Yankees, 14-1? You mean it wasn't a carbon copy of 2004? Who knew?

For his own sake, I really wish Sherman wouldn't write these sort of pieces. Because there are other times I think he's really great. But he shouldn't jump to conclusions after one game. It's like when he wrote this about CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira after Opening Day:

Sabathia was the highest-paid free-agent pitcher of the offseason and Teixeira the highest-paid position player. In a down economic climate, the Yanks invested $341 million on just those two. They are not going to feel bad about those decisions at 0-1. However, no one wants to make a bad first impression as a Yankee because the hole is always a little deeper, so deep that many never truly escape.

Yeah, because Sabathia and Teixeira have been such disappointments as Yankees this year. They could never overcome those horrific Opening Day performances. Sheesh.

Back to Sherman's piece from this morning. He also opines:

They entered yesterday leading the Red Sox by 7½ games with one-quarter of the season left. For the record, their magic number was 34. But the most important magic -- it seemed -- was percolating in the Yankees clubhouse. The team's confidence was peaking. They have a cresting sense that they are a special group.

Of course that is exactly how it felt in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway after the game of Oct. 16, 2004....

After all, blowing a three-games-to-none lead in the postseason is unique. But since 1900, eight teams that trailed by 7½ games or more after the 121-game mark have gone on to finish first, including the 1978 Yankees.

What does this even mean? It's a terrible analogy for a variety of reasons:

* The Yankees have felt that this was a pretty special team for a while now, not just Friday night.

* Only Murray Chass seems to think the Sox's season is already over. Besides, even if the Yanks faltered, and the Sox surged, the rest of the way, there still is a pretty good chance that both teams will still make the playoffs (which is why the comparison to 1978 is flawed - we will never have another one game playoff for the Yankees-Sox again, due to the wild card.) So the season wouldn't be over for the Yankees.

* The Yankees just pummeled the Sox with an 18-hit barrage two weeks ago, and they ended up sweeping the series. Oh, I guess they were safe from some spooky curse because Hideki Matsui didn't hit two homers in that game. Sheesh.

Sherman continues:

Yet a 14-1 Red Sox rout yesterday provides pause to all the celebrating.

Who was celebrating, exactly? Even Sherman notes in his column that Joe Girardi pointed out the season wasn't over yet.

But what kills me the most about Sherman's piece is that it comes from the same guy who wrote this less than two weeks ago:

Humiliating the Red Sox is usually enough to turn the Bronx into nirvana. But the latest version of a Boston Massacre is just one slice of the Yankees' current heaven.....

Clearly the Yankees are soaring toward the postseason now while doing damage to the Red Sox's October plans. Maybe life could be better in the Yanks' corner of the Bronx. Again, send postcards to explain how.

On August 10, the Yanks were sailing towards October in Sherman's world. Now, the sky is falling because of one stinking loss.

Here's what I took away from yesterday's loss:

* A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada are not on the same page. They'd better work it out, and quickly. Or else Jose Molina ought to be catching Burnett for the rest of the year.

* I miss Johnny Damon (!) in left field, and I hope he's healthy enough to play there tonight.

* Alfredo Aceves has been terrible as of late.

* Kevin Youkilis gets on my last nerve.

* Jonathan Papelbon apparently has multiple personality disorder - according to the FOX broadcast, he actually calls himself Cinco Ocho. I wish somebody on the Sox would call him the real nickname he deserves - Cinco Dopo!

But I'm certainly not going to read yesterday's loss as like being 2004 all over again. That's just silly.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Is Bronson Arroyo auditioning to be a Yankee?

I wrote a piece for The Faster Times about Bronson Arroyo's very candid USA Today interview, where he copped to using supplements, andro, and amphetamines. His father even weighed in and said in the article that his son started using supplements at the age of five! Unreal.

I've never been much of a Bronson (or, as A-Rod calls him, Brandon) Arroyo fan, but I applaud his  candor. He didn't just talk about PED use - he also talked about baseball's spending. Yankee fans will be particularly interested in this tidbit:

“People don’t own teams to lose money,” he said. He suggested that “if you ask any owner whether they would rather make $20 million and come in last place or lose $20 million and win a World Series, there’s only one guy who honestly would take that championship: George Steinbrenner (of the Yankees). Nobody else.”

Hmmm. Arroyo cleared waivers earlier this month. Would I be surprised to see the Yankees try to trade for him as a No. 5 starter, especially given that Chien-Ming Wang could be out for a year? No, I would not.

Arroyo has a ridiculous contract. And while I respect his truth-telling, I don't want him as a Yankee. But I wouldn't be surprised if somebody in the Steinbrenner family looks at that quote and thinks that Arroyo would be a great fit for the Yankees.  

Could he be a better fit as a No. 5 starter than Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre? Of course. But he's also owed $11 million next year. Yikes!

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In other news, how about that Yankee walkoff victory yesterday? No matter what the odds, this team just keeps on coming back!

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez both got hit hard - literally - in yesterday's game. Should they have pulled a Youk?

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

More on Kevin Youkilis, who acted like a moron this week

Nothing gets Squawker readers agitated like a Red Sox gone wild. So my post on Kevin Youkilis is got a ton of page views, and many comments on both sides of the issue. And 70% of our readers voted "ridiculous" in our poll about him. 

Youk claimed to be sorry afterwards about what he did, and how it looked to children. And he did not appeal the five-game suspension, which I will give him a modicum of credit for. (But Rick Porcello should not have gotten a five-game suspension for his part in the fight; what was he supposed to do when Youk charged the mound? Start a "Sweet Caroline" singalong or something?)

But Youkilis also said this:

“I think I could have gotten six, or more [games suspended]. I think the league understands and knows that I’m not the type of player that does that. 

C'mon now. I get that Youkilis is the kind of player that you love if he's on your team, and hate if he's the opposition. But he also has a really bad temper, and this isn't the first time it's gotten him into trouble. Remember how he got all peeved at Johan Santana? Remember how he even ticked off Manny Ramirez by all of his dramatics? 

Whether Youkilis is sorry afterwards isn't really the issue. Milton Bradley is also usually sorry when he loses control as well. (For what it's worth, I don't think Bradley is evil - he's just got a bad temper, and doesn't handle adversity well.)

And I don't think Youkilis is evil, either - he's done some great things for charity, including speaking from the heart at a suicide prevention event. But he's awfully annoying, too. And as time goes on, Yankee fans are finding him more and more insufferable.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Kevin Youkilis: Righteous or Ridiculous?

Kevin Youkilis is rapidly rising up the Most Hated Red Sox chart, if our Yankee fan readers are any indication. And him starting a brawl last night will only add to his rep, such as it is.

While Jonathan Papelbon garnered 58% of our readers' votes for the Red Sox they like the least, Youk is in second at 22%. And even David Ortiz getting exposed as a Fenway faker couldn't move more than 6% or our readers to vote against him.

Here are the results for the least favorite Red Sox poll:

David Ortiz - 6%
Jonathan Papelbon - 58%
Dustin Pedroia - 7%
Jason Varitek -5%
Kevin Youkilis - 22%

What's funny to me is that other players find Youk just as annoying. Manny Ramirez and other Red Sox players couldn't stand his constant temper tantrums in the dugout, and Joba Chamberlain and Youkilis aren't exactly BFFs.

The latest player to get tired of Youkilis' act is the Tigers' Rick Porcello, who tossed a charging Youkilis to the ground like a sack of potatoes last night. The great Yankee blog Fack Youk has inducted the Detroit pitcher into their Hall of Fame for this act. I agree!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks to me like the Red Sox - as usual - started this fight. They think they can plunk other team's stars and not face any repercussions. Monday they hit Miguel Cabrera, and Detroit hit Youkilis in retaliation. Then Junichi Tazawa, who has been in the majors for all of five minutes, hit Cabrera again and ended up knocking him out of the game. So when Youkilis got hit again in retaliation, he didn't take kindly to it, throwing his helmet and puffing up like a blowfish.

It's sooooo obvious what the Sox are doing here - trying to stir up a brawl to rally around. That's why they went after A-Rod twice on Saturday. They really think that the A-Rod/Varitek brawl turned their 2004 season around, even though they actually went .500 in the week after that fight. No matter.

So now it's up to Youkilis to fire up their team. Now they're all pleased that they won. As if they achieved something great. Not so shockingly, when you knock out the other team's starter, you can often beat up on their bullpen. What do they want, a cookie?

What kills me is that the Sox have been playing this beanball game for years, but whenever they get retaliated against, like when Dustin Pedroia got plunked for payback about A-Rod getting hit the last time around, they get all hysterical. Dustin threw the mother of all hissy fits the other day, and now Youk is playing the tough guy act. But he sure doesn't look very tough in the above photo from the brawl!

As for the Yankees, I missed the game last night - believe it or not, I was at The Bacchae at Shakespeare in the Park - but I'm glad, of course, that the Bombers won. But seeing the Youk video was the highlight of the evening!

I find Youkilis extremely annoying, but what do you think? Vote in our latest poll!

Last chance to vote for Carlos Beltran - and Kevin Youkilis

Vote for Kevin Youkilis over Mark Teixeira for the All-Star Game. Let's give Squawker Lisa something to Twitter about.

Lisa, I am touched by your newfound concern for the well-being of David Wright, but the Mets don't need to get out the vote for him. Wright is comfortably ahead of second-place Larry Jones.

As for Carlos Beltran, even with his injury, he still has some of the best stats of any NL outfielder. He certainly deserves to get in over Alfonso Soriano, who is batting .230.

(Speaking of .230 hitters, Lisa, good luck with that "Vote Swisher" campaign you mentioned.)

Based on the stats, the third NL outfielder behind Ryan Braun and Raul Ibanez should be Justin Upton or Brad Hawpe, but Upton is 15th and Hawpe is not even in the top 15.

At least it looks like Manny won't be voted in.

Lisa, if you really wanted to annoy Met fans with your second-base choice, you should have voted for Orlando Hudson, who could have been the Mets' second baseman had they been willing to spend the free agent money.

You could also have suggested Jimmy Rollins, who is in second place behind Hanley Ramirez. Rollins was recently benched by his own team and deserves this year's All-Star spot about as much as the guy in fifth place, Jose Reyes.

It's too bad the Yankees are not mounting a campaign for Alex Rodriguez, currently a distant second behind Evan Longoria. I had a couple of slogans all ready to go:

Pad A-Rod's Voting Stats!
Artificially Inflate A-Rod's Vote!

At least the Mets and Yankees are not in the position of the A's and Indians, who are forced to promote players that have a good chance of leaving the team soon - Matt Holliday and Victor Martinez. Or are they promoting their All-Star chances to enhance their trade value?

Say, Lisa, maybe your plan to vote for Luis Castillo isn't such a bad idea after all.

Last chance to vote for Mark Teixeira over Kevin Youkilis on the All-Star Game ballot

Vote for Mark Teixeira over Kevin Youkilis for the All-Star Game. Let's give John Henry something to Twitter about. Let's help good defeat evil. Well, maybe Kevin Youkilis isn't evil - just terminally annoying - but I still don't want to see him start at first base at the All-Star Game!

Youk is leading Tex by 40,000 votes with just one day to go. This cannot happen. So go to MLB.com and vote on the mark. Send a Tex message to the All-Star Game! You can vote up to 25 times - the ballot saves your picks, so it's easy to keep on resubmitting your choices.

In addition to voting for Teixeira, this Squawker has a few other suggestions for the All-Star ballot:

The good folks at VoteSwisher.com wanted to remind Yankee fans to write in Nick Swisher for an outfield spot.

Dustin Pedroia is less than 7,000 votes behind Ian Kinsler for second base. Why should a Red Sox player who left the field when there were only two outs be rewarded with an All-Star spot? Hope this survey says no!

As I have done every time I've voted on an All-Star ballot since the 2006 NLCS, I voted for the Cardinals' Yadier Molina, just to tweak Squawker Jon. And this year, Jose Molina's brother is actually leading the NL All-Star ballot at catcher. Are there that many Met-haters out there?

I also used the NL ballot to vote for the best second baseman out there. The pop-up king! Yes, I went there - I voted 25 times for the Mets' Luis Castillo!

Speaking of the Mets, I just went to Mets.com to see who they were promoting on their site for the All-Star Game. Each team is promoting one or more players: the Yanks are pushing Teixeira, while the Red Sox are asking fans to vote for Youkilis and Pedroia. The Mets? Well, they're pushing somebody who won't be able to play in the All-Star Game - the injured Carlos Beltran! Granted, he did have an All-Star caliber year until getting hurt, but it's still funny that they're promoting him over their supposed franchise player, David Wright.

Voting for the All-Star Game ends at 11:59 tonight. Get your votes in!

Who are you voting for? Leave us a comment!