The Panic Button

[George Steinbrenner]

After my New York Knick's terrible start, I have been cleansing my mind of sports for weeks. Then I wake up today, curious what the Yanks are up to, and I see the headline "BOSTON REELS IN BECKETT". I honestly cannot believe Boston got Beckett,arguably the best young pitcher in baseball. Im terrified. The young man is an ABSOLUTE ACE, with the potential of a Clemens, Johnson or Schilling. I am shell shocked.

We must respond. We need atleast one, hopefully 2, of these 4 relievers: Ryan, Gordon, Wickman, Wagner. No way am I relying Tanyon Sturtze or Scott Eyre or Kyle Farnsworth or Proctor or Matt Smith. No, shlubs and rookies arent the answe r to our championship woes. We need a dominant pen like it's 1998 all over again to bridge to Mo. We need a cream of the crop setup man, preferably a lefty. I prefer Ryan, but if he goes elsewhere we need to break the bank and give Wagner an equal salary as Mo for 2 years.
I have no idea whats going on with the centerfield situation. Hearing "Bubba Crosby" and "opening day" makes me shudder. Maybe we can rape the Marlins out of Juan Pierre. Maybe Carlos Delgado. All I know is that the first major shot was fired this offseason by Boston, and it was a fantastic move for them. Its basically like they are trading Manny Ramirez (and his huge salary) and 2 prospects for Josh Beckett (+ Mike Lowell and his huge salary). Whatever they can salvage from the Angels for ManRam is gravy. Thats the swap and it is a genius move. Beckett is a proven Yankee killer and for the first time since Bubba and Sheffield collided, I am officially hitting the panic button. Hopefully he gets some more blisters. Thankfully, we still have Torre and Cashman running the sho, and we still have a fantastic core team. I cant wait to see what we do.

BIG STEIN WANTS TO MAKE A BIG SPLASH! LETS GO YANKEES! LETS GET IT #27-IN-06.

[YankeePride1967]

It's November 22.

[rightfielder21]

I just soiled myself...

[IncredibleByNature]

Oy Vey.

[MO42]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/column...ter&id=2233264

Good article by Buster Olney

[RhodyYanksFan]

Wow...just wow.

So you want Delgado you say? What will the Yankees do with another overpaid, subpar 1B? Teams with 5 DH don't win World Series.

I'm sure this has been discussed ad nausem in the Beckett thread, but what has he ever done besides those 2 weeks in October of 2003? Why is nobody talking about how he's moving from the NL to the AL...from a huge pitchers park to a hitters one...or the fact that he's been on the DL 9 times in the last 4 years (which is way ahead of Kevin Brown's pace)?

Calm the F down. The Yankees already got burned with a Florida pitcher, I'm not in a rush to see them do it again.

The Red Sox can't afford Manny, Damon and Lowell.

[Sam18]

arguably the best young pitcher in baseball

Heh heh, you so craaaaaaaaazzzaaaaaaaaaayy!!!

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

Who knew there was a George Steinbrenner even more irrational than the real one.

[WebsterMulligan]

Go back to sleep, George.

[RhodyYanksFan]

Who knew there was a George Steinbrenner even more irrational than the real one.

[rightfielder21]

Who knew there was a George Steinbrenner even more irrational than the real one.

[Ivoted4Kodos]

Beckett,arguably the best young pitcher in baseball.

[Roberto Kelly]

I love it, Beckett has 1 good game against the Yankees and he's annoited a Yankee killer for ever and ever Amen. Half of the guys that were in the lineup in '03 aren't even on the team anymore.

[Dr. Gonzo]

posts and yankee fans like this are the people who demand big trades and then bitch that the team was poorly conceived.

Your impatience is what you complain about later.

Relax, it is not like the yankees are the KC Royals.

I hate these posts.

[IncredibleByNature]

Who knew there was a George Steinbrenner even more irrational than the real one.

[StaceyRosie]

Oy vey

[RhodeyYankee2638]

arguably the best young pitcher in baseball

He was the third best young pitcher on the Marlins staff, let alone in all of baseball

[IncredibleByNature]

Oy vey

Copycat.

[StaceyRosie]

Copycat.

I posted without looking at the rest of the thread.

[PaidYoung]

hello board but if i'm the yanks i spend the money on furcal and make him a center fielder...he has the speed and the rocket arm...just will need to adjust to making good reads i mean we don't need another slugger we need hitters on like the old yankee teams...good contact 20 hr hitters..some speed and a good bench ...
did anyone not see what scotty podsednik did for the white sox last year?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

also for the bullpen i'd sign b.j. ryan and let tom gordon go cause he sucks in the playoffs and then we can sign kyle farnsworth..he has incredible stuff.... and for an extra left hander to go with ryan we can get scott eyre(gone ) or kelly wunsch.


I like our rotation when healthy though i would love to trade mussina but it won't happen


1. big unit 42
2. mussina 36 (if we could somehow trade him i'd be happy)
3. chacon 27
4. pavano 29
5. wang @ 25

our new bullpen would consist of

jarrett wright @ age 29...blowin heat and good stuff..shorten the game for him in the bullpen
aaron small @ age 33 ...smart pitcher
sturze @ age 35
b.j. ryan..lefty and righty specialist @ age 29 blowin heat
farnsworth ...amazing stuff and great heat @ age 29
Kelly Wunsch @ 33...lefty specialist only...he cannot get right handers out
mariano rivera....


that's a bullpen there we'd have a serious team all we'd need was for our starters to go to 6 innings of 3 run ball

if we could trade mussina we should sign jarred washburn immediately...he's a lefty and has proven he can pitch in ny before and in the clutch... we also need another 1b..a good defense contact hitting one and i'd love to see us give travis lee another try but alas it won't happen


thoughts yanks fan?

[I Love Wang]

After my New York Knick's terrible start, I have been cleansing my mind of sports for weeks. Then I wake up today, curious what the Yanks are up to, and I see the headline "BOSTON REELS IN BECKETT". I honestly cannot believe Boston got Beckett,arguably the best young pitcher in baseball. Im terrified. The young man is an ABSOLUTE ACE, with the potential of a Clemens, Johnson or Schilling. I am shell shocked.

Are you kidding? There's no way that Beckett is as good as Santana, Peavy, Oswalt, Zambrano, Dontrelle, Lackey, or Harden. He's certainly not an "absolute ace."

[I Love Wang]

hello board but if i'm the yanks i spend the money on furcal and make him a center fielder...he has the speed and the rocket arm...just will need to adjust to making good reads i mean we don't need another slugger we need hitters on like the old yankee teams...good contact 20 hr hitters..some speed and a good bench ...
did anyone not see what scotty podsednik did for the white sox last year?

I saw him make a lot more outs than he should have. He did catch a lot of lazy flyballs that their fantastic pitching staff allowed.

[WebsterMulligan]

Are you kidding? There's no way that Beckett is as good as Santana, Peavy, Oswalt, Zambrano, Dontrelle, Lackey, or Harden. He's certainly not an "absolute ace."

I completely agree. Beckett is a middle of the rotation starter at best.

[PaidYoung]

I saw him make a lot more outs than he should have. He did catch a lot of lazy flyballs that their fantastic pitching staff allowed.

wow this is a first....so now you're downplaying scott posednik's role on the white sox...the man that guillen labeled as the most important addition to the team...posednik represented the whole change in philosophy. Tad iguchi was considered the mvp by the clubhouse(yes guillen said so because of his sefless play) but posednik changed the whole way of playing.

I mean c'mon yankee fans so we want another stiff in cf...hitting home runs...our championship teams had speed...whether it was knoblauch from 98 to 2000...or in 96 when it was spread between a younger jeter, gerald and bernie williams,raines and fox...


we need a change..i mean this line-up full of sluggers is not working just ask the white sox...before last year...sure we can have 2 or 3 sluggers but we need to comprise our team of mostly smart contact grind it out hitters like the old yankee teams...we need the giradi's ...the curtis's....the sojo's....the brosius's....the raines...the leyritz's... we already have o'neil in the form of matsui.

[PaidYoung]

I completely agree. Beckett is a middle of the rotation starter at best.

don't lie beckett has incredible stuff...coming out of texas they said he had better stuff than kerry wood and u know when beckett is on..he is great..his only concern is injury and it's a big one but don't treat the man like he's not part of the elite.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Panic button my a$$!

I rather have the easy button from staples than the panic button.

[WebsterMulligan]

don't lie beckett has incredible stuff...coming out of texas they said he had better stuff than kerry wood and u know when beckett is on..he is great..his only concern is injury and it's a big one but don't treat the man like he's not part of the elite.

When he's on, Beckett can go through a lineup like nobody's business, but he still has alot to prove before he can be considered a legitimate ace of the rotation, IMO.

The Red Sox certainly strengthened their rotation by aquiring him, no doubt. Time will tell whether or not he can make the transition to the AL and become a dominant force.

[PaidYoung]

When he's on, Beckett can go through a lineup like nobody's business, but he still has alot to prove before he can be considered a legitimate ace of the rotation, IMO.

The Red Sox certainly strengthened their rotation by aquiring him, no doubt. Time will tell whether or not he can make the transition to the AL and become a dominant force.

agreed the A.L. especially the AL east can make elite pitchers look ordinary i.e: pedro in his later years...schilling,big unit, clement and clemens.

[PittsburghYankeeFan]

So they got Josh Beckett. Big deal. They still have to deal with many other issues. Let Beckett pitch a bit in the AL and we'll see what happens--could be good, could be Pavano (who was 18-8 in 2004 for the now Flying Out of Miami Fish). Isn't he a free agent in a year or so when he does his five years?

Lowell--also who knows? Could be Brosious replay for the Sox.

Now if the Sox toss Manny and somehow get Delgado, then they have someone to protect Ortiz again, and then we'll see.

My guess, with Giles being an idiot about not talking to Torre et al, I suspect that the Y's are looking hard at Damon (and holding their collective noses). Boras will not pull another Beltran on them--this will get done, one way or another, before the end of the year. And if it doesn't--Bubba can play defense, and we do not really need the extra bat with this lineup.

BJ Ryan would be a fool not to take the Y's offer of closer money ($9 million or so per year), a 4 year contract, and 2 years to learn everything Mariano knows before having the chance (and the stage) to become another great closer in his image. Isn't that what Mo did with Wettland? If he doesn't take that offer (which should be every potential closer's dream) he doesn't have the makeup to make it in NY anyway.

Gordon will close, allright, for Detroit or some other low end club desperate enough to give a 38 year old with a history of a dead arm among other health issues a 3 year contract. Or he will wisen up and finish his career here, among players, fans, and coaches that know him well and appreciate him. If he is smart enough, maybe a performace based 3rd year option could be worked out.

Don't underestimate Cashman or overestimate Luccino. ARod and Chacon were good unexpected moves. Give it some time.

To be honest, what they have now (with the exception of 1-2 BP arms) isn't too bad.

[NewEraYanks2527]

Memo to George:
Cash is in the drivers seat, you just sit back and have some lunch with Costanza and things will be fine.

[Jace]

It's November 22.

On November 22, Resistance is Futile




(About 8 years ago Star Trek: First Contact came out. I know it came out on November 22 because this tv commericial is forever ingrained in my mind)

[PaidYoung]

So they got Josh Beckett. Big deal. They still have to deal with many other issues. Let Beckett pitch a bit in the AL and we'll see what happens--could be good, could be Pavano (who was 18-8 in 2004 for the now Flying Out of Miami Fish). Isn't he a free agent in a year or so when he does his five years?

Lowell--also who knows? Could be Brosious replay for the Sox.

Now if the Sox toss Manny and somehow get Delgado, then they have someone to protect Ortiz again, and then we'll see.

My guess, with Giles being an idiot about not talking to Torre et al, I suspect that the Y's are looking hard at Damon (and holding their collective noses). Boras will not pull another Beltran on them--this will get done, one way or another, before the end of the year. And if it doesn't--Bubba can play defense, and we do not really need the extra bat with this lineup.

BJ Ryan would be a fool not to take the Y's offer of closer money ($9 million or so per year), a 4 year contract, and 2 years to learn everything Mariano knows before having the chance (and the stage) to become another great closer in his image. Isn't that what Mo did with Wettland? If he doesn't take that offer (which should be every potential closer's dream) he doesn't have the makeup to make it in NY anyway.

Gordon will close, allright, for Detroit or some other low end club desperate enough to give a 38 year old with a history of a dead arm among other health issues a 3 year contract. Or he will wisen up and finish his career here, among players, fans, and coaches that know him well and appreciate him. If he is smart enough, maybe a performace based 3rd year option could be worked out.

Don't underestimate Cashman or overestimate Luccino. ARod and Chacon were good unexpected moves. Give it some time.

To be honest, what they have now (with the exception of 1-2 BP arms) isn't too bad.

damon would be a horrible signing...why get old @ cf...we don't want to have a run wtf?


MIAMI -- Free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal has set a price tag of $50 million over five or six years for his next contract, agent Paul Kinzer told ESPNdeportes.com.

"Things have changed significantly since the free-agent period started. There's only one Rafael Furcal available and whoever wants to get him will have to pay for what he is worth," Kinzer said Friday. "We're looking for a five- or six-year contract, and $50 million is a pretty realistic figure."


Furcal

Furcal had previously said he would look for a contract similar to the one Edgar Renteria signed with the Red Sox before the start of last season, worth $40 million over four years.

The 183 players who filed for free agency since the end of the World Series can start negotiating money with all teams starting Friday. Furcal filed for free agency after playing the last six seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Kinzer said at least five teams have contacted him, including the Braves, and are ready to pay what Furcal is asking.

The New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals have already shown interest in Furcal and, according to Kinzer, the New York Yankees have also contacted him to find out if Furcal would consider playing center field.
Depending on who replaces Theo Epstein as general manager, the Boston Red Sox could also join the chase. A move to Fenway Park would mean Furcal would likely not play shortstop unless Renteria is traded.

"Raffy is OK with playing shortstop, second base or center field," Kinzer said. "Just give him a glove and he will play wherever you ask him to."

Kinzer and Atlanta officials will meet again next week, but there is no schedule for further talks.

"There will be a lot of talking now, but I don't expect to sign a contract until the beginning of December," Kinzer said.

After a slow start, Furcal ended the season batting .338 in the Braves' last 78 games. He finished the season hitting .278 with 12 home runs and 58 RBI. Furcal also stole 46 bases and scored 100 runs.

Furcal, who was the National League's Rookie of the Year in 2000, has a .284 career batting average with 189 stolen bases and 554 runs scored.

[PaidYoung]

why don't you people want to get young but still be championship contenders..the yankees that were winning did not begin as old or inefficent as last year's team

[NewEraYanks2527]

On November 22, Resistance is Futile




(About 8 years ago Star Trek: First Contact came out. I know it came out on November 22 because this tv commericial is forever ingrained in my mind)

Or is it that you are just a Trekky nerd

[yanksphan]

Hey George...I've got a "button" for ya...a little blue one...or two...

[gszabo]

Hey George S., why not fire Guidry? After all, canning the pitching coach has always been a good way for you to vent these gosh-darned psychotic rages. And really, if Guidry was a good pitching coach, shouldn't the pitching have improved already? Isn't it his @%%$# fault that Ryan's not signed?

Time to fire him, and then you can start the next phase - ringing up Cashman on the Bat-phone at 3 a.m. to trade Wang for Rick Rhoden.

[27IsNext]

Personally, I'm much more worried about what Annibal Sanchez could become than Josh Beckett. I'm glad the Sox burned three young prospects.

[NYYBombshell]

Oh for the love of powdered donuts..............



It's November 23!

[dabomb2045]

we had horrible drafts in the early 00's...thats whats hurting us, not teams conspiring to not trade with us

[MisterNovember]

we had horrible drafts in the early 00's...thats whats hurting us, not teams conspiring to not trade with us

THANK YOU!

I'm so sick of this pathetic attitude that every team in the league should bend over and let the Yankees have their way. The Marlins weren't going to trade Josh Beckett for Tony Womack and Bubba Crosby...get over it. Other teams in the league have infinitely better bargaining chips than the Yankees do...thats what happens when you build a team through free agency. The best we can hope for is that the Yanks can land Giles/Damon/Jones at a reasonable rate, shore up the bullpen, and hang w/ the Red Sox next season. It isn't the Yankees' divine right to acquire every available player.

[MisterNovember]

Memo to George:
Cash is in the drivers seat, you just sit back and have some lunch with Costanza and things will be fine.

I know a place that makes excellent calzones...

[Yankees1962]

I love it, Beckett has 1 good game against the Yankees and he's annoited a Yankee killer for ever and ever Amen. Half of the guys that were in the lineup in '03 aren't even on the team anymore.

A very good point that needs to be taken seriously. Only Jeter, Posada, Giambi and Matsui in his first MLB season remain from that 2003 club. The next encounters between Beckett and the Yankees might be entirely different.

[Yankees1962]

Personally, I'm much more worried about what Annibal Sanchez could become than Josh Beckett. I'm glad the Sox burned three young prospects.

Why are you worried about Sanchez, since he's in the NL with the Marlins?

[RobRiv]

Michael Corleone: Your enemies always get strong on what you leave behind.

How will Steinbrenner respond to the Red Sox acquiring a new fresh prince of pitching? I stumbled upon "Godfather III" the other night and thought about Steinbrenner in the following scene: (note: I see Steinbrenner in the Andy Garcia role of the hot-tempered, ear-biting VIncent Mancini. The Red Sox are his hated enemy, Joey Zasa. Pacino, as always, is Mikey Corleone.)

Vincent Mancini : [in the helicopter] I'd like to take Joey Zasa up in one of these and drop him.
Michael Corleone : Joey Zasa is nothing. He's a small-time enforcer. He bluffs, threats, but nothing. You can see him coming a mile away.
Vincent Mancini : We should kill him before he kills ...
Michael Corleone: No! Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.


How the heck does this scene apply to the Yanks? Well, if Vincent Mancini was the Yanks GM this morning, his first move would be to make Boston free agent Johnny Damon the Yankees next centerfielder/leadoff hitter. Forget about the insane money for a minute, forget that Damon's spaghetti arm would look even more "angel hair-esque" at Yankee Stadium, and remember this: Johnny Damon is a god in Boston. He's right up there with Schilling and Ortiz. Bringing Damon to the Bronx - clipping his hair, shaving off his beard, and making him a 'damn Yankee!' - would drive a stake into the heart of the Red Sox frontoffice. The backpage headlines in New York, "Heeeere's Johnny!" would rock "Red Sox Nation" like a tsunami. Oh, no doubt, it would be the kind of instant gratification and sadistic revenge that would make Vincent Mancini's day. It would be an act of hate against the enemy, plus, in some respects, the Yankees would get stronger on what their enemy left behind.

But considering Damon's demands, and that the Yanks are trying to move in a different direction, I think Michael Corleone would question the judgment of a Yankee GM who would bring Damon to the Yankees now and advise against it.

[jpao89]

Hmmmm, panic button. . hmmmm, Jerome, is that you?

[Jasbro]

Michael Corleone: Your enemies always get strong on what you leave behind.

How will Steinbrenner respond to the Red Sox acquiring a new fresh prince of pitching? I stumbled upon "Godfather III" the other night and thought about Steinbrenner in the following scene: (note: I see Steinbrenner in the Andy Garcia role of the hot-tempered, ear-biting VIncent Mancini. The Red Sox are his hated enemy, Joey Zasa. Pacino, as always, is Mikey Corleone.)

Vincent Mancini : [in the helicopter] I'd like to take Joey Zasa up in one of these and drop him.
Michael Corleone : Joey Zasa is nothing. He's a small-time enforcer. He bluffs, threats, but nothing. You can see him coming a mile away.
Vincent Mancini : We should kill him before he kills ...
Michael Corleone: No! Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.


How the heck does this scene apply to the Yanks? Well, if Vincent Mancini was the Yanks GM this morning, his first move would be to make Boston free agent Johnny Damon the Yankees next centerfielder/leadoff hitter. Forget about the insane money for a minute, forget that Damon's spaghetti arm would look even more "angel hair-esque" at Yankee Stadium, and remember this: Johnny Damon is a god in Boston. He's right up there with Schilling and Ortiz. Bringing Damon to the Bronx - clipping his hair, shaving off his beard, and making him a 'damn Yankee!' - would drive a stake into the heart of the Red Sox frontoffice. The backpage headlines in New York, "Heeeere's Johnny!" would rock "Red Sox Nation" like a tsunami. Oh, no doubt, it would be the kind of instant gratification and sadistic revenge that would make Vincent Mancini's day. It would be an act of hate against the enemy, plus, in some respects, the Yankees would get stronger on what their enemy left behind.

But considering Damon's demands, and that the Yanks are trying to move in a different direction, I think Michael Corleone would question the judgment of a Yankee GM who would bring Damon to the Yankees now and advise against it.

If we signed Damon to what he is asking for merely because the Sox traded for two players who we really don't need right now, RSN would certainly rock -- but with laughter, not with pain.

[mjdlight]

Eff panic buttons, and eff RSN. The keeping up with the Joneses attitude (that began when Boston signed Manny to the mega-deal) is a big reason why we've been a 200 million dollar team with no rings.

Our mission is not to rock RSN, or outspend them, or sign their FA centerfielder to a bloated contract.

I think Cashman understands this, and now that he has solidified his control over the franchise (at least for the moment), I'd expect to see the team move in a direction consistent with this understanding.

Amen.

[jpao89]

If we signed Damon to what he is asking for merely because the Sox traded for two players who we really don't need right now, RSN would certainly rock -- but with laughter, not with pain.

Its been so long since the Yankee organization acted on a rational basis rather than emotion, I think some don't know what to make of it. So far, I love this hot stove season. I would look for Cash to sign some relief and, perhaps, a couple of strong bats off of the bench. But, no big moves this offseason.

[mbn007]

After my New York Knick's terrible start, I have been cleansing my mind of sports for weeks. Then I wake up today, curious what the Yanks are up to, and I see the headline "BOSTON REELS IN BECKETT". I honestly cannot believe Boston got Beckett,arguably the best young pitcher in baseball. Im terrified. The young man is an ABSOLUTE ACE, with the potential of a Clemens, Johnson or Schilling. I am shell shocked.

We must respond. We need atleast one, hopefully 2, of these 4 relievers: Ryan, Gordon, Wickman, Wagner. No way am I relying Tanyon Sturtze or Scott Eyre or Kyle Farnsworth or Proctor or Matt Smith. No, shlubs and rookies arent the answe r to our championship woes. We need a dominant pen like it's 1998 all over again to bridge to Mo. We need a cream of the crop setup man, preferably a lefty. I prefer Ryan, but if he goes elsewhere we need to break the bank and give Wagner an equal salary as Mo for 2 years.
I have no idea whats going on with the centerfield situation. Hearing "Bubba Crosby" and "opening day" makes me shudder. Maybe we can rape the Marlins out of Juan Pierre. Maybe Carlos Delgado. All I know is that the first major shot was fired this offseason by Boston, and it was a fantastic move for them. Its basically like they are trading Manny Ramirez (and his huge salary) and 2 prospects for Josh Beckett (+ Mike Lowell and his huge salary). Whatever they can salvage from the Angels for ManRam is gravy. Thats the swap and it is a genius move. Beckett is a proven Yankee killer and for the first time since Bubba and Sheffield collided, I am officially hitting the panic button. Hopefully he gets some more blisters. Thankfully, we still have Torre and Cashman running the sho, and we still have a fantastic core team. I cant wait to see what we do.

BIG STEIN WANTS TO MAKE A BIG SPLASH! LETS GO YANKEES! LETS GET IT #27-IN-06.

Hey, let's sign Ryan and Wagner. Throw 15 million a year at each. Add Delgado at 16 million + per year. Get Giles at 15 million per year.

So we have a 350 million payroll. So what. It's not my money.The above is what you really are asking for. And it still won't guarantee a WS title, so pipe down, and let Cashman do his thing between now and ST.

[RobRiv]

If we signed Damon to what he is asking for merely because the Sox traded for two players who we really don't need right now, RSN would certainly rock -- but with laughter, not with pain.

Eff panic buttons, and eff RSN. The keeping up with the Joneses attitude (that began when Boston signed Manny to the mega-deal) is a big reason why we've been a 200 million dollar team with no rings.

Our mission is not to rock RSN, or outspend them, or sign their FA centerfielder to a bloated contract.

I think Cashman understands this, and now that he has solidified his control over the franchise (at least for the moment), I'd expect to see the team move in a direction consistent with this understanding.

Amen.

Right on, mjdlight and Jasbro. I hope Cashman keeps playing it cool and Corleone-esque.