John Harper's NY Daily Column (12/9/05)

[Captain Yankee]

Does anybody else find Harper's article flawed? I know the Daily News is notorious for bashing the Yankees, but Harper's article reads like something he rushed to beat the deadline for. He picks the Red Sox to win the division next season. However, he says the Red Sox infield at the moment of Kevin Youkilis at first base, Mark Loretta at 2nd base, Alex Cora at SS, and Mike Lowell at 3rd base looks like one you'd expect to see playing for the Kansas City Royals. He also includes the Red Sox uncertainty over re-signing Damon and what they plan to do with Manny. He gives the Red Sox the edge in pitching but than says that Schilling is an uncertainty to return to his 2004 form due to his ankle injury and Beckett has a history of injury problems---yet he says they are more certain than the Yankees top two (Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson who both are older but don't really have a history of injury). In fact, of all four pitchers (the oldest), Randy Johnson is more likely to make all of his starts than any of the others! I can accept the argument that the Yankees may have more age on their starting rotation---but Harper doesn't point this out! He only says the Red Sox are hoping "they [Beckett and Schilling] form a 1-2 punch comparable to what Schilling and Pedro Martinez gave them two years ago." That's a lot to count on for a guy who has suffered permanent damage to his ankle and did not look anywhere near the pitcher he was in 2004. It is also a lot to count on for Beckett who has yet to fulfill his potential as an ace (as Dontrelle Willis was clearly the ace of the Marlins staff last season) and has a checkered injury history at best. He argues that Randy Johnson is in decline (which may or may not be true). That is a valid point but he doesn't point out that the Yankees' lineup now is markedly better than the Red Sox (as currently constructed) or that the Yankees have superior depth in the starting rotation and in the bullpen now. I'm not one of those guys that can't take articles bashing the Yankees, but give me a better argument that the Red Sox will win the division than "their time is up" or that "you have have a feeling." If you read the article, that is basically what Harper is basing his argument on (while almost ignoring the Blue Jays).

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/st...p-317340c.html

[JDPNYY]

These guys write stories to sell newspapers. It doesn't matter what's real.

[DandyAndy46]

One of the joys of being a columnist is you can write just about anything without the requirement that it is true or makes much sense....
(see Mike Lupica)

[mrbawm]

The Red Sox aren't that strong for next year, which is why we should cut the dead weight even if it means losing a few games in the standings. Let's contend for the wild card and make the long term moves that will continue to give us a playoff contender instead of a very reasonable chance of half the team coming up lame at the same time in the future.

[BRNXBMRS]

I didnt know the Daily News was anti Yankees. I've been reading it since I was a kid, because I find it to be a pro Yankee paper. The Red Sox are full of "ifs".

[BeantownYankee]

This type of article is meant to get fans going and hopefully push the Yanks into making a splash move so the writers have something to write about.

[Captain Yankee]

I could see that. However, this article's premise lacks any argumentative sense. Harper is arguing with himself. It's like a circular argument. He basically refutes his arguments instead of supporting it.

[nyctalopia]

The best team in the AL East next year could very possibly be Toronto.

[mbn007]

When I look at the Bosox starters, their overall pen, their inf, and the OF without Damon, I predict the currently constructed yankee team to win by 10+ games. Now, we all know that both teams will be making more moves before April, but the Yankees look a lot more complete then the Bosox do.

[PerfectCone]

The Daily News is not Anti-Yankee. If anything, they are the city's propagator of Yankee propaganda. Ask any Met fan. The Mets can sweep the Braves, but the Yankees loss to the D'Rays will take the back page. That being said, the article was pretty much a waste of space. He's making a pick and then telling us that the teams are no where near what we will see at the start of the season, so he is going to retain his right to change said pick. Whatever, dude.

[Yankees1962]

The best team in the AL East next year could very possibly be Toronto.

Don't make me laugh.

[Captain Yankee]

The best team in the AL East next year could very possibly be Toronto.

Let's not get carried away. Toronto doesn't have a lineup that compares to the Yankees. Sure they made some nice slashes by signing BJ Ryan (who will probably be a good signing for them). But that AJ Burnett contract looks eerily like the Darren Dreifort contract. We'll see if Burnett lives up to it. They have the makings of a good pitching staff and bullpen. However, is there anyone in that lineup that really scares you? I mean, its OK if you want to go with the White Sox model (a bunch of solid hitters and maybe one hitter that scares you) but the White Sox starting pitching is better than Toronto's. There is no doubt about that. Right now the Blue Jays might be better than the Red Sox (we'll see). But until someone beats the Yankees---let's relax.

[effdamets]

The best team in the AL East next year could very possibly be Toronto.

Ummmm..... No.

[ojo]

Ummmm..... No.

oh really?

great team D. lineup full of contact hitters. a rock solid rotation. and one of the best closers in the game.

now, i'm not saying they're better than NY, BOS or anybody for that matter but when you say 'very well could be', then yeah, you have to include toronto. at least for the next year or two.

[SINCE77 2]

Ummmm..... No.

Give them Nomar/Wilkerson/Piazza and you might be wrong. Strong pitching and solid defense/strong bullpen will often trump great offense. If they had one of the aforementioned players in the DH role, they could be very dangerous.

[Captain Yankee]

oh really?

great team D. lineup full of contact hitters. a rock solid rotation. and one of the best closers in the game.

now, i'm not saying they're better than NY, BOS or anybody for that matter but when you say 'very well could be', then yeah, you have to include toronto. at least for the next year or two.

How do the Blue Jays now have a "rock solid" rotation? I mean they have Doc Halladay who is a legit ace. Chacin looks like he could be a solid pitcher. You really think AJ Burnett and Ted Lilly will separate the Blue Jays starting staff from the rest of the AL East? My magic eightball says highly unlikely.

[Captain Yankee]

Give them Nomar/Wilkerson/Piazza and you might be wrong. Strong pitching and solid defense/strong bullpen will often trump great offense. If they had one of the aforementioned players in the DH role, they could be very dangerous.

Also for any deal to get Wilkerson---the Rangers will want Orlando Hudson back. That will make an impact on that overall "team defense."

[Yankees1962]

Give them Nomar/Wilkerson/Piazza and you might be wrong. Strong pitching and solid defense/strong bullpen will often trump great offense. If they had one of the aforementioned players in the DH role, they could be very dangerous.

Really, I hope Toronto gets one of those guys just to see how good they really are.

[BRNXBMRS]

Toronto will be improved but wont challenge the Yanks/Sox. Burnett is under .500 for his career, and Ryan has never been in a pennant race. Toronto will be a 3rd place team in 06.

[noneckwilliams]

When I look at the Bosox starters, their overall pen, their inf, and the OF without Damon, I predict the currently constructed yankee team to win by 10+ games. Now, we all know that both teams will be making more moves before April, but the Yankees look a lot more complete then the Bosox do.

The RS are flying by the seat of their pants. It was not their intention coming into the offseason to jettison both HanRam and ERent. Is it really such a great idea to have so much turnover from one season to the next? Also, the assumption that all their moves will work out is crazy.

The mythology that so many media types seem to buy into of the RS FO being super competent and infallible is easily smashed by looking at the crappy moves they made last offseason.

[SINCE77 2]

Also for any deal to get Wilkerson---the Rangers will want Orlando Hudson back. That will make an impact on that overall "team defense."

I'm sure they have a more than capable backup for 2B, should they move Hudson.

[SINCE77 2]

Really, I hope Toronto gets one of those guys just to see how good they really are.

So do I. Parity can make for a more exiciting regular season.

[PerfectCone]

The mythology that so many media types seem to buy into of the RS FO being super competent and infallible is easily smashed by looking at the crappy moves they made last offseason.

I am so glad someone besides me thinks this way. Mythology is the perfect word for this situation. I mean, how do you let your #1 pitcher walk (yeah, yeah, I know about Schilling) along with the guy who has done absolutely everything ever asked of him and wound up winning all 3 of the Playoff clinchers for you? Then you replace them with a fat tub o' ................e Padre castoff and a proven loose cannon. I'm sorry, but you don't let World Series rotations just walk away, we've seen the results of that stupidity with our own eyes.

[noneckwilliams]

I am so glad someone besides me thinks this way. Mythology is the perfect word for this situation. I mean, how do you let your #1 pitcher walk (yeah, yeah, I know about Schilling) along with the guy who has done absolutely everything ever asked of him and wound up winning all 3 of the Playoff clinchers for you? Then you replace them with a fat tub o' ................e Padre castoff and a proven loose cannon. I'm sorry, but you don't let World Series rotations just walk away, we've seen the results of that stupidity with our own eyes.

Mantei, Miller, Renteria, Clement...

[ryanthe13th]

Toronto will finish in second or third place.

Burnett over the last 3 years has a 4.17 Road ERA(8-15) and a .257 BAA. Here is the rest of Toronto's staff Vs the Yankees:

Chacin(0-4, 5.32 ERA, .330 AVG)
Towers(0-2, 4.05 ERA, .307 AVG)
Lilly(1-2, 10.34 ERA, .364 AVG)
Burnett(DNF in 2005)
Halladay(1-0, 0.00 ERA, .100 AVG)
B.J. Ryan (0-1, 6.23 ERA, 1/2 Saves)

[JeterRodriguezSheff]

I got Toronto finishing second and for the wild card right now

Yankees vs Blue Jays in the ALCS could be interesting if it happens

[effdamets]

Toronto will finish in second or third place.

Burnett over the last 3 years has a 4.17 Road ERA(8-15) and a .257 BAA. Here is the rest of Toronto's staff Vs the Yankees:

Chacin(0-4, 5.32 ERA, .330 AVG)
Towers(0-2, 4.05 ERA, .307 AVG)
Lilly(1-2, 10.34 ERA, .364 AVG)
Burnett(DNF in 2005)
Halladay(1-0, 0.00 ERA, .100 AVG)
B.J. Ryan (0-1, 6.23 ERA, 1/2 Saves)

When things aren't going Burnett's way up there in Toronto, do you think he's gonna start whining and moaning like a little punk-b*tch again, like last season? And do you think the Jays will send him and his $11 million salary home for the remainder of the season?

[noneckwilliams]

When things aren't going Burnett's way up there in Toronto, do you think he's gonna start whining and moaning like a little punk-b*tch again, like last season? And do you think the Jays will send him and his $11 million salary home for the remainder of the season?

It's a lock that neither Burnett nor BJ Ryan will finish their contracts in the Great White North.

[Spiker101]

The best team in the AL East next year could very possibly be Toronto.

There's always a tendency to exaggerate the significance of a flurry of moves, such as Toronto has accomplished so far this winter. I think it's fair to say the Jays starting staff will be somewhat better than the Yanks' going into the season -- if AJ actually is able to make the transition to the new league and the DH. Depending on what the Yanks do from here on out, the pens will be roughly comparable. However, offensively, it's no contest. The Yanks are better, sometimes by a huge margin, at every single position, except of course for center. The Yanks are still better, though there's no question they've made up some ground.
The Sox right now are a mess., largely because a couple of unforeseen opportunities fell into their laps. It's going to be fun seeing how the Gang of Four or Five or however many it actually is (expect the resurrection of Theo at any moment) cleans up. For sure, they have plenty of time.

[effdamets]

It's a lock that neither Burnett nor BJ Ryan will finish their contracts in the Great White North.

Burnett is nothing but a faggot-p*ssy! (with a sub .500 career record)

[whalers]

It's a lock that neither Burnett nor BJ Ryan will finish their contracts in the Great White North.

I'd be willing to take that bet as well.

[AJW]

These guys write stories to sell newspapers. It doesn't matter what's real.

You got it and that is why I don't read there rags.

[Yankees1962]

So do I. Parity can make for a more exiciting regular season.

I don't want to hear how good Toronto might be, I want to see if Toronto's good, till then they're nothing more than a pretender until they prove it on the field that they're a contender.

[mhmajp]

Burnett is nothing but a faggot-p*ssy! (with a sub .500 career record)

It strikes me that if Burnett is gay, a) you don't know about it and b) it's got nothing to do with how well he does or doesn't pitch.

[DandyAndy46]

Burnett is nothing but a faggot-p*ssy! (with a sub .500 career record)

Stay classy effdamets, stay classy...

[PittsburghYankeeFan]

oh really?

great team D. lineup full of contact hitters. a rock solid rotation. and one of the best closers in the game.

now, i'm not saying they're better than NY, BOS or anybody for that matter but when you say 'very well could be', then yeah, you have to include toronto. at least for the next year or two.

As I said in late October:

Yankees
Blue Jays
Sawx


BJ Ryan "one of the best closers in the game?" Based on what, exactly?

[Panamaniac42]

The Daily News is not Anti-Yankee. If anything, they are the city's propagator of Yankee propaganda. Ask any Met fan. The Mets can sweep the Braves, but the Yankees loss to the D'Rays will take the back page.

That's because the Mets haven't been relevant in 5 years. Come on, now.

If the Mets did sweep the Braves at any point, it probably had no serious implications whatsoever.....whereas each Yankee loss to the Devil Rays was catastrophic, though they somehow managed to pull the division out of their ass anyway.

[Panamaniac42]

BJ Ryan "one of the best closers in the game?" Based on what, exactly?

Because he got more millions this winter than he has career saves.

[Panamaniac42]

I didnt know the Daily News was anti Yankees. I've been reading it since I was a kid, because I find it to be a pro Yankee paper. The Red Sox are full of "ifs".

The Daily News is Poopica's personal soapbox.

[Michaels07]

Wait till the Yankees get Michaels for Tanyon Sturtze, Harper will have to stick to writ
ing about Harpers Ferry not MLB

[yankeetke]

I think the Blue Jays have a decent shot of having a very good team. They are built very much like the Chicago Whitesox where going into the 2005 season. Lets remember that no one was talking about Chicago at all and their "great" starting rotation looked pretty poor going into the season. They had Buerhle an inning eater who had dominant stretches and not so dominant stretches, Freddy Garcia who some people thought had flamed out, Garland an underachiving number 5 starter, Contreras who never showed anything for more then a game or two, compare that to Toronto who has Halladay a legitamate ace, Burnett, someone much like Contreras who shows flashes during games but never puts it together game after game, Chacin a young guy who has the ability to step up, and Ted Lilly who also has the ability to have a Garland like season. The biggest difference between the two teams is Paul Konerko, and if Wells continues to progress then that difference will lessen as well.

All that being said I dont think all of that will happen in one season and I think that Toronto is a season and maybe a pitcher or big hitter away from being a serious challenge.

[Buzah!]

Harper's a dimwit. Don't waste your time with him.

[goin for 27]

How do the Blue Jays now have a "rock solid" rotation? I mean they have Doc Halladay who is a legit ace. Chacin looks like he could be a solid pitcher. You really think AJ Burnett and Ted Lilly will separate the Blue Jays starting staff from the rest of the AL East? My magic eightball says highly unlikely.

Chacin is VERY solid. Young, strong, and an ERA+ of 119. This would have edged out Randy Johnson as the best on the Yankees staff last year. (Full year, I am not counting Chacon's brilliant half season)

How about Josh Towers? 3.71 ERA his 120 ERA+ would also have been best on the Yanks.

If Halladay stays healthy he is typically a favorite for Cy Young.

THEN you can throw in Burnett and Lilly. Oh, and BJ Ryan to close. Decent set up guy in Chulk too.

Make no mistake, if healthy, this could be the best rotation in baseball. I hope that they don't any more bats, Overbay is solid, but not a difference maker.

I think that these guys are an impact player or two away from dominating, but they WILL be in the race, and they WILL give us fits.

[mrbawm]

If Wells bounces back and Overbay continues to develop they'll have an average offense. If they get some other bats they could get real dangerous real quick. If the Devil Rays play a little bit better the wild card could easily not come out of the AL East next year.