Baseball Toaster Bronx Banter
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2008-08-18 16:39
by Alex Belth

How do the Red Sox, Yankees and other teams fare against good pitching?

Here's an excellent look...

And just cause, here's my favorite low budget music video of all time:

Comments
2008-08-18 17:15:31
1.   Andre
that is an impressive analysis, but I have to conclude that it really doesn't amount to much. Based on the date, the Yanks are better than .500 against the top starters in the league. The Sox are not. I would expect the data to be similar over the past few years. However, it hasn't meant anything for the Yanks over the past few years in the playoffs. I guess it also implies that the Yanks are terrible against the lesser pitchers - if they were good/great against them, they'd probably be in 1st place.
2008-08-18 18:12:13
2.   OldYanksFan
"Heyman says there was never any negotiations between the Yankees and Scott Boras regarding Gerrit Cole. The Yanks would've offered $4MM+, but Cole preferred college (at his father's urging)."

Jeez... I believe college is important, but basically to increase income potential. Invested wisely, an 18 year old should be set for life on $4m, no? That's a pretty easy $300k/yr without touching the principal. A lot of jobs pay better then that? And that's BEFORE throwing a single pitch.

I hope this kid's arm holds up. maybe I'm jaded (or broke), but that seems like a aweful lot of money to turn down.

And hey... pitching for the Yankee organization is not exactly something to be embarrassed about.

2008-08-18 19:05:09
3.   OldYanksFan
Another topic is Manny. Most think he ends up in NY. So far in LA, Manny has posted a .424 .514 .780 1.294 line (59 ABs), so it appears a motivated Manny is still very dangerous.

I personally don't want him, but with Melky's failure and Abreu's decline, Manny might be on Cashman's radar.

Opinions?

2008-08-18 19:07:30
4.   Mr OK Jazz TOKYO
0 wow..my 4th grade production of Wizard of Oz had more production than this...
2008-08-18 19:08:21
5.   Mr OK Jazz TOKYO
3 only if he signs for 3 years...and even that is risky..what about 2yrs/40mill?
2008-08-18 19:11:09
6.   OldYanksFan
5 He had that with the Sox and turned it down.
2008-08-18 19:14:46
7.   Andre
I would only take Manny for 1-2 year deals, which he probably won't take, but I can't see any team taking him for more after his antics with the Sox. I think there's going to be a strong collusion/boycott by teams against him because if they take him for a big contract it's basically like encouraging your players to hold you hostage for more years/$$ if they want to get out of their contract. Of course some stupid team will probably make a stupid decision, but it would have to be a RICH stupid team.
2008-08-18 19:23:40
8.   OldYanksFan
I think someone will give Manny 3/$60. I don't know if anyone will go 4.... but as 7 points out, there is always one desparate team to do something stupid. Andre, I do hope you are right, because Manny needs some serious negative feedback for the shit he pulled with Boston.
2008-08-18 19:25:43
9.   Mr OK Jazz TOKYO
8 you know, he could only pull such antics because the "best run organization in baseball" allowed it for so long...no way in hell he could do that in NYC methinks...

more importantly, i hope mgmt doesn't panic and give Texeiera 200million..

2008-08-18 19:52:31
10.   Shaun P
2 Yeah, you're very right, but college is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm not sure I would have traded my college years in for that kind of money, even if it meant maybe pitching for the Yanks one day.

Come to think of it, I'm glad I never had to make that choice.

Re: Manny, if I had to guess, he'll come to NY alright, but with the Mets. Just looking Cot's Contracts over quickly, the Mets have ~$30M coming off the books this winter (after including increases for Wright, Reyes, etc). And with Alou finished, and Delgado probably gone, they are going to need a LF who is a big bat. Its also more buzz for them, viz a viz the Yanks.

2008-08-18 21:16:36
11.   Chyll Will
2 I know this will be completely ignored due to a quick posting of the next thread, but you can't necessarily assign a fixed value to college. Some people go to become more educated or to have a well-rounded experience with what will become the real world for them. Perhaps his father urged him to go to college so that he could gain emotional maturity. It's not always about getting more potential dollars; as you said, a smart advisor could help him invest that money, but a smart professor could help him invest his knowledge. >;)
2008-08-18 21:24:50
12.   Schteeve
2 I find the urge to negatively judge this kid's decision to go to college disturbing to say the least.

Forget about money, maybe he wants to learn a thing or two, become a somewhat well rounded human being, have more to say than:

"I think it was a fastball, we're gonna take it one game at a time."

Baseball isn't a sure thing, and even at best by the time he's 35 or 40 he's got a life to live with no baseball.

Is money they only thing that should motivate people's decisions?

OYF I'm not trying to break your balls on this, I've seen lots of other posters around the web expressing shock that the kid would turn down Yankee money to go to college, but I wonder if it's just a frustrated reaction to being "spurned."

2008-08-19 03:10:01
13.   JL25and3
12 I'm with you - I'm rather astonished to see the reaction to this decision. The kid and his family show that they value education more highly than money, and they're being criticized for this?

Not all 18-year-olds are ready for careers. Maybe he wants an education, maybe he's not ready to be relocated to Greensboro so he can ride buses around the Sally League - hell, maybe, just maybe, he's not even sure if he wants to be a baseball player.

If you really believe that the only purpose of education is to increase your earning power, then I suppose this decision would be inexplicable. Many of us would disagree vehemently with the premise.

2008-08-19 05:21:27
14.   Raf
13 Not all 18 year olds are ready for college either, from what I've seen.

Either way, best of luck to Mr. Cole. If he's happy with his decision, I see no point in disagreeing with him.

Had it been me, I would've taken the $$ and the contract and attended classes during the offseasons.

2008-08-19 09:07:50
15.   Schteeve
Had it been me at 18, I would have taken the money, bought a Ferrarri, become a raging drunk, started dating Christina Applegate and partied with Guns and Roses and Don Johnson.

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