Instead, call me crazy, but I would love to see Milton Bradley in the mix. He's young (27 - Bubba's 29), cheap (arbit elig. but 2004 = 2.5mil), switch-hitter, and CRAZY. Yup, we need someone who's got the fire, even if it's psychotic. It's worth the minor risk. He's not so strong a personality as to ruin that clubhouse with guys like Shef, Jeter, and Randy around. Instead, he might just throw some passion into the mix. Ever since the A-Rod/Varitek mix-up, it has seemed like the Yanks have gone too corporate and sedate. I want someone to charge the mound and light a fire under their butts. Why not send Eric Duncan and another prospect their way? Worst case scenario: Bubba is the back-up. Best case: we got a legit outfield/DH rotation (Godzilla, Shef, (Giles), and Bradely) and got younger to boot.

In other news: considering Andy Phillips, Bubba Crosby, and Matt Smith for the big club? I know not the team for which I root!

Anyone else dare to be creative? There's got to be more CF solutions than the usual talk of Giles and Crosby.

Young
Cheap
and
CRAZY

Give me the fire of a crazy man! Ours is not a fragile clubhouse that he can ruin. Let's get some CRAZY passion.

second: why in the hell does ESPN insider have it that the yanks are talking to scott dumbass about damon?!!?!?

third: sign giles (3 years), play him in RF, DH sheff, let sheff walk next year, sign a great FA CF next winter. with the kind of firepower we would have like giles, all we would need is a solid CF with some speed (bubba) with a smidgen more plate discipline.

After a year like the one we just had, I've personally become more patient as a fan with rookies and whatnot, and I'd really like to see what Crosby could do for a year without any distractions. Bring up some other young'ins from the farm and plug them in too.

In no way did Melky get a fair shot last year - how does ANYONE perform when they're plopped into CF in the middle of a season-long dogfight for the AL East, with one of his first games in the most hostile of hostile territories - Fenway Park?

Seriously, in terms of cost/benefit Bradley gives a solid CF presence and an upgrade from Bubba offensively and he's younger! Now Joe has been known to tame wild creatures before or he'll get shipped out. Plus, I remember Bradley a) having trouble with the law (doesn't break new ground there as a Yankee) and; b) having trouble with Jeff Kent (also doesn't break new ground). If you really want use Rodman as an example, talk about how he came to play (5 titles!) when it mattered because he was surround by a team culture and superstars that demanded it. It's much more common for guys with those egos to put them in check when they're surrounded by beter players than when they're not. And you give Bradley a chance to win, and when teams are winning you rarely hear stuff. Finally, I want a player to charge the mound every now and again, and run over some people at second base. When's the last time a Yankee did either?

My point: it's worth a try especially if it meant a rotation with Giles, Matsui, Shef, and him in the OF and DH slots. MIL-ton BRAD-ley, MIL-ton BRAD-ley...Let's get MEAN and CRAZY!

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/1705006.html

No thanks.

We need - MIL-ton BRAD-ley, MIL-ton BRAD-ley

Crazy is as Crazy does. If all hell breaks loose then you get rid of him. The positives (Young, Cheap, Talented, Crazy) far outweight the negatives (Crazy). Crazy will help, Crazy will hurt. But cross that out and cary the one, and you're left with good times all around esp. a great OF/DH rotation and an injection of some energy. Seriously, where have the ghosts of Munson and Pinella gone?

But I guess there's an upside. The NY press will be so busy writing about his off-field antics, that they'll never get around to reporting that he's just not any good. Never really has been either.

Shawn Clap:
What!? He's not the second coming of Mantle but he'll get the job d-u-n. Check the stats yourself:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4245

And keep in mind he was hurt offensively playing at Dodger Stadium. Check the home/road splits (.799/ .861 OPS).

randym77:
Mondesi was BAD, he wasn't crazy. Lazy is more like it.

wsporter:
Actually, I don't think you want that. Big Papsmear would put MB in line. Egos are tamed by better players. Everett - he just won a World Championship. One more thing that quells egos - winning.

Bottomline: the potential benefits of MIL-ton fall outweighs any cost (Young, Cheap, and Talented, + CRAZY). This team is too damn passive and MIL-ton is too good to pass up for Duncan and another mid-level prospect.

And by the way, any updates on if Duncan is shifting positions and if so, how its going?

Maybe a better option for our bullpen is to just stock it with former starters a la Sturtze and this kid they are talking about. That way, when the inevitable happens and Torre starts to horribly mismanage and overwork the bullpen, at least they will have starter arms...

Jeter could be a role model for him. Jeter just needs to take Bradley out as his wing man for a night out on the town and Bradley will fall into line immediately.

I think its fairly obvious why Matt Smith instead of Colter Bean or Jason Anderson. His main qualification can be summed up in three letters LHP. The only excellent left handed relief out there is BJ Ryan, who would obviously be wasted as a lefty specialist. The value of a mediocre lefty specialist is debatable, but if you're going to have one, you might as well take the one making league minimum. A couple of more relevent questions are why Smith instead of Sean Henn? (I guess they don't want to give up on him as a starter?); and, of course, why god, why Tanyon Sturtze instead of Bean or Anderson? (I guess they just like torturing me?)

Ordinarily, others would be advocating acquiring him without hesitiation. Except for the teensy fact that he's certifiably nuts. Now, I think that's a good thing for this team (recall all the bitch slaps over the past few years). I want a little craziness, in the intense, pregnant wife-beating, kind of way. Who else on this team provides it? He wouldn't damage that clubhouse. He would thrive (thanks Simone for the back!) with the superstars around him and the constant winning.

BTW: I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years and word then was that Giles got shipped out because he was a crappy teammate. Do you not sign him because of it? As my grandmother says - Healll noo. If malcontents produce and we win, everybody's happy, including them.

Poo, poo, all you want but you'll be better served by the platter at a good Chinese restaurant near you.

Look, MIL-ton BRAD-ley is the best option to be had. Young (27), Cheap (2.5 mil with a raise in arbit), and Talented (look up the numbers). Now of course he's CRAZY. But am I the only one that thinks that's a good thing for this team?

If that is the type of GM Cashman is going to be when he has the control then I want someone else.

Bradley's OPS is fairly mundane, though I agree that he has some upside.

Still, I think you're confusing a Ty Cobb/Dick Butkus I will fuck you up two times and giggle at your crippled carcass hyper-intensity type of crazy with Milton Bradley's stammer out into CF in front of a packed stadium wearing nothing but stirrup socks and a jock strap - while mumbling "So tired, so tired..." type of crazy.

Tempting, but no thanks.

Now, all I'm saying is for the cost, upside, age, and availability, he's our man. That doesn't change the fact he's ooglie-googlie. But in our clubhouse he'll be fine. And he is a mound-charger - definitely. In fact, that what has me hyping him. When was the last time a Yank charged anyone? He adds an element the roster lacks. And frankly I'm sick and tired of the staid corporate attitude.

Having Bubba over Bradley/Giles in CF won't be the reason we miss the W.S. in 2006, I can tell you that much. It's going to be the lack of bullpen depth that will have yet again failed to be addressed sufficiently that will prevent this team from getting another ring.

I'd rather give Bubba a chance.

While Duncan has no place at 3B, I remember them talking about moving him to 1B, where we have a hole. And even if we do trade him, it should be for a younger, up and coming player, not a guy like Bradley, who, while not too old, hasn't shown enough to warrent trading for.

Zack-

Even if Duncan were shifted to 1B, and got the back-up role (a big if with Phillips and Vento and etc. in the organization), he'd still be a very part-time player, and for a few seasons at that. Again, I'm not too bright but "a maybe back-up 1B" for a "solid, above average, young CF" seems like a great deal to me. The only reason Bradley is even on the market is because he's bonkers. My point is we should be willing to take that risk for a) the cost (dollars and prospect); b) the need; and c) the TUP.

Now the numbers:
He's 27 - two years younger than Bubba. His first regular playing time (100 games), at the age of 25, had a .922 OPS in Cleveland. Traded to LAD in 2004, his numbers drop because he plays in an extreme pitcher's park (splits = .740 OPS home/.823 away). Yeah, last year he got hurt, BUT he had 13 HRs in 283 AB and home/road split (.799 OPS/ .861 away) shows marked IMPROVEMENT in line with TUP.

Nothing says just cause we get him , all hell breaks free. Bubba is still our insurance (i.e. as Torre says - a guy that catches fly balls). If MB gets hurt, you play Bubba. If he spanks an umpire, you play Bubba. If he makes videos of Shef and his wife, and trys to use them for blackmail, you play Bubba. The fact is we have little use for Duncan except as trade bait, and Bradley is worth the risk. 3rd grade math: (Cheap + Young + Talented + Crazy) - Crazy = Cheap and Young and Talented.