Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I am a Yankees fan and this is scaring me because I am afraid all of these players will not mix They didn't mix in 77 or 78. Clubhouse chemestry has always been a load of crap. Tell that to Yankee teams from 1996-2001. They weren't a team full of superstars yet they won 4 titles in 6 years. Team chemistry had nothing to do with that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cartman 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I am a Yankees fan and this is scaring me because I am afraid all of these players will not mix They didn't mix in 77 or 78. Clubhouse chemestry has always been a load of crap. Tell that to Yankee teams from 1996-2001. They weren't a team full of superstars yet they won 4 titles in 6 years. Team chemistry had nothing to do with that? *faints* WOW I'm so impressed to see someone else here with a brain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I am a Yankees fan and this is scaring me because I am afraid all of these players will not mix They didn't mix in 77 or 78. Clubhouse chemestry has always been a load of crap. Tell that to Yankee teams from 1996-2001. They weren't a team full of superstars yet they won 4 titles in 6 years. Team chemistry had nothing to do with that? *faints* WOW I'm so impressed to see someone else here with a brain. Weren't a team full of superstars? Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Alfonso Soriano, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry (yeah he's GREAT for team chemistry), Tim Raines, Jimmy Key, Dwight Gooden, John Wetteland, Tino Martinez, David Cone, David Wells, David Justice, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina aren't superstars? The Yankees won because they had a great team with little or no weaknesses. Not because of some mythical force that suddenly makes you win ballgames when everyone gets along. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Give me a break. This is called the open market. You can earn as much money as you can, and spend as much as you want. There is nothing preventing the other 29 teams from doing what the Yankees have done. NOTHING. The Yankees have built this team fair and square. I hate them, but I applaud them. Sure there is. People make more money in NYC than in other places. Go talk to KC and see how much the locals make there. Then the owners have to adjust ticket prices to suit the people who live around their team. You really don't know much of sports economics if you think every team can openly throw $200mill out to players and not go bankrupt. Of course I don't think every team could spend $200 million. Frankly, I do think the Yankees will collapse in a few years, because it just doesn't make sense. No good business lets their costs spiral out of control like this. Really, the Yankees have to spend, because they've built an empire based on winning. If they lose out on the playoffs, people stop going to games, buying marchandise, and watching the YES Network. If the Yankees revenue stream dries up, then they are really screwed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted February 17, 2004 As I've said all winter long, who cares. Maddux is not the same Maddux and I'd be surprised if he keeps his ERA below 4 and a whip below 1.30. Does this improve the Yankees? Eh, slightly. Anythings an upgrade over Lieber. With that said, Rotoworld says: Reports that Greg Maddux will sign with the Yankees appear to be untrue. So yeah, ESPN jumping the gun? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Give me a break. This is called the open market. You can earn as much money as you can, and spend as much as you want. There is nothing preventing the other 29 teams from doing what the Yankees have done. NOTHING. The Yankees have built this team fair and square. I hate them, but I applaud them. Sure there is. People make more money in NYC than in other places. Go talk to KC and see how much the locals make there. Then the owners have to adjust ticket prices to suit the people who live around their team. You really don't know much of sports economics if you think every team can openly throw $200mill out to players and not go bankrupt. Not everyone but Carl Poland, BILLIONAIRE owner of the Twins could if he wanted but he chooses not to. Not defending Steinbrenner as the Yankees pull a profit every year even with their payroll. If he had to handle a small market team and dip into his own money I don't know if he'd be so generous. There are plenty of owners out there who have the money to spend but just simply don't want to. It's a shame because the Poland's, David Glass', and Steve Schott's of the world could help prevent the Yankees (and Red Sox for that matter, how soon you Boston fans forget) from signing and trading for so many high priced players. The Yankees don't only sign these players because they have the money, they also sign them because other teams are unwilling to pay the going rate for many of them. There's a huge difference between spending within your budget and spending to throw money away. The Yankees will recoup every cent of the $200 million they're paying their roster this year. No other team can say that. The Yankees are the only team that can spend $200 million on players AND still say they're running their club like a business. Boston could've had A-Rod, but couldn't fork over the extra cash needed to get him, while the Yankees could. THAT is the big difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HarleyQuinn 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Yankees payroll is now at $184.60 Million. Still, I find it somewhat hard to believe that teams like the White Sox($57.49 Mill), Blue Jays($45.28 Mill), Reds($35.82 Mill), Braves($69.73 Mill) and Astros($62.20 Mill) couldn't spend upwards of at least $70-80+ Mill like the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lightning Flik 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Remember HarleyQuinn, whenever you are taking into account finances of any Canadian franchise, you must remember we are bound by our own money. Hence that $45 mil US, is really $70 mil to us. The difference in money really makes or breaks us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jobber of the Week 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Give me a break. This is called the open market. You can earn as much money as you can, and spend as much as you want. There is nothing preventing the other 29 teams from doing what the Yankees have done. NOTHING. The Yankees have built this team fair and square. I hate them, but I applaud them. The problem isn't that the Yankees buy all the talent, the problem is that they buy them at such high prices. Take a look at total spending of everybody in the league and you'll see that nobody spends anything close to New York. This Yankees inflation drives up the price of players like mad. So it's not that they hire these guys, it's that they overpay for so many of them that the price of MLB players on a whole is on the rise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HarleyQuinn 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 WEEI is saying that Maddux is supposedly going to sign with the Yankees by the end of the week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brush with Greatness 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Why is it that every other single person in North America is allowed to be an unabashed capitalist if they so choose, but pro athletes are still expected to play "for love of the game" as if their sole purpose is to entertain other people and not make a living for themselves? Is that what getting payed 20 million dollars a year to play sports is? Making a living? An athlete couldn't make a couple hundred thousand a year and earn a living. The Yankees don't only sign these players because they have the money, they also sign them because other teams are unwilling to pay the going rate for many of them. The problem is, the so called going rate for these players is set by the Yankees to begin with. The teams (or team) in this case establish the market value. Its why a guy can go to abitration and say look "the Yankees pay so-and-so 15 million a year and he hit .275 with 15 homers and 60 rbis, therefore my value is 15 million because I had equal numbes." So yeah, you can say no other teams can pay the going rate, but that is because the Yankees drive up that growing rate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fökai 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Yankees payroll is now at $184.60 Million. Still, I find it somewhat hard to believe that teams like the White Sox($57.49 Mill), Blue Jays($45.28 Mill), Reds($35.82 Mill), Braves($69.73 Mill) and Astros($62.20 Mill) couldn't spend upwards of at least $70-80+ Mill like the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies? I hardly doubt that $8-12 million more will be the key factor in another NL East championship for the Braves - none of their free agents were worth signing to the extensions they received (Sheffield, Lopez, possible Maddux signing) and most of the free agents weren't convincing enough to Schuerholtz to reconsider cutting team salary. Basically, teams like the Braves are doing poorly in attendance, despite any established playoff contentions. Last season, Schuerholtz fielded the greatest offensive unit they've had in Braves history, and they stil struggled to fill the stadium at even 60% capacity. You have to start cutting costs in order to maintain any semblance of a profit. Do the Yankees need to worry about such concerns? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 The problem is, the so called going rate for these players is set by the Yankees to begin with. The teams (or team) in this case establish the market value. Its why a guy can go to abitration and say look "the Yankees pay so-and-so 15 million a year and he hit .275 with 15 homers and 60 rbis, therefore my value is 15 million because I had equal numbes." So yeah, you can say no other teams can pay the going rate, but that is because the Yankees drive up that growing rate. Not true. The Yankees spending has not exceeded most teams on individual players. They just have alot of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I hardly doubt that $8-12 million more will be the key factor in another NL East championship for the Braves - none of their free agents were worth signing to the extensions they received (Sheffield, Lopez, possible Maddux signing) and most of the free agents weren't convincing enough to Schuerholtz to reconsider cutting team salary. Basically, teams like the Braves are doing poorly in attendance, despite any established playoff contentions. Last season, Schuerholtz fielded the greatest offensive unit they've had in Braves history, and they stil struggled to fill the stadium at even 60% capacity. You have to start cutting costs in order to maintain any semblance of a profit. Do the Yankees need to worry about such concerns? The Braves drew 2.4 million last season. That's hardly a cause for a mass salary dumping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cpac Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I love how people bash the yankees starting pitching. I have a couple of questions about the red sox starting pitching. Isn't Curt Schilling 38 and coming off a boatload of injuries? Cause that is all I hear about Kevin Brown. Isn't Pedro the pitcher with the shoulder that is hanging on by a thread? How many left handing starters do the red sox have??? Because all I hear is how the yankees dont have any lefties. Who are the 4th and the 5th pitchers for the red sox? Tim gives up pennant to the yankees Wakefield and Byung Yung Cant save a game Kim? Isn't Derek Blowe coming off a subpar year? Yet all people do is bash the Yankees starters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fökai 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I hardly doubt that $8-12 million more will be the key factor in another NL East championship for the Braves - none of their free agents were worth signing to the extensions they received (Sheffield, Lopez, possible Maddux signing) and most of the free agents weren't convincing enough to Schuerholtz to reconsider cutting team salary. Basically, teams like the Braves are doing poorly in attendance, despite any established playoff contentions. Last season, Schuerholtz fielded the greatest offensive unit they've had in Braves history, and they stil struggled to fill the stadium at even 60% capacity. You have to start cutting costs in order to maintain any semblance of a profit. Do the Yankees need to worry about such concerns? The Braves drew 2.4 million last season. That's hardly a cause for a mass salary dumping. ...and the league average was 2.27 million. How is it that a team only drew (exact number) 127,271 more than the league average, a per game average of 1,571 people, when they were tied for the best record in the majors? Additionally, their worst home attendance figures since 1991. They averaged a shade above 30,000 for the home games, which has been on a steady decline since Turner Field opened in 1997. Stadium capacity: 50,000. 1997: 42,771 1998: 41,492 1999: 40,554 2000: 39,930 2001: 34,858 2002: 32,142 2003: 30,393 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 Isn't Curt Schilling 38 and coming off a boatload of injuries? Cause that is all I hear about Kevin Brown. He's coming off one, non-pitching related injury. How many left handing starters do the red sox have??? Because all I hear is how the yankees dont have any lefties. The Red Sox don't play in a park built to favor left handed pitchers. Who are the 4th and the 5th pitchers for the red sox? Tim gives up pennant to the yankees Wakefield and Byung Yung Cant save a game Kim? Try Byung Hyun "A career K rate of over one an inning and only 25" Kim. And to criticize Tim Wakefield for one pitch is kind of silly, isn't it? By that logic, the Yankees suck, because they couldn't hit in the Series, and therefore they're incapable of hitting at all. The real problem with the Yankees is that they have NO appreciable starting help outside of their rotation. Meanwhile the Red Sox aren't sunk if they have a rash of injuries. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 WOW I'm so impressed to see someone else here with a brain. Weren't a team full of superstars? Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Alfonso Soriano, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry (yeah he's GREAT for team chemistry), Tim Raines, Jimmy Key, Dwight Gooden, John Wetteland, Tino Martinez, David Cone, David Wells, David Justice, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina aren't superstars? The Yankees won because they had a great team with little or no weaknesses. Not because of some mythical force that suddenly makes you win ballgames when everyone gets along. Wade Boggs, Doc Gooden, Darryle Strawberry, Tim Raines, and Jimmy Key where no longer superstar players when they played for the Yankees. They where veteran players, who contributed to the Yankees success. On the opposite side Soriano only came into his own in 2001, and Posada shared alot of the catching duties with Joe Giradi up until 1999 or 2000. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2004 You know, with this Yankees line-up and pitching staff there is only one man for the coaching job. EARL WEAVER! Fire Joe Torre and bring in the man who Yankee fans were afraid of! The insane Earl Weaver with his "Swing away you c**ks*cker!" coaching approach. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 18, 2004 I am a Yankees fan and this is scaring me because I am afraid all of these players will not mix They didn't mix in 77 or 78. Clubhouse chemestry has always been a load of crap. Tell that to Yankee teams from 1996-2001. They weren't a team full of superstars yet they won 4 titles in 6 years. Team chemistry had nothing to do with that? It think Team Chemistry helps, but is in no way shame or form a necessity. Like I said, The Bronx Zoo was more or less a group of men who hated each other. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob E Dangerously 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2004 The only places where chemistry is useful is pitcher/catcher and maybe with RBI situations or whatever. Not alot of things depend upon cooperation in baseball Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2004 My only question...where is the speed? Is Kenny Lofton the speed of the Yankees? Other than that, I don't see a hole. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2004 Jeter, A-Rod and Bernie Williams are all capable runners. You don't really need the stolen base to win ballgames, especially in this era. You know, with this Yankees line-up and pitching staff there is only one man for the coaching job. EARL WEAVER! Fire Joe Torre and bring in the man who Yankee fans were afraid of! The insane Earl Weaver with his "Swing away you c**ks*cker!" coaching approach. Earl Weaver would benefit any team, provided he still has his facilities. The amazing thing about Weaver is that, with the exception of his comeback year in '86, he never had a losing record. And he HATED the sacrifice bunt. He understood the stupidity of giving the other team a free out. If you can track it down, Weaver On Strategy is an excellent book. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 18, 2004 Jeter, A-Rod and Bernie Williams are all capable runners. You don't really need the stolen base to win ballgames, especially in this era. Isn't Bernie having knee problems? And My God, just seeing the word "Weaver" causes my eye to twitch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2004 Isn't Bernie having knee problems? And My God, just seeing the word "Weaver" causes my eye to twitch. Somewhat, but five steals in five tries indicates some skill. And he still plays center field, which requires mobility. The point is, he's no Jeremy Giambi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Anglesault Report post Posted February 18, 2004 (edited) Isn't Bernie having knee problems? And My God, just seeing the word "Weaver" causes my eye to twitch. And he still plays center field, which requires mobility. He only really has it in one direction. Edited February 18, 2004 by Anglesault Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted February 18, 2004 Isn't Bernie having knee problems? And My God, just seeing the word "Weaver" causes my eye to twitch. Somewhat, but five steals in five tries indicates some skill. And he still plays center field, which requires mobility. The point is, he's no Jeremy Giambi. Actually Lofton is taking over in CF with Williams being the DH now. How this will effect Jason Giambi having to play 1st base all the time is questionable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2004 A new twist, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution claims Maddux is on the verge of signing with the Chicago Cubs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted February 18, 2004 A new twist, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution claims Maddux is on the verge of signing with the Chicago Cubs. In all honesty, if Cubs had to "out-bid" Yankees, do you think they will avoid going bankrupt? Steinbrenner: I'll give you $100Mil a year plus an unlimited supply of Alcoholic Chicken Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2004 Well the Boss did say they hadn't talked with Maddux. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
