Radical Baseball - Page 4

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 12:33 AM

November 11, 2001
The Yankees kicked off their off-season by making a trade, picking up Durham Bulls (CL) outfielder Jae Butler for two players. Butler, 32, is in the last year of his deal and is set to make $7.7 million next year, so it's no big surprise that the Continental League club sought to slough his contract off.

Butler hit .291 last year with 26 HR and 102 RBI for the Bulls.

Going to Durham are 35-year old outfielder Cory Rheaume, who hit .252 with 6 HR and 43 RBI in his first season with the Yankees, failing to provide the punch to the offense that the team had hoped for when it signed him to a five-year $29.8 million deal last off-season. The Yankees also sent prospect outfielder Shawn Lewis to Durham. The 18-year old was a 9th round pick of the Yankees in this year's draft.

Butler will have the distinction of being the OLDEST player on the Boston roster as of today, with this deal. A note that surprised him greatly.

"Man, I had no idea. That's crazy. Well I hope I can give those guys wisdom or whatever. Especially having signed a deal [in the Continental League], there is stuff you just miss about being in the big leagues that I'm happy to get back to. It's just about the atmosphere."

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 01:13 AM

I think the revelation about how truly young our ballclub is, has sent me scouring the free agency market for players who are veterans.

I'd like to make the playoffs next year and I believe we have the right combination of young talent to do it, but we need guys to come in and help fill spots where necessary.

Looking around, there aren't tons of guys that I'm even interested in. We've made offers for Reginald Baxter (9 HR/102 RBI/.302 last season with Detroit), a 24-year old first baseman and Diego Rojas (.253/19/112 with Angels), a 2nd baseman who I think could help us.

Given the two are the cream of the offensive crop in terms of guys who played in MLB last season, we're likely to get outbid for both of them, as we're not going to get in a bidding war over them.

VORP IS USEFUL
You know, I find that VORP is actually an extremely useful tool in evaluating players statistically. I never imagined it would be and it's nothing I ever used until this season, but, it's extremely handy as ratings tend to correlate, but more important, statistical performance tends to be there. And that's the handiest part of all.

TRADING PROSPECTS
I once heard Joe Morgan (ok, cringe if you hate him..) say on a telecast that he believed that teams had to win within the window that they have and that dealing prospects is part of that. That it'd be nice to watch a guy develop, but sometimes you don't have the luxury of being able to do that.

I look at my current situation and think the same thing. We need proven veterans to help us fill out a roster that won 80+ games with a bunch of kids and with key injuries to guys who are sparkplugs for us.

But I always have a hard time making big deals like that, not so much because I have a hard time dealing with prospects that develop for someone else five years down the line, as much as I always wonder "what if?" and try to hold out with such deals.

But honestly, we've got such a glut of guys right now that I can't even keep all of them if I wanted to, because they'll never play.

It doesn't mean that it's not hard for me to do sometimes.
November 30, 2001
Signed C Manny Lopez to a four-year deal worth $31.9 million. He hit .257 last year with 11 HR and 60 RBI for San Jose and while that amount of money might seem excessive for who should amount to a backup catcher, last season's situation where we essentially got hammered for half the season when our starting catcher went down, we decided that it wasn't worth taking a chance again with a guy who has already proven himself to be more than a little injury prone.

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 01:55 AM

Lorenzo Negron (13-13, 3.60 ERA 193 K in 35 starts with Columbus last year), a 32-year old starting pitcher. We offered him a 4-year deal worth $43.4 million. New York Bombers countered our offer and it doesn't seem likely we'll match. The Bombers signed him to a 4-year deal worth $62.4 million.

Reginald Baxter is a simialr case. We offered him a 4-year deal worth $65.7 million, but a counter offer he received took us out of the mix. The Comets inked him to a 5-year deal worth just over $79 million.

It seems the New York Bombers are responding to the success of the Mets with their own attack to find top talent. They've already signed three top free agents this off-season. "They're really remaking themselves in an already extremely tough division. It'll be intriguing to see what happens to them," said one sportswriter from New York.

But taking a look at the Yankees roster heading into Christmas, the offensive side of the house returns two 30-home guys in catcherVic Ross, who was out for six weeks and outfielder M.A. Charbonneau. So if new acquisition Jae Butler can hold up his end of the bargain upon his return to MLB and first baseman AndreW Cooper is in similar form as last year, but with fewer strikeouts (.256/26 HR/91 RBI/134 strikeouts), the old boys from Boston will be in good shape.

But some Yankees fans are disappointed with the team's approach this off-season.

"It's almost January and our best deal was to get a washed up guy from AAAA and we overpaid for a backup catcher. Is that the best D.C. Daly can do?" was the refrain from a popular sports radio talk show this week.

Daly had no comment, except to say that "we're working hard and the off-season isn't over yet."

With the powers of the Eastern Division already present, it's going to be hard work for the Yankees to break in without making some tough choices regarding who to sign.

LOS ANGELES EMPIRES TO MOVE TO SACRAMENTO
With a MLB team now playing in Riverside, the Los Angeles Empires opted against giving it another go in the LA Metro area and announced the team will be acquired by a Sacramento, CA based group who will relocate the Continental League team for the 2002 season.

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 01:27 PM

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 01:28 PM

From today (12/21/01) on, I've turned off ratings and I'm just using stats, stars and "other ratings" as my evaluation tools. I've never tried it and I think it'll be a nice way to create a "fog of war" without making it completely unenjoyable. So we'll see how it goes.

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 03:10 PM

Here's our roster as of the end of December, 2001:

Code:

POS	#	Name		B	T	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB	CS
	C	32	Vic Ross	R	R	95	352	110	14	2	34	79	64	47	47	.313	.394	.653	1.047	0	0
	LF	21	M. Charbonneau	R	R	151	594	168	23	4	31	102	99	81	86	.283	.370	.492	.861	7	2
	LF	35	Jae Butler	R	R	130	492	143	28	2	26	102	84	87	77	.291	.399	.514	.914	3	2
	1B	53	Andrew Cooper	L	L	158	620	159	31	4	26	91	81	70	134	.256	.331	.445	.777	3	0
	RF	20	Miguel Martínez	L	L	154	639	172	48	8	13	86	92	11	77	.269	.298	.430	.729	1	2
	3B	38	Mike Ryan	L	R	155	603	191	31	1	12	76	87	71	58	.317	.396	.431	.827	5	6
	C	6	Manny López	R	R	139	491	126	36	2	11	60	59	55	67	.257	.341	.405	.746	0	3
	2B	14	Mino Nishikawa	L	R	55	199	54	10	4	5	27	35	31	14	.271	.381	.437	.818	16	4
	CF	33	Jacob Snow	L	L	85	275	71	13	4	5	26	38	29	39	.258	.329	.389	.718	13	7
	RF	4	Toki Endo	S	R	135	452	117	28	6	3	54	42	41	84	.259	.330	.367	.697	0	4
	SS	15	Michael Warren	L	R	89	235	55	13	0	2	25	30	40	40	.234	.345	.315	.660	7	3
	SP	26	Brennan Atkins	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	SP	25	Paul Harden	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	SP	18	Jorge Montés	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	SP	36	Luis Morales	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	2B	5	Scott Noble	S	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	SP	19	Ralph Oliver	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	CL	7	Francisco Ortíz	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	MR	44	Jorge Santollo	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	MR	52	Jesús Saucedo	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	MR	40	Curt Taylor	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	SP	82	Jeremy Thompson	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
	SP	13	Álvaro Vega	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0

Here are the pitching stats from last season:

Code:

	POS	#	Name		B	T	G	GS	W	L	SV	IP	HA	HR	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	AVG	CG	SHO
	SP	26	Brennan Atkins	R	R	33	33	16	9	0	228.0	223	19	101	89	59	164	3.51	.253	2	0
	SP	19	Ralph Oliver	L	L	32	32	15	8	0	235.2	207	31	107	101	86	215	3.86	.238	2	1
	SP	25	Paul Harden	R	R	30	30	13	10	0	207.2	216	10	103	81	67	144	3.51	.267	1	0
	SP	36	Luis  Morales	L	L	32	32	11	9	0	189.0	190	14	92	87	81	161	4.14	.262	0	0
	CL	7	Francisco Ortíz	R	R	61	0	8	7	35	64.0	79	9	36	28	14	51	3.94	.310	0	0
	SP	13	Álvaro Vega	L	L	19	19	8	6	0	144.2	105	10	37	32	28	152	1.99	.200	3	2
	MR	52	Jesús Saucedo	R	R	52	1	7	4	2	96.0	106	10	59	50	47	51	4.69	.285	0	0
	MR	44	Jorge Santollo	R	R	54	0	4	4	4	69.1	63	1	31	27	28	28	3.50	.242	0	0
	SP	82	Jeremy Thompson	R	R	26	19	2	10	0	109.0	141	19	83	74	39	51	6.11	.313	0	0
	MR	40	Curt Taylor	L	L	33	0	1	1	3	40.1	39	5	17	17	15	14	3.79	.257	0	0
	LF	35	Jae Butler	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	LF	21	M.A. CharbonneauR	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	1B	53	Andrew Cooper	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	RF	4	Toki Endo	S	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	C	6	Manny López	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	RF	20	Miguel Martínez	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	SP	18	Jorge Montés	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	2B	14	Mino Nishikawa	L	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	2B	5	Scott Noble	S	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	C	32	Vic Ross	R	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	3B	38	Mike Ryan	L	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	CF	33	Jacob Snow	L	L	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0
	SS	15	Michael Warren	L	R	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	0	0

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 03:15 PM

Here's the stats on Manuel Mateo, a rfghtfielder that we've made an offer on. He'd be our biggest free agent signing of the off-season and likely, the only offer we're intending to make.

We had to counteroffer after the Bombers made an offer and he's yet to get back to us, so we'll see....the salaries are roughly real world in the current universe and so, based on that, I wonder what you'd pay for a guy putting up these kinds of numbers.

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 03:25 PM

Nevermind, we were outbid by a lot. Our last offer was for 6-year/$126 million. No way I would've touched this number.

darkcloud4579 · 09-25-2007, 05:50 PM

FINANCIAL SYSTEM INFORMATION
As you might have noticed, the promised lower division that would be below the Continental League never materialized. I started to do it and I decided that 32 teams in the majors and 12 in the lower division were enough. I'd be far more inclined to contract from MLB than I would be to add more teams at either level right now.

IN MLB, I have teams making $125m per year in media money. In all of my 07 dynasties, I've modeled the financials in such a way to combined ALL the media money from national tv and radio, internet and other licensing to come up with a number that works for me. In addition, I've taken to give the big city teams a "deep pocketed owner" bonus which rewards them with more cash. It's totally arbitrary with the New York and Dodgers doing better than say, the Angels or the Chicago Comets and the Cubs -- though not owned by Tribune in this dynasty -- getting a bump too because of the power of their brand.

That all being said, the team budgets are pretty close to parity, which I like, without making it like the NFL where talent has little to do with it, but it's plausible that teams can be bad one year and be good in a few more if they play their cards right and it doesn't require overspending.

The Mets have the highest "budget" in MLB at $248 million and the newly promoted Orioles the lowest at $184 million.

In the Continental League, the salary cap was $32.5 million last year and it'll be $35 million this year. There is a cash maximum of $5 million that went to $10 million this year and that keeps things pretty even and mostly it prevents them from going out and signing some guy to ridiculous contracts. The highest paid players in the Continental League are guys who'd probably be 4th or 5th outfielders in MLB. It didn't start that way, but with teams like mine -- and PC teams -- wise enough to know that there is talent down there worth raiding and so, that league turns into a place where teams send not quite ripe prospects to get better.

Meanwhile, there remains a team or two that hold on to veterans that they got in earlier years in an attempt to make it up to the big show. Tampa's a team to watch this year and MLB certainly has the teams that it's sitting on pins and needless to watch, as there are markets that are desirable in that league that would be suitable in the majors, too.

As far as choices to move/contract, the team moves in the Continental League are driven by attendance and market size. You could see a scenario where say, a team in the Continental League with a brand that's got some cache (say, the Chicago White Sox) spend too much time in the CL, could 'sell' their brand and market rights to a team that's promoted.

So for instance, would MLB rather have a third team in Chicago again or one team in Richmond? I have no idea what that determination would be, but I can see that scenario coming down the pipe someday.

I would like to concoct a future where say, a team from Toledo or Rochester or Sarnia could make it from the 4th division to the Major Leagues on pure grit, determination and all of that crap. But....we're not there yet, I don't think. And I'm not 100% sure this dynasty will ever get there.

But it is something I'd like to see maybe.

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 02:10 AM

CONTRACTION COULD BE COMING
February 10, 2002
Major League Baseball officials have been rumbling about an idea that would change the game even more than it's already been changed. Some owners are privately grumbling about the idea that some teams are just taking and taking the revenue checks from the media money that MLB teams get, versus the ones that are actually competing for a championship.

Some owners are pushing for a plan that would demote up to six teams by 2005, based on their win percentage over a three year period starting this year.

That said, no agreement has been reached to make this happen.

"It'd be a radical move, but it would at the same time serve as a mechanism for improving play at the Continental League level," said one baseball observer.

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 01:44 PM

2002 SEASON PREVIEW
The off-season for the Boston Yankees hasn't been as dramatic this year as it's been in past seasons. We're basically bringing back a lot of the same cast of characters going into this year and the reason for it is simple. With such a young team, I need another year (at least) to see how some of these guys break out and how well they respond to being in the majors. As a result, I wanted to just give it a bit of time before going any further with it.

Here are the payroll breakdowns as of March 2002:

Code:

Rank	Team			Payroll
1	Pittsburgh Pirates	$100,285,080
2	New York Bombers	$84,016,750
3	Atlanta Athletics	$74,039,300
4	Chicago Comets		$69,974,240
5	Riverside Red Sox	$68,158,000
6	Boston Yankees		$68,129,450
7	San Diego Padres	$65,055,000
8	Philadelphia Colonials	$61,200,956
9	Toronto Blue Sox	$60,871,110
10	Baltimore Orioles	$56,574,925
11	Los Angeles Dodgers	$56,435,800
12	Kansas City Royals	$55,137,500
13	Detroit Tigers		$54,358,200
14	Houston Astros		$49,210,080
15	Brooklyn Cyclones	$48,917,500
16	New York Mets		$48,711,010
17	Texas Rangers		$48,009,550
18	St. Louis Cardinals	$44,396,100
19	Washington Diplomats	$44,168,200
20	San Jose Captains	$43,185,770
21	Cincinnati Reds		$41,981,000
22	Salt Lake City Bees	$41,480,900
23	Florida Marlins		$40,860,520
24	Chicago Cubs		$40,449,900
25	San Antonio Aviators	$39,394,338
26	Minnesota Twins		$38,800,000
27	Seattle Mariners	$38,598,100
28	Columbus Clippers	$36,795,800
29	Arizona Diamondbacks	$36,603,000
30	Colorado Rockies	$34,990,860
31	San Francisco Giants	$26,932,300
32	Los Angeles Angels	$19,833,760

Here are the highest paid players in MLB:

Code:

Rank	Player		 Team		Salary	 
1	Ricardo González Los Angeles	$20,510,000	 
2	Manuel Mateo	Baltimore	$20,015,000	 
3	Carlos Rivera	Philadelphia	$16,865,000	 
4	Joaquín Márquez	Atlanta		$16,595,000	 
5	Roberto Flores	New York	$15,895,000	 
6	Boyd O'Manning	Los Angeles	$14,030,000	 
7	José Gonzáles	Pittsburgh	$13,620,000	 
8	Larry Morris	New York	$13,220,000	 
9	Juan Álvarez	Texas		$13,010,000	 
10	Zi-jing Gui	New York	$13,005,000	 
11	Pedro Medine	Chicago		$12,870,000	 
12	Felipe Ríos	Florida		$12,485,000	 
13	Garry Lewis	Pittsburgh	$12,350,000	 
14	Jed Stinson	Riverside	$12,255,000	 
15	Daniel Quiñonez	San Diego	$12,140,000	 
16	Jorge Quiñones	Detroit		$11,895,000	 
17	Rick McKee	Pittsburgh	$11,835,000	 
18	Frank Thomas	Riverside	$11,645,000	 
19	Lorenzo Negrón	New York	$11,520,000	 
20	Pedro Rodríguez	Washington	$11,490,000	 
21	Joe Thomas	Pittsburgh	$11,465,000	 
22	Danny Randall	Houston		$11,130,000	 
23	Teodoro Flores	Atlanta		$11,015,000	 
24	Mike Ryan	Boston		$11,010,000	 
25	António Gallegos Riverside	$10,970,000

Here are the Continental League payroll figures:

Code:

Rank	Team			Payroll
1	Tampa Bay Rays		$30,078,915
2	Nevada Silverhawks	$26,141,265
3	Sacramento Snappers	$24,092,735
4	Portland Beavers	$23,255,150
5	Durham Bulls		$20,274,675
6	Vancouver Whitecaps	$18,680,125
7	Chicago White Sox	$16,399,621
8	Monterrey Matadors	$14,813,440
9	Montreal Expos		$14,760,869
10	Cleveland Indians	$12,390,375
11	Richmond Braves		$12,055,000
12	New Orleans Zephyrs	$10,058,020

Here are the highest paid players in the Continental League:

Code:

Rank	Player		Team		Salary	 
1	Zach Mitchell	Nevada		$8,445,000	 
2	Brennan Atkins	Chicago		$8,360,000	 
3	Manuel Bernard	Tampa Bay	$7,740,000	 
4	Pedro Ramos	Sacramento	$7,320,000	 
5	Cory Rheaume	Durham		$6,770,000	 
6	Tomás Flores	Tampa Bay	$6,470,000	 
7	Jean Nguyen	Nevada		$5,867,500	 
8	Tom Gunter	Durham		$5,805,000	 
9	Edward Bishop	Sacramento	$5,740,800	 
10	Henry Kowalski	New Orleans	$5,490,000	 
11	Juan Guzmán	Portland	$5,310,000	 
12	Ricardo Beltrán	Tampa Bay	$5,010,000	 
13	Francisco Casteneda Montreal	$4,615,000	 
14	Gary Hatch	Monterrey	$4,370,000	 
15	Juan López	Portland	$3,972,500	 
16	Dave Blevins	Vancouver	$3,948,750	 
17	Norberto Ávila	Cleveland	$3,910,000	 
18	Mario Palácios	Portland	$3,860,000	 
19	Eric Cozart	Nevada		$3,830,000	 
20	Jeffrey Napper	Montreal	$3,697,500	 
21	James Gibson	Cleveland	$3,495,000	 
22	Orlando Hernández Sacramento	$2,887,500	 
23	Nelson Ruíz	Sacramento	$2,760,000	 
24	Domingo Garza	Tampa Bay	$2,695,000	 
25	Jimmy Everett	Chicago		$2,587,500

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 01:51 PM

I made two deals in March and both were a consideration of the fact that 1) they were overpaid and 2) I had guys who I felt would be more productive this year and so, it was a little difficult to do since I just acquired them both last year, but I dealt them in separate trades.

Brennan Atkins, you might remember came over in a deal from the Chicago White Sox last year before they got relegated. We sent him back there for a reliever and a prospect.

Dealing Japanese upstart Toki Endo was a bit more challenging, as we had to eat about $5 million of his salary to get Salt Lake City to take him. Also going in this deal was Andrew Cooper, who is a fan favourite and a player I had high hopes for. But Dan Warren is the same age, hit more homers last year (35) and RBI (109) and has hit .300 in both of his full major league seasons, while Cooper has the potential to do that as a homerun hitter (26 HR/91 RBI last year) but only hit .256 last year and well, given the woeful status of our offense last year, I felt that the guy with the more demonstrated pop might be a better acquisition and so, I pulled the trigger.

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 02:18 PM

BATTING
Mino Nishikawa starts the year as the full-timer at 2nd base this year after playing in 55 games last year and hitting .271, he had 16 steals in 20 attempts and is the leadoff man to begin the year.

Mike Ryan came over in the deal from the Chicago Comets for Tom Keough and will hopefully provide some pop in the lineup for the Yanks in the #2 hole. He hit 12 HR and 76 RBI last year on .317 average.

Newly acquired first baseman Dan Warren comes to town with high expectations after replacing the popular Andrew Cooper, but with 40 HR potential from his bat, the fans might warm up to him pretty quickly.

M.A. Charbonneau plays from the DH position, where he hopes to improve on 31 HR and 102 RBI last year.

Vic Ross will hope to have a healthier year than last year at the catcher spot. Despite the injury, he hit 34 HR and .313 average in just 352 at-bats.

Jae Butler comes over from the Continental League and is likely the biggest wild card on the ballclub, as many wonder how many of those 26 HR and 102 RBI he hit last year in the CL will translate to the majors. He's the guy we're watching most to see if he can keep his starting position all year.

Miguel Martinez bats eighth and mans right field. He hit .269 with 13 HR and 86 RBI last year for the Yanks.

Batting ninth is Michael Warren is a highly touted 20-year old who already has half a season in the majors under his belt. After hitting just .234 last year in 235 ABs, the Yanks area hoping a whole season at the post will give him the confidence to reach his full potential.

PITCHING
On the pitching side of the house, the Yankees again trot out a gang of youngsters by and large.

The lone veteran of the staff is 31-year old Paul Harden who came over from Durham at mid-season last year and went 6-5, with a 3.94 ERA in 15 starts with the Yanks.

While there is no definitive ace on the squad, the team is hoping that left-handed youngsters Alvaro Vega (8-6, 1.99), Ralph Oliver (15-8, 3.86) and Luis Manuel Morales (11-9, 4.14) can turn the league on its head as they've all had a year of major league experience under their belt. Rounding out the rotation is Jeremy Thompson who went 2-10 with a 6.11 ERA in 19 starts after entering the rotation last year, but the club is hoping he can turn it around this year.

Closer Francisco Ortiz is in the last year of his deal after going 8-7 with 35 saves last year.

The Yanks freed up enough salary in the deals to move Atkins and Endo that if they need to make a deal or two at the deadline, that we can make that happen. We still have ample prospects to do that, too.

Speaking of top prospects, I'll review who we have on the farm next.

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 02:51 PM

Baseball America's list of top Boston Yankees prospects was released. Here are some of the highlights:

SS Vin Reilly
The 18-year old Aussie shortstop was the third round pick of the Yankees in the 2000 draft. He projects as a great fielder with utility potential, who can hit for contact and power. He's the whole package and his teammates have nicknamed him "Vin Diesel." He's still got a few years before he could make an impact at the major league level, though. He's on the major league roster as of this season, but he doesn't fact to get lots of time to show his stuff and will likely go back and forth between minor league Long Beach Island and Boston.

C Chris Elliott
19-year catcher from Georgia was signed a minor league free agent. Has excellent catching skills and has the potential to be a solid hitter at the big league level. Still a few years away. Projected ML Debut: 2005

OF Antonio Medina
Signed as a 15-year old free agent out of Chile, Medina could be the first Chilean to make the majors dsomeday. He's got excellent speed on the basepaths, but still needs to learn how to hit a curveball. Has fantastic upside, though. ML Debut: 2007

Jordan Andrews
Second baseman from Indianapolis is a sure-handed fielder who was picked in the 7th round of the draft. Has the ability to be a solid hitter, but still needs a lot of seasoning before he'll be a factor at Yankee Field. ML Debut: 2006

SP Saku Kawano
Japanese starting pitcher acquired as a free agent. At 17, he's already looking like a complete package, with strong control and effective movement off the plate. This is his first season of ball in the U.S., so it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts. Could be transitioned to the bullpen at some point in his career. ML Debut: 2006

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 04:14 PM

JUNE 1, 2002 STANDINGS

Near mid-season, the relegation zone is full of teams that are playing for their major league lives. Meanwhile, the Yankees lead the Eastern Division and trying to stay atop the division to capture their first Eastern Division title since 1995.

MLB STANDINGS

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston Yankees		43	22	.662	-
New York Bombers	40	25	.615	3.0
Pittsburgh Pirates	38	25	.603	4.0
New York Mets		38	26	.594	4.5
Brooklyn Cyclones	37	27	.578	5.5
Toronto Blue Sox	36	29	.554	7.0
Baltimore Orioles	32	32	.500	10.5
Philadelphia Colonials	22	42	.344	20.5

American Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago Comets		42	22	.656	-
Detroit Tigers		37	28	.569	5.5
St. Louis Cardinals	37	28	.569	5.5
Colorado Rockies	35	31	.530	8.0
Kansas City Royals	33	32	.508	9.5
Chicago Cubs		32	33	.492	10.5
Columbus Clippers	27	38	.415	15.5
Minnesota Twins		21	44	.323	21.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles Dodgers	38	26	.594	-
Los Angeles Angels	35	30	.538	3.5
Salt Lake City Bees	31	33	.484	7.0
Seattle Mariners	31	34	.477	7.5
Riverside Red Sox	27	36	.429	10.5
San Jose Captains	27	36	.429	10.5
San Diego Padres	26	38	.406	12.0
San Francisco Giants	24	40	.375	14.0

National Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Cincinnati Reds		44	22	.667	-
Texas Rangers		35	30	.538	8.5
Houston Astros		29	34	.460	13.5
Atlanta Athletics	29	35	.453	14.0
San Antonio Aviators	28	37	.431	15.5
Washington Diplomats	27	37	.422	16.0
Florida Marlins		26	38	.406	17.0
Arizona Diamondbacks	23	40	.365	19.5

Meanwhile, Tampa is leading the Continental League East, with Cleveland and Durham not too far behind. In the West, Nevada is looking to their first playoff appearance ever, with the entire division less than seven games behind.

Code:

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Tampa Bay Rays		23	14	.622	-
Cleveland Indians	20	17	.541	3.0
Durham Bulls		20	17	.541	3.0
Richmond Braves		20	17	.541	3.0
Montreal Expos		17	20	.459	6.0
New Orleans Zephyrs	10	27	.270	13.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Nevada Silverhawks	22	15	.595	-
Monterrey Matadors	21	16	.568	1.0
Vancouver Whitecaps	19	18	.514	3.0
Chicago White Sox	17	20	.459	5.0
Portland Beavers	17	20	.459	5.0
Sacramento Snappers	16	21	.432	6.0

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 05:21 PM

YANKS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A NEW STADIUM
BOSTON -- Riding the wave of their current first place standing, the Boston Yankees unveiled plans today for a brand new ballpark in South Boston to replace aging Yankee Field at Fenway Park.

The grandstand of the new ballpark will be a modern interpretation of the old South End Grounds (http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/sthend.htm)

The new $676 million ballpark on the Boston Harbor will be completed by the 2006 season and will have dimensions that take some of the elements of Fenway (the new park will have a green monster) while incorporating newer features, as well.

The controversy over whether the team should move has been scuttled since the ownership of the Yankees will be footing the bill for the ballpark, with the exception of $120 million in tax abatements given to the team by the city for the land around the harbor, but that will be paid for in taxes by the new hotel and convention center developments that are expected to be built near the ballpark.

The as-of-yet named park will seat an estimated 51000 fans.

WHAT THE DIFFERENCE?
The 2002 Yankees are three seasons removed from the 2000 club that was the worst team in franchise history. What's the difference? Well, it starts with a few distinctions.

First, the team's 3.54 ERA is the best team ERA in baseball and the team is top 5 in most major pitching category, except for home runs allowed (10th in MLB)

On the offensive side, the team has become more electric than ever. The Yanks are 3rd in slugging percentage (.473), 2 in team home runs (98) and 3rd in runs scored (393).

Jeremy Thompson has emerged as the ace of the staff, going 9-2 so far this season with a 2.87, already exceeding his career win total (8) this season. Not to be outdone, Paul Harden and Ralph Oliver are 2nd on the team in wins with 8.

Offensively, Mike Ryan leads the team with a .343 batting average this season. While M.A. Charbonneau leads the team with 23 homers, 2nd most in MLB behind former Yankees slugger Andrew Cooper who is now in Salt Lake City. The guy he was traded for Dan Warren has 17 HR and a team leading 63 RBI this season, just three behind the major league lead.

So the bottom line is, so far it seems that the Yanks are firing on all cylinders and that's helping the team achieve success that it's not seen in recent years.

The question is, can they sustain it for an entire year?

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 06:20 PM

This deal achieved two things for us. It gave us a veteran arm that we could keep around as insurance and it replaced an underperforming player with a guy who is not only a future Hall of Famer, but who is a gamer and a great influence in the clubhouse.

Spencer Jacobs is 36 years old and has spent his whole career in San Francisco. He's got 3,087 career hits, 576 career home runs and a career .313 hitter.

When the deal was announced, Jacobs said it was hard for to make the move, but "I knew in the end that this was better for the Giants, because it gave them some young guys that they could build with.

The three players they got in return, Scott Jacobs is likely to be the team's new shortstop and Jesus Saucedo will go from Boston's bullpen to the Giants rotation, as the team hopes to stave off a trip to the Challenge Series with less than half the season to go.

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 07:21 PM

This deal not only saved us some money (Serrano makes less than Ryan), but Baty was accustomed to starting and wasn't as effective for us in relief for the brief time he was here. Serrano is obviously a huge upgrade at third base offensively and since today was the deadline and he became available to us, I thought it made sense to try to bolster the club heading into the final stretch of the year. We'll see if it pays off...

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 08:17 PM

PLAYOFF DROUGHTS
--
I was curious what teams in MLB had never made the playoffs or had long World Series droughts.

Here are the results of that 'research'.

* Only three teams have never made the playoffs. Riverside, which joined the league in 2001, Salt Lake City, which was promoted in 2001 and Baltimore, which came from the CL last year.

*Of the founding clubs (1969), the fewest playoff appearance is five. Florida, Texas and the LA Dodgers have this distinction. None of the three have won a World Series.

* The Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs have the most playoff appearances at 18 each. The Cubs have 2 World Series titles, the Royals 1.

*San Antonio, which joined MLB in 1980 as an expansion team has 10 playoff appearances and 5 World Series titles, the most titles of any team. The New York Mets have 4 World Series titles, the most of any founding club.

PLAYOFF DROUGHTS
---
Houston (1991)
Minnesota (1993)
New York Bombers (1992)
San Antonio (1995)
San Diego (1991)
Washington (1994)
Boston (1995)

MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS
September 1, 2002

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston Yankees		90	54	.625	-
Brooklyn Cyclones	89	54	.622	.5
New York Bombers	85	60	.586	5.5
New York Mets		85	60	.586	5.5
Pittsburgh Pirates	78	66	.542	12.0
Toronto Blue Sox	73	71	.507	17.0
Baltimore Orioles	69	74	.483	20.5
Philadelphia Colonials	50	94	.347	40.0

American Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago Comets		99	45	.688	-
St. Louis Cardinals	81	63	.563	18.0
Chicago Cubs		75	69	.521	24.0
Detroit Tigers		75	69	.521	24.0
Kansas City Royals	73	70	.510	25.5
Columbus Clippers	72	73	.497	27.5
Colorado Rockies	70	76	.479	30.0
Minnesota Twins		47	97	.326	52.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles Angels	88	56	.611	-
Los Angeles Dodgers	78	65	.545	9.5
San Diego Padres	68	77	.469	20.5
Seattle Mariners	67	78	.462	21.5
Salt Lake City Bees	63	81	.438	25.0
Riverside Red Sox	61	82	.427	26.5
San Francisco Giants	61	82	.427	26.5
San Jose Captains	61	83	.424	27.0

National Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Cincinnati Reds		83	62	.572	-
Texas Rangers		74	71	.510	9.0
San Antonio Aviators	71	72	.497	11.0
Houston Astros		70	73	.490	12.0
Florida Marlins		66	79	.455	17.0
Atlanta Athletics	65	79	.451	17.5
Washington Diplomats	60	84	.417	22.5
Arizona Diamondbacks	58	86	.403	24.5

CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
September 1, 2002

Code:

			W	L	PCT	GB
Minnesota Twins		47	97	.326	-
Philadelphia Colonials	50	94	.347	3
Arizona Diamondbacks	58	86	.403	11

While not exactly a pennant race by traditional standards, the race for the Continental League playoffs
are heating up and it's the first time that entering September that we haven't seen one team completely
running away with both divisions. In the east, Richmond and Montreal are deadlocked, with Tampa not far behind.
In the West, defending West champs Monterrey are looking for a return trip to the Guinness Cup Series, with the White Sox
battling for a shot to regain their major league glory, sitting 4 games back with less than a month to go.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Montreal Expos		67	52	.563	-
Richmond Braves		67	52	.563	-
Tampa Bay Rays		63	56	.529	4.0
Durham Bulls		60	59	.504	7.0
Cleveland Indians	57	62	.479	10.0
New Orleans Zephyrs	53	66	.445	14.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Monterrey Matadors	64	55	.538	-
Chicago White Sox	60	59	.504	4.0
Nevada Silverhawks	58	61	.487	6.0
Portland Beavers	57	62	.479	7.0
Vancouver Whitecaps	56	63	.471	8.0
Sacramento Snappers	52	67	.437	12.0

darkcloud4579 · 09-26-2007, 08:28 PM

BERLIN, GERMANY TO HOST 2002 MLB CHALLENGE SERIES
The Berlin Olympiastadion will play host to the 2002 MLB Challenge Series. Last year's was held at historic Lord's Cricket Oval in London, before sellout
crowds each of the three days of the event. This year, the event travels to mainland Europe to a site that's actually played host to baseball before. In 1936 during the Berlin Olympics, the Olympiastadion played host to the largest attended baseball game in history - believed to be over 100,000 fans. While no one is expecting such record crowds for this year's event, the anticipation of baseball's return to Germany excites both Germans and Americans stationed abroad with the U.S. military.

"We're thrilled man. Even if it is a matchup between a team that's bad and another one, it's still baseball," said Capt. John Henry of the U.S. Army. MLB has already announced that it will give away nearly 10,000 tickets over the Series to soliders wanting to attend and their families.

"Some dads stationed there never get a chance to take their sons and daughters to a baseball game. We'd love to be able to do our best to make that experience happen," said MLB spokesman Jacob Mitters.

09-25-2007, 01:55 AM	#63
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	Lorenzo Negron (13-13, 3.60 ERA 193 K in 35 starts with Columbus last year), a 32-year old starting pitcher. We offered him a 4-year deal worth $43.4 million. New York Bombers countered our offer and it doesn't seem likely we'll match. The Bombers signed him to a 4-year deal worth $62.4 million. Reginald Baxter is a simialr case. We offered him a 4-year deal worth $65.7 million, but a counter offer he received took us out of the mix. The Comets inked him to a 5-year deal worth just over $79 million. It seems the New York Bombers are responding to the success of the Mets with their own attack to find top talent. They've already signed three top free agents this off-season. "They're really remaking themselves in an already extremely tough division. It'll be intriguing to see what happens to them," said one sportswriter from New York. But taking a look at the Yankees roster heading into Christmas, the offensive side of the house returns two 30-home guys in catcherVic Ross, who was out for six weeks and outfielder M.A. Charbonneau. So if new acquisition Jae Butler can hold up his end of the bargain upon his return to MLB and first baseman AndreW Cooper is in similar form as last year, but with fewer strikeouts (.256/26 HR/91 RBI/134 strikeouts), the old boys from Boston will be in good shape. But some Yankees fans are disappointed with the team's approach this off-season. "It's almost January and our best deal was to get a washed up guy from AAAA and we overpaid for a backup catcher. Is that the best D.C. Daly can do?" was the refrain from a popular sports radio talk show this week. Daly had no comment, except to say that "we're working hard and the off-season isn't over yet." With the powers of the Eastern Division already present, it's going to be hard work for the Yankees to break in without making some tough choices regarding who to sign. LOS ANGELES EMPIRES TO MOVE TO SACRAMENTO With a MLB team now playing in Riverside, the Los Angeles Empires opted against giving it another go in the LA Metro area and announced the team will be acquired by a Sacramento, CA based group who will relocate the Continental League team for the 2002 season. Last edited by darkcloud4579; 09-25-2007 at 01:22 PM.

09-26-2007, 01:51 PM	#72
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	I made two deals in March and both were a consideration of the fact that 1) they were overpaid and 2) I had guys who I felt would be more productive this year and so, it was a little difficult to do since I just acquired them both last year, but I dealt them in separate trades. Brennan Atkins, you might remember came over in a deal from the Chicago White Sox last year before they got relegated. We sent him back there for a reliever and a prospect. Dealing Japanese upstart Toki Endo was a bit more challenging, as we had to eat about $5 million of his salary to get Salt Lake City to take him. Also going in this deal was Andrew Cooper, who is a fan favourite and a player I had high hopes for. But Dan Warren is the same age, hit more homers last year (35) and RBI (109) and has hit .300 in both of his full major league seasons, while Cooper has the potential to do that as a homerun hitter (26 HR/91 RBI last year) but only hit .256 last year and well, given the woeful status of our offense last year, I felt that the guy with the more demonstrated pop might be a better acquisition and so, I pulled the trigger. Last edited by darkcloud4579; 09-26-2007 at 01:54 PM.

09-26-2007, 08:17 PM	#79
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	PLAYOFF DROUGHTS -- I was curious what teams in MLB had never made the playoffs or had long World Series droughts. Here are the results of that 'research'. * Only three teams have never made the playoffs. Riverside, which joined the league in 2001, Salt Lake City, which was promoted in 2001 and Baltimore, which came from the CL last year. Of the founding clubs (1969), the fewest playoff appearance is five. Florida, Texas and the LA Dodgers have this distinction. None of the three have won a World Series. The Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs have the most playoff appearances at 18 each. The Cubs have 2 World Series titles, the Royals 1. San Antonio, which joined MLB in 1980 as an expansion team has 10 playoff appearances and 5 World Series titles, the most titles of any team. The New York Mets have 4 World Series titles, the most of any founding club. PLAYOFF DROUGHTS --- Houston (1991) Minnesota (1993) New York Bombers (1992) San Antonio (1995) San Diego (1991) Washington (1994) Boston (1995) MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS* September 1, 2002 Code: Eastern Division W L PCT GB Boston Yankees 90 54 .625 - Brooklyn Cyclones 89 54 .622 .5 New York Bombers 85 60 .586 5.5 New York Mets 85 60 .586 5.5 Pittsburgh Pirates 78 66 .542 12.0 Toronto Blue Sox 73 71 .507 17.0 Baltimore Orioles 69 74 .483 20.5 Philadelphia Colonials 50 94 .347 40.0 American Division W L PCT GB Chicago Comets 99 45 .688 - St. Louis Cardinals 81 63 .563 18.0 Chicago Cubs 75 69 .521 24.0 Detroit Tigers 75 69 .521 24.0 Kansas City Royals 73 70 .510 25.5 Columbus Clippers 72 73 .497 27.5 Colorado Rockies 70 76 .479 30.0 Minnesota Twins 47 97 .326 52.0 Western Division W L PCT GB Los Angeles Angels 88 56 .611 - Los Angeles Dodgers 78 65 .545 9.5 San Diego Padres 68 77 .469 20.5 Seattle Mariners 67 78 .462 21.5 Salt Lake City Bees 63 81 .438 25.0 Riverside Red Sox 61 82 .427 26.5 San Francisco Giants 61 82 .427 26.5 San Jose Captains 61 83 .424 27.0 National Division W L PCT GB Cincinnati Reds 83 62 .572 - Texas Rangers 74 71 .510 9.0 San Antonio Aviators 71 72 .497 11.0 Houston Astros 70 73 .490 12.0 Florida Marlins 66 79 .455 17.0 Atlanta Athletics 65 79 .451 17.5 Washington Diplomats 60 84 .417 22.5 Arizona Diamondbacks 58 86 .403 24.5 CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS September 1, 2002 Code: W L PCT GB Minnesota Twins 47 97 .326 - Philadelphia Colonials 50 94 .347 3 Arizona Diamondbacks 58 86 .403 11 While not exactly a pennant race by traditional standards, the race for the Continental League playoffs are heating up and it's the first time that entering September that we haven't seen one team completely running away with both divisions. In the east, Richmond and Montreal are deadlocked, with Tampa not far behind. In the West, defending West champs Monterrey are looking for a return trip to the Guinness Cup Series, with the White Sox battling for a shot to regain their major league glory, sitting 4 games back with less than a month to go. CONTINENTAL LEAGUE STANDINGS Code: Eastern Division W L PCT GB Montreal Expos 67 52 .563 - Richmond Braves 67 52 .563 - Tampa Bay Rays 63 56 .529 4.0 Durham Bulls 60 59 .504 7.0 Cleveland Indians 57 62 .479 10.0 New Orleans Zephyrs 53 66 .445 14.0 Western Division W L PCT GB Monterrey Matadors 64 55 .538 - Chicago White Sox 60 59 .504 4.0 Nevada Silverhawks 58 61 .487 6.0 Portland Beavers 57 62 .479 7.0 Vancouver Whitecaps 56 63 .471 8.0 Sacramento Snappers 52 67 .437 12.0 Last edited by darkcloud4579; 09-26-2007 at 08:28 PM.

09-25-2007, 12:33 AM	#61
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	November 11, 2001 The Yankees kicked off their off-season by making a trade, picking up Durham Bulls (CL) outfielder Jae Butler for two players. Butler, 32, is in the last year of his deal and is set to make $7.7 million next year, so it's no big surprise that the Continental League club sought to slough his contract off. Butler hit .291 last year with 26 HR and 102 RBI for the Bulls. Going to Durham are 35-year old outfielder Cory Rheaume, who hit .252 with 6 HR and 43 RBI in his first season with the Yankees, failing to provide the punch to the offense that the team had hoped for when it signed him to a five-year $29.8 million deal last off-season. The Yankees also sent prospect outfielder Shawn Lewis to Durham. The 18-year old was a 9th round pick of the Yankees in this year's draft. Butler will have the distinction of being the OLDEST player on the Boston roster as of today, with this deal. A note that surprised him greatly. "Man, I had no idea. That's crazy. Well I hope I can give those guys wisdom or whatever. Especially having signed a deal [in the Continental League], there is stuff you just miss about being in the big leagues that I'm happy to get back to. It's just about the atmosphere."

09-25-2007, 01:13 AM	#62
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	I think the revelation about how truly young our ballclub is, has sent me scouring the free agency market for players who are veterans. I'd like to make the playoffs next year and I believe we have the right combination of young talent to do it, but we need guys to come in and help fill spots where necessary. Looking around, there aren't tons of guys that I'm even interested in. We've made offers for Reginald Baxter (9 HR/102 RBI/.302 last season with Detroit), a 24-year old first baseman and Diego Rojas (.253/19/112 with Angels), a 2nd baseman who I think could help us. Given the two are the cream of the offensive crop in terms of guys who played in MLB last season, we're likely to get outbid for both of them, as we're not going to get in a bidding war over them. VORP IS USEFUL You know, I find that VORP is actually an extremely useful tool in evaluating players statistically. I never imagined it would be and it's nothing I ever used until this season, but, it's extremely handy as ratings tend to correlate, but more important, statistical performance tends to be there. And that's the handiest part of all. TRADING PROSPECTS I once heard Joe Morgan (ok, cringe if you hate him..) say on a telecast that he believed that teams had to win within the window that they have and that dealing prospects is part of that. That it'd be nice to watch a guy develop, but sometimes you don't have the luxury of being able to do that. I look at my current situation and think the same thing. We need proven veterans to help us fill out a roster that won 80+ games with a bunch of kids and with key injuries to guys who are sparkplugs for us. But I always have a hard time making big deals like that, not so much because I have a hard time dealing with prospects that develop for someone else five years down the line, as much as I always wonder "what if?" and try to hold out with such deals. But honestly, we've got such a glut of guys right now that I can't even keep all of them if I wanted to, because they'll never play. It doesn't mean that it's not hard for me to do sometimes. November 30, 2001 Signed C Manny Lopez to a four-year deal worth $31.9 million. He hit .257 last year with 11 HR and 60 RBI for San Jose and while that amount of money might seem excessive for who should amount to a backup catcher, last season's situation where we essentially got hammered for half the season when our starting catcher went down, we decided that it wasn't worth taking a chance again with a guy who has already proven himself to be more than a little injury prone.

09-25-2007, 01:27 PM	#64
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712

09-25-2007, 01:28 PM	#65
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	From today (12/21/01) on, I've turned off ratings and I'm just using stats, stars and "other ratings" as my evaluation tools. I've never tried it and I think it'll be a nice way to create a "fog of war" without making it completely unenjoyable. So we'll see how it goes.

09-25-2007, 03:15 PM	#67
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	Here's the stats on Manuel Mateo, a rfghtfielder that we've made an offer on. He'd be our biggest free agent signing of the off-season and likely, the only offer we're intending to make. We had to counteroffer after the Bombers made an offer and he's yet to get back to us, so we'll see....the salaries are roughly real world in the current universe and so, based on that, I wonder what you'd pay for a guy putting up these kinds of numbers.

09-25-2007, 03:25 PM	#68
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	Nevermind, we were outbid by a lot. Our last offer was for 6-year/$126 million. No way I would've touched this number.

09-25-2007, 05:50 PM	#69
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	FINANCIAL SYSTEM INFORMATION As you might have noticed, the promised lower division that would be below the Continental League never materialized. I started to do it and I decided that 32 teams in the majors and 12 in the lower division were enough. I'd be far more inclined to contract from MLB than I would be to add more teams at either level right now. IN MLB, I have teams making $125m per year in media money. In all of my 07 dynasties, I've modeled the financials in such a way to combined ALL the media money from national tv and radio, internet and other licensing to come up with a number that works for me. In addition, I've taken to give the big city teams a "deep pocketed owner" bonus which rewards them with more cash. It's totally arbitrary with the New York and Dodgers doing better than say, the Angels or the Chicago Comets and the Cubs -- though not owned by Tribune in this dynasty -- getting a bump too because of the power of their brand. That all being said, the team budgets are pretty close to parity, which I like, without making it like the NFL where talent has little to do with it, but it's plausible that teams can be bad one year and be good in a few more if they play their cards right and it doesn't require overspending. The Mets have the highest "budget" in MLB at $248 million and the newly promoted Orioles the lowest at $184 million. In the Continental League, the salary cap was $32.5 million last year and it'll be $35 million this year. There is a cash maximum of $5 million that went to $10 million this year and that keeps things pretty even and mostly it prevents them from going out and signing some guy to ridiculous contracts. The highest paid players in the Continental League are guys who'd probably be 4th or 5th outfielders in MLB. It didn't start that way, but with teams like mine -- and PC teams -- wise enough to know that there is talent down there worth raiding and so, that league turns into a place where teams send not quite ripe prospects to get better. Meanwhile, there remains a team or two that hold on to veterans that they got in earlier years in an attempt to make it up to the big show. Tampa's a team to watch this year and MLB certainly has the teams that it's sitting on pins and needless to watch, as there are markets that are desirable in that league that would be suitable in the majors, too. As far as choices to move/contract, the team moves in the Continental League are driven by attendance and market size. You could see a scenario where say, a team in the Continental League with a brand that's got some cache (say, the Chicago White Sox) spend too much time in the CL, could 'sell' their brand and market rights to a team that's promoted. So for instance, would MLB rather have a third team in Chicago again or one team in Richmond? I have no idea what that determination would be, but I can see that scenario coming down the pipe someday. I would like to concoct a future where say, a team from Toledo or Rochester or Sarnia could make it from the 4th division to the Major Leagues on pure grit, determination and all of that crap. But....we're not there yet, I don't think. And I'm not 100% sure this dynasty will ever get there. But it is something I'd like to see maybe.

09-26-2007, 02:10 AM	#70
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	CONTRACTION COULD BE COMING February 10, 2002 Major League Baseball officials have been rumbling about an idea that would change the game even more than it's already been changed. Some owners are privately grumbling about the idea that some teams are just taking and taking the revenue checks from the media money that MLB teams get, versus the ones that are actually competing for a championship. Some owners are pushing for a plan that would demote up to six teams by 2005, based on their win percentage over a three year period starting this year. That said, no agreement has been reached to make this happen. "It'd be a radical move, but it would at the same time serve as a mechanism for improving play at the Continental League level," said one baseball observer.

09-26-2007, 02:18 PM	#73
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	BATTING Mino Nishikawa starts the year as the full-timer at 2nd base this year after playing in 55 games last year and hitting .271, he had 16 steals in 20 attempts and is the leadoff man to begin the year. Mike Ryan came over in the deal from the Chicago Comets for Tom Keough and will hopefully provide some pop in the lineup for the Yanks in the #2 hole. He hit 12 HR and 76 RBI last year on .317 average. Newly acquired first baseman Dan Warren comes to town with high expectations after replacing the popular Andrew Cooper, but with 40 HR potential from his bat, the fans might warm up to him pretty quickly. M.A. Charbonneau plays from the DH position, where he hopes to improve on 31 HR and 102 RBI last year. Vic Ross will hope to have a healthier year than last year at the catcher spot. Despite the injury, he hit 34 HR and .313 average in just 352 at-bats. Jae Butler comes over from the Continental League and is likely the biggest wild card on the ballclub, as many wonder how many of those 26 HR and 102 RBI he hit last year in the CL will translate to the majors. He's the guy we're watching most to see if he can keep his starting position all year. Miguel Martinez bats eighth and mans right field. He hit .269 with 13 HR and 86 RBI last year for the Yanks. Batting ninth is Michael Warren is a highly touted 20-year old who already has half a season in the majors under his belt. After hitting just .234 last year in 235 ABs, the Yanks area hoping a whole season at the post will give him the confidence to reach his full potential. PITCHING On the pitching side of the house, the Yankees again trot out a gang of youngsters by and large. The lone veteran of the staff is 31-year old Paul Harden who came over from Durham at mid-season last year and went 6-5, with a 3.94 ERA in 15 starts with the Yanks. While there is no definitive ace on the squad, the team is hoping that left-handed youngsters Alvaro Vega (8-6, 1.99), Ralph Oliver (15-8, 3.86) and Luis Manuel Morales (11-9, 4.14) can turn the league on its head as they've all had a year of major league experience under their belt. Rounding out the rotation is Jeremy Thompson who went 2-10 with a 6.11 ERA in 19 starts after entering the rotation last year, but the club is hoping he can turn it around this year. Closer Francisco Ortiz is in the last year of his deal after going 8-7 with 35 saves last year. The Yanks freed up enough salary in the deals to move Atkins and Endo that if they need to make a deal or two at the deadline, that we can make that happen. We still have ample prospects to do that, too. Speaking of top prospects, I'll review who we have on the farm next.

09-26-2007, 02:51 PM	#74
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	Baseball America's list of top Boston Yankees prospects was released. Here are some of the highlights: SS Vin Reilly The 18-year old Aussie shortstop was the third round pick of the Yankees in the 2000 draft. He projects as a great fielder with utility potential, who can hit for contact and power. He's the whole package and his teammates have nicknamed him "Vin Diesel." He's still got a few years before he could make an impact at the major league level, though. He's on the major league roster as of this season, but he doesn't fact to get lots of time to show his stuff and will likely go back and forth between minor league Long Beach Island and Boston. C Chris Elliott 19-year catcher from Georgia was signed a minor league free agent. Has excellent catching skills and has the potential to be a solid hitter at the big league level. Still a few years away. Projected ML Debut: 2005 OF Antonio Medina Signed as a 15-year old free agent out of Chile, Medina could be the first Chilean to make the majors dsomeday. He's got excellent speed on the basepaths, but still needs to learn how to hit a curveball. Has fantastic upside, though. ML Debut: 2007 Jordan Andrews Second baseman from Indianapolis is a sure-handed fielder who was picked in the 7th round of the draft. Has the ability to be a solid hitter, but still needs a lot of seasoning before he'll be a factor at Yankee Field. ML Debut: 2006 SP Saku Kawano Japanese starting pitcher acquired as a free agent. At 17, he's already looking like a complete package, with strong control and effective movement off the plate. This is his first season of ball in the U.S., so it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts. Could be transitioned to the bullpen at some point in his career. ML Debut: 2006

09-26-2007, 05:21 PM	#76
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	YANKS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A NEW STADIUM BOSTON -- Riding the wave of their current first place standing, the Boston Yankees unveiled plans today for a brand new ballpark in South Boston to replace aging Yankee Field at Fenway Park. The grandstand of the new ballpark will be a modern interpretation of the old South End Grounds (http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/sthend.htm) The new $676 million ballpark on the Boston Harbor will be completed by the 2006 season and will have dimensions that take some of the elements of Fenway (the new park will have a green monster) while incorporating newer features, as well. The controversy over whether the team should move has been scuttled since the ownership of the Yankees will be footing the bill for the ballpark, with the exception of $120 million in tax abatements given to the team by the city for the land around the harbor, but that will be paid for in taxes by the new hotel and convention center developments that are expected to be built near the ballpark. The as-of-yet named park will seat an estimated 51000 fans. WHAT THE DIFFERENCE? The 2002 Yankees are three seasons removed from the 2000 club that was the worst team in franchise history. What's the difference? Well, it starts with a few distinctions. First, the team's 3.54 ERA is the best team ERA in baseball and the team is top 5 in most major pitching category, except for home runs allowed (10th in MLB) On the offensive side, the team has become more electric than ever. The Yanks are 3rd in slugging percentage (.473), 2 in team home runs (98) and 3rd in runs scored (393). Jeremy Thompson has emerged as the ace of the staff, going 9-2 so far this season with a 2.87, already exceeding his career win total (8) this season. Not to be outdone, Paul Harden and Ralph Oliver are 2nd on the team in wins with 8. Offensively, Mike Ryan leads the team with a .343 batting average this season. While M.A. Charbonneau leads the team with 23 homers, 2nd most in MLB behind former Yankees slugger Andrew Cooper who is now in Salt Lake City. The guy he was traded for Dan Warren has 17 HR and a team leading 63 RBI this season, just three behind the major league lead. So the bottom line is, so far it seems that the Yanks are firing on all cylinders and that's helping the team achieve success that it's not seen in recent years. The question is, can they sustain it for an entire year?

09-26-2007, 06:20 PM	#77
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	This deal achieved two things for us. It gave us a veteran arm that we could keep around as insurance and it replaced an underperforming player with a guy who is not only a future Hall of Famer, but who is a gamer and a great influence in the clubhouse. Spencer Jacobs is 36 years old and has spent his whole career in San Francisco. He's got 3,087 career hits, 576 career home runs and a career .313 hitter. When the deal was announced, Jacobs said it was hard for to make the move, but "I knew in the end that this was better for the Giants, because it gave them some young guys that they could build with. The three players they got in return, Scott Jacobs is likely to be the team's new shortstop and Jesus Saucedo will go from Boston's bullpen to the Giants rotation, as the team hopes to stave off a trip to the Challenge Series with less than half the season to go.

09-26-2007, 07:21 PM	#78
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	This deal not only saved us some money (Serrano makes less than Ryan), but Baty was accustomed to starting and wasn't as effective for us in relief for the brief time he was here. Serrano is obviously a huge upgrade at third base offensively and since today was the deadline and he became available to us, I thought it made sense to try to bolster the club heading into the final stretch of the year. We'll see if it pays off...

09-26-2007, 08:28 PM	#80
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	BERLIN, GERMANY TO HOST 2002 MLB CHALLENGE SERIES The Berlin Olympiastadion will play host to the 2002 MLB Challenge Series. Last year's was held at historic Lord's Cricket Oval in London, before sellout crowds each of the three days of the event. This year, the event travels to mainland Europe to a site that's actually played host to baseball before. In 1936 during the Berlin Olympics, the Olympiastadion played host to the largest attended baseball game in history - believed to be over 100,000 fans. While no one is expecting such record crowds for this year's event, the anticipation of baseball's return to Germany excites both Germans and Americans stationed abroad with the U.S. military. "We're thrilled man. Even if it is a matchup between a team that's bad and another one, it's still baseball," said Capt. John Henry of the U.S. Army. MLB has already announced that it will give away nearly 10,000 tickets over the Series to soliders wanting to attend and their families. "Some dads stationed there never get a chance to take their sons and daughters to a baseball game. We'd love to be able to do our best to make that experience happen," said MLB spokesman Jacob Mitters.