DODGERS SIGN YAMAMOTO ALL WHILE JACK CURRY WAS "SMILING"

Jack Curry is by far the best when it comes to getting us Yankee fans information.  He doesn't overstep. He's cautious and smart in his delivery. It's what makes him one of the greatest assets when it comes to us Yankee fans trying to get information.  When it comes to inside information, he's not about to fumble all over other insiders, he keeps it real and thorough and reports the information as it happens. I applaud that... we all should.  It's journalistic integrity at it's best. It's why I started to read him all those years ago with the Times.

Last night was a weird night as a Yankee fan.  I think most of us thought that Yoshinobu Yamamoto was about to be a New York Yankee.  Jack Curry did nothing wrong but offer us information that he was getting real time.  And he did it as a true professional.

Jack Curry confirms that the Yankees have made a substantial offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and adds that he's inching closer to a decision

"Stay tuned to this show because you don't know what's gonna happen across the next 60 minutes." pic.twitter.com/wNpvmebe24

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) December 22, 2023

But for some reason the Yankee Twitter Universe made it appear that he was withholding information like the Yankees were seconds away from signing Yamamoto, or already did and was waiting for his 'OK' to give the announcement. Many Yankee fans made it feel like he was a kid in a candy store who just stole the coveted lollipop but was waiting to leave the shop to show all of us he nabbed it.  

I think what Yankee fans did was speculate way too much last night... so much so that Jack Curry was trending on Twitter for a bit. That's not fair to Jack.  Here's the good thing though, when the time was right it was Jack that got it right and us Yankee fans made sure everyone knew that Jack's our guy... the smart one... the thorough one... the one that never gives up on the story because he knows we are all depending on him.    

Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers... and sadly the false narrative Yankee fans pushed about Jack "knowing something" about perhaps Yamamoto going to the Yankees was exposed.  In the end, Jack was always Jack, professional in delivery and doing it with a smile and that's all he was doing.  Yankee Twitter just got ahead of themselves and made that "smile" a thing I guess.  

The New York Post writes:

"The Yankees and Mets went all-in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto — and struck out.

Instead of becoming the next Japanese star in The Bronx or Queens, Yamamoto will join Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed. The signing was first reported by the YES Network.

The winning bid for the 25-year-old right-hander was for 12 years and $325 million..."

And you gotta love this. Alot of folks went after Heyman, protecting Jack once it broke, because after all it was Jack that broke it first.  In fairness, Heyman in his article did give YES credit, but should have been specific to Jack.

I chalk the Jack smile up to confidence. He was on a tight rope last night and the Yankee universe was watching and following his every word and he was extraordinary.   This is the stuff that I applaud so much in this world of baseball insiders and baseball commentators. Getting the story right.  Too often many of these guys get sloppy.  Last night I wanted to hear the Yamamoto news just as bad as you.  But I was marveling at how Jack was delivering. He's good... he'd damn good and I tip my cap.

So what happens now? Yankee fans will be mad at Cashman, but why?  Look, I have my own issues with Brian Cashman, but in the end there's gotta be a limit.  Think about this, the Dodgers just paid this guy $325 million for 12 years and he's never thrown a pitching in the Major Leagues.  I'm not saying he can't be successful in the states. What I'm saying is it feels like a $325 million deal to have two Japanese teammates reunite.  

It's weird to me.  The bottom line is the Yankees had a limit, and that limit was reached.  You can get mad at Cashman all you want, but I call it smart.

And what happens next? We wait and see if this guy can deliver and right now we enjoy the holiday and then hopefully the Yankees can pick up another pitcher or 2 to bolster our rotation.  It's really what we need right now.

In the end, it was a crazy night.  I salute Jack for some great work and of course Bob Lorenz. I tip my cap to the Yankee fans that stayed in on it, and I chuckle at the ones that speculated their pants off last night.  It's speculation that's ruined a lot of great journalism over the past few years. Bad guesses ruin careers and credibility. But Jack never reported wrong.  Sure, this is a Yamamoto post, but it's also a post about good commentary and reporting.

Nice work Jack Curry! You never disappoint.