BYB WOULD HAVE TAKEN A CHANCE ON VOGELSONG

Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted that it appears the San Francisco Giants are close to a deal with Ryan Vogelsong.

I'm hearing the #sfgiants are moving toward a deal to re-sign starter Ryan Vogelsong.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) November 28, 2013

Vogelsong is a good pitcher. Not outstanding but in the Bronx, he would be a solid number 3 or 4.  Don't forget, the Yankees have only CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova and a lot of money in a safe somewhere in the Tri-state area for Masahiro Tanaka, assuming he will become available. That is yet to be seen considering Nippon Baseball and Major League Baseball are still negotiating how it all works between the 2 parties.

That leaves a handful of free-agents pitchers.  Ryan Vogelsong was one we mentioned in a piece called PITCHING FITS, written by Chad R MacDonald where he simply wrote:

"The real prize in San Francisco is Vogelsong. Bookmark that guy and check on him a lot. There is amazing talent and potential there. Should the Giants loosen their grip on him, the Yankees should wrest Ryan Vogelsong away. He would be the one I would go after."

Smart statement, but the Yankees aren't listening. Oh well.

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PITCHING FITS

The Yankees rotation next year will definitely include Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia, aaaaaand…

Oh my. Houston, we have a problem. What’s that Houston? The Astros are your problem? Okay, conceded.

 Not to be all doom and gloom here, but just who will be taking the mound for the Yankees next year? CC Sabathia isn’t going anywhere. Yeah, he’s had a bad year. But his contract and fat stats will keep him in Pinstripes. He will be a starter, and one can only hope he will improve on this season.

Ivan Nova has firmly re-gained his Starter status. He dropped his ERA almost two full points to 3.17 from his disastrous 2012 campaign, when it was 5.02. He has been a solid and confident presence on the mound, and has earned the trust of the team once more. He will be a starter after improving on last season.

Hiroki Kuroda will be lost to the Free Agent Pool, along with Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. Three Yankee starters potentially gone. Kind of a big hole, don’t you think?

The price to keep Kuroda will most likely be too high for what he provides now. Hiroki has been very good during his time in New York. But cracks in his armor have been showing lately. This is not to say a deal shouldn’t get done. But it seems unlikely. It would have to be bottom dollar, and that’s hard to pull off in today’s MLB.
 

Phil Hughes. Fans have had their Phil of Hughes. They are calling for a Phil-a-buster. He is a Land-Phil of putrescence. Hughes has not been wonder-Phil, he has been disgrace-Phil. His stuff? Not so Phil-thy. I am Chock Phil of Hughes jokes.

So yeah, the one definite thing you can take from this article? Phil Hughes will not be back. No, he will end up somewhere else, find his talent again and win the Cy Young or something. Because that will make us all love him, right?

That leaves the Free Agent Pool. It is silly to try and guess who will end up where. Instead, let us take the attitude that I have been granted a wish to be GM for a day, with unlimited acquisition powers. Who would I select to fill out the rotation and why?

James Shields will be the prettiest girl at the dance, so to speak. Shields has lived up to his nickname “Big Game James” this year with the Royals. He sports a respectable ERA of 3.38, has gone 11-9, and most importantly, has the ability to beat the Tampa Bay Rays consistently. That is something the Yankees definitely need from a starter.

The bad news on Shields is he ain’t going to be cheap. He is easily the most desirable starter on the upcoming market, and everyone will be after him. The Red Sox may let Jon Lester go in order to secure him. Kansas City will try to re-sign him.

Expect the San Francisco Giants in the mix. They have Matt Cain and Madison Bumgartner locked up, and would be foolish not to pick up the option on Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants will be losing a grip on Chad Gaudin, Barry Zito, and Tim Lincecum. It is hard to believe they will hang on to all of them. Zito should be avoided. Gaudin would be an improvement over Hughes. That leaves The Freak.

It’s hard to believe that the Giants won’t sign him, but if they don’t, the Yankees should take a good look at Lincecum. He will be expensive and there is a risk element to that, always, but Freak seems to be returning to big game form. Relocation to Yankee Stadium might just re-energize him.

The real prize in San Francisco is Vogelsong. Bookmark that guy and check on him a lot. There is amazing talent and potential there. Should the Giants loosen their grip on him, the Yankees should wrest Ryan Vogelsong away. He would be the one I would go after.

Ubaldo Jimenez will be available, and he should be left that way. He has proven to be inconsistent and unreliable. Jon Lester should also be left alone. Same with Roy Oswalt. If you are going to go for those guys, you might as well just bring back Freddy Garcia.

Then we have those pitchers who have, at one time or another pitched for the Blue Jays; Shaun Marcum, Josh Johnson, AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, and Ted Lilly. Stay away from everyone who has ever worn a Toronto uniform.

Except one.

Roy Halladay will hit the market in 2014, after missing much of the season due to injury. But he is on the mound again when most expected him to not pitch again this year. He is doing terribly. Doc is 3-4, with an un-Halladay ERA of 7.19. There are those who say he is old and tired. That he is done. They are wrong.
If the Yankees can get Roy Halladay, they should. This writer has seen Doc perform in Toronto many times.

The man is exquisite. He has a training regimen second to none. He is dedicated, focused, and an unquestioned leader. He would bring up the level of New York’s entire staff just with his presence.

Roy Halladay has not won a Ring yet. You know he wants one. He is straining for it. Doc would be the answer to many questions. Yes he would be a roll of the dice. But so was Andy.

So, were I GM for a day, and given the unlimited ability to sign whomever I wanted from the Free Agent Pool next year, my rotation would be CC Sabathia, James Shields, Roy Halladay, Ivan Nova, and Ryan Vogelsong. I think that rotation will scare everyone else.

And while I am wishing, I would like a pony.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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THAT'S RIGHETTI SPAGHETTI TO YOU!

It was another Fourth of July in the New Dorp section of Staten Island.  Affectionately known as the war zone, Jefferson Ave. on July 4th was a mini Macy’s Fireworks Extravaganza in the 80s.   Blazing jumping jacks, streams of firecrackers and cherry bombs, and fiery bottle rockets colored the pavement of the town house covered street.   However, hours before the big party, my family and I listened to Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White call a historic game in Yankee history- the first Yankee no-hitter in 27 years featuring fan favorite Dave Righetti.

That amazing July 4, 1983 game against the Red Sox was nothing less than exciting.  It was a scorching hot day and I can only imagine how warm Rags felt that day as we certainly did everything we could to keep cool.  Not only that but he had to put on a show at the stadium on Boss George’s birthday against the Sox.  Since we were in fact at a picnic at a family friend’s house, and there was no such thing as streaming, or cable, or televisions in every corner of the house, we ran an extension cord out to the tent and listened to every pitch through a Panasonic FM transistor radio.  No one ever thought the young Righetti had a shot in hell to pitch a no-no, especially against the Sox on July 4th with the last out a historic strike out to then top major league hitter Wade Boggs, but he did and it was fantastic.

(In Photo: Ron Guidry)
Pitching along side veteran Ron Guidry when Rags made it to the majors in 1981, Righetti always seemed fun- especially from my perspective.  He was always smiling, always laughing and the teams of the 80s, although not spectacular were fun to watch.  I have to say that the current Yankee team takes on a similar persona – although they are not as fun as the early 80s teams.

Soon after his no hit game, endorsement offers starting barreling in to Righetti, who humbly said, “If I don't do well and the Yankees don't do well, it would appear I got too wrapped up in my own success at the expense of the team.” (Read more HERE)

Rags eventually took a memorable television spot, perhaps only to me.  I recall it very well- Dave Righetti smirks his corny signature smile in a pasta commercial and says with a gleam in his eye, “That’s Righetti Spaghetti.”

He, like many of his Yankee teammates, had his own battles with George Steinbrenner.  In those days, George often threatened to “send his players down to Columbus” if they didn’t perform up to par.  I know that Guidry and George fought about his goatee, which was borderline criminal in the Yankee dress code handbook.

Righetti went on to have a very respectable career.  He headed off to the bullpen in his later years and currently he is second only to Mo on the all time Yankee saves list.

Today, Rags is the very successful pitching coach for the World Champion San Francisco Giants, a post he has held for 13 years.  Many believe that the 53-year-old coach would make a great manager one day.

“He has been through everything in this game that you can as a pitcher – starting, relieving, closing.  He’s really good about knowing what to say or not to say. He doesn’t always go right to mechanical things. He’s knows when you need encouragement or reinforcement. He’s just very good at communicating,” said Ryan Vogelsong in an article published in the New York Daily News (HERE) following the World Series last year.

So although the teams of the 80’s carrying the veterans Lou Pinella, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles and Goose Gossage seemed like nothing special, they were important to the franchise because they helped mentor up and coming players and new additions like Don Mattingly, Rick Cerone and Dave Winfield.  Like I said earlier, similar to our team this year, but not quite as fun- at least yet- maybe we need an exploding rosin bag like we saw in Pittsburgh this week or some pie in the face to get things rolling this year.  We need the smiles of the 80s to frame our players of 2013.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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NO "DOOM & GLOOM" WITH OLD AGE... JUST SKILL

I just downloaded Doom and Gloom by the Rolling Stones on my iPod. The Stones are one of the greatest bands on this earth.  I have no idea why, but I was thinking about the Yankees when I read the title and was listening to the lyrics.  The Stones are at the top of their game and they’re old men, let’s keep it real.


Yet, Mick Jagger jumps around like he’s 23 years old and I equate the rejuvenation of Derek Jeter to Mick's subscription to perfecting ones craft the older you get.  There is nothing better to me than watching 38 year old Jeter lead our guys out of the dugout on a home game.  It’s huge to me, because I don’t see age like every Yankee critic does and maybe that’s because I’ve followed these guys forever and appreciate skill.  Sure, players break down, but the focus and the message is clear… they want to win and they will grind it out any way possible to get it done. I guess that's just the Yankee way.

 I’ve been reading a lot about how OLD the Yankees are.  How OLD the players are they re-signed this off season and how they just aren’t the competitors they once were. Mind you, it's the winter...they haven't taken the field yet.  That Sean Hartnett /CBS piece HERE featured buzz words like "Yankees" and "Uncertainty" and "Aging" from a few days ago and it annoyed me.  He clearly was focusing on the Yankees "OLD" guys without looking at the other teams with a ton of "OLD" guys.  His piece is pointed, there is no big picture here with Hartnett.  Hey, that’s fine, it’s his piece.  Critics can criticize the Yankees all they want. But in the end, we’re gamers.  It doesn’t matter how old you are. Don’t believe me? Ask Derek Jeter about that.  His focus has always been the same…You go out and win a game, one game at a time... that’s the goal and it's always been the goal.

The World Championship San Francisco Giants have quite a few old guys sprinkled in with veterans. Barry Zito is 34 and Ryan Vogelsong is 35. They just won a freaking championship. Marco Scutaro is 37. Really.  He looks 28 out there. Really.

Look at the Philadelpiha Phillies, they just signed 36 year old Michael Young.  They have a guy named Chase Utley who isn’t exactly young (34) and while we’re on the subject of young players, there are plenty of young players that may be mildly young, but get hurt. Hey, Chase Utley is one of them and there's also Ryan Howard and his 33 year old frame. I mean, come on? How old is Cliff Lee again? He’s 34 and Roy Halladay is 35, yet, he’s one of the top pitchers in the game.  What does age really mean as long as you play to win and do it well.  Halladay does, Jeter does, Jorge Posada did.

Look at the Boston Red Sox. How old is David Ortiz? 37. Yet, just when you think he’s slowing down, he’s cranking out 20 + home runs.  The Sox just signed 32 year old Shane Victorino who had a crumby 2012. Plus they just signed veteran pitcher, 35 year old Ryan Dempster. So yeah, we’re going to focus on the Yankees and their age? Last time I checked Nick Swisher is 32 and he just signed a 4 year deal with the Cleveland Indians. Sure 32 is fine for Swish and Victorino, trust me, I’m not saying they're 60, but they are on the downside of their careers.  And how about those Texas Rangers and 36 year old Lance Berkman. And I could go on and on... there are a ton of examples.  It's funny though, alot of the guys I listed seem older than they actually are.  And that's my point.

Age don't mean a thing unless you, the player, are thinking about it. Jeter doesn't think about that crap. Neither does Andy Pettitte... if he did, he would have stayed retired. No, the ones who think about it are the haters.  Hey, that's fine, but they don't play the game, so they don't get it.

Yeah, I get protective of my Yankees.  I never understood the critics who decide that every year they need to do an “Yankees are old” piece and I guess they just hope no one actually does the research.  I do.  Why? Because it’s slanted, it’s overly critical and most of all, it’s a non-story.

Age doesn’t matter.  Again, it’s true, player DO slow down, but in the end, you re-invent yourself to lengthen your career… until you can’t any longer. But look at someone like Freddy Garcia. Garcia was a genius when it came to re-invention and he extended his career 2 extra years with the Yankees mixing up pitches. He did great.  

If you’re a Yankee fan like me… the field is split, meaning, some of us like the veterans and some want to see the kids come up.  I have always said the perfect team is a sprinkling of young and veterans.  The kids play and learn, the veterans play and lead by example.  I often look at the teams of the past and I see that formula.  The Yankees are not old, they’re seasoned, or skilled as I like the say and trust me, there’s a very big difference. Age is also something that as a ball player, you can’t let get in your head.  I mean, for me personally, I don’t feel 40… and trust me, Jeter doesn’t feel like he’s 38. 

The Rolling Stones? Hell, they’ll be around forever.

It’s all in how you want to feel.  If you want to feel old, you’re old. But critics who like to analyze on the surface without looking at the work that’s put into the daily grind, well, dare I say, it’s lazy journalism and easy.  Especially if we haven’t even seen the 2013 Yankees play yet.

Trust me... it's time to consider these "old" players as, not old, but "skilled"...  yet all I hear is doom and gloom. That's too bad.

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