Stay-Rod??

While many reports are only now surfacing that A-Rod has reached out to the Yankees about returning, apparently it is old hat for some people. According to my dad, John Sterling (the radio voice of the Yankees who was being interviewed on NY Sports Radio) says that he has known for 2 days now (via an anonymous source) that A-Rod has talked to the Steinbrenners. Apparently, that anonymous source told Sterling today that staying was basically a done deal. A-Rod reaching out to the Yankees without Boras involved meant a lot to the Steinbrenners (and it means a lot to me as a fan too). That might have been all it took...that and the fact LAA was the only team slightly interested in signing him.

Either way, A-Rod would be wise to stay. He can break Bonds' record in pinstripes (can't wait for that day) and he can be the face of the new stadium, along with Jeter, when it opens in 2009. Not only that, but he's a lock to be considered a Yankee legend for years to come.

Let's just hope Boras doesn't stick his head in the middle of this again.

New York, New York

Oh my Yankees. Things have been crazy for the past couple weeks in the Bronx. Hopefully order will soon be restored but in the meantime, here's my take on what has gone down.

As I had hoped/predicted, the new Yankee manager is another former catcher of Italian decent named Joe: Joe Girardi. To me, it seemed like the easy choice. I really don't know where everyone was getting off thinking Mattingly was the favorite in all of this. When Hank Steinbrenner said there was an inital favorite, I truly think he meant Girardi but the media took that favorite to be Mattingly. I love Mattingly, as does the rest of Yankee Nation but he is just not ready for the job. People were already giving Torre a tough time when he first came to manage and he already had some experience under his belt. Mattingly has been a staple on the bench the past few years serving as a bench and hitting coach but he's never been under that spotlight the Yankee manager gets (or any manager for that manner). He's a smart guy, no question about it, but how can he deal with all the additional crap that comes with being the Yankee manager.

Girardi just has the experience. He managed a bunch of rookies/guys that would be playing AA in any other organization to a very respectable 78-84 record in 2006, winning the NL Manager of the Year Award. The fact that he parted ways with the Marlins because he and upper management couldn't get along doesn't really bother me. He would not take the Yankee job if he felt that the management in New York would deal with him the same. He's a solid, knowledgeable who will be a great guy for the Yankees. He can deal with the New York media and is very likable. In the end, I'm not saying Mattingly isn't any of those things, it is just that Girardi already has some experience and proved he can be a high quality manager.

Now to the topic of A-Rod. What a moron. Scott Boras too. It's very classy to text message Yankee GM Brian Cashman to say that Rodriguez is opting out. It was even more classy to announce it during the Red Sox World Series clinching victory. When I sat back and thought about this, I originally thought 'hahaha Boston is getting overshadowed by some idiot ex-Yankee' but then realized 'wait, these idiots are stomping on the integrity of the game.' The integrity of the game outweighs my hatred of Boston in the end (which is quite significant). Him and Boras seriously could not wait a day or two extra to announce this? A-Rod already acted like a classless baby by refusing to even come to the table to negotiate with the Yankees. This obviously signifies that he had no intent whatsoever to return to New York and he should have just let it be known after the Yankees were ousted by Cleveland. Just get it over with. Good riddance.

Too fill in for him, the Yanks need to get another Red Sock (how do you say it singularly?), Mike Lowell. The ex-Yankee farmhand had a stellar season, and we need a new 3B. Perfect fit. Getting him to go to New York from Boston might be difficult but if we got Damon from there, we can get anyone that becomes a FA there. If Mariano leaves, I will be sad. Then I will remember we have Joba Chamberlain. They say they want to make him a starter. I say, no. He'd be as good as any closer in the league and the Yanks already have a plethora of youth pitching coming up through the ranks. Catcher might not be so easy. The Yankees need to resign Posada badly. He's coming off a career year and we don't get him, the second best FA catcher is Paul Lo Duca. Ouch.

In the end, it seems that things are finally starting to calm down in the Bronx...to a degree. Things could certainly pick up once the free agent market opens but for now, I'll enjoy this brief peace in baseball.

A-Rod's New Destination

Now that A-Rod and Scott Boras have hit a new low (who knew that was possible with Boras), we can only look forward to where A-Rod will go. I believe the answer is simple.

San Francisco.

I'll give you a few simple answers as to why.

1) He'll probably only have to travel to the Bronx one or two more times in his career. A must for a schizophrenic like A-Rod.
2) San Francisco media? He won't have a thing to worry about there.
3) The scenery. I mean, A-Rod seems like a sentimental, sensitive kinda guy, right? I've been to San Fran. Some nice views.
4) Who else plays for them? He's a cocky guy and wants to be the toast of the town. No issues there. 49ers still suck.
5) He's in the NL West. The Rockies were a fluke. A guy like A-Rod in that division could change a heck of a lot.

and the main reason is...

6) San Francisco loves Barry Bonds. If a town can love Barry Bonds, they can love anybody.

Those things being said, A-Rod's bat in the lineup will certainly be missed...a lot. Everything else about him, not so much. I'd obviously rather have him on my team than not but oh well. He's an ass. Peace out A-Rod...and don't ever come back to the Bronx.