FIRE JOE MORGAN: Overreaction of the Year Award

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Wednesday, July 20, 2005

 

Overreaction of the Year Award

...goes to Rob Dibble:

While other teams in the AL East sit and watch the transaction wire, the New York Yankees make moves and release dead weight in a New York minute.

Before we even get started, the Red Sox made three roster moves a few days ago, and the Orioles are about to get A.J. Burnett. So, nice start here, Rob.

Al Leiter is just the latest example. Whether it be getting rid of Steve Karsay, Mike Stanton or Paul Quantrill, or making a trade for Leiter, GM Brian Cashman will waste no time in changing the face of this $200 million team. Time is money, and wasting time is losing ground to the competition.

First, that is a brilliantly mixed metaphor, there, at the end. Good work. Second, so, just to be clear, you are praising Brian Cashman for releasing three guys who were GROSSLY overpaid by, um, Brian Cashman. And then you are praising Brian Cashman for scooping up Al Leiter off the scrap heap, which might not be a bad move, but which was made for the simple reason that the Yankees LITERALLY DID NOT HAVE ANYONE TO START on Sunday against the Red Sox. Way to keep the nonsense going, Dibs! Let's see what's next...

While the Orioles try to get A.J. Burnett, and the Red Sox trade for light-hitting Alex Cora and miss out on Bret Boone, Cashman picked up Leiter for a player to be named later and some cash.

Alex Cora is a utility infielder who plays good defense and costs nothing. Bret Boone has a .656 OPS (lower than Mark Bellhorn's sub-par .689) and costs four million dollars for the rest of the year. Bret Boone is also 36 years old. Bret Boone would have been a terrible pick-up -- or at least a terrible risk -- for any team.

This may not sound like much now, but it's little moves you make like Theo Epstein did last year that can win you a championship. No one knows that better then the Yankees. It was the Dave Roberts stolen base in Game 4 of The ALCS that broke the Yanks' back last year.

No it wasn't. That was the first of like four thousand subsequent events that broke the Yanks' back. How can the very first thing that went right for the Red Sox that entire series be the thing that "broke the Yanks' back?" Bill Mueller's single, Leskanic's four big outs, Ortiz's home run, Ortiz's single, ARod striking out with a runner on third and one out in a close game, Rivera's two blown saves, Gordon imploding, Schilling's 7 innings of one-run ball, Bellhorn's home run, ARod's swiping of Arroyo's arm, Foulke striking out Tony Clark with the tying runs on base in the ninth of Game Six, Derek Lowe's six innings in Game 7, Ortiz's home run after Damon was thrown out at the plate, Damon's Grand Slam, Damon's 2-run shot, and Bellhorn's solo job after Pedro had given up two runs, are all better examples of things that "broke the Yanks' back."

And it was Leiter who beat the Sox this past weekend to help the Bombers take three out of four in Boston.

This is factually correct. Nice job.

Getting Al Leiter could wind up being season-turning move for New York. You may ask, why Al Leiter? He's old and wasn't pitching worth a damn in Florida. But I say it's a great move.

Okay. Back that up.

Leiter started his career in New York when he was 21 back in 1987 and made 22 starts over two-plus seasons before going to Toronto. Then he pitched in New York with the Mets from 1998-2004, so he is well aware of the pressure and circumstance of being in a New York uniform.

You are failing to back that up. Does anyone think that "pressure" is really make or break for any of these people? Did Tim Redding shit the bed in New York because of the Pressure? Or because he isn't that good?

Plus, he's won world championships with Toronto and Florida and tried to get one with the Mets, so he's postseason ready for sure.

This is fantastic. Dibble is doing one of my favorite Joe Morgan-esque things, which is praising players for winning championships in the distant past. And, he is going one step further, which is praising Al Leiter for TRYING to get a championship. Is there any player in history who has not, at some point, tried to get a championship? "You know who should be in the Hall of Fame? Ron Roenicke. That guy tried to get so many championships."

What I also like about the 39-year-old (we played together in Florida in 1996 when I was hurt all year, my last in the big leagues) is that this is a shot in the arm, a chance at one last shot at glory, and there are few players I respect more then Al. He's always prepared, always attacking the hitter with every pitch, and one of the proudest players I've been around, so if he doesn't have his stuff some nights, you can bet he'll try and beat you with his heart.

Al Leiter's heart on the year: 2.90 ERA, 49 IP, 44 H, 18 BB, 31 K. His heart has been pretty good, I guess.

He's a tough son of a b---- and there's no better player to have around when you need someone to lead.

First, thank you for not swearing in print. Second, the Yankees need someone to lead? With Jeter, Posada, Williams, ARod, Sheffield, Rivera...they need a leader?

One last thing, along with Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, and when Carl Pavano comes back, Leiter's addition will give the Yankees four pitchers in their rotation who have won championships. And I like those odds when the postseason starts.

Wow. Kevin Brown is valuable because he has won championships? How valuable was that last year, when he started Game Seven against Boston and didn't make it out of the second inning, you fucking moron? Randy Johnson is 42. Kevin Brown is 39 and has CHRONIC BACK TROUBLE. Carl Pavano, before getting injured, had given up MORE HITS THAN ANYONE IN BASEBALL. Al Leiter is 39 and terrible.

But don't worry. They've won championships. And in the Manure-Brain Universe Rob Dibble lives in, that means more than whether they are good.

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posted by Anonymous  # 2:05 PM
Comments:
EDIT: I guess you could argue that Stanton was grossly overpaid by somebody else (Minaya? Who gave that guy his Mets contract?).
 
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