Kuzul

Another day of no good news out of New York Yankees front office regarding signing a player who can help the team win in 2011. 

GM Brian Cashman’s latest rumored pursuant is pitcher Justin Duchscherer.

Once again, Cashman continues confusing Yankee fans, as Duchscherer is a nightmare version of ace Zach Greinke.

Greinke was just on the auction block, but the Yankees didn’t feel Greinke could mentally handle the bright lights in the Bronx.

Greinke had suffered from depression and social anxiety disorder, which sidelined him in 2006 for the season. Returning to the majors in May of 2007, Greinke was demoted to the bullpen but made it back to the rotation in 2008. He won the Cy Young in 2009 and has been an ace with no real injury history to date.

So, for what feels like the billionth time this offseason, the Yankees passed on a player. Instead, the Milwaukee Brewers traded for Greinke and bettered themselves for 2011.

At the time, Cashman’s excuse for not going after Greinke seemed to make sense.

That is why this Duchscherer rumor is so off-putting, here is why:

Now 33 years old, Duchscherer’s first full season in the majors didn’t come until 2004 as a reliever for the Oakland A’s.

This happened the same year 25-year-old Greinke debuted as a starter for the Kansas City Royals.

Unlike Greinke, Duchscherer has had brief periods of major league success, both out of the bullpen and as a starter.

Duchscherer’s career year-by-year is a mess, and he was on the same team each season except for a 2001 stint with the Rangers. To make life easier, below is a timeline from his first full season to present; all with the Oakland A’s:

2004-2006: Pitched in relief all three-seasons, appeared in 171 games for a total of 236.5 innings and 195 strikeouts. Named to the 2005 All-Star Team.

2007: Placed on DL on May 14th with season-ending hip surgery.

2008: Moved to starting rotation, named to the All-Star Team, placed on DL August 18th for the season due to hip and back injuries.

2009: Out for the season due to elbow injury in Spring Training, missed entire season as he suffered from major depression.

2010: Came back as a starter, won four of his first five starts in April but never started again due to hip injury, out for the season.

Wow, this looks like another Cashman gem.

Duchscherer has had an injury-plagued career and is about to turn 34 years old, well passed his prime.

Duchscherer’s depression has been a life-long issue, but it got so severe it impacted his ability to pitch.

Isn’t this the reason the Yankees were concerned about Greinke being able to handle playing in New York?

Depression is a serious condition for many people, so I understand the need for both players to take personal time.

What I don’t get is why Greinke, who since his LOA has won a CY Young and is a certified ace, was such a concern, but Duchscherer is not?

Duchscherer has spent the majority of his pro career on the DL than on the mound with recurring hip, back and elbow issues.

Greinke is healthy, is seven years younger and hasn’t even hit his prime playing years yet.

Trading for Greinke now looks like another HUGE miss for Cashman.

This offseason is looking more disastrous for the Yankees than originally thought, even after losing out on Lee.

If any of the latest rumors pan out, the Yankees will have acquired Colon, Duchscherer, Prior and Jones this offseason. 

Just re-reading that last sentence is enough to make any Yankee fan want to vomit.

Cashman and crew should know better, as Yankee fans will boo the hell out these guys the minute they step foot in the Bronx.

That is if all four aren’t on the DL already when Spring Training starts.

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The latest name spinning on the pinstripe rumor mill is five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones.
 
Don’t get excited just yet Yankee fans, as Jones is far cry from the star he once was as an Atlanta Brave.
 
Currently, Jones is a 33-year-old, washed-up center-fielder who sat atop the most elite of hitters list from 1997-2007.
 
Since leaving Atlanta at the end of the 2007 season, Jones signed a two-year, $36.2 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 
After batting .158 with three home runs, 14 RBI and 72 strikeouts in 209 at-bats, Jones was released after his first season. Jones only played in 75 games, as he had season-ending knee surgery.
 
The Rangers signed Jones to a minor-league deal in 2009, where he hit 17 home runs and 43 RBI in 82 games and finished with a .214 batting average.
 
Next up, the Chicago White Sox took a chance, as Jones posted a .230 batting average, with 19 home runs and 48 RBI in 107 games.
 
I think the scariest stat is that in Jones’ last three seasons, he has struck out 221 times in his 768 at-bats. That translates into a strikeout every fourth time Jones records an official at-bat.
 
This is another desperate stretch by GM Brian Cashman to add a cheap player who could be motivated back to greatness on the Yankees.
 
Jones is still at an age where he could be darn good, as he is younger than both Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and numerous other players who are still thriving.
 
This means it’s attitude, not skill, that tripped up Jones, and that is much worse because he didn’t care to work anymore.
 
Look, it is never a good sign when a team pays a player to leave, especially one with Jones’ unspoiled history of 10 years with 25+ home runs.
 
Cashman keeps telling Yankee fans to be “patient,” but this is just another stupid attempt with minimal hopes to save his own ass.
 
Now, the New York Yankees have successfully been tied to every known name free agent in this whirlwind of a failed offseason.
 
What boggles my mind is why the Yankees have not signed the league’s best closer from 2010, Rafael Soriano, yet.
 
If Cashman claims he won’t give up the draft pick for Soriano, I guess the Yankee motto of “winning now” is no longer the theme.
 
Well, might as well lose another big-time arm because of the cost, but if Cashman thinks Jones or Colon will turn to gold, he needs to get his head checked.
 
The Yankees have the money, so what the hell is the problem? Not getting a free agent for fear of losing a draft pick surely doesn’t sound like the Cashman I have known. Must be Hal and Hank making a business decision again without thinking.
 
All I can say to Brian Cashman and company is this: We Yankee fans still want to win in 2011, so why don’t you?

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“No” is not a familiar word heard in the New York Yankees front office.

General manager Brian Cashman has the resources to woo players to come play in the Bronx, so what happened this offseason?

It has to be expected that the Yankees sans Mr. George Steinbrenner lost a little bit of their appeal.

Not many owners possess the passion and fire that the Boss displayed. Even the negative stories about how he was a tyrant with unreal expectations were equalized by his never-ending willingness to help.

So, what the heck happened to the Yankees missing out on Cliff Lee and not signing any top free agent? Why is Andy Pettitte so hesitant to commit?

In my opinion, the unmistakable absence of Mr. Steinbrenner is what is crippling the Yankees.

Imagine yourself as a player who the Yankees wanted in pinstripes while Mr. Steinbrenner was the principal owner. Hence, Mr. Steinbrenner thought that the Yankees needed to acquire you to win. Figuring out how to get a player was never the problem; it was just a matter of when, because the Boss would go to any extreme.

To feel that important in Mr. Steinbrenner’s eyes must have felt special for a free agent. Now, with Mr. Steinbrenner having passed last July, that aspect is gone for potential free agents.

Mr. Steinbrenner was first and foremost a baseball fan. Over the past few seasons, where poor health didn’t allow for the Boss to be at the ballpark, you still could feel him everywhere. I was at the plaque ceremony against the Tampa Bay Rays last season, and the fight that the Yankees played with was inspiring.

Let’s just hope the current players can prove that is not gone. The 2011 season will answer a lot of questions, because this would be the season where winning one for the Boss would be the most meaningful.

The players have to always know in their hearts that the Boss will always be watching, and winning is what will make his spirit felt everywhere again.

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If you want to date New York Yankees star third baseman Alex Rodriguez, your resume better read: blond, Hollywood actress, small chest and athletic build.
 
When A-Rod started to date Kate Hudson, the rumors were hard to believe Goldie’s daughter would fancy such an insecure womanizer.
 
When Hudson showed up at the ballpark in A-Rod’s seats, it confirmed every Yankee fans worst nightmare. Hudson could become an off-the-field distraction for the Yankees best player and that would be seen as unacceptable.
 
Closing down the greatest baseball park in 2008, along with missing the playoffs was enough embarrassment in the Bronx already. Yankee fans, along with the NY media, didn’t hide their concern regarding the relationship.
 
That sentiment came and went pretty fast, as A-Rod became different and he started to mesh in as part of the team. Smiling and relaxed, A-Rod did his job without the stress and it was contagious in the clubhouse.
 
Hudson became a fixture at Yankee Stadium. She came early, stayed through the ninth inning and cheered like a baseball fan. The other Yankee wives loved her as she was photographed with CC, AJ, Damon and Jorge’s wives having a blast.
 
Obviously she was smitten with A-Rod, but baseball is not an easy game to sit through, day after day after day, if you don’t love the game.
 
Regardless, A-Rod was at his best and the Yankees won the 2009 World Series. Hudson was beloved in NYC; she did what no one else could by loosening A-Rod up.
 
Much to Yankee fans demise, A-Rod wound up dumping Hudson, as it was too much to fast.
 
A-Rod is allowed to date whomever he wants, as long as he plays well on the field. It is no secret that A-Rod gets caught up with the ladies and he is an emotional guy, so things have to be good outside of baseball, too.
 
That is where Cameron Diaz factors in, as her and A-Rod seem to be back on again.
 
In the 2010 season, A-Rod tanked in the postseason and the team choked, getting waxed in the ALCS but the Texas Rangers.
 
The months of August and September were not so pretty either, as A-Rod spent time on the DL and his homerun and RBI numbers went down.
 
The team felt the affects, as with most clean-up hitters the team follows their hot and cold streaks. This theory is true with A-Rod, as it has been proven that the Yankees are better when he is on.
 
Diaz and A-Rod started dating back in July of 2010. The same time that flashes of the old A-Rod were starting to show.
 
Diaz was never at a game, unless she came in cameo and sat in the bullpen. Rumor was that A-Rod didn’t invite her to the games, actually he was so hush-hush about Diaz it seemed to stress him out.
 
Diaz personality seems very “all-about herself”. She smokes, loves tequila shots and doesn’t want children, as she said they would get in her way.
 
A-Rod is not a drinker, he doesn’t smoke and he is a father of two beautiful little girls. Doesn’t sound like much of a match, right?
 
Regardless, A-Rod doesn’t have the 2009 twinkle in his eyes anymore. Pictures with Diaz come across as taxing for him.
 
A-Rod does like to be around A-list celebrities, and Hudson is way higher on that list than Diaz ever will be so it would seem this is not very serious for the slugger.
 
As far as Yankee fans are concerned, Diaz better enjoy these last few weeks with A-Rod. Fact is fact, and if he loved Diaz, like he did Hudson, she would be right by his side in the Bronx.
 
Trust me, Diaz might be a star but that won’t stop the wrath of pissed off Yankee fans, who will blame her for taking the fun out of our best player, again.

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New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman claimed 25-year-old Brian Schlitter, a relief pitcher, off waivers this week from the Chicago Cubs.
 
Schlitter made seven appearances out of the bullpen in 2010 for the Cubs. Over his eight innings of work, Schlitter posted a terrible 12.37 ERA, giving up 18 hits, 11 earned runs, allowed two home runs and walked five of the 48 batters he faced.
 
Schlitter also hit one batter, the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez, in the head in the eighth inning of the 18-1 Cubs loss. Gomez went on the DL and Schlitter was sent back down to Triple-A.
 
The Cubs lost all seven games that the 6’5″, 240-pound Schlitter appeared in, which is not a comforting stat to read.
 
Schlitter throws right and survives on a mid-90s fastball that he adds a slight sink too. His mediocre slider and changeup are not effective on the major league level, but some minor altering regarding Schlitter’s execution could fix both.

Schlitter has done well in the minors, where he has a 3.32 ERA in 154 relief appearances; but it is still the big show that counts.

Look, the Yankee bullpen does need more arms, but adding another chancy player when Rafael Soriano is still a free agent just seems desperate.
 
Cashman has made both horrid and genius signings in his career, but as long as it doesn’t cost the Yankees players or a money-ball contract then who really cares?
 
Whether Cashman will be hailed as a genius for making a mountain out of an anthill is yet to be seen.
 
Cashman is definitely sticking to the quantity over quality motto since losing out on ace Cliff Lee, who is bringing his talents to Philadelphia instead of New York. That theme is becoming all too common lately too.
 
The question that is lingering is whether southpaw Andy Pettitte will come back for another season. Pettitte’s family is supposedly on board with another season, but a source said personally, Pettitte’s return was contingent on the Yankees landing Lee.
 
Why doesn’t Cashman jump on the plane with the Baby Steins, skipper Joe Girardi and maybe throw Mo, Posada or Jeter on board for a quick trip down to Texas?
 
It boggles my mind that Jeter and Lee got paid a visit, but Cashman and crew are fine with one or two phone calls from Pettitte, who is the guy they need the most before the start of 2011 season.
 
My advice is to stop all the picking and praying, haul your butts down to Texas and bring us back our most successful postseason starter, please.
 
If anything, Pettitte keeps the Phillies from stealing the nickname, “the Core Four,” which just can’t happen!

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At the end of 2010 season, New York Yankees ace Andy Pettitte used the word retirement when speaking to Yankees GM Brian Cashman about whether he would return to the team in 2011.
 
For the last two seasons, Pettitte made it pretty clear that his intentions were to return for another season but the final decision would be made with his family.
 
Pettitte’s sentiments couldn’t come in a worse offseason, as the Yankees need his talents back in the Bronx more then ever. With the team failing to pick up another starter, the pressure and guilt has unfortunately fallen on Pettitte’s lap.
 
All there is to go on is unconfirmed hearsay that Pettitte is leaning toward retirement. That is what fans have to go on and it seems the Yankees don’t know much more.
 
During the Winter Meetings, Pettitte did call GM Cashman, as his main concern was that the Yankees were waiting on him. He did not want them to miss any moves or opportunities waiting on his decision. Cashman said that was the first time he became uncertain of Pettitte’s need to play baseball any longer.
 
Pettitte’s added silence is making all the retirement rumors seem more like the Yankees upcoming reality. Life in the Bronx sans the Southpaw and the core four will be no more.
 
If Pettitte waited past this week, I would be shocked because he is not pulling a Brett Favre. Rest assured, Pettitte is really torn.
 
This choice has to be unreservedly unfaltering with no regrets. I will respect Pettitte’s decision no matter what the outcome. He deserves that at the very least.

It was always an honor to cheer for Andy Pettitte, whatever 2011 brings.

As for the Yankees, it has been an offseason of waiting and so far nothing has gone their way. As they say, when it rains it pours.

“There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either in or out. There’s no such thing as a life in-between.” – Pat Riley

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The name Bartolo Colon and the New York Yankees should never be linked in a sentence again this offseason.
 
Yes, Colon won the 2005 American League Cy Young Award, but that is not what resonates in my memory.
 
Back in 2008, the Red Sox were the only team interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11″ and tipped the scale at 245 pounds. Making seven starts as a member of the Red Sox, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.
 
At the time, Colon left Boston for his home in the Dominican Republic to tend to personal issues and never left. The reason was he didn’t feel like it.
 
Colon’s attitude is why no team wanted him in the first place. Add that to all the injuries and that, my friend, is the definition of being unreliable.
 
By no means am I trying to overlook how talented Colon used to be, but since he took home pitching’s biggest honor, he has been a mess.
 
In 2005, Colon had 21 wins in 33 starts and two complete games, giving up 26 home runs, striking out 157 and pitching a total of 222 innings.
 
Then, from 2006-2009, Colon had 14 wins in 47 starts and one complete game, allowing 44 balls to go yard, recording 172 strikeouts and pitching a total of 226 innings.
 
Need I say more?
 
Actually, I forgot to add last season, but Colon didn’t pitch in 2010, making his last Major League start July 24, 2009. That was when the White Sox took a chance on Colon even after he went AWOL as a Red Sox.
 
Reality is, acquiring a self-proclaimed reformed hazard is the last thing the Yankees can afford to do.

A person’s behavior at 37 years old doesn’t ever disappear completely. Colon is already running his mouth, as he is the voice behind this Yankee rumor.
 
Nothing has come from the Yankees regarding interest in Colon and no vis-à-vis has taken place. This leads me to think it is just Colon being Colon, no matter how much weight he has lost.
 
 
“Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.”- Franklin P. Jones
 
Hopefully, the Yankees have learned enough by now, but in New York, anything can happen.

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I have mentioned this a few times already, but he is worth the attention again.
 
Rafael Soriano is still a free agent, available and on the market. Whatever it is shocking considering he was the AL’s dominate closer in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
 
Even before Cliff Lee’s decision, Soriano as a player would have been more than enough for the New York Yankees to walk away with heads high.
 
Soriano was the best closer in the AL in 2010, leading the league with 45 saves, posting a 1.73 ERA, striking out 57 in just shy of 63 innings. Soriano was named to the 2010 All-Star team, won the 2010 AL Rolaids Relief Man Award, finished eighth in CY Young and 12th in MVP voting respectively.
 
Soriano will cost his new team two-draft picks as he falls into the Type A free agent category.
 
Yes, he will not come cheap especially considering his agent is Scott Boras, but it would be money well spent.
 
Boras makes any team pay no matter what, but the greediest agent has some tainted history with the Yankees, which might drive the price up some.
 
Look it is no secret the Bombers are a tad desperate, whether GM Brian Cashman and the little Steinbrenner’s care to admit it, fans know it, the players know it and Boras knows it.
 
Soriano’s role would change, as he would set-up to the great Rivera. Soriano was in the bullpen for the majority of his early pro-years.
 
He just turned 31 years old, and giving a pitcher of Soriano’s stature three years with a fourth year option is not a bad idea.
 
Soriano is in his prime and would make Mo’s departure at least less stressful, as it will already be beyond sad and something I can’t even think about (tears).
 
Look, Soriano will make the New York Yankees better and isn’t that the point?
 
Cashman and co. better make sure our rival Red Sox’s or player favorite Phillies don’t acquire Soriano or get ready for some big trouble in the Bronx.

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This off-season, the New York Yankees‘ hopes of adding an additional pitcher fell through.
 
True, pickings were slim, but with the seemingly impending retirement of Andy Pettitte, it didn’t make life any easier in the Bronx.
 
The Yankees will turn to their starting three of CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett. In 2010, Sabathia and Hughes were solid, but Burnett was inconsistent and the team needs his talents in order for the team to stay competitive in 2011.
 
Burnett knows how important his role will be and GM Brian Cashman paid Burnett a visit to make sure he was fully aware of the situation.
 
MLB’s Bombers Beat has confirmed that Burnett has built an indoor pitching facility in an old farmhouse at his home in Maryland, and new Yankee pitching coach Larry Rothschild is planning to spend about a week there at the start of New Year.
 
That is great news, but Burnett is a competitor, who has the talent and skills to be an ace. When his curveball is on, some say it is the best and most unhittable in all of baseball—as Yankee fans have witnessed countless times.
 
Burnett has to realize that last season is now history. If Burnett can be self-assured and remain level-headed when difficulty arises—whether a wild pitch or a home-run—he can be as dominant and illustrious as any.
 
As the great Joe Paterno once said:
 
“Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks.”

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Change is scary and unsettling, especially when it is not by choice.

The 2010 off-season did not work out the way the New York Yankees had hoped. The franchise heads into a New Year having failed to acquire ace Cliff Lee or any other highly sought free-agent players.

Getting players to sing with the Yankees is not usually such a hard sell. The franchise is the most historical and successful in all of sports; New York City is incredible and players’ paychecks tend to have a few extra zeros on the end.

So, if anything, the Yankees are hurt, but humbled.

There is no denying that Yankee fans aren’t worried, as pinstripe haters are basking in what is deemed a non-contending group for 2011.

The team has enough experience and if they can learn from past mistakes, watch out and here are two reasons why:

REASON #1:

There are obvious holes in the starting rotation without adding Cliff Lee, and presumably sans Andy Pettitte.

AJ Burnett was a mess in 2010—but it is a new year, a new season and Burnett was more disappointed than anyone, so give the guy a break until proven otherwise.

CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes are as solid as you can get, but it still leaves two unfilled rotation spots. The hope is, or was, to fill one with Pettitte’s talents, but GM Brian Cashman has not given any reason to count on the southpaw’s return.

Cashman’s only choice is to head on down to a solid farm system that is filled with a ton of young talented arms. Two of the youngsters will get rotation spots, as there is no way Sergio Mitre should get another chance to lose games.

The alternatives are risky, but well worth the reward.

Just look at the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants, who were carried in September on the shoulders and the 1.13 ERA of a 21-year-old named Madison Bumgarner. Many claim that without Bumgarner down the stretch, the Giants might not have won the NL West, as Bumgarner followed his stellar rookie season in the majors with a heroic postseason.

Bumgarner shared the mound with the NL CY Young winner for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Tim Lincecum, age 27; Matt Cain, who is entering his seventh season at the age of 25; and Jonathan Sanchez, who just turned 27.

The Giants won with young, homegrown pitching, as the top four have never worn any other uniform or played by another bay. All the haters claim the above formula works, now it’s time to try it again. Order-up another Phil Hughes…

REASON #2

The Yankees could use some youngsters around so Yankee Stadium doesn’t turn into a nursing home, as a lot of people have written off Jeter, A-Rod and Rivera.

Just a warning to all the haters…. I wouldn’t count out the Core Three and A-Rod just yet.

Regardless of what they claim, they have heard the constant criticism for years now. Where does the best motivation hail from?

Well, you can ask New England Patriot Tom Brady because he sure knows the answer to that question. The New York Jets’ s***-talking ways got to the veteran, who is now a man on a mission. Brady is mainly playing with all youngsters, and a couple vets, but the guy is phenomenal and that started right after Week 2.

Please, don’t stop insulting the Yankees because if anything it adds more fuel to the fire. These players you claim are on the outs or need position changes ASAP, are some of the best ever to play the game of baseball.

Their fire will turn to blazing.

Remember who took home the highest honors on the biggest stage in 2010?

In case you forgot, it was a 36-year-old shortstop named Edgar Renteria, who was named the 2010 World Series MVP.

Get ready for a bold prediction: A-Rod and Jeter will have MVP-type years, but Robbie Cano takes the prize.

“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” – Vince Lombardi

When change works…..nothing in life is more gratifying except winning a championship—and telling everyone else to take that.

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