30 Teams In 30 Days

New York Yankees: The Billion Dollar Bombers

(Over the next 30 days, BERNing on Sports will be previewing every team in the Majors, yes, even the Royals. Only one a day, every day, so try not to get too hooked)

Keeping It Real

The Yankees dumped a disgusting amount of money (recession or not) on three of the best free agent available this off-season. It came to a whopping 423.5 million. But, the reality is they actually trimmed payroll from last year (amazing as that sounds, it's true). Gone are heavy burdens like Jason Giambi (back to the Bay), Mike Mussina (retired), Bobby Abreu (allowed to avoid walls in Anaheim now), Carl Pavano (allowed to quit for another franchise), and Kyle Farnsworth (allowed to flex his muscles in purgatory...err, Kansas City). They added serious rotation depth, not just in A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia, but also in the form of former ace, Chien-Ming Wang, who is healthy after missing most of last season with a freak ankle injury. Mark Teixeira may have seemed like a greedy pick up, but they needed him for a) his defense, and b) his bat (Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano aren't likely to get either younger or more consistent).

Alex Rodriguez Plays Baseball (among other things)

What can be said about this guy that hasn't been said? What more can he say or do wrong? Just a few days ago he said he wished he could play with Jose Reyes all the time. I guess Derek Jeter and Cano don't do it for ya? I can't say the steroids won't distract him, but, it won't be the first time (or last) he'll be bombarded with media coverage. My advice to Rodriguez? Take your time recovering from surgery, keep your mouth shut, and hit a home run or two when you come back.

And The Award For Most Time Spent On The DL Goes To...

With the types of players on the Yankees, the amount of money invested in them, and the history the Yankees have had with the DL, it's not a matter of who, but how often and how long. If I was running Vegas, the odds on favorite would be A.J. Burnett, and that's hard to argue with. But, to keep it interesting and because he's already starting the season on the DL, Alex Rodriguez has to make the list.

Running Proof the ROY Means Nothing

Just in case you hadn't noticed, Angel Berroa, AL ROY in 2003, is battling Cody Ransom (who at least can do this) for the back-up infielder spot. Apparently, striking out at a rate four times more frequently than walking is detrimental to your career success. Who'd have thought?

Bold Predictions

Robinson Cano will start (and finish) strong, bouncing back from a poor 2008. People have compared him to Rod Carew (easy with that) and while he's no where near that now, he'll finally have a complete season. I'll say a steady .295/20/95.

Phil Hughes in another attempt to distract people from the fact that his fastball tops out at 92 MPH, will try glasses again while pitching. When that doesn't work, he'll wear the same mask that Rip Hamilton wears.

Up Next...Friday, Atlanta Braves

Much Ado About Nothing: The Yankee Years

The buzz, in early February, was all over Joe Torre's new book.  Co-written (read:  written) by Tom Verducci, the book was talked about all over the place, with leaks from different sections of the book securing its description as a "tell-all".

Torre found himself discussing the book just about everywhere.  Sirius Radio, WFAN in New York, ESPN.  Even on Larry King Live.

Every few days leading up to the February 3rd release of the book, new leaks would come out.

Teammates called Alex Rodriguez A-Fraud, Johnny Damon may not have been as good of a teammate as people think, problems with Kevin Brown and Carl Pavano.

It seemed to have all the markings of a juicy, insider's look at one of the most popular franchises during one of its most successful runs in team history.  I was excited. 

Then, I read it.

After over 470 pages, I was left feeling like I'd just seen any Eddie Murphy movie that has come out in the past 15 years.  The previews look great, you think you've got a winner, and once you're leaving the theater, you realize you've seen all the good parts in the preview, and the movie was otherwise lacking.

Not much difference here.

Verducci takes the reader through the 12 "yankee years" of Joe Torre, an interesting look (albeit protracted) at the changes that took place not only in the Yankee clubhouse but also throughout baseball.  Interesting, but not revealing.  Anyone following baseball or having read Moneyball at some point is at least vaguely familiar with the newfound obsession by baseball executives with statistical analysis, niche finding, and market exploitation to compete with the high spenders of the major leagues.  

This is where the book finds its demise.  As a concept, the "changes in baseball" idea isn't that original.  It's been done, several times over.  Not to mention that unless you were a Yankees fan, you wouldn't really care too much about what was going on inside their clubhouse at the time.  But, if you were a Yankee fan, the things you were reading about were pretty much common knowledge.

For instance, no one actually told me that players resented Kyle Farnsworth, Kevin Brown, and Carl Pavano.  But, I think I could've figured that one out of my own.  Did I know for a fact that Randy Johnson's struggles were linked to the pressures of NYC?  No, but pushing away a camera guy on his first day pretty much told me all I needed to know at the time.

There were some interesting stories, though.  One that sticks with me found George Steinbrenner walking through the clubhouse during spring training some years back.  Allen Watson, a mediocre middle reliever for the Yankees, was horsing around and tossed a bagel at a clubhouse attendant.  The errant throw hit Steinbrenner, who demanded to know who had perpetrated the crime.  Watson sheepishly admitted it was him, to which The Boss said, "I thought it was you, Watson, that's why it didn't hurt."

General overview:  Torre felt betrayed by the way the Yankees handled his final few years, the Yankees relied too much on statistics and big free agent signings post 2000, and made a ton of free agent pitching mistakes (not the least of which was Kei Igawa, who bullpen catcher Mike Borzello goes on record as saying he knew was terrible after catching only one session with him in his first February with the team).

Not too shocking.

Why Life Isn't Fair

This man, this bumbling fool, this jerk.  This is why life will never, ever, ever be fair.

Yesterday, the Cleveland Indians decided the eternal wasteland that is Carl Pavano was worth giving a contract.

Now, in fairness, it's only a one-year deal, heavily laced with incentives.  That said, the base salary for that one year is likely more than I'll make in my entire life:  1.5 million.  If he starts 18 games this year, his incentives can start to kick in, where he can make up to an extra 5.3 million.

How on Earth that is fair, I'll never know.

Here's a guy that, without rehashing all of his past issues, completely bombed in New York.  He won 9 games in 4 years, and only pitched for three of them.  He was awful, he was injured, he was sullen, he was a quitter, he was disliked.  There really wasn't a good thing about him.

Coming down the pike last year, he miraculously felt better, enough to come back to the club.  Likely a stunt to simply get himself enough actual tape in pinstripes to show new teams for his new contract, Pavano trotted out for the final month plus of the season.

A truly negative, vindictive individual (like myself) had to be hoping he'd pitch poorly, despite the averse effect it would have on the Yankees.  Under no circumstances did I want to see him pitching in the Major Leagues next year, though I knew that so long as he didn't get hit by a bus, he'd finagle his way on somewhere.  

Still, true to his form, he pitched, and pitched poorly.  In fact, he's actually never been any good.  He had one (count it, one) good season.  That was in 2004, where he went 18-8, with an ERA of exactly 3.00.  Curiously enough, it was his contract year.  Every other season of his career has either been cut short due to injury, average in terms of performance, or plain awful.  In short, he just isn't that good.  Even a squirrel, blind or not, can stumble on a nut.  Robert Fick, Justin Thompson, anyone?

One of those starts from last year against Toronto was specifically misleading.  He allowed 3 hits, one run over 6 innings, so from a boxscore stand point, he pitched quite well.  I was there though.  Let me say this, if the walls at Yankee Stadium were 5 feet closer, he'd have allowed at least 4 home runs.

And so, what confuses me, is what the Indians saw in Pavano.  According to the Akron-Beacon Journal, "Shapiro and his staff were encouraged not only by the findings of Pavano’s physical, but also the fact that he finished his shortened 2008 season with seven strong starts in which he went 4-2 with a 5.77 ERA in 34 innings."

Really?  Honest?  Did you watch any of those innings?  Or even read the ERA?  How can 5.77 ever be confused with encouraging?

Pavano's a fly-ball pitcher throwing in the mid-80's (88 on a hot day!) with his right hand.  He has a laundry list injury past.  He should be in jail for stealing 40 million from the Yankees.  And what does he get for all of this?  Yet another chance to do it again.  For the discounted rate of 1.5 million.

Yeah, that's fair.

Yankee Shopping Spree Continues: Burnett to Ink 5 Year Deal with Bombers

You'd think, or at least, you'd hope, that a team with so much history, so much supposed savvy, and clearly so much money, would learn their lesson.

Carl Pavano.  Jaret Wright.  Kevin Brown.

To name a few, these are just some of the gentleman acquired by the New York Yankees in seasons past.  All of these pitchers shared common story lines.  Each was coming off one of (if not the) best year of their careers.  Each received contracts they didn't deserve at that point in their careers.  And, most importantly, each succeeded wonderfully in proving how truly unworthy they were of the millions thrown at their feet.

The next hero in the stunning line of injured, overhyped, overpriced pitchers?  A.J. Burnett.  The former 8th round pick of the New York Mets comes home, in a matter of speaking.  Though the oft-injured right hander actually is from Arkansas, he should feel right at home playing for the Yankees, where potential and past production are valued far higher than they should be and normal indicators (such as general surliness or prior injury history) are thrown to the wind.

For all of the concern over the money being given to Burnett, let's make it clear here on BERNing that money isn't even close to the issue.  First of all, who honestly cares?  It's not your money, unless you're a Steinbrenner.  Then, unfortunately, it is your money, and you're a moron.  However, outside of Hal and Hank, money isn't the issue, especially considering you just got the best pitcher available for 160 million.  And Burnett, at half that price, certainly isn't half the pitcher, so if you look at it through those Elton John-styled rose color glasses, it ain't a bad deal.

Yet, the real contention point here is that, for all of his supposed successes, Burnett isn't that good.  Does he possess wicked stuff?  A fastball clocked in the mid- to high-90's?  A filthy deucer, and some knee-buckling off-speed junk?  Sure, but, raise your hand if you've heard the refrain before of the pitcher with crazy stuff.

Unfortunately, as a guy like Juan Cruz (and the hairs pulled out of Chicagoans hairs as a result of his existence) can attest to, having great stuff doesn't do it alone.  Burnett, a pitcher that's logged over 166 innings only twice in the past six years, has a career record of only 12 games over .500.  Last year, even with that great finish in the second half that saw his post-All Star game ERA at 2.86, his final earned run average was a just-better-than pedestrian 4.07.  

Don't get me wrong, Burnett's a good pitcher.  He makes the Bombers a better team, providing he can stay on the mound.  The money isn't a concern, not only because it's the Yankees (though, being billionaires in a recession has to feel great, no?) but also because the Yanks have lost about 90 mil in salary from this past season.  So, they've got money to spend.  And, with that in mind, why not follow the archetype that's gotten them to where they so desperately desire to get back to--the playoffs, and then out and done in one round.

One thing though, that Burnett has?  A career record of 5-0 against the Red Sox, with a sub-3 ERA.  Maybe it wasn't the worst signing in the world after all...

For more information regarding A.J. Burnett, and the rest of the Yankee spending spree, make sure to check out the first edition of BERNing's weekly podcast.