Two full weeks after the Yankees clinched their spot in the playoffs, the Twins and Tigers played a 12-inning thriller yesterday to decide the AL Central.
Thirteen pitchers were used, 391 pitches were thrown, and when the Twins emerged victorious they had less than 20 hours to celebrate in front of a record crowd at the not-dead-yet Metrodome, get to the airport, fly from Minneapolis to New York, presumably get some sleep, and then be at Yankee Stadium for the first pitch of the ALDS tonight.
Congratulations on the division title. Hope you enjoyed the celebration. Now try beating this 103-win powerhouse with three times your payroll.
Before becoming the biggest underdogs of the playoffs the Twins trailed the Tigers by seven games on September 6 and remained three games behind with just four games to play, which is a deficit that no team in baseball history has come back from. Until now. Minnesota went 31-14 down the stretch, including 17-4 after losing Justin Morneau to a season-ending back injury, and scratched out a one-game playoff win after falling 1-0 to the White Sox in the same situation last year.
Their reward? A late-night flight to New York for a matchup against baseball's most dominant team. Oh, and just in case the above scenario isn't daunting enough the Twins are 16-45 against the Yankees under manager Ron Gardenhire, including 0-7 this season, and New York is responsible for two of their last three playoff exits. This is David versus Goliath, if Goliath wore pinstripes and David was tired from dousing himself with champagne the night before, but fortunately for the Twins their slingshot is still warm.
Rotations
GAME 1: CC Sabathia 230 IP 7.7 SO/9 2.6 BB/9 42.9 GB% 3.94 xFIP Brian Duensing 84 IP 5.7 SO/9 3.3 BB/9 45.5 GB% 4.97 xFIP GAME 2: A.J. Burnett 207 IP 9.5 SO/9 4.2 BB/9 42.8 GB% 4.50 xFIP Nick Blackburn 206 IP 4.3 SO/9 1.8 BB/9 45.8 GB% 4.78 xFIP GAME 3: Andy Pettitte 195 IP 6.8 SO/9 3.5 BB/9 42.9 GB% 3.94 xFIP Carl Pavano 199 IP 6.6 SO/9 1.8 BB/9 44.5 GB% 4.24 xFIP GAME 4: CC Sabathia 230 IP 7.7 SO/9 2.6 BB/9 42.9 GB% 3.94 xFIP Scott Baker 200 IP 7.3 SO/9 2.2 BB/9 33.9 GB% 4.39 xFIP GAME 5: A.J. Burnett 207 IP 9.5 SO/9 4.2 BB/9 42.8 GB% 4.50 xFIP Nick Blackburn 206 IP 4.3 SO/9 1.8 BB/9 45.8 GB% 4.78 xFIP
* xFIP stands for Expected Fielding Independent Pitching, which is generally a better measure of pitcher performance than ERA. GB% is ground-ball percentage.
Minnesota had to rebuild its rotation on the fly thanks to Francisco Liriano falling apart and injuries to Kevin Slowey and Glen Perkins, and the revised front four of Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Carl Pavano, and Brian Duensing went 17-9 with a 3.76 ERA over the final 45 games of the season. Ideally the Twins would start Baker in Game 1, but since he was needed in yesterday's one-game playoff they'll go with the 26-year-old rookie Duensing against CC Sabathia.
Duensing was 5-2 with a 3.64 ERA in 84 innings split between the rotation and bullpen, but his secondary numbers weren't nearly as impressive, his stuff is mediocre, and he went 20-22 with a 4.00 ERA at Triple-A before making his big-league debut this year. Sabathia versus Duensing is the biggest mismatch of a lopsided series, but the Yankees also hold smaller edges in each of the other four games and it's possible that the Twins' best starter won't ever take the mound.
Sabathia struggled in his final start, but went 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA after the All-Star break and is 13-8 with a 3.05 ERA lifetime against the Twins, including seven innings of one-run ball in July. Minnesota will likely need to win two of the other three matchups, because it's awfully difficult to envision the Twins beating Carsten Charles twice. One matchup that could favor the Twins is the Blackburn-Burnett combo, because Blackburn has repeatedly come up big in key starts and Burnett has been mediocre all season.
Lineups
New York led all of baseball in hits, homers, walks, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage on the way to scoring an MLB-high 915 runs, which is 32 more than any other team and 145 more than the league average. Eight of the nine regulars in the lineup posted an OPS above .800, and even the Melky Cabrera-Brett Gardner platoon in center field managed above-average production. Minnesota's fly ball-heavy pitching staff will be in constant danger as seven Yankees smacked at least 20 homers.
No team can match the Yankees when it comes to lineup depth and offensive firepower, but the Twins were plenty good at scoring runs themselves, ranking fourth in the league with 816. Joe Mauer had one of the greatest seasons of all time for a catcher, hitting .365/.444/.587 with 28 homers for his third batting title in four seasons, and Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, and Denard Span were also among the league's top bats.
Morneau's injury robs Minnesota of a fifth big-time threat, but Cuddyer hit .333 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in 21 games after replacing him at first base and guys like Delmon Young, Orlando Cabrera, and Matt Tolbert caught fire down the stretch after being easy outs for most of the season. They're certainly not going to out-slug the Yankees, but the Twins have plenty of pop and scored 6.3 runs per game during the season-ending 17-4 stretch.
Bullpens
Twins relievers had a 3.88 ERA in 512 innings and Yankees relievers had a 3.91 ERA in 515 innings, but bullpen depth ceases being a big factor once the playoffs begin. In other words, no more R.A. Dickey and Edwar Ramirez. Instead playoff bullpens are all about closers and their primary setup men, which means Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain for New York and Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier, and Jon Rauch for Minnesota. No pitcher can match Rivera's postseason success, but Nathan is right there with him when it comes to regular-season dominance since becoming a closer in 2004:
IP ERA WHIP SV SV% Rivera 440 1.90 0.94 243 93.1 Nathan 419 1.87 0.93 246 90.8
Amazingly close, as Rivera and Nathan have been the two best closers in baseball during that time. However, while the Twins feature a solid but unspectacular setup trio of Guerrier, Rauch, and Jose Mijares the Yankees potentially have two shutdown relievers in front of Rivera. Hughes has been overpowering since moving to the bullpen, going 5-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 51 innings, and while a question mark Chamberlain has a 1.50 ERA in 50 career relief appearances.
Overrated Angle: Pavano versus his former teammates
Yes, the Yankees and their fans still hold a grudge against Pavano, who made a grand total of 26 starts in four injury-filled seasons in New York and earned nearly $5 million per win. However, he's been healthy and productive this season while making a career-high 33 starts, going 14-9 with a 4.67 ERA since a rough April. Plus, for all the drama of Pavano facing New York in a playoff series he's already pitched against the Yankees twice this season, allowing four runs over 13.1 innings in a pair of no-decisions.
Underrated Angle: Burnett over Pettitte in Game 2
Because of the incredibly drawn-out ALDS schedule the first two starters will each pitch twice. Sabathia was a no-brainer atop the rotation, but Burnett over Pettitte in Game 2 is somewhat curious. Burnett was 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA and Pettitte was 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA, so they had similar seasons, but Pettitte is a tougher matchup for the Twins given that three of their four best hitters are left-handed. Beyond that, manager Joe Girardi announced that Jose Molina will serve as Burnett's personal catcher, so Jorge Posada's bat will be on the bench 40 percent of the time.
Prediction
Minnesota has all the momentum in the world, but history has shown that doesn't mean a whole lot once the playoffs begin and New York is simply a superior team with the benefit of rest and homefield advantage. Yankees in four.
A lot of those losses were Yankee teams with genetically-enhanced players like Giambi, A-Rod, and Clemens
In 1979, the Minnesota North Stars had lost 22 straight to the Bruins going into their Stanley Cup playoff series with the Boston. Minnesota won the series.
The Giants with a mediocre Eli Manning weren't supposed to beat the undefeated Patriots in a Superbowl. (granted, just one game but the principle is the same)
Sports history is loaded with such examples. But as the saying goes that's why they don't play the games on paper.
Is it a tough task for Minnesota? No doubt. But over 5 games anything can happen.
Basically, this will be (and should be) a Twins Nation to almost all but the diehard Yankee fans. People hate the Yankees for their star and studded lineup that was bought and paid for with huge sums of money.
They (the organization not the players) represent everything that's wrong with baseball and if, as most sane people expect, they win the World Series, it will simply be considered a return on investment instead of an actual accomplishment.
I'd rather be insane and root for the Twins to do the impossible and actually have an accomplishment to show for it in the end.
Return on an investment? Each team decides what their investment is going to be, and then follows through with it. The Yankees invest heavily, because they value and believe in their investment, the teams still have to perform on the field. The last 8 years have shown that an INVESTMENT means nothing, unless it can transfer into production on the field. So to Jay Kalsbeck I say, IT AIN'T ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.
And as far as the NY GIANTS go, only the news media underestimated them, if you know your football, you would know that the NY GIANTS were MORE than capable of taking down the New England Pantywaists without the David and Goliath reference.
P.S. You root for those Twins jay, cuz it will be a REALLY short series for them;)
Call me crazy as well, but GO TWINS!!!!!
You sound like a sore loser. I mean, isn't that the idea, invest so you can get bigger revenue. It's all bout how you manage your investments. Are you a Detroit fan?
The Yankees better win this series or else Joe Girardi will be out and Bobby Valentine will be in as Yankees skipper.
The Yankees have spent what, $2 billion on salaries since their last World Series title? And you want to talk ROI? This is the 6th time in the last eight years that the Twins have won their division or ended up tied on the last day of the season. That's not a bad ROI, dude.
No offense but the Yankees would never hire Bobby Valentine- he's an embarrassment to baseball and New York. Need I remind you about the fake mustache incident after getting thrown out of a game? Bush league.
Girardi has done a helluva a job this year with this club, he'll be back next year. Yanks all the way!
On paper, the Twins are clearly the better team.
In regards to the ROI statement made, it should be noted that in order for the NY Yankee management to ensure that they are putting forth a product worthy of demanding astronomical seating prices and ridiculous stadium amenities the management has to put forth enormous capital to make customers happy - and have them return or spread the word that the product is exceptional. This is standard business practice. Ask Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban - once the product becomes bigger than the field of play then the marketing includes the personnel. Think of it in terms of the dilapidated Baltimore Orioles with whom you can sit on field level to watch a game for literally ten times less than that seat would cost at new Yankee Stadium. What rationale would suggest that the O's could or even would invest in a lucrative series of deals to secure a player when their empty, cheap seats cannot ensure that the checks will even clear.
It is a shame that other markets do not have the capital that NY does. It is a shame that when teams play the Yankees at their own field they have thousands of fans cheering for the other team. Keep in mind however that the storied franchise sat and watched as smaller market teams hoisted the trophy each of the 8 seasons. It should be clear to all who have entered the field of play in any sport that the high price of your cleats or basketball shoes don't make you any better of a ballplayer they just make you look nicer. Michael Jordan dazzled us with ordinary shoes just as he did with those of his namesake. Winning is an act of determination and heart - not dollars and cents. We all know this.
It is time to stop hating the Yankees, because in a poor economy many of us should be taking notes on how to invest our money, relatively or otherwise.
Wait a minute...Pavano, and not Baker on a full four days' rest, is really going in game 3? That's crazy.
Why bother with a season of all those other teams? Let's save time, trouble, and money and just declare the Yankees the only baseball team worth following who will obviously always win. The national media only seems to have the resources and interest for covering the one team anyway. Instead of baseball season, let's just make all the stadiums shrines where fans can go and worship the one true franchise by paying lots of money to sit and hear national media hacks recite the praises of the real baseball gods.
It aint over 'till it's over.
There's nothing strategic about the Yankees. A team with 3X the payroll should win. Baseball needs to level the playing field so to speak like Football does. Outside of New York, no one wants to see this. People want to see teams win that execute better on the field and in the general office. Any moron can simply spend more. I could put together a winning team if I had unlimited funds.
For that, this Cincinnati fan says Go Twins!!!!!
A rarity- player development in the NY Yankees farm system. They represent everything that is wrong with baseball. A collection of overpaid mercenaries bought and paid for to satisfy the massive egos of the Steinbrenner clan! Little wonder that beyond New York, they are despised nationally with little chance to win the World Series. AROID will choke as he usually does in big games.The pitching staff is suspect at best and Girardi is overrated as a manager. Mr. Steinbrenner should do something good for humanity-ante up some of his cash to educate and feed underpriviledged people rather than waste it trying to feed his monstrous ego!Time was the Yankees were respected based on their commitment to a farm system. Not so any longer. Lastly, if baseball had a commissioner who had a pair, there would be more parity. It has been reduced to a system of haves and have nots. It is no longer a sport but rather a money fed business with the richy rich playing for all the marbles. In the annals of sport, the 2009 Yankees, given their wealth,their ruthless rush to buy talent rather than grow it, will go down in history as underachievers,no matter what they accomplish on the field.
Taking notes on how to invest our money? From the Yankees? You have got to be kidding me. I suppose that advice would be to overpay for absolutely anything with perceived value. In a time where money is tight, taking notes on investment from an organization who spends literally billions of dollars in between successes seems foolish. I think the Twins style of investment and player development is more noteworthy chief.
lay off the crack, dude. we get it- you love the Twins and hate the Yankees. it is remarkable that the Twins have gotten as far as they have. however, you are living in fantasyland. the Twins are nothing but an inadequate warmup for the next series against Boston/California/LA/Anaheim. they will be lucky to win one game. hear me now and believe me later.
"A rarity- player development in the NY Yankees farm system."
Homegrown Yankees on the playoff roster who were developed on the farm:
Derek Jeter - SS
Jorge Posada - C
Mariano Rivera - closer
Robinson Cano - 2B
Melky Cabrera - starting CF
Brett Gardner - backup CF
Phil Hughes - set up man
Joba Chamberlain - swing man (at the moment)
Alfredo Aceves - reliever
David Robertson - reliever
Phil Coke - reliever
Andy Pettitte was also a homegrown Yankee, though he left and came back via FA. Damaso Marte was a Yankee farmhand they brought back via trade and then signed to a silly contract. Nick Swisher was acquired via trade because Chicago thought he sucked.
Sorry for interrupting your whine. All teams buy talent, in case you haven't noticed. The Yankees pay top dollar premiums to buy the CC Sabathias of the world in their prime. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't and they're on the hook. The Yanks generally don't have a shot at drafting, say, Joe Mauer. He's off the board already. That's fine: draft order is an intended equalizer for bad teams. The Yankees spend like they do to be in the mix for a championship every year. There is no planned rebuilding cycle. You can hate that all you want, but I'd suggest, if you're a Twins fan, that you consider the wealth of your team's ownership compared to what they spend on the team before you pop off about the awful, awful Steinbrenners.
Nice going Rob, but there are a few other names Petey may have also overlooked.
Cervelli
Duncan
Kennedy
Melancon
Miranda
Pena
Ramirez
If you look at the big names the Yanks have acquired, only half of the motivation is "buying a championship". The other half is preventing your rivals from getting the talent. Boston bids on the same guys the Yankees try to sign. The 2009 season would've been much different if talent like Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett went to Boston instead of NY.
The fat lady say's IT AIN'T OVER!!!!!!!!
Two notes:
1. On AJ over pettitte, the twins seems to have hit pettitte very well over their careers, even the lefties, While AJ has succeeded.
2. Look at Nathan's numbers vs the Yankees.... That is all
Stop the bs about how much the Yankees spend
If they win we will hear "They bought another championship" and if they dont win the WS all we will hear is "Look at all the money they spent and still cant win"
Steinbrenner reinvest his money while teams like the Marlins and Twins develop a lot of talent but let them walk away because the owners have squirel arms
The Yankees have the best record in baseball and the highest payroll and the worst and most delusional fans. There is nowhere left for those overpaid-panty-wastes-in-pinstripes (and their fans)to go but for a beat-down.
I suppose Jay think it's better that the Pohlads pocket their money instead of spending it on the team.
It seems like he's more a fan of the Pohlads' pockets than major league baseball. Very strange.
Clearly you must be on drugs!
ha ha come one come all THE YANKEE HATERS are out in full force.
Get your tissues ready #27 is right around the corner......
Yankees rule !!!!!!!!!!
"Winning is an act of determination and heart - not dollars and cents. We all know this."
Great, Jimmy B! Then the Yankees are in favor of a team spending cap, after all. Why spend all that money if it isn't buying them anything?
Hey, that's a good point. They don't have the draft spots because they are successful, therefore they need to purchase their top talent, instead of draft it. That is fair enough.
Typical arrogant Yankees fan. No wonder a majority of the nations hates your team and fans like you.
Shouldn't injury be "injury" when referring to Glen Perkins?
Why condemn the Yankees because they have an owner who is: A. Smart enough to create investment opportunities in NYC that give him an endless supply of money and B. Willing to invest the money he makes back into the team and get the best possible player at each position?
I'm proud that the team I root for has an owner willing to lay it all on the line to win. If the other owners aren't smart enough or aren't willing to dump their revenues back into their teams, they should get out.....
Steve that was great !!!!!!!!
This sounds like a business magazine editorial section. The best times I had in baseball involved picking a team for no really great reason, sticking with them,and watching the game or listening on the radio. It was just baseball, but it was the best baseball of my life. I was 13.
Already making excuses ????
I would love to see Arod go 0-for everything and get all watery eyed again copyright "Aroid-gate '09" when the Yankees get knocked out in the first round and all the haters come down on 'em. The looks on thier faces would be the best gift ever!
Atta Boy Aaron, take a risk... Say the Twins are long shots! Haha ... As you said NYC has 3x the payroll and 4x the steroid test positives!
Oh and for the record Twins wear Pinstripes too....
Hey did I mention we beat the Packers on Monday night?
WOW.... Fans are in a an uproar and restless and the series hasn't even started. On paper, the Yankees should win. Just like on paper, the Twins should not be where they are at.... playing in the post season. But since the game isn't played on paper, why not just sit back and enjoy the show? It's baseball.... Anything can happen.
God all these lame, rationalizing Yankee fans suck. You can parse the situation any way you like, but the Yankees' payroll is three times the Twins'. Just because they haven't won the world series in a few years doesn't mean they're on the same level as the Twins. That doesn't make the money aspect moot/irrelevant. Screw the Yankees. Rooting for them is like rooting for a tsunami as it wipes away a remote village in Indonesia. Or rooting for an atomic bomb as it falls towards Hiroshima.
Nobody likes a sore winner...especially when they haven't won yet. Once the series is over you can decide to be gracious in defeat or victory, or be a prick. To be fair, the Yankee players are more gracious in winning than many of the fans appear to be. I at least give them that.
The real difficulty for me is that the baseball model is so skewed toward large market teams that eventually i fear they will have to move or eliminate some smaller markets. Baseball is second to football in this country and most people are too busy to watch a 3 hour game 162 times a year. Therefore they simply root for recognizable figures and teams who win alot. While you may argue the Yankees try to buy championships, really, and I argue smartly, they buy fans more importantly. Kids in KC go to Kauffman field in a Derek Jeter Jersey...this is kinda sad. And unsustainable if you ask me.
Fact is, most people dont pay much attention to baseball until the post season and then jump on a bandwagon.
Well people, the Yankee bandwagon is CROWDED! But it's nice and roomy over here on the Twins bandwagon. Hey we may get swept, but at if not, we'll have a better and more awe inspiring tale to tell our grandkids. So if youre not to lazy to root for the "sure thing," Small ball, small market baseball, the average fan of an average team could sure use your support.
. . . and that is why they play the game. Down the stretch, the '06 Cardinals were being compared to the '64 Phillies for blowing the biggest lead ever. On paper the Cards had no business being in the playoffs. The Yankees, who had already been written in -- on paper -- to be in the WS, were going to crush the Cardinals if the Cards were lucky enough to get to there. How did that one work out?
If the Twins win game one...they will sweep the series.
If not, they will get swept.
Nothing better than watching large market teams brag about how good they are. Home grown this, home grown that. I don't care. The Twins as a whole do not make as much as A-Rod.
There is probably no more than 3 players on the Twins active roster the Yankees would even consider looking at. Thats why people route for the Twins.
If you yupee Yankee fans can't see a David vs Goliath you need to get outside and experience the clean fresh air of the Midwest. There is nothing wrong in pointing that out.
Thats why people route for teams like the Twins. Not to mention arrogant fans such as the Yankees.
We're gonna win Twins!
We're gonna score!
Were gonna win Twins
Watch that baseball SOOOOAAAARRRR!!!
Knock out a homerun!
Shout a hip horay!
Cheer for the M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A TWINS TOOOOOODDDAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!
David vs Goliath exits...it starts in a few short hours.
Nice way to bring up Mo's stats from 2004 on. Should also mention his playoff stats in that same time frame.
IP: 21.3 Saves: 4 Blown Saves: 3
3 blown saves in his last 7 opportunities.
First off I am a die hard Twins fan! Let's get that out in the open. Should the Twins beat the Yankees, no prob not, but will they remains to be seen. They shouldn't have won the Central Division Title either. Does NY buy their talent, of course but all major league teams do. I think that the Twins play a much better game because they play by heart and pure unaltered talent driven by the thousands of screaming fans. But, is it enough! I hope so! I think the Yankees play more because they are getting paid to. I would hope they have as much fun playing as the Twins do but I think they prob get too bogged down in all the drama that surrounds them. The Yankees are a good team and they have paid for it, if we had the money that NY does, who's to say we wouldn't do the same thing? It's a lot of he says, she says and dollar signs floating around but when it all comes down to it, the best baseball isn't neccessarily bought and paid for. Money may bring the best results but my guess is no one will forget last nights Twins/Tigers game for many years to come. It was about the game and no one cared about the money.
I have been saying this since the Detroit/Twins 4 game series: "the Twins have nothing to loose." Really they're not suppose to even be here. All they can do is play and have fun and the Minnesota fans have already been treated to a fantastic seaon finale. Yankees will deem anything short of a Sweep to the world series a failure. Even when they loose in the playoffs it's a bigger story than the team who won.
I'd say Game 1 is a must-win game for the Yankees. That sounds weird, since they are such a heavy favorite, but the last thing they can afford to do is to give the Twins hope AND two games at home.
The Yanks are like the US Mens Basketball team. They are expected to dominate. If they don't win the Gold (or World Series), they are a disappointment. If they do, they were just doing what they are supposed to do. Seems pretty joyless. The Twins, on the other hand, seem to be enjoying this ride quite a bit. Following them from a far over the last two to three weeks has really been quite fun. They've converted me... Go Twins!!!! (at least until the Cubs get back in the playoffs :)
I root for 2 teams. The Mets and whoever is playing against the Yankees.
GO TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and yes I come from NYC.
All I can say is a resounding Thank You! I realize as a Minnesotan, I am still coming down from "sports victory high" after the Vikes beat the Packers on Monday and the Twins toppled Detroit yesterday; but nonetheless feel like I should stick up for my team after reading two articles by sports writers who spent endless words saying "Fat Chance!" regarding the prospects of the Twins beating the Yankees. Well, I understand the daunting task ahead of our MN Twins but I will compare it to what it was like for our USA hockey team against the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Just as in this case it wasn't the final but those hockey players had to go up against the huge favorite for the gold and beat them just to continue on for the gold medal. It was a team of college players put together the summer before to go up against Russian pro hockey players who had played together much longer than just a number of months. Well, I know the Twins are a pro team; however, when you compare team payrolls between MN and NY, you might as well say it's college level vs. the pros! Even if I weren't a MN native I'd be cheering for the Twins because NY no longer represents what baseball started out to be years ago..instead the team is merely a machine put together by a lot of money and scheming tactical moves from the head office. No, I'll always back the team that plays with sheer will, guts, heart, talent and never-say-die-attitude like the "comeback guys" who are the MN Twins.
I agree, GO TWINS!!! I'm so sick of that dirty yankee team...they think their better than everyone else. It's not over, and I'm going to laugh at all those yankee fans and the team when they loose (which hopefully will happen).
Sure the Yankees are favorite to win this series but everything starts new at 6 pm
The Yankees sweept the Twins but 6 of the 7 were by 1 or 2 runs and not to long ago the Yankees sweept the Tigers and lost in the 1st round.
What bothers me is how all the haters disrespect all Yankee fans
I am a proud Yankee fan who loves baseball show some respect to those of us who deserve it.
I admire the Yankees as a business entity - they are very well run and make a lot of money. Something that is very admirable in the business world. I admire the Yankee's players. Who cannot admire the talent of Jeter, Rivera, Rodriguez, Texiera, Sabathia, Posada and almost every other player on that team? I also do not mind the Yankees using the money they make to pay top dollar for their team. It is their money and they can spend it how they please. The reason I hate the Yankees is because I hate the Yankees' fans. They are the most arrogant, classless and rudest fans in baseball. It is because of the Yankees' fans that I will always, always, always cheer against the Yankees and pull for the other team. Go Twins!!!!!
The twins have been playing in Playoff baseball for three weeks now so this is just another do or die situation they have been playing in.
David killed Goliath with a sling-shot not a billion dollars. Never say never.
This is one of the worst arguments anyone ever makes about anything. EVERY owner pockets his/her/its/their money. And none spend out of their own pockets. Pure economic pragmatism; spend what you can make back with a little profit. The difference between the Pohlads and Steinbrenners isn't greed, it's that the Yankees have access to a uniquely huge revenue stream which they can, and do, put back into their product, and the Twins get a tiny fraction of that. Whether you think that's a problem that that needs to be fixed, it's the situation. The tendency to try to turn the blame around onto other teams for not spending as much as the Yankees do is just one of the many things that makes the mass of Yankee fans so darn endearing, lovable and brilliant.
Jay, I completely agree with you. The Yankees in my opinion have not and will not be able to accomplish anything baseball worthy. The way the game should be played is something the Minnesota Twins have always done. This to me is more of an accomplishment than simply hitting "bombs" at will and spending more money on players that do so. However, I guess it's powerhouses such as the Yankees that make teams like the Twins series wins just that much sweeter!
JETER, MO, POSADA, PETTITE,JOBA, HUGHS,CANO,
OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD ARE HOME GROWN ..............
GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.........
WHERE DID U GET OLANDO CABRERA FROM,,,,,,,,
DUH. THE A'S
AND I DIDN'T LQQK AT THE ROSTERS.........
THEY SHOULD HAVE CONTRACTED YOUR TEAM, YOU HATE THE YANKEES BUT WHEN
THEY GO TO THE TWIN CITIES YOUR STADIUM GET'S SOLD OUT.
YOUR CHEAP OWNER STUFFED HIS POCKET WITH GEORGES MONEY FROM REVENUE SHARING INSTEAD OF GETTING A FEW PLAYERS WITH IT, YOU SMALL MARKET TEAMS SHOULD KISS GEORGIES RING..........
WHY DO YOU THINK WE HAD TO BUILD TWO STADIUMS, TO WRITE OFF THE LOST AND STOP GIVING MILLIONS OF OUR MONEY TO YOUR OWNER.
GET YOURSELF EDUCATED AND STOP WHINNING LIKE A WOMAN!!!
I DON'T HATE THE TWINS, I EVEN HAVE A TWIN CITY BASEBALL CAP BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY PLAY THE GAME, I BET YOU THINK GARDENHIRE PLAYED FOR THE TWINS AS WELL, HE DIDN'T HE WAS A MET, GOGGLE IT.
LIKE JETER SAID , LET'S WIN IT FOR GEORGE!!!
I love all of the moron Yankees fans that think the Yankees have as much money as they do because of "investing" and talking about "ROI". A - it pretty clear by your misuse of these terms that you have no clue what your talking about. B. The Yankees have more money because they exist in the largest media market in the country. St Louis has just as much tradition and history as the Yankees and have consitently fielded good teams. However, they can't have a payroll that is $50 million more than anyone else because their in St Louis, a much smaller market. Stop acting like the Yankees are some financial geniuses for figuring out how to get the most revenue out of the country's largest media market. Donald Trump could've figured that out, and he managed to go bankrupt in the Casino industry.
George Steinbrenner bought that Yankees and that is why he has access to the revenue stream. The truth is that baseball benefits from the Yankee's spending. Attendance and viewership goes up every time the Yankees are in town, and that in it self is a form of revenue sharing. In addition, the Yankees DO give an enomous amount of money to small market teams every year and most of the owners put it right into their pockets. I would have not problem with the Yankees revenue sharing amount go up IF to get the money the Twins, Pirates, and Marlins of the world where forced to match the amount in increased salaries. The truth here is that there needs to be transparency as to how much these teams are making and the small market teams need to be forced to put the money back into the team.
And by the way, a salary cap just benefits the fat cat owners and hurts the players. While a lot of people are okay with players making less, that argument is completely absurd since they are the ones actually entertaining us. The last thing I want is a systme that makes Pohlad and Steinbrenner even richer than the are.
Lastly, Minnisota and Florida get all this credit for having great "systems" but the truth is that they 1) get better draft picks, and 2) trade all their good players for prospects and draft picks. Great job picking Joe Mauer (Future Yankee) with the first pick in the draft. My 6 month old daughter could have made that pick. I guess we should congratulate Minnisota for having the worst team in the league that year.
While I am at it, the comparing the Minnisota Twins to the Florida Marlins is really unfair to the Marlins (and Rockies, Rays, and D-Backs). When did the Twins last make it to the World Series - 1991. Well in that time these teams have made it 5 times and won 3 championships. Let me know the next time the Twins actually play for something that counts.
Twins fans - Enjoy the next 3 games as they will be the last until next April.
DREAMS ARE NICE BUT LEARN TO LIVE REALITY............
THE YANKEES WILL SPANK THE TWINS, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE ARE RESTED
I LOVE HOW IT IS ALL THE YANKEES FAULT BECAUSE THE OWNER OF THE TWINS IS A PENNY PINCHIN OLD FART, WELL TO BAD, AS GEORGIE ALWAYS
SAID" THE YANKEES BELONG TO THE GREATEST FANS IN THE WORLD" AND
HE WILL ALWAYS PUT OUT A GOOD TEAM NOT A BUNCH OF SCRUBS AND WE DO IT ALL WITHIN THE RULES OF THE GAME.I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A MINIMUM SALRY CAP AS WELL.
I'M TIRED OF TALKING TO YOUR LOSERS AND WHINERS, I'M GOING HOME TO WATCH THE YANKEES SPANK THE TWINS.
MAN U R CRAzY, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE FOOLING, THE YANKEES HAVE THEIR OWN NETWORK, IT'S CALLED YES, THE YANKEE CAP IS SO FAMOUS AROUND THE WORLD EVEN JAY=-Z RAPS ABOUT,
The idea that Twins fans are out there complaining about another team when in one of the best signing evironments in years, their big offseason signing was Joe Crede... I mean, does that even constitute a "franchise" at that point? You should be pointing the figure at the decision makers in your franchise.
This offseason they are going to spring a couple of million for... Gary Sheffield? That will do them wonders.
Where are ALL the TWINS FANS, CRYING AND WHINNING ABOUT THE BIG BAD YANKEE PAYROLL or THINKING OF EXCUSES................
Did you see the awesome home grown talent perform, Jeter, Cano, Posada, Mo, Hughes, Coke, Joba, Melky,.................
My Gosh, what will happen when Tex, Cano and Posada start swinging the lumber.I'm thinking the Twins are frauds, where are their MVP BOY'S THE M & M BOYS DID THEY MAKE THE TRIP TO New York and the guys they are throwing out to the mound, A ROOKIE IN GAME ONE, A GUY WITH A 11-11 RECORD IN GAME TWO, WHAT THE ............
Oh wait just a minute they have a home grown guy I think his name is Pavano, they are real good at producing talent so he should be good, sure wish the Yankees had a guy like him on their staff, BUT THEY HAVE BAT BOY'S ALREADY.
COME ON MAN........
"scheming tactical moves", YEAH, LIKE THE FREE AGENT/ TRADE SHENANIGANS ..STOP BEING A LOSER CALL THE OWNER, TELL HIM STOP STUFFING HIS POCKETS WITH GEORGES MONEY, WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE D'BACKS AND MARLINS BEAT US IN THE SERIES THEN SCRAPPED THEIR TEAM ??? WHO PAID FOR YOUR STADIUM, THE TAX PAYERS, GEORGE PAID FOR HIS, THE YANKEES ARE THE GREATEST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS, IN JAPAN THEY WEAR THE YANKEE CAP, MEXICO, JAMAICA ETC.
COME ON MAN ...........
10 MORE WINS FELLAS.........
Are you seriously trying to argue that the Yankees have "built" this team? Really!? Do you watch baseball or just eat what is spoon fed to you by ESPN?
Remember last year when they had a "homegrown" team and missed the playoffs? I do.
Remember when they went out and spent more than any team in sports history on a handful of players in the offseason last year? I do.
Arguments like "Yo dood the yankeez have their own network with ease kid," prove that, in fact, Yankees fans are douches.
Seen that "new haircut video on youtube", guess what team they're cheerin' for...I'll be its not the Orioles.
Toolboxes, go frost your tips and pretend like you know your team.
ya know, it's not the Yankee team or the owner who I agree is playing by the rules. It's the few (but not most) arrogant Yankee fans who forget that every team has it's legacy, it's heros of years past. To fans of those teams those memories are just as important as the Yankees. Baseball does little to preserve markets for most teams.
Also, I resent the idea that George S. subsidises the smaller markets. The fact is, if there were a salray cap AND minimum, there would be no need for a luxury tax and market sharing. It was a failed attempt and bad idea to fix MLB's financial disparity between teams. The TRUTH is, even with this system Goerge S. can only benifit from it along with teams who can afford to pay it. But really, if you prefer we can cut the MLB down to say four teams? You can play Boston all year and in the NL we'll have the Dodgers and Cubs (just to give em a chance.)
Hey, I love BASEBALL. Baseball is my sport and I believe its the perfect game. I will watc all the games in the playoffs. How many Yankee fans do that when they get knocked out? Maybe not so much in New York but to the rest of the nation people are only rooting for who they feel will be the winner. It's too easy to root for the yankees if your a kid from some Wisconsin. Fact is, alot of these kids cant name the starting 9. These are not baseball fans...just people too impatient and lazy to love the game.
Yes, outside of NY for the vast majority of "fans," the Yankees is more of a clothing lable than it is a sports team with a legacy. Its a fashion statement. MLB would do well to market local teams to these fans. Increase local revenue and loyality, insert a cap and minimum. Keep in mind here we are talking about the long term viability of the sport.
For me, the untypical yet annoying Yankee fan who harps about money and legacy are little more akin to spoiled rich kids bragging about their dads Lexus he gave them when they didnt do anything to earn it and will never appreciate it.
"They know how to get it done, and they play with class.
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Who do you think is going to win this years superbowl? And what do you think the spread will be?
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Watch the super bowl online here.
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Yeah babyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! The saints won the Super Bowl! what do you guys think? I'm asking different bloggers and different posts.