Hal Steinbrenner Wants C.C. Sabathia RIGHT NOW.

Is there any group of people in the World more loathsome than the Steinbrenner family?

Honestly, as a Red Sox fan with common sense, I’ve never really had an extreme hatred for many Yankees players (Roger Clemens aside). I always liked Joe Torre, I never understood how Derek Jeter can run the bases with all of the Sports Media living in his jock strap but I never really bothered hating him, A-Rod I almost feel bad for in a way and he’s sort of just a clown, Always respected Giambi…etc.

But the fucking Steinbrenners? Even Yankees fans know that those people are the scum of the Earth. They embody everything people hate about rich people. They are greedy, they’re whiney, they complain about every little fucking thing to the media. They just fucking suck.

Hal Steinbrenner and Hank Steinbrenner are no different.

Said Hal about C.C. Sabathia:

“We’ve made him an offer. It’s not going to be there forever,”

Really? That sounds pretty familiar. I seem to recall the Yankees revoking their offer to A-Rod last season as well…

He might as well have said:

I want the world
I want the whole world
I want to lock it all up in my pocket
It’s my bar of chocolate
Give it to me Now!

Just look at that picture of him up there. Does that not scream douche bag? He looks like he’s tired from having to constantly yell “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?!?!” at everyone he encounters.

“You call this a limo? THIS HAS FUCKING LEATHER SEATING! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?!?!? No Steinbrenner rides in leather FUCKING seating you dumb fucking twerp. I’ve taken shits that are worth more than you! I want a limo with DIAMOND seating. That’s right. I WANT TO FUCKING SIT IN A LIMO MADE OF DIAMONDS! What do you mean you can’tmake that happen? Listen Juan, get me that fucking limo or you’ll be back in- Oh your name isn’t Juan? HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT A STEINBRENNER YOU FUCKING SHIT-STAIN! Do you know who I AM? HAL FUCKING STEINBRENNER THAT’S WHO! I DON’T LEARN THE NAMES OF stupid fucking PEASANTS! I AM ROYALTY!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!

Ryan Dempster Stays In Chicago With The Cubs. 4 Years. $52 million.

In a plot to foil the Yankees’ plans to buy an entirely new rotation, Ryan Dempster has re-signed with the Chicago Cubs.

Dempster will receive a $4 million signing bonus and make $52 million over 4 years (the 4th year being an option year).

Dempster (last seen, NOT leading my fantasy baseball team to glory….sonofabitch!) was 17-6 last season. He was a closer three seasons prior to 2008. And even though getting what could be a high quality third starter (that would be an ace for some teams) for $13 million per season seems like a good deal, Dempster had one great year last year. His 17-5 record might not be consistent with what is to come.

All though it should be.

Here’s Steinbrenner’s desired Rotation:

1) C. C. Sabathia

2) AJ Burnett

3) Ben Sheets

4) Ryan Dempster

5) Derek Lowe

Tim Lincecum Wins NL Cy Young. Tomorrow Cliff Lee Picks Up His AL Cy Young.

 

I still am not sure if it is pronounced “Lince-Cum” or “Linkey-Cum” or “Link-EK-Ummm” or “Link-EEEEEK-Ummm”. Everytime I see it in writing I run through the way all four sound in my head and they all sound horrible.

But one thing that wasn’t horrible was Lincecum (and good thing, because he played for an otherwise awful team).

The Giants have been notoriously unintelligent when it comes to signing talented pitchers. Which is why it makes sense for them to trade Lincecum to the Red Sox for Mike Timlin, Bartolo Colon and Coco Crisp. I know that seems like a shitty deal on paper, but think about it, they’d be getting three guys all for less per year than what they pay Barry Zito. Plus, Timlin will retire soon and Bartolo Colon is probably better than Zito on a day to day basis at this point…

Think about it Giants…You can have 2 of the previous 7 AL Cy Young Award Winners in the same rotation and all it will cost you is the reigning NL Cy Young winner!

I thought C.C. Sabathia deserved some strong consideration but apparently voters thought not. Oh well. It’s not like he can’t go out and be God for 3 months next season…

So tomorrow Cliff Lee will win the AL Cy Young and we will have to reflect upon the 2005 Cy Young balloting…

Take a look. Apparently the only fucking thing voters look at is wins because Johan (who came in 3rd, mind you) easily should have destroyed the field that year.

                                      1st           Max        |       Season Results
Rk Name             Team Place Points Points Share|  W-L   IP    ERA       WHIP        SO   SV
+–+—————-+—-+—–+——+——+—–+——+—+—–+—–+—+–+
  1 Bartolo Colon     LAA   17    118    140  0.84 | 21-8  223  3.48       1.16     157  
  2 Mariano Rivera    NYY    8     68    140  0.49 |  7-4   78     1.38        0.87     80     43
  3 Johan Santana     MIN    3     51    140  0.36 | 16-7  232   2.87        0.97     238 

Clearly Johan was better. He was 16-7, but he had a much better ERA than Colon, a better WHIP, an ass-load more K’s. I hate all of the voting systems in Major League Baseball. Clearly, in retrospect, Johan Santana should have won that year (and I don’t even say that based on how Bartolo’s career has gone since then. The raw numbers don’t lie).

Anyway, congrats Lincey. You only have another couple of years left in San Francisco before you’re a Yankee. Enjoy them while they last. One day you’ll look back on these days and say “as much as it sucked at the time, being great on a shitty team was the most fun I ever had playing baseball…”

Boston Red Sox Refrain From Price Gouging On Tickets…For At Least 1 Season…

Thanks for all your support Larry Lucchino. I’m sure these times are really hitting you hard. I bet you can barely afford that fifth floor you were going to add to your house…

As much as I appreciate the Red Sox not raising ticket prices, it really isn’t much of a gesture considering they a) don’t have Manny on the books anymore and b) didn’t win the World Series oh and c) Theo Epstein claims he is not interested in any of the 3 major pitchers available for next season.

I expect he will come to his sense and C.C. Sabathia will be in a Red Sox uniform by Christmas (this won’t happen for a lot of reasons).

The Red Sox clearly need to do something. You can’t fall in game 7 of the ALCS and come back the next year with the same exact team and same exact problems.

here are 5 things I want changed:

1. Jason Varitek (I’m fine with the Red Sox re-signing him at severely reduced pay and giving him the Sam Cassell treatment (making him inactive but having him at practices and on the bench in a sports jacket).
2. Julio Lugo (keep him on the bench. Indefinitely. Jed Lowrie is the wave of the future).
3. Mike Timlin (someone needs to take the old dog out back and shoot him).
4. Add a new starting pitcher or two. (they don’t have to be #1’s. I’ll take two #3’s or one #2 and one #4…but clearly Tim Wakefield isn’t an every 5 games type of pitcher anymore at this point in his career and because Josh Beckett is BOUND to get hurt and injuries happen routinely, it would be nice to not have to go through most of the season with a slapped together crew of guys with no experience and guys who mysteriously suck).
5. Add another bat. Either an outfielder or a 3rd/1st baseman. Someone with some power. There will be injuries to the corner positions and outfield and probably DH this year. Mark Kotsay wasn’t a good answer last season (all though, he was OK at times, he sort of sucked horribly during most of the playoffs).

If they can fulfill these 5 changes and also keep ticket prices what they are, I’ll be impressed.

But this just feels like one of those Jose Offerman-type offseasons…

C.C. Sabathia Says ‘Happiness’ Will Decide Where He Plays in 2009.

Even though the Brewers couldn’t get it done in the playoffs, they were sort of like last season’s Phillies, a team that sort of made it to the playoffs against all odds and was just happy to be there.

C.C. Sabathia on the Brewers was a fun time in baseball history. I say history because I don’t know how a team like the Brewers, a team that spends very little, could possibly afford to pay Sabathia unless they raise their ticket prices by 600%.

If the happiness thing is true, it sounds like Sabathia is already trying to rule out the Yankees. Sure, they’ll give him an island in the South Pacific with a mountain made of $20’s, but I’m pretty sure he’d be unhappy to suicidal playing under Hank Steinbrenner and the constant shit-stained spotlight of the New York Media.

The Mets might work to a lesser extent…but who knows.

Sabathia apparently loves Southern California, which makes the Angels, Padres and Dodgers possible targets. I don’t know what the Padres can afford, the Angels already have a great pitching staff but the Dodgers could probably use a big anchor…

Maybe the Rangers will step up, offer him $500 million over 14 years, not be able to pay that contract and then trade him to the Yankees after a few seasons…

I’d love for Sabathia to come to Boston but I don’t think it is going to happen.

Either way, Sabathia was great this season. I’m excited for the upcoming sweepstakes.

Mets Miss October Yet Again…

The Mets had no bullpen in 2008.

As much as every team pretty much has no bullpen, the Mets really had no bullpen.

They had an injured closer, no real set up man, a guy who makes Mike Timlin look like K-Rod (Aaron Heilman) and overall just never got it together.

I also don’t think it would hurt for the Mets to invest in another ace starter in the off-season. Someone like CC Sabathia would be pretty helpful to a team without a bullpen.

In all honesty, I really don’t think the Mets would have gotten out of the first round if they made the playoffs anyway, but I’m sure most Mets fans just feel like it is nothing short of tragedy that ANOTHER Mets team played hard for most of the season, essentially lead their division 5 of 6 months and then fell to pieces at crunch time.

This team just didn’t look like it was built for the postseason. Not enough pitching and probably one more big bat shy of what they would have needed.

On the plus side, Jerry Manuel is probably coming back in 2009.

Maybe in 2009.

C.C. Sabathia Wins Again.

C.C. Sabathia is now 8-0 with the Brewers. Another complete game.

Plus he had a 2 RBI single.

There is no reason why he shouldn’t be the highest paid pitcher in baseball after this off season. He is dominant and will make some serious cash money.

C.C. Sabathia Is Out Of His Mind

After a start that looked bad, like 2007 Roger Clemens bad, C.C. Sabathia has gone 7-0 since being traded to the Brewers, the Brewers have won 8 in a row and somehow Sabathia has a total record of 13-8 this season with a combined ERA of 3.04 and 183 Ks.

Since being traded C.C. has had an ERA of 1.55. That is through 8 starts (64 innings). Absurd.

The Brewers have 41 games left. That averages out to Sabathia starting 8 more games. Can he win 7 of 8? That is an important question because:

Sabathia won the Cy Young last season and here are his stats from 2007:

19-7 in 34 Starts. 4 Complete games. 1 Shutout. 241 innings pitched. Gave up 238 hits. 94 Runs. 209 Ks. 3.21 ERA. 1.141 WHIP.

Sabathia’s stats from 2008 (with about 8 starts left):

13-8 in 26 starts. 7 Complete games. 4 Shutouts. 186.3 innings pitched. Given up 166 hits. 67 Runs. 183 Ks. 3.04 ERA. 1.143 WHIP.

If Sabathia ends up going 17-10, regardless of other stats, he won’t win the Cy Young.

But, if he can win 6 or 7 more of his starts…Who knows.

He will easily surpass his K total from last year. Should finish with a better ERA and WHIP. It would be hard not to give him strong consideration if he finishes with a 19-8 or 20-9 record.

Then he will immediately end up signing with the Yankees…

Jay Gibbons Gets A Second Chance

Jay Gibbons who was named in the Mitchell Report and who has been bouncing around the independent leagues has finally gotten another shot in Major League Baseball thanks to the Brewers.

Gibbons sent out this long apology and explanation and essentially begged all 30 teams to give him a shot at even a minor league contract in June. When I initially read this I thought that anyone who is willing to apologize to potential employers, acknowledge their wrongdoings, and generally put their ego aside certainly deserves another chance.

I’m not one of those people who crucifies steroid using ex-players because the purity of the game was tarnished. Sure, Barry Bonds owning the home run records is annoying (but I would hate him regardless of steroid usage, the guy is a complete asshole and arrogant piece of shit and was when he was 22 the same way he is now when he’s 40-whatever), but the whole steroids problem is really the fault of Owners and Bud Selig for not ever trying to enforce any code of rules related to roids at any point in history.

The easiest solution is to pretend like it never happened. Forget about the juicy age of baseball (‘81-’06), give the guys their awards and move on.

The problem is, Andy Pettite still has a job. Jason Giambi still has a job. Sammy Sosa still has a job…etc. So blacklisting guys like Jay Gibbons, guys that are decent ballplayers, just isn’t right.

Not that I think there is any major conspiracy or anything…but its clear that most GMs wish that the people in the Mitchell Report would just crawl under a rock and die. Too much bad PR.

Well, Jay Gibbons has officially netted the Brewers some good PR. Which means that maybe our perception of cheating and steroids is shifting. Maybe we can start to forget about it and just watch the games.

I wish Gibbons the best of luck.

But C.C. Sabathia? Definitely jucing and I hope he gets banned FOR LIFE FOR IT!!! BASTARD!! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!!! ARRRRGHHH!

2008 All Star Game Was Long. Papelbon’s Wife Felt Threatened. The Opening Ceremony Wasn’t That Great. Dan Uggla Sucked. JD Drew Won MVP. (Really). Justin Morneau Wins Again.

Well…it had a lot of…stuff.

15 Innings of pain. Almost 5 hours long (and the extended commercial breaks didn’t help that). The AL wins again, against all odds, Justin Morneau scored the winning run (this guy was clearly All Star Week MVP) and was classy as ever in his interviews when they asked him how he felt that Yankee Stadium decided not to have someone perform “O Canada” and they just played it through a tape deck instead.

I’m inclined to agree that the opening ceremony wasn’t really as special as the one at Fenway Park. I mean, its not entirely the Yankees organization’s fault. had they hosted one in 1990 or so they could have had Mantle and DiMaggio there which would have been really really special.

Like the Red Sox or not Ted Williams is iconic. The guy was absolutely a man of his generation and one of the greatest hitters of all time. He played the game right every day. Obviously the exact same statement can be made of Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle.

But let’s face it, the Yankees organization went through some rough times after 1979 that really didn’t end until around 1996. That’s almost 20 years without a title, they only made one ALCS in that span…A little rough…As is bound to happen to all teams every couple generations.

I guess, the thing is, having Ted Williams at Fenway was just a throwback to an old generation of baseball. The Yankees could have Reggie Jackson, and that’s certainly a throwback…but its not the same…yet. its like…Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly just don’t have the same sort of cache.

As a Red Sox fan, I would even say the same thing about Yaz at this point. Having him at the All Star Game is special, but he wouldn’t be the guest of honor the way a Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle or Joe DiMaggio or Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig would be. I think a lot of that has to do with time removed from greatness and just the passing of time…but its still true I guess. People just don’t seem like living legends when they aren’t old…maybe…

But anyway, having George Steinbrenner as the centerpiece for a ceremony, yeah I know he’s been a part of the organization forever. He’s important. Sure. But…He’s not a living legend. He’s a guy who has big demands and loves baseball. Its a nice gesture for sure. But it just didn’t resonate with me at all. Especially after all of the stories I’ve heard. Stories that are completely the opposite of the ones you would hear about DiMaggio or Ted Williams.

So…there’s that.

It was funny to think about Bud Selig shitting his pants. Which I hope he did. 10 times over.

Dan Uggla had an “Ugly Game”!! HAHA! I’m SOOOO CLEVER!! What a stupid headline. That guy must hate everything.

And JD Drew won MVP. I don’t know when I started living in a parallel universe, but its warm here and I don’t mind that much. Maybe it was when the Bruins took the Canadiens to 7 games and all of Boston went hockey crazy for the first time since the late 90’s. Maybe that was it…

JD Drew has become quite a contributor for the Red Sox. I really think it all started with that Home Run in the playoffs last year. People started to warm up to him. You can now safely wear a JD Drew Jersey shirt in Fenway Park without people throwing shit at you. (True story, I was at a Red Sox/Angels game last August and this guy in my row was wearing a JD Drew shirt. People were ripping him apart. The whole game people from all around us were shit talking him and telling him they were gonna kick his ass-I’m not exaggerating here at all, Kyley can back this up-So its like the 8th and JD improbably hits a home run, the dude stands up and goes crazy and starts shit talking EVERYONE in the section, takes off his shirt, starts swinging it around and then gets ejected by security. Yup. These are the friendly Fenway confines.)

And you know what’s nice? ESPN waited until this morning to continue their quest to bury Roger Clemens. I mean, Clemens is maybe the biggest asshole in sports, don’t get me wrong…but is there any storyline that is less interesting at this point? Unless we find out he was ALSO running like a prostitution ring and ilegally importing girls from Russia or something, this story is dead. Just let me know when he’s sentenced to probation or  banned from baseball or whatever. Thanks.

But I would watch a reality show where Clemens and Bonds had to share a jail cell. That would be hilarious. Not because I think they both deserve to rot in jail, I mean, I think people who beat their wives or shoot people at night clubs or drunkenly crash their cars into people killing them deserve to rot in jail. Clemens and Bonds? That would be a waste of taxpayer money. Knock them down a few notches, move on. Whatever.

Anyway, if Clemens and Bonds were put in a reality TV-type situation, it would be like that Corey and Corey show, but with people who have even more inflated egos and they wouldn’t even LIKE each other. I hope VH1 is reading this and pitching it right now. Especially since both of them could be in financial trouble by the time this is all over…

And finally, I guess some moronic fans were taunting Papelbon and his wifeduring that Red Carpet event last night. This is sort of low. Not that some Red Sox fans wouldn’t resort to the same nonsense if Jeter was on a red carpet at Fenway, but its the frigging All Star Game. Let it go for one night. You play on the same team. I mean, i don’t actually have anything really invested in the All Star Game, like, I guess I want the AL to win since I’m a Red Sox fan…but I just want to be entertained for the most part. That’s why I wouldn’t mind if they started using aluminum bats and tennis balls…but anyway…I mean…in theory…or…I guess when I was a kid and I did feel a strong allegiance to the AL, I would absolutely root for Yankee players on the All Star team even if I hated them the rest of the season. Same team. Let it go.

I’m not saying Papelbon doesn’t have a horrible case of foot in mouth syndrome. But…

I mean, if Arod wasn’t a billionaire, I would have nothing but pity for him right now. Forget that he’s on the Yankees. He just seems like an awkward guy who just does one thing really well. He doesn’t strike me as a particularly horrible human being. I kind of feel sorry for him. People’s divorce issues and shit really shouldn’t be all over every paper and he sort of brought it on himself with the whole Madonna thing.

But anyway, I don’t think the Red Carpet thing is really the best idea. The average sports fan is probably too much of a misanthrope to deal with it. If it were ONLY players who were on the carpet, fine. But players and their families? That’s not a situation anyone would really want to be in. You really want your little kids and wife to hear some drunk asshole call you names because of what company youw ork for? Come on. Stupid. Just put it in the perspective of “if baseball was an office job, here’s what it would be like” and you can see how truly moronic it really is.

Also, let’s resume this season. C.C. Sabathia still has a shot at hitting 45 Home Runs.