ESPN: Yankees Didn’t Pull Their Offer

Haha, it was bound to happen.

From ESPN:

TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner has not closed the door on a trade for Minnesota Twins left-hander Johan Santana, despite reports to the contrary.

“It’s still in the deciding process,” Steinbrenner said Monday night outside Legends Field at the Yankees’ spring training complex. “We’re still discussing it. There’s still a little talk back and forth.”

So, here we are again. Immediately after we thought the Santana chatter was over, Hank comes out and discredits the reports (including an earlier ESPN report from today) which cited the end of the trade talks. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of this until the season starts.

Why Wait?

For those who can’t wait for the season to start.

Okay, okay, so it’s a pretty slow news day.

Rangers Playing at the Old Stadium?

What a strange what-if scenario, and one that I’m sure will cause quite the stir for the nostalgic Yankees fan. It’s just entirely too random and too strange an idea. Unless they want to play the Yankees in a hockey game, I just don’t see how this one works.

(Props to RAB for the info).

Blog Bounce: SWB Yankees Blog

Here’s an interesting read (about our prospects) by Chad Jennings at the SWB Yankees Blog.

ESPN: Yankees Pull Their Offer to the Twins

 

From ESPN:

For the second time this offseason, the Yankees have pulled their Phil Hughes-centered trade offer for Johan Santana off the table.

The Yankees, then, will not restart trade talks with the Twins unless Hank Steinbrenner has another change of heart, a baseball official with knowledge of the talks told 1050 ESPN Radio’s Andrew Marchand.

Good to know. When was the first time, exactly? Hmm, I guess they’re referring to Hank Steinbrenner’s recent comments (regarding Santana) in which he said the following:

“I think they like our offer best,” he said. “But that offer isn’t on the table, where it’s up to them to take it. It’s up to what we want to do.”

I’m assuming that the “first pull” is referring to this statement, unless they’re going back to the GM Meetings when Hank issued that makeshift deadline. Did Hank change his mind since the comments above were released (allowing the offer to be pulled again, just days after these comments were made)?

Forget the speculation. Either way, it’s great to hear that the Yankees are bailing out. I mean, we’ve been hearing it for a couple of days now, but these multiple reports only help to solidify our hopes.

A Double Standard?

I’ve been planning an iYankees transition for a few months now — I’ve wanted to do it for a year, really — and will be shifting the blog to www.i-yankees.com. I’ve already begun the process as I have transferred all of the posts from this blog to the new site. For the time being, all the posts seen here will also be posted on the new site. If you guys don’t mind, I’d like you to check it out and offer me some feedback about the look as well as usability. Also, if there’s anything you want to see added, please, let me know.

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From the NY Times:

Entertainers including the singer Mary J. Blige and the rapper 50 Cent are among thousands of people whose names are turning up in an investigation into obtaining steroids or human growth hormones, an Albany newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Times Union reported that the investigation, being conducted by the Albany County district attorney, P. David Soares, also found evidence that in addition to Ms. Blige and 50 Cent, other possible recipients included two other musicians, Wyclef Jean and Timbaland, and Tyler Perry, an author, actor and producer in theater, film and television.

The newspaper cited records it had gotten and information from witnesses on Long Island who were cooperating with the investigation.

Hey now! An actual steroid investigation that pertains to a non-athletic, entertainment realm, that also cites a group of tremendously popular figures in the form of musicians, actors, writers, producers and authors? How will this play out?

Are we going to see some well-known entertainers being called before Congress in order to demonstrate their innocence (or guilt)? Will 50 Cent be launching a PR blitz, featuring a 60 Minutes interview that will ultimately clear the air?

None of the celebrities was accused of violating the law. Instead, the investigation has focused on stopping the flow of the drugs by cracking down on doctors who illegally prescribe them without seeing patients, and on the so-called anti-aging clinics, pharmacies and other distributors that supply the drugs.

Apparently, not. So, while Roger Clemens prepares his deposition and packs for a Congressional visit or two, we see a double standard that is simply incapable of being defended.

Entertainers (e.g. musicians, actors/actresses, producers) ultimately influence the way we speak, act, and, more importantly, the way we think about ourselves and others (physically and mentally). They set pop-culture standards, defining beauty, masculinity, femininity, sexuality, and an endless list of other central terms in our social world.

The youth of today (generally) idolize these people on a level that, I feel, totally surpasses baseball figures. You have actors and actresses looking 25 when they’re actually 55, and the whole time we thought it was because of Botox when, in actuality, it was HGH (HGH is not a medically proven method for combating aging).

For whatever reason, baseball is not treated the same way. Instead of getting rid of the dealers and suppliers, we attack the users, put them on display and turn them into cultural lepers. And, in the end, it really makes no sense at all.

Reading Between the Lines

From the Star Ledger (on Joba Chamberlain):

“It’s ultimately up to Joe Girardi,” Steinbrenner said in a phone interview. “Joe knows how to handle pitchers better than any of us.”

General manager Brian Cashman, however, said he would be involved in the decision as well.

“Joe and I will work it out,” Cashman said. “We’ll see how it all shakes out.” Cashman said Chamberlain will spend spring training preparing for a starting role, but that could change once the season begins.

“We want him as a starter, we will prepare him as a starter, but we have to respect that there’s an innings limit,” Cashman said. Steinbrenner confirmed that there are several options on the table for handling Chamberlain. He could start the season in the starting rotation and switch over to the bullpen later, or begin the season in the starting rotation. He could be part of a six-man rotation to keep his innings under his limit. But keeping Chamberlain in the bullpen the entire season is not part of the plan, Steinbrenner said.

Well, I won’t assume that Hank is explicitly undermining Cashman here. The comment also seems like a single line of speech that was taken from a larger body of comments (in the phone interview). Therefore, I feel as though the writer may have utilized the recent Hank VS Cashman “controversy” in order to juxtapose Hank and Cashman’s comments in a manner which seems to directly contradict each other.

I think what Hank meant was that Joe Girardi is the manager and as the manager, he will ultimately decide the roles of his players. Based upon Joba’s effectiveness, it will be Girardi’s decision (ultimately) to put Joba in a role that best fits with the club’s plans and goals for 2008 (benefitting all parties involved). This role would be implemented with all of Cashman’s rules and regulations already in mind.

Back to Joba, at least now we know that he will be a starter for a sizeable portion of the 2008 season (and on). He’ll probably get a solid amount of time in the bullpen too (beginning or end), but that’s what happens when you want to maximize gains from a special kid who’s working with an innings cap (as Cashman states).