Congrats To Tampa Bay

The Rays did what the Yankees couldn’t do in 2004, and what the Indians couldn’t do just a year ago. Congratulations to the Rays for winning the AL Championship, although I’ll be rooting for the Phillies in the World Series (I won’t mind if the Rays win, though). The Sox walked the game 7 tightrope one too many times and it finally bit them in the ass.

On a side note, isn’t it sad that the Yankees thought about taking Matt Garza in the ‘05 draft and decided to pursue C.J. Henry instead?

Wrapping Up

Here are some final bits to end the day:

PEAVY ON THE BLOCK

1. The Yankees are considered to be a possible suitor for Jake Peavy of the Padres, yet we must temper expectations, obviously, as other teams are also vying for the NL ace and many of these teams have a more realistic shot at acquiring him. Ken Rosenthal runs through the list of teams chasing Peavy, noting that the Braves have been the most aggressive. He mentions Robinson Cano as a trading chip, and if that were to happen, I’d feel bad for Cano because he would die out in Petco Park. Another interesting bit in his writeup is that he includes the Red Sox in the Peavy sweepstakes, since they have a young CF (Ellsbury) and a few young pitchers (Masterson, Clay B.) that they could move for him.

BOBBY WANTS TO STAY

2. Although there has been numerous reports out about Bobby Abreu and the Yankees, reports which have basically stated that his tenure with the team is unofficially over, Bobby doesn’t see it that way. He wants to return and hopes to play in the new Stadium, come 2009. If Bobby wants to accept arbitration, then maybe it’ll happen, however, with Nady on board, the team is much more focused on upgrading CF, rather than the corner OF positions.

BRIDGING THE 3B GAP

3. Brian Cashman is busy with the free agent market and specifically the 3B coach market. Cashman hasn’t provided any new details, really, as to who may be Bobby Meacham’s successor, but he hasn’t ruled out Dale Sveum (Brewers, Red Sox). The Post also insinuates that former Yankee, Mike Gallego, could be “in the mix” while Larry Bowa remains an improbable possibility (I doubt he’ll return).

TOUGH TIMES, TOUGH SELL

4. The financial downturn has hit the Yankees in a roundabout way, as Jose Molina’s final HR ball (at the old Stadium) failed to sell at a memorabilia auction in Manhattan. Apparently, people don’t want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a ball of yarn (they were seeking upwards of $200,000)—even if it is a nostalgic ball of yarn—during this tough economic crisis.

NO-GO ON LOWE

5. Finally, according to the Boston Globe, Derek Lowe has mentioned to at least one reporter (Nick Cafardo, here) that he would be interested in returning to the Red Sox, although that statement wasn’t really direct (he just spoke on how dedicated the team is to winning and that he wants to go to a team like that). I like Lowe, but his age (35) is rather scary when he’s looking for a 4-year deal (potentially), so if he signs with the Sox, I wouldn’t be too upset (assuming we get CC or bolster our rotation through another avenue).

Joba Apologizes

Here’s Joba’s statement, via his agent:

“I want to apologize to the New York Yankees and the fans for an error in judgment and for putting myself in a difficult situation. I intend to properly resolve this situation, and do not intend to be in such a situation again. My goal is to focus on pitching for the Yankees in the 2009 season.”

No Cradle Necessary

Hughes got rocked in his latest start.

2.2 IP, 7 hits, 7 ER, 2 BB, and 1 K.

His ERA jumped to 5.68 after garnering awards for his previous outings.

To be honest, sometimes, people just suck. This was one of those days.