YES Network

As a baseball fan the last two weeks before spring training begins is the slowest time if the year. If you live in the North it's especially agonizing because there is no news coming out of the Yankees and, if you look outside, all you see is snow and more snow.

The only saving grace for a baseball fan is the Sirius/XM Baseball channel, if you subscribe, and the MLB Network on DirectTV, if you subscribe. Of course you always can spin the wheel and turn on the YES Network and hope there might be something new on this time. Bet me! Which brings me to a pet peeve of mine. And I believe to a high percentage of readers, too. The YES Network!

When YES first entered our lives here in Ohio and beyond I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Wow, I thought, 24/7 of the Yankees! Not so fast my friends! It serves no purpose to go over the failings of the Network but to say it could be so much better if the people who run YES would allow it. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, I did.

Let's cut way back on the Classic Yankee games. I loved Murcer and Munson but enough is enough. Find some more games fro the 50's and 60's. The Mantle and Ford and Berra days. Find some 1961 games with the M & M Boys chasing the "Babe". How about this? Not everyone goes to bed at 1 a.m.. How about continuing Yankee programming all night? And finally, how about a daily talk show, on the weekends, all about the Yankees. With players, administration people, coverage from Tampa, the Minor League system. This is what real Yankee fans want. Not just old games over and over and over.

I don't want to leave anyone with the impression that I don't Like YES. I love it, pay for it and watch it. But it could be so much better.

Revised PECOTA Puts Yankees in 1st.

The PECOTA predictions that we looked at yesterday were apparently wrong. They had the Yankees in 3rd in the AL East while the Rays held down 1st. Baseball Prospectus released a revised version of PECOTA and here is how it looks now.

I really don't expect a tie to be the outcome; a close race with the Yankees coming out on top, perhaps.

Heyman: Damon Turned Down $6M

"In a last-ditch effort late last week after Damon himself called the team, Cashman, one of baseball's best dealmakers, tried floating a contract of $6 million with $3 million deferred at no interest (with the promise it would be cleared with team boss Hal Steinbrenner, who was about to return from his honeymoon). But Damon wasn't moved enough to respond." - Jon Heyman

Well it seems Johnny D had his chance to come back but wanted more money elsewhere. I personally do no think he will get more than 6 million and if he does is it worth more than playing in New York, where he just won a championship and is a fan favorite.

Greed takes Damon out of pinstripes; we loved having ya, Johnny but we wanted you back.

Yankee Links

• Ross at New Stadium Insider has a very funny exchange between a disgruntled fan and a Yankee ticket rep.
• The Legends at RAB explain why Wang will be moving on.
• Bronx Baseball Daily has a review of "The Yankee Years".
• NoMaas has a great interview with ESPN's Rob Neyer.
• Sliding into Home brings us some interesting Ca$hman quotes from Yes Network's Hot Stove program.
• Replacement Level breaks down PECOTA a little more.
• Jorge Says NO! toys with the idea of Johnny D as a Ray.
• iYankees looks at the Randy Winn signing.

If you have a link that is worth of being shared email me and I will get it up here.

Charlie@thechuckknoblog.com

The Yankees, Writers and Fans

As a Yankee fan for all of my 55 years I have always found the relationship between writers, the Yankees and the fans fascinating in that one moment all three are on the same page and the next at least 2 of the 3 are at each other's throats.

The latest story involves Johnny Damon, Brian Cashman, Scott Boros and Mike Lupica. Lupica has gone back and forth on the Yankees, both criticizing and praising the team for their many moves through the years. This time he has made Cashman his personal pinata. Lupica says that Damon isn't a Yankee because of Cashman's ego. Is this the same Cashman that has been ripped and blasted by Yankee heirarchy and had to swallow his ego every time? In my corner Brian Cashman is as professional as you get. No leaks from him and a Yankee through and through. Why is it that Boros and Damon get the free ride. Boros has no soul when it comes to contracts for "his" players. The teams are always the villain. Now let me get this straight. It's OK to bash the Yankees for their high payroll but , when the team tries to stay at a certain number, they are heartless and greedy. And the fans, the fickle Yankee fans, call Hal Steinbrenner greedy because he will "keep the extra 4 million that would have been paid Damon". Now that is drop dead funny. The "boys" spend 200 million, donate $500,000 to Haiti but they are greedy? Now I am all for players making money. They entertain us and help fans get away from the doldrums of everyday life. More power to them but, c'mon, they make millions of dollars per year, never have to lift a suitcase and receive over $100 per day meal money. Now that's tough! So let's put things in perspective. Cashman's job is to put the best Yankee team on the field, and to stay within some type of budget. Damon's job is to play baseball and Boros, well his job is to squeeze every last dollar out of a team using any means he can. So now we know three of the subjects and what their goal is. But Lupica, well he has the easiest job of the four. He can sit behind his monitor and write whatever he wants. Because he is a sportswriter. Who, though he has a great job that almost any Yankee would love, has this syndrome that he is the over worked underpaid guy who is the conscience of baseball. Hah! Let me say this, just be consistent in your views Lupica. I know you can but how about a little consistency with your words.

PECOTA Puts Yanks in 3rd

Baseball Prospectus has come out with their annual PECOTA projections and Yankee fans will not be pleased. Here is the AL East:

You could just say the nerds who live in their mother's basement have no idea what the hell they are talking about but here at the Chuck Knoblog we love and appreciate stats. PECOTA still has the Yankees churning out the most runs score by a lot and the highest OBP and slugging. So the offensive juggernaut that is the Yankee offense is projected to keep on kicking ass.

With only 20 days until pitchers and catchers report, baseball can start to take hold of our mind yet again.

All Eyez On Me

Looks like The Norotious C.C. has a new friend.

Live the life of a boss playa (All Eyez On Me)
cause even gettin high.. .. (All Eyez On Me)
Live the life of a thug n***a, until the day I die
-Randy Winn

I love when we add more brothers to the team. Gives me so many more options.

Here is the original

Kevin Towers: Best Move of the Winter?

A long lasted rumor just came to fact as the Yankees have announced that Kevin Towers has signed on with the team. I originally heard of the chance of Towers being a Yankee two months ago at the Winter Meetings. Glad to see it finally happening. Towers and Brian Cashman have been buddies for many years and have made a couple of trades with each other. Towers brings experience and knowledge to the Yanks, experience that will help "Cash" in whatever he is assigned and knowledge of the National League. He also is a keen eye for young talent. In San Diego he wasn't always working with a Yankee type payroll and had to do with an expertise of young, inexpensive players. Overall, one of the great of season moves in baseball as the Yankees pick up a bargain. Good job Brian Cashman. Hopefully Towers will be used in scouting the college players for the June draft and at trade time in evaluation of possible trades.

Kevin Towers Officially Hired

According to MLBTR.

Kevin Towers was just fired from his position of General Manager of the San Diego Padres. It's a good hiring for the Yanks since it adds in another top mind to the Yankees Front Office. Cashman is a very smart man but no one in the Yankees FO can really challenge his ideas. That's how the Boston's FO works and I'll gladly take that.

Plus I have heard that his scouting ability is very good especially towards pitching. Hopefully the upcoming drafts become very 2007ish with Towers aboard.

Yankees Sign Randy Winn

According to Joel Sherman on his Twitter.

Basically the Yankees got Reed Johnson for a platoon with Brett Gardner but healthier. Of course assuming you hits lefties as good as he can from 2007 where he too had a OPS over .900 against lefties. Defensively he's not as good as Reed Johnson but still light years ahead of Damon.

It's a pretty decent signing in my opinion.