Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
December 08, 2004
Whoa!

I don't know how many of you are fans of the cartoon Daria, but this story made me think of one of my favorite bits:


(in English class)

Jamie - (slowly and flatly) "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her... Romeo."

Daria - Thank you, Joey, Jeffy or Jamie. Laurence Olivier, in his present state, couldn't have done better.

Jamie - Cool!

Jeffy - What does "woe" mean?

Daria - It like the feeling you'd get if the Super Bowl were preempted by Antiques Roadshow.

Joey - Whoa!

Daria - See?


That's the feeling I get when I see that the Yankees have signed Tony Womack to play second base. The Sporting News headline is even worse; Yankees acquire new leadoff man. This is a player with a career .319 OBA, who had his best year getting on base at age 34. I would think the Yankees are smart enough to bat Womack ninth, but you never know.

This deal really makes me start to believe the Yankees streak of dominance is over. If they are trying to save money, a minor league 2nd bagger could play as well as Womack at a fraction of the cost. The Yankees need to get younger. They need to start bring along fresh young talent as they did in the mid-90's. If I'm a fan of Baltimore or Toronto, I'm very pleased with this signing. If I'm rooting for the Red Sox, I'm estatic. The Yankees may have returned to their losing ways of the 1980's, signing washed up players based on their reputations. It just shows that nothing lasts forever.

One caveat; this deal has not been officially announced by the team.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:25 AM | Free Agents | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Afraid I have to agree with you David. I hope Womack will warm 2nd until Robinson Cano gets there (if he's not traded).

I also worry about Wright - he of the four years of arm troubles.

I can only hope that they get rid of Giambi, move Bernie to DH, and let Crosby roam center. He has great range, can lay down a bunt, and can run. Plus, with the Yanks lineup, they can afford to let him develop at the plate.

If they get Cano, Crosby, and in a few years, Dioner Navarro behind the plate, I think that will prove to be a good nucleus for the new Yankees. Strong up the middle, like they were with a young Jeter, Bernie, and Posada.

I can only hope. In the meantime, I get to watch Womack hit his weight and Wright meltdown by June.

Posted by: yatt at December 8, 2004 09:59 AM

"I can only hope that they get rid of Giambi, move Bernie to DH, and let Crosby roam center. He has great range, can lay down a bunt, and can run. Plus, with the Yanks lineup, they can afford to let him develop at the plate."

First off, I'd MUCH rather see them sign Beltran or Drew.

Second, Crosby will NEVER be a major league regular. EVER.

Posted by: Larry Mahnken at December 8, 2004 03:00 PM

JD Drew will melt down in the Bronx. He can't handle the pressure. Plus, from what I've heard, he's not the best clubhouse presence.

Beltran would be good, not great; he's not worth what Boras is asking. I'd take Crosby and wait for another CF to come along (hopefully a CF from the farm).

Posted by: yatt at December 8, 2004 03:43 PM

I thought Womack was actually a little young for the Yankees to sign

Posted by: Ed Zipper at December 8, 2004 04:32 PM

We all know that Beltran is in the Yankees' sites. Crosby in CF for the Yanks is a joke. He's a bench player at best. I'd like to see Giambi gone with his killer contract, and Sexson/Delgado in his place, though Delgado sitting through God Bless America (or whatever song they have to play now) will kill him in the Bronx.

Posted by: sabernar at December 8, 2004 04:53 PM

I'd still prefer to see Crosby in CF and use the money allotted for Beltran on pitching. Wright is a joke. They have enough bats - they won't miss Beltran and can carry Crosby. Crosby gives them more D than anyone else on that roster for CF.

Posted by: yatt at December 8, 2004 05:08 PM

Crosby isn't that great in CF, and Beltran would be the answer for the next 5-7 years.

What part of Crosby's .151 BA do you like? Or is it his .498 OPS?

Posted by: sabernar at December 8, 2004 05:24 PM

Actually, what I really wanted was to sign Nomar for 2B. We could have afforded $8M this year for an all-star caliber 2B. He even said earlier that he'd be willing to switch positions.

Posted by: sabernar at December 8, 2004 05:37 PM

I was writing about how happy I was about this, but then I started to wonder, is he really going to be their starter, or is he going to be their utility man/pinch runner?

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the Yankees would pay $2m for a guy who can fill in for an injury, or steal a base late in a game, and still go ahead and sign Polanco or Kent, is it?

Posted by: Darlucky at December 8, 2004 05:57 PM

Beltran is Bernie Williams in his prime. Remember, before Bernie hurt his knee, he was still one of the very best offensive centerfielders in the game. Defensively, Bernie was never as good as Beltran, so Beltran's decline phase won't kill the Yankees defensively like Bernie has.

Posted by: Larry Mahnken at December 8, 2004 10:31 PM
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