Yanks and Non-Running Musings
As a Yankees fan, it would be easy to talk about how disappointed I was that they didn't win the World Series. But the team that won had absolutely dominant pitching and deserved to win. The Yanks weren't the best team in baseball and the flaws that they were able to work around during the regular season… well, they couldn't be overcome in the playoffs. We'll get back to the Yanks in a bit, but I wanted to call out something very baseball related but not related to the Pinstripes.
I was very sad about the passing of Dave Niehaus – the longtime voice for the Seattle Mariners. The thing with Mr. Niehaus was that he brought the same enthusiasm and positive attitude to his job day-in and day-out, even when the Mariners completely sucked, which was often especially in 2008 and 2010. I am sad for the game of baseball that he is no longer calling games, but more sad for Mariners fans who feel as though they lost another grandparent who educated them about a great game.
In other news, Marc and I also survived Cousinpalooza and Harvest 2010 for Purple Teeth Cellars. We managed to squeeze in a trip to Portland and Willamette Valley for some wine tasting. Paley's Place, Joel Palmer House and the Allison Inn & Spa were all fabulous. We were fortunate enough to host our 4th annual JDRF Wine Dinner, and raised over $20,000 for finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes. We have also been doing a fair share of cooking and have no doubt that this will pick up some steam as we roll into the holidays. At Paley's Place, I was educated by the chef about his vision for one of my favorite recipes – Duck Wellington with Mole Sauce, so I am completely inspired to try it again.
But let's get back to the Yankees and switch the sub-topic from the 2010 playoffs to the new national nightmare known as "will Derek Jeter sign with someone other than the only organization he has ever known?"
I seriously doubt he is going to sign with another team, but if he does, I'll offer my thanks for his many years of great service to my team. Yes, he deserves our thanks and gratitude for being an excellent ballplayer who never flinched at being in the spotlight of New York. I'm all for someone to test out the market to see what their services are worth. Right now, multiple sources are saying that the Yankees have offered Jeter, who is 36 years old and had one of his worst seasons ever, a 3-year contract for $15 million/year (note: unlike football, baseball money is guaranteed unless you retire). So a message to Derek:
Captain Jetes, if you can find a better offer than that given your declining skills at shortstop and at the plate, go ahead and take it. Seriously. I'll be sorry to see you go, but if it is just about the money with you, then just say so as opposed to talking about your legacy of winning championships and being a Yankee.
My take on this is that Jeter is annoyed that his BFF/enemy, Alex Rodriguez, received more money from the Yankees when he has had less tenure with the club and doesn't have as many World Series rings. This is dumb. Let's face it. Both are going to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Jeter is more well-liked and more respected in athlete and non-athlete circles. I would bet that Jeter makes more money in endorsements than A-Rod because of him spending his entire baseball career in New York. Seriously though, we're talking about Monopoly money – ok, so Jeter has made $200 million over the course of his career thus far ON THE FIELD, and A-Rod is probably around $300 million. Spending $200 million vs. $300 million – whatever. It's like a bad scene from Brewster's Millions, which starred the late Richard Pryor. And again, we're not talking about OFF THE FIELD earnings at all.
Furthermore, Jeter has always maintained that he is about winning championships. How many teams can legitimately say that they can compete year-in and year-out for a World Series title? And how many of those teams would be willing to commit more than 3 years and more than $45 million to an aging shortstop, a position that requires lots of physical agility?!?! I have a feeling that a number of teams may revisit the A-Rod experiment in Texas where Tom Hicks paid him an insane amount of money, but it ended up crippling the club financially. They had trouble signing other big market players (until of course A-Rod was traded to the Yankees) and eventually Hicks put himself in an untenable position financially.
So is someone going to tell me that some mid-market team is going to bring on Derek Jeter at more than 3 years/$45 million to instill a winning culture while the team labors through the summer because the suck and can't afford to sign anyone else (READ: Mariners, Seattle)? Unlikely. Let's not visit the small-market teams because that would be a waste of time. And don't forget that Jeter is a big city guy who dates a woman who is an actress so that pretty much puts it to LA and NYC. He always talks about always being in a position to compete and play in October. That is going to remove many teams from the equation,
The big-market teams consist of the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and maybe the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Dodgers' are literally in divorce court and will most likely be forced to sell the team but this wouldn't happen until it's too late for the 2011 season. I do not see Jeter fitting into the models that have been built for Anaheim and Boston, but you never know. That leaves the Mets. New GM, new manager and new "who knows what else". Yes, same city, but really – the Mets always play second fiddle to the Yanks, right or wrong but they do. I don't think Jeter is going to want to be a part of that, but ok – I could be wrong.
Bottom-line – this is all dumb posturing by Jeter's agent and the Yankees. It's gotten ugly even though my money is on everyone making up at the end and getting the deal done. I don't think Jeter is worth the initial offer the Yankees made, but if that is what they want to start with as their initial bargaining point, fine. It is not my bank account. I would rather them put their money towards more reliable starting pitching (READ: Lee, Cliff).