MLB - 2006 World Series

[Imran Siddiqui]

I wonder if he considers the Red Sox a small market club?

Though, to be honest, it is nice to see the Yanks fall with that behemoth of a payroll. Perhaps it would be smart to learn the lessons of the mid-late 90s. Nah... George needs his stars.

[Arrian]

Oh please, Mets fan. What's your team's payroll? What market do they play in?

That being said, I hope the Mets make the series. If they play the Tigers, I'm going to have a tough time picking a team to root for.

Anyway, this Yankee team was a good one, but things happen in short series. The Tigers played better. But this Yankees team was reasonably well constructed, and I like the outlook for the future. Not necessarily 2007 (RJ will still be crawling out to the mound), but going forward. Hughes is obviously a reason to hope, as are some of the lesser-known pitchers in the Yankees system (Clippard), and I like the way Cashman has been running things.

Translation/Summary: There's always next year!!

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

The Mets' payroll is only $100 million less than the Yankees.

This Yankee team was not a good one, at least for the playoffs. The hitting is good (but shut down against the Tigers), but the pitching is not. Wang is good, Mussina is ok, the bullpen is good, but the rest of the rotation is not. In the playoffs you need some good pitching. The Mets, who didn't have great starting pitching (though Maine and Glavine both pitched well) have an absolute stunning bullpen, which allows them to get through it.

[Arrian]

I'm not going to have a payroll debate with you, Imran. I was merely pointing out that the Mets aren't the little baseball team that could. That would be the As, or the Tigers.

Mussina is a good pitcher. He didn't pitch his best in game 2, but he also didn't get much help from his defense. He easily could've given up 1-2 fewer runs (depending on defense, and dumb luck - the first run scored after a double that kicked up chalk). The Yanks 1-2 pitchers are fine. After that, it's garbage and it showed.

Next year... can't count on Moose to be as good as he was this year. Should probably count on a small regression from Wang. RJ will be even worse. Wright is bad, and will continue to be bad (wherever he ends up). Lidle is serviceable as a 5th starter, but is not playoff-caliber.

This is why I say I'm not terribly excited about 2007 (unless Hughes comes up really early and pulls a Verlander v2006).

The bullpen is actually decent, but never really had much of a chance to make a difference in the series. The Tigers built big leads in games 3 and 4 before the Yankees bullpen had an opportunity to do anything about it, and furthermore it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the Yanks couldn't score.

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian


Enjoy 3rd place, Michael.

-Arrian

It doesn't matter. 1st, 3rd, cellar - this time of October, it's all the same.

The difference is that when you have injuries force you to use 15 different starting pitchers (Tavares as a starter? ) over the course of a season, then you have some clear reasons, and an obvious fluke. You won't see another season like that for 100 years.

It's a lot different than the MFY October chokefest, which seems to be a bit of a recurring theme.

The Sox also have a lot more room to make some moves and adjustments than the MFY, despite half the effective payroll, unless Steinbrenner's willing to just eat some 8 figure contracts to move people around.

I agree with you on Torre, though - even if he is MFY to the bone, and therefore sucks by definition, he's a class act and a g.. gg... urk.. great manager. There, managed to get it out without losing breakfast.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oh to have $100 million more .

And the Tigers and A's aren't that poor. The A's have a $61 million payroll and the Tigers have $82 million. Sure that's a good deal less than the Mets or Cardinals, but not 'little team that could'. That would like the Marlins if they made it .

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Oh to have $100 million more .

Well, look at the bright side. There's still baseball in New York.

[Arrian]

I didn't say the Tigers were poor. I said they qualify as the little team that could. In part b/c of payroll (medium), but in larger part due to history - they've recently been terrible.

-Arrian

[Arrian]

Tavares as a starter?

Hey, don't knock it. The Orc pitched a couple of decent games!

-Arrian

[pchang]

Who knows

how good the A's could be if you gave Billy Beane an extra $40 million to spend every year....

[Arrian]

Never will know, in all likelyhood. If he had it, the As might still have Tejada and one of Hudson/Mulder.

-Arrian

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Arrian
Never will know, in all likelyhood. If he had it, the As might still have Tejada and one of Hudson/Mulder.

-Arrian

Tejada, maybe. I think he gave up on Hudson/Mulder for a reason. I think that reason is apparent by now

[Imran Siddiqui]

Probably Tejada would still be there, but Tejada wasn't into the whole OBP thing. You'll note it is fairly low for a player of his offensive caliber (though has been pretty damned good since he came to Baltimore). You never know if Beane would let him walk because he felt that Tejada wasn't worth it. Though he would be able to afford a good replacement.

[Stuie]

https://Ryan Howard named Player of ... Sporting News

Chicks aren't the only ones who dig the long ball. Players do, too. For the second straight year, the majors' top home run hitter has been named the Sporting News Player of the Year. The voting -- by major league players -- wasn't close. Phillies slugger Ryan Howard received 294 of the 516 votes cast by his peers, nearly quadrupling the total of 75 received by Boston DH David Ortiz -- the award runner-up and the American League's leading home run hitter. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who finished third in the majors in homers and in the voting, received 32 votes.

Of course that's the players voting. What do they know?

[Arrian]

Probably Tejada would still be there, but Tejada wasn't into the whole OBP thing. You'll note it is fairly low for a player of his offensive caliber (though has been pretty damned good since he came to Baltimore). You never know if Beane would let him walk because he felt that Tejada wasn't worth it. Though he would be able to afford a good replacement.

It's true that Tejada isn't the most patient hitter. It's also true that he's one of the best hitting shortstops in MLB, and is thus very valueable.

But perhaps Billy would still have let him walk. Dunno. Would have to ask him.

-Arrian