DEREK NEEDS TO TELL CHEAPSKATE HAL WHAT HE THINKS!

This is unfortunately, the look Derek, will have on his face, most of the 2013 season.  The Yankees have good pitching, not the best.  The pitching probably, will keep them in most games.  The lineup is not good, to say the least.  There is a hole at catcher, not right handed hitting outfielder, no DH and no left handed hitting third baseman to spell Youkilis.  There are no prospects immediately on the horizon, thanks to a wonderful job done by Genius Cashman.  Derek, who lives to win, must know that the Yankees, as presently constructed, are not that good.  There are not many solutions left on the market to help the Yankees.  On Yankees tonight, Rod Barojas    was mentioned as a catching solution.  I immediately, upon hearing his name, felt extremely nauseous.  Jeter needs to cal Hal.  He is the captain of the team and let this clueless idiot, have it.  Jeter is the Yankees and Hal won’t do anything to him.  Because Derek, if you remain silent, you won’t sniff anything positive for the next two seasons.  EDB

HAL’S PLAN MIGHT MAKE HIM A VILLAIN

Hal’s plan could make him a villain

If Steinbrenner’s budgeting doesn’t work, fans may throw him off the fiscal cliff

Updated: December 5, 2012, 11:00 PM ET

By Andrew Marchand | ESPNNewYork.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The new boss is riding a $189 million locomotive into a borough where the Dolans and the Wilpons have presided. It is a place where owners are shunned, slighted and held in disdain by the kingdoms they preside over.

Hal Steinbrenner is about to face a fan base that was raised at the knee of his father. The venom Hal will encounter from the masses will contain the psychological residue of years of worshipping The Boss’ mantras.

You can already hear the throngs, channeling George: “$189 million? This better work — or else!”

Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty ImagesHal Steinbrenner’s $189 million locomotive could be headed for the borough in which James Dolan and the Wilpons already reside.

Hal has called an audible on the family legacy and, ultimately, it may result in a smarter, sleeker version than the Boss’ model of win or destruction. Sensibly, as a businessman, Hal wants to pocket the near $50 million that would come in luxury tax and revenue savings by dropping payroll below $189 million by ’14.  Here is the key..Hal wants to pocket the money saved.  It is his right, but it also fan’s rights not to pay for tickets to watch this team not perform at a top level.

In the meantime, the Yankees must withstand the pain of guys like Russell Martin, Eric Chavez and Jeff Keppinger slipping through their clutches as every penny must be preserved as the winter meetings conclude.

The Yankees might be in the midst of — to use one of Brian Cashman’s old pet phrases — a market correction, where they take a step back for a couple forward down the road.

The way the collective bargaining agreement works, if the Yankees fall below the tax threshold in ’14, they would then reset their bracket to zero. By 2015, when there is a mammoth free agent class — currently featuring names like Justin Verlander and Elvis Andrus — the Yankees possibly could return to being the Yankees of old, George’s Yankees. Without a 50 percent tax, it could be bombs away all over again in two years.

If they were to go over the $189 million threshold after ’14, they would be taxed at just 17.5 percent so you can understand why this appeals to Hal’s psyche.

“I’m a finance geek,” Hal said in spring training 2011. “I guess I always have been. That’s my background; budgets matter and balance sheets matter. I just feel that if you do well on the player development side and you have a good farm system, you don’t need a $220 million payroll. You can field every bit as good a team with young talent.”

But the fans never want to wait on winning, and we can only imagine what the aging triumvirate of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera are really thinking these days as they look for support for one more ring.

“I’m not just coming back to play,” Rivera said just the other day, when he officially re-signed. “I’m coming back to win.”

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Rivera, 43, will return from knee surgery. Jeter, 39, will race against the clock to heal his fractured ankle by Opening Day. The ace, CC Sabathia, had spurs cleaned up in his elbow. Alex Rodriguez is out until near the All-Star Break and that might be optimistic. The Yankees don’t have major league starters at right field, catcher and third base, and Cashman is on the record that he doesn’t like the prospects out there.

If Joe Girardi, in the final year of his contract, wins this season, he may take home the AL manager of the year trophy because help does not appear on its way. At least, not right now.

The Yankees don’t have that much ability in the upper levels of the minors. Outfielders like Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin are years away, having spent ’12 mostly in Single-A. The young, up-and-coming starting pitching prospects aren’t even trade chips anymore, with Manny Banuelos out for the year and Dellin Betances going the wrong direction in the minors. Michael Pineda could be back in June, but after shoulder surgery he is a large unknown.

Still, these are the Yankees, so a rope-a-dope ending with a big offseason punch wouldn’t surprise anyone. A trade for Curtis Granderson would shake things up for certain, but they already have to replace the 79 homers lost from Swisher, Martin, Rodriguez and Chavez, so can they afford to lose Granderson’s 43?

Josh Hamilton is still out there, but any dollar that would go to him would be one you couldn’t offer to Robinson Cano and/or Granderson. Trading Granderson, a free agent after 2013, would seem to be the best way to fill multiple spots, pocket money and get younger. But, still, where do you find the lost homers?

Yankee officials insist they can do something big, if they want to, and still find their way under $189 million. If you do the math — and you subtract the money that would have gone to Swisher, Martin and Rafael Soriano — you realize they could. There is nearly $30 million of savings there.

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If they were to trade or not sign Granderson, who is a free agent after 2013, they would stash another $15 million way. Rivera seems likely to retire, which would free up $10 million more for ’14. Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda — another $27 million — may not comeback for ’14 either.

Of course, you have to replace all these players eventually, so Cashman must be stingy with each nickel and dime he spends because, despite how much the Yankees liked Martin, they did not want to give him money that they may need one day to keep Cano.

The new boss is not like the old Boss. Well, he could be in one way. It is forgotten in The Lore of The Boss, but when the father was suspended from baseball in 1990 by commissioner Fay Vincent, Yankee Stadium erupted in a standing ovation. The crowd chanted, “No more George!”

Hal is quieter than his father. He will remain in the background. But he owns this plan. The fan base, raised on the irrationality of a “championship or else!” mentality, is already shaking a fist, demanding, “It better work!”

SWISHER..INDIANS AGREE ON REPORTED 56M CONTRACT

Nick Swisher and Cleveland Indians Reportedly Agree to Contract

By

Timothy Rapp

(Featured Columnist) on December 23, 2012

You can take Nick Swisher off the list of big names on the market. The New York Daily News‘ Mark Feinsand reports that Swisher and the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a four-year contract with an option for a fifth year.

Mark Feinsand @FeinsandNYDN

BREAKING: Nick Swisher has agreed to a four-year, $56 million deal with the Indians. Vesting $14M option for a 5th year could make it $70M.

23 Dec 12

Swisher hit .272 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI in 148 games this season, par for the course for the consistent outfielder. Swisher now has eight straight seasons with 20 or more home runs, and he compiled at least 80 RBI in each of his four seasons with the New York Yankees.

Overall, Swisher hit .268 with 105 home runs and 349 RBI for New York.

Swisher was never expected to return to the Yankees, and he opted to hit the open market rather than accept a one-year qualifying offer of $13.3 million from the team.

With Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano set to hit free agency after the 2013 season, the Yankees clearly did not want to break the bank to keep Swisher.

Swisher brings good pop and plate discipline to the table (he had an OBP of .364 and finished at .367 in his four-year stint with the Yankees). He’s a fairly consistent player who does not have a history of serious injuries.

Swisher has struggled in the postseason, however. In six trips to the playoffs, he’s hitting just .169 with four home runs and eight RBI in 46 games.

He was also generally liked by fans (though that support eventually wore thin given his postseason struggles) and, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN, “was accepted as a productive and enthusiastic presence in a mostly corporate locker room.”

There will likely be some folks questioning the length of this contract for a player who will be 32 this season, but Swisher has been consistent and healthy enough to alleviate some of those concerns. More importantly, the Indians land one of the last remaining marquee names on the market and a fantastic clubhouse personality.

In all, the Swisher move represents a major upgrade, as his pop and patience at the plate will benefit every hitter in the Indians lineup.

Good luck to “Nicky No-Show.”  EDB

HAL STEINBRENNER’S GREED…WHY THE YANKEES LACK DEPTH

Bill Madden: HUMBUG! Stingy Yankees are making life difficult for GM Brian Cashman

A cup for Hal’s pennies

  Don’t worry fans, we will make sure the YANKEES ARE ALWAYS COMPETITIVE.

This year there was one no-brainer international signing that the Yankees should clearly have made. This is Yoenis Cespedes, who was signed by the A’s to a 4-year contract averaging $9 million per year.My head almost exploded when I saw this great talent go to a team that the Yankees easily could have outbid. And my poor head still pulsates whenever I look at Cespedes’ excellent rookie stats after watching the ghost of Andruw Jones stumble around the outfield.

If the Yankees were run by George Steinbrenner instead of Hal “Spreadsheet” Steinbrenner, Cespedes would be in Pinstripes, and the Yankees would not be so dependent upon ancient mistake hitters such as Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez.

And since Brian Cashman’s farm system hardly has a ton of outfield prospects in the pipeline, signing a 26-year-old talent such as Cespedes would have deepened an area of weakness: young outfielders.

If Hal were running the team in the 1990s the evidence indicates that the Yankees would have passed on El Duque, and without him the 1998-2000 Yankees likely do not win 3 World Series. The evidence to which I allude is that the Yankees passed up not merely Cespedes, but also
Aroldis Chapman, whom the Reds signed for a relatively modest 25 million, 5-year contract.

George Steinbrenner would have nabbed both of those guys in a heartbeat. George obviously had flaws, but the bottom line is that he ran the Yankees like a sportsman. Unfortunately the Yankees are now run by an owner whose driving interest is not winning but instead is a loathsome form of greed; and that greed is the main reason the 2012 Yankees lack the depth to deal with their injuries.

If the Yankees pull out of this slump and proceed to win a World Series, it will be in spite of ownership, not because of it.

EDB

STINGY YANKEES LOSE IBANEZ

Stingy Yankees are making life difficult for GM Brian Cashman

Shackled by ownership’s restriction to sign players to one-year contracts, along with a farm system devoid of any blue chip position prospects above A ball, Cashman is going to have a hard time filling his needs.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, December 22, 2012, 5:23 PM 

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Jim McIsaac

Brian Cashman has catcher and outfield holes but frugal Yankees pass on A.J. Pierzynski and Shane Victorino.

In this offseason, by far the most challenging of his general managership, it does not appear as if Brian Cashman is going to find a right-handed power-hitting outfielder or a proven veteran catcher under his Christmas tree come Tuesday morning.

The Yankee general manager continues to put on his best “what me worry?” face while pointing out that spring training is still more than six weeks away. And that last year, it should be remembered, he didn’t get down to his important offseason work until mid-January.

Nevertheless, shackled by ownership’s restriction to sign players to one-year contracts (thus likely putting Scott Hairston the remaining viable free agent outfield candidate now that Cody Ross signed a three-year deal with Arizona), along with a farm system devoid of any blue chip position prospects above A ball, Cashman is going to have a hard time filling his needs.

It’s a little puzzling why Cashman didn’t address his catching void by taking a one-year flyer on A.J. Pierzynski — who agreed with the Rangers on $7.5 million but, with his eye on a TV career, is said to have much preferred New York. A lefty hitter who hit a career-high 27 homers for the White Sox last year (although only three after Aug. 13), Pierzynski would appear to have been a perfect fit for the Yankees, taking full advantage of the short porch in right and serving as a mentor to Austin Romine and/or Francisco Cervelli. Apparently, however, Cashman’s brain trust believe Pierzynski is through and that his outspoken feisty nature would have been a detriment in the Yankee clubhouse.

The fact is, this was one of the worst free agent markets in years — even the two high-end players, Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton, had significant emotional flaws and were ill-suited for New York. And, despite their mutual needs for outfielders, the Yankees and Mets were absolutely right to pass on B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino and Angel Pagan at the ridiculous dollars and years they got. That said, I’m a bit mystified at why the Mets haven’t moved more aggressively to re-sign Hairston, who’s going to get a two-year deal and figures to have more suitors — the Atlanta Braves are now in on him — especially now that Ross is off the board.

’Tis the season for agents to be preying on dumb owners and desperate general managers —which explains what happened last week when the Cubs added perennial No. 4 starter Edwin Jackson for four years, $52 million and the Pirates did a two-year $14 million deal with the greatly diminished Francisco Liriano. catcher

Clearly, Theo Epstein, who earlier lost out to the Tigers in his effort to sign Anibal Sanchez, is feeling the heat over two straight fifth-place finishes with 91 and 101 losses, respectively. But even though Jackson is a proven innings-eater, the Cubs are still a fifth-place team (which means last place now that the Houston Astros have moved to the American League) with him, and all this means is that they overpaid to patch the tire on a broken- down jalopy.

Randy Levine and Cheapskate Hal can Bullshit you all they want.  The Yankees are going to have a hard time competing with their old and anemic order.  Hal is going to look like the ass that he is, just like I told you.  EDB

STINGY YANKEES

Stingy Yankees are making life difficult for GM Brian Cashman

Shackled by ownership’s restriction to sign players to one-year contracts, along with a farm system devoid of any blue chip position prospects above A ball, Cashman is going to have a hard time filling his needs.

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

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Jim McIsaac

Brian Cashman has catcher and outfield holes but frugal Yankees pass on A.J. Pierzynski and Shane Victorino.

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

A.J. Pierzynski

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Shane Victorino

In this offseason, by far the most challenging of his general managership, it does not appear as if Brian Cashman is going to find a right-handed power-hitting outfielder or a proven veteran catcher under his Christmas tree come Tuesday morning.

The Yankee general manager continues to put on his best “what me worry?” face while pointing out that spring training is still more than six weeks away. And that last year, it should be remembered, he didn’t get down to his important offseason work until mid-January.

Nevertheless, shackled by ownership’s restriction to sign players to one-year contracts (thus likely putting Scott Hairston the remaining viable free agent outfield candidate now that Cody Ross signed a three-year deal with Arizona), along with a farm system devoid of any blue chip position prospects above A ball, Cashman is going to have a hard time filling his needs.

It’s a little puzzling why Cashman didn’t address his catching void by taking a one-year flyer on A.J. Pierzynski — who agreed with the Rangers on $7.5 million but, with his eye on a TV career, is said to have much preferred New York. A lefty hitter who hit a career-high 27 homers for the White Sox last year (although only three after Aug. 13), Pierzynski would appear to have been a perfect fit for the Yankees, taking full advantage of the short porch in right and serving as a mentor to Austin Romine and/or Francisco Cervelli. Apparently, however, Cashman’s brain trust believe Pierzynski is through and that his outspoken feisty nature would have been a detriment in the Yankee clubhouse.

The fact is, this was one of the worst free agent markets in years — even the two high-end players, Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton, had significant emotional flaws and were ill-suited for New York. And, despite their mutual needs for outfielders, the Yankees and Mets were absolutely right to pass on B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino and Angel Pagan at the ridiculous dollars and years they got. That said, I’m a bit mystified at why the Mets haven’t moved more aggressively to re-sign Hairston, who’s going to get a two-year deal and figures to have more suitors — the Atlanta Braves are now in on him — especially now that Ross is off the board.

’Tis the season for agents to be preying on dumb owners and desperate general managers —which explains what happened last week when the Cubs added perennial No. 4 starter Edwin Jackson for four years, $52 million and the Pirates did a two-year $14 million deal with the greatly diminished Francisco Liriano. catcher

Clearly, Theo Epstein, who earlier lost out to the Tigers in his effort to sign Anibal Sanchez, is feeling the heat over two straight fifth-place finishes with 91 and 101 losses, respectively. But even though Jackson is a proven innings-eater, the Cubs are still a fifth-place team (which means last place now that the Houston Astros have moved to the American League) with him, and all this means is that they overpaid to patch the tire on a broken- down jalopy.

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Napoleon Solo15 minutes ago POOR little Cash-man…only $180 MILLION to spend…. Reply 0

write-E-O21 minutes ago The coward no-post-allowed Lupica won’t let readers comment under his worthless shill sheet columns so Lets post here. Sure knock the Yanks about age AGAIN, but not one word about the Wilponzis leaving Dickey, who Lupica pom pommed all season in his column, off the highlight film. No words about Mets RAISING ticket prices even with RA gone and lowering payroll! No wise cracks about the Mets pitcher tweeting a gay slur (surprising, knowing how Lupica bends. not that there’s anything wrong with that..) Yet he compliments his own paper, the biggest conflict of interest rag in the country. What a fraud and phony. Reply 0

write-E-O2 hours ago And SNY holiday bonus bucks to you, SNY Bill Mad(mad, mad about all that SNY Wilponzi bucks I’m making!!)den! No, the Mets are right for not spending any money on any free agents but the Yanks are nasty for being cheap. What an SNY lapdog. Mets raised ticket prices for 2013!! Gave CY Dickey the boot for asking for market value!! Payroll heading for Kansas City Royals territory. Yet, no, don’t spend any money to at least have a decent team worth an obstructed bleacher seat, behind baldy SNY Bob Raissman and his Wilponzi Mets waving pom poms./ Hey, more Wilponzi money for you SNY Billy and the rest of the SNY Daily Ruse payola frauds! Reply 0

savannah13 hours ago Morris is a future hall of famer, McGriff is not. The juice guys, none of them, belong in the HOF. All of them frauds and deserve to always be ostracized and left out. Reply +1

MANTLELIVES76 hours ago I just can’t believe the Yanks are going to open the season with Stewart and Cervelli as the catchers. It is bad enough that our starting corner outfielders might hit maybe 15 homers combined and drive in 100 runs combined. Yes, I know they both can steal bases but that never has been the Yankee game. Imagine, we were outbid by the Pirates for Martin, and he did not get anywhere close to what he thought he might get. LUPICA, I disagree with your take on Banuelos. He was not having a good start when he got hurt. And I do not think the Yanks have any good prospects at any level in their oganization. Yikes, in fact their farm system stinks. We need our starting pitching to be strong this year because we just do not have that starting team as in years past. In fact I do not like Gardner and still think he is a 4th outfieder at best. But my doctors say I will be around to see another year of Yankee faseball and looking forward to seeing my buds on these message boards. Reply 4 replies 0

LupicaSuxxx6 hours ago Glad to hear you’ll be around another year. As for the potential power outage that we may have in the OF next year, how good was Swisher and Granderson’s power when it counted? On the other hand, the SF Giants hit 103 homers in the regular season and outhomered everyone in the playoffs. baseball is a funny game. Gardner has scored as many as 97 runs and stolen as many as 47 bases in a season. I am not expecting him to be great, but he is an outstanding defender and he has ability. The farm system isn’t great, but it doesn’t stink. There are several very highly regarded prospects, 4 of whom will probably be in Baseball America’s Top 5o MLB prospects (for whatever that’s worth…… Aside from not getting Pierzynski for a reasonable 1 year deal, I don’t really have an issue with them passing on all these guys. Perhaps a trade or two will happen before April and things will look a bit better ….. This probably won’t be a great team, but that’s life. The team is older, probably not as good, and there will need to be a major overhaul between now and the 2014 season. Reply 2 replies 0

Brian from the Cape5 hours ago Hey, a guy that makes sense! The ignorant media, and the naive fans, only pay attention to regular season stats (as if somehow they carry over into the postseason) and never realize that a TEAM isn’t put together by INDIVIDUAL numbers but on wins and losses. In other words, if you score more runs in any given game than the other team, you win. Do that more than any other team and you’re in the playoffs. Do it more than you playoff opponent and you get a ring. Silly that SO MANY people think it’s about replacing Home Runs and Stats with equal numbers that gets you to the playoffs. 0

MANTLELIVES79 minutes ago Lupica, you are correct about Swisher and Granderson. But you also have to remember the Stadium does play for guys with power to right. I am just not a big Gardner fan because although he is a slap hitter he does strikeout a lot, about 100 times a year. More contact, better average more times to steal. Then if he did that, he would be Ichiro. And I just have to disagree with you, out farm system does stink. I do watch the syster all year and there is nothing there. Nothing, I repeat. Remember how we were hearig that we have 5 great catching prospects? Look, if our starting pitching does well we will be OK. I am not going to go nuts if we do not win, because that is how it is. Hey 1313, you never get under my skin, I know what you are all about. Your Met’s stink and you know it so why bother to write about them so you come over to annoy some of us. You do a good job and you do make me laugh. My complaint is when my Yanks pocketbook starting looking like the Met’s. 0

1313 mocking bird lane5 hours ago Not so fast Mantle. I’m not nearly done tormenting you and your Yankee pals.Besides, my Mets are gonna need a few years to win it all, so you’re just going to have to stick around to congratulate me. Reply 0

LupicaSuxxx7 hours ago so the Yankees were right not to overpay for OTHER team’s free agents this off season, and according to him cashman has been restricted by ownership as to what he can spend, but that won’t stop Madden from attacking Cashman. As for Yankee prospects and how many “blue chippers” they have. it’s nice of him to acknowledge they have some (all below A-ball) but the Yankees could have 5 blue-chip prospects knocking on the door of the majors and what would that ensure? Would that mean they’d automatically be good next year or for years to come? It’s great to have boatloads of prospects, but show me the team that has all these wonderful prospects that are instant successes AND fulfill their “potential”. Last year Banuelos was looking great — till he hurt himself. Harvey and Wheeler look great right now for the Mets. Let me know when they win 15-20 games and pitch 200-220 innings in the majors. I want to see the Yankees prospects reach the majors and become cornerstone players but some will fail completely, others will underachieve, and others may not even reach the majors. It’s the nature of the game. In the meantime, having veterans that are proven players under 1 year contracts is the right way to go. By the end of the year Tyler Austin and Mason Williams, and maybe even Slade Heathcott could be very close. Banuelos may recover and be good again. There were MANY prospects more highly rated than Robinson Can, David Robertson, Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Ivan Nova, etc. Those players have gone on to have lots of success despite not being thought of too highly by Mr. Madden. Reply 0

earlofwarren7 hours ago The best ball players money can buy doesn’t guarantee a championship! Reply 2 replies +1

write-E-O5 hours ago Got that right Early,The Mets teams of Bonilla and company had the highest payroll in baseball and finished LAST. Red the book, THE WORST TEAM THAT MONEY COULD BUY! Again, SNY Madden harps on Yankees and what they spend, yet they still have the highest payroll (until the Dodgers past them.). That’s plenty of dough they spend. Yet when it comes to the Mets, WHO RAISED TICKET PRICES for 2013, yet got rid of their star attraction, CY Dickey and cut MORE payroll, we don’t hear boo from SNY Madden. And read this: http://gothamna­tion.wordpress.­com/2012/12/21/­the-fred-wilpon­-files-whatever­-happened-to-bo­b-raissman/ to know why all the SNY Daily Ruse frauds his Wilponzi tushy. Reply 1 reply 0

LupicaSuxxx4 hours ago Great post Write-E-O. I read it and I have a much clearer understanding of the sham “journalism” at the NYDN now. We all knew they were biased, but many of us aren’t exactly sure why the WHOLE STAFF never criticizes the Mets! Now I understand better. Beningo and Roberts were recently unwilling to state exactly why SNY never criticizes the Mets but I believe they were hinting at what this piece stated. So the Mets have the NYDN which is their mouthpiece and apologists, and they also have an entire radio network (WFAN) full of Met fans and Yankee-haters also. No wonder no one, but for very few, are ever critical of this organization. +1

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RAUL SIGNS WITH THE MARINERS

Yankees playoff hero Raul Ibanez signs one-year pact with Seattle Mariners

Ibanez was one of the few players Yankee fans embraced at the end of last season, rescuing the Bombers with dramatic home runs against the A’s and Red Sox to help them win the AL East.

Comments (3)

By Sean Brennan AND Mark Feinsand / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, December 22, 2012, 11:27 PM

Cheapskate strikes again!  Where’s the DH?

Daily News

Raul Ibanez, one of the few Yankees fans could cheer for in the playoffs, heads to Seattle to join the Mariners.

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The Yankees’ miracle man at the end of last season, and the man who famously pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez, is taking his bat back to Seattle.

Raul Ibanez, 40, reportedly agreed with the Mariners on a one-year deal Saturday. It will be his third stint with Seattle, where he started his career in 1996.

Ibanez was one of the few players Yankee fans embraced at the end of last season, rescuing the Bombers with dramatic home runs against the A’s and Red Sox to help them win the AL East.

Then, in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Orioles, Joe Girardi famously sent Ibanez to the plate for the slumping Rodriguez. Ibanez responded with a game-tying home run.

“Sometimes you’ve got to do what your gut tells you, and my gut told me to make the move,” Girardi said then.

If that wasn’t enough to vault Ibanez into Yankee lore, he drilled another home run to win that game in the 12th inning. Then, in Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit, Ibanez hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run ninth-inning rally that tied the game. The Yankees eventually lost that game in 12 and were swept in the series.

Ibanez became the only player in baseball history to hit three home runs in the ninth inning or later in a single postseason.

“I loved it, I really loved my experience here,” Ibanez said after the season.

But while the Yankees showed some interest in bringing back Ibanez, the Mariners landed the left-hand hitter who has played in 17 seasons in the majors.

Ibanez hit .240 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI in 384 at-bats for the Yankees, who are looking for a right-hand hitting outfielder.

That market got a lot thinner on Saturday when Cody Ross agreed to a three-year deal for a reported $26 million with the Diamondbacks.

“We weren’t in on Cody Ross,” Cashman told the Daily News after word of the deal emergted.

The outfielder-starved Mets also passed on Ross based on the money he was seeking.

Ross, who turns 32 on Sunday,  hit .267 with 22 homers and 81 RBI in 130 games with the Red Sox last season, will join a crowded outfield in Arizona that includes Justin Upton, Jason Kubel and Gerardo Parra.

The Diamondbacks may try to move one of those outfielders, with the lefty-hitting Kubel perhaps the most likely to go. But Cashman wouldn’t have any interest in Kubel, who hit 30 homers last season.

“We have an entirely left-handed hitting outfield right now,” Cashman said, referring to Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and the recently re-signed Ichiro Suzuki. “We’re looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder. We’re not in the market for a left-handed hitting outfielder.”

Texas, which lost Josh Hamilton to the Angels, could be a potential trade target for Kubel. The Rangers have also shown interest in switch-hitting Nick Swisher, whom the Yankees have no plans to bring back.

With Ross’ bat now off the board, it leaves Scott Hairston as the last quality right-handed bat on the free agent market. Hairston hit .263 with the Mets last season, with 20 homers and 57 RBI in 134 games. Hairston is said to be looking for a multi-year deal, something the Yankees may not be willing to offer.

Cashman is prepared to wait until after the holidays to fill his needs. “All I’ll tell you is we’re looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder,” Cashman said. “It may take a while, who knows?”

As for the Mets, they have explored the idea of bringing back Hairston, who made $1.1 million last season. But it’s not a buyer’s market.

Journeyman Jonny Gomes signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Red Sox and the Yankees and the Braves have been linked to talks with Hairston, too.

“There is some payroll flexibility so the right outfielder at the right price is something that could work,” a baseball source said about the Mets.

The Yankees have a futile attack with lots of holes in it.  Mark my 3words, when the Yankees don’t score many runs, there will be lots of promotional dates at the stadium.  EDB

TREAVER PRICE: REX RYAN MIGHT BE TOO NICE FOR HIS OWN GOOD

Trevor Pryce: Rex Ryan might be too nice for his own good

By Doug Farrar

Happier days: Trevor Pryce (93) and Rex Ryan in January, 2011. (AP)Former Denver Broncos,  Baltimore Ravens, and New York Jets defensive lineman Trevor Pryce, who played under current Jets head coach Rex Ryan when Ryan was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2006 through 2008, and a little bit for the Jets in 2010, has an interesting theory about the current breakdowns in the Jets’ overall plan — at least, as it applies to Rex himself. Certainly, the current Jets team, standing at 6-8 after losing perhaps the worst football game of the year at any level last Monday night to the Tennessee Titans, are not getting the full benefit of Ryan’s football acumen.

Pryce, who recently penned a guest column for the New York Times on the subject, believes that Ryan is too nice in the wrong ways — and before he can succeed long-term as an NFL head coach, he’ll have to change his modus operandi.

If every team had the exact same talent level on its roster, and commanding an N.F.L. sideline involved nothing more than X’s and O’s, Ryan would be one of the more revered coaches in sports. He is a brilliant strategist, a man who works to the point of exhaustion and possesses a passion for and knowledge of football that is unmatched. Combine that with the fact that no coach in the N.F.L knows how to get more out of less, and you have the makings of a perennial championship contender.

Sadly for Ryan’s fans and friends, being a head coach these days has very little to do with X’s and O’s and more to do with your personality. And the two personality traits that are stopping him from being a great head coach are the same two that make him a great human being: He is loyal to the point of defiance, and he cares enormously about the people around him.

I can certainly side with the schematic point of view. Ryan, who started his run as a defensive coach for Eastern Kentucky in 1987, has forgotten more about defensive football than most people will ever know. His book, “Coaching Football’s 46 Defense,” is a must-buy primer on a host of concepts for anyone interested in the Xs-and-Os of the game. But as Pryce wrote, that matters little when you’re the one overseeing the team — and it’s why coaches like Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, and Dick LeBeau have not been able to succeed as the head guys despite their legitimate playbook genius.

More of Pryce’s take:

Ryan somehow winds up with players nobody wants and then talks about them as if they are Pro Bowlers in order to build their confidence. In some cases, he is right, and the player ends up being a contributor for years. Bart Scott is one of the most successful examples. But in way too many cases Ryan is wrong, and that reality eventually becomes painfully apparent. The examples of defensive end Aaron Maybin and all of his current quarterbacks come to mind.

No one ever said Ryan was not a tough coach or a competitor. He is. It’s the reason he used to record the fights in practice and took the Jets to two AFC championship games in a row. But these days being tough is not quite enough. In today’s world of access and social media, a head coach also has to be cold and calculating.

Agreed, and that’s not always done the same way from coach to coach. You don’t have to throw tantrums or engage in feuds with the media to put that across. Having covered the Seahawks through Pete Carroll’s tenure, I know that Carroll hasn’t changed the way he is in casual conversation that much from his days at USC, or from his failed shots with the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the 1990s. But what Carroll learned over time is that if his players aren’t concerned about their employment status and places on the starting lineup at all times, problems will ensue.

[Also: Jets consider dumping Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow | Door opens for McElroy]

Thus, even though he doesn’t seem mercenary during his press conferences and media blips, Carroll has created an undercurrent of murderous competition beneath his snappy “Always Compete” slogan. If he signs you to a big off-season deal, as he and general manager John Schneider did with quarterback Matt Flynn, and a rookie out-plays you — as Russell Wilson did from the start of the 2012 pre-season — that contract doesn’t mean a thing. You’re not getting on the field.

And as Pryce notes, that’s what Ryan needs to develop.

The day is going to come when his player and coaching decisions will be made with the same cutthroat efficiency that you find in places like New England, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Ryan will realize he has no choice but to develop that same poisonous “him or me” attitude that permeates almost every other head coach in the NFL. And on that day the Jets will gain one of the better head coaches in the league. At the same time they will lose one of its better human beings.

I’m not sure the change has to be all that dramatic from a human standpoint, though I understand that Pryce is going to see it differently from a player’s perspective. You can be cut-throat in your business and still be a good guy, though it’s a pretty complex balancing act. But Pryce has a very good point. Coordinators and position coaches tend to adopt an “us against the world” attitude with their players. It’s a tight fraternity. However, when you become a head coach and it’s your job to govern the entire world, so to speak, your perspective must change.

I think that if Rex Ryan is fired from his current position, he’ll come back with another team at another time and be a successful head coach. I think he does have that “world view” so important to the job. But there’s no doubt he’ll have to continue to work on it, and learn from the mistakes that have led to two straight lost seasons for the Jets.

EDB

CODY ROS AGREES WITH DIAMONDBACKS

PHOENIX — Cody Ross and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a $26 million, three-year contract Saturday that includes a club option for 2016.

 

Ross

“Could not be happier to be in the Dbacks family! Truly Blessed!” Ross posted on his Twitter account.

Ross, who turns 32 on Sunday and lives in nearby Scottsdale, adds to the abundance of outfielders on the Arizona roster, leading to speculation a trade might be coming. He batted .267 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs last season for the Boston Red Sox. He’s a career .267 hitter in nine big league seasons.

“I don’t know what happened but we could never agree on terms,” Ross told The Boston Globe. “They thought I’d come back no matter what because they thought I loved playing there. And I did. Who wouldn’t love playing at Fenway Park? I just wanted a fair deal. I told them what I wanted. I wasn’t trying to break the bank. They weren’t willing to do it.”

The addition gives the Diamondbacks four veteran outfielders — Ross, Justin Upton, Gerardo Parra and Jason Kubel — along with two youngsters the organization has deemed ready for the majors: Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.

The Diamondbacks are now working to trade Kubel, according to sources. In his first season with Arizona last year, the left-handed slugger hit .253 with 30 home runs and 90 RBIs. He was hitting .300 on July 22 but batted .176 with 19 RBIs the rest of the season.

Upton also has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason.

Ross, who throws left-handed and bats right-handed, was a fourth-round draft pick of Detroit out of Carlsbad, N.M., High School in 1999. He had brief major league stints with the Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati before becoming a full-time big leaguer with the Florida Marlins.

Ross was claimed by San Francisco off waivers in August 2010 and was MVP of that year’s NL Championship Series, hitting .350 with three home runs and five RBIs against Philadelphia. He also homered against Texas in the World Series and batted .294 (15 for 51) with five homers, five doubles and 10 RBIs in 15 postseason games for the champion Giants.

He committed one error in each of the last two seasons.

The Diamondbacks also announced that infielder Gustavo Nunez cleared waivers and was returned to Detroit, opening a spot for Ross on the 40-man roster. Nunez was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh in October after the Pirates selected him from the Tigers in the 2011 Rule 5 draft.

EDB

JETER REACHES OUT TO GRIEVING MOTHER OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM

Derek Jeter Surprises Grieving Mother of Sandy Hook Victim Victoria Soto

By

Gabe Zaldivar

(Pop Culture Lead Writer) on December 20, 2012

Derek Jeter‚ New York Yankees shortstop, captain and one hell of a guy, delivered but a modicum of respite for a mother who lost her daughter in Sandy Hook—a teacher who happened to be a huge Yankees fan.

We are all still dealing with a tragedy that makes no sense and never really will. The New York Daily News reports that Jeter stepped up to give a grieving mother some comfort as she mourns the loss of her daughter, 27-year-old Victoria Soto.

Soto lost her life protecting children from the gunfire of Adam Lanza during the Sandy Hook shooting—a heroic stance by a wonderful teacher. Her family was left to mourn a sudden loss and make sense of the madness.

Amid all the wonderful things that were said about the teacher at her funeral, one interesting tidbit leaked.

She was a tremendous Yankees fan.

 

Al Bello/Getty Images

One of the best to wear the pinstripes may have heard that and decided to give a grieving family a phone call.

While it was but a small gesture, it seems to have worked wonders in giving a mourning family some smiles on an otherwise sorrowful day. Soto’s mother, Donna, seems to have been overjoyed by the chat with the Yankees’ captain.

This is what Soto’s cousin, James Wiltsie, had to say:

Vicki loved the Yankees — that was part of her eulogy. No one in the family reached out, so (Jeter) must have heard about it and … reached out.

It was a surprise and unexpected. Donna was ecstatic over it and very happy. She spoke to him for quite some time.

According to the report, Soto’s sister chimed in on Twitter with thanks to Jeter for the kind gesture:

Derek Jeter just called my mom!!!!! Thanks Vicki, she needs it thank you @yankees this meant a lot to my mother and all of us.

Really, sports and entertainment are at the bottom of the barrel of what truly matters in life. But in the days following the tragedy, we have found how powerful they can be in giving back at least a modicum of comfort to those reeling from the tragedy.

 

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Victor Cruz had a fan in Sandy Hook.

The Giants wide receiver and his famed salsa dances were touted as legendary by Jack Pinto—a six-year-old boy who loved his Giants and Cruz.

After the shooting, Cruz visited the family and delivered to them cleats and gloves he wore in a previous game. The flashy star was taken aback to learn that little Jack’s family buried him in a Cruz replica jersey.

Every last one of us was shocked by the awful actions that took the lives of innocent kids and their teachers. We all wanted to do something to help, and star athletes are no different. Again, sports are at the very bottom of a heap of things that matter, but they can certainly help to lend a small dose of comfort when needed.

A big thank you to Jeter and every last athlete who stepped up, even in small ways, to get these families through something so awful.

EDB