Jerseygate

[Admin]

I love baseball, I love the Yankees, I hate the Red Sox ... but I have to admit that the level of superstition that goes into baseball is just freaking insane.

[DrReality]

I guess you had to be there . . . . . . . .?

[Admin]

You haven't heard about all this drama about the Red Sox fan who buried a jersey below the Yankees new stadium and the fear of a new Curse of the Bambino type thing?

[NJHAWK]

I read that it took like 6 hrs of drilling concrete to find where that guy buried it and they are trying to figure out if they can press criminal charges against him. Honestly you would think that with all this fuss that there was a body in that Jersey. Unfuccccinbeliveable.

[Johann]

Quote:

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I love baseball

I love baseball myself. This is what makes me love it. I love to see every durn pitcher hop over the chalk on the way to the dugout.

Fydrich and his pet baseball, the guy who brushed his teeth between every inning, the Cubs ball they put into the molecular decombobulation chamber, that's it! The reason above any other, that baseball reigns. I'm just sorry everyone can't hear Dizzy Dean and PeeWee Reese doing the game of the week. Dizzy's favorite pitcher was the Yankee, Rhyne Duran. Diz called him "Ronnnnn Dornnnnnnnnnnn...." Duran had cokebottle glasses, great big guy, threw around 105. When he would come in out of the bullpen, Dizzy would start up. Half of the warmup pitches would hit halfway up the backstop. Diz would be laughing his head off by the time the first batter would step up, and stand 3 feet from the plate and all the way back in the box. I would love to have some tapes of those old shows.

All this time I have held a grudge about rampant steroids, and the ease of buying an allstar team for your city if you've got the money. I have tried to keep from watching the game.

But this reminds me. None of that can dent this game. It's way too weird.

I love this jersey curse business. I hope they press charges. And I hope that guy hires the best lawyer around, and makes them look like nuts. This is the coolest thing that's happened in a long time.

OK, I'm ready. Let's have a suicide squeeze, please, and throw me one of those co' beers.

[Admin]

That sounds like it was copied directly from the Sports Guy on Page 2. Nice job!

I love baseball as well, I just think it's insane how superstitious baseball players are. I doubt the Yankees will press charges but you can bet that guy will have a difficult time getting work in the Bronx for a while.

[frosgrim]

I love the speculation that there is another jersey somewhere in the stadium as well. Man if the Yankees go into a tailspin once they move into their new digs this jersey thing will only get more instense. Being a BoSox fan, I love it

[Admin]

What are you talking about, we are already in a tailspin. This will be the final year that we have Giambi, Mussina, and hopefully Posada ... and then we can move on with some quality young guys. I really doubt that the Yankees will make the post-season this year. I don't see anyone beating the Sox this year either. Power, speed, pitching, and defense. You guys are loaded.

[frosgrim]

I never count the Yankees out of anything, esp as a Sox fan.

Right now the Sox need to get healthy, esp Ortiz. That Japan trip was ridiculous. It hurt the Yankees when they went, and it will catch up w/ the Red Sox and As as well. The Players Association needs to put a stop to these international trips at the beginning of the season.

By the by, is the Yankee farm system producing anything right now? They seem to have nothing. This is one the reasons that Theo is one of the best GMs in baseball right now. He restocked the farm and we are now getting players coming up and through it. It doesn't hurt tha the Red Sox also have deep pockets and can compete for FAs.

[Admin]

During the Yankees Red Sox game on Sunday night they showed a graphic that the Red Sox have the #2 rated farm system and the Yankees have the #5 rated farm system. They were mentioning that in regard to what Billy Beane brought up during the Moneyball era and how once the big market clubs figured out how to take advantage of the flawed MLB drafting system they would ... and so far it seems like they have. Both the Red Sox and Yankees went from having some of the lower rated farm systems to being among the best in less than 5 years.

We definitely have a lot of talent in our farm system but we also have a lot of young kids in the majors who should be around for a long time. Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Ross Ohlendorf, and Alberto Gonzalez are all young kids that will be the foundation of the Yankees for the next decade. Those last 2 guys were players that we acquired from the Diamondbacks for Randy Johnson last year. Gonzalez is hitting .333 over the past week filling in for Jeter and is already the best defensive infielder among the big league team and all of the minor league teams.

I am really happy that both teams are building through the farm system now though instead of spending big money in FA. As much as people like to hate the Yankees ever since they started spending big in FA they haven't won jack. The bulk of the roster that won the World Series 4 times was built through the farm system.

[frosgrim]

Yes, I agree the farms are where you win championships. Most teams that try to build through FA fail. For example, the Dogers of the early 80s turned into the FA heaven in the late 80s and through the 90s and most of those years' teams were awful. I agree the Yanks took a dive when they did the same thing in the 2000s.

I didn't realize that the Yankees had such a good farm system. I need to get back into reading more on baseball...

Sigh, too much to get done.