Zilla's Has Value Off The Field

post from A Die Hard Yankees Fan on 21 November 2009 05:30:00 PM. © A Die Hard Yankees Fan

While Matsui was earning $73 million in salary over seven seasons in pinstripes, he helped build Yankee - and Major League Baseball - business in Japan and the Bronx, whether by prompting Japanese companies to buy advertising signs at Yankee Stadium or drawing Japanese tourists to the stands. Matsui is a free agent and wants to return, but do the Yankees risk losing more than just a slugger if they do not re-sign him? Is possibly keeping him purely about baseball or is it a decision that strays into the Yankees' global business interests, too?

"He's very important over there because he enhances the Yankee brand in Asia significantly," said a baseball official with knowledge of the Yankees' finances, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They've done well there. Does he get some of the credit? Yes. All of it? No. It's hard to quantify. It's no giant amount of money. The business part is not going to be a factor in this. This is a baseball decision, not a business decision."

Still, the Yankees would have to replace Matsui-related income if he's playing elsewhere. How much depends on who you ask. Sanspo, a Japanese news outlet, reported this week that the Yankees stood to lose as much as $15 million if Matsui did not return. Other estimates have been as high as $20 million per year. The baseball official disputes both figures.

...
[Matsui's agent Arn] Tellem added, "It's not a stretch to say Matsui is as responsible for Japanese interest in the Yankees as Yao Ming is for the NBA in China."

Tellem also say in an article on The Huffington Post that Matsui "helps bring in millions of dollars annually in marketing and sponsorship revenue. ... Six major Japanese companies - including Toyota, Sony and the Daily Yomiuri newspaper - have signed on as advertisers, each reportedly adding $1 million or so a year to team coffers."
The article also goes on to talk about the Japanese ads in the stadium that also bring the Yankees extra income, "one source suggested it was $3million to $4 million 'over the years.'"

This morning Ken Davidoff said that the Yankees main focus is reaching common ground with Damon, while Matsui is "less of a priority."

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Marlins offered a fourth year club option to
Johnson

post from Marlin Maniac | A Florida Marlins Blog on 21 November 2009 04:57:26 PM. © Marlin Maniac | A Florida Marlins Blog

This from Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.Without getting into specific dollar figures, [Josh Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick] said the Marlins offered three years with a club option for a fourth.[Josh Johnson's] camp was hoping the deal would at least match what[...]

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Florida Marlins, Josh Johnson On Different Pages

post from The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on 21 November 2009 04:40:53 PM. © The Ghost of Moonlight Graham

It’s really hard to argue with the way the Florida Marlins do business.Despite having a payroll consistently at the bottom of baseball, the Marlins in the last seven seasons have won a World Series and have had five winning seasons out of those seven.They have a philosophy of building through the draft, develop their own [...]

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Tim Lincecum's Outstanding and Fatiguing Season

post from Beyond the Box Score on 21 November 2009 04:08:00 PM. © Beyond the Box Score

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP Lincecum unleashes a four-seamer Browse more photos » Tim Lincecum[...]

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Ken Griffey Jr. Is Bound For Cooperstown

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 21 November 2009 03:00:28 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

This appears to be a ‘No-Brainer’. Ken Griffey Jr will gain entry into Baseball’s Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility.With a resume to back it up, Griffey is one of the best players from the last 20 years. His ability to hit, run, field, throw, and crush home runs makes him a [...]

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November 19 2009 Demolition Images

post from Demolition of Yankee Stadium on 21 November 2009 02:42:23 PM. © Demolition of Yankee Stadium

See the gallery posted at Sliding Into Home

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Saturday Night Open Thread: Remember A-Rod's
"Cousin"

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 21 November 2009 02:23:00 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

Remember Yuri Sucart? He's the guy that A-Rod said helped him get the steroids and persuaded him to use them. It turns out that while A-Rod has successfully turned his career in the right direction, Sucart has hit rock bottom. Here's more from Michael O'Keeffe:

Banks began foreclosure proceedings on Yuri Sucart's Miami home and three South Florida rental properties in the months after Rodriguez's Feb. 17 news conference.

Perhaps even more disturbing for Sucart, who spent the past 15 years as A-Rod's anonymous go-fer, his rich and famous cousin dragged him out of the shadows and turned him into another steroid sidekick, much like Roger Clemens' former trainer, Brian McNamee, and Barry Bonds' boyhood friend Greg Anderson.

Unlike McNamee and Anderson, professional trainers who worked with world-class athletes for years, Sucart is not a fitness guru - he's a pudgy middle-aged man who suffers from lower back pain and other health problems. Rodriguez has a history of letting others take the blame for his blunders - agent Scott Boras, for for example, took the rap after Rodriguez announced in the middle of the 2007 World Series that he was opting out of his contract with the Yankees. But the idea that an elite ballplayer like A-Rod would use performance-enhancing drugs based on the recommendation of a cousin who spent the past decade laying out his clothes and making dinner reservations strains credibility, and [Sucart's attorney John] Ruiz says it was not right for Rodriguez to drag Sucart into his steroid scandal.

I never understood why A-Rod would drag this poor fool into his steroid scandal. He could have accomplished just as much without mentioning him. There's a lot more in the story about A-Rod and Sucart and Surcart's many problems.

- Anthony McCarron sees a future battle brewing between the Yankees and Red Sox for the services of Aroldis Chapman. Here's what one baseball executive told him:

"He is an extremely talented guy," says one baseball executive who has seen Chapman pitch. "My bet is that it'll come down to the Yankees and Red Sox, like it always does now. Most of us believe that. To them, it's only money.

"And I think the Yankees will get him. They can give him a big-league contract over five years for $20 million and they don't even feel that."

There was also this quote from a Latin American scouting coordinator:

"Aroldis is special. He doesn't have the command and control of Strasburg, but he could end up being another Randy Johnson. When Randy was drafted, some people said he'd never get it together and be any good. Aroldis is one of those great talents that comes around and you hope he eventually grows up enough to master it."

- Chad Jennings is reporting that former Yankees minor league pitcher Jose Valdez was signed by the Astros and added to their 40-man roster.

?The Valdez kid threw well last season, and he?s lighting up the Dominican Winter League,? Houston GM Ed Wade told mlb.com. ?We had a couple of guys see him down there and they felt this kid had a chance to be a real significant contributor to the back end of the bullpen. We gave him a roster spot as a Minor League free agent, which is a rarity.?

- Looking way ahead, Josh Johnson's days in Florida look like they will end when he can become a free agent after the 2011 season. The Marlins apparently don't want to go long-term and will instead go year-to-year. So who would you rather sign in 2011? Felix Hernandez? Johnson? Both? I'd go with King Felix, but Johnson isn't a bad backup plan.
Besides that, discuss whatever you'd like?

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Ken Griffey Jr. And The 600 Home Run Club!!!

You better believe it – He belongs.This amazing feat happened in my back yard. I should have been there. Dolphin Stadium, home of my Florida Marlins, was witness to this event. You don’t know how many times I have cursed myself about not making this a priority. Who knows when I may be able to witness [...]

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Who Plays 1B in 2010

Just a few scenarios, in no relevant order:1. Adam LaRoche – He’s a free agent, probably the best available on the market. We all know the story, power-hitter, not a great deal of patience, loopy swing conducive to K’s and a mediocre average, fringe-average defensively, horrible base runner, left-handed. You know when a career .834 [...]

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Ken Griffey Jr. Is Just 237 Hits Away From
3,000!!!

Personally, I want to see this happen. But honestly, Ken Griffey Jr does not need this to happen.Currently he stands just 237 hits away from the milestone of 3,000 hits. This magical number separates baseball’s elite hitters from the very good. To really have a chance of obtaining this goal, Griffey would need to play in 130 [...]

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