CC on Staying in The Bronx

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 31 October 2011 11:01:22 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

?I was confident that we would get to an agreement," Sabathia said. "I wanted to stay here. I want to be here. I love it here. I love pitching here. I love being a part of the Yankees organization, and I?m just so happy to be able to come to an agreement.?

Sabathia said he didn't want to go through the free-agent process, something he got a good feel for three years ago before signing with the Yankees.

?It was a big motivation," Sabathia said. "I didn?t want to be a part of being a free agent and doing everything, opting out and doing all that stuff. It was clear to everybody that I wanted to be a Yankee, wanted to end my career as a Yankee, and hopefully I can do that.?

Here are a few other nuggets from Sabathia's conference call:

On his family: ?Our family is comfortable here. We have a good time. We love it here. We relax here. This is our home. I never really bought into what was going on or if we would opt out or if we wouldn?t. This is our home. We?re here as a family, and we?ll continue to grow here and be a part of the community.?

On why he loves pitching in New York: ?The energy. What you get coming out of the bullpen. The fans, the energy, everything it is to be pitching in New York, in the Bronx. It?s just so much fun, and to be a part of this organization is a dream for me.?

...

On what was most important to him during the negotiations: ?It was just more time. That?s all it was. It was never a question about money or anything like that; it was just being more time. I want to end my career here, make sure I end my career as a Yankee. Hopefully I?ve done that.?

Glad he's staying around and even happier it happened so quickly. Now the Yankees can actually focus on improving the team.

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New York Yankees: CC Sabathia Opts To Stay

post from Lady Loves Pinstripes on 31 October 2011 10:55:07 PM. © Lady Loves Pinstripes

If you haven?t heard the good news start spreading it, as CC Sabathia is staying a New York Yankee. All it took was adding another year (with an option of adding a second) and $30 million rise. Sabathia?s new contract, which supersedes the remaining four[...]

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Minor League Report – 10/31/11

post from LADodgerTalk.com - Daily Dodger Talk, LA Dodger News, Dodger Minor League Reports and Dodger Chatter on 31 October 2011 09:01:17 PM. © LADodgerTalk.com - Daily Dodger Talk, LA Dodger News, Dodger Minor League Reports and Dodger Chatter

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Hot Stove

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Tony LaRussa's Master Stroke: Retirement

post from Royals Review on 31 October 2011 09:01:10 PM. © Royals Review

So much of baseball, or at least the way baseball is covered, is driven by perception. Some players are seen in a certain light, and they will be cast in that light forever. And such as life, some players are more than deserving of the monikers and titles that they collect, while others have perceptions thrust upon them.

Milton Bradley was perceived as a cancer, an instigator, a troublemaker. A similar line of behavior, particularly from a more productive player, could be seen as passionate and aggressive.

Jeff Francoeur is a leader. No, no. Not just a leader. A Leader. It is almost impossible for someone to shake this title, and is also one of the best titles for a player to attain. If you have leadership, you have a fallback. Production doesn't count as much. Performance matters a little bit less, because of that intangible quality of leadership, so vastly desired and yet so ill-defined, in the world of sport as in the game of life.

Titles are not always stationary; there is room for change, particularly when the expectations placed on a player are no longer being met. Ken Griffey Jr. was seen as "The Kid", the son of a well-respected and talented major leaguer, who with sheer athleticism and talent performed at an ultra-high level for nearly a decade. After being traded to Cincinnati, however, the spotlight moved away, as injuries and age began the Great Decline of his production. He isn't The Kid anymore; he's the guy who retired after being caught taking a nap during a game.

But there is one title that will never change: Genius. Genius is a title most commonly reserved for coaches, general managers, owners; essentially every position involved in sport that doesn't actually suit up and play the game. And once you are a Genius, you are a genius for life. Bill Belichick was 41-55 in his first six seasons of coaching. Three Super Bowls later, he's a Genius. It is not to say that he doesn't deserve a portion of the acclaim, or perhaps even a great deal of it; he has, in fact, won three Super Bowls (and gone to another).

But what gets lost in the mire under the coordination of the Genius is the player production on the field. Joe Torre was approaching the level of being called a Genius, until he left New York. Terry Francona won two World Series titles in Boston; and then they collapsed this past season, and Francona absorbs the blame, and it tarnishes his reputation. Geniuses stand above the fray; their opinion is undaunted by the performance of the men underneath them. Their Ways are the best Ways. They're intricate. Delicate. Involved. Methodical.

Tony LaRussa is a Genius. There is no amount of player shortcomings that could hinder the perception that he is, in all things baseball, a master at his craft. He sees all of the angles, knows all of the nuance and minutiae. He is the Grandmaster of the Double Switch, the Knight Templar of the 0.1+ IP relief outing, and the Sage of the Defensive Replacement. Which is what has made his last move his Master Stroke: Retiring.

After capturing his third Series title, and second with the Pujols Cardinals, LaRussa has announced he is retiring. After 33 years, a 2728-2365 lifetime record, Tony is moving on from managing. He will probably end up with a job, if he so desires, on ESPN, the MLB Network, or working within the MLB offices, much the way that Torre is doing. He will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And he deserves almost all of the accolades that will rain down upon him with much hyperbole. But his greatest managing decision is the situation he will be avoiding by leaving the Cardinals this off-season.

After a remarkable run this last season, the Cardinals are set to get old. Well, older. The average position player's age this last season was 30. Jaime Garcia is the only piece of their rotation who is under 30 and is not a free agent. Carpenter may return, at age 37 for $15m. If he does, the Cardinals will have just over $56m wrapped up in Carpenter, Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, and Kyle Lohse. With the prospect of re-signing Albert Pujols going for no less than $20m per year and upwards of $30m, they could have anywhere from $76-$86m invested in five players, all on the wrong side of 30. With seven other players due for a raise in arbitration, the need to field a 25-man roster, and a dearth of talent, particularly in the position player side of things, in the minor leagues, the Cardinals are headed for a speculative period of poor performance. And really, whether they sign Pujols or not just determines when the decline will begin, how drastic it will be, and whether or not they will have financial flexibility to work out of it.

And this is what makes LaRussa's decision to leave so brilliant. It gives Albert the right to shop free agency competitively and without forethought of what he might be leaving behind. His manager is gone, and from a populist angle, his ties to the organization have been greatly diminished.

Tony doesn't have to worry about the decisions to bring back Carpenter or not or to re-sign Pujols. And more importantly, he won't be residing over a period of unsuccessful baseball in St. Louis, which may have tarnished his sparkling, Genius reputation. There will be no decline for LaRussa. No gentle fade into Oblivion like you saw with Bobby Cox that had some questioning his competency toward the end. LaRussa leaves on a high note. No, the highest note.

And what he leaves behind in St. Louis is soon to become a Ghost Orchestra, where the echoes of former glory ring around the hollow supports of Busch Stadium for the foreseeable future as the quality of play deteriorates, the players become maligned, and the fan base becomes disenfranchised with the direction of the organization. You only have to look to the Denver Broncos in the wake of the Elway era to catch a glimpse of what St. Louis may have to look forward to in the foreseeable future. With LaRussa gone, and with all of the decisions left to be made regarding the major league club, the future in St. Louis looks bleak.

And LaRussa the Genius will, once again, be above it all.

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CC Sabathia Avoids Opting-Out, Signs 2-Year
Extension

post from Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog on 31 October 2011 08:24:05 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog

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Yanks Sabathia gets $30M added to deal (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 31 October 2011 08:22:25 PM. © MLB News Blog

CC Sabathia decided to stay with the New York Yankees rather than test the free-agent market, agreeing Monday to a new deal that adds $30 million to his existing contract and will pay $122 million over the next five years. The 31-year-old left-hander had until midnight to opt out of his current agreement, which had [...]

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Oh Happy Day!

http://twitter.com/#!/CC_Sabathia/status/131149202830000128

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Cubs introduce Hoyer as GM;(STRYLINK NAME:v0112;
SLUG:2010 APBC-BBNCubs-Hoyer 1st Ld-Writethru,0663;))(HEADLINE XHL:Indians acquire RHP Lowe from Braves (AP)

Derek Lowe’s durability — and price tag — were too much for the Cleveland Indians to resist. The club acquired the 15-year veteran pitcher from the Atlanta Braves on Monday for a minor leaguer, a low-risk move designed to bolster Cleveland’s starting rotation. The Indians got the 38-year-old Lowe, who has 166 career wins, in [...]

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Its Halloween, Have Yourself A Reggie Bar. I
Know That I Will!!!!

It’s Halloween, Have Yourself A Reggie Bar. I Know That I Will!!!! Tonight is a fun night – and for me it is all about the kids. Almost, all about the kids… You see, for the longest time, I wanted … Continue reading →

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ar-i-know-that-i-will/

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