Rebutting a retard
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I was embarrassed for the Internet community after reading Jacob Jackson's "The Yankees still CAN buy the World Series" on The Hardball Times. I had never read anything on that Web site before and I probably never will again. The article so bothered me that I had to send the author and The Hardball Times an e-mail putting him in his place. Here is the link to the article. My e-mail follows.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-yankees-still-can-buy-the-world-series/
That article was so dumb, so preposterous and so flat-out wrong that simply posting a comment was not enough. I had to write you an e-mail informing you of your pure idiocy. I really wonder if you know anything about the Yankees or even about the game of baseball. So, where do I begin? The number of falsities in the article actually makes that a tough decision. But I'll go step by step as you did.
Step 1: If you think two fringe players, a fifth starter and a below average outfielder (overall, not defensively) is enough to land the undeniable best pitcher in the game, then you truly must not know anything about baseball. Melky Cabrera is the centerpiece in the package to get Johan Santana. Is that a joke? You call these four players "league-average production." Cabrera is barely league average and the other three are well below average. And you say Santana has "undeniably already peaked." What? Did I read that right? What in God's name makes you think that he has already peaked? He's 28 and he won 15 games with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Most AL pitchers would die for that season. You have been spoiled by how great he really is. I hate to break it to you, but he's not going to win the Cy Young each and ever year. You call him "one of the five best pitchers" in baseball. Anyone with half a baseball mind would know that he is hands-down, without a doubt, the only pitcher you'd want pitching game seven of the World Series.
Step 2: Wow. You actually made a reasonable and not incredibly asinine point here. Good job.
Step 3: Andruw Jones? For almost $100 million? You must be joking. I wouldn't give Jones $19 million for an entire long-term deal, let alone give it to him per year. You call him a type B free agent. He's a type B free agent and you're going to give him $19 million per year. He's overrated in the outfield and just plain bad at the plate. You don't want to saddle yourself with this guy for five years.
Step 4: While I agree Johnny Damon shouldn't be starting in the outfield, he is not coming off the bench. He will platoon in left field with Matsui and they will share DH duties. On days when Matsui plays the field, you are going to have Jason Giambi DH over Damon? Seriously? Damon is one of the most important hitters in the Yankees' lineup.
Step 5/6: Move Derek Jeter to third, huh. I think you really must be on crack. Jeter wouldn't move for Alex Rodriguez. But you say he should move for Jack Wilson. That isn't even worth rebutting. As for Richie Sexson, the Yankees already have him. His name is Jason Giambi. And the Yankees only have to sit through one more wretched year of him.
Step 7: The lineup needs a complete overhaul. And the rotation does too. You want Joba in the bullpen. That's not a terrible idea, but you should remember that starters are infinitely more valuable than relievers. The best closers in the game routinely only become closers because they couldn't handle the starting role. You had Phil Hughes up for the entire season last year, he started 13 games and showed signs in September and October that he may live up to the hype. You don't want to mess with his progression. Same, although to a lesser extent, goes for Ian Kennedy. You have Carl Pavano in the rotation. He's the Giambi of the pitching staff. Just one more year.
This is what I think the Yankees should do, if possible. Package Melky Cabrera, Ross Ohlendorf, Darrell Rasner and any other mid-level prospect it takes to get Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins. Sign Aaron Rowand. He's cheaper, better in the field and more than adequate at the plate. In fact, he's someone I'd rather see at the plate than Andruw Jones. It will only take $60 million over four years to get Rowand. Re-sign Doug Mientkiewicz . That would lead to this lineup.
Damon DH Jeter SS Abreu RF Cabrera 3B Cano 2B Posada C Matsui LF Rowand CF Mientkiewicz 1B
Cano is ready to take the next step. He may be the best hitter on the Yankees, he just can't continue to be stuck in the bottom of the lineup, he's far too good of a hitter. As for the rotation, the young guns are here and they are here to stay. They are the future of the team. Pavano, right now, is an after thought. Joba has to be a starter unless he proves he can't adjust. I don't know why he wouldn't though. He's got two more pitches that none of us have even seen him throw (in the Majors.) For this year, because they will have the three young pitchers, I would primarily use a six-man rotation to limit their innings and make the adjustment to the Majors easier. For the bullpen, if you still got Rivera, you mix and match to bridge the gap to him. Re-sign Luis Vizcaino. Go after a Scott Linebrink. Do what you can. The rotation would look like this in 2008.
Chien-Ming Wang Andy Pettitte Phil Hughes Joba Chamberlain Mike Mussina Ian Kennedy
Next year you break the bank on Johan Santana. Give him the $160 million over eight years that he wants. He is still too young and still too dominant not to break the bank. They were prepared to offer A-Rod almost $100 million more than that and he's not close to as important as Santana would be to a team.
So I'm glad to straighten you out as much as I can. Please think twice before you write any more garbage like that. It makes you, and The Hardball Times, look like a shoddy waste of Internet space.
Austin Amoroso
You apparently get so upset at this proposed trade rumor you send the author an email, yet you turn around and give us this;
This is what I think the Yankees should do, if possible. Package Melky Cabrera, Ross Ohlendorf, Darrell Rasner and any other mid-level prospect it takes to get Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins.
Got news for you, dude. You don't know much about baseball either.