Big Unit to the Bronx

[Grandmaster C]

My favorite player goes to my favorite team.

NICE!

Just the opposite. My favourite player goes to my least favourite team.

Oh well...

[Saintsfan]

having maybe 4 or 5 teams who can win makes for bad sport, particularly the way US sport is set up. Firstly it creates mediocrity amongst the well in US sport maybe 10 teams maybe more who will never really be able to challenge for the title. None of the great players are gonna want to play for the Tigers or the Royals or whoever. the first opportunity that the Dodegers or Angels or Red Sox or yankees can sign them they will be away. Secondly the dream will die eventually for fans of smaller teams. Who is gonna want to go watch the Brewers if they have no chance of winning it all, when they can turn the TV on and watch the Yankees most nights.

[Suigi]

Ah, but you're forgetting the opposite of building a team through signing pricey free agents: building through the draft.

A bad team will draft earlier, get better players from the draft, and slowly but surely watch those players mature into stars, and before long, they're winning a WS or Cup or Bowl or whatever.

For example, look at the roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury, Malkin, Morozov, Kraft, Orpik, Fata, Koltsov, Malone, Lefebvre, all of them are young players who can make a huge impact in the coming years.

They've only got two big stars right now (Lemieux and Recchi), but watch for them in the coming years.

As for the Yanks...well, they've got a 40% luxury tax slapped on 'em. I think that kinda shows how much they love to sign free agents. And nabbing the Big Unit is kinda like my beloved Leafs' obsession with making Eddie Belfour the next Johnny Bower (in terms of age, that is).

[JQK]

No, you rooted for the Mets all those years.

You have NO idea what you are saying.

If you ever see a Yankees fan rooting for the Mets, you have permission to beat his head in.

Rooting for the Yankees and Mets is like rooting for the Devils and Rangers... it just don't happen...

[Suigi]

Or two of the three California teams.

Or Leafs AND Sens.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

That's what bothers me most..you guys sound like a recording when it comes to something like this: "Well..we had to survive all those years we sucked."

No, you rooted for the Mets all those years.

You're right; we're all a bunch of bandwaggoning whores.

If we don't win this year, you better believe we're all gonna jump ship, because we're fickle frontrunners. Get used to seeing 56,000 empty seats at Yankee Stadium, because that's what happen when the Yankees lose. We'll be like rats on the Titanic on that mofo!

God, when you get a Red Sox fan to stick up for the Yankees, you know that your wrong. How mnay bandwagoner fans are Yankee fans? Like 5% at the most. Remember, they go for the team that won it all. So all these new Red Sox fans are the bandwagonners. All the Yankee fans I know have been yankee fans their whole life, and if they haven't, they at least know most of the history of the Yankees, and have followed them even though they haven't won since 2000.

They make the right moves. Many teams do that. The Red Sox ahve made the right moves, and no ones complaining about them.

They got Randy Johnson, which improves a pitching staff that wasn't very good. They signed Tino Martinez, since they haven't been too solid at 1B. They aren't just getting the best players for the hell of it. They are trying to fill holes that they had last year.

I guess the old saying is right.."You can't see sarcasm on the internet"

Good thing y'all hate me now..

[wheateater]

Ah, but you're forgetting the opposite of building a team through signing pricey free agents: building through the draft.

A bad team will draft earlier, get better players from the draft, and slowly but surely watch those players mature into stars, and before long, they're winning a WS or Cup or Bowl or whatever.

For example, look at the roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury, Malkin, Morozov, Kraft, Orpik, Fata, Koltsov, Malone, Lefebvre, all of them are young players who can make a huge impact in the coming years.

They've only got two big stars right now (Lemieux and Recchi), but watch for them in the coming years.

As for the Yanks...well, they've got a 40% luxury tax slapped on 'em. I think that kinda shows how much they love to sign free agents. And nabbing the Big Unit is kinda like my beloved Leafs' obsession with making Eddie Belfour the next Johnny Bower (in terms of age, that is).

This is a good point, but it's missing one key element. That's only how the system is supposed to work. Weak teams are supposed to get first pick at new players and improve that way. However, once a team's (like the Pens) young kids get good enough and are able to declare free agency, there is no way Pittsburgh signs most of them. While it's good for teams to build from within, they end up being nothing more than major-league-level farm teams for the big spenders, and that's sad.

[Waffles]

I guess the old saying is right.."You can't see sarcasm on the internet"

Then allow me to introduce you to some friends of mine.

There's this guy:

And:

This one is popular:

Can't forget the obvious one:

This one too:

[jkrdevil]

Ah, but you're forgetting the opposite of building a team through signing pricey free agents: building through the draft.

A bad team will draft earlier, get better players from the draft, and slowly but surely watch those players mature into stars, and before long, they're winning a WS or Cup or Bowl or whatever.

For example, look at the roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury, Malkin, Morozov, Kraft, Orpik, Fata, Koltsov, Malone, Lefebvre, all of them are young players who can make a huge impact in the coming years.

They've only got two big stars right now (Lemieux and Recchi), but watch for them in the coming years.

As for the Yanks...well, they've got a 40% luxury tax slapped on 'em. I think that kinda shows how much they love to sign free agents. And nabbing the Big Unit is kinda like my beloved Leafs' obsession with making Eddie Belfour the next Johnny Bower (in terms of age, that is).

This is a good point, but it's missing one key element. That's only how the system is supposed to work. Weak teams are supposed to get first pick at new players and improve that way. However, once a team's (like the Pens) young kids get good enough and are able to declare free agency, there is no way Pittsburgh signs most of them. While it's good for teams to build from within, they end up being nothing more than major-league-level farm teams for the big spenders, and that's sad.

Well, that's the fault of the team that drafts them to not signig them to a long enough contract. If you lock you draft picks up for awhile they will get good while you still have them and the team will get good. If the team gets good the ateendance goes up and thus revenue will go up and you can afford to resign the players.

[Saintsfan]

Ah, but you're forgetting the opposite of building a team through signing pricey free agents: building through the draft.

A bad team will draft earlier, get better players from the draft, and slowly but surely watch those players mature into stars, and before long, they're winning a WS or Cup or Bowl or whatever.

For example, look at the roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury, Malkin, Morozov, Kraft, Orpik, Fata, Koltsov, Malone, Lefebvre, all of them are young players who can make a huge impact in the coming years.

They've only got two big stars right now (Lemieux and Recchi), but watch for them in the coming years.

As for the Yanks...well, they've got a 40% luxury tax slapped on 'em. I think that kinda shows how much they love to sign free agents. And nabbing the Big Unit is kinda like my beloved Leafs' obsession with making Eddie Belfour the next Johnny Bower (in terms of age, that is).

This is a good point, but it's missing one key element. That's only how the system is supposed to work. Weak teams are supposed to get first pick at new players and improve that way. However, once a team's (like the Pens) young kids get good enough and are able to declare free agency, there is no way Pittsburgh signs most of them. While it's good for teams to build from within, they end up being nothing more than major-league-level farm teams for the big spenders, and that's sad.

Well, that's the fault of the team that drafts them to not signig them to a long enough contract. If you lock you draft picks up for awhile they will get good while you still have them and the team will get good. If the team gets good the ateendance goes up and thus revenue will go up and you can afford to resign the players.

I think this is a vast over simplification of sports management! Firstly a young prosepect may not be prepared to sign an over lonhg contract with a bad team. Also over the draft is guess work to some extent. Whilst some may be obvious picks often they fail.

Also one player is rarely enough to turn a team around. And the great prospect then becomes excellent trade material. So its not exactly as easy as you make out.

[CaolinaJoe]

Ah, but you're forgetting the opposite of building a team through signing pricey free agents: building through the draft.

A bad team will draft earlier, get better players from the draft, and slowly but surely watch those players mature into stars, and before long, they're winning a WS or Cup or Bowl or whatever.

For example, look at the roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury, Malkin, Morozov, Kraft, Orpik, Fata, Koltsov, Malone, Lefebvre, all of them are young players who can make a huge impact in the coming years.

They've only got two big stars right now (Lemieux and Recchi), but watch for them in the coming years.

As for the Yanks...well, they've got a 40% luxury tax slapped on 'em. I think that kinda shows how much they love to sign free agents. And nabbing the Big Unit is kinda like my beloved Leafs' obsession with making Eddie Belfour the next Johnny Bower (in terms of age, that is).

This is a good point, but it's missing one key element. That's only how the system is supposed to work. Weak teams are supposed to get first pick at new players and improve that way. However, once a team's (like the Pens) young kids get good enough and are able to declare free agency, there is no way Pittsburgh signs most of them. While it's good for teams to build from within, they end up being nothing more than major-league-level farm teams for the big spenders, and that's sad.

Well, that's the fault of the team that drafts them to not signig them to a long enough contract. If you lock you draft picks up for awhile they will get good while you still have them and the team will get good. If the team gets good the ateendance goes up and thus revenue will go up and you can afford to resign the players.

I think this is a vast over simplification of sports management! Firstly a young prosepect may not be prepared to sign an over lonhg contract with a bad team. Also over the draft is guess work to some extent. Whilst some may be obvious picks often they fail.

Also one player is rarely enough to turn a team around. And the great prospect then becomes excellent trade material. So its not exactly as easy as you make out.

Player AGENTS are the problem with prospects signing, see JD Drew. Players sometimes balk at playing for bad teams when they are the "Best", see Elway, Lindross, and most recentlty 0-for the season Eli Manning.

[KennyRock]

Selig approved the Johnson deal - so the deal is complete pending physicals, Johnson's contract extension and Johnson waving his no-trade clause... somehow, I think he'll do it...

[IceCap]

Ah, but you're forgetting the opposite of building a team through signing pricey free agents: building through the draft.

A bad team will draft earlier, get better players from the draft, and slowly but surely watch those players mature into stars, and before long, they're winning a WS or Cup or Bowl or whatever.

ya, but as soon as they develop into stars they will picked up by the yankees as soon as possible.

[KennyRock]

If they become free agents sure. But if the Yankees keep going about business like this, they're not gonna be able to get anyone by trades for the next few years. Now, Navarro, Halsey and Vazquez, all tradeable commodities, are gone for Johnson. You are looking like a seriously dwindling amount of talent that the Yankees can use. I shudder to think how they can make a single decent trade next offseason, should they fail to win the title this year.

[wheateater]

I shudder to think how they can make a single decent trade next offseason, should they fail to win the title this year.

I, in the other hand, drool at the possibility of the Yanks running out of trading commodities once they blow another playoff run...

[KennyRock]

heh, I was trying to be objective, but... if they DID have that problem, they'd prolly just buy whole teams and MAKE the team trade the player they want to them - Can you imagine Steinbrenner buying the A's and telling Beane and Cashman to trade Barry Zito, Jason Kendall and Rich Harden for Bret Prinz?

[NJTank]

Yup this is gonna happen I see the uniform fittinmg on Friday or Thursday.