It's steroid schadenfreude in Yankeeland

The news that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez failed the 2003 steroids test makes this the most exciting day in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry for me since the Yanks swooped in and signed Mark Teixeira. And I make no apologies for feeling that way.

Sorry, I'm not going to pretend I think this is a sad day for baseball. I have written for a piece for The Faster Times called "Steroids: The Real Juice Behind Reversing the Curse of the Bambino" - with some of my thoughts on the issue.

As I've said a zillion times over the years, Sox fans should have thought about the very real possibility that the steroids scandal would hit their team. Especially when it came to David Ortiz. But instead, too many Boston fans - not all, but a good bunch - acted like their team's hands were clean on the issue. Too bad, so sad.

Oh, and so much for FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal's self-righteousness on the issue, criticizing anybody who wondered if Ortiz was chemically enhanced.

The thing that gets me the most on this test failure - and that goes for A-Rod too - is that these players knew the test was coming, and they still failed. What hubris.

Wondering if Curt Schilling still wants the entire list of 103 names to come out?

One other note - Jon and I will still be squawking, but we're going to be writing in other outlets as well. I have another piece coming up soon on BaseballReflections.com. Go here to read my article for them about the first half of the Yankees' season.


What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Hey Ya! David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez Test Positive for Steroids!

Time to do the Snoopy Dance! I will have more to say shortly about the big news that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. I'm writing a piece up right now. But in the meantime, let me just do the Snoopy Dance and enjoy the news!

Are the Yankees junk food junkies?

While Squawker Jon is still mourning the loss of the Jets' season (so much for Mangenius and the overrated and odious "Broadway" Brett Favre) there is still lots to talk about in Yankeeland. Here are a few interesting tidbits:

The Bergen Record's Bob Klapisch suggests that Joe Girardi will be on a short leash in 2009 :

If the Yankees are playing .500 ball in mid-May, the clock on his dismissal will be ticking loudly. This is the same pressure that Willie Randolph faced early in 2008, and look how the Mets responded: They got their manager fired as they sunk under .500. Girardi is getting one more chance to undo last year’s mistakes, including his over-reliance on team meetings, his inability to digest and process tough losses and his ill-advised policy of banning junk food in the clubhouse.

I just love that the junk food policy is in the same sentence as the much more serious concerns about Girardi's managing. But people - especiallly athletes - get mad when you take away their treats.

And is Joe's edict the real reason CC Sabathia got a $9 million signing bonus - to stock up on snacks?

But I do think Girardi would be wise to loosen up on this issue. Heck, maybe he should tie the quality of junk food in the clubhouse to the quality of victories, the way he brought back ice cream as a treat last year when Mike Mussina reached 10 wins. Maybe a 1 to 5 fork rating system is in order here!

Besides, it could help with recruiting. Manny Ramirez is reportedly telling friends he's waiting on a three-year offer from the Yanks. If Girardi promises HoHos, Big Macs, and M&Ms on a regular basis, maybe Manny will be Manny without that $100 million salary he covets. Dare to dream!

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Former Yankee Dock Ellis died this weekend, and Jay Jaffe's Futility Infielder site has an interesting piece about his life. Ellis didn't just reportedly pitch a no-hitter on LSD; he also once wore curlers onto the field during pre-game warmups! How did I not know that tidbit? Wonder what Girardi would have thought of that maneuver, especially if Manny Ramirez tries it next year?

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Here's a fun quiz - see how many MLB teams you can name in three minutes. It's tougher than you'd think. (I got 27, and then my brain froze!)

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The 500 HR Club site is featuring a poignant video of Babe Ruth playing Santa Claus for children with polio. What makes it even more touching is that it would be Ruth's last Christmas himself, and you can hear his voice sound very ragged and rough.

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Finally, check out Zell's Pinstripe Blog to read his amazing story of how he met Phil Hughes on a baseball card message board.

Do you think Joe Girardi ought to relax his junk food ban? Leave us a comment about that, or anything else that's on your mind!

Do great players have to be great people as well?

When Gene Michael and Buck Showalter built the team that formed the core of the late 90s dynasty Yankees, they made a point of getting rid of problematic (to put it mildly) personalities like Mel Hall.

This resulted in not only a great team, but a good character team - even a lifelong Yankee hater Squawker Jon actually tolerated the 1996 Yankees (although winning 125 games in 1998 set off his Yankee-hating meter all over again!) Those guys weren't perfect, but even when they did mess up off the field, like, say Darryl Strawberry did, they were still pretty likeable. You didn't feel like cringing over them on your team. You didn't have to feel like you were rooting for the pinstripes over the player.

But in recent years, the Yanks have gotten away from signing such players. I think Roger Clemens was the first Yankee that I really didn't like personally. While I still cheered for him as a player, it took me until 2003 to really warm up to him as a person. And then he wrecked whatever good opinion I had of him when he signed with the Astros.

Other Yankees that made me cringe included Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens (again, and again, and again.)

All of this brings me to Manny Ramirez. When I wrote that I wanted Manny as a Yankee, many of our readers strongly disagreed with me, precisely because of his character issues. Here are a few examples of what they said about him:

One reader wrote:

I am disappointed that Lisa would want to see Manny in pinstripes....Money isn't the issue here, it's having a little respect and integrity for the game, not picking up a sulking, self-centered, guy who plays hard when he wants. The Yankees already have one guy who is a great player but a real loser as a human being, we don't need two.

She-Fan (who has a terrific blog of her own called Confessions of a She-Fan) said:

I'm in the Please-Don't-Sign-Manny camp. The last thing we need is somebody who doesn't run out ground balls and dogs it in the outfield. (Hello? Cano?) We need a big bat for sure - protection for A-Rod in the lineup. But while Manny is a great hitter and an eccentric personality, let him go back to the Dodgers. Joe Torre can handle him, not Joe Girardi.

JeanneB said she has "never been so disheartened by a team I have been rooting for my entire life," and wrote:

Manny? Are you kidding me? Manny who doesn't know which knee is injured when he goes for MRI? Manny, doesn't lift the bat off his shoulder when facing Mo? Manny who dogs it in the outfield? Yeah, that is what the Yankees need along with the rest of their overpaid, unmotivated aging players.

Several Red Sox fan readers also cautioned against the Yanks signing Manny. NAM commented:

Save yourselves the heartache Yankee fans. Run from Manny. He will leave you pulling your hair out.

All things considered, I'd generally rather have guys who play the game than the wrong way on the team. But let's face it - that ship sailed for the Yanks a long time ago.

And at the risk of sounding like a mercenary myself, my concerns about Ramirez's character - and that he'll flake out on the Yanks - are outweighed by his talent. The Yanks need Manny's bat in the lineup - otherwise, we're going to see A-Rod outdo Barry Bonds in intentional walks next season!

But what do you think? Leave us a comment!

Why I want Manny Ramirez to wear pinstripes

You would think that a future Hall of Famer who pretty much single-handedly got his team into the playoffs would be in big demand on the free agent market. But you would be wrong, when it comes to the case of Manny Ramirez.

It appears that he and superagent Scott Boras may have outsmarted themselves this year. (Yes, I know it sounds strange to use the words "Manny Ramirez" and "outsmarted" in the same sentence, but hear me out.)

True, Boras was successful in getting his client out of Boston - and getting the option year clauses on his contract voided. And Ramirez reminded everybody exactly how great a hitter he is with his time on the Dodgers, where he hit .396, with 17 homers and 53 RBI in two months. Also, after acting up in an unconscionable matter with the Red Sox, Manny was being a well-behaved Manny in Los Angeles. No matter.

It looks like Manny is ready to have a blue Christmas, but it won't even be Dodger blue. L.A. has rescinded their 2-year, $45 million initial offer to Ramirez. And nobody else appears to have much interest in signing him. Newsday's Ken Davidoff reports:

Manny Ramirez is growing extremely upset about the lack of suitors for his services, so much so that he has told friends he would contemplate retirement if a suitable offer doesn't arrive soon, a person close to the situation told Newsday.

That's not all. Davidoff writes:

Ramirez told a friend that he spends most of his time working out, watching cartoons and playing video games. He'd much rather be speaking to his agent Scott Boras about high-stakes negotiations.

And here I thought that Ramirez was a secret genius who really went into the Green Monster all those times not to use the restroom, but to work on complicated math equations. Another illusion shattered!

Anyhow, longtime Squawker readers know that I've gone back and forth on whether I want Manny in pinstripes. Right now, I've decided the Yanks should sign him, for the following reasons:

• In passing on re-signing Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu, the Yanks have lost 52 HRs and 196 RBI, and two of the few Yankees who actually hit well last year. Given that the Yanks' hitting woes helped keep them out of the playoffs, they sure could use a bat like Ramirez's. He is a future Hall of Famer, after all, who still can terrify the opposition.
• Manny could be a comparative bargain this year on the free agent market - at the very least, he'll be a lot cheaper than Mark Teixeira will. Spending, say, 3 years and $60 million on Ramirez makes a lot more sense than the 5-year, $82 million contract A.J. Burnett is getting.
• The entertainment factor, both on and off the field. True, Manny brings a lot of baggage with him. But he also brings excitement. Love him or hate him, everybody has an opinion on him. And every at-bat with him (or catch in the outfield) will be must-watch viewing.
• Granted, he could prove to be a distraction, and he'll bring a lot of drama to the Yanks' clubhouse. Then again, A-Rod is curently hobnobbing with Madonna. What could be more headline-making - and dramatic - than that?
• Ramirez, who grew up in Washington Heights, has been open about the fact that he always wanted to be a Yankee. And he said that when he was a Red Sox. It would be fun to have a hometown hero on the team again who really wanted to wear the pinstripes.
• It adds a new dimension to the Rivalry. As Red Sox fan Bob Ekstrom said on our blog earlier this week, "If you think Damon's homecoming was tepid, wait until the Big Chill that sweeps the Fens with Manny in pinstripes."

Do I think it's realistic that Manny Ramirez could be a Yankee? Absolutely. After all, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman, Hank Steinbrenner reportedly covets him, and doesns't seem to care about the long hair. I do think Manny should have to cut his hair, though, just to add to the entertainment factor!

But what do you think? Do you want Manny Ramirez as a Yankee? Leave us a comment!

Who would you rather have in pinstripes - CC or Manny?

Viva Las Vegas! As MLB descends on Sin City for the Winter Meetings, Brian Cashman has been attempting to woo free agent pitcher CC Sabathia. They reportedly met this weekend, three weeks after the Yanks first attempted to blow him away with that staggering six-year, $140 million contract offer.

Should we be concerned that it's taken so long to meet with CC? I say yes. As another GM put it in a New York Times article the other day:

"If they went to Sabathia with $140 million, he could go back to them and say, 'Give me $170 million and I'm there,'" said one major league general manager, who was granted anonymity so he could freely discuss another team's plans. "He hasn't done that. The Yankees aren't his first choice. Why isn't he jumping on their offer?"

I'm glad Cashman is meeting with Sabathia, and I won't fault the GM if the Bombers fail to sign CC. The Yanks' offer, which would make him the highest-paid pitcher of all time, is more than fair.

That being said, if CC is reluctant to be a Yankee for non-monetary reasons, I don't know if it's such a great idea to try to talk him into it. The last pitcher the Yanks had to do that sort of convincing with was Randy Johnson, and that didn't exactly work out too well.

So what's Plan B if CC doesn't want to wear NY on his cap? It's possible the Yanks will spend money upgrading the bats - Mark Teixeira is considered an option. Today's Ken Davidoff column in Newsday suggests another option - Manny Ramirez!

Here's what I want to know from our readers - who would you most rather see the Yanks spend their free agent money on? Is it CC, Manny, or Mark? Or maybe Derek Lowe, A.J. Burnett, or some other option?

As for my own opinion, my first choice would be for the Yanks to go back in a time machine to a year ago and swoop up Johan Santana. But since time travel isn't an option, I'd most rather see the Bombers spend the money on Sabathia, but only if he really wants to be a Yankee. If he doesn't, the Yanks should say C-ya to CC.

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In other news, I have signed up for Facebook, and will be setting up a Subway Squawkers page in the near future. In the meantime, shoot me an email at subwaysquawkers@gmail.com if you'd like to be my Facebook friend.

Coming soon - an announcement of the winners in the A&E Essential Games giveway. But in thee meantime, tell us who you think the Yanks should sign. Leave us a comment!