Feats...or Famine??? #TheShift #Yankees #MLB

Well well well...it looks like Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it appears that the Yankee ownership isn't bringing the cranberry sauce. But I have to admit that both sides are doing some distinct posturing for this meal. While our little pilgrim Brian Cashman is baking Cliff Lee a nice pumpkin pie Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera...two stalwarts for so many years...are left to wonder if they will also be invited to the feast. I have been a Yankee fan for 45 years now and when I first started following this team in the mid-60's they absolutely sucked. let's just say I did my time waiting for something good to happen...which it did in the 70's and again in the 90's and so on. As any fan of baseball will tell you...once you get a taste of winning in your mouth you want that sweetness every single year. I FULLY expect ownership of any team that I follow to do whatever needs to be done each year to bring a title to the franchise. And yes yes...I know...I'll get the buying titles bit...but there are other MLB teams that are viable players in the free-agency market too.(i.e. Boston, Texas (now),Anaheim,etc. The Yankees would be absolutely foolish not to pursue star players if they have a chance to get them. Who wants to lose? It's time that some fans of the other teams take a good hard look at their ownership and determine how much of the monies the fans pay to see a winner are being diverted into said ownerships'pockets before bitching about us. Which brings me to the standoff between Hal,Jetes,and Mo.

I would think in ANY negotiation in sports as well as in life a certain amount of leverage comes into play...and who has it and who doesn't. I fully get the loyalty bit and what a player has done for the team over the years. But those deeds have been done...the champagne has been sprayed...and the trophies are in the trophy case. The real question should be...what can ownership do to assure us as fans that they have done everything possible to let us relive all those great emotions again. It appears that Hal is looking at it both fiscally and for the future. As far as the leverage part of it goes I would think that Mo has more than Jeter at this point in time. But 18 million dollars for 60 or so innings of relief is a helluva lot of money to lay out. As for Jeter his range is in question as well as his abilities as an offensive force. But it's not hard to understand why Jeter and Mo are probably looking at Burnett's contract along with A-Rod's...and the monies being offered to Cliff Lee. Any normal human being would say "where's mine"? If Jeter were let go...I don't think the effect would be as bad for us as fans as if Mo left. And before we even think about Soriano he'll be scoffed up already. I don't see how the Yankees CAN'T give Mo what he wants...a look at his numbers justify his stance. And I'm sick and tired of the fans that keep bringing up " the economy ". What economy? All these players...or the better part of them...are millionaires...they aren't affected by "the economy"...WE ARE! All I know is this...Yankee Stadium's attendance figures are quite healthy thank you. I keep getting flashbacks of the Torre negotiations in regards to Jeter...I just have this strong feeling that ownership deems him as expendable. The really sad part about all of this is that the hard feelings going on right now are being brought about by other teammates salaries and things that have happened in the past...who can forget the ransom we paid to Clemens to come and pitch for us for a half-season? Jeter has been paid roughly one quarter of a billion dollars in his 15 year tenure in pinstripes...he's certainly not hurting for money. But my question to ownership is this...how much money did the franchise MAKE from Jeter's tenure...I would bet quite a bit more. Ask yourself this...has A-Rod paid off? If you were ownership and you could opt-out of his deal would you? ALL athletes are prone to having off years and seasons...it happens to the very best of them in the business. And I have seen the word arbitration popping up...know why? Because Hal wants to do 1 year deals...he would love that...ain't gonna happen. Yankee ticket prices rose about 20 percent last year...how long will it be or how far can it go before baseball contracts totally shut life-long common fans like you and I from even being able to attend a game? Pass the gravy please...

How will this all pan out? Will Jeter and Mo still be in pinstripes? Just Mo? Neither? Your guess is as good as mine at this point in time. Going back to my leverage point I made earlier...Mo seems to have much much more than Jeter at this point in time...Jeter's leverage is US...the fan. I'm a huge Jeter and Rivera fan...I as a die-hard Yankee fan appreciate EVERYTHING they both have brought to me all these years. But in the end...it doesn't matter what WE want folks...ownership will do what THEY deem as fit. Look for Lee to get a 6-year deal...he's 33...so if we don't get the full six years out of him we'll eat his salary just like we did for Pavano. Don't think the 40 million he scammed off of us isn't lost on Mo and Jetes. How bout Nick Johnson? I see people saying "Oh don't be worried...they'll be signed". But I am worried...aren't you?