Friday, January 2, 2015

Top Posts from 2014 on The Greedy Pinstripes


It's been a good year for the blog so there is no other time to look back and be appreciative then one Day One of a new year. Well I slacked, slept late and didn't get to this until Day Two.... whoops. It's officially 2015 but one last time we're going to look back at 2014 and not so much at what the Yankees were doing as much as what we on the blog were doing. Hope you enjoy.

The most viewed post this season was far and away the one that showcased another possibility to terminate the contract of Alex Rodriguez. The hate of the centaur continues....

Dan Pfieffer broke Twitter without a champagne glass when he reported that the New York Yankees had offered Max Scherzer a contract. That was on November 29th, FYI. 

For some reason our third highest viewed post of the calendar year reported the news that the Yankees had sent Chase Whitley down to the minors and called up Zelous Wheeler in a corresponding roster move. Weird but okay, we'll take it. 

By far my favorite post, maybe of all time, was my George Steinbrenner and the Ghosts of Yankees Past Christmas themed post I did on Christmas Eve. It didn't do nearly as well as a quick two minute Zelous Wheeler post which was discouraging but it was still far and away my favorite. 

Just a day earlier another very time consuming post was posted showcasing every single significant trade of the Brian Cashman tenure in pinstripes. 

Alex Rodriguez, Please Go Away

Someone's New Year's Resolution was not to stay out of the limelight and out of legal trouble. From the New York Daily News and Christian Red:

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez being sued by ex-wife Cynthia's brother

The seven-count complaint says that Rodriguez and his agents 'knew of the contractual arrangement between Rodriguez and Constantine Scurtis, whereby Scurtis had the exclusive power to sell any real estate held by any of the Defendants listed in this lawsuit.'


It's a new year, but the refrain is the same for Alex Rodriguez: more legal woes.
The disgraced slugger − who is trying to make a comeback with the Yankees after a season-long doping ban even as he could find himself called as a witness in the Biogenesis cases winding their way through the federal courts − is being sued in Miami state court by Constantine Scurtis, the brother of A-Rod’s ex-wife, Cynthia, for breach of contract in a real estate venture.
According to the complaint Scurtis filed in Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County on Dec. 17, he and Rodriguez “agreed to enter into a business relationship for the purpose of acquiring real estate,” sometime prior to March 18, 2003.
Rodriguez and Scurtis, according to the complaint, “went about acquiring adjoining and/or neighboring properties in the ‘Edgewater’ neighborhood of Miami,” shortly after forming the business partnership, which established both A-Rod and Scurtis as limited partners, and ACREI LLC as the general partner.
The complaint states that Scurtis was “sole manager and sole owner of” ACREI, and would be entitled to .0100% of net profits. Meanwhile, A-Rod would be entitled to 94.9905% of the net profits, while Scurtis would get 4.995% of the net profits, according to the complaint.
But along the way, the partnership appears to have soured. In the complaint, which lists five Florida limited partnerships as defendants in addition to Rodriguez, Scurtis accuses A-Rod of having “breached the written contracts by selling the properties without authority, without notifying Scurtis, and without compensating Scurtis.”
The seven-count complaint goes on to say that Rodriguez and his agents “knew of the contractual arrangement between Rodriguez and Scurtis, whereby Scurtis had the exclusive power to sell any real estate held by any of the Defendants listed in this lawsuit.”
Despite having knowledge of Scurtis’ exclusive rights, the complaint states that “Rodriguez and/or his agents sold the properties in direct violation of the contract between Rodriguez and Scurtis and failed to notify and compensate Scurtis.”
Scurtis is suing all defendants for damages “far in excess of Fifteen Thousand ($15,000.00), plus Court costs,” and is demanding a trial by jury. Scurtis’ Miami attorney, Vincent Duffy, declined comment other than to tell the Daily News, “This is a serious family matter.”
Rodriguez’s spokesman, Ron Berkowitz, issued the following statement on A-Rod’s behalf: “Mr. Rodriguez intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit which is felt to be without merit.”
Rodriguez, 39, and Cynthia divorced in 2008. They have two daughters.




Bold Predictions for the 2015 Yankees


If you guys know anything about me by now it's that I absolutely suck at making predictions that are not in the moment of a game or whatever. This season on Twitter I was donned the "Yankees Wizard" after multiple predictions including a couple Chris Young walk offs and David Robertson's implosion and Derek Jeter's walk off on the final game at Yankee Stadium just to name a few. For some reason I do great in those sort of predictions and not so great in the predictions I am about to do, the bold predictions for the season. Let's keep that in mind so you can be gentle in the comments sections.

- Alex Rodriguez, if he gets enough at bats due to injuries, will be a 20 home run guy in 2015. Rodriguez may only hit .265 but will drive 20 balls over the fences for 60 RBI.

- The Yankees world right now is etching Robert Refsnyder's name in stone for the starting second base job but I think Jose Pirela will win the competition in the spring.

- New York will have a closer by committee, at least to start the season, as Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller won't be tied down to the "defined roles" that Joe Girardi loves so much.

- Carlos Beltran will hit 30 home runs with optimal rest, the friendly dimensions at Yankee Stadium, the bone spur no longer an issue and the DH position.

- Mark Teixeira will play in 135 games because every player that has had a comparable wrist surgery is much better the second year removed like Teix will be in 2015.

- Didi Greorius hits .275 and slugs 17 home runs... because why not.

- Yankees win the second Wild Card with 89 wins

Quick Hit: The Yankees 25 Man Roster As It Stands Today


We're two days into the New Year of 2015 and today we're going to look at the Yankees 25 man roster, in my opinion anyway, as it stands today. Obviously a lot can and will change between now and then and we will update that accordingly here if and when it happens.


C: Brian McCann
1B: Mark Teixeira
2B: Robert Refsnyder
SS: Didi Gregorius
3B: Chase Headley
LF: Brett Gardner
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury
RF: Carlos Beltran
DH: Alex Rodriguez

BN: Garrett Jones
BN: Brendan Ryan
BN: John Ryan Murphy
BN: Chris Young

SP: CC Sabathia
SP: Masahiro Tanaka
SP: Michael Pineda
SP: Nathan Eovaldi
SP: Chris Capuano

CP: Dellin Betances
SU: Andrew Miller
RP: Justin Wilson
RP: Adam Warren
RP: David Carpenter
RP: Jose Ramirez
LR: Esmil Rogers

This Day In New York Yankees History 1/2: Lou Gehrig Parole Commissioner


On this day in 1940, with Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in attendance, Lou Gehrig was sworn in as a member of the New York City Parole Commission. The term is for 10 years but Gehrig became too ill with ALS to even sign his name on the contract and has to ask for a leave of absence the very next year.