The Yankee Stadium Experience - Part Four: The Yankees Museum

PART FOUR: The Yankees Museum

One of my favorite things about the New Yankee Stadium is the feeling that you are surrounded by nostalgia. As you walk up to the Stadium, something just screams out that the Legends you grew up reading and hearing about still walk the hallowed walls (albeit they actually walked within the walls that used to be across the street).  As mentioned in a previous post, the Yankees Brass made sure to transport as much of the old stadium as possible and transform the building back to the original "House that Ruth Built."

Part of the Babe Ruth Era Vignette

Well this modern-day "House that A-Rod Built" has something the old Stadium didn't have: a museum dedicated to the World Series Champions and Legends of old and new.  A short jaunt into the stadium from the Gate 6 entrance (behind the right field / first base stands) and up to the main level will get you to a door that makes you wonder why you would even need to make a trip to Cooperstown.  All joking aside (because why wouldn't you want to go to Cooperstown...besides the fact that Don Mattingly STILL isn't enshrined there), the Yankees Museum features vignettes of each Yankees era beginning with the 1920's teams with Ruth and Gehrig and ending with the modern-day dynasty.

Commissioner's Trophies

 The feature display within the room isn't the 7 Commissioners trophies accumulated during the Steinbrenner era, although admittedly that is pretty cool  Wait SEVEN? Since 1977? Wow, that's a lot...especially compared to Boston's insignificant three since then...but I digress.  It isn't the exhibit opened in 2011 featuring "The Boss".  It isn't even the display of the Yankees World Series Rings or the jersey that Derek Jeter wore for his 3,000th hit.  Those are all there, but the first thing you will notice when you walk in the doors is a wall of signatures...and what is on the back is even more special...autographed baseballs from hundreds of past and present Yankees players.  But this isn't just any ordinary baseball display case.  The case sits between two monuments showcasing the famed Perfect Game thrown by Don Larsen to Yogi Berra in the 1956 World Series.  The distance between the pitching rubber and home plate is exactly that of the actual field.  I don't want to give away the unique feature about the display, but I will give you a hint...when you visit, check out the first ball out of Larsen's hand and the one right before Yogi's glove.  The "Ball Wall" as it is known, can be seen in the 3 pictures below:

The Famed "Ball Wall" within the Museum featuring Don Larsen and Yogi Berra

There are other rotating exhibits that frequent the museum.  One of the special displays is Thurman Munson's locker, complete with his #15 jersey.  Munson is special to me as he died tragically 15 days before I was born.  That's pretty eerie actually.  While you are there you can also type out your name into a computer (or your kid's name) and have your own Yankees Locker.

There is a touchscreen within the room you can use to search the Autographed Baseball Wall, but I have included a few pictures within the wall that you will probably want to see for yourself in person.  Strange how the Babe Ruth ball and Don Mattingly ball are positioned so close to each other huh?  Come back next week for Part 5 of the Yankee Stadium Experience as I go into an in-depth discussion of the Concessions of Yankee Stadium.

Yankees To Meet With Robinson Cano Next Week

And it's about time!

The New York Yankees are finally set to sit down and meet with free agent Robinson Cano and his agent Jay Z. This coming off the heels that Cano is willing to go after Christmas before signing with a team if necessary, which is not great news for the Yankees whatsoever.

Cano and his camp still are holding on to the 31 year old wanting a $310 million dollar deal in the 10 year range but he will definitely have to come down off of that ledge to come back with the Yankees I would think. Jay Z is said to be ready to be "intimately involved in all areas" of Cano's negotiations according to the CAA agent who is working with Jay Z Brodie Van Wagenen in an interview with MLB Network.

I really have a feeling that this gets ugly before it gets better and that is not a good thing for the penny pinching Yankees.

Yankees Interested In Jhonny Peralta

The New York Yankees have already signed two shortstops this offseason, Derek Jeter and Brendan Ryan, but they are still interested in possibly a third in Jhonny Peralta. It is unknown whether the Yankees like him as a third basemen for insurance with Alex Rodriguez, a shortstop even though we have Jeter, Ryan, and Eduardo Nunez, or as a second basemen just in case Robinson Cano decides to go elsewhere.

The Yankees have the New York Mets and the Detroit Tigers, among other teams, in the running for the shortstop so the bidding could get substantial, even with his Biogenesis suspension. Peralta came up big in the playoffs for Detroit after his suspension, and presumably clean, and he seems to be a hot commodity this offseason. I can't see the Yankees going all in for Peralta unless they miss out on Robinson Cano and Peralta is willing to play second base but you never know.

Yankees Sign Brendan Ryan For One Year & $2 Million

It was reported earlier last week that Brendan Ryan and the Yankees were close to a deal to bring back the defensive wizard for the 2014 pending a physical. Today we learned that the deal is complete and the details are out. New York has Ryan back in the fold to be the backup for Derek Jeter for a one year deal worth $2 million. Like I said Ryan is a defensive wizard and is a very capable backup for Jeter so I am glad to have him back in the fold and on the Yankees bench, automatic out or not.

Watch Babe Ruth's 60th Home Run All Over Again

This is some great video of Babe Ruth hitting his 60th home run of the season, something that no one including Ruth thought would ever be done again. I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to share, enjoy.

The Yankees Should Pounce On Grady Sizemore

In this post we will revisit an idea that we had in our first off season as a Yankees blog in 2012, that the Yankees should go after Grady Sizemore on a minor league deal. Grady missed all of the 2013 season after missing the 2012 season as well but seems to FINALLY be healthy, should the Yankees take a waiver on him? Yes please!

The last time the Yankees went out and signed an oft injured former star who was young enough to still be in his prime but opted to play for the Yankees as a part time player they signed INF Eric Chavez. The Yankees will presumably want some situation guys off the bench next year much like they did with Travis Hafner and Kevin Youkilis this season. I see no way that either of them comes back to the Yankees but I may have someone in mind who can match or exceed their production, not that I am setting the bar all that high. I think it is time for the Yankees to take yet another waiver on a guy who's career has been slowed due to injuries and that is Grady Sizemore.

It is hard to believe that Grady will only be entering his age 31 season entering the 2014 season and what was such a promising career has been abruptly halted by injuries. Grady has only played in roughly 100 games combined in the last four seasons including missing the entire 2012 and 2013 seasons.The good news is encouraging though as all scouting reports I have seen suggest that he seems more fiery and healthy then ever, which is a good sign for him and make him a good sign for the Yankees. 

Contrary to twitter rumors this IS Grady Sizemore and NOT me...

Grady signed a 1 year $5 million deal for the 2012 season giving the Indians a home town discount and gave them nothing for it. Unless he just wants to stay with the Indians since they have consistently stayed with him, and I would not blame him whatsoever, I do not see a scenario where he does not sign a one year deal and/or a minor league deal. Those kind of deals basically mean NO risk EXTREMELY HIGH reward and the Yankees tend to get the better end of those kind of deals. The Indians making the playoffs last season would obviously make them attractive to any free agent, especially Sizemore, but an outfield that already has Nick Swisher and Michael Bourne may send a whole other message, logjam. 

Grady Sizemore has a career batting average in the .280's against right handed starters with 105 of his 139 career home runs against righties. He has drawn twice as many walks career against a right handed starter then he has a left handed one and three times as many steals against right handed pitchers. He screams platoon player for the Yankees in the same situation as Ichiro and Vernon Wells have been this season. He is a well below average hitter against left handed pitching.

Not to mention that Grady and his girlfriend would also be a welcome addition to the wives and girlfriends section, I'm just saying.

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/18

On this day in 1986 the Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly misses out on winning back to back Most Valuable Player awards as the Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens would win the award. Clemens received 19 of the 28 first place votes and became the first pitcher to win the award since Vida Blue won the award in 1971. Mattingly won the award in 1985 and would have been one of the few to win back to back MVP awards had he won the award.

Yankees Have Had Discussions With Joe Nathan

The Yankees, in hopes of somehow replacing Mariano Rivera, have had contact with the agents for free agent closer Joe Nathan. Nathan is coming off of a strong season with the Texas Rangers and is rumored to be wanting around $15 million per season on a multi-year deal. The problem with Nathan is though is that he is about to turn 39 years old and does not fit in with the $189 million goal for the Yankees whatsoever.

Nathan had a strong 2013 posting a 1.39 ERA with 43 saves and a 2.26 in 64+ innings for the Rangers. Nathan now has three full seasons under his belt since his Tommy John surgery in 2010 so the health should not be a concern for the right handed pitcher anymore.  Nathan would be nice to have but to pay a closer into his 40's not named Mariano Rivera is a foolish thing to do in my opinion, especially when they want to make more then Rivera did in his 40's.

Is This The Biggest Offseason Ever?

As much as Yankee fans can be impatient when it comes to having a true contender year in and year out, the Yankees can't go "all in" for 2014. While they should absolutely try and compete in 2014, they can't make any moves to hurt the future.

With that in mind, seven things came to mind...

1. Do not give Carlos Beltran 3+ years. It's not just that he'll be 37 in April, which on the surface raises red flags. You also have to consider the fact that he's had a number of health problems. Between 2009 and this past season he's had issues with his abdomen, shoulders, lower back, knees, lower back, hamstrings, wrist, and neck.

Beltran's injury list looks sort of like this, but with one big difference.... Mick Foley did most of this stuff to himself.

Earlier in the offseason I was all about Beltran, but like many others I may have just been caught up in his postseason heroics. Which is very hypocritical of me, as I've been against Raul Ibanez while accusing others of being too caught up in Raul's late and postseason heroics. After thinking about what Corey Hart could do for the team, along with only costing two years... max, i'm really starting to think that the Yankees should pass on Carlos.

2. Don't even think about getting Shin-Soo Choo because of what he can do marketing-wise. The money that could be made off the field with Choo is great, but putting the best product on the field is much better for the organization.

I'm a bit on the fence regarding getting Choo. You see... I like him. His on-base percentage is awesome, and he could hit over 20 home runs a season. But a five year commitment is tough for somebody who'll turn 32 in July. And that doesn't cover the fact that his defense is suspect. But Shin-Soo has been healthy in his career outside of a fracture due to being hit by a pitch, and an abdominal strain in 2011. So again... I'm not sure.

3. As much as I hate to say it, because I'd love to see him with the Yankees, passing on Brian McCann would probably be for the best. He'll be 30 years-old soon, and has already caught 8820.1 innings (that's over 980 games). You can't tell me he's 100% healthy, and I'm talking about a lot more than his shoulder (he had surgery on it in October of last year). His bat would be good for the DH spot if necessary, but I don't like having a DH-only as that can really hurt the versatility of the team.

4. I still want to see the Yankees re-sign Robinson Cano, but I can't disagree with those that question the move. A lot can happen over the course of seven years, from injuries to simply not being the same player, so it's a big risk. Especially when Robbie could be getting around $25 million a season. The team is run by people a hell of a lot smarter than me, so they have to make sure they're not setting themselves up for another ARod-type situation in a few years. By that, I mean they don't want to look at paying a guy twice as much as he's worth for years to come.

Alex actually just struck out, but he's still smiling because he remembered how big his back account is.

5. Jhonny Peralta has been looked at, but we can't ignore his ties to Biogenesis. It's nice to think his issues are behind him, but you can't be sure of that. The last place you want to have a guy with off-field issues is on the Yankees, as the media and fans will eat him alive. Just look at how they've treated Alex Rodriguez in all but two seasons (2007 and 2009). There are plenty of Yankee fans that are still on Andy Pettitte's case regarding his use of steroids, and he's not too far below Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in his "True Yankee" status.

6. I'm all for taking chances on players, a la Corey Hart, but you can't do that with guys like Matt Garza, who will demand a contract around five years. It's not that I don't like Garza, but he's certainly not a "sure thing". While his strikeout rate of 8.6 per nine innings in the National League is good, that drops to 7.2 in the American League. His ERA also jumps from 3.45 in the NL to 4.01 in the AL. He wasn't awesome after being traded to Texas this past season either, as his ERA jumped from 3.17 with the Cubs to 4.38. That's thanks to giving up almost two more hits per nine innings, and giving up more home runs.

But adding just one top of the rotation pitcher is probably not good enough. CC Sabathia is suspect after his worst season in Major League Baseball, Ivan Nova may have been really good but it's still really hard to lean on him, David Phelps and Adam Warren are unproven as starters in MLB, and there is nothing special coming up from the minors anytime soon. I can live with adding Tanaka, slotting Nova in at #3, taking a chance on somebody like Josh Johnson... who may only cost a one-year deal, and putting one of Warren or Phelps at #5.

7. It's time to give David Robertson a real shot at the closer's role. The alternative to doing so is signing somebody like Joe Nathan to a contract worth upwards of $15 million a season. That would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that the Yankees are looking to get payroll down. They would be best served to see what Robertson can do in that role this season, and then lock him up with a contract afterwards. Because while he'd cost the team more after closing for a season, it wouldn't be as much as elite closers go for in free agency. What the team should do this offseason is think about a set-up man for David.

I'm sure there is somebody out there thinking "what about not giving up draft picks?" I covered that last week in an article in which I pointed out that good to great players don't have to come from high draft picks. In fact, draft pick compensation is hardly a deal-breaker to me. Just maximize your other picks in each draft, work on development in the farm system, and build some role players to add to those making big bucks (such as Robinson Cano). If an elite player like Robbie comes from the farm, then that should be considered a plus. Let the Rays of MLB lean on the farm for superstars.

There has to be another Evan Longoria in here somewhere.

This offseason was originally interesting to me as the Yankees have to fill a number of holes while trying to get payroll down, but now I find it even more interesting as it could very well be huge for the future of the organization. It may be hyperbole, but this offseason could very well be the most important offseason for the Yankees ever.

Walter Ibarra Jumps Ship To The Chicago Cubs

Long time New York Yankees prospect Walter Ibarra has become a minor league free agent and has decided to leave New York and go to the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal. The 26 year old career minor leaguer finally reached AAA last season with the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders and will now look to provide the Cubs with some middle infield depth. Ibarra is coming off a triple slash of .276/.308/.367 but is known far more for his glove then his bat. Good luck to Ibarra and we hate to see him go.