N'Otani for the Yankees...

Yanks fail to make the cut…

I have to admit that I was feeling a bit disappointed when it was announced that the New York Yankees did not make Shohei Otani’s weekend cut. The Yankees had been viewed, by the industry, as the favorites to sign the two-way Japanese superstar. But as word leaked in recent days that perhaps Otani preferred a smaller West Coast market and one without a current Japanese superstar, it started to seem as though the likelihood of Otani wearing pinstripes was slipping away.

GM Brian Cashman confirmed it last evening when the Yankees, the Red Sox and other prominent East Coast teams were axed without the benefit of a face-to-face meeting. It’s unfortunate but the process has clearly shown that Otani is not driven by money. If he was, he would have waited two years before coming to the United States when he would be free to test the open market. Instead, he’s willing to leave millions on the table to take a minimum compensation deal. While I think Otani would have been a great fit with the Baby Bombers, the last thing you want on your team is a guy who doesn’t want to be there. So, I bid Otani farewell and wish him luck as he embarks on his MLB career.

In many ways, it’s probably best for the Yankees to be eliminated early in the process. It frees them up to explore other options and hopefully it leads to re-signing team leader CC Sabathia. If the Yankees had stayed in the negotiations process with Otani, their primary focus would not have been on finding other ways to improve the team as we head into the most crucial week of the MLB offseason (next week with the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida). They could have been distracted during this critical time, only to find out later that Otani didn’t really want to play in New York City or on the East Coast. 

A few weeks back, The Greedy Pinstripes’ Daniel Burch wrote a piece about the potential pitfalls with an Otani signing and the challenges that would await a team trying to accommodate his wishes to pitch and bat. As we await the official announcement of the new Yankees manager, a guy who has never coached or managed, it’s probably best for him that he wasn’t placed into the difficult position of having to accommodate the wishes of an individual over the good of the team.

So, all things considered, after feeling some initial disappointment, I am glad that Shohei Otani will not be coming to the Bronx.  He has the right to choose where he wants to play. I want to see 25 men who want to be New York Yankees. 

Giancarlo and the City by the Bay…

If Giancarlo Stanton’s choices are down to the San Francisco Giants and the St Louis Cardinals, it is my belief that he’ll choose San Francisco. Given that he grew up as a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I guess that’s sort of like growing up in the Bronx to become a Red Sock. But still, with no offense a great organization with a steep history in baseball tradition, I think it would be better to play in San Francisco than St Louis. Of course, there are cons with playing there. One of my favorite quotes is ‘the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco’, a witticism credited to Mark Twain. If you've been to San Francisco in August, you'll know what I mean.

I kept expecting the Los Angeles Dodgers to enter the fray for Stanton, but they, like the Yankees, are trying to reduce payroll to reset the luxury tax penalties. So, unless the Dodgers can eliminate a few bloated contracts (such as Adrian Gonzalez), Stanton will not be bleeding Dodger Blue.

It’s very possible that the Stanton trade could be consummated this week. I feel sorry for Miami Marlins COO Derek Jeter. For budgetary reasons, he’s being forced to break out what may be Baseball’s best outfield and perhaps setting the team back at least five years from being a legitimate contender. Jeter is finding that it is not so easy sitting on the other side of the table. 

Yankee Stadium, Home of My Favorite Team…

Yes, of course it is. I wouldn’t be a Yankees blog writer covering the Yankees if they weren’t my favorite team.  But I am talking about another team. As a native Iowan, I have been a fan of the football program at the University of Iowa for as long as I can remember. I’ve always loved the Hawkeyes even if they have historically disappointed me most every year.

The Hawkeyes are coming to Yankee Stadium. 

It was announced this weekend that the Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) will play Boston College (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on December 27^th. My favorite team playing against Boston at Yankee Stadium. Yeah, I think that’s something I can easily support and have significant experience with even if the Hawkeyes have never played a bowl game in New York before.

Go Hawks!

But back to Baseball and more importantly, Go Yankees!

Yankees Off Night Open Thread

Not many of these left this season, is there? The Yankees are off tonight so I am taking the rest of the night off as well as we rest up and prepare for the trip to Oriole Park and Camden Yards for a big three-game series. This series has the potential to make or break the Yankees in both postseason races they currently find themselves in so all eyes should be glued to the team this weekend. That’s this weekend, today is only Thursday. Let’s relax one more night so I leave you with this open thread for the evening. Talk about whatever you like with the exception of politics please. Our regulars don’t seem to have a problem with the freedom they are given here to openly express themselves without being heavily moderated and controlled unnecessarily but others can’t seem to figure out what to do with themselves with this new-found freedom. Such is life.

Enjoy the night everyone and let’s get ready for the Orioles series this weekend and the return of College Football. I know I’ll be watching Georgia Tech tomorrow while they take on Boston College in Ireland, what games will you be watching?

Enjoy the evening everyone and we’ll be back at full strength tomorrow. 

Penn State, Boston College ready to rumble in the Bronx

From Yankees.com

NEW YORK -- One last thing before Christmas.

Penn State and Boston College took care of some final business before the holidays Wednesday, when they met the media in advance of the Pinstripe Bowl. The two regional powers will meet on the Yankee Stadium turf Saturday, and they'll be seeking fitting closure to their seasons.

Penn State played to a 6-6 record in the ultra-competitive Big Ten conference, and Boston College went 7-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a core that included several players who have already graduated. Now, they'll be looking for a victory that can springboard their team to next season.

Tyler Murphy, BC's quarterback, said both teams know what kind of game they can expect.

"It's going to be a roller-coaster type game," said Murphy. "One round, we might have the momentum, and the next round, they might have it. We just have to make sure we hold our ground and keep fighting and get the game to the fourth quarter, where we feel like we have a good chance of winning."

Penn State leads the all-time series against Boston College by a 19-4 margin, but the two teams have never met in a bowl game. BC has won the last three meetings, but the most recent was a decade ago, and much has changed for both programs in the interim.

BC is in a new conference, and it graduated its all-time leading receiver (Alex Amidon) and rusher (Andre Williams) last season. Murphy stepped into the void this season, playing behind a veteran offensive line that features five graduated players. Murphy threw for 1,526 yards and ran for 1,079 more this season, and Penn State is quite clear on who it has to stop to win in the Pinstripe Bowl.

"Obviously, they're a team that prides themselves on being able to run the football," said Bob Shoop, Penn State's defensive coordinator. "They've got a very experienced and solid offensive line. Tyler Murphy has played exceptionally well. He's playing with so much confidence. He makes plays with both his arm and his feet. They've got two or three good running backs, and they've got a group of wide receivers and tight ends -- although they don't catch a lot of passes -- when the ball is thrown to them, they make plays and they know their job within the framework of the offense. They're a bit unorthodox."

BC might be unorthodox, but it's absolutely not untested. The Eagles beat No. 9 USC early in the season and later lost a close game (17-13) to No. 24 Clemson. Then, last month, BC gave No. 1 Florida State one of its toughest games this season before falling in a narrow loss (20-17) on the road.

"We were able to walk away with a lot of confidence. But we were very confident before that game," said Murphy of the FSU game. "We felt like we were going to be the team that knocks them off. We expected to win that game and we had a game plan that we stuck to. We always say, 'Get to the fourth quarter and win it there.' We had our opportunities in the fourth quarter and we just didn't make them."

Penn State, meanwhile, won its first four games this season but will come into the Pinstripe Bowl with losses in six of their last eight. The Nittany Lions' toughest game came in a 31-24 loss to Ohio State in overtime, and Penn State also lost to a ranked Michigan State team by a 34-10 score.

Penn State has a sophomore quarterback and four freshman receivers, but it's been fairly productive on offense. The difference maker, for this team, has been on defense. Penn State ranks second nationally on defense, and senior linebacker Mike Hull was named a second-team All-American.

Hull will be playing his final game, and he said it's all been a blur.

"It felt like it would never come," said Hull of his final college game. "I never want it to end. I want to play for as long as I'm able. It really hasn't hit me yet that this will be my last time out there."

The senior made his first trip to New York City this week, and he remarked that it's "definitely different than Pittsburgh," when asked for his impression of the city. Shoop, who coached at Columbia, said he was thrilled to be in the city and that his team has enjoyed the Yankee Stadium experience.

"I'm from Pittsburgh, so I'm a Pirates fan. And my wife's from Boston. She's a Red Sox fan," said Shoop of his allegiances away from the football field. "I've been to a lot of stadiums and watched a lot of games, but to play a game in Yankee Stadium is special with its tradition and history. And not just as a baseball venue, but it's a venue that has hosted NFL championship games and heavyweight boxing matches and some of the greatest concerts in history. It's really a neat opportunity."

This is the fifth edition of the Pinstripe Bowl, which was won by Notre Dame over Rutgers last season. Syracuse -- twice -- and Rutgers are the other teams that have won in prior seasons. Boston College would love to be the next team on that list, but it knows that Penn State will provide a stern test.

"They have a very balanced attack," said BC defensive coordinator Don Brown. "They have two excellent wide receivers, the tight end is a good player, and they have a stable of backs they share the wealth with.

"We have 15 guys with sacks. That tells you a little something right there about us. We're a heavy pressure team and we'll come with all 11 guys. We kind of share the wealth in that department. ... We're kind of the no-name bunch, but the thing we do well is fit the run game well with all 11 guys."