This Day in New York Yankees History 2/17: LOL Carl Pavano

On this day in 2007 in a poll conducted by his hometown newspaper more than half of the poll takers though Carl Pavano would not bounce back with the Yankees in 2007. The myrecordjournal.com poll revealed that 54.5% believe the Yankees pitcher would continue to struggle for the Yankees.


Also on this day in 2006 White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen issued an apology to Yankees star Alex Rodriguez after criticizing him about his decision on which team to play for in the World Baseball Classic. Alex was born in the United States but could also play for Team Dominican Republic since his parents were from there and could play for either team and ended up playing for Team USA.


Also on this day in 1987 Don Mattingly wins his arbitration case for $1.975 million breaking the record for the largest amount ever awarded to a player, set by Jack Morris just four days prior.


Also on this day in 1943 Joe DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces without notifying the team. Joe will not play for the Yankees again until the 1946 season. DiMaggio asked for no special treatment in the war but spent most of his time out of harm's way.


Finally on this day in 1937 the New York Yankees purchased Red Sox first basemen Babe Dahlgren to replace the retiring Lou Gehrig. Dahlgren would spend four seasons with the Yankees and post a .248 batting average before being bought by the Braves for the 1941 season.

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/6: The Greedy Pinstripes is Born

On this day in 2009 the Cleveland Indians signed oft-injured starting pitcher Carl Pavano, formerly of the New York Yankees. Pavano signed a one year deal worth $1.5 million for his age 32 season after only making 26 starts for the Yankees in four seasons and making $40 million.


Also on this day in 2006 the New York Yankees finished the year with a then record payroll of $207.2 million. That staggering number was $90 million more than the second highest spending Boston Red Sox. The World Series champion Chicago White Sox only spent $73.2 million while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $26.6 million.

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/20: The American Idle

On this day in 2004 the Yankees signed Mr. Carl Pavano to a four year free agent deal worth $39.95 million. Pavano is coming off of an 18 win season with the World Series champion Florida Marlins and would make a total of 26 starts in his Yankees career.


Also on this day in 1973 the American League President Joe Cronin ruled that the New York Yankees could not sign manager Dick Williams. The Yankees announced a deal with the former Oakland manager just two days earlier.

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/17: LOL Carl Pavano

On this day in 2007 in a poll conducted by his hometown newspaper more than half of the poll takers though Carl Pavano would not bounce back with the Yankees in 2007. The myrecordjournal.com poll revealed that 54.5% believe the Yankees pitcher would continue to struggle for the Yankees.


Also on this day in 2006 White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen issued an apology to Yankees star Alex Rodriguez after criticizing him about his decision on which team to play for in the World Baseball Classic. Alex was born in the United States but could also play for Team Dominican Republic since his parents were from there and could play for either team and ended up playing for Team USA.


Also on this day in 1987 Don Mattingly wins his arbitration case for $1.975 million breaking the record for the largest amount ever awarded to a player, set by Jack Morris just four days prior.


Also on this day in 1943 Joe DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces without notifying the team. Joe will not play for the Yankees again until the 1946 season. DiMaggio asked for no special treatment in the war but spent most of his time out of harm's way.


Finally on this day in 1937 the New York Yankees purchased Red Sox first basemen Babe Dahlgren to replace the retiring Lou Gehrig. Dahlgren would spend four seasons with the Yankees and post a .248 batting average before being bought by the Braves for the 1941 season.

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/6: The Greedy Pinstripes is Born

On this day in 2009 the Cleveland Indians signed oft-injured starting pitcher Carl Pavano, formerly of the New York Yankees. Pavano signed a one year deal worth $1.5 million for his age 32 season after only making 26 starts for the Yankees in four seasons and making $40 million.


Also on this day in 2006 the New York Yankees finished the year with a then record payroll of $207.2 million. That staggering number was $90 million more than the second highest spending Boston Red Sox. The World Series champion Chicago White Sox only spent $73.2 million while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $26.6 million.

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/20: The American Idle

On this day in 2004 the Yankees signed Mr. Carl Pavano to a four year free agent deal worth $39.95 million. Pavano is coming off of an 18 win season with the World Series champion Florida Marlins and would make a total of 26 starts in his Yankees career.


Also on this day in 1973 the American League President Joe Cronin ruled that the New York Yankees could not sign manager Dick Williams. The Yankees announced a deal with the former Oakland manager just two days earlier.

People Are Actually Mad at Chase Whitley?

I touched on this a little bit in the comments section the site on an article written by my friend and co-owner (in that order) Bryan Van Dusen but I wanted to elaborate a little more in detail, also known as ramble a bit, here in an official post so all can see. It really blows my mind that people are legitimately angry with Chase Whitley right now because he hid an injury and tried to stay on the field to help the Yankees win. Was it a bone head move? Absolutely, but in today’s game and in today’s era and with today’s team the way it is structured it’s hard to be mad at the guy for what he did. Keep reading and I’ll explain it to you.

First and foremost in an era where players just simply ask for days off just because, because they want to ensure they will be healthy and productive because they are 130 games away from free agency, because they have the batting title lead and want to win the award, etc. etc. etc. you’re going to knock on a guy and question his intelligence and even go as far as to compare him to Carl Pavano because he wanted to stay in the game and pitch through it? More importantly Whitley thought he could pitch through it and stay on the field the more the games went on and the more the weather outside heated up and frankly he had a lot of positives to base that line of thinking off of, again keep reading.

Whitley was bombed at the beginning of his last start as the Baltimore Orioles went all Bronx Bombers on the young right hander early and often in the contest. In the first four innings Whitley allowed four runs on a trio of home runs from Jimmy Paredes, Chris Davis and Alejandra De Aza of the Orioles before settling down. We can only presume at this time that the injury caused his bad showing in the Bronx last week but if you look at the box score inning by inning you may see a shocking revelation. Whitley got better, sharper and more dominant as the game went on. Whitley finished with 5.2 innings pitched on that afternoon and really saved the bullpen as much as he could on that specific afternoon. If Whitley had left the contest after all the home runs and not looked more like himself for parts of four innings then yes, he’s an idiot. He’s not only putting himself in danger but he is a detriment to the team but that’s not how it went down.

Whitley put the team first and while it may have cost him a chunk of his season, or hell even his career, I am hardly mad at him for making the decision. It’s his elbow and it’s his career and again if he thought he could pitch through it and still be effective then my hat is tipped to him for trying to gut it out. It wasn’t the smartest decision in the world but the great Mariano Rivera did the same exact thing at the end of his final season and never said a word until after he was retired. The difference between it being a good decision and “showing heart” and “being a true Yankee” and being an idiot is if the risky decision pays off in the end.

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/17: LOL Carl Pavano

On this day in 2007 in a poll conducted by his hometown newspaper more than half of the poll takers though Carl Pavano would not bounce back with the Yankees in 2007. The myrecordjournal.com poll revealed that 54.5% believe the Yankees pitcher would continue to struggle for the Yankees.

Also on this day in 2006 White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen issued an apology to Yankees star Alex Rodriguez after criticizing him about his decision on which team to play for in the World Baseball Classic. Alex was born in the United States but could also play for Team Dominican Republic since his parents were from there and could play for either team and ended up playing for Team USA.

Also on this day in 1987 Don Mattingly wins his arbitration case for $1.975 million breaking the record for the largest amount ever awarded to a player, set by Jack Morris just four days prior.

Also on this day in 1943 Joe DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces without notifying the team. Joe will not play for the Yankees again until the 1946 season. DiMaggio asked for no special treatment in the war but spent most of his time out of harm's way.

Finally on this day in 1937 the New York Yankees purchased Red Sox first basemen Babe Dahlgren to replace the retiring Lou Gehrig. Dahlgren would spend four seasons with the Yankees and post a .248 batting average before being bought by the Braves for the 1941 season.

The Last Standing Brian Cashman Apologist

Ever since Brian Cashman took over as the General Manager of the New York Yankees in 1998 he has enjoyed success. While much of that success came early on in his tenure and in large part due to the late George Steinbrenner’s checkbook the Yankees GM has reinvented himself in recent years with his new found power and control over the personnel decisions for the team. Every once in a while we see shades of The Boss in owner Hal Steinbrenner while he is signing a Rafael Soriano or contributing to a second Alex Rodriguez contract, and honestly we probably always will see these types of moves from the higher ups, but we can now say with confidence that overall this is Cashman’s team. For better or worse.

New York Yankees fans are some of the most passionate, and subsequently some of the most emotional, fans in all the world and come with some of the harshest and toughest criticisms you will ever hear. Any fan can go on Twitter, Facebook, Yankees Lohud or your favorite social media site or blog to make a comment or ask a question about a trade or signing involving the Yankees and you are bound to get a flurry of responses. Some of those responses will generally be positive but for the most part those opinions have turned negative regarding Cashman and his decision making. Truth be told I’m not sure why. On a long enough timeline, and Cashman has had one of the longest timeline’s as a GM I have seen in my lifetime for a GM in Major League Baseball, every GM acquires Javier Vazquez twice and signs Carl Pavano for nine wins, four years and $40 million… right?

Cashman has not made those same mistakes this offseason as the Yankees GM has continued to stockpile young talent, hard throwing pitchers and depth at almost every position. Many fans expected Cashman to fold under the pressure and give ludicrous contracts to Brandon McCarthy or insane trade packages for broken Troy Tulowitzki's but instead he got creative and made some trades. Instead of yet another question mark and a ton of salary in Tulo New York acquired a young and promising shortstop in Didi Gregorius and a perfectly capable stopgap in the fifth starter slot in Chris Capuano. Instead of setting the team back even further with another asinine contract for Max Scherzer the Yankees instead stayed the course, stuck to the plan and showed a willingness to rebuild on the fly. There is a finish line, and it conveniently ends when his current contract does after the 2017 season, and for the first time in over 20 seasons the Yankees can see it. The team cannot see that because Randy Levine jumped in and demanded a $12 million AAV for a 7th inning pitcher, the team can see it because of the work Cashman has done since he was given full control over player decisions and personnel.  

Another common complaint against the Yankees GM is the lack of player development and a farm system. While for a long time that was an absolutely legitimate concern and gripe the tides are turning down on the farm finally and we may now be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. MLB Pipeline is releasing their Top 10 lists per position right before Spring Training and the Yankees have a Top 10 RHP in Luis Severino, a Top 10 2B in Robert Refsnyder, a Top 10 1B in Greg Bird and will presumably have a Top 10 outfielder in Aaron Judge. Also Kylie McDaniel, a former Yankees scout and current member of Fangraphs, even went as far as to name the Yankees the 10th best farm in all of baseball and possibly the "deepest in the game." The rankings and the write ups from McDaniels and others makes for a pretty good farm system without even mentioning the likes of Gary Sanchez, Ian Clarkin and the slew of International free agent signings the team has made in the last two or three seasons. 

For better or worse this is finally Cashman's team and in a couple seasons when the plan is complete and has come to fruition I may longer be the last standing apologist for the Yankees GM. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/6: The Greedy Pinstripes is Born

On this day in 2009 the Cleveland Indians signed oft-injured starting pitcher Carl Pavano, formerly of the New York Yankees. Pavano signed a one year deal worth $1.5 million for his age 32 season after only making 26 starts for the Yankees in four seasons and making $40 million.

Also on this day in 2006 the New York Yankees finished the year with a then record payroll of $207.2 million. That staggering number was $90 million more than the second highest spending Boston Red Sox. The World Series champion Chicago White Sox only spent $73.2 million while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $26.6 million.

Top 5 Worst Yankees Free Agent Contracts Ever

It's the final day of 2014 so let's take a quick look at the worst free agent signings for the Yankees ever:

5. Jose Contreras - 4 years $32 million

He was no "El Duque" and was signed in 2003 and traded in 2004 for Esteban freaking Loaiza. Come on.

4. Kei Igawa - 5 years $20 million

3. Ed Whitson - 5 years $4.5 million

Whitson had ugly ERA numbers for his year and a half in New York, broke Billy Martin's arm in 1985 and received death threats from Yankees fans due to his poor performance.

2. Carl Pavano - 4 years $39.95 million

Four years and roughly $40 million for 26 starts and a 0.4 WAR

1. Alex Rodriguez -10 years $252.87 million plus incentives ($320 million cap)

Enough said.

Honorable mentions:

Dave Collins - 3 years $2.47 million
Spike Owen - 3 years $7 million
Pascual Perez - 3 years $5.7 million

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/20: American Idle

On this day in 2004 the Yankees signed Mr. Carl Pavano to a four year free agent deal worth $39.95 million. Pavano is coming off of an 18 win season with the World Series champion Florida Marlins and would make a total of 26 starts in his Yankees career.

On this day in 1973 the American League President Joe Cronin ruled that the New York Yankees could not sign manager Dick Williams. The Yankees announced a deal with the former Oakland manager just two days earlier.

The Best Freak Injuries In Major League Baseball

Jose Canseco accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun on Wednesday which got me thinking what were some of the best freak and accidental injuries in Major League history? Here is my list, what's yours?

• Sammy Sosa threw his back out in 2004 when he sneezed twice and got back spasms. 
• Chris Coughlin tore a meniscus putting pie in the face of Wes Helms in 2010. 
• Marty Cordova fell asleep in a tanning bed in 2002 and missed games due to the burns.
• Joel Zumaya hurt his wrist and forearm playing Guitar Hero in 2006. 
• Hunter Pence walked into a sliding glass door after getting out of a hot tub in 2008. 
• Jeff Kent broke his wrist washing his truck in 2002. 
• Carlos Quentin broke his wrist punching his bat in 2008.
• Carl Pavano ruptures his spleen shoveling snow 

Martin Prado Needs To Be In The Yankees Lineup Tonight

The New York Yankees are in the middle of a pennant race and arguably their best and hottest hitter over the past couple weeks Martin Prado is out with a "mild, mild" hamstring strain. Whatever happened to the good ole days when players played through nagging little mild injuries at this point in the season when no one was 100% except for Carl Pavano?Does Joe Girardi not realize that this is it, one more month and we're done for seven long months? Does he even care?

Listen, I'm all for protecting players and giving them days off when they need them and all that jazz but come on. We're in the middle of a freaking pennant race. Jacoby Ellsbury doesn't need a day off, Brett Gardner doesn't need a day off, and we can't survive with many more off days by Prado.

Hopefully Joe is listening, the training staff does their job today, and Prado is back in the lineup tonight in the Bronx or it may be season over, officially. 

Yankees Starting Pitching Could Always Be Worse

The New York Yankees pitching has quietly been really good this season, it could get a lot worse. The Yankees come into player yesterday with a team ERA of 3.88 including a 27.00 ERA from Cesar Cabral, 22.50 ERA from Chris Leroux, and a 18.00 ERA from Dean Anna. What got me thinking of the Yankees pitching staff was what happened on this day in 2005.

On this day in 2005 the Boston Red Sox beat the crap out of the Yankees, there is not other way to put it, by the score of 17-1. The Red Sox beat us so bad the scoreboard went blank for a few minutes because the operator could not keep up with the Red Sox barrage. Boston had 27 hits, one shy of the Yankees record for hits allowed, which were the most collected by the Red Sox since tying the team record of 28 in Hune of 2003.

The ironic part about it all is that Carl Pavano was on the mound on this day in 2005 and on the mound in June of 2003 when the Red Sox beat the crap out of the Florida Marlins.

I said all that to say this. We got the crap beat out of us by our division and most hated rival and we still won the division that season. So what if the Yankees give up a run or two or twelve, we will be there when it matters. Patience Yankees family.

Yankees Opening Day Starting Pitchers Since 1996

Here is a list of all the starting pitchers on Opening Day for the New York Yankees since 1996:

1996: David Cone
1997: David Cone
1998: Andy Pettitte
1999: Roger Clemens
2000: Orlando Hernandez
2001: Roger Clemens
2002: Roger Clemens
2003: Roger Clemens
2004: Mike Mussina
2005: Randy Johnson
2006: Randy Johnson
2007: Carl Pavano
2008: Chien Ming Wang
2009: CC Sabathia
2010: CC Sabathia
2011: CC Sabathia
2012: CC Sabathia
2013: CC Sabathia
2014: CC Sabathia

Carl Pavano To Retire

Carl Pavano is ready to jump in his Ferrari and ride off into the sunset into retirement after scrapping a comeback bid. No one reading this is likely to remember the 1,788 innings pitched or the 4.39 ERA in his career but will remember the four years of inactivity that he had wearing a Yankees uniform. All kidding aside though good luck to Mr. Pavano in his future endeavors. Last word goes to Carl himself addressing the retirement decision:

"Despite my strong desire to compete and hard work in preparing for the upcoming season," said Pavano. "I feel that the amount of time lost from my spleen injury, coupled with the recovery from my complications from that injury, preclude me from continuing to compete at my highest level, which is necessary to perform in the major leagues." He went on to add that "three months of rigorous training have failed to produce the results that I was looking for to allow me to continue my major league career." 

This Day In New York Yankees History 2/17

On this day in 1937 the New York Yankees purchased Red Sox first basemen Babe Dahlgren to replace the retiring Lou Gehrig. Dahlgren would spend four seasons with the Yankees and post a .248 batting average before being bought by the Braves for the 1941 season.

On this day in 1943 Joe DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces without notifying the team. Joe will not play for the Yankees again until the 1946 season. DiMaggio asked for no special treatment in the war but spent most of his time out of harm's way.

On this day in 1987 Don Mattingly wins his arbitration case for $1.975 million breaking the record for the largest amount ever awarded to a player, set by Jack Morris just four days prior.

On this day in 2006 White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen issued an apology to Yankees star Alex Rodriguez after criticizing him about his decision on which team to play for in the World Baseball Classic. Alex was born in the United States but could also play for Team Dominican Republic since his parents were from there and could play for either team and ended up playing for Team USA.

On this day in 2007 in a poll conducted by his hometown newspaper more than half of the poll takers though Carl Pavano would not bounce back with the Yankees in 2007. The myrecordjournal.com poll revealed that 54.5% believe the Yankees pitcher would continue to struggle for the Yankees.

This Day In New York Yankees History 1/6

On this day in 2006 the New York Yankees finished the year with a then record payroll of $207.2 million. That staggering number was $90 million more than the second highest spending Boston Red Sox. The World Series champion Chicago White Sox only spent $73.2 million while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $26.6 million.

On this day in 2009 the Cleveland Indians signed oft-injured starting pitcher Carl Pavano, formerly of the New York Yankees. Pavano signed a one year deal worth $1.5 million for his age 32 season after only making 26 starts for the Yankees in four seasons and making $40 million.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/20

On this day in 1973 the American League President Joe Cronin ruled that the New York Yankees could not sign manager Dick Williams. The Yankees announced a deal with the former Oakland manager just two days earlier.

On this day in 2004 the Yankees signed Mr. Carl Pavano to a four year free agent deal worth $39.95 million. Pavano is coming off of an 18 win season with the World Series champion Florida Marlins and would make a total of 26 starts in his Yankees career.