Should Ian O'Connor disclose in his columns that he's writing a book on Derek Jeter?

I wrote something for The Faster Times about how ESPN NY columnist Ian O'Connor is writing a book that promises "unique access" to Derek Jeter and his camp. Nothing wrong with that. But my issue is that O'Connor has also written several recent columns defending Jeter, without disclosing in those articles that he's writing a book about him.

One of O'Connor's columns suggested that Jeter needed a pay raise in his new contract, bumping him up to $23 million (!) a year for four years. Another tied Joe Girardi's fortunes with the team to Jeter, saying that if Girardi didn't shape up, "he is not going to be the manager of the New York Yankees long enough to do to a declining Derek Jeter what Casey Stengel did to a declining Joe DiMaggio." It's a very harsh take on Girardi, even for the New York media. What does Jeter think on this? Did he have something to do with the article?

That same article also claimed that the Yankee players basically quit on Girardi in the ALCS, an extremely damning allegation that I haven't read anywhere else. In that article, O'Connor talks about the players' perspective on Girardi, which makes one wonder if he heard those opinions from his book subject.

I'm not arguing that O'Connor shouldn't write about Jeter. He's a New York sportswriter, and not writing about Jeter would be like a Miami writer not being able to talk about LeBron James. But when O'Connor does, he really should put a disclosure in every column, explaining the book deal. Read my Faster Times article to see what else I had to say on this issue.


What do you think?  Tell us about it!

Mike Francesa thinks Derek Jeter could be named player-manager of the Yankees one day

There was a whole to-do in the blogosphere Friday after WFAN's Mike Francesa suggested on the air that whenever Girardi goes, he wouldn't be shocked if Derek Jeter became a player-manager. What?

I stand by my contention that making superstars managers is generally a bad idea. And making Yankee icons Yankee managers is an even worse idea. I was against it with Mattingly, and I would be against it with Jeter or any of the other Yankee stars. Especially with an icon like Jeter. You think it will be tough one day to move him out of the shortsop in a few years? Imagine the grief the Yankees would get for firing the captain!

At any rate, has Jeter even shown any desire or inkling to want to be a manager?  He's a Hall of Fame player, but by his own admission, he never watches any baseball games he's not in. How would that work for a manager? I don't see it.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Enough already with the "What Will Jeter Do?" contract stories

The Yanks haven't even made it to spring training yet, but already I'm sick of all the rampant speculation about what's going to happen when Derek Jeter's contract is up at the end of the year.

I mean, really. Does anybody really think that Jeter is going to go elsewhere after this season? Come on now. He's the face of the Yankee franchise, and he will finish his career as a Yankee for two reasons: the team ownership will want to keep him because of the significant value he still has in so many ways
, and Jeter's star will be significantly dimmed if he goes elsewhere.

Brian Cashman has said he won't negotiate with Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Joe Girardi until the 2010 season is over, which makes perfect economic sense. But it also means we're going to have a year of speculative articles like the one Tyler Kepner recently wrote for the New York Times about Jeter's contract.

Kepner's angle is that "the value of the [next Jeter] deal will also reveal something about Jeter and his true feelings about [Alex] Rodriguez." Huh?

Then Kepner wonders, "Will Jeter demand a contract that also takes him through age 42? Will he seek to make more than Rodriguez?"

Um, on what planet is Jeter going to get a contract guaranteeing him more than the $27+ million a year A-Rod makes? Heck, Rodriguez himself wouldn't get that money now, thanks to the bad state of the economy. Besides, Derek couldn't get a deal making as much as Rodriguez when he was 26 years old, but he's going to get it at age 36? And get such money up until age 42? Gimme a break.

Anyway, as Jeter said when signing his previous deal in 2001, "being the highest paid is not something I covet." But he's going to all of a sudden play hardball and demand to be paid more than A-Rod? Come on now.

Jeter's not going to ask to make more than Rodriguez - the captain is not stupid - and it's silly for Kepner to even speculate on it. But, since the writer is invested in making the Jeter contract negotiations "a new act in the always captivating Jeter/Rodriguez psychodrama," we are treated to all sorts of psychobabble, like Kepner noting that "in general terms, Rodriguez makes things complicated and Jeter keeps things simple." Gee, you think so, Tyler? Who knew!

But for all the cliched comparisons that the Times writer makes between the two players, he misses a very significant point - thanks to A-Rod, Jeter ended up with an extra $70+ million the last time around.

Here's what happened. Just before the 2000 season, the Yanks were supposed to sign Jeter for a $118.5 million, seven-year deal, but George Steinbrenner dragged his feet on doing so (he wanted to wait until Juan Gonzalez signed an even bigger deal with the Detroit Tigers first.) But the Juan Gone deal never happened, and then the A-Rod/Rangers deal went down the following winter. This meant that the Yankees ended up giving Jeter three more years - and $70 million more dollars - just to keep him on the team, and to keep them from potentially paying him even more in free agency the following winter. Remember, the Yankees-Jeter deal was the second-biggest contract in history at the time (it's now the third-biggest contract in history - A-Rod's 2007 deal with the Yankees is now No. 1.)

So what about Jeter's future? I am very confident he will stay a Yankee for life, and remain where he belongs. If he goes elsewhere in free agency, he will make a mockery of his reputation. It's just not going to happen. He's not Brett Favre, after all.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Derek Jeter gets honors, Chip Caray gets heave-ho

I've written two pieces for The Faster Times that should be of interest to Squawker readers.

* First is about Derek Jeter winning Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. My point is that while it's well-deserved, SI went too far in suggesting that Jeter is on the same level as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Isn't it enough that the captain is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the most beloved Yankee since Mickey Mantle? Why make such over-the-top comparisons with two of the greatest players of all time?

* Second is about TBS firing Chip Caray. I would like to see TBS dispense with the national broadcasters for the playoffs. Why not have, say, Michael Kay and Jerry Remy together in the booth if it were a Yankees-Red Sox ALCS? Would save the network money, and please fans, too.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

One columnist (not me!) thinks A-Rod, not Jeter, should be Sportsman of the Year

As had been rumored, Sports Illustrated named Derek Jeter today as their Sportsman of the Year. I think it was a great choice. Funny thing is, though - New York Post columnist Joel Sherman doesn't. He thinks the award should have gone to Alex Rodriguez.

Sherman wrote this in his blog entry about the Jeter rumors:

Alex Rodriguez should be the Sportsman of the Year. Before you hit me with how that title should go to someone who embodies the best in sports let’s remember that both Pete Rose and Mark McGwire have won the award, and before long we might remember that Tiger Woods has won twice.

Jeter has a brilliant year in which he became the all-time Yankees’ hit leader while remaining a high-level star who wears his pinstripes well on and off the field.

But sports are publicly messier these days, and we should not run away from that.
Heck, the initial broken story on Rodriguez’s steroid use was published by Sports Illustrated. He also touches on the advancement of sports medicine as he came back successfully from significant hip surgery months after undergoing the operation. And he was again a great player, this time finally in the postseason, as well.

In the end, A-Rod offers a story of second chances and redemption. He was a better teammate and was rewarded with the most positive feedback yet as a person while scoring that elusive championship.

Go here to read more of his reasoning, and how he wonders why Jeter is any more of a Sportsman of the Year than Mariano Rivera is.

I didn't even think there was any chance SI would pick A-Rod - the player they outed as a steroids user - as Sportsman of the Year. It seemed incongruous to me with what SI says the award is supposed to be about. So I think the Jeter selection is fine. As SI explains it:

It was that combination of on- and off-field achievement that helped make Jeter this year's Sportsman. Said Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell, "Derek Jeter has always presented himself with class; he does numerous good works for the community with his Turn 2 Foundation, which is one of the most efficient, effective foundations of its kind; and he's extremely generous with not just his money but with his time, which in many cases is more valuable. He also had another signature year on the field."

That being said, I see Sherman's point about how "sports in 2009 are no longer just about the games, and Rodriguez touches on so many of those other important elements while remaining a unique athlete." There is something to be said for the flawed hero being a role model in his own way.

A-Rod has gotten more grief than any other active baseball player I can think of. Yes, more than Barry Bonds when he was playing - at least Giants fans didn't boo their own player. Yet Rodriguez, after hitting rock bottom, thoroughly redeemed himself, and had one of the greatest postseasons ever. One of the more moving things in the World Series film is when, after the Yankees won the series, A-Rod hugs Joe Girardi and literally weeps in his arms. Rodriguez may not be Sportsman of the Year material, but his story is inspirational in its own way.

It's why I'm so happy to see Vince Young getting his chance to shine this year with the Titans. He, too, hit rock bottom - getting benched in favor of Kerry Collins must have been hard to swallow, especially when the Collins-led Titans went 0-6 this year. Yet VY, after Tennessee owner Bud Adams finally demanded he get to play, has made the most of his opportunity, going 5-0, capped with a thrilling last-second victory against Rose Bowl nemesis Matt Leinart and the Cardinals yesterday. VY hasn't done everything right over the years, but the fact that he's flawed makes him more accessible. 

In today's sports world, there's room for both the Jeters and the A-Rods, the Bradys and the Youngs.  And that's a good thing.


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Should Derek Jeter be Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year? I say yes

I wrote a piece for The Faster Times pointing out that in the 55 years that Sports Illustrated has given out their Sportsman of the Year award, nobody from the New York Yankees has ever won it. Outrage!

Gawker.com is reporting that a tipster has revealed that Derek Jeter will be getting the award this year. I think that's a great choice. Jeter is well-deserving of such an honor. And it's more than shocking that no Yankee - least of all him - has won it before.

Some Yankee fans thought Jeter deserved AL MVP this year. I thought Joe Mauer had a better season than him, so Mauer was the more worthy choice. That being said, Jeter - as captain of the Yankees, an exemplary role model, and the all-time Yankee hit king - would be a great Sportsman of the Year. The definition of the award says it should go to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." As somebody who is arguably the most beloved figure in baseball, it makes sense for Jeter to get that award.

Longtime readers know I'm hardly somebody who gives Derek Jeter undeserved praise - I think he is all too often overhyped. That being said, when you think Sportsman of the Year, you think somebody who's not just a great player, but a role model. And who else fits that as well as Jeter does, with his Turn 2 Foundation and the way he conducts his life?

Mariano Rivera would also be a great choice for the award, for what he also means to baseball. And no, I don't think A-Rod should get the honor - as much as he was a huge reason the Yankees won it all this season, you can't give Sportsman of the Year to somebody who admitted earlier that year to using steroids.

But if Jeter and the Yankees are left out in the cold again this year, it will be pretty obvious that the SI anti-Yankee bias is insurmountable. Speaking of that bias, look who they featured as one of their Turkeys of the Year picks - A-Rod:

After his name was leaked from a confidental list of 104 Major Leaguers who failed tests for performance-enhancers in 2003, A-Rod made a painfully awkward confession, as his Yankee teammates looked on, to using Primobolan supplied by a "cousin." He copped to being "young, stupid and naïve" but said he didn't really know if the boli worked. He also made a bizarre claim that he had been stalked by SI writer Selena Roberts, who was working on a book about him.

Is A-Rod's steroid use fair game? Of course. But you would think the Turkey of the Year description might mention him finally shedding his postseason choker label. And while A-Rod isn't Sportsman of the Year caliber, making him "Turkey of the Year" along with Steve Phillips, Eric Mangini, Plaxico Burress, and the New York Mets is just silly.

Let's review - Phillips lost his job, Mangini has won one game and is about to lose his job, Burress is in the pokey, the Mets are in oblivion, and Rodriguez is on top of the world after getting his first World Series ring. Remember that little Sesame Street ditty, "One of These Things Is Not Like the Other Things"? Sing it, Cookie Monster!

Michael Kay and Mike Francesa: Self-appointed arbiters of 'The Yankee Way'

The Yankees have won seven in a row, with C.C. Sabathia getting his first win at Yankee Stadium, and Alex Rodriguez hitting in his fourth straight games. But some broadcasting voices don't like the team's current penchant for actually having fun while winning.

I watched the Joe Girardi Show before last night's game, and heard Michael Kay ask - or should I say complain - about the new Yankee whipped cream tradition. Kay claimed that his boothmates David Cone and Paul O'Neill were "not really cool with that." The broadcaster also said it wasn't "The Yankee Way."

Girardi said he was fine with it. He noted that because it was done after the game when the other team was off the field, it wasn't showing up the opponents.

But geez, is Michael Kay head of the No Fun Zone or what? He didn't like Nick Swisher laughing about pitching. He doesn't like condiments, seafood, soup, or bananas. Now he doesn't like - shudder - the Yankees actually acting like other teams, which means having a good time playing a kid's game. Sheesh.

For goodness sake, this team has won seven games in a row, with three walkoff wins in a row in that streak. If having fun contributes to winning - and I believe it does (and vice versa) - then why can't Kay, Cone, and O'Neill get behind that? The late 90s super-serious vibe worked for that team, but it shouldn't mean that every Yankee team ever has to act the same way. Besides, the Bronx Zoo teams didn't exactly carry themselves like choir boys.

Kay's sports radio competition, Mike Francesa, is just as super-serious. He griped on Monday about A.J. Burnett being the instigator, saying that Burnett should win a few games first.

Francesa also said that Burnett better not try that stuff with Derek Jeter or Jorge Posada, a point Squawker Jon and Newsday writer Anthony Rieber agree with. Rieber writes in today's Newsday:

It's a good thing Jeter didn't get the walk-off hits on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A.J. Burnett smashing a shaving cream pie into Jeter's mug on live television might have been the last thing Burnett ever did as a Yankee.

Jeter had already said that the Yanks better not do that to him, so yeah, I wouldn't be surprised over that outcome!

On the other hand I noticed on Saturday how Alex Rodriguez handled the whipped cream pie. He seemed thrilled to be - for once - just one of the guys! For somebody who's been known to worry too much about his looks and image, he appeared to let his hair down there when talking to Kim Jones with egg - I mean whipped cream - on his face!

Besides the whipped cream, and the new WWE wrestling belt tradition (CC Sabathia won it last night), there are a few other new looks in the Yankee clubhouse this year. The bullpen guys are shaving their heads! Phil Coke showed off his new bald look before Tuesday's game. He told the New York Times:

"So far, it’s me, [Jose] Veras, [Brian] Bruney and Alfredo Aceves," Coke said of the bullpen baldies. Coke said Jonathan Albaladejo "is thinking about it; he’s on the fence now. He’s not sure."

Maybe Edwar Ramirez will shave his head, too, whenever he comes back to the big leagues. He got sent down to open up a roster space for Bruney. Ramirez has given up too many walks this year - 15 in 17 1/3 innings. Hopefully he can fix that in AAA.

LoHud's Sam Borden blogged today about the Yankees team's newfound team spirit, including how the Yanks are having a Kangaroo Court today, with Judge Mariano Rivera presiding. Cool! That's the first time I can remember that happening in many years, although it used to be a staple of the Bronx Zoo Yankees.

Borden asked Johnny Damon about the team's current makeup:

Johnny Damon, who started the WWE belt trend, was supposed to help “change the rigid Yankee culture” when he arrived in 2005, but that’s tough for one guy to do by himself. This year, the Yankees have several new players and that’s how the vibe of a team changes, Damon said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys here,” he said. “A lot of guys didn’t know what it was like here before, so they bring their own flair and so far it’s working.”

Newsday's Ken Davidoff wrote about this as well earlier this week.

I think this team having fun, and coming together, is all a good sign for the Yanks. Maybe it all started when Joe Girardi took the Yanks out for that pool expedition this spring. At any rate, I hope this era of good feeling continues.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Derek Jeter is housebuilding like it's 1999

We may be living in the worst economic times since the Great Depression, but that apparently hasn't stopped at least one Yankee from doing some big spending.

According to the Tampa Tribune, Derek Jeter is building a Florida house just outside of Tampa that will be the biggest in Hillsborough County. Public records show the house will be 30,875 (!) square feet. Just buying the Davis Island land for the home's location cost $7.7 million.

To put the size of Jeter's new house in perspective, Oprah Winfrey's $50 million Montecito mansion (click here to see what that looks like) is "only" 23,000 square feet. Heck, Bill Gates' legendary home is 48,000 square feet, and Hearst Castle is around 60,000 square feet.

I think it's a little, well, tone-deaf to be building a monster of a house literally the size of a supermarket - and literally half the size of the 55,000 square foot White House - right now. Is Jeter, who is usually good at seeing how things will play out, not aware how out of touch such spending looks right now?

Some might say that "it's Derek's money, he can spend it however he likes." But imagine if, say, Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez had a home planned like that. I think they'd be getting some - make that a lot - of grief for such an ostentatious plan.

At least Jeter won't have to run ads everywhere pushing luxurious - and unsold - "between the bases" seats for his new abode!

What do you think of Derek Jeter's big spending? Leave us a comment!

How will the Yankees do without A-Rod?

It's the biggest Yankee health drama since Babe Ruth had a bellyache - or at least since Carl Pavano bruised his buttocks. Alex Rodriguez - and his torn labrum - are going under the knife today. It should take six to nine weeks to heal, which means he should be back either in April or May.

Some columnists seem almost gleeful over A-Rod being off the team that long, as if his absence will bring back the good old days of the late 90s.

Joel Sherman, in an article entitled "How the Yanks Could Survive (And Thrive) Without A-Rod," writes:

During the 1996 and 1998-2000 seasons, there were 152 instances of a player hitting more than 30 homers. None came from a Yankee, and yet they won the championship in all four of those seasons..... The Yankees three-peated from 1998-2000, and in that period, Scott Brosius hit 52 homers - or two fewer than Rodriguez hit in 2007. From 1998-2000, the Yanks won 33 playoff games, in 2007 they won one.

So, yes, you can win without an all-time slugging third baseman.

The New York Times' Harvey Araton writes:

Maybe the Yankees will hold their own with improved pitching, for which there was no shortage of off-season expenditure, and the brand of baseball that won them four World Series during a five-year stretch almost a decade ago. This is not to say that A-Rod is fundamentally unsound; it’s more his all-thumbs approach to life, his exceedingly unsubtle presence as the reigning clubhouse hub.

For all the talk of the late 90s dynasty, and whether the Yankees could survive without a superstar, there is another example that Sherman and Araton missed. The team didn't just survive but thrive when a big-name Yankee was knocked out due to injury from the beginning of the season until mid-May. Unlike recent years, when the Yanks struggled in the spring, the Bombers went 26-11 in his absence. Yet when this big name returned to the lineup, the Yanks lost 11 of their next 14 games.

That injured superstar was Derek Jeter.

Does that mean the Yankees were better off without him? Of course not.

But for all his drama and histrionics, A-Rod did win two MVPs as a Yankee, and the team would not have made the playoffs either of those years without him at third. It would be nice to see somebody remember that, instead of just waxing nostalgic for the days of Scott Brosius.
What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Fantasy baseball advice for the Yankees and Mets from ESPN expert Matthew Berry

Derek Jeter may be a future Hall-of-Famer on the field, but when it comes to fantasy baseball, he's overrated, says Matthew Berry, ESPN's lead fantasy expert.

"People say, he's the captain! He's dreamy! But none of that matters in fantasy," says Berry, whose columns and podcasts are featured on ESPN.com's fantasy pages.

Berry spoke with Jon of Subway Squawkers as part of ESPN.com's promotion of its fantasy baseball game. ESPN.com is offering the chance to play fantasy baseball for free, with free live scoring. ESPN.com's leagues are fully customizable and feature auction draft capability.

Along with Jeter, Berry suggests that local fans be careful not to overvalue Francisco Rodriguez.

"I'm a big believer that you don't pay for saves," says Berry. "Frankie led the league in blown saves last year, tied with Huston Street. Granted, he had more save chances. But the history of players getting 50 or more saves is that they generally come back to earth the following year."

Berry adds that K-Rod has "lots of innings on that arm" and concludes that he "will not be on any team of mine this year. I'd rather wait 10 rounds and take someone like Heath Bell."

With all the hype surrounding New York sports, it's hard to believe that any Yankees or Mets could actually be underrated for fantasy purposes. But Berry says to look out for Robinson Cano.

"He just had a brutal April, but look at what he did from May 1 on – it was in line with what he usually does. He's in line for a big year," says Berry, who also mentioned Johnny Damon as someone who could get overlooked. "Damon will still steal 30," Berry adds.

As for underrated Mets, Berry mentions Daniel Murphy. "I could see him putting up nice numbers if they stick to the plan of him playing full time and platooning Ryan Church," says Berry. "I think Church will go higher in drafts, but Murphy will do better."

One Met who might not be on fantasy players' radar is J.J. Putz, but Berry, always on the lookout for cheap saves, thinks Putz will rack up double digits.

"I could see someone like [Jonathan] Papelbon or Frankie getting hurt," says Berry. "Or Mariano [Rivera] hitting the wall. He's no longer Big Mo. Could happen this year. Not saying it will, but it could."

As long as he's healthy, Rivera is as sure a bet as anyone to perform under the pressure of New York. But Berry is more skeptical of top pitchers who come to the Yankees, noting that their performance usually goes down from what they did with their previous team.

"I get hate mail – what about Randy Johnson? He had good years with the Yankees. Yes, but they weren't as good as the years before," Berry says. "[CC] Sabathia will be good, just not as dominant as last year. He showed up at camp bigger than normal, if that's possible."

Berry points out that Sabathia has only pitched for Cleveland and Milwaukee, two small-market teams, while A.J. Burnett has only pitched for Florida and Toronto.

"Pitching for the Yankees is unlike pitching for any other franchise," says Berry. "You can't prepare for the fanaticism of New York fans."

ESPN only ranks Mets Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez as the 69th and 72nd best fantasy starting pitchers. Between them are Detroit's Armando Galarraga at 70 and Ubaldo Jiminez of Colorado at 71. Berry includes Galarraga and Jiminez in the "love" part of his "Love/Hate" list, which is a variation on a sleepers/busts list. Pelfrey and Perez do not make the cut.

While Berry is concerned about Pelfrey because of his lack of strikeouts and Perez because of his control issues, Berry says, "I do like Perez," but did not include him on the sleepers list because "people are more aware of Met pitchers – you don't need to hype them."

Berry would prefer to tout a player like Jiminez, who may be barely known outside of Colorado but whom Berry projects as a top sleeper this year.

As for how their new ballparks will affect the production of the local teams, Berry says, "You can't unfortunately account for new ballparks. I think the dimensions are similar, but you never know" how they will play.

If Berry were drafting in the top five and had a choice between David Wright and Jose Reyes, "I'd probably go with David Wright because of the more balanced production. But Reyes is special."

And speaking of top-five players, a recent article on ESPN.com via Baseball Prospectus argued that Alex Rodriguez would not surpass Barry Bonds' home run total and that A-Rod's skills may be beginning to decline. What does Berry foresee for A-Rod?

"I have A-Rod third. When you are hitting 50 homers you have a long way to drop," Berry says, adding that A-Rod is "still a phenomenally gifted player who will put up great fantasy numbers."

But Berry believes that "A-Rod would have been much better off if the '60 Minutes' interview had never happened" because "America hates liars."

And, Berry adds, "I believe, based on pure gut, that we haven't heard the last on the A-Rod steroids story."

But that won't stop him from drafting the scandal-plagued slugger.

"I won't go out of my way to get A-Rod because I don't like him, but I won't avoid him, either," Berry says.

As for whether there is any player whose baggage would preclude Berry from drafting him, Berry says no.

"It's a virtual clubhouse. They don't need to get along."

Next Monday, March 9, Berry will attempt to set an ESPN record for longest chat. The chat is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and the goal is to last until 10 p.m. All questions will be answered.