Here's the world's smallest violin, Randy Levine, playing just for you!

The world's smallest violin. Playing just for Randy Levine!

Leave it to New York Yankees president Randy Levine to make the team's point on revenue sharing so poorly, that you have no sympathy for what could be a potentially be a valid point of view. Why this clown, who, to steal a line from "The Hunger Games," is about as charming as a dead slug, is the "face" of the Yankees front office is beyond me.

Let me explain the latest brouhaha. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports talked with Levine about the Yankees' revenue-sharing agreement. In this conversation, Levine slammed the crosstown New York Mets:

"What is very burdensome to us -- and is unfair -- is the amount of money we have to pay in revenue sharing compared, for example, to teams in our market that pay 10 times less than us,” Yankees president Randy Levine told FOX Sports. "Hopefully that is something that will get looked at in the next labor agreement."

According to Levine, the Yanks paid $90 million in revenue sharing for last year. The figure is based on each team's net local revenue, and the Mets' figure is supposed to go up next year, commensurate with their increase in attendance. The Yanks also paid $26 million in luxury tax.

Rosenthal notes that:

Levine’s comment on revenue sharing followed his response to a question about the Yankees’ home attendance, which has declined every year since 2010 with the exception of ‘14.

Oh, snap!

"The Yankee business is strong -- very, very strong," Levine said. "But we’re the Yankees. We can always do better. We always look to do better. Our attendance projections are up. All of our other revenue -- sponsorship, food and beverage – everything else is up. We expect to have a great team this year. I think it’s going to be a good year."

Very strong? I dunno about that. Whatever happened to the idea that any year without a World Series title was a failure for the Yankees? It's now been seven years since the Yankees won a title -- their only title since 2000. Heck, it's seven years since they even got to a World Series. Meanwhile, the crosstown Mets, the team Levine is griping about above, won a pennant last year, despite spending over $100 million less on payroll.

And the "we can always do better" line would have been a heck of a lot more appropriate 15 years ago, as opposed to now. Eight years in a row, the Yanks have spent over $200 million a year in payroll. In one of those years -- 2009 -- they won a World Series. In three of those years, they didn't make the playoffs at all. In the other four years, they had ignomious defeats in the postseason, like getting beaten by the Astros in last year's Wild Card game, and getting swept by the Tigers in the 2012 ALCS. Not only is that a terrible ROI (return on investment) for the money, but it means that there is a LOT of room for improvement.

At any rate, you can't brag about how much money you're bringing in, and then complain about how much you're paying on revenue sharing. That does not compute. Also, on what planet are their attendance projects up? Is there, you know, actual hard evidence showing that?

Here's the thing, though. Theoretically, there is a valid point here. As Rosenthal notes, "Another concern of high-revenue teams is that the money acts as a disincentive for low-revenue clubs to increase their own revenue -- in effect, becoming a permanent subsidy." But Randy Levine is the last person in the world who should be bringing up that point. Why he continues to be the voice of the Yankee brass is beyond me.

Do the Yankees have to worry about the Mets taking over this town?

We had quite the spirited debate on my Facebook page this past weekend about whether the Yankees had anything to fear from the Mets when it comes to being the big dogs in New York. After all, while it still sometimes seems like it was just a dream, the Mets did make it to the World Series last year!

People think that the Yankees have owned this town forever. But if you look back at attendance figures, the Mets drew more crowds in 1964-1975, and 1984-1992. Not so coincidentally, the Mets had the better team in town in many of those years.

Look at the charts I posted to see the new stadium attendance trends. The Yankees have been trending down, and the Mets have been trending up. And, traditionally, a team that gets to the World Series after being a hot mess before that sees the biggest attendance gains the year after, the way the Kansas City Royals saw a huge jump in attendance in 2015.

It's been a good 20 years since this was a Mets town. But is it possible that they can start outdrawing the Yankees again? I think it is. Or at least they can make things competitive again.

When it comes to TV ratings, the Mets are already giving the Yankees a run for their money. The New York Daily News' Bob Raissman reports that the Yanks averaged a 2.76 rating on YES in 2015, with 259,223 total viewers per game. The Mets averaged a 2.63 household rating on SNY, with 242,434 viewers. However, that doesn't tell the full story. After the Mets traded for Yoenis Cespedes at the end of July, the Mets averaged a 3.21 rating (304,706 viewers) for the last two months of the season -- getting better ratings than the Yankees!

Raissman recently pointed out that the Mets bringing back Cespedes should continue to be good business not just for the team, but for their ratings.

"In 2015, before the Mets acquired Cespedes from Detroit, SportsNet New York was averaging a 2.25 household rating, 202,911 total viewers, on its Mets telecasts. Once Cespedes arrived in Queens, the average rating increased by nearly a full point and over 100,000 total viewers.

Raissman wonders:

"Who on the current Yankees roster can produce those kind of results? Alex Rodriguez? That’s doubtful. Last season, on the comeback trail, A-Rod was a curiosity. This season, his story is not as compelling, unless the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network uses him in the booth when he’s not playing."

I agree. With the addition of Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees' bullpen is the best in baseball. But is that going to translate to more fannies in the seats, as George Steinbrenner would say? Or eyeballs on the televised games? I kind of doubt it.

The Mets have real star power now -- something that has been missing from Queens for a long time. Matt Harvey is the type of figure who transcends baseball. He even made it onto Andy Cohen's "Watch What Happens Live" a few weeks ago, where he talked about manscaping and threesomes and other assorted shenanigans. Then there's Thor, deGrom, David Wright, and the rest of the Mets, who many people in this town got to learn about during the postseason last year. The Yankees just don't have that same sort of buzz any more.

A big question, though, will be if the corporate money in this town heads to entertaining clients at Citi Field as opposed to Yankee Stadium. I think that trend has already started. Heck, I got invited to be in a Citi Field box twice this year -- once with work -- something that hadn't happened before. And if the Mets are contending this year out of the gate, this trend will accelerate.

The dirty little secret about sports fandom is what really moves the needle is not the diehards but the frontrunners. For the last two decades, the Yankees have been the more compelling team for the casual fan. Now it looks like the Mets are going to be the better story, as long as they continue to excel. And Citi Field is the nicer ballpark, with the better food -- something casual fans will discover when they show up.

It will be interesting to see how Yankeeland reacts if the Mets become the team to beat. The powers that be have been so arrogant in assuming that the good times will last forever, that I don't think they will know what hit them!

A tale of two teams: What will the Mets' success mean for the Yankees' attendance?

I've wondered a lot this fall about what the Mets' winning the 2015 NL Pennant is going to mean for their attendance -- and the Yankees' attendance next year. After all, the real jump in attendance that happens when a team gets good happens in the following year.

Look at what winning did for the Kansas City Royals' ticket sales, with their 2014 pennant-winning season:

2013: 1,750,754
2014: 1,956,482
2015: 2,708,549

Here's the Mets' home attendance for last year and this year:

2014: 2,148,808
2015: 2,569,753

And if history is any judge, the Mets should see a big jump in ticket attendance in 2016, especially if they have another good season. 

On the other hand, the Yankees' attendance is heading in the wrong direction:

2014: 3,401,624
2015: 3,193,795

That's the worst Yankee home attendance since 2000. And truth be told, a lot of the fans last year were dressed as empty seats.

The gap between the Yankees' and Mets' home ticket sales is 624,042, the closest it has been since 2009, the first year of the teams' new ballparks. And keep in mind that Yankee Stadium holds about 4,500 more seats than Citi FIeld does.

So what's going to happen next year? Well, look at how each team is marketing their 2016 ticket sales. I got an email the other day from the Yankees with this graphic:

How funny is it that A-Rod, the very guy the Yankees claimed last year was no longer marketable, is their marquee figure for marketing their tickets!

The Mets, on the other hand, are able to market their entire team's success for their ticket sales (what, you mean winning an AL Wild Card spot isn't exciting enough to put fannies in the seats for the Yankees?) Look at the email they recently sent out to their fans:

Yet the Yankees are supposedly going to keep on sticking to their budget, even though this is the best free agent class in years.

I am one of the Yankee fans who wants to see a successful Mets team. And it's not just because it's good for the Squawkers. It's because money is the only language that Hal Steinbrenner understands. So if more fans (and,more businesses buying and renting luxury boxes and purchasing fancy seats) spend money in Citi Field than Yankee Stadium, it will hurt the Yankees' bottom line. And it might ultimately force Prince Hal to shake up the team's manangement.

Most of the media hasn't really talked about this issue. But it's going to be interesting to see what happens next year, now that Mets fans are finally coming out of the closet again. (Let's face it -- until this year, you'd see more Red Sox gear in this town than Mets fan gear!) Get your popcorn ready.

Is it time for a Robinson Cano/Yankees reunion? I say yes!

Two years ago around this time, the Yankees were backing up the Brinks' truck to Jacoby Ellsbury's house, while they were pleading poverty to Robinson Cano. So how has that decision worked out so far? Horribly, I say.

Since the Yankees let Cano walk, something I was furious about at the time and am still peeved over, second base has been a disaster for the Yankees, most notably with Brian Cashman's and Joe Girardi's dogged insistence on playing Stephen Drew day in and day out. It took Drew suffering a vestibular concussion for him to finally get benched towards the end of the season last year. (Speaking of which, I think something might be wrong with Cashman's brain after all that bicycling without a helmet he does that he brags about, but I digress!)

Anyhow, there's been a lot of talk about Cano lately in this town. First, there were rumors that he might be traded for Ellsbury, rumors that have heated up again recently. Then Andy Van Slyke, former first-base coach for the Seattle Mariners, gave the worst exit interview ever after getting fired. Not only did he tell the world that Clayton Kershaw wants the Dodgers to dump Yasiel Puig (that gossip apparently courtesy of his son Scott, who is on LA.) But Van Slyke also claimed that Cano was "the single worst third-place, everyday player I’ve ever seen – I’ve ever seen for the first half of a baseball season," that he "couldn’t drive home Miss Daisy if he tried," and that he "played the worst defense I’ve ever seen at second base." Hyperbole much, dude?

Van Slyke also placed the blame for the mass firing of Seattle's manager and coaches at the feet of Cano's 2015 performance. Hmmmm. I think having a new general manager might have had a little something to do with it, but what do I know?

Granted, Cano's first half numbers for last year were putrid: .251/.290/.330, with only 6 homers and 30 RBI. But his second half numbers were very good, and that's *with* playing with a double hernia: .331/.387/.540 with 15 HR and 49 RBI. His total numbers were .287/.334/.446, with 21 homers and 79 RBI.

Not a great year for Cano, true, but a heck of a lot better than Stephen Drew's 2015 .201/.381/.652 slash line, and it's also better than Ellsbury's .257/.318/.345 numbers. Plus, Ellsbury missed over 50 games with injuries.  Incidentally, Cano had a variety of health woes in 2015, yet only missed 6 games. But, but, I thought he was a slacker?

At any rate, what does it say about what the Yankees think of Ellsbury, when they benched him in this year's Wild Card game? Not very much, it appears!

The other day, John Harper of the New York Daily News wrote about Cano, and interviewed Rich Donnelly, former Mariners' third-base coach, who also lost his job this fall. He said he would defend Cano "until the end of time" and talked about how Cano played when he was sick:

“I used to get upset when I’d hear people say Robbie didn’t hustle. I’d say, ‘Hell, he shouldn’t even be in the lineup.’ Robbie would always tell everybody, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’

In that same article, Harper says that "one long-time friend who spoke to [Cano] recently says the second baseman is not happy in Seattle, especially with a new regime in charge there now, and that he’d love to somehow find his way back to New York."

I would love for Cano to find his way back to New York, too. Even if it means taking on that massive contract. And you know it will happen someday. I'd rather have it happen now, when Cano still has some productive years in him, as opposed to the end of his contract, when he is past his prime.

My friend Sully has said all along that Cano would be back one day. And he recently did a podcast talking about it, and going through the list of how many Yankees have been reunited with the team after leaving. Roger Clemens. Andy Pettitte. Alfonso Soriano. Ramiro Mendoza. Mike Stanton, etc., etc. (He even mentioned names I forgot had two tours with the Yanks, like Charlie Hayes, Homer Bush, and Brian Boehringer!) I think Sully will be proven right, but the question is when.

ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand writes today about the rumors, and gives five reasons why Cano won't be back in the Bronx. Here's No. 2:

"The Bombers have moved on. The Yankees do need a second baseman, but while they very well might add someone this winter, right now their second basemen are Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley."

Oh, please. They were both better than Drew, but Cano is world's better than either of them. And last time I checked, this Yankee team needs some hitting. Do you think A-Rod and Teixeria are going to repeat what they did in 2015 in 2016? I sure don't!

Anyhow, I asked Yankee fan Facebook friends whether they wanted to see Cano back in pinstripes. Most didn't. But I do. And here's something that the Yankees may be considering: marketing purposes. This team is so devoid of stars as of late that they used A-Rod, the player they wanted to dump last winter, in their email marketing pitch for 2016 sales!

Not to mention that the Yanks now have a pennant-winning team in town to compete for ticket sales with. The Yankees drew 3.1 million last year, while the Mets drew 2.5 million. Do you think those numbers are going to change in 2016? I sure do, with the Mets going higher, and the Yanks going lower. Wouldn't putting Cano back in town not only immediately improve the Yankees, but improve ticket sales? And wouldn't that ease the financial hit of bringing him back? Just saying.

Time to bring back Robbie Cano, don't you know! Besides, it would make John Sterling happy! Doesn't that count for something?

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why this Yankee fan is rooting for the Mets to win the World Series

Squawker Jon and I just before the NLDS started.
Jon looks cautiously optimistic, as my brother said.

For once, Squawker Jon and I are on the same side when it comes to our rooting interests! And it feels more than a little strange.  Normally, we're at each others' throats at this time of year. Now we're actually getting together to watch games. It's like dogs and cats living together!

And even Red Sox fan BFF/frenemy Nick at Monstah Mash is rooting for the Mets. The fact we are all on the same side is a sure sign of something very strange afoot!

It has been an exciting postseason so far. I have watched more October baseball this year than I ever have in any year that the Yankees weren't really involved.

Especially the Mets. I have seen almost every pitch of every one of their nine playoff games to date. More than some Mets fans I know who have more of a life than me!

I wrote a few weeks ago why I wanted the Mets to win it all. (Click here to read why.) Not only would it be good for the Squawkers and my plans for world domination, but it would give my blogging partner and his fellow Mets fans something to talk about besides 1986. (Mets coach Tim Teufel recently said that even his fellow 1986 Mets are sick of hearing about the 1986 Mets!)

And it might also light a fire under Yankee brass. We all know that Hal Steinbrenner doesn't really care about baseball. But he does care about money. And if this town starts to become a Mets town, and his bottom line is threatened, he might actually wake up and shake things up in Yankeeland. Once rich people start entertaining their clients at Citi Field instead of Yankee Stadium, you'll see some real change.

John Scimeca, one of our longtime readers, shared this quote with me the other day: "Somehow I go back to 1969 when the Mets won the pennant and Yankees President Michael Burke sent the following telegram to M. Donald Grant of the Mets: 'Congratulations on being Number One - am rooting for you to hang in there and take all the marbles. As a New Yorker, I am ecstatic, as a baseball person, I am immensely pleased, and as a Yankee, I consider suicide the easy option.'" Heh.

The Mets winning has also given me a chance to be an altruist for once in my miserable life. I have been genuinely happy for Jon and my Met fan friends (and strangely enough, I have more Met fan friends than Yankee fan friends. Go figure.) They have waited 15 long years for this moment. And they haven't become completely insufferable yet. So let them enjoy this October. Let's go Mets, I say.

However, some of my Yankee fan brethren disagree, and are rooting against the Mets. They are also claiming that so-called "true" or "real" Yankee fans would not cheer for the folks from Flushing.

First of all, I hate the idea of "true" Yankee fans just as much as I do the self-appointed Yankee experts who deem players like A-Rod not a "true" Yankee.

And contrary to their opinion, there is nothing wrong with wanting the other New York team to win. Maybe it's because I lived in Texas for 15 years. But the rest of the country hates/envies New York. So what's wrong with wanting the fellow New York team to succeed? (Incidentally, they think of *all* of us New York transplants as "damn Yankees," for what it's worth!)

Look. If you are a Yankee fan and can't root for the Mets, knock yourself out. But don't tell me what I can do. I don't react well to that!

Thoughts on A-Rod turning 40, Teix's hissy fit, the Tulo-Reyes trade, and Shane Victorino, the Cryin' Hawaiian

I was excited to see Alex Rodriguez homer on his 40th birthday last night (his sixth on his B-Day, which sets an MLB record), but I went to bed early. So I missed the Mark Teixeira shenanigans. After he was thrown out at home plate by Leonys Martin, who robbed him of a homer earlier in the game, Teix threw the mother of all hissy fits, tossing around a trash can in the dugout. Turns out that Yankee third-base coach Joe Espada told Teixeira "easy" when rounding third, and it cost him the chance to score. And Mark openly criticized the coach to the media after the game.


 

Then I woke up this morning to see that the New York Daily News actually had a positive back page about A-Rod! I can't remember the last time that has happened, or if it has ever happened. Oddly enough, though, Bill Madden hasn't written about Alex lately. (Remember, Madden said Alex was "finished" as a player and would never play again. Hardball Talk lists the most egregious Madden pronouncements on Rodriguez.)

The New York Post, on the other hand, had a negative cover of Rodriguez, regarding him telling reporters yesterday that he was "clean." Pretty nifty Photoshop, though. Glad they made sure the "Mr. Clean" A-Rod had an earring!

But the News' back page wasn't the most shocking thing in the baseball world I saw this morning. No, the Troy Tulowitzki-Jose Reyes trade takes the trade for that. Toronto, along with Baltimore, is seven games behind the Yankees. But they are clearly going for it this season -- they haven't made the postseason since 1993, as Joel Sherman notes.

I think the Yankees have to be considered to be in the catbird seat for the postseason. But they still need another starting pitcher. Will it be Cole Hamels? Or David Price? Or somebody else?

And what about the Mets? They traded for ex-Yankee Tyler (The Yankee) Clippard last week. But they need a big hitter. Will it happen?

The trading deadline is this Friday at 4 p.m., just around the time I have to phone in to find out if I am going to be in jury duty next week! So that should be a momentous afternoon in a variety of ways. (Squawker Jon said this comment is very solipsistic, even for me!)

In other trading deadline news, Shane Victorino, aka the Flyin' Hawaiian, got traded from the Red Sox to the Angels. Victorino cried -- repeatedly -- in the presser announcing the deal. Dude, you should be happy to get out of Boston! The Angels actually have a playoff-worthy team!

Squawker Jon and I were talking about the trade, and I mentioned that Victorino is retiring the use of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" as his at-bat music. That song became a rallying cry for Red Sox Nation in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent World Series championship.

Jon knew the song but didn't know the title, so I had to mention the lyrics about "every little thing gonna be alright." His excuse was that he wasn't a Deadhead. Huh? What do the Grateful Dead have in common with Bob Marley? Oh, wait!

Shocker! There is actually some Mets talk today on Subway Squawkers!

Since Squawker Jon is very busy with a real-life work project, there hasn’t been much Mets Squawking in this blog lately. Heck, we’ve had more “Mad Men” talk lately than Mets talk! (Speaking of which, click here to hear a drunken Don Draper sing “Meet the Mets.” If I were in charge of the Yankees big-screen entertainment, I would have that clip played at the next Subway Series in Yankee Stadium! )

Anyhow, I wanted to talk about something one of the officers in my running club wrote a while back, because it relates to the reason for this blog: Mets fans vs. Yankees fans! Josh is a fellow blogger and a cool person, even if he is a Mets fan. And he has a theory about New York baseball fandom as it relates to runners.  His theory is that most New York runners will choose the Mets over the Yankees. He bases this on the fact that “while the Yankees have an illustrious history of being the winningest team in baseball, the Mets don’t.” So he writes the following:

Now if you consider the average runner as he is compared to all the other runners on a bell curve which includes the slowest and fastest runners in a race, he is most likely a middle-of-the-pack runner if not slower.  He or she is very unlikely to win anything at the end of a race except maybe a chance to break their own personal record.  This experience of continually “losing” races and trying to overcome a physical challenge naturally builds an underdog mentality in many runners.  The NY Mets have often been associated as the underdog team, so many runners can relate to them more than the Yankees.

Josh's theory also relates to the idea that hope springs eternal each year, both for runners and for Mets fans.

“Since many runners are middle-of-the-pack runners or slower, every new year represents a chance for them to do better and to break pr’s; in their point-of-view, to win.  This high level of personal optimism as runners gets transferred to a renewed optimism each year in a team that they can relate to with all their failed seasons that makes them feel that they are due for a long-awaited win.”

Long story short, Josh did some analytics here, surveying New York runners, and then surveying a control group. While the majority in both groups preferred the Yankees to the Mets, the runners did actually have a pretty healthy margin of Mets fans – 41% -- to the control group of non-runners, which only had 12.5% percent Mets fans. You can read the entire piece here.

This blog post confirms for me that everything is a matter of perspective. You see, the people in my running club seem to be very fast to me. Heck, Josh was a pacer for the Brooklyn Half-Marathon for those people running the race in two hours, and has run half-marathons on his own even faster than that. While I have improved a lot as a runner over the last year or so, I am still in the back of the pack. And the only way I am ever going to run a half-marathon in even two hours any time soon is if I take a cab from the starting line to Mile 5 or so in the race!

So if *these* runners have an “underdog mentality” and root for the Mets, what does that make me? A Toledo Mud Hens fan?  Or perhaps the club below is really the team that matches up to my current running skills.

Perspective is everything, and I have to keep on reminding myself when it comes to running to be the best I can be, and not focus on how I compare with others. However, in baseball, how you do against others is what is important. But even then, perspectives are different. My Houston Astros fan friends seem to be absolutely stunned that their team is still in first place, with the best record in the American League. 

And the Mets still have a better record than the Yankees this year, but you wouldn’t know it from the trash talk (or lack thereof) usually emanating from Flushing when the Mets are doing well. 

As for Yankeeland, the Bronx Bombers may have just swept Kansas City, and may be back in first place, but many Yankee fans, including myself, are still anxious about this season. With good reason! 

And here is my perspective. I want the Mets to make the postseason, and I of course want the Yankees to make the postseason. My own perspective is focused on this blog, and both teams being successful will be good for the Squawkers! Yes, I am a solipsist here. So sue me.

Subway Series Game 3: A-Rod hits #659, Yankees win, mayhem ensues

How are you feeling, Squawker Jon? Are you sore like Mr. Met, now that your team has lost two out of three to the Yankees? Did you forget how many outs there were, like Met Eric Campbell did tonight?

Boy, that was a sloppy, messy game. Bad pitching, lots of bad plays. Not exactly one for the highlight reels. But ultimately, the Yankees won, and they (and I) have the bragging rights. Sorry, Jon!

As for the ESPN broadcasters, It was funny hearing John Kruk talking about A-Rod guessing on pitches, and then get to see A-Rod "guess" his way to home run #659.  I also had to laugh about them second-guessing on the A-Rod milestone thing, suggesting that they weren't going to tell him what to do, and then doing just that.

Sorry, folks, but I don't care if Alex wants to spend his $6 million on portraits of himself as great men in history. A-Rod as Napoleon! A-Rod as Patton! A-Rod as Einstein! It's his money. He doesn't need to promise to give it to charity or anything else.

Show A-Rod the money!

The Yankees signed the A-Rod contract in December 2007, the exact date that the Mitchell Report was released, and four months after Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record. They could have put contingencies in there. They didn't. Am I supposed to feel sorry that a $4 billion team is going to have to pay $6 million -- pocket change for them -- for a contract they signed? No way.

My friend Joe had this great comment on Facebook tonight:

When A-Rod hits his next home run I want him to cross home plate, point to the owners box, and do the Johnny Manziel money sign. The back page of the NY Post needs this to happen.

I agree, Joe! 

Subway Series Game 2: Call it a 'Lisaography' -- Let's pretend this game didn't happen

A toast -- to myself! -- after a grueling obstacle race.

So much for my predictions about A-Rod hitting No. 660 off Matt Harvey. So much for the Yankees' hitting off Matt Harvey. So much for CC Sabathia being an effective major league pitcher! Oy, what a nightmare. Game 2 of the Subway Series was not fun.

Squawker Jon, I actually did have an excuse as to why I hadn't written about yesterday's game, aside from it being my version of "Yankeeography." In the "Lisaography," I wish we could pretend Saturday's game didn't happen!

The state of my trail shoes -- and my socks! -- after the race.

As for my valid excuse, this morning I was at the High Rock Solo, an obstacle race on Staten Island. It is the local version of a Spartan Race. Our readers may remember that when I did the Spartan Race last April, I couldn't do the
climbing obstacles, so I had to do 90 burpees in a row. (Click here if you haven't read my Guideposts article.) Anyhow, one year later, guess what? I still can't do the climby things. (Even if I had wanted to try, my arm is still messed up and sore from the chafing from my half-marathon, so I wasn't going to try! Maybe next year.) So I had to do a lot of jumping jacks -- 25 for each obstacle I missed!

Ranger Ropes: one of the obstacles at
the High Rock Solo. Courtesy
of Run & Shoot Photography

This race was four miles of trail running and over 25 obstacles, including a mud challenge that my shoes got stuck in -- what a nightmare! I had one shoe get stuck so badly that I had to take my foot out in order to get my shoe out. Then it happened with the other shoe. And that was before the first mile was done!

There were a lot of hurdles -- as in literal hurdles -- to do in the race. We also had a slip 'n' slide type thing, which was great fun. Also, my trail running was more like trail walking, as I was very careful not to slip 'n' fall and hurt myself.

My biggest obstacle was the Ranger Ropes shortly before the end of the race.  This consisted of two metal cables strung over a pond. One cable you hang onto with your hands, and one cable you hang onto with your feet. It looked horrible! I was about to skip it and just do the jumping jacks, as I figured I would fall off and end up in the water. But my friend Brian from the running club I belong to suggested I just try it for a few steps. Once I was on, I was hooked, so to speak, and ended up going further! I was scared the whole time, and was sure I was going to fall. But somehow, I ended up finishing -- without falling in! It was a miracle!

After finishing the race, I got a medal and also got to relax with an adult beverage. Squawker Jon, they have a High Rock Challenge for duos. Whaddaya say we do it together next year?

As for Saturday's game, I leave you with this: Matt Harvey's comments about him showing up for Derek Jeter's last home game -- the Yankees were his childhood fave team. Jeremy Schaap recently asked him about that, and why Mets fans were bent out of shape over it. He said (emphasis added):

“I definitely see that side of it,” Harvey answered. “I completely understand. But the other side is that I have bled in a Mets uniform. I’ve definitely sweat in a Mets uniform. And that’s my life. Right now, that’s who I play for.”

Right now, he's a Met. In 2019 (or 2024 or something!), I fully expect Harvey to be wearing pinstripes!

Editorial note: As I wrote this Squawk, A-Rod hit No. 659. Gentlemen, start your lawsuits!

Subway Series Game 1: Squawking Mets fans get their comeuppance

Yes, I know I am writing my Game 1 wrapup after Game 2. So sue me!

Anyhow, Squawker Jon and I didn't buy Subway Series tickets months ago, as we should have. And because this series has been a hot ticket, with even standing room only tickets going for $80 and up on the secondary market for Friday's game, and Harvey Day tix going for $150 and up, it wasn't looking good for the Subway Squawkers to get Subway Series tickets.

The 7 Line is in the top left part of the picture.
The seats in this picture were more full
than the expensive seats.

However, I threw out to the universe that we needed tickets. (Although, not in this blog -- Squawker Jon made me take out my line about needing Subway Series tickets. He thought it was too "beggy"!) My request finally worked, though. On Friday afternoon, one of the directors at my day job came through with free two tickets for us, courtesy of a certain TV network, in the main level of Yankee Stadium. This included access to the Audi Club and the Mohegan Sun Club, both places I had never gotten to visit! I was so happy to get these tickets!

This was great -- not only to get to see Friday's game, and see it in good seats, but to give Jon a bit of comeuppance, after his mocking my throwing our ticket request out to the universe! (Incidentally, after all this, Jon "joked" to me during Saturday's game that I should have gotten us tickets for *that* game! Sheesh.)

The tickets Jon thought I would never get!

Anyhow, before the game, we checked out both clubs to see what was what. In retrospect, given how much Squawker Jon griped about the weather (you can read him whining about the cold and the price of hot chocolate here), we probably should have gone to one of the clubs later on in the game. But then Jon probably would have found something else to whine about, like Yankee fans!

As expected, Yankee Stadium food choices were awful. We were sitting near the Papa John's pizza stand. Most popular pizza city in the world, and your pizza choice is Papa John? Really? Before the game, Jon found the Parm stand, which is hidden in a different place it was hidden in from last year. I tried the fried chicken and waffles stand, sponsored by Aunt Jemima. It is a sorry commentary on the food at Yankee Stadium that my chicken and waffle sliders meal, with the waffle courtesy of a corporate food company, was one of the only edible things I have ever eaten at the ballpark!

Yes, that is an A-Rod shirt!

When looking online for a photo of the sliders, I found this quote last year from the person in charge of cuisine at Yankee Stadium:

"We are always trying to push the culinary envelope, making sure that we align ourselves with current culinary trends and our guests' expectations," said Yankee Stadium Executive Chef, Matt Gibson. "For us, it is important to make sure that everyone who walks through the gates of Yankee Stadium has a memorable food experience."

Yeah, nothing says pushing the culinary envelope like the Johnny Rockets' stand. And I guess the time I got food poisoning after eating the Yankee Stadium sushi was memorable. As was seeing how the once expensive but delicious Lobel's prime rib sandwich is now expensive and disgusting (and not delicious.) C'mon, Yankees -- step up your food game already!

Subway Series t-shirt in the Yankees clubhouse shop.

Anyhow, the game itself was perfect for Yankee fans. Even though there were four (!) sections of the 7 Line Army at the game, the Met fans didn't really have much to cheer about, as the Yankees started mauling on Jacob DeGrom right from the beginning. Some Rookie of the Year! And as Jon noted, we had a great view of all of the homers flying out of the ballpark, including Mark Teixeira's two homers!

I do think the entertainment between innings is pretty lame. You have Alex Rodriguez, the most charismatic player on the team, but you don't use him in your skits, in favor of an assortment of indistinguishable, unmemorable players? Not to mention Brian Cashman inserting himself into a skit. Good grief. 

But the game was great for Yankee fans, shutting up most Met fans pretty early. However, when I went to go use the restroom during the game when the score was 6-0 Yankees, I heard some Met fan yelling "Yankees suck" over and over. I took the bait and yelled back, "Scoreboard!" The fan busted out laughing and said that he was looking for a reaction, but everybody else was ignoring him. We talked a little and laughed a little, and he ended up hugging me!  This is the Mets' "Army" for you -- even the trash talkers aren't very fierce!

At about the sixth inning or so, two knuckleheaded Yankee fans -- a young woman and a young man -- sat right behind us, as the people behind us had either left for the night, or gone into one of the clubs to warm up. (Incidentally, the game's official attendance was 45,310, but the stands were more empty than you would think for such a Subway Series game. Many of the people in the expensive seats either didn't show up, or were in the clubs all evening.)

Anyhow, this twosome, especially the woman, were foulmouthed, even by ballpark standards. This woman, who was more than a little wasted, screamed at her companion for at least two minutes straight, unleashing epithets that would make a drunken sailor blush. And she wouldn't shut up. I told Jon by the eighth inning that if we didn't move elsewhere, I was going to say something to her, and it wasn't going to end well! So we moved a level down, and watched the rest of the game from the back of the field level.

I had noticed that at that the t-shirt stand near us didn't have any A-Rod stuff. So at the end of the game, I went to the official Yankees clubhouse store, and did find some A-Rod shirts. But no dirt capsules!

I am off to the solo version of the High Rock Challenge (click to see what madness I am doing today!), so my Game 2 report will not be written until this afternoon. So sue me!

I'm calling it now: A-Rod will hit HR No. 660 against Matt Harvey and the Mets this weekend!

Squawker Jon and I were getting a bite to eat on Friday night when we heard that Alex Rodriguez had hit home run No. 657. It was almost as if the homer were a statement against Joe Girardi batting him sixth (!) that night, even though Alex was the hottest hitter on the team. I quickly did the math in my head and declared: "A-Rod's gonna hit 660 off Matt Harvey!" in the Subway Series next weekend. I also posted my declaration on social media for posterity.

Later on that evening, A-Rod hit No. 658, and it seemed, given him hitting four home runs in 10 days, as if he could get two more homers this weekend. No matter. Given how much A-Rod has a flair for the dramatic, I just couldn't see him matching Willie Mays when the Yankees were on the road. No, I think he is going to do it at home, most likely in the Subway Series, and most likely against Matt Harvey, the biggest name on the New York Mets. And now that the Mets are the hottest team in baseball, with 10 wins in a row, this will make him setting the record even sweeter! Of course, I could be wrong, and A-Rod could go hitless for the weekend (and Squawker Jon could mock me mercilessly!), but I am still sticking to my prediction!

In this morning's New York Post, Ken Davidoff had some conflicting "inside details" about what will happen when Alex hits 660.

According to two sources familiar with the situation, when Rodriguez goes deep with number 660, the Yankees will have a precise period of time — two weeks, as per one of the sources — to declare this as a marketable milestone. If they were to do this, then Rodriguez would sign over the rights to his image and associated branding for the price of $6 million. 

I don't buy this, and here's why: If you were to be selling branded stuff revolving around this, you would need it ready to go at the time that people would buy the items. That would mean having it made up at the time A-Rod hits #660. Remember how Derek Jeter wore a hat and t-shirt with a logo of himself honoring his hitting #3000 in the post-game press conference after he got his 3000th hit? Remember how Steiner Sports was selling autographed merchandise before that milestone, which Jeter signed when he skipped the All-Star Game? Two weeks after #660 is ancient history.

Brian Cashman (l.) and Randy Levine spotted
visiting their attorney to discuss the
A-Rod milestone controversy.

Davidoff also writes that "another person involved in the dispute claims Rodriguez is entitled to his $6 million bonus money immediately upon hitting home run 660." This seems much more likely. The rest of this stuff is Yankee spin, like the way that they think that not mentioning the home run milestone in their press materials will keep it from being a milestone. Who is advising the Yankees -- Lionel Hutz?

Another leak to Davidoff concerns the idea that the Yankees could bring up in the arbitration hearing "past transgressions, including some that have yet to be affirmed," like A-Rod's relationship with Anthony Galea. But couldn't A-Rod's people bring up stuff on the Yankees, like the likelihood that they knew that he (and other players) were juicing? Or bring up the fact that the Yankees are marketing Andy Pettitte, an admitted PED user, even giving him a retired number, a plaque in Monument Park, and his own day?

Aside from A-Rod's flair for the dramatic, I think Alex will hit 660 at home, whether against Matt Harvey or some other pitcher, because of the fact that he will get a huge ovation and a curtain call when he does so. And it is going to be hard for the Yankees to claim that they cannot market his home run milestone if a big crowd, many of them wearing A-Rod shirts, roar in approval of his achievement! Not to mention if A-Rod's teammates celebrate it on the field.

But then again, the leadership of this team is known to talk out of both sides of their mouth. Like this gem in today's paper from Girardi to George King of the Post about A-Rod's steroid suspension: "He paid the consequences and we had to struggle through it because we didn’t have him."

Let me get this straight: Girardi and Cashman and Levine and Hal Steinbrenner have been trying to marginalize A-Rod and get him off the team for years now, but they are somehow the victims here, struggling through the 2014 season without Rodriguez? The same A-Rod that Girardi has had bat sixth and seventh this season, while he had the washed-up Carlos Beltran bat third? Really? Good grief.

In other news, did you see ESPN's Andrew Marchand's entertaining recap of A-Rod sparring with an out-of-town writer? The reporter kept on asking Alex over and over about A-Rod being a "villain" and being booed on the road, to which he finally responded:

A-Rod: I've been booed for 15 years, buddy. I don't know if you haven't been around. It's been one long boo for 15 years.

Love it -- especially his use of "buddy." I do the same thing! If I have called you "buddy" or dude" when I'm talking to you, it is not a compliment!

Contest: Rabble.TV giving you free jersey, alternative to Joe Buck

Squawker readers know how much certain baseball broadcasters drive me nuts. Now there is a solution to this issue: Rabble.TV. And to let our readers know about their new service, where you can mute the broadcasters and do your own squawking instead. Read on to learn about Rabble.TV and how you can win a free Yankees or Mets jersey!

 Know what’s pretty annoying? When the Yankees or Mets are the Fox National Game of the Week and we’re stuck with Joe Buck.

No more, baseball fans! Rabble.TV just launched its live audio streaming service and iOS app to give you alternative ways to listen to Yankees and Mets games this year. The games are broadcast by fellow passionate and (gasp!) knowledgeable fans just like you.

What’s even better is you can finally prove you’re better than Mr. Buck by broadcasting and commenting on games yourself. Having friends over during the games? Rabble.TV lets all of you comment, joke, jeer, and jest (think Mystery Science Theater 3000 for baseball).

So to celebrate Rabble’s launch and another season of Yanks and Mets baseball, we’re partnering with them to give one lucky fan a sweet jersey. The winner will get to choose any jersey priced at $79.95 or lower, including this sweet Doc Gooden throwback. (Jersey and sizes subject to availability on Fanatics.)

Here’s How to Enter to Win Your Free Jersey:

·         In the comments section below, give us your favorite, funniest, or most memorable Yankees or Mets opening day memory

·         We’ll select the best comment and contact the winner after Monday, April 13

·         Comments must be submitted by 11:59 ET on Sunday, April 12th

About Rabble.TV

·         Broadcast live Yankees and Mets games to listeners all over the world

·         Listen to passionate and humorous fan-created commentary on any TV show or sporting event

·         iOS mobile companion app lets baseball fans listen to games from anywhere, including those typically blacked out in your local market

·         You don’t need to audition for a broadcasting spot – just sign up and start Rabbling today

Which New York team looks the best?

The following is a guest column from Mark Simpson:

Fans in New York City have not had a lot to cheer about in the last couple of seasons, as both the Yankees and Mets have gone through some tough times. With spring brings optimism, and that means both fan bases feel like 2015 could be the year to put it all back together. So which team will actually be better this year?

New York Mets

David Wright might still be the face of the franchise, but this team is going to win games this season with a very strong pitching staff. Although they have a lot of young and talented guys, they are not exactly proven just yet. Their most proven youngster is Matt Harvey, but he is returning from major arm surgery and might not be ready to go until the middle of the year. Fantasy baseball owners are going to be looking forward to what guys such as Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom can do.

Offense is going to be a little bit of a struggle, as they bring back most of the same team from a year ago. Michael Cuddyer has been solid in the last few years, but that was in Colorado plane in Coors Field. It will be a little bit more difficult for him to hit the same way at Citi Field.

Washington stands in their way in the division, but there is no reason why the Mets can’t compete for a wild card in the National League.

New York Yankees

It is going to be weird not seeing #2 playing shortstop for the Yankees, but the Derek Jeter era is finally over. The biggest storylines surrounding the team right now happens to be CC Sabathia’s weight and Alex Rodriguez’s distraction level. These two former superstars pretty much illustrate everything wrong with the franchise right now. They are still one of the oldest teams in the game, and they are not going to be taken seriously in the American League East until they get younger and better.

The American League East might not be as difficult as it has been in the past, but the Boston Red Sox are coming back stronger than ever in 2015. Baltimore should still be solid, and Toronto looks like they have the best team on paper in the last few years. New York will need to stay very healthy with their old roster, and some of their younger guys will need to have career seasons just to make the playoffs. 

 At the end of the day, it looks like the New York Mets actually have a better shot at making the playoffs and having a more successful season in 2015 than the New York Yankees. Anything can happen, but the very least, they look a lot more promising with their younger roster.

This $250 ticket contest is causing a Rukkus!

Subway Squawkers is celebrating the new year by teaming up with our buddies over at sports ticket search engine, Rukkus, to get you Yankees and Mets tickets for free. Want to see the Yankees play the Sox? The Mets play the Phillies? How about tickets to the subway series itself? No matter what you're looking for, we'll get you to the game. Click here to learn more! The contest runs until January 2.

What's going on with Yankee ticket sales? Subway Series tickets are being discounted by the team!

New York Yankees president Randy Levine can blather all he want about the evil StubHub somehow lowering attendance, but what does he have to say about this? Goldstar, with the full permission and cooperation of the New York Yankees, is marketing discounted tickets to the Subway Series! Yes, you heard that right. Not only is the Subway Series, usually a perennial hot ticket, not sold out at Yankee Stadium this year, but the team is having to market tickets for below face value in order to get fans into the ballpark!

Right now, field level, main level, and terrace level tickets are available at a 20% discount for Friday and Sunday. These are some of the better seats in the ballpark. The tickets are going for $48-$72 for Friday, and $64-$180 on Sunday.

Goldstar is a discount ticket service that works more like Theatermania than StubHub in that the entities themselves market direct tickets for their newsletter and website. For example, Squawker Jon and I went to a concert at Avery Fisher Hall last week, which had discounted tickets through the service. The Yankees have sold some of their Audi seating and other more expensive seating in the past through Goldstar, but this is the first time I have seen them market big games like the Subway Series through the service.

The thing of it is, though, that this is one series where StubHub prices are being sold for above face value -- at least the less expensive seats like the grandstand and bleachers and standing room only. So it's very interesting that the Yanks are doing this for this series, but telling, in that these are pricey seats that have never moved from Yankees.com, due to lack of interest. Hmmmm, maybe the Yanks ought to realize that those seats are overpriced in the first place.

In other news, Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York had an "exclusive" story where some unnamed Yankee official fulminated about how StubHub was unfair to season ticket holders. Oh, please. The next time the Yanks care about the Joe Average season ticket holder -- especially those holding partial plans -- will be the first time. As Squawker reader EateggsEveryMorning put it:

Thank you, great post. I agree on every point. I had the 15-game Sunday plan for many years and loved it. Then they built the new stadium and switched my plan to a Monday-Tuesday plan without telling me. I couldn't go to most of the games, and could barely sell them for $5 on StubHub. Now they've taken all the premium Sunday games out of the Sunday plan and added 3 mid-week games, so it's not even really a Sunday plan. That, the no-post-season-guarantee thing, higher ticket prices and higher parking fees makes it a non-seller. Basically less for more. I've been contacted 3 times this year by the Yankees begging me to buy the plan. Not a chance.

The unnamed Yankee official also claimed that professional ticket brokers were "shorting" the sales, and claimed that StubHub was allowing tickets to be put on sale before they were printed. Um, guys, season ticket holders know what seats they have, which is how they listed them. Why is that so difficult for them to understand?

I've heard and read all sorts of horror stories about how the Yankes have messed with those with partial plans -- making their tickets worse, taking away Opening Day and Old Timers' Day, adding games they don't want, and taking away games they do want, and raising prices. Now we are supposed to believe that Randy Levine et al are just concerned about their season ticket holders? Puh-lease.

There is a lower demand for tickets this year, which is why prices are dropping. But instead of examining why that is so, Randy Levine and his crew would rather come up with conspiracy theories about the evils of StubHub, the entity that has done a heck of a lot more to make reasonably priced tickets affordable and available to the average fan than the Yanks have.

This is one of the down sides of being a Yankee fan -- an arrogant front office with entitled people who, at best, take their fans for granted, or at worst, screw their fans over time and time again. And we're stuck with all of them for the foreseeable future, because the Steinbrenner kids, unlike their father, never see the need to ever fire anybody. Lovely.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Yankees ruin Fenway's 100th birthday party

Shocker -- Squawker Jon and I had an argument over today's New York Post cover. I left a message telling Jon to check it out -- it features, of course, Alex Rodriguez hitting a homer to help beat the Boston Red Sox and put a damper on Fenway Park's 100th anniversary celebration, with the headline "100 Years of Ass Kicking."

Anyhow, here is the email I received from Jon in return, with the subject line "The Math Is a Little Off':

Since 2003:
Championships: Red Sox 2, Yankees 1
Pennants: Red Sox 2, Yankees 1
Head-to-Head Playoff Series: Red Sox 1, Yankees 0

Nice "Met math" we have going there. 100 years gets cut down to eight. And he doesn't even actually include 2003, a year the Yanks beat the Red Sox head-to-head in the ALCS. Lovely.

So, Jon, if you want to cut 100 years down to eight, I have a few suggestions for the years to pick:

1936-1943:
Championships: Yankees 6, Red Sox 0

Pennants: Yankees 7, Red Sox 0


or maybe these eight years:

1949-1956:

Championships: Yankees 6, Red Sox 0

Pennants: Yankees 7, Red Sox 0


or how about these eight years?:

1996-2003:

Championships: Yankees 4, Red Sox 0

Pennants: Yankees 6, Red Sox 0
Head-to-Head Playoff Series:  Yankees 2,  Red Sox 0
Mets Being Humiliated as the Yankees Beat Them Head-to-Head in the World Series: 1

You see? This is why the Yankees simply had to beat the Mets in the 200 World Series. Because the way the Met math works, like the way Jon tries to twist around the Yankees/Red Sox numbers to most disfavor the Yankees, it would not matter how many times the Yanks beat the Mets head-to-head, or how many rings the Bombers had. In Met math, like it is in Red Sox math, every other time the Yanks dominated the other team would not matter if the Yanks had lost head-to-head.

Fortunately, Jon's Mets did not win in 2000. So all he has to crow about is how another team did against the Yanks in some teensy slice of history. Is that all ya got, buddy?


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Farewell to Jason Varitek: the catcher who fights like a girl

So new Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is trying to ingratiate himself with Red Sox Nation by, among other things, praising retiring catcher Jason Varitek saying the Red Sox captain was "able to beat up Alex" Rodriguez. (Bobby V also said that Derek Jeter never actually practiced the flip play, and he nearly hurt himself the next day having to do a 180 and take that back!)

Anyhow, I have never understood why Red Sox fans praise that "fight" as being some great moment for their team, nor do I think that Tek "beat up" anybody. Because, frankly, Jason Varitek fought like a girl in the brouhaha. First of all, you cannot be considered a tough guy when you keep your catcher's mask during a fight. Some warrior. Second, he kept his catcher's mitt on, too. Third, he grabbed at A-Rod's face like a girl would in a hair-pulling snit fit or something. Fourth, he grabbed at Alex's crotch, too. Again, that's fighting like a girl, too.

The whole "fight" was stupid -- and orchestrated. If you may remember, Rodriguez helped the Yanks beat the Red Sox the night before, so Bronson (aka "Brandon," as A-Rod always called him) Arroyo plunked A-Rod to start something, one of the many, many times Yankees got plunked over the years by Boston pitchers. (And how long did it take for David Ortiz to get his? A decade? But I digress.)

Here is what one Red Sox blogger said the other day praising Varitek in the week that, as he puts it, "the warrior is hanging up his armor" (you mean the catcher's mask he hid in?) Emphasis added by me:

Arroyo buzzed him squarely in the back on his second trip to the plate. Rodriguez didn't like it and started jawing (that's polite for cursing out Arroyo) as he slowly walked to first base.


Sox catcher Jason Varitek decidedly didn't like what he heard, stood between Arroyo and ARod, asked ARod to repeat himself, ARod obliged and it was on. Rodriguez's head jolted back as Tek mashed his face with his catcher's mitt and then, frankly, raunched him by getting his right arm under ARod's crotch and clasped his left hand behind the ARod's buttocks and lifted. It hurts just to write about it.

Oooh, what a fighter! Puh-lease.

Look, other than the fight, I really don't dislike Varitek -- he stood up and participated in the "It Gets Better" project, and he seems like a decent enough guy, although his leadership during the fried chicken and beer brouhaha last year left something to be desired. For years, he hasn't even cracked  my least favorite Red Sox list. But please, stop telling me what a great fighter Varitek was against A-Rod. I've seen tougher fights in the girls' bathroom in high school.

What do you say? Does Jason Varitek fight like a girl?

Brian Cashman Claims He Never Wanted to Be GM of the Yankees

Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein did one of those "A Conversation With..." blah blah blah type things in Connecticut the other day. And to my complete lack of surprise, Cashman kept up his record about complaining about his job more than anybody in the history of the world, griping about how difficult George Steinbrenner was, and even claiming that Cashman didn't ever really want to be GM of the Yanks. (Really?)

"I never wanted to be the general manager of the New York Yankees," Brian Cashman said, according to Yahoo Sports. "I still don't." Dylan Stableford, the writer of the article, said, "You would think he was joking, but he said it twice."

Brian is babbling sheer nonsense. Why does Cashman say this type of hokum? What is his point, exactly? It's about as believable of the Southern woman who spends days and dollars buying the right dress, then says, "Oh, this old thing" when complimented on it. Fiddle-dee-dee!

The thing is, you don't work your way up the food chain, putting in the crazy, long hours that MLB front office people do, if you don't have your eye on some kind of prize at the end. I interviewed some MLB staffers for an upcoming magazine article, and every single person said how long the hours were. Every day. All year. So why did Cashman put in those sort of hours? Because it was all so he could one day have the honor of being a celebrity bartender at Foley's?
  
And why did Cash not just stay as general manager since 1998, but just sign a new contract with the Yankees, if he really didn't want to be the GM? Because he just wanted to get a chance to rappel down Yankee Stadium in the future?

Here's more from the event. George Steinbrenner "would overreact in every inning. Every inning of every game was Armageddon. He was that way," Cashman said, according to ESPN New York. "That was tough to work through, it really was because everything was the short term, here and now, there was no long term, it was what are you doing in this moment and how are you doing, if you are doing well in this moment." 

Complaining about Steinbrenner being a tough boss is like somebody dating Kim Kardashian in 2012 and griping that she's more interested in publicity than love. You go to work for Steinbrenner, you can't expect sunshine and lollipops every minute.


But even then, we know that the Boss wasn't as tough in the later years as his reputation, and various health reasons ended the Steinbrenner of old. If he were the same old Steinbrenner, heads would have rolled after 2004, for one thing. Yet everybody in power got to keep their jobs after the worst collapse in MLB history. How did that work?
At any rate, nothing is more tedious than hearing people of privilege like Cashman, who have money and fame and power, gripe about how hard their lives are. He ought to team up with actress Katherine Heigl, who is known to do the same sort of moaning about how brutal her life is. Maybe they can go visit some people struggling right here in the good ol' USA, and see how good they have it. Or maybe they can make their tales of woe into a movie -- "Two for the Money."

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why Jose Reyes Leaving the Mets Is Bad for the Squawkers

When I heard that Jose Reyes was going to be a Miami Marlin, I was just as irate as Squawker Jon was. In fact, I wrote this article for a business publication talking about how Jose Reyes is Bernie Madoff's most recent victim. It's ridiculous that a team in the biggest market in the country, with a successful cable network, is acting like somebody in line at the dollar store, thanks to all the money they invested in what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme.

It's long past time for Frugal Freddy Wilpon and his idiot son Jeff to be on their merry way, and have to sell the team and let the Mets have a real owner. Heck, as problematic as George Steinbrenner could be at times, there was no doubt that he loved the New York Yankees. I don't know if Fred Wilpon has ever been a Mets fan. From making Citi Field into the new Ebbets Field, to his derogatory comments to Jeffrey Toobin in that New Yorker interview, Wilpon is the embedded Brooklyn Dodgers fan.

You know, people say that rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel, or Microsoft, but I say that rooting for the Mets is like being the frog in the Scorpion and the Frog allegory. You may know the story -- the scorpion begs the frog for a ride on his back across the lake. The frog is afraid to take this passenger, but the scorpion says that he wouldn't sting him, because it would doom him both. Then the scorpion stings him anyway, they both start to drown, and when the dying frog asks him why he did it, the scorpion says that doing so is his nature. That's the Mets for you. How dare any fan expect them to re-sign their homegrown hero after they cut payroll this year. It's in their nature to sabotage their own team, and decrease attendance and fan interest, by letting Reyes walk. Good grief.

Anyhow, when Squawker Jon and I started writing this blog, way back in 2006, the Yankees and Mets looked to be close to being on even footing. And in fact, the Mets went further than the Yankees did that year, nearly making it to the World Series. Ever since then, the Metropolitans are on a downward spiral. And it was all fun and games to make fun of the Mets 2007 collapse, and 2008 collapse, and the Castillo dropped pop-up, now it's getting just plain sad.

And it's taken an important trash talk dynamic out of Subway Squawkers. I have had to pull my punches bigtime, because I didn't want to look like a bully beating up on Squawker Jon's Mets. For example, I had a great trash talk line prepared tonight, about how the Mets ditched a closer named Francisco with anger-management issues, only to pick up another closer named Francisco with anger-management issues. But if I really unleashed it, I would look like I was part of the 1% beating up on the 99%. Bummer.

So I actually want the Mets to get better, so mocking them won't make me look like a big meanie. It's up to you, Bud Selig. Time to do what you did to Frank McCourt to your buddies, Fred and Jeff Wilpon. They have to go.  The future of the Squawkers depends on it!


What do you think? Tell us about it!

A.J. Burnett, "The Godfather," and Fickle Fandom

It's a miracle! As I had hoped and predicted, A.J. Burnett kept with a contrariness of his career by actually pitching a great game Tuesday, after a shaky first inning.

Two things settled him down, I think. That first was Curtis Granderson's great catch (the first of two terrific Grandy Man catches of the night.) The second was the little discussion pitching coach Larry Rothschild had with Burnett after the first. Supposedly, the two talked mechanics, but I would like to think the talk went a little more like this:



Anyhow, while I wrote the other day that A.J. "could erase the last two years with one gutty, gritty performance," I then remembered the fanbase the Yankees have, where some scapegoated players never get redeemed, no matter what they do. (Not that A.J. hasn't given people a lot of reason to be frustrated with him, but he did save the Yankees' 2009 season with a great performance in Game 2 of the World Series. To me, that's what's the most frustrating about Burnett -- there is a Good A.J. in there!)

But the next time Burnett has a bad start, this game will be forgotten with some of the fan base, even though Derek Jeter said: "Trust me -- I'm pretty sure all New York fans will remember this game as opposed to some of the other games." Not everybody will. Remember that the A-Rod haters have forgotten his two MVPs as a Yankee, and his 6 homers and 18 RBI in the 2009 postseason.

I saw it on Facebook Tuesday night. One person I saw screamed "TradeRod" when he only hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run. (Good luck with trading that contract!) Another posted on my wall that he read that AROD stood for "Another Regular October Disappointment," and when I responded "Who cares?," he said that "True Yankee fans care." (Um, I thought that True Yankee fans remembered what he did in 2009 to get the team No. 27!) A third said that the only reason Rodriguez got two hits Tuesday is because the game was already in hand. (And if he hadn't gotten a hit, he would still be Chokey McChoker, of course.)

Anyhow, A.J. did built up some goodwill with the fans with his great performance Tuesday. But unlike some Yankee players, who will never get criticized, Burnett's leash with the fans will be about as short as Joe Girardi's leash on him Tuesday night. Expect this game to go down the ol' memory hole with some fans, the way A-Rod's 2009 performance for the ages has been forgotten.

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Squawker Jon had this to say, after Jesus Montero got his first hit in his postseason, after his first at-bat in the postseason. He noted that it only took Montero one at-bat with runners in scoring position to get an RBI, while it took Nick Swisher 30 at-bats to do it. Harsh!

One other thing. I listened to the presser of Ivan Nova. Some members of the media were annoyed that he said he didn't feel any pressure over Game 5, asking him over and over why not? I guess they expected him to appear in the fetal position or something, hoping that he would cry "It's all too much!"

What do you think? Tell us about it!