David Segui got a vote? Sure, why not?

Each year there is a sympathy vote given here and there to a player for the Hall of Fame.

Jay Buhner got a vote in 2007… no doubt from a sports writer who thought Jay was a hell of a nice guy.

Now one of these years, some player will buy 405 sports writers a lobster dinner and have them throw in a “he’s a hell of a nice guy” vote and we’ll see someone like Bobby Higginson in the Hall of Fame… but I digress.

David Segui got a single vote this year, and it is no doubt bewildering to some. Mike over at The Sport’s Pig Blog demands to know who it was.

But I think in a way, as a protest vote, it kind of makes sense.

Not in terms of his stats. He played 150 games once over a 15 year career. Hit over 20 homers once. He never once sniffed an All Star Game.

He was a good .291 career hitter with a career OPS of .802 which I think is good. But nothing special.

And if anyone knows anything about Segui, it was he was a juicer.

And frankly he isn’t the best advertisement for ‘roids use. If a talented hitter was on the juice, shouldn’t they be putting up massive numbers… like McGwire or Rafael Palmeiro.

But what did David do that McGwire, Palmeiro, Bonds, Clemens et al didn’t?

HE ADMITTED IT!

And in the end, isn’t that what people are pissed about regarding the ‘roids? Being lied to.

When A-Rod and Pettite admitted to being juicers, didn’t people start to move on?

What they did was the same as Clemens and Palmeiro did…

but they didn’t go to Congress and say the didn’t use anything…

and they didn’t wag their finger at Congress.

(Isn’t it odd that Jose Canseco dropped off of the ballot so quickly and yet Mark McGwire is sticking around?)

Maybe the vote for Segui was a vote for “just admitting it.”

Oh who am I kidding? He was a mediocre player and some writer lost his damn mind.

The one good thing about Blyleven NOT being elected...

is I get to dust off this old post again NEXT year!

I am sure that isn't much consolation for Bert... but it makes MY job easier.

Blank Ballots?

5 writers left their Hall of Fame ballots blank.

That’s what Bob Costas said on MLB Network, and why would Bob Costas lie to us?

So that means there were 5 sports writers who looked at the 2010 ballot and said “Nope, no Hall of Famers here.”

I want to know who those 5 were.

And then take a close look at the ballot NEXT year… If they voted for anyone next year who was on the ballot THIS year, they should have their voting privileges removed and given TO ME!!!

Seriously, Robbie Alomar? Bert Blyleven? Andre Dawson? Nobody?

Is this the classic “He’s not a First Ballot” lunacy taken to an extreme?

And oh yeah… Blyleven came up 5 votes short. If those 5 lunatics scribbled Bert’s name on it and called it a day, Bert would be there this summer.

Now of course with two players in the 70 percentile (and Barry Larkin and Jack Morris over 50%) there is a strong chance that Robbie, Bert and another hold over will be elected NEXT year.

Jeff Bagwell is the closest thing to a sure thing for next year’s ballot. Unless of course people are going to look away at Rafael Palmeiro’s shady past and vote HIM in. (Ask Mark McGwire how voters are opening their arms to him!)

But if Alomar, Blyleven and any other hold overs get in with votes from writers who didn’t vote for them THIS year… the question remains:

Did their stats improve?

And why isn’t your ballot blank again?

ANDRE DAWSON... Hall of Famer

There's a lot of things to shake your head in disbelief from the Hall of Fame vote.

5 blank ballots? REALLY? 5 writers felt that nobody was worth voting for?

But let's be positive for a second.

Andre, the Hawk, is now a Hall of Famer. And he deserves it.

The main tone today should be a chance to celebrate the Hawk.

Sarcasm to follow.

The Sully Baseball HALL OF FAME BALLOT...2010

I admit, I am a lenient Hall of Fame voter. I am rough on some (sorry Lee Smith. You were an elite closer but you bombed in the post season… sorry Dale Murphy, you were an MVP and a class act but you didn’t do it long enough.)

But I also like to honor lots of players AND I like to see them voted in on the first ballot.

Writers can vote for as many as 10 and as few as zero.
I guess it is necessary to say as few as zero because no doubt there are writers would love to vote some players OUT of the Hall.

I can never understand how someone can be mad about someone being voted in… but I digress.

I know not all of these players are getting in tomorrow. Chances are only 1 or 2 will. But let’s just say I wouldn’t have a problem with any of these names being announced tomorrow at 10 AM Pacific Time.

ROBERTO ALOMAR… for 11 years he was no doubt about it the best second baseman in the game. And for many of those years he was in the conversation for MVP.

10 Gold Gloves reflected his defensive ability.

His four Silver Sluggers showed what he could do with the bat.

He had power (just ask Dennis Eckersley in the 1992 ALCS). He had speed (40th All Time in Stolen Bases) and he came up big in the post season.



BERT BLYLEVEN… one of the best strikeout pitchers of all time. He did it over the long haul, had post season heroics for two World Series winners and came up 13 wins short of 300 (but I broke that down.)

Put him in.







ANDRE DAWSON… A Gold Glover 8 times. An MVP with power and speed and one of the elites in the game for over a decade.

And oh yeah, he did it without having his body suddenly change shape when he turned 35.








BARRY LARKIN… Like Alomar, he did a little bit of everything for the long haul. He won an MVP, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers and a World Series Title.

He began his elite status in the 1980s and carried it through into the new millennium.

And unlike Alomar, he stayed put. The hometown hero was a Red for life.




JACK MORRIS… the bulldog ace of the 1980s with 5 top 5 Cy Young finishes.

Won 7 of his first 8 post season decisions and threw possibly the greatest Game 7 in World Series history with his 10 inning shutout masterpiece. Was his ERA higher than you’d want it to be?
Sure.

But he was the #1 starter for three World Series winners and the guy you’d want on the mound in the big game.



DAVE PARKER… I admit the Cobra’s chances are fading, but I remain a supporter.

He had a stretch in his career where he was no doubt about it the best all around offensive player in the National League.

A batting champ, an OPS leader, an RBI leader, a Gold Glove winner multiple times over, an MVP (with 4 other top 5 finishes).

Plus he was a key player on one World Series winner (1979) and the stable veteran on another (1989.)


TIM RAINES… Possibly the most underrated player of his era as he played North of the border in his prime.

A batting champ, he was the National League’s answer to Rickey Henderson for many years. He stole 70 bases six straight years, had power and was always among the league leader in on base percentage (what you want from a lead off hitter).

Cleaned up from his drug problems, he became an elder leader on two World Series winners in New York. He deserves it.


I am still mulling over Edgar Martinez… and while I mull I hope he makes it to next year when I can cast a fake ballot then too.

My Hall of Fame Prediction…

I predict tomorrow there will be two new Hall of Famers...

Andre Dawson will be elected.

He had more speed and was a better defender than Rice and put up more homers.

Plus this will also be a way to honor a clean power hitter before the hand wringing begins next year when Rafael Palmeiro goes on the ballot.


And Bert Blyleven will finally get in... people have had too much time to look at his numbers.

They are too good.

And this T Shirt is too awesome.

Barry Larkin, Tim Raines et al will be left twisting in the wind.

Remember this is a prediction... not a ballot. That's coming up next.

Come on! Put Dave Parker in the Hall!

If for no other reason than to keep THIS picture in rapid circulation!

The Edgar Martinez Quandary

Is Edgar Martinez a Hall of Famer?

This isn't a clever question I am asking that I am confident in the answer to and will spend the rest of the blog answering.

I truly don't know the answer to it.

He sure LOOKED like a Hall of Famer while he played.

My Goodness he was such a tremendous all around hitter when he played that he could actually out shine Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson in the 1995 playoffs.

He won batting titles, led the league in on base percentage three times, was an OPS champ and had great power and run producing abilities. He had 8 exceptional years and many other good ones over his 18 year career.

And he was no doubt about it the best DH of the post strike era.

But there lies the rub... the post strike era.

There hasn't been a whiff of controversy about Edgar Martinez and his stats, so I won't go there. For all he know he's as clean as a whistle.

But the era he played in was an era where the numbers were so exaggerated that to compensate, only the biggest numbers should be considered.

All he had to do was hit. I doubt he even owned a glove after 1999. And yet in an era where players passed milestone numbers with startling and sometimes suspicious regularity, Edgar never came close.

And while he was great during that 10 season stretch, he barely passed 300 homers... he didn't come close to 2,500 hits, let alone 3,000... his career batting average was a terrific but not eye popping .312.

He was a great player, but was he great long enough?

But should he be rewarded for coming through the other end of the decade without scandal? With the inevitable hand wringing that will come about when Bonds, Sosa, Ramirez, A-Rod and Clemens come on the ballot, shouldn't someone like Edgar be saluted... a guy who stayed with one team and played with heart and no trace of scandal?

It's a real quandary

Hall of Fame Ballot Insanity

Last year I suggested Jay Bell’s election to the Hall of Fame and Rickey Henderson’s exclusion could help end the nonsense of “First Ballot Hall of Famer” being a special title and unworthy players getting odd sympathy votes.

Well I wanted to take a more literal look at the distinction of NOT being a First Ballot Hall of Famer… and show some of the sillier Sympathy Votes.

Here are a list of Hall of Famers who did NOT make it on the first ballot.

GROVER CLEVELAND ALEXANDER (Third Ballot)
MICKEY COCHRANE (Sixth Ballot)
JOE DiMAGGIO (Fourth Ballot)
JIMMIE FOXX (Seventh Ballot)
HANK GREENBERG (Ninth Ballot)
ROGERS HORNSBY (Fifth Ballot)
CARL HUBBELL (Third Ballot)
NAPOLEON LaJOIE (Second Ballot)
TRIS SPEAKER (Second Ballot)
CY YOUNG (Second Ballot)

Now these were the crazy early days of voting… and it seemed that by the 1960s, sports writers were going to vote in worthy players on the first try (the likes of Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, Bob Feller, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron didn’t have to wait around.) But there are still some genuine head scratchers.

YOGI BERRA (Second Ballot)
ROLLIE FINGERS (Second Ballot)
WHITEY FORD (Second Ballot)
EDDIE MATHEWS (Fifth Ballot)
WARREN SPAHN (Second Ballot)

I can’t understand how some of the players aren’t elected in unanimously (Seriously, who DIDN’T vote for Willie Mays? Ted Williams? Cal Ripken? Tom Seaver?)

But how could there be enough sports writers looking unimpressed at Yogi Berra’s resume to say “Not sure he belongs in!”?

Was it the moronic “He’s not a FIRST BALLOT Hall of Famer!” mentality?
Who exactly remembers he wasn’t a First Ballot guy? Is he less of a Hall of Famer now? Or is he possibly the most loved living ballplayer?

And conversely take a look at the players who have in the last two decades received more than one Hall of Fame vote.

Anyone can take a single writer out to dinner and grab a vote. But these guys had VOTES… plural. And on their first ballot no less:

JAY BELL (2 votes)
CESAR CEDENO (2 votes)
TRAVIS FRYMAN (2 votes)
MIKE GREENWELL (2 votes)
DAVE HENDERSON (2 votes)
RICK HONEYCUTT (2 votes)
CARNEY LANSFORD (3 votes)
RICK MONDAY (2 votes)
JEFF MONTGOMERY (2 votes)
LARRY PARRISH (2 votes)
MICKEY RIVERS (2 votes)
JUAN SAMUEL (2 votes)
GARRY TEMPLETON (2 votes)
ANDRE THORNTON (2 votes)

Look, all of those players had nice careers… but I wonder if the two sports writers who checked their names left off an actual Hall of Famer from their ballot because of the moronic “Not a first ballot” mentality.

Do we really want writers saying “Yes” to Juan Samuel while wringing their hands over the eligibility of Whitey Ford?

Some Cy Young winners like Bret Saberhagen didn’t do too well in the Hall of Fame vote. But I am sure they can take solace over the fact that CY YOUNG didn’t get in at first either.

Trying to get excited about a Post Jim Rice Hall of Fame Ballot

Every year from 1995 to last January I got emotionally caught up in the Hall of Fame announcement. One of my childhood heroes was up for election, Jim Rice.

I was a year out of college and toying with idea of becoming a stand up comic.

Since then I did comedy, lived in New York for another 10 years, made short films, produced for The Daily Show, appeared on HBO, made a movie, appeared on HBO again, appeared on NESN, got married, became a father of two, moved to the Bay Area, appeared on Monk, got an Emmy nomination, wrote for Dennis Miller, moved to L.A., produced a show in Sturgis SD... and all the while kept waiting for Jim Rice to be elected.

The only anticipation I can equate to that was waiting between 1980 and 1983 for Return of the Jedi to come out.

Yeah that was only 3 years, but I was an 8 year old kid when Han Solo got frozen in carbonite and nobody knew if Darth Vader was lying about being Luke's father.

When I finally saw Jedi at the Chestnut Hill Theater, I had spent nearly 1/3 of my life in agonizing anticipation.

And after I saw it 5 times that summer, there was a little let down.

Summer movies no longer had the anticipation they had before Luke took down Jabba the Hutt.

Oh yeah, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future and Temple of Doom were all cool, but the build up was not the same.

I am feeling that way about this Hall of Fame ballot.

Yeah I made my case for Bert Blyleven... but I don't have the same emotion about Blyleven as I do about Rice.

I'd like to see Barry Larkin, Jack Morris, Robbie Alomar or Dave Parker get in... but I really won't lose any sleep if they don't get in.

I'd be eager to see if David Segui, Shane Reynolds or Todd Zeile get that strange sympathy vote that some players get.

But without that one guy to get emotionally behind, it feels a little strange... like a tremor in the force.

The Adrian Beltre signing is wicked smart

The Red Sox are just a few years removed from a World Series title, but also coming off of a humiliating sweep in the Division Series (including a heart breaking elimination in Fenway.)

In the off season they pick up a slick fielding third baseman whose power has mysteriously disappeared. And along the way jettison their previous third baseman... the one who was a huge post season hero... the one who helped deliver a World Series title.

Now am I talking about the Red Sox bringing in Adrian Beltre to replace Mike Lowell?

Or am I talking about Mike Lowell replacing Bill Mueller?






Sox fans can't and shouldn't get swept up in nostalgia.

I love Lowell... hell I loved Mueller.

But Lowell was hurt for chunks of 2008 and 2009 and is having thumb surgery.

Say what you want about Theo, but he knows when NOT to get sentimental.

The Red Sox are as cold hearted and vicious as the Yankees are underratedly sentimental.

If he was sentimental, he would have offered Nomar 5 years back in 2004... and that contract would be just coming off of the books.

If he was sentimental Pedro, Mueller, Millar, Damon and Manny would all have gigantic unmovable contracts... and the likes of Beckett, Dice-K, V-Mart and yes even Lowell wouldn't have worn the Sox uniform.

It's better to have a guy help you win the World Series and break down or get suspended on someone else's dime.

You want to see what a team looks like that has big name players but also a lot of veterans breaking down? MEET THE METS!!!

Plus Beltre is signed to a one year with an option contract... in other words "Have a monster season and you'll get a BIGGER deal next year!"

This off season for the Red Sox has been deceptively solid.

Think about the moves that have been made...
John Lackey... Mike Cameron... Adrian Beltre... Marco Scutaro...

What two things have the Red Sox improved?

That would be the pitching and defense, which I am going to go out on a limb and say is kinda sorta important.

I've seen enough Red Sox teams that can mash the ball but not pitch or catch it.

Now the Red Sox have Beckett, Lester and Lackey in the rotation... three guys who have pitched and won a World Series clincher.

Throw in Buchholz and Wakefield...

And if Dice-K comes back, it will be like acquiring a 15 game winner for nothing (except that posting fee!)

And also take a look at the fact that the big prospects and young players like Buchholz, Bowden, Ellsbury, Bard, Westmoreland, Kelly, Tazawa, Anderson, Fuentes, Rizzo and Iglesias are all still in the organization.

And with Bay skedaddling they'll still be picking in the first round.

So if Lowell gets dumped or bench, we should all salute him, then get right back to the business of rooting for the Sox and waiting to see if Beltre can be the third straight Red Sox third baseman/World Series hero.

(Never forget... I loved the Gagne deal when that happened... so this could all suck.)

Sully Baseball offers the NHL a suggestion

The Winter Classic once again was great.

Seeing hockey in Fenway Park was nothing short of surreal (and if anything was messed up in the outfield, they have months to fix it.)

We've now had outdoor hockey in Edmonton, Buffalo, Chicago and Boston which is very cool (in all meanings of that word.)

But I think the NHL should add a second outdoor game... call it the Valentine's Day Special. It will be a love letter to big hockey fans.

Here's how it works:

Take two franchises that play in warm weather cities (and are probably keeping their noses barely above the unfrozen water.)

For purposes of this suggestion, let's say the Atlanta Thrashers and the Nashville Predators... two teams that aren't exactly packing them in.












Schedule a game on February 14th between the Thrashers and the Predators.

But not below the Mason - Dixon Line... in fact don't even put it on American Soil!

Find a hockey starved city in Canada.

At first I was going to say Winnipeg or Quebec City, whose teams were taken away.

But then I thought a team that NEVER had an NHL team would go bananas for a regular season NHL game.

So say it with me...
WELCOME TO MOOSE JAW!!!


That's right. I am proposing for one game, two Southern teams who could be contracted are welcomed like heroes with a parade down the heart of The Friendly City!

After a parade and a rally where fans pick which team they'll root for it will be time for the game.

But NOT at the Civic Center, home of the Moose Jaw Warriors...

The teams will travel 35 kilometer away to Old Wives Lake... which should be frozen solid on February 14.

And yes, we will play NHL hockey on a pond, as it was meant to be!

Yeah I know it is a wild life preserve, but the birds can make room for screaming Moose Jaw fans for one day! Besides, the smart birds will have flown to Atlanta or Nashville for the winter. Consider it a swap with the Thrashers and the Predators!

And if there is a crack in the ice and a player falls in... or a bear attacks Ilya Kovalchuk in the penalty box... SO BE IT!

Come on... Valentines Day with the people of Moose Jaw watching NHL hockey on Old Wives Lake.

HOW CAN THIS NOT SUCCEED????

Hey Giants... sign Johnny Damon already!

Seriously. Sign him.
It looks like he isn't going back to the Yankees.
The Red Sox aren't bringing him back and chances are the Angels, Mariners and Cubs aren't in the running.

Where is he going? St. Louis?

The guy is a winner, he would be a great spark plug and this would be a new challenge for him after winning on both sides of the great Red Sox/Yankee rivalry to win in San Francisco.

He already made a Bay Area cameo with the A's in 2001... he'll fit right in.

Besides, he is exactly the kind of offensive player they need. They aren't getting a big power hitter to come to San Francisco and see their home run totals tumble.

They need a guy like Damon who can hit a ball into the gap and take two. (Don't be fooled by his inflated home run total last year... he was taking advantage of the wind tunnel in the new Yankee Stadium.)

He'd be a perfect fit in San Francisco. And spare me any concerns for his defense. The Giants trotted out Barry Bonds all of those years when he had worse range than the statue of Willie Mays outside of the ballpark.

Giants, sign him already. Offer him a 2 year deal. Who exactly are you bidding against?

And Johnny... go to the Giants. You are a perfect fit there.
Who knows? You might be able to grow your beard back!

Happy 2010

And it is the beginning of a new decade of baseball and for Sully Baseball.

And please spare me any nonsense that this ISN'T a new decade. It is. The numbers turned over in the "Tens" column. That's how you know it is a new decade.

When the numbers turn over in the "Hundreds" column it is a new century.

When they turn over in the "Thousands" column it is a new millennium.

I had to hear all of that silliness that the year 2000 wasn't the start of a new millennium and I am not about to listen to it again.

Yeah I know the argument. There was no "Year Zero", so the first decade AD ended at AD 10... but I'm still not buying it.

How do we know there wasn't a "Year Zero?"

Some Monk named Dionysius Exiguus figured out when Christ was born. But here's the thing... there isn't a historian or even a religious figure that you will ever meet who thinks he was right. He was off by at least 3 years. Maybe even more.

So we are going to be a stickler for accuracy based on the mathematics of someone who got the math wrong?

That's insane.

I remember getting into an argument with someone over this at the turn of the millenium (which took place on January 1, 2000... when ALL the numbers changed.)

I asked my friend (who is educated and smart on most matters) "Do you consider 1990 to be part of the 1980s? Was 1980 part of the 1970s?"

He answered yes to both... which of course is "smearing fecal matter on the wall" level nuts.

I now declare there WAS a "Year Zero."
It was an uneventful year. Nothing worth remembering.

And it was a good 1,846 years before the first recorded baseball game was played... so it's not worth looking up any stats from then.

It's a new decade.
And for Dionysius Exiguus' sake let's move on from his little mistake.

Kelvim Escobar signs with the Mets... why not?

Seriously... why not?

The Mets have been ravaged with injuries and broken down players.
The Mets seem to have been cobbled together with veterans who you thought have retired and rookies who should be in AA

So no doubt Omar Minaya looked at the available free agents and said "Hey, he's made 1 start in the bigs over the last 2 years. That's what we need... another medical liability. Not Jon Garland and his 200 innings a year plus World Series experience. Nahhh... we want the guy with one game under his belt over the past 2 years."

Rich Harden has the durability of Nolan Ryan compared to him.

They are expecting a quality start out of him.

Let me put this in perspective.
Over the past two seasons, Kelvim Escobar has made one more start than Harry Morgan.

I don't know what is more amazing:

That Escobar was nearly tied by Sherman Potter...
Or that Morgan is still alive!

Either way, it doesn't bode well for the Mets pitching staff.

Jason Bay... we hardly knew ye

So it is official... Jason Bay is a Met and his days as a Red Sox left fielder are over.

And even though the signing was announced less than 24 hours ago, it has already been declared a bust by SI.com, Yahoo Sports, The Post, and many bloggers.

Tough crowd.

And while as a Red Sox fan I would rather see him break down on someone else's dime (and pick up a few draft picks from the Mets) I think Bay is worth a nice salute before he leaves.

He played well for the Sox (with a few slumps here and there) over a year and a half.
And to the morons who say that the Red Sox lost the 2008 pennant because they had Bay instead of Ramirez, please do a little homework.

Bay would have been the MVP of the Division Series in 2008 if they gave out that award. (I do.)

He batted .412 in the (and a 1.356 OPS) in the Division Series, including a key home run in Game 1 amd doubling in the 9th inning of Game 4 and scoring the series ending run.

And the Red Sox didn't lose the ALCS to the Rays because of Bay (and his .927 OPS.) They lost because Beckett got crushed in Game 2, Lester got crushed in Game 3, Wakefield got crushed in Game 4 and the Red Sox couldn't hit Garza nor Price in Game 7.

It's always about pitching.

Oh and lest we forget Bay's home run against Mariano Rivera last spring. (Doesn't that seem like a lifetime ago?)

So the Sox aren't being sentimental... they are piling up draft picks and hoping to make the next big smash.

But Bay, while still ringless (and will probably remain that in Flushing) he is still worth a Red Sox fan salute.

A VICTORY FOR SMALL MARKET TEAMS... sort of

Lots of people lament during the off season that big market teams (the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Mets) sign all of the big free agents and small market teams like the A's can never retain their All Stars.

Well the times are a changin' again!

Happy Days are here again!

Didn't you hear? The Oakland A's reached deep into their pocket books and re-signed a 2 time All Star and kept one of their own in the fold!

That's right. Justin Duchscherer will remain an Oakland Athletic!

That makes up for losing Reggie Jackson, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Miguel Tejada, doesn't it?

OK, hands up if you knew Duchscherer was a ONE TIME All Star, let alone two!
I am guessing not a lot of hands went up.

No player since Scott Cooper has taken advantage of the "Mike Sharperson Memorial All Star Award" better than Duchscherer.

If the All Star Game didn't have the insane (but wonderfully nutty) "Every team needs an All Star" rule, the only was Duchscherer would be at the All Star Game was if he had a friend with a ticket.

Lord knows none of his TEAMMATES would be at the game.

And oh yeah, the two time All Star missed ALL of 2009 with back problems and depression. So the only way Oakland can keep their All Stars is if they are broken down physically and chemically.

But lately A's fans can't really be picky.

With Duchscherer back, maybe I'll pick the A's again!

Maybe not.

THE YANKEES ARE UNDERRATEDLY SENTIMENTAL

Well one of the residual effects of the bewildering Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera deal is it opens up left field again… and there is speculation that it was done do retain Johnny Damon… even though he’s 35 years old, his defensive skills are eroding and he already did what he was supposed to do (help lead the Yankees to a World Series title.)

Why would you sign him to a long term deal when he will clearly break down by the end of it? And sacrifice a talented outfielder (Melky)10 years his junior? And sacrifice that outfielder for a pitcher (Vazquez) who in 12 seasons has had 3 good ones and a meltdown in New York?

Because the Yankees are sentimental!

People refer to Yankees as the Evil Empire (and by people I mean Larry Lucchino.) But a more appropriate name would be Mr. Softee.

Look at all of the people who come back for second acts as a Yankee (think Andy Pettitte, Joe Girardi, Nick Johnson and even Javy Vazquez). And how often they keep their own veterans around (Jeter, Rivera and Posada are all still there.) And when one player leaves (a la Matsui) Yankee fans cry about how they should have kept him.

Everything about the Yankees is sold on a bit of sentimentality.

Whether it is showing the clip of Lou Gehrig declaring himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth, or showing clips of Thurman Munson or pining for Ruth, Yogi or Mickey, the Yankees are always sold on mushiness.

Watch any Yankee highlight film or any Yankeeography on YES. They make Love Actually look as mean and gritty as a Scorsese film.

They are running out of numbers to retire and their Old Timers Day is a lovefest like no other in baseball.

They spent a billion dollars to make a stadium that looked like the OLD stadium (instead of the perfectly good and profitable stadium they were using.)

Even the calling of “27 titles!” is a call to the past.

Now contrast that with the Red Sox, who are usually portrayed as the more emotional and sentimental franchise. Look at all of the players they just set adrift the nanosecond their skills start to erode.

And so many greats leave Boston on bad terms that I could write up a 25 man roster of players in my lifetime whose left Fenway in a huff. (And it looks like Mike Lowell might be the next one on the list!)

But not the Yankees… even the guys who DO leave angry (Yogi, Reggie, Goose) are brought back as Prodigal Sons.

And now it looks like Johnny Damon might be the latest one to come back… and technically he hasn’t even left.

And the Yankees start a brand new century looking very similar to the last.

Better bring your handkerchiefs.