Friday Chat Part Deux

Thought we were done - did ya? We still have some MLB shenanigans to take care of. We'll kepp our friends from TGIF out of this one and leave it to the pros.

Net Crasher: For the last time....you can't have Al from Step by Step be your new partner. That was a one shot deal and you got stuck with Cody. Next time, maybe you'll know better. Anyway, Mr. Misconduct, let's turn our attention to a little situation brewing in Cincinnati. Apparently, Ken Griffey Jr. is not happy on a team who has had one winning season since he signed with them. He is asking for a trade. Should the Reds let the Grif pack his bags?

Game Misconduct: It’s been nothing but bad news since he joined the Reds. It’s killed my fantasy team year after year. Who goes to Cincinnati as a free agent anyway? That’s like going to Sizzler when you could have gone to Peter Luger’s to get a delicious steak. Griffey should have shot his agent, MarHar style. This guy should have gone down as one of the best hitters of all time, but… aw who cares?! All you need to know is Cincinnati was probably the worst city he could have chosen to play in.

Crasher: Missy, I don’t blame Griffey bad numbers on his time in Cincy. It’s all about injuries. Grif played under 100 games in 4 seasons. So essentially, he is a 38 year old but should really be 35 or so statistically – now we see another reason why ‘roids are such an issue. Recovery time! Grif stayed clean and paid for it. That said, the-soon-to-be member of the 600 HR club should leave Cincy. The man deserves a championship or at least a run at one. His last real run was in 1995. Not to mention, the Reds could certainly use a shake-up on their team. My guess is that Grif will want an East coast team that can contend in the short-term. Among Grif’s reasons for leaving Seattle was the distance for his family who lived in Orlando and his dad who lived in Cincinnati. The biggest question is on position though. Most contenders are set when it comes to a center fielder. Assuming outfield positions could be juggled around, I could see the Mets, Red Sox, White Sox, and Braves in the hunt. Sure would love to see him in pinstripes…

Misconduct: Maybe he should have ‘roided up. Griffey is certainly a Hall of Famer but was once talked about breaking records back in the 90’s. Now the only record people want to see him break is the 100 game plateau. Can you magine the numbers this guy would have had if he had stayed healthy? It’s really a shame because Griff seemed like a good person off the field and a better ambassador to the game than say McGwire, Clemens, or Giambi. If he wants to take a run at a ‘ship, would the Yanks really be a viable option? They’re around .500 and in the ultra competitive AL it’s going to be hard locking up a playoff spot with the way they’re playing. I’m thinking this is a rebuilding year for the Yanks and it’s time to shed the old baggage and let the youth grow and play. It’s working for the Rangers, it should work for the Yankees and their fans.

Crasher: The Yankees are rebuilding their pitching but that doesn’t mean they need to keep youth in their line-ups. They really don’t. Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano are really the only two young position players that are in regularly. A trade (likely involving Matsui or Damon) for Griffey could help to jump start and the continuingly underperforming Yankee offense. In the “arms race” of power hitting, the Tigers and Red Sox easily rival the Yanks. This would help to set them apart. I agree this would make the Yanks even older but may not be a bad way to keep them competitive.

Speaking of old guys in pinstripes how about David Wells? The soon-to-be 45 year old south paw has been throwing BP for his son’s high school team to keep in shape. Could he be a one year fill-in for the injured/struggling Yankee rotation? Hank Steinbrenner didn’t rule it out. He talked about seeing him on TV and thinking, “It just might work.” Misconduct, let’s hope he doesn’t have Little Big League or Angels in the Outfield on his Netflix.

Misconduct: I was sure that by the age of 45 David Wells would have lived so hard and fast that he’d be dead. If that had happened he would have gone down as one of the greatest athletes to call NY home. But now he’s just another in a growing list of past their prime warriors wanting one last shot at glory. As we can see by the Yankees record, Major League hitters are a lot different than some random high school. Additionally, look at the older Yankee pitchers (i.e. Pettite and Mussina). Sure their numbers aren’t terrible but they’re no longer the aces they once were and probably wouldn’t be in the Majors if it weren’t for the Yankees looking more like a retirement home than a baseball team. Wells should have filed his retirement papers years ago. It’s one thing for a 46 year old Chelios to keep playing because he keeps himself in freakishly good shape, but Wells has NEVER been one to concern himself with his personal health, so I just don’t see it happening. Or at least I don’t want it to happen. In closing, bring back Bernie Williams!

Crasher: In this Roger Clemens/Barry Bonds era its makes the antics of David Wells a little more laughable than the used to be. I would love to see Boomer come back – it would be a blast! But let’s been realistic hear, the Yankees have made some major sacrifices (namely not getting Santana) in favor of developing young pitching. Let’s remember that this is more than just Chamberlin, Hughes, and Kennedy. There are a number of solid young pitchers in the Yankee system who don’t have their best stuff now, but who knows what happens when they get to the majors. Young guns like Alan Horne, Darrell Rasner (who looks to go 2-0 on Sunday), Jeff Karstens, and Chase Wright all have potential to be big league pitchers. I’d rather see these guys combine for a .500 record and a 5.00 ERA as the Yankee’s fifth starter than for Boomer to put up the same numbers in his “victory lap.” I find it concerning that Hank Steinbrenner actually said (Brian Cashman, take a deep breath...),

"What sticks out in my mind, that team in the late '90s, the starting pitching," he said. "You had [David] Cone, El Duque [Orlando Hernandez Orlando Hernandez ], Wells . . . they were all big-game pitchers. They all came from elsewhere - not in the system.

"Everybody talks about the great players from the farm system that we had in the '90s, but it was the starting rotation. That was a huge part of the success. Huge."

And don’t count out Pettite and Moose, the Yanks would be in the cellar right now if not for them!

Well that does it for the Friday chat. Same time, same place next week.

Good night, Canada!