|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Posted Sunday, October 14, 2007
For the record, I am writing this while Arizona pretends to care about a baseball game. After ten years of apathy, they finally decided to show a pulse because of an interference call! Once Clint Hurdle pulled his team off the field, I was rooting for open chaos -- people charging the field, fires, horses trampling the villagers, a pregnant woman giving birth in right field. You know, the usual!
Maybe a riot could push the ratings for the NLCS over a two!
I'm sure TBS is REALLLLLY happy over this matchup!
Yes, I’m bitter.
When it’s your turn to write, and there is nothing to write about, you tend to think “outside the box.” So while this is entirely preposterous, just go with me. The alternative is going to ESPN and reading Rob Neyer break down Game 1 of the NLCS!
Mariano Rivera is going to declare free agency, just to stick it to the Yankees. Every expert you talk to says he will squeeze them, but eventually resign with the Yankees.
Now here’s where it gets preposterous…
Mariano has come out and said he wants to come back with Joe Torre as his manager. But what if the Yankees fire him after this weekend’s meetings in Tampa? Now you have a Mariano Rivera, who is already insulted the Yankees didn’t resign him during the season, even angrier that they let Torre go.
The perfect storm is brewing…
If you are a 36-year-old old American League pitcher, who has played your entire career in one city, you might not be keen on moving somewhere far away. But if there is another team who plays in the same town, and they are managed by a man you are intimately familiar with, that might be something you're interested in...
Ladies and gentlemen, I propose the Mets doing whatever it takes to sign Mariano Rivera.
OK, I already hear the masses preparing their arguments against me. Like I said in the beginning, this is preposterous, but roll with me here.
The first argument against is, we already have Billy Wagner. This is an easy one to refute. Billy is not clutch.
At all.
Whether it’s giving up big hits in big spots, or coming down with back spasms in late September, Billy Wagner, although better than John Franco, is still an average money closer. Sure he’s great in the spring and summer, but I wouldn’t bet an unborn child on his performance in the fall.
Mariano isn’t signing with anyone to be an eighth-inning guy, and I wouldn’t expect him to. Instead, if I were Omar, I would call Billy up before free agency begins and clue him in on this. Tell him that he claims to be a "team first" kind of guy, who just wants to win a world series. Well, what better bullpen would there be than an eighth inning of Wagner and a ninth inning of Rivera?
Odds of Billy gracefully accepting the assignment -- slim. In that case, Omar has another bullet to use for a trade. While Billy isn’t dominant, he is still in the upper echelon of closers. I’m sure he could bring back quality.
The second argument people would use is Rivera’s skills are declining. This one, to me is even easier to refute than the first one. It took American League hitters ten years to finally start to hit the cutter. If Mariano switched leagues, especially to an easier league pitching wise, his stuff would return back to at the very least ‘02 level. Roger Clemens turned into Sandy Koufax when he came over to the National League because of ster…*COUGH*....I mean, facing easier lineups. Mariano would receive the same rejuvenation.
The last argument is, the Yankees would never let it happen. They would never get outbid by the Mets and lose the greatest closer of all time. In this case, I don’t think it’s about the money, it’s about the respect. The Yankees chose not to resign him, the greatest closer of all time, before the season started OR negotiate with him during the year. There have been some boos coming from the Bronx regarding his performance. And the absolute worst insult of all, there were some who suggested JOBA should close games in the playoffs!
All of these are repeated slaps in the face, to a guy who has been nothing but classy his entire career. Hell, he rushed back after a tragic death in the family to close Game 1 of the 2004 ALCS! You can’t say anything bad about him….period! God knows I’ve tried, and I couldn’t come up with anything! I believe if the Mets made a real offer, and showed him the respect he deserved, it might be enough to trump whatever deal the Yankees eventually decide to put on the table.
Do I expect this to happen?
Not at all.
I would put this at less than five percent. But still, if you look at it rationally it COULD happen. He stays in New York, Willie Randolph is his manager, and his stuff gains some dominance again. What’s not to like on his end? If Billy chose to stay and set up (HA) we would have the most DOMINANT bullpen in baseball. If Billy freaked, a team like the Cubs, Indians or Giants might be willing to make a trade.
The bottom line is Omar thinks outside the box. I am confident this scenario already played out in his mind. I am also confident that Omar could make it happen.
EXIT LIGHT
ENTER NIGHT
TAKE MY HAND
BRING HOME THE REAL SANDMAN!
On a non-baseball note -– I have a dream. A dream of getting a TV show I created on the air. The premise is when I visit my Nana on Sunday my living room holds their weekly meeting, and hilarity ensues! While I attempt to sell this to the various cable networks I’m creating quite the internet buzz with this six-minute clip on youtube. If you, the loyal reader would like to watch, go to http://youtube.com/watch?v=t1GJpZG12Vk
* * *
| About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of use |
Copyright 2008. Brandywine New Media, LLC. 
All rights reserved.
i
