Learning to pitch left-handed was the best move Chamber Ream ever made.

Oh yeah, slow day…

My guess is Pettitte ends up coming back on a 1-year, $15 million deal.

[3] I’ll take it.

I don’t see why the guy would go through the effort of getting into shape if he’s not going to come back. By this point in the year, Moose was DONE done.

But if that’s the case, why the heck hasn’t he just said he’s coming back? Does he think he’ll change his mind in a week? So odd.

[5] As a fan I’m not crazy about Pettitte’s indecisiveness, but from his point of view I think it makes sense. If he’s still genuinely unsure what he wants to do, it makes sense to work towards getting himself back in shape, just in case, and then to see how he feels once he’s in the midst of it. Why publicly commit himself to a decision? Maybe he’ll get a taste of training and want to return for one last season; maybe he’ll start to train and realize he’s just going through the motions. That happened to me after I ran a marathon: I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run another one, so I started training for one and quickly realized, doing the training, that I wasn’t motivated enough to do another. But I really could only know that for sure by attempting the training (which I had liked so much the first time around).

[5] Actually, IIRC, after the 1996 season, Don Mattingly was considering a comeback (ala Ryne Sandberg) for 1997.  But he didn’t make it official that he was coming back, until he was back in playing shape.  After spending some time, he decided that - betwen his age and back injuries - that doing the work necessary to get into playing shape was too much.

So, I could see Pettitte doing the same thing.  He’s doing the work that he would normally do before reporting to Florida.  Now, does he need to do *more* work, or the same?  Either way, does the work still leave him w/ energy to do other stuff, or after he’s done, he’s DONE.  Is he finding he quits his work early to go spend time with the family?

If it’s too much for him now, he’ll figure it won’t get any easier.  But if he’s able to do all the work now and he’s still getting sufficient time w/ the family and feeling OK, maybe it’s worth one more run.  Though everyone wants him to just make a decision, I personally think it’s better if he does what he needs to, to make sure that the decision is final once he makes it.  I’d rather that, than after 5 weeks of ST Pettitte saying, “I thought I could do it, but I can’t”.

EDIT: Or what post 6 said, a minute before mine.

Look at the logo on the jersey: it’s reversed. This is actually a RHP.

In other words, Joba hasn’t gone lefty, he’s just really let himself go.

That is a lefty El Guapo, amirite?

Scott Hirsute to Mutts

[10] Scott Hairston?

FanGraphs article on the Yankees’s <a href=“http://www.fangraphs.com/” target=“_blank”>signing of Soriano</ao>.

My guess is Pettitte ends up coming back on a 1-year, $15 million deal.

Given where the Yankees are right now, that seems reasonable.  The difference between 91 wins and say 93 wins is probably worth more than an average $/WAR analysis would peg.

That is a lefty El Guapo, amirite?

My source insists that it is Andy Pettitte and not a mirrored picture of Rich Garces.

That picture is the security guard from Jimmy Kimmel

Cashman and Boras had lengthy meeting about Andruw Jones after Soriano presser on Wed. Yanks like Jone as 4th OF, but sides apart on $.
about 1 hour ago via web
Retweeted by 7 people
.JackCurryYES

Nothing is ever easy with Boras.

I’ve always wondered about the conflict issue with agents, Boras in particular, arising from multiple representations.  Por ejemplo, if the Yankees wanted to negotiate with Damon now, can Boras promote Damon without detriment to Jones, and vice versa?  Does Boras get his clients to sign conflict waivers when he is retained?

[16] My guess is that sports agents have a nice, canned answer they can recite whenever confronted with that question about how its not REALLY a conflict, or how careful they are to ensure that their clients are never prejudiced by such conflicts.  As a practical matter, I think it’s just the nature of the business.  If a player wants to make sure he is not getting sold out by his agent for the benefit of another player, he can get an agent who doesn’t also represent other clients with whom the player might be in competition for a contract.  Of course, few would go that route, because they figure they’ll be better off with a Scott Boras representing them than they would with their own hometown lawyer, for example.

Who makes the decision on which 4th OF to sign, Cash or Hank/Hal/Randy…?

I have no clue about what he does/can do to protect himself legally, but I’d guess that there are fewer conflicts than you would think. If the Yankees were just choosing between Damon and Jones, Boras would have a bit more leverage (since he can ‘set’ the price higher on both), and if there is a third player/agent the Yankees can use that player to keep Boras honest (since Boras would be risking neither of his players getting a contract).

Assuming Boras doesn’t charge players different percentage fees, of course.

[18] I’m with Rich on this issue.  To string together cliches that I hear in the office almost daily, the fact is that the Yankees threw Cash under the bus on the Soriano signing and now they’re making nice because they’re all team players, or pretending to be.  I think Cash’s authority has been eroded, though how much and whether it’s irreparable I don’t know.

[19] Funny, because I was thinking there are numerous conflicts, based on my experience as a lawyer regularly encountering conflicts issues in a vastly larger market than the one for mlb agents.

[20] I could understand the usurpation of authority (not that I would like it), if, for example, Cash wanted to forgo signing Lee in order to give a young pitcher an opportunity, but to do it for a setup reliever, and not being able to make up your mind about doing so before Cash’s public statement about the importance of the 1st round pick, is pathetic. It suggests to me that they have overridden Cash’s decisions before, and will almost certainly do so again.

[22] I wonder how much ownership overrides management on other clubs.

[18] - Maybe that is why Damon’s name keeps popping up despite not making much sense for either Damon or the Yankees.

[24] Jones signed.

1 year., $2m (with an additional $1.2m in performance bonuses)

[25] Our long national nightmare is over.

[25] It was the best of Thames, it was the worst of Thames.

That price seems plenty reasonable.  Was Thames in the lineup essentially every time they faced a LH starter?  Seems that should be the case with Jones—otherwise you’re not maximizing his value.

Now on to BUI.  Is J. Hairston still available?

Who from the 40-man will be consigned to Davey Jones’ locker now that Andruw Jones is on board?

[21]  Can you describe the conflicts without violating confidentiality?  I’m curious.

I got to thinking about my own agents and possible conflicts…I can’t imagine what might arise.  I can’t think where it would serve the agents’ interest to promote one client’s cause at the expense of another unless that client was more likely to get the job in the first place and they were pushing for a deal.  It’s possible some people more or less at my level might be able to command somewhat more for the same role/job title, and therefore make the agency marginally more money on commission, but the difference wouldn’t be much.  I don’t get the sense it’s worth the time for the agents to try to massage that, I don’t think the marginal benefit would be worth it versus just trying to have all clients working as much as possible.

It is possible that Boras shaves his percentage for some clients.  I know some Hollywood agents and managers do for the really big fish.

[28] J. Hirsute Jr. signed with the Nats.  What about Willie Aybar?

[30] Yes, I can say I represent Megabucks Bank and therefore cannot represent you because you want to sue them. 

The question, it seems to me, is to what degree the interests of Borasshole’s or any other agent’s clients are adverse to each other.  If I represent Jones and Damon and both are competing for a contract with the Yanks, wouldn’t there ipso facto be a conflict in that instance?

[32]  Oh, I see, I thought you were referring to clients you actually represent whose interests turn out to be in conflict somehow.

“If I represent Jones and Damon and both are competing for a contract with the Yanks, wouldn’t there ipso facto be a conflict in that instance?”

Yeah sort of, but players are always at least a little different in talent and price.  I don’t think it’s that much of a conflict for an agent to say, “Hey, player A really fits your needs!  But also Player B is available, he’s great too.”  I know I’ve had agents do something similar with me when I’ve been in a position to hire.  They just want to get a deal for *somebody*, but it’s not as though one client is harmed by this; imagine the two players (or producers) are each represented by a different agent, the club (or production) is still going to choose the best candidate they can afford.

W. Aybar would work.  Switch-hitter with pop.  Or Jorge Cantu?  Both could fill in respectably for 15 days when Alex has the ouchies (though IIRC Cantu’s defense is world-historically bad).  Would be nice to get someone who could play SS but I guess, assuming a 12-man pitching staff, Nunez or Pena will make the roster anyway.  Let’s just make sure it’s not Pena AND Nunez.

[27] Thames flowing to the Pacific?