Todd Jones should stick to something he is good at... oh wait.

ganggreengirl · Dec 28, 2008

he isn't good at saving games either...:rofl2:

Money won't buy the Yankees a championship
12/28/2008

First there was CC Sabathia. No one thought too much about that signing. The Yankees usually act like the spoiled only child who threatens to hold his breath until he gets what he wants. They wanted pitching, so they signed him. Now all Sabathia has to do is win 20 games and/or the Cy Young Award every season for the next seven seasons.

Then, there was A.J. Burnett. He was the first pitcher to use his opt-out clause to the tune of five years and $82.5 million. That's cool. He has the big fastball that general managers and fans love, and he won a career-high 17 games in 2008. Good for him.

But now comes Mark Texeira. I'm talking eight years and $180 million. And he's not even the highest-paid player on his new club?

Life is about to get interesting for the Yankees and their newcomers. Guys who sign big deals usually come to town feeling like they have to live up to their new pile of cash. But with so many of the highest-paid dudes on one club, A.J. can slide in almost unnoticed. Even Big Tex can hope to be shielded by Alex Rodriguez, or at least take a lesson from him about living up to the pressure of a new deal.

Let me offer advice to personnel on other clubs: When asked to comment about the money the Yankees have spent, leave it alone. You'll look like a hater. Just do your thing and let the other Yankees do theirs. Otherwise, you'll look like you're jealous. Baseball is different in New York. The Yankees' bean counters signed off on these deals, but the 29 other teams need to worry about their own needs -- or put in for a job with the so-called Evil Empire.

Now that the Yankees have spent so much and have future Hall of Famers up and down their roster, they're supposed to win. Anything short of reaching the World Series will be a disappointment. That is no way to go through a season. Baseball turns into a job really fast when you strap such an 800-pound gorilla on your back the first day of spring training and carry it around during a six-month-long regular season (and perhaps into the postseason).

At this point, the magic of being a baseball fan who doesn't root for the Yankees turns into cantankerous feeling toward those guys who make all this money. You look differently at them. They had better win every game.

I wonder if Yankees fans ever blush. What's so special about pulling for the bully at the end of the street who beats up on the smallest kid in town? What's cool is when you're rooting for a team that comes from nowhere. Most of us like the underdogs, and they still have their day in baseball, as we saw with the Rays this past season.

The Yankees should know by now that money can't buy a championship. You know, I have a feeling this won't turn how the Yankees are planning.

E-mail Todd Jones, the recently retired closer who saved 319 games in his 16-year career in the major leagues, at tjones@sportingnews.com.
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vinsjets · Dec 29, 2008

What's wrong with this article? The only thing the shopping spree the yankees went on guarantees is, filling seats to the new stadium.

The Mets and Yankees both toss around money like crazy. and neither of them have had anything to show for it since 2000. Meanwhile the Marlins have another Banner, and the Rays nearly got one of their own. While the Mets and Yankees watched from their million dollar homes.

Learn To Swim · Dec 30, 2008

He may be a lousy closer and writer but he's a top notch homophobe.

Todd Jones should stick to something he is good at... oh wait.

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Todd Jones should stick to something he is good at... oh wait.

ganggreengirl New Member

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Learn To Swim 2008 Nightowltom "Best Non-Jets Poster" Award Winn

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