The New York Yankees Deserve Manny Ramirez

Anyone who expresses a lack of interest in the 2009 Yankees is a liar. Anyone who can't be bothered with the signings of CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett should run for office. I welcome everyone to congratulate the New York Yankees, your 2009 AL Wild Card winner. 

The three blockbuster deals the Yankees made this off-season have sent shockwaves throughout Major League Baseball. Just ask Brewers owner Mark Attanasio who made the following statement after Sabathia signed with New York: "At the rate the Yankees are going, I’m not sure anyone can compete with them. Frankly, the sport might need a salary cap.”

Then he went on to say: "They are on a completely different economic playing field. I paid $220 million for my team; now they get three players for $420 million.”

Mark continued his Jim Rome-esque rambling with: "At some point it gets to be absurd when a team has a $200 million payroll." He later admitted in the same interview that the Brewers wouldn't raise their $81 million payroll because of the recession.

Is he serious? I'm not an economic expert, but I don't believe this country has been in a recession since 1969, which happens to be the founding year of the Seattle Pilots (later renamed the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970).

Something's weird here; either I'm right about American economic history or the Brewers have always had a notoriously lousy payroll.

Mark arrogantly compared his franchise to the richest team in American professional sports. Of course he's baffled the Yankees spent over $400 million on free-agents...they're the Yankees!

They've always defied the supposed unwritten laws of frugality amongst major league owners, and they're doing it in the wake of their new stadium and an economy that stinks.

But the Yankees realize with that new stadium and the revenue generated from the YES network, they can prove to guys like Mark Attanasio that fiscal smarts can beat a rotten economy any day.

I guess Mark is mostly pissed off at the fact the Yankees spent $200 million more on three players than he spent for his entire team four years ago. Of course, when Bud Selig and his family owned the Brewers it was a 34-year period of flatulence, but Mark should have given the Seligs the $220 million plus a $200 million bonus in order to set a $420 million standard in the game and truly compete with the Yankees.

That would really be rubbing it in George Steinbrenner's face.

Let's not forget Mark turning his back on Sabathia's health down the playoff stretch. In his 17 starts with the Brewers, CC threw 1,880 pitches, an average of 110 pitches per game and 130.7 innings. In September, he pitched on three days rest for four consecutive starts (Sep. 16, 20, 24, 28) totaling 28.2 innings, 433 pitches (108 pitches per game) and 26 strikeouts. In those four games his record was 2-2.

By the time Sabathia made it to the postseason he was completely burned out and the organization knew it. Mark let interim manager Dale Sveum take advantage of Sabathia's arm to the point of extreme physical fatigue. When CC pitched with Cleveland in the 2007 playoffs his poor performance was due to mental stress, but this time his arm had been abused.

At least the media had the good sense to acknowledge Sabathia's physical state. But, more importantly, his 2008 postseason didn't affect his value in the free-agent market.

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