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- Randy on his way to Arizona: Sorry, Randy, no one is going to throw you a goodbye party. You forced your way out of Arizona to get to New York and demanded a three-year/$54-million deal. You never lived up to it and cameramen and fans everywhere will rejoice in your departure. Be gone, big doofus!
The question is will this trade facilitate the return of Roger Clemens? Stay tuned….
- Rangers 3 Flyers 2: Martin Straka is like a fine wine; he just gets better with age. Straka scored all three goals for New York and Henrik Lundqvist had a nice game as the Rangers won another one.
- Devils 4 Islanders 3: New Jersey scored three times in the first period and held on for the win behind another outstanding effort from Martin Brodeur.
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Sorry pete, you're way off base. Randy didn't come anywhere that wasn't pursuing him. If you need to blame someone, and I can't imagine what for, then talk to George. He signed a 41 year old - it was no sure thing, and for all his problems Johnson still put up real numbers and had some important wins. I would have liked him 2 years earlier so he could kill for us - but lay off him, he paid his dues.
He "forced" his way out of Arizona? In what world? I don't think Randy called up the Yanks and said, "You guys better send Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro and Javier Vazquez this way or else." The Yanks wanted him; the D-backs, looking to shed payroll, obliged. Meanwhile, he never lived up to his contract in the postseason but his 2005 campaign was fine. He also made 21 starts limiting the opposition to four runs or fewer while throwing 7 innings in 2006. That's not terrible, all things considered. But hey, let's overpay for another 44 year old pitcher with health concerns!
Yeah, man. Those 300 game winners. Get them out of here.
Although, the irony of complaining about RJ being a grumpy 40 year old while waiting for Roger Clemens to come back seems to be lost on most people. My prediction: Johnson in the NL West will have a career revitalization and Roger Clemens will come nowhere near the American League.
Two things:
1- I am not endorsing the idea of Roger Clemens returning. Clemens is impossible to evaluate because nobody has done what he has at age 44, but how long will that last?
2- If you go back to 2004 Johnson was very unhappy in Arizona because he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding effort. He wanted out of the desert and why the Yankees may not have been his only choice, by most reports they were his first.
I agree with much of the above, including the insanity of signing Clemens without knowing what he'll deliver at 44 years old - I mean, is everyone taking Nolan Ryan pills all of a sudden? Pitchers seriously consider retiring at 33-34, ten years younger!
Regardless, here's my primary thought on this: It's arguable that Johnson was a duck (or not) for his two years served, with a hefty contract and first-round playoff exits, but looking forward, he's almost certainly a duck going into 2007. Big contract, old fart, just coming off back surgery. Also, he doesn't like playing here, apparently. On those four items alone, a trade is the only correct move at this juncture. I wish him best in back in AZ, but I'm much relieved that the Yankees are seeing that there are much smarter possibilities for the rotation and for their outsize payroll in 2007.
We don't pay all that luxury tax so that we can be a retirement club for lackluster players past their prime. Sheffield got that message with an exclamation point. And if results don't change in '07, A-Rod may be next.