rendan KutyVerified account@BrendanKutyNJ 4m4 minutes ago More Ohtani has told #yankees they won’t sign with them, Cashman says
Saw that on River Avenue s Blues. Stated he wants a smaller market team preferably on the West Coast. No problem Chief, you made your points.
no problem, save the headache, use plenty of our own prospects; and avoid a media migraine of a sub-par performer. How dare the media use Ruth's name in the same context as an unproven, nutz.... for some reason I see flashbacks of: Deion Sanders 1990 season. The worst batting avg in all MLB at .158 and dared ask/demand of King George, a Million $$$ raise, (making the minimum of a Minor Lgr), and was released end of year ..... FkU Ohtani, hope you enjoy Seattle Sushi, ...ya' want a small market, you will die in one, .....!!!
No problem kid, we want players that aren't afraid of the bright lights. Now sign some of those braves prospects that were cut lose. Sign CC to one year deal and bring up chase and give him his shot in the rotation. Yanks have plenty of young pitching on the cusp.
I'm curious as to how 2B and 3B will look next year. Torres might have a shot at either position depending how he plays during ST and whether Headley and/or Castro are still with the Yanx...(I'm still hoping Cashman can find a way to move either Castro/Headley/Ellsbury)
I don't know that it's bright lights, as much as the spectrum of media surrounding the team. I mean, I'm a Blazer and Mariner fan, so I see how incestuous the media can be with the "only game in town" vs. how "counterpoint" other columnists are for trying to be edgy. But in neither place is there something like the Post:
...Ohtani's people pretty much said that he did not want to play for a big market team. If that doesn't equate to avoiding the "bright lights" I can't imagine what else is factoring into his reasoning behind choosing a team while snubbing NY and Boston.
the dude is going to have "bright lights" wherever. Ichiro 15 years ago had 100 journalists and cameramen following him around his entire rookie season, and then tapering off, to the point that *only* 10 did so in Miami in 2015. (story) I literally have no idea how many beat guys cover the Yankees and Mets and Sawx, but I'd imagine it's less than 100. There will be "bright lights" wherever he goes, if for no other reason that the US curiosity factor ("this dude isn't close to being Babe Ruth") and the Japanese hero-worship factor. The comment his people made is interesting to me, though, because LA and CHI (and Texas for that matter) are still (allegedly) in the mix. Aside from NYC/BOS, you don't get much bigger market than that.
there's never been a doubt Ohtani will be followed by the West Coast Asian media, which is 2nd to none on the Left Coast: in LA, Frisco/Oakland, Seattle..... I've never in my life seen so many flashing camera's in one place going off like a strobe light show, hours on end; when Nomo took the mound for the 1st time in Chavez Ravine. No diff than Ichiro or Matsui playing their 1st games in Anaheim; when half the stadium plus, was of asian descent. I'd like to know how 30-40,000 plus locals of asian ancestry obtain half or more the tix for Nomo, Suzuki, Matsui, Darvish debuts. This is definition A of 'bright lights'... Those games were more like phantasmagoric dreams: imagine everyone seems to have a Canon/Nikon around their necks, taking pics of concessions, the peanut/beer vendors; with one guy getting tossed by half of the men's restroom, for trying to take pics inside the men's room, a wtf moment... I'd say, the definition or criteria of: playing under "bright lights" has more than one connotation here, to be clear. We all know he will be under extreme Asian ball-Fans scrutiny of camera's, no doubt 'bright lights'. That's going to happen no matter where he goes. Definition "B" : "bright lights", defines a total different aspect of meaning. No where, and I mean no where, not in other large ball markets, ie LA, Chicago, et al; is a player so scrutinized daily by the hungriest demanding of Fans, and press, second to none; much more relentless than anywhere else on earth, such as one see's in the Bronx and Ny Fan's. The press can be brutal beyond any other large city. A player can't get away from the press, fans or city in NY like they can elsewhere. Testament to Roger Maris 61 season.... Thus playing under the 'bright lights' of Ny, Boston imo, would be so over demanding the kid would wilt under the heat, pressure like so many have, from Whitson to Irabu. Lesson #1 to Ohtani- Prima Donna can be defined by one's willingness to demand to play under the most intense relentless pressure; ie "bright lights" of NY....(guess the Ruth hype was lesson #1)...??? Not saying, Seattle, Frisco, LA wouldn't have its innate pressure, as the game itself does inherently. Ohtani like many Japanese players would fare well with fans better on the Left coast, who'd love him regardless. More for making it to MLB, than maintaining a stars status, the latter a bonus. In NY the latter is demanded and expected. Fans (esp Japanese/asian fans) would be more accepting of his work, regardless of its outcome. Not so in NY, he'd be expected to be Superman, and he's not. In hard core NY eyes, he's now a prima donna; that can't or doesn't want to perform on the biggest of stages, and be under a microscope of a different focus..... ie ''bright lights".... excuse my musings,
I think unless he falls on his face(don't see it) torres will be either the 2nd or 3rd baseman. Hopefully 2nd. You can move castro to 3rd, dh him or trade him. Headley can play 3rd, dh or traded also (but not likely).
...awww c'mon...you gotta admit that the lights shine much "brighter" in NY than say Seattle for example...that's what mrmel29 was referring to. Again, Ohtani's Rep was the one who claimed they were not interested in a "small market team". ...like most Asian transplants, Ohtani would also probably prefer a West Coast team...just a hunch.
I totally agree with Mattingly's Definition B of "bright lights" in terms of fan expectation. I was talking more about cameras in his face every night, scrutiny (though probably much less invasive than in NYC/BOS) of every facet of his game, "weight of a country on his shoulders", the "2nd coming of Babe Ruth" comparisons, etc. I think all those, due to the Japanese contingent (again, that Mattingly spoke about) would be similar in SEA or SD or TEX or CHI or BOS or NYC. But nowhere is he going to get the fan expectation...I smiled over the summer as Judge was on his way to hitting 50+ homers as a rookie and there were Yankee fans (no one on here, I'm sure) saying the kid was a bum b/c he struck out in almost 40 straight games. The closest I could see someone else coming is in BOS or LAD, as happened when Kershaw (historically) and Darvish (this year) "choked" in the playoffs and LAD fans wished they could get someone better. But even that's an anomaly. But
...well, respectfully again I ask, in that case, why then would Ohtani single out Boston and NY as places he does not want to play?...his mindset seems very clear to me.
...I would think that Headley and Castro would be the easiest to move for obvious reasons...Ellsbury would require a very "imaginative" package...maybe package both Castro along with either Headley or Ellsbury?...(the Yanx would still probably have to eat some of Ellsbury's contract)...but that still would solve 2 problems. If Headley is gone Torres plays 3B...if Castro is gone Torres plays 2B, Headley plays 3B and the Yanx can address the 3B position next year....if Headley and Castro are both gone, well, that opens up all sorts of options. ...regardless, Cashman really needs to get really creative concerning 2B, 3B and Ellsbury.
I think andujar also will be in the 3rd base mix sooner than later which looking at he long side would be a good reason to put torres at 2nd now and either trade or make castro the dh
^^^^ I've been thinking the same, what about Andujar.... and yep, I'm more than ready to see Headcase/Dingleberry/Castro moved, traded, even if it costs $$$, but not prospects worth keeping. I'm not so sure the Kids know what they're doing, trying to budget the team's future; while putting the best team on the field.... Come's a time when a team has to eat $$$, to eliminate players like Jacoby, who will never live up to the expecations, or contract.
