You think the yankees are the front runners in signing cliff lee?

[CollectGU]

No one has even mentioned the fact that when you are a Yankee you have a legitimate shot to win a title every year. If Lee is not about only money, what about the consiistent, legitimate opportunity to win every year. That is huge for guys like Lee who are getting older and want to attain what almost all players feel is the ultimate goal - a ring. The Rangers can't offer that. Recent history shows the team to be inconsistent, 2001 - 2003 horrible, 2004 made a run, 2005 - 2008 horrible sub .500 baseball, 2009-10 - good run. It's a crap shoot with them

Dave

[Fnazxc0114]

Hey i hate to break the news to you but the yankees only have one more ws ring than the rangers do in the last decade. The idea that they have a shot every year is going down by the year. It will be hard to win a ws if that team doesnt get any younger.

No one has even mentioned the fact that when you are a Yankee you have a legitimate shot to win a title every year. If Lee is not about only money, what about the consiistent, legitimate opportunity to win every year. That is huge for guys like Lee who are getting older and want to attain what almost all players feel is the ultimate goal - a ring. The Rangers can't offer that. Recent history shows the team to be inconsistent, 2001 - 2003 horrible, 2004 made a run, 2005 - 2008 horrible sub .500 baseball, 2009-10 - good run. It's a crap shoot with them

Dave

[ferro39]

disagree.

they do have a shot every year because they make the postseason just about every year. what happens after that is a crap shoot as we saw this year with both the yanks and philly, which was everyone's favorite. the last time the same could be said about a team was the 90s with atlanta. the same cant be said for any other team this past decade.

and as a fan, im not overly worried about them getting younger. montero is pushing hard and will replace jorge, while arod will be a FT DH in a couple of years (also replaced by a younger player). the only one who will linger will be jeter.

let's call a spade a spade too: they can very easily go younger by way of their own prospects and FA

[CollectGU]

Hey i hate to break the news to you but the yankees only have one more ws ring than the rangers do in the last decade. The idea that they have a shot every year is going down by the year. It will be hard to win a ws if that team doesnt get any younger.

1995 thru 2010 - 15 playoff appearances, 5 world series rings.... If you play for the Yankees you have a much greater chance of winning a ring, and players know this. So if they really want you, they will likely give you the largest contract and the best chance at winning a ring.....

Dave

[Bondsgloves]

The Yankees should win the World Series every year, they spend twice as much as everyone else. When you can buy the best free agent year, you should win. Basically they have been underachieving. Yankee's promote themselves as the greatest franchise and a wining tradition, but if any other team spent that kind of money they would be in playoffs every year to. Fans either love them or hate them, because of the advantage of buying championships. Really how hard is it to be Yankee fan when you can buy whatever you want and need? If you can't beat them join them... Clemens, A-rod, Wade Boggs, etc... They took the easy road to a ring..

[xpress34]

The Yankees should win the World Series every year, they spend twice as much as everyone else. When you can buy the best free agent year, you should win. Basically they have been underachieving. Yankee's promote themselves as the greatest franchise and a wining tradition, but if any other team spent that kind of money they would be in playoffs every year to. Fans either love them or hate them, because of the advantage of buying championships. Really how hard is it to be Yankee fan when you can buy whatever you want and need? If you can't beat them join them... Clemens, A-rod, Wade Boggs, etc... They took the easy road to a ring..

The reason they don't win every year is stated well in your post Bondsgloves. They BUY thier teams - they don't BUILD them. Therefore, their is little to NO Team Chemistry because outside of the 'Core Four' as they call them - Jeter, A$$Roid, Posada, Rivera) bo one else knows if they will be there next year regardless of their contract.

They have become a team of 'Mercenary Players' or 'Guns for Hire' and while that might get you to the playoffs every year, the Post Season usually seems to go to the teams who are a UNIT.

The Yankees were that 1996-2000 and then they became the Team that would pay any amount for the biggest Free Agent name just because they could. And ONE (1) WS Championship since then shows that the formula doesn't always work.

The 1996-2000 teams were BUILT by the Yankees through Farm Teams and Trades - not buying th biggest Free Agent name. When they dismantled after the 2001 WS loss the Arizona, they have NEVER been the same.

- Smitty

[LastingsMilledge85]

Take a look at the Cubs every year, they are basically the poor man's Yankees. Each year they buy top guys on the free agent market because they have one outstanding season, and then don't fulfill the outrageous contracts the Cubs give them.

[Bondsgloves]

Xpress I agree with you 100%, but having an unlimited payroll is deffinetly a major advantage. I agree you can't put a value on chemistry look at the Giants and Rangers, they are not the best teams on paper... butthey are making it work. I can't csee a comparison however between the cubs and yankees. The Yankees spending is on a entirely different level.

[CollectGU]

They have become a team of 'Mercenary Players' or 'Guns for Hire' and while that might get you to the playoffs every year, the Post Season usually seems to go to the teams who are a UNIT..

Come on this is all one big cliche = they play as a unit, unselfish, blah blah blah. All teams that make the playoffs have talent, and all teams ngo through hitting and pitching droughts. Mostly the teams that win are the ones that peak at the right time and don't go into the slumps.

Also, there are a ton of Rangers not homegrown!: Lee, Hamilton , Guerrero, David Murphy, Cruz, Molina...Give me a break, let's be real here!

Dave

[xpress34]

Come on this is all one big cliche = they play as a unit, unselfish, blah blah blah. All teams that make the playoffs have talent, and all teams ngo through hitting and pitching droughts. Mostly the teams that win are the ones that peak at the right time and don't go into the slumps.

Also, there are a ton of Rangers not homegrown!: Lee, Hamilton , Guerrero, David Murphy, Cruz, Molina...Give me a break, let's be real here!

Dave

Dave -

Big difference here. I'm not saying that you can't trade for guys and build a strong unit - in fact I even made the trade argument :

The 1996-2000 teams were BUILT by the Yankees through Farm Teams and Trades - not buying th biggest Free Agent name. When they dismantled after the 2001 WS loss the Arizona, they have NEVER been the same.

I'm not talking about completely or mostly home grown teams like the Rockies (outside of Giambi and Cargo the rest of the core are homegrown) and I never said that.

I'm talking about teams like the Yankees since 2001 that have (for the most part) been built by BUYING the current HOT Model from the end of the previous season - and they have ONE WS Ring for all of that money they have paid out. In the same span, Boston has TWO WS Rings and since they disbanded some of their core guys from '04 and '07, they haven't looked quite the same while following the Yankees and throwing money at FAs.

So, yes I am being REAL here.

- Smitty