New York Yankees - The Bush Years (2000-2009)

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Championships

Top New York Players of the Oughts

2000 - Won World Series (Beat Mets)

2001 - Lost World Series (Arizona)

Pitchers:

2002 - Lost LDS (Anaheim)

Mariano Rivera (33.04) - 107

2003 - Lost World Series (Florida)

Mike Mussina (35.16) - 71

2004 - Lost ALCS (Boston)

Andy Pettitte (22.68) - 68

2005 - Lost LDS (Anaheim)

Roger Clemens (18.38) - 38

2006 - Lost LDS (Detroit)

Chen Ming Wang (14.01) - 30

2007 - Lost LDS (Cleveland)

Randy Johnson (7.48) - 20

2009 - Won World Series (Philadelphia)

David Wells (8.05) - 19

CC Sabathia (6.19) - 13

BallPark:

El Duque Hernandez (11.26) - 11

Yankee Stadium

Javier Vazquez (2.58) - 8

Ramiro Mendoza (4.97) - 7

Team Name:

AJ Burnett (4.46) - 6

Yankees

Mike Stanton (5.97) - 6

Tom Gordon (6.58) - 4

Owner:

Joba Chamberlain (6.25) - 4

George Steinbrenner

Carl Pavano (0.41) - 1

Ted Lilly (2.18) - 1

General Managers:

Jake Westbrook (0.32) - 0

Brian Cashman

Ian Kennedy (0.13) - 0

Tyler Clippard (0.1) - 0

Managers:

Mark Melancon (0.21) - 0

Joe Torre (2000-2007)

George Kontos (0) - 0

Joe Girardi (2008-2009)

Catchers:

Hall of Famers

Jorge Posada (37.54) - 108

Mariano Rivera

Dioner Navarro (0.05) - 0

Mike Mussina

Derek Jeter

First Basemen:

Randy Johnson

Jason Giambi (22.05) - 45

Roger Clemens (Pending)

Tino Martinez (4.08) - 15

Alex Rodriguez (Pending)

Nick Johnson (3.19) - 11

Mark Teixeira (5.27) - 9

Rookie of the Year:

None

Second Basemen:

Robinson Cano (15.4) - 35

MVP:

Alfonso Soriano (9.7) - 29

2005 - Alex Rodriguez

2007 - Alex Rodriguez

ShortStop:

Derek Jeter (44.1) - 106

No Hitters:

None

Third Base:

Alex Rodriguez (41.77) - 77

Cy Young

Robin Ventura (5.43) - 9

2001 - Roger Clemens

Outfield:

Notable Events:

Bernie Williams (14.91) - 58

Hideki Matsui (20.44) - 40

2000 - The Yankees experience a slow, steady decline throughout the decade

Johnny Damon (14.44) - 36

culminating in missing the playoffs in their last year in the original

Bobby Abreu (6.98) - 19

Yankee Stadium, 2008.

Gary Sheffield (8.73) - 19

Of course, they started the decade at a pretty lofty perch.

Melky Cabrera (5.67) - 18

The 2000 World Series victory over the Mets was a very high, high point and it was

Paul O'Neill (1.79) - 11

their fourth World Championship in five years. Impressive. You couldn't realistically

Raul Mondesi (2.12) - 9

expect New York to keep this pace up. That being said, they fell to their unique level

David Justice (3.7) - 8

of mediocrity pretty quickly and stayed there.

Juan Rivera (0.61) - 0

At first, it was losing in the world Series, then it was losing earlier in the playoffs.

Austin Jackson (0) - 0

2004's playoff loss to Boston was just plain ugly. After that, it started getting difficult

Jose Tabata (0) - 0

just making it to the post season. New York had to scramlbe mightily to make it

in 2005, with several unexpected sources coming thru for them.

Notable Events:

After that they declined steadily until they missed the playoffs entirely in 2008.

The core of the dynasty of the late Nineties remained, but the talent around the core

2005 - Righty Carl Pavano, 29, is signed as a free agent from Florida

eroded as time went on and wasn't replenished.

New York had a poor farm system throughout the decade.

2005 - Righty Jaret Wright, 29, is a free agent from the Braves

George got increasingly desperate signing free agents and going after aging

stars until he faded from the scene midway thru the decade.

2005 - Lefty Randy Johnson, 43, is acquired from Arizona for

As George and his health faded, Brian Cashman's power within the organization rose.

righty Javier Vazquez and catcher Dioner Navarro

Not a good thing. The biggest issue with Cashman taking over the reins of the

franchase was that he learned George's trait of not caring about developing a

2005 - The Yankees recover from an awful start to make it to the playoffs.

productive farm system, and at the off moment that he did develop a youngster,

However, they lose to Anaheim in the LDS.

he was quick on the trigger to trade that player away for some veteran in an attempt

to impatiently plug a hole, a la George. It would take Cashman two decades in the

2006 - Outfielder Johnny Damon, 32, is signed as a free agent from Boston

saddle before the Yankees would develop a solid farm system.

The other issue was that, unlike George, Brian was unwilling or, more likely,

2006 - Outfielder Bobby Abreu, 32, is acquired from the Phillies for

unable to spend big on free agents (with a couple of notable exceptions).

four suspects

Either way, with Cashman, you were getting the worst of George while, simultaneously,

not getting the best of George. Pretty lethal combination.

2006 - The Yanks win the Division but lose to Detroit in the LDS.

The result being a steady decline with no new stars coming into the organization

either via youngsters or via free agency to move to the next level to win titles.

2007 - RHP Phil Hughes, 21, Joba Chamberlain, 21, Tyler Clippard, 22,

The Yankees turned into perennial also rans.

and Ian Kennedy, 22, are all rookies. These youngsters were hyped

Meanwhile, the Steinbrenner sons did not understand how to make the organization

as the next great starting rotation. It didn't happen and the hype

thrive. George had stumbled onto the magic formula which is " When you are in the

caused a great deal of disappointment amongst Yankee fans.

number one market in the world and you have the biggest sports brand in the world,

the New York Yankees, you can't spend too much money, spending will always pay

2007 - New York makes it as a Wild Card but lose to Cleveland in the LDS.

big dividends". You can't use this formula in Cleveland, but it works in New York.

The sons, however, never saw this and, as with most inheritors, were more

2007 - A-Rod opts out of his contract and signs a new ten year $275

concerned with holding onto what they had rather than try to move things forward.

million deal. This was an excellent signing by the Yanks.

With predictable results. If you're a baseball organization, like a shark, you move

As it turns out, you could make a good case for the Yankees not making

forward or you die. The Steinbrenners needed a savvy baseball mind and/or an

the post season without A-Rod in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015

entrepreneurial spirit as GM (preferably both) to guide them.

In other words, they probably would not have been in the playoffs at all

Unfortunately, with Cashman, they had neither.

in the first half of the teens decade if it weren't for A-Rod.

This is a team that didn't know how to use the natural advantages it has (money,

Two reasons for this statement:

market, venue) to be successful. All they had was a weak GM and a pair of owners

(1) A-Rod's WAR, if subtracted from the Yankees win total, would have put

who were nothing more than place holders.

them right on the bubble to miss the playoffs in all of those seasons.

On the other hand, the Yankees' foibles proved great for baseball, in general,

And, considering, that WAR means an average replacement, you can

during the decade.

make a strong case that there wasn't even an average replacement

Here you had the Yankees making the post season every year but not winning the

available for the Yankees at 3B, only below average and, much worse

whole thing - this gave TV ratings the New York juice while giving fans genuine

than that, if you had to dip into the Yankees' farm system and

interest in the contests because the Yankees weren't dominant.

(2) there's something that WAR is not really good at - lineup synergy.

New York had become a trial horse. Beating them legitamized your run at a title.

With A-Rod in the lineup, the guys in front of him suddenly became

Other teams had a legitimate chance, thus creating genuine interest for baseball

much more effective hitters - WAR doesn't know how to give A-Rod

fans, in general, in the post season.

credit for that. A-Rod had free swinging Robinson Cano and Nick

A win-win for TV and, therefore, for baseball, overall, financially. The huge TV

(I never met a fastball I didn't like but can't hit a curve) Swisher in front

contract that baseball negotiated during this era benefitted greatly from the

of him. Both of these guys thrived when pitchers had to throw strikes

Yankee effect.

to them fearing A-Rod more behind them.

The decline started with George as his bad traits started to overcome the good over

You subtract the synergy and the WAR, and the Yankees are not

the first half of the decade. When George's health declined, Cashman didn't have

in the playoffs in the early to mid teens.

the werewithal to stem the tide and the decline continued, only now the Yanks were

It's ironic that Yankee management chose to villify A-Rod and his contract

struggling to even make it to the post season.

as an excuse for their poor performance when, in reality, his presence

It should be noted that Gene Michael hovered in the background as VP of the

was keeping them from being in freefall.

Yankees from 1996 on. Personnel decisions were run thru Gene during that period.

Yankee management would scapegoat the contract, blaming it for their

The feeling is that George put a lot of weight behind Michael's input and once George

hamstrung financially moving forward.

was out of the picture, so was Michael. George also relied heavily on Joe Torre's

The fact of the matter is that Yankee management chose not to spend

input and it was no surprise that Cashman dumped Torre as quickly as he could once

and used A-Rod's contract as an easy excuse for not doing so.

George was no longer physically able to run the club.

The Steinbrenner sons had no confidence in their ability to spend to win.

Also, the decline in Yankee performance, as we can see above, was not

2000 - New York continues it's hot run in the new century by winning it's fourth

because of A-Rod's presence, but in spite of it.

world title in five years. The team has some great players at its core

The fact of the matter is that from the time A-Rod signed this contract

(the core four - Pettitte, Rivera, Posada, Jeter),

to the time he finished up his career, the decline in the Yankees

but is getting long in the tooth in several areas.

fortunes was due to poor management and a choice not to spend

The 2000 Roster:

when they should have and that A-Rod's presence masked how bad

□ Catcher Jorge Posada, 28

things really had become with the squad around him -

□ 1B Tino Martinez, 32, he'll be replaced soon

the Yankees would have been much, much worse without him. .

□ 2B Chuck Knoblauch, 31, he'll be replaced soon

□ SS Derek Jeter, 26

2007 - Just to beat a dead horse even further on the A-Rod contract.

□ 3B Scott Brosius, 33, he'll retire soon

Back in the day, If a team bought a superstar, it was from another club

□ CF Bernie Williams, 31, his father dies in 2001 and Bernie loses interest in

because players didn't own their own rights.

baseball soon after as a result

After the free agency era began, teams bought the superstar from the

□ RF Paul O'Neill. 37, the end of the line for a terrific player

player himself through the free agent process.

□ 2B Alfonso Soriano, 24. will be traded for A-Rod in four years

How is this done? Let's say it's A-Rod and it's 2007 and A-Rod is thirty

□ Lefty Andy Pettitte, 28, will bolt for home town Houston in mid decade

one years old. And, let's say that A-Rod figures to be a primo player

only to come back to the Yankees a few years later

throught the age of thirty seven. And let' let's also say that A-Rod is worth

□ Righty Roger Clemens, 37, the 'roids will extend his career -

25 mil a year to the Yankees for his services. That's six times 25 mil or

he follows Pettitte and bolts for Houston and then returns to New York, as well

150 mil. That's what most fans, and, apparently, Yankee management

□ Righty El Duque, 34, nothing left in the tank

feel is what should be paid to A-Rod. However, in modern times, A-Rod

□ Righty Mariano Rivera, 30, thirty was the new twenty for Mariano

owns his own rights. As mentioned above, in the old days, let's say

□ Lefty Ted Lilly, 24, the Yanks mistakenly trade him away

that A-Rod was under a six year 25 mil a year contract with the Rangers

□ Righty Jake Westbrook, 22, the Yanks mistakenly trade him away

and the Yankees wanted him. For the sake of argument, let's say that

Note that Lilly and Westbrook had been pilfered from the Expos for Hidecki Irabu

the Yankees then bought A-Rod from Texas for one hundred mil.

in '99 only to be impatiently frittered away in trades moving forward

That's 250 mil that the Yankees paid for A-Rod total, 150 mil in salary

to A-Rod and 100 mil in cash to Texas to get A-Rod's rights.

2000 - RHP Jake Westbrook, 22, is traded to Cleveland for David Justice

No one would bat an eyelash at this. Yet, somehow, because A-Rod

Justice gives the lineup a lot of juice in their run for the title.

now owns his rights and you pay the whole 250 mil to Alex

Westbrook will have several nice years with the Indians and Cards.

(in the form of a 10 year 25 mil a year deal), everybody goes nuts!

All you have done is pay A-Rod for his rights by tacking on years to the

2000 - The Yankees beat the Mets in the subway series -

end of his contract In this case, it's four years at 25 mil a year that was

the Yanks won't win another title until the end of the decade, 2009

tacked on. Yankee management has never seemed to be able to come

to grips with this basic economic fact of life. They felt that after the six

2001 - Mariano's second post season faux pas as a Luis Gonzalez bloop single

years, they shouldn't have to pay A-Rod anything.

gives the Diamondbacks game 7 of the World Series.

And, to their eternal discredit, went about a smear campaign to get

An incredibly exciting series where Arizona had the two most dominant starters

out of the last years of A-Rod's contract. To relate this to real life,

in the game in Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, but the Yankees hit late game

let's say someone buys a couch on credit to be paid for over ten years

home runs by Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter and Scott Brosius to snatch victory

and then they spill beer on it and ruin it after six years.

from the jaws of defeat on three separate occasions against Arizona's previously

Now they don't want to pay the last four years of the loan because

unhittable closer Byung-Hyun Kim

the couch is useless to them. They still have to.

Yet Yankee management, having bought A-Rod on lay away via the

2000, 2001 - The Yankees sign three significant IFA's who all debut in 2005:

last four years of the contract, were behaving just like the couch people.

(all 2005 ages)

A-Rod wasn't any good any more and they didn't want to pay. It wasn't

□ Righty Chien Ming Wang, 25

one of Yankee management's finer moments as we watched them

□ OF Melky Cabrera, 20

continuously try to wriggle out of their obligations.

□ 2B Robinson Cano, 22

Their dragging A-Rod thru the mud via gangster-in-chief, Bud Selig,

The reason that the impatient Yankees didn't trade these three away, as was their

suspending A-Rod for a year was contemptable. Altho' the irony of Selig's

wont, is that none of them excelled in the minors and thus did not build up any trade

piousness regarding A-Rod's steroid use when Selig rode the wave of

value prior to being brought up to the Yankees before their time.

steroid use to get baseball back on track in the late nineties was

They came up in emergency mode when the Yankees were in severe trouble in 2005.

fun to watch. The Yankees saved paying A-Rod for a year, but put

The three proved their value in the big leagues by helping the Yankees turn it

themselves in the category of trailer trash not wanting to pay for their

around and win the division. They were now valuable big leaguers and couldn't

couch in the process.

be easlily thrown in a deal to get veteran major leaguers as was the usual course

of events for prospects with the Yankees when George, and later Cashman,

2008 - To consolidate his power within the organization,

were in charge.

Cashman fires Joe Torre as manager.

In Cashman's defense, he does bring in an extremely competent

2001 - righthander Mike Mussina, 32, is signed as a free agent from Baltimore

replacement in Joe Girardi to mitigate the loss.

2002 - 1B Jason Giambi, 31, is signed as a free agent from the A's - steroid use will

2008 - CF Bret Gardner, 24, is a rookie. The ultimate over achiever.

cause him to physically break down way before his time

2008 - Tyler Clippard, 23, is traded to Washington for

2002 - LHP Ted Lilly, 26, is dealt to the A's for Jeff Weaver

Jonathan Albaladejo (who?)

2003 - Japanese superstar outfielder Hideki Matsui, 29, is signed as a free agent

2008 - CF Austin Jackson, 21, is selected in 8th round of amateur draft

He becomes a solid pro in New York.

2008 - New York trades four minor leaguers (Tabata, Karstens, McCutchen,

2003 - New York loses the World Series to a relatively weak Florida team who

Ohlendorf) to the Pirates for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady

jelled at the right moment in the post season.

2008 - The team misses the playoffs.

2004 - A-Rod, 28, is obtained in a deal from Texas for Alfonso Soriano

The Yankees are in serious decline. With an awful farm system,

an ineffective GM and ownership unwilling to spend, things looked bleak.

2004 - Oufielder Gary Sheffield, 35, is signed as a free agent from the Braves -

The last year in the old Yankee Stadium was a disaster as they don't

the Yankes are starting to reach a bit as the cupboard is thinning out.

even make the playoffs.

2004 - Righty Kevin Brown, 39, is acquired from LA for Jeff Weaver who had been

2009 - RHP David Robertson, 24, is a rookie

acquired for young lefty Ted Lilly in a bad trade in 2003.

Brown's best days are way behind him.

2009 - RHP Mark Melancon, 24, is a rookie

Lilly turns out to be, by far, the best of the three moving forward.

2009 - the new Yankee Stadium opens

2004 - OF Juan Rivera, 25, 1B Nick Johnson, 25, and LHP Randy Choate, 27 are

dealt to Montreal for Javier Vazquez

2009 - the Yankees spend over $400 million on three free agents - lefty

CC Sabathia, righty AJ Burnett and slugging first baseman Mark Teixiera.

2004 - Mariano's third faux pas. The Yanks are up against Boston in the ALDS 3-0

It was the right move, but for the wrong reasons.

with the lead in game 4 and Mariano on the mound to close it out. Nobody would even

They did it, not to right the ship and start spending like the Yankees should.

bother to give you odds at that point on Boston winning the series, but they did.

They did it to give George a nice final send off in his new stadium.

It worked as the Yankees roll to a pennant and A-Rod has a huge

World Series. Unfortunately, the big spending would be an anomaly

for this management team, altho' no one seems to notice moving forward.