Lofton warned CC about Yanks

[jaybird2001wi]

Prior to Sabathia signing with the Yankees, former Sabathia teammate Kenny Lofton warned CC Sabathia about the demands of being a Yankee. As some of you may remember, Lofton launched a diatribe towards the Yankees a year or two ago about how Joe Torre used him when he played for the Yankees.

This all makes me wonder about the National perception of the Yankees and how players have perceived their experiences with the Brewers. I have often heard nothing but positive things from former Brewers when they surfaced on other teams except Sheffield obviously. Does anyone believe the "word of mouth" amongst players will help or hinder the Brewers chances? I recalled Sabathia say he was "excited" about the trade to Milwaukee and often stated the community embraced him and his family.

 

Maybe there is more truth to what Lofton said about his experience in New York. I also seem to recall Ken Griffey Jr. voiding a deal to the Mets when he was a Mariner because of bad experiences he had as a child roaming the locker room of Yankee stadium when his father played there.

Based upon Yankee history, there did seem to be less "legendary minority" players except for Reggie Jackson. I remember reading about how George Steinbrenner hired a Private Investigator to "dig up dirt" on Dave Winfield. Winfield may be another player who has sworn off allegiance with the Yankees.

[valpocrewsader]

http://brewersfandemonium...ys-7-ye.html#reply-477403 ?

[Brian the Automator]

http://brewersfandemonium...ys-7-ye.html#reply-477403 ?

Yeah, I mentioned this back in the CC mega-thread, but I'll leave this thread open to see if the topic gets any play... It was sorta buried amongst the other CC posts.

[Tbadder]

I was listening to XM radio the other day and Kennedy suggested that there was now a Yankee-premium. That things have gotten so bad in New York that the Yankees are forced to give players an extra 20 to 30 percent per contract. I so hope that's true.

 

In the end I believe that CC is a really decent guy and that he's gonna regret doing this to his family. Does it all come down to kissing the rear of the player's union. Is there really that much pressure among the super rich to be super-richer? If it continues one day it will implode.

[Brian the Automator]

I was listening to XM radio the other day and Kennedy suggested that there was now a Yankee-premium. That things have gotten so bad in New York that the Yankees are forced to give players an extra 20 to 30 percent per contract. I so hope that's true.

I think part of it is a basic cost-of-living problem in New York. How much is a decent apartment in New York? Probably a boatload of money. Players also know that when the Yankees are targeting a player big-time, that they're WILLING to pay 20 to 30 percent extra, so why not gouge them for it?

[crewcrazy]

I was listening to XM radio the other day and Kennedy suggested that there was now a Yankee-premium. That things have gotten so bad in New York that the Yankees are forced to give players an extra 20 to 30 percent per contract. I so hope that's true.

I think part of it is a basic cost-of-living problem in New York. How much is a decent apartment in New York? Probably a boatload of money. Players also know that when the Yankees are targeting a player big-time, that they're WILLING to pay 20 to 30 percent extra, so why not gouge them for it?

You're not going to find anything much cheaper than $2000-3000 a month for a basic apartment (1 bed, 1 bath, etc.) in a pretty crappy neighborhood. I'd be interested to know how many players on the team live in more secluded areas in nearby Connecticut as opposed to in the City. For a guy like CC that might be a more attractive option (better schools and whatnot). Plus, it looks like taxes are going to be as many as 88 tax and fee increases in New York State next year, as they're in a huge budget crunch. The cost of living in one of the costliest cities to live in to begin with is about to rise.

 

The warning about the Yankees doesn't surprise me, though -- they've always seemed to treat their lesser players (like Lofton) like dirt while trying to appease their "living legends" every chance they get. I imagine things didn't improve when they added Alex Rodriguez's ego into the mix.

[nate82]

Didn't Steinbrenner complain about there be a Yankees price once before in the 80's or was it in the late 90's? I remember reading somewhere about this when the Yankees made their first offering to CC.

[naivin]

CC is likely to be the second most loved man in New York (Jeter) over the next couple years. After he starts to diminish however, before his contract is up, he will likely be the most hated.

[AdvantageSchneider]

He's got an out in 3 years, so I really doubt he will regret it. He'll make some really nice coin for 3 years and if he doesn't like it, he can always opt out and go someplace else for probably the same money, if not more.

 

Is there really a Yankee premium, or are the Yankees just so terrified of not getting the guy they want that they pay more? It seems like they bid against themselves for CC.

[owbc]

I have a suspicion that CC was seriously considering taking the Brewers $100 million offer despite it being $40 million short, which forced the Yankees to add another year and $20 million.

 

It seems kind of strange that a player would willingly take $40 million less to play in a city like Milwaukee, but I really think it might have been the case. He would have had the chance to replace Brett Favre as the state's most recognizable athlete. He would have been extremely popular, with much less pressure to succeed.

 

However, as others have mentioned, the out clause in addition to the money made the choice easy.

[Principessa21]

Gary Sheffield did come out and say Joe Torre hates black people...

 

I don't blame Lofton for his opinions. Torre used to consistently favor gritty, ring club members over the better player. With Lofton, I remember wishing he had more playing time. Also, Jeter has always struck me as a unforgiving, bitter sonofabitch. There have been accounts (how reliable? Who knows, but let's speculate because it's fun!) that Jeter, Posada and others create an exclusive feeling in the clubhouse, esp. after losses. I've read before that players wouldn't come to NYC because of what other players have said about the environment, going all the way back to the 70s. I wouldn't be surprised if that continued with how the club was run under Torre.

 

Regarding Griffy, Jr. I've never liked him, and one of the reasons was his adamant position that he would never go to the Yankees because some people were mean to him as a kid. Surprise, surprise, Billy Martin didn't like a kid running around the clubhouse. Grow up lameo.

 

 

obsessedwithbrewcrew, Sabathia did just say in a question and answer that he always thought the Brewers was a one year deal. But I still think he used that as leverage. He said told Cashman he would accept 10 minutes after meeting in San Francisco, which would have been where the extra money was offered.

 

 

Is there really a Yankee premium, or are the Yankees just so terrified of not getting the guy they want that they pay more? It seems like they bid against themselves for CC.

Well they went with the strategy to immediately put out a super high offer to avoid a bidding war with bigger market teams. If they overpaid in anything, it was years not money.

[GAME05]

eh, i think it's some over-talk as far as the cost of living and the playing conditions in New York. provided he's still healthy, it seems certain to me that he'll exercise his opt-out after the third year so he can not only move to whatever city he wants, but make $28M per year at the same time. i'm really thinking that he's figuring on taking that opt-out, and he went and took the extra money from New York because it was nothing but $30M more in insurance in case he gets injured in two years.

 

plus i take any negative comment about a city with a grain of salt. i think you could look at any city and probably get some negative comments about it from some player or another. it's only that few players are open to making negative comments publicly--Lofton can because he's half-retired, but i don't think a younger player would want to burn his bridges like that. i'd bet there are a ton of negative things to say about playing in Milwaukee.