WasWatching.com

people are saying there's probably an agreement in place for Bernie to turn arbitration down. I think Bernie could be useful in the right role. The good news is that Ruben Sierra wasn't offered arb. Probably ther last we've seen of him.

I'm not sure we can yet classify it as a bad off-season. At least there's haven't been any Wrigth, Pavano and Womack signings yet. Unless you think the Fanrwsorth signing is really that bad.

A pessimist by nature, I keep having to remind myself of one of the best quotes I've ever read from one of my MBA textbooks. I think it is especially applicable here:

"One must always remember that motion does not always mean progress" - Peter Drucker.

While I'm not thrilled that Toronto and Boston have gotten better and that pretty much every other team in baseball is making moves while we sit on the sidelines, the key is that we're not harming ourselves by adding players that we shouldn't be adding. With the exception of letting Tom Gordon walk away (unacceptable decision), there is nothing out there that we should've done. Trading Cano for Pierre would've been lousy and blowing $50M for BJ Ryan would've been a mistake. Right now, we've made one mistake which can still be corrected if Cashman addresses the huge hole in our bullpen. Other than that, we haven't done the Wright/Pavano nonsense which is progress.

The New York Times claims that there is a handshake agreement between Yankees and Bernie that he will not except arbitration. From what I understand this is an industry standard agreement.
The upside of this is that Bernie should be more useful than Sierra.

Effective PT players need to work harder than FT players - to stay sharp, when needed. Bernie's never been known as a hard worker. Also, as bad as Sierra was, he could play RF in an emergency and still reach 2B with a throw. Bernie cannot do that. And, he's an ineffective baserunner at this point in his career.

Also, with him on the roster, there's always the chance that Torre will run him out to CF - which is a problem.

Sometimes you need to let a former star go - like the Sox with the Big Hurt. I wish the Yankees realized this too.

Effective PT players need to work harder than FT players - to stay sharp, when needed. Bernie's never been known as a hard worker.
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Yeah, I suppose he has been mailing it in the past 15 seasons.

You don't play the caliber of baseball that Bernie has without being a hard worker.

There is no reason Bernie could be a full-time DH, or play LF in a pinch. Or play CF on a part time basis, maybe in an emergency.

And I'd rather have him than Sierra.

FWIW, I think the Yanks should go after Thomas, a late inning bat off the bench. But I'm sure he could get a starting role somewhere.

I can't believe I'm reading this kind of negativity from Yankee fans about Bernie being offered arbitration! I'm proud of George for keeping Bernie, and I'm proud of Bernie for not listening to Boras.

Bernie is a Yankee. He'll be fine as a pinch hitter and 50-game a year outfielder. This team will be OK with Bubba/Bernie in CF. The most pressing need for the Yanks continues to be the replacement of the Mendoza-Stanton-Nelson combination that stabilized close regular season and especially playoff games in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings. The lack of this effective middle relief is the biggest difference between the championship teams and 2002-2005 teams.

Raf - I have it from a very good source that Bernie is not a hard worker.

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2005/06/bernie_williams_1.html

Meanwhile, Mr. Soriano goes to Washington...to play CF! I know Sori never quite reached his potential and doesn't really look like he's headed in the right direction, but I sure would have liked to have him back since he was obviously willing to make the move.

I have seen nothing in print that Soriano is willing to make the move, and it is to LF, not CF. In fact, everyone who reports it reminds us that he was as stubborn as a mule for both the Yankees and Texas. He has no control over being traded, so he is stuck and this could be an interesting fight because the Nats already have an allstar quality two-bagger. If Soriano pulls here what he pulled in Texas there could be some interesting times ahead!

Raf - I have it from a very good source that Bernie is not a hard worker.

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2005/06/bernie_williams_1.html
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Oooh, scuttlebutt! Bernie's a lazy ballplayer. I am convinced. Sorry, I call BS, like I did in that thread...

I stand by my statement, you don't put up those kind of numbers by being lazy. Or not being a hard worker. What the hell defines a "hard worker" anyway? And how would this higher up (assuming it's a FO guy) know what a "hard worker" is?

The problem (for lack of a better word) with Bernie is that because he doesn't throw a temper tantrum like Paul O'Neill, or beats up water coolers like Lou Piniella, people get the impression that he doesn't care. And that is total BS.

I could see Soriano refusing to move - hell, he did it in Texas.

Raf, just what kind of numbers has Bernie put up in the last three years? How is it trending? What can be expected in 2006? It's all bad news my friend, very bad.

Raf, just what kind of numbers has Bernie put up in the last three years? How is it trending? What can be expected in 2006? It's all bad news my friend, very bad.
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I mentioned he got old quick in another thread.

If you're going to pass on him, pass on him because of his decline, or because he can't play anymore, or because you have better options, not because of some "perception" that he's "not a hard worker."

And even now, I'd take Bernie over Sierra.

I guess I was making some assumptions there. Why would you make a sizable trade for a guy if you didn't already know he was going to play the position you needed? A really expensive backup 2B? But they really could be that stupid.

BTW, it seems that people have forgotten that Soriano signed and came up as a SS?

I guess I was making some assumptions there. Why would you make a sizable trade for a guy if you didn't already know he was going to play the position you needed? A really expensive backup 2B? But they really could be that stupid.
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Well, it *IS* Jim Bowden... Christian Guzman? Vinny Castilla?