Tony D's New York Rangers fan blog

The transition is complete.  The new "Joba Rules" are simple: he's a starter working on the same 100-pitch count as most other major league starters.  With that process completed (and completed seemlessly), and with the 20-20 perfection of hindsight, is there any more use in debating Joba's best role with the Yankees now and in the future?  He's a starter, ladies and gentlemen.  And he's going to develop into a damn good one, one that will make Hank's comparison's to Josh Beckett look pretty smart.  But he's also so much more than that.

Listen to or read Kid K's interviews: he knows his business.  He's aggressive in the way that Kennedy and Hughes were not this season.  Joba's reponse to a reporter's question about how he will handle a Pirate's team (6/25, 7:05ET start) he's never faced was simple: he'll challenge them with his best stuff.  He knows--as every good pitcher must--that he cannot get beaten with anything less than his best pitches.  And when your best pitches are as dominant as Joba's, you don't figure to lose too much.  Not convinced of his value in the Yanks rotation?  Ask yourself this question: is there a starting pitcher on the Yankees' roster to whom you'd rather hand the ball for 100 pitches and 7 innings? 

Continue reading "Joba Well By New York Yankees' Brass: MLB"

There is one person on the UFA list that gives the Rangers the best chance to have a drink with Stanley in June.  His name?  Mats Sundin.  Surprised?  Hear me out.  There are essentially three main (and legitimate) arguments against signing Sundin: 1) he’s past his prime, 2) the Rangers are loaded at center with Gomez, Drury, Dubinsky, and Betts, and 3) money used for a Sundin contract is better spent elsewhere.  One at a time:

Sundin is past his prime.  A hard argument to debunk, but let me try by going to the numbers.  On an increasingly bad Toronto team, Sundin’s numbers have remained consistent.  Since 1999-2000, he has scored 73, 74, 80, 72, 75, 78, 76, and 78 points, and he’s only been a minus player once in that same time span.  He has never played fewer than 70 games in a season not shortened by lock-out.  Neither Drury nor Gomez can rival that level of production over such a long period of time.  Gomez has lacked that consistency and Drury has never scored 70 points in a season.   Neither is first-line center material. (Gomez may ultimately be that for the Rangers, but not until he gets a high-scoring winger to play with.)  Sundin is.  Right now.  Even more so because his down-low, slow down game will mesh perfectly with Jagr.  Put Sjostrom on that line to add some speed, grinding, and forechecking (kind of like what Dupuis was able to do for Crosby and Hossa), and you’ve got a successful first line.  We’ll come back to lines later…

Continue reading "Most important UFA...NHL"