Are Yu Waiting?
Get it? That was a "clever" way to remind you that the Yu Darvish decision is due tonight. Actually, it was originally due around 8pm. Then it was reported that it would come around 10pm. It's 10:45pm now, so we may be here awhile.
Fear not, I will be with you all the way. Just a reminder, it's a two-step process. At some point tonight, Nippon will announce that they have accepted the bid. They don't know who made the bid, only the amount. After Nippon formally accepts the bid, MLB will announce the team that made it. Stay tuned....
UPDATE 11:06pm So there is a fake Bud Selig account on Twitter which reported that the Blue Jays had won the posting with a bid of $52 million. Considering one of the next tweets was "Report, Gary Bettman is a bigger idiot than I am" I am somewhat dismayed that more people didn't realize this "news" was false.
UPDATE 11:08pm A seemingly more credible report was just tweeted by Jeff Passan of Yahoo sports saying the Rangers won the posting with a bid of $51.7 million.
UPDATE 11:10pm Here's link to a Yahoo story about the report from Passan. Have to say, this is pretty curious. The Rangers wouldn't go the distance for Cliff Lee or CJ Wilson, but they do this for a guy who has never thrown a pitch for them?
UPDATE 11:13pm Multiple sources confirming the Yahoo report.
UPDATE 11:16pm Here's a link to the MLB twitter announcement.
UPDATE 11:25pm While I amazed they bid that much, it is worth remembering that the CEO of the Rangers knows a thing or two about pitching.
UPDATE 11:28pmProbably worth remembering that Dallas-Ft. Worth is the 4th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and the Rangers just signed a TV deal that will net them $80 million a year. This is a team that can spend with the big boys.
Well that's it for me tonight. I imagine someone will dig up the size of the Yankees' bid at some point, but you can't fault them for not wanting to spend $52-million to offer Yu Darvish a contract. I imagine the resolution of the Darvish process will start the wheels moving on some other things like the Gio Gonzalez trade and Kuroda's free agency. We will have to wait and see if the Yankees have any involvement in that.
Comments
wait - your 11:06 update gives me no reason to think the tweet isn't real, Gary Bettman is a bigger idiot than practically everybody.
Besides the deeper pockets the Rangers have now could it be a move to keep Yu off the market for a year, away from the competition? Bid high, negotiate in "good faith", fail to come to terms, he stays in Japan for another year...away from the Yankees, Angels, RedSox, and any other free spending teams that you compete with. Possible...
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 20, 2011 07:22 AM
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BL- LOL. I remember when Bettman was named commissioner of the NHL someone said about his hockey knowledge, "I gave him a puck once and he tried to open it"
You could be right, but I think the Rangers will try and sign him. They have a really hard time keeping fans in that area engaged and coming off back-to-back trips to the Series, I am sure they don't want to lose any momentum. Plus, the Angels have had a big offseason, so they probably feel the need to counter.
It would be interesting if they didn't sign him. I wonder what the winning bid next year would be?
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 20, 2011 10:58 AM
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He's going to have a rude awakening when has to pitch to monsters like Pujols during the heat of a Texas summer.
Although there is a possibility that he will be a top pitcher, isn't it more likely that he will, at best, be only as good as C.J. Wilson? And given that, why not just sign Wilson?
Yanks have been smart so far. I just hope they aren't actually serious about cutting payroll. Eventually something is going to open for them that they should just pounce on.
Posted by: Corey | December 20, 2011 01:39 PM |
I have personal feelings against Bettman after he orchestrated the Thrashers leaving Atlanta this year.
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 20, 2011 01:44 PM
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BL
What happened in Atlanta mimics a lot of the downside of Bettman's reign. Minnesota, Quebec, Winnipeg and Hartford were all "traditional" hockey markets that lost their teams under Gary (Some got new ones).
But, I think since the lockout in 2004, the NHL has been great. The game has opened back up and is back to the play I remember growing up.
The other side of this blog might have a word or two to say about this, but he is probably too busy watching his beloved Bruins.....
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 20, 2011 07:14 PM
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I agree that the games have been better since the lockout, as long as you could see them. The management of the league stinks and I'm amazed he survived. The owners in Atlanta are equally or more to blame than Bettman but he is an easy target.
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 20, 2011 08:09 PM
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Bl
That's why you should move to a city with three hockey teams. Plenty of games on all the time!
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 20, 2011 09:21 PM
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Coming up on 22 years since I lived in the northeast. Don't see it happening again but you never know.
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 21, 2011 07:35 AM
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