ActingWild
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Found this on sportsline:
Dear Jerry: Keep Unit now, with future in mind
July 29, 2004
By Scott Miller
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Scott your opinion!
Insider | Short Hops | Love Letters
Memo to: Jerry Colangelo, owner, Arizona Diamondbacks
From: Scott Miller, baseball consultant
Dear Jerry,
Welcome back to the States. Buon giorno! How was your trip? Italy is a wonderful, wonderful place. The food, the romance, the history. By the way, did you think of Randy Johnson and the rest of your Diamondbacks when you were looking at the Roman ruins?
D-Backs owner Jerry Colangelo would be better off with Randy Johnson in Arizona. (Getty Images)
Sorry. I know things aren't that bad. Which is the reason for my note today. We all know the trade deadline now is less than 48 hours away. We all know the Big Unit is antsy to pitch for a winner. Specifically, he has given every indication that he's antsy to be traded directly to the New York Yankees.
But don't do it, Jerry. Unless the Yankees want to give you Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Thurman Munson, or the Los Angeles Dodgers step up with Paul Lo Duca, Eric Gagne and Jackie Robinson, simply thank them for calling, hang up the phone, and settle into your La-Z-Boy on Friday night to watch Johnson make his next start for your club in Colorado.
It's a no-brainer, really. I mean, have you seen the rest of the NL West this year? We ain't exactly talking the 1974 version, when Los Angeles won 102 games, Cincinnati 98 and Atlanta 88.
The division is not nearly as strong as it was even two years ago. San Francisco is getting closer to the Shady Acres Retirement Home with each sunset (Houston and Seattle are going to need to make room for the Giants in a year or two). Los Angeles, with new owner Frank McCourt in charge, will be broke in no time (the latest: the Boston Globe reported this week that McCourt is at least two months in default on a small piece of property in a South Boston neighborhood). And Colorado, last I checked, is still playing its home games in Colorado. The Titanic had a better chance of survival than Rockies pitchers do.
Which leaves San Diego. The Padres have a nice, contending ballclub and definitely are on the rise. But Jerry, come on. They lost 98 games last year. Sound familiar, like something your Diamondbacks could produce this year (or worse)? And look how quickly they've turned it around.
Keep Johnson, and that could be your Diamondbacks next summer, or the summer after that. For one thing, the Padres don't have much of a head start on you in the rebuilding department. One lousy year. Big deal.
For another, you can get things into place in short order for 2005. Luis Gonzalez is getting his elbow fixed well in advance of spring training. Your pitching staff should be healthier (at the very least, the sheer number of pitchers who landed on the disabled list this summer -- Oscar Villareal, Jose Valverde, Andrew Good, Matt Mantei, Brandon Lyon, Casey Fossum and Shane Reynolds -- can't possibly injure themselves again next year).
And if Richie Sexson re-signs and stays on the field in 2005 -- a very real possibility -- well, now you've got something.
I know it has been bleak this summer. I know your club was 4-21 in July through midweek, with only three games left in this blasted month. I know all about the team-record 14-game losing streak, the 4-30 stretch, your Diamondbacks being outscored 153-77 this month and the 0-11 homestand completed Sunday that ranks as the worst in major-league history -- worse than the 0-10 the Seattle Pilots pulled off against Baltimore, Detroit and Cleveland from Aug. 15-24, 1969.
I know that you probably get sicker in the pit of your stomach from looking at the standings each day than you did from any turbulence you encountered over the Atlantic.
But the other thing is this: You already had Johnson's $16 million for 2005 figured into next summer's budget. You swear that this will not be a salary dump, and that the club will still have $35 million to spend this winter even after the salaries of Johnson and Gonzalez are factored in.
So. It doesn't take Branch Rickey to tell us that it's a whole lot easier to regain your balance with a big monster in the No. 1 slot in your rotation than without.
Trade away Johnson, you trade away what's left of your franchise's credibility.
And getting that back is vastly more difficult than keeping Mantei on the field -- or hitting a Johnson heater. If you don't believe me, just go talk to the folks in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Now about Johnson's wishes to pitch for a winner, here's what you do: You remind him that he signed a contract back in 1999 in good faith. And that he signed an extension in the spring of 2003 in good faith. And that, also in good faith, you've worked 34 hours a day over the past several years to put a winner out there. And that you're working on turning things around as quickly as possible, and you don't have to sit back and be drenched by a tidal wave in '05.
OK, so good things don't last forever, you tell Johnson. Everybody wants to play for a winner. But since when did obtaining the keys to October every single fall become an individual, Abner Doubleday-given right? The Big Unit got his ring in 2001. He pitched in the playoffs for the Diamondbacks in 1999, 2001 and 2002. It isn't as if he has never tasted October. I mean, I'm not naïve. I know these guys today are three parts mercenary, one part walking endorsement.
Still. Unless you get the Mother Lode back in a trade haul -- and I do mean the Mother Lode (did I mention demanding that the Yankees include Mickey Mantle in any package they offer?) -- you're better off keeping Johnson this time. And I don't offer this sage advice every day. Fact is, with a $16 million price tag hanging around his precious neck, in most instances I'd be in favor of dumping him on the first boat to New York. Texas was far better off without Alex Rodriguez's entire contract weighing them down. The best thing that ever happened to the Detroit Tigers is Juan Gonzalez declining their $140 million offer back in 2000.
Maintaining financial flexibility is the key to winning today. Teams that allow their payroll to bloat to unhealthy proportions are the teams that are most likely to sink in the shallow end of the pool.
But this is different. First off, you already started trimming your payroll last year, and it's manageable. And Johnson is one of the rarest breeds in the game -- a legitimate ace. I know one of the Big Unit's points is that he can only help the team every five days, whereas somebody else could help every single day.
But other parts are far easier to find than a true ace. And it definitely isn't worth trading Johnson if the return doesn't blow your dresser drawers open.
Besides, if you keep him, it isn't like Johnson is going to take his foot off the gas. He's too much of a competitor. He knows he has a toehold on history, and he's pitching for more. And you still are clinging to the possibility that he might go into the Hall of Fame with a Diamondbacks' logo on his plaque, aren't you? Thought so.
So relax. Uncork one of those bottles of red wine you brought back from Italy. Kick up your bare feet and have a laugh at some of these silly rumors that are running rampant in these final hours leading to the trade deadline.
Keep on enjoying la dolce vita. And tell the Big Unit that his will return one day soon enough. You promise. Meantime, if you have any other questions or thoughts, call me. I'm in the media phone book.
And when things work out, think about bringing me back a bottle of vino next time you travel to Italy, OK?
Your pal,
Scott
Dear Jerry: Keep Unit now, with future in mind
July 29, 2004
By Scott Miller
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Scott your opinion!
Insider | Short Hops | Love Letters
Memo to: Jerry Colangelo, owner, Arizona Diamondbacks
From: Scott Miller, baseball consultant
Dear Jerry,
Welcome back to the States. Buon giorno! How was your trip? Italy is a wonderful, wonderful place. The food, the romance, the history. By the way, did you think of Randy Johnson and the rest of your Diamondbacks when you were looking at the Roman ruins?
D-Backs owner Jerry Colangelo would be better off with Randy Johnson in Arizona. (Getty Images)
Sorry. I know things aren't that bad. Which is the reason for my note today. We all know the trade deadline now is less than 48 hours away. We all know the Big Unit is antsy to pitch for a winner. Specifically, he has given every indication that he's antsy to be traded directly to the New York Yankees.
But don't do it, Jerry. Unless the Yankees want to give you Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Thurman Munson, or the Los Angeles Dodgers step up with Paul Lo Duca, Eric Gagne and Jackie Robinson, simply thank them for calling, hang up the phone, and settle into your La-Z-Boy on Friday night to watch Johnson make his next start for your club in Colorado.
It's a no-brainer, really. I mean, have you seen the rest of the NL West this year? We ain't exactly talking the 1974 version, when Los Angeles won 102 games, Cincinnati 98 and Atlanta 88.
The division is not nearly as strong as it was even two years ago. San Francisco is getting closer to the Shady Acres Retirement Home with each sunset (Houston and Seattle are going to need to make room for the Giants in a year or two). Los Angeles, with new owner Frank McCourt in charge, will be broke in no time (the latest: the Boston Globe reported this week that McCourt is at least two months in default on a small piece of property in a South Boston neighborhood). And Colorado, last I checked, is still playing its home games in Colorado. The Titanic had a better chance of survival than Rockies pitchers do.
Which leaves San Diego. The Padres have a nice, contending ballclub and definitely are on the rise. But Jerry, come on. They lost 98 games last year. Sound familiar, like something your Diamondbacks could produce this year (or worse)? And look how quickly they've turned it around.
Keep Johnson, and that could be your Diamondbacks next summer, or the summer after that. For one thing, the Padres don't have much of a head start on you in the rebuilding department. One lousy year. Big deal.
For another, you can get things into place in short order for 2005. Luis Gonzalez is getting his elbow fixed well in advance of spring training. Your pitching staff should be healthier (at the very least, the sheer number of pitchers who landed on the disabled list this summer -- Oscar Villareal, Jose Valverde, Andrew Good, Matt Mantei, Brandon Lyon, Casey Fossum and Shane Reynolds -- can't possibly injure themselves again next year).
And if Richie Sexson re-signs and stays on the field in 2005 -- a very real possibility -- well, now you've got something.
I know it has been bleak this summer. I know your club was 4-21 in July through midweek, with only three games left in this blasted month. I know all about the team-record 14-game losing streak, the 4-30 stretch, your Diamondbacks being outscored 153-77 this month and the 0-11 homestand completed Sunday that ranks as the worst in major-league history -- worse than the 0-10 the Seattle Pilots pulled off against Baltimore, Detroit and Cleveland from Aug. 15-24, 1969.
I know that you probably get sicker in the pit of your stomach from looking at the standings each day than you did from any turbulence you encountered over the Atlantic.
But the other thing is this: You already had Johnson's $16 million for 2005 figured into next summer's budget. You swear that this will not be a salary dump, and that the club will still have $35 million to spend this winter even after the salaries of Johnson and Gonzalez are factored in.
So. It doesn't take Branch Rickey to tell us that it's a whole lot easier to regain your balance with a big monster in the No. 1 slot in your rotation than without.
Trade away Johnson, you trade away what's left of your franchise's credibility.
And getting that back is vastly more difficult than keeping Mantei on the field -- or hitting a Johnson heater. If you don't believe me, just go talk to the folks in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Now about Johnson's wishes to pitch for a winner, here's what you do: You remind him that he signed a contract back in 1999 in good faith. And that he signed an extension in the spring of 2003 in good faith. And that, also in good faith, you've worked 34 hours a day over the past several years to put a winner out there. And that you're working on turning things around as quickly as possible, and you don't have to sit back and be drenched by a tidal wave in '05.
OK, so good things don't last forever, you tell Johnson. Everybody wants to play for a winner. But since when did obtaining the keys to October every single fall become an individual, Abner Doubleday-given right? The Big Unit got his ring in 2001. He pitched in the playoffs for the Diamondbacks in 1999, 2001 and 2002. It isn't as if he has never tasted October. I mean, I'm not naïve. I know these guys today are three parts mercenary, one part walking endorsement.
Still. Unless you get the Mother Lode back in a trade haul -- and I do mean the Mother Lode (did I mention demanding that the Yankees include Mickey Mantle in any package they offer?) -- you're better off keeping Johnson this time. And I don't offer this sage advice every day. Fact is, with a $16 million price tag hanging around his precious neck, in most instances I'd be in favor of dumping him on the first boat to New York. Texas was far better off without Alex Rodriguez's entire contract weighing them down. The best thing that ever happened to the Detroit Tigers is Juan Gonzalez declining their $140 million offer back in 2000.
Maintaining financial flexibility is the key to winning today. Teams that allow their payroll to bloat to unhealthy proportions are the teams that are most likely to sink in the shallow end of the pool.
But this is different. First off, you already started trimming your payroll last year, and it's manageable. And Johnson is one of the rarest breeds in the game -- a legitimate ace. I know one of the Big Unit's points is that he can only help the team every five days, whereas somebody else could help every single day.
But other parts are far easier to find than a true ace. And it definitely isn't worth trading Johnson if the return doesn't blow your dresser drawers open.
Besides, if you keep him, it isn't like Johnson is going to take his foot off the gas. He's too much of a competitor. He knows he has a toehold on history, and he's pitching for more. And you still are clinging to the possibility that he might go into the Hall of Fame with a Diamondbacks' logo on his plaque, aren't you? Thought so.
So relax. Uncork one of those bottles of red wine you brought back from Italy. Kick up your bare feet and have a laugh at some of these silly rumors that are running rampant in these final hours leading to the trade deadline.
Keep on enjoying la dolce vita. And tell the Big Unit that his will return one day soon enough. You promise. Meantime, if you have any other questions or thoughts, call me. I'm in the media phone book.
And when things work out, think about bringing me back a bottle of vino next time you travel to Italy, OK?
Your pal,
Scott
