The Yankees radio broadcast rights expire with WCBS 880 after next year. If CBS renews the deal, will they keep the the indefatigible duo of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman? If it's not CBS, who will it be, and who will they hire as the 'Voices of the Yankees'?
If WCBS retains Yankees rights the chances of them returning are much better than if a new outlet takes over. If that happens, all bets are off.
The Daily News also comments that 1050 ESPN may attempt to gain radio rights to the Yankees, but broadcasts a weaker signal than CBS. If they offer more money, will the Yankees turn it down if it means reaching fewer listeners? It seems to be a question of long vs. short-term benefits.
- Will the Yankees pull a Teixeira with Carl Crawford? I, for one, am against it, mainly for the reason that Brett Gardner was one of the best players on the team in 2010, and is only now about to enter his prime (oh, and makes the league minimum). But here we have an MSM writer supporting the signing of Crawford over Cliff Lee using his 2010 BA w/ RISP (.359) as his main argument, and then compounds it by suggesting the Yanks plug one of the Killer B's into the rotation in Lee's place. (FYI, Crawford's '09 BA w/ RISP was .245 and the Killer B's have thrown a combined 110 innings at Double-A and zero at Triple-A). Where do they come up with this stuff?
- In what sounds like a case of under-handed, back-room deals, the Yankees are close to buying their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, for $14.6 million from the local government. The Yankees would agree to extend the current stadium lease from 20 to 30 years and possibly sell the team back if they ever decide to relocate.
- Check out a short video interview with Mark Teixiera where he defends his shortstop's Gold Glove among other topics.