Yankees Chatter on the Radio… Can't Wait!

I'm an avid listener to New York sports radio.

And let me tell ya, bro: I'm plenty sick of hearing about the Jets mess.

Really, bro. Can we move on?

Well, of course not.

From misfirings (Mark Sanchez all season) to firings (General Manager Mike Tannenbaum at season's end), the dysfunctional Jets are radio ratings gold.

Still, I can't wait for the days when Jets news has flown off into the wild, blue yonder and those airwaves are again filled with Yankees talk, and even Mets fans missing R.A. Dickey.

Be patient, I tell myself. It won't be long now.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in mid-February. There will be meaningless (for most of us) spring training games throughout March. I always look forward to those, but after a few days, I hardly pay attention, barely glancing at a box score here and there to see how the prospects are progressing.

Did Sanchez get a hit? He got two. Great!

What? A split squad game tomorrow? I hate those! What's for dinner?

This year, we fans of the Yankees will have our eyes on Austin Romine, both at the plate and behind it.

Brian Cashman already has said he expects the young catcher to begin the season at Triple A, but you certainly can expect plenty of calls to sports radio urging the Yankees' general manager to keep Romine on the big club's opening day roster, particularly if he plays well in March, handling the pitching staff adequately, smashing the snot out of the ball.

Because who else you got?

Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart, that's who.

Last year, Cervilli's WAR stat was… Hah, I got ya. You thought I was going to go all baseball stats geek on you, didn't you? No way, bro!

Speaking of stats, how often will the Yankees' awful, I mean god-awful, postseason batting numbers be discussed over the airwaves in late February and throughout March?

It'll be a number rivaling Alex Rodriquez's total failures in the clutch, I'm guessing.

And speaking of A-Rod, how about his contract? "We're paying this guy to strike out twice a game for five more years, Mike," will no doubt ring from the vocal cords of more than one frustrated caller.

And the pitching staff. Is CC going to hold up this year? Is he starting to break down? Did he lay off the Cocoa Puffs this offseason?

And what about Andy Pettitte? Can he stay healthy? Can he find a time machine and reverse his age?

And let's not forget about the Phil Hughes trade proposals offering the righty and a couple of prospects – hot minor league prospects are as plentiful as pennies, ya know – to the Angels for Mike Trout.

You think no one's dumb ignorant enough to make that call? Just listen.

All that talk is still a few weeks away, though. Right now, if we tune in to sports radio talk, we have to put up with ramblings about Rex Ryan's and Woody Johnson's ineptitude.

But soon, soon my Yankee friends, when the days begin to get brighter and warmer, when the snow melts away and the green grass is exposed, there will be baseball talk over the airwaves and someone named Sal will call for Jeter to be traded to the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton if our long-loved short stop gets off to a slow start in the spring.

"They would love Jeter in Florida, Mike. He's got a house down there."

Just wait.

I can't wait, bro!

Sweating the Relatively Small Stuff In Derek Jeter's Contract

If you're still not convinced the New York Yankees are hell bent on getting on a budget, perhaps doing a Dave Ramsey-style total money makeover, then take into consideration the Yanks reportedly are relieved by the fact Derek Jeter did not finish in the top 6 of the American League MVP voting.

Had Jeter been voted as high as sixth, the short stop's contract would ignite incentives that would have paid him an extra $2 million on his 2014 player option year.

2014?

Yep, that's the year the Yankees have targeted for getting their payroll down to at least $189 million ($170 million?) to avoid those expensive-as-hell luxury taxes.

That's right, the Yankees brass, which in the past were willing to spend whatever it took to get a top free agent ballplayer, reportedly were sweating having to pay Jeter an extra 2 million bucks in 2014. That's a bunch of No. 2, right?

Hey, every million counts.

So how close did Jeter get toward collecting that 2 mill in 2014?

One place spot.

He finished seventh behind the Orioles' Adam Jones. But in reality, the voting wasn’t close. Jones secured 120 votes to Jeter's 77.

For those of you who tend to overvalue Triple Crown category numbers – was that a bit snarky? – Jeter hit .316 with 15 home runs and had 59 RBIs. He had .362 on base percentage and a .429 slugging percentage for a .791 OPS.