Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

Notes

* In a game that Jayson Stark will be dining off for weeks, St. Louis beat Florida 7-6 in 20 innings. The Marlins scored one run in the 3rd, five in the 9th, and zero in the other 18 innings. They also stranded 21 runners. How depressing must it have been to watch Jeff Torborg and Tony St. Russa match wits for 20 innings?

* Kevin Millwood no-hit the Giants , issuing just three walks and striking out 10 in a 1-0 victory. This proves that the Braves actually won the controversial Millwood trade, as Johnny Estrada already has four hits for Atlanta this year.

* The Houston Texans drafted none other than Yankees third-base suspect Drew Henson in the 6th round of the NFL draft last weekend. Henson, the former Michigan QB who sports a mighty .171/.256/.343 line at AAA Columbus, has long insisted that he's not going to play football, and has now reiterated that stance. George Steinbrenner signed Henson to a $17 million contract before the latter had ever swung a professional bat. Think about that when you're feeling down, and smile.

Posted by Jordan on Monday, April 28 2003 @ 01:40 AM EDT.

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Dave Till - Monday, April 28 2003 @ 01:57 PM EDT (#89709) #

George Steinbrenner signed Henson to a $17 million contract before the latter had ever swung a professional bat.

The Yankees probably spend that much annually on valet parking. Grrr.

_DS - Monday, April 28 2003 @ 02:02 PM EDT (#89710) #

George Steinbrenner signed Henson to a $17 million contract before the latter had ever swung a professional bat. Think about that when you're feeling down, and smile.

I wish he had signed me to a $17 million dollar contract.

_Mick - Monday, April 28 2003 @ 02:25 PM EDT (#89711) #

OK, for JUST A MINUTE, forget about how much you hate the Yankees.

Now, think about all the press Drew Henson has gotten over the past two days, much less the past three years. Negative press? Most of it, sure. But press. The headlines are "Yankees, Yankees, Yankees."

Now make a phone call to Weber Shandwick, or any other major North American PR firm, and tell them this:

"I have $17 million dollars. I want to put a story on the wire right now and make sure it's still getting play in 2006.

Now, wait for Weber Shandwick reps to stop laughing.

The Yankees are an industry in and of themselves. And every dollar spent on a Henson, a Matsui, a Contreras, even an Irabu ... the team is repaid several times over in PR.

Dave Till - Monday, April 28 2003 @ 02:56 PM EDT (#89712) #

OK, for JUST A MINUTE, forget about how much you hate the Yankees.

Why should I? Hating the Yankees is fun. It builds strong bodies twelve ways, and adds zest to what would otherwise be a boring, humdrum existence. (Sorry, Mick, I couldn't resist. I don't have any problem with Yankees fans, provided they remain Yankees fans if the team ever goes into a down cycle.)

"I have $17 million dollars. I want to put a story on the wire right now and make sure it's still getting play in 2006.

Now, wait for Weber Shandwick reps to stop laughing.

If the city of Toronto was to give Weber Shandwick $17 million dollars, could they convince the world that Toronto is not a disease-ridden City Of Fear?

Gitz - Monday, April 28 2003 @ 06:59 PM EDT (#89713) #

Mick,

Are you actually saying the Yankees are EARNING money on Henson? Mister, you've got a future in the Bush administration if you can back up that claim.

Wait, that's not true. The Bush administration can't back up any of their claims, either.

_Mick - Tuesday, April 29 2003 @ 09:57 AM EDT (#89714) #

Gitz, I thought we had agreed to polite conversation on this blog. Resorting to name-calling and insults about the Shrub Administration just plain hurt.

Besides ... and I KNOW you know this ... the worth of an investment isn't always easily measured in dollars. If the Yankees "buy" a player for $17M that keeps the team's "brand name" in the headlines indefinitely, it may or may not "make the team money" but it's a lot easier to write off to The Boss as a dual investment. I would say that THE major reason Jose Contreras is in (Tampa) pinstripes is because the guy signing the checks couldn't bear the thought of national headlines reading "Red Sox Finally Beat Out Yankees."

It was a baseball decision first,/i> but in the end, it was primarily a marketing decision.

As for Henson, every single story I've seen or read about his drafting by the Texans (ugh, hate that name) also mentions "the Yankees also once owned the rights to John Elway." It makes the Yankees "the baseball team great quarterbacks are willing to leave football to play for" ... marketing genius.

You don't see the Blue Jays pulling off the MLB/NBA connection nearly as well -- at all, really -- even though, if I am not mistaken, they are the first team since the 1970's White Sox to employ a former NBA player (Mark Hendrickson, Rick Reed) while a former player of theirs is still very evident in the league in some capacity (Danny Ainge, Dave DeBuscherre). I really messed up that last spelling, I think.

It's a little thing. But attention to the little things is the difference between the supposed guaranteed success of a branded "New Coke" and the out-of-nowhere blitz of a "Gatorade."

[ Reply to This ]

_Mick - Tuesday, April 29 2003 @ 09:58 AM EDT (#89715) #

Whoops, I screwed up my HTML. There.

Gitz - Tuesday, April 29 2003 @ 01:08 PM EDT (#89716) #

Now you are the one who called the world's greatest peace-maker Shrub. I at least called him by his daddy's name.

OK, I will certainly grant you that Contreras and Matsui reeked of marketing, but Henson is a lost cost.

(Oh, and thanks for assuming I know something investments; you obviously -- and with good reason -- don't read my "business" column.)

_No such thing a - Tuesday, April 29 2003 @ 04:29 PM EDT (#89717) #

Next up for the Yankees: sign Tonya Harding to a minor league contract.

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