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Via the Boston Herald –

Boston Red Sox’ principal owner John Henry’s new bride is calling the shots when it comes to the team’s development plans at Fenway Park.

Sources tell the Herald that Henry benched Janet Marie Smith, the team’s vice president for planning and development, just weeks after his June wedding to Linda Pizzuti.

“Janet Marie was told to go because Linda’s taking over the whole damn place,” said one person familiar with Smith’s exit. Another source said, “Janet was thrown under the bus and everything is a mess as a result of the young bride. The Chinese symbol for conflict is two women under one roof.”

Smith, 51, recently ended her eight-year stint with the Sox. She is credited with sparing the storied ballpark from the wrecking ball, installing Monster seats and improving the 97-year-old stadium.

The 30-year-old bride worked for her family’s Boston development firm, which is transforming a former raincoat factory in the Bulfinch Triangle into luxury condominiums.

A third source said the conflict centered on factors that have been brewing within the Sox organization since Henry bought the team in 2001 for $660 million and hired Smith to restore the park.

In one camp were Sox staffers who praised Smith for encouraging Henry to buy properties around the ballpark to keep developers from building apartments or offices that could tower over Fenway.

These Smith boosters, including Larry Lucchino, the team’s president and chief executive, backed the “preserve and protect” mantra, saying it was worth it to spend cash to spare the area around the park from unfettered development and to ensure that shadows were not cast on Fenway.

But others within the organization wanted the Sox to maximize the property the team purchased under the name of New England Sports Ventures.

There’s no truth to the rumor that Hank and Hal Steinbrenner buried an Alex Rodriguez jersey into Linda Pizzuti just before her wedding to John Henry…

…that said, any disharmony that Henry’s trophy wife can bring into the Red Sox organization is still music for this Yankees fan’s ears…

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Rob Neyer thinks it would make the Yankees perfect.

What do you think?

Me? Well, I wouldn’t have flipped Kenny Rogers and Mo Rivera in 1996. So, I doubt that I would flip Chamberlain and Hughes now…

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I thought this might be an interesting conversation piece for today…

I heard quite a bit on X-M Radio this morning about the choreographed home plate celebration by the Brewers following Prince Fielders walk-off homerun on Sunday.

The Yankees, this season, with all their walk-off wins, have been bordering on such a thing – with the home plate helmet toss and catch, Burnett’s cream pie facials, etc.

So, here’s the question: As a Yankees fan, if New York pulled a stunt like the Brewers did on Sunday, how would you feel about it? On the flip-side, as a Yankees fan, how would you feel if an opponent staged a celebration at home plate, like the Brewers did, after a walk-off victory?

Now, here’s a twist: If you would be O.K. with the latter – what if it were the Red Sox, or the Mets in an inter-league game, who did the routine at home plate? Would you still be O.K. with it, in any event?

Me? I think most who have been reading this blog for a while know that I’m “old school” and like players, when they’ve done something well, to act like they’ve done it before, etc. Related, I like my baseball without a hip-hop, punk’d, and the like, topping. However, I’ll confess, when I hear stories about the things Bill Veeck did, back in the day, I do chuckle over it. And, perhaps, back then, people thought Veeck was not showing enough respect for the game with all that stuff? So, maybe it’s all relative – and, allowing time to pass, these potential feather-ruffling items will just look silly and harmless in retrospect?

What do you think?

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As I write this, the Yankees are up, 11-1, in this game – and it’s the 7th inning. Edwar Ramirez is pitching for New York. Ramiro Pena is now playing shortstop. And, Mark Teixeira was removed from the game – with Brett Gardner coming in, playing center, along with Nick Swisher going from right field to first base and Melky Cabrera going from center field to right field. Yup, it’s now a Spring Training game. Too bad that Elliot Johnson isn’t up with the Rays this September. This would be a good game for buzzing him – and providing some in-season payback for Francisco Cervelli.

Did you know, as of this writing, Jose Molina has reached base 4 times in this game? That’s only the 7th time in his career he’s been on base 4 times in a game – and, now, it’s twice against Tampa Bay. Boy, the Rays must have nightmares about the Panda.

Speaking of Molina…A.J. Burnett, after the first inning, seemed to find himself in this game, huh? And, Jose Molina was catching him. Oh, boy, here we go again…

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Pass out the gold stars for this one. Sabathia gets a bunch of them. Hughes and Rivera get some too. And, A-Rod, Teixeira, Swisher, Cano and Posada can grab a few as well. But, for me, the highlight of this game was watching (no pun intended) Brett Gardner’s catch, real-time, as it happened, in the top of the fifth inning – when he took an extra base hit away from Fernando Perez.

I’ve heard the story about how, then Chicago White Sox, center fielder Johnny Mostil caught a foul ball during a 1925 Spring Training game in Nashville. Reportedly, a batter hit a long, high, fly into the foul territory along the left field line and Mostil raced, from center, past left fielder Bib Falk, and caught the ball in foul territory. To me, that’s just incredible.

In fact, I’ve always been fascinated by tales of fast outfielders with reported great range from the past…from superstars like Tris Speaker to guys like Taylor Douthit and Johnny Mostil. Betcha Gardner’s grab today would have made those guys proud.

If Brett makes that grab during a World Series game, it would be talked about for a half-century after that…

Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to make a play like that this October.

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Just for the fun of it, I’m going to play Labor Day Post-Season Crystal Ball.

No…I’m not talking about trying to become a 60-year old D.H in the playoffs. I’m talking about taking a stab at how the post-season may go down this October.

Now, remember, this is just for fun. OK? Here goes…

First, we start with the League Division Series…

ALDS I: Tigers and Yankees.
ALDS II: (WC) Red Sox and Angels.

NLDS I: Phillies and Dodgers.
NLDS II: (WC) Rockies and Cardinals.

In the A.L., the Red Sox will beat the Angels – because they always do, for some reason. And, the Yankees will take the Tigers – because, if they don’t, the Yankees Universe will implode.

In the N.L., the Phillies will beat the Dodgers – because Joe Torre, without Don Zimmer to help him in October, will blow the series. And, the Cardinals will get past the Rockies because Dave Duncan is a genius.

This brings us to the following match-ups in the League Championship Series:

ALCS: Red Sox and Yankees.
NLCS: Phillies and Cardinals.

In my perfect world, the Yankees will lose the first three games of the ALCS against the Red Sox – getting pounded in Game 3. And, in Game 4, they will be losing, late in the game, and then stage an improbable comeback to take the contest. And, New York will springboard off that victory to win the next three games in a row – and reach the World Series. Really, it has to happen this way, at least for me.

The Phillies will beat the Cardinals in the NLCS because Tony LaRussa is not a genius. And, this will lead to:

World Series: Phillies and Yankees.

Prediction: A lot of homeruns – due to the new Yankee Stadium and Citizens Bank Park. And, Mets fans will go nuts wanting both teams to lose – because, just like Yankees fans had no one to root for in the 1986 World Series, it’s a no-win situation for them. And, in the end, while the Yankees will have fun with Pedro Martinez in the game he pitches, the Phillies will win in six games…because their starting pitching does a better job than the Yankees starting pitching. Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth will share the Series MVP Award.

How about you? How do you see October shaking out this year?

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What stands out the most in my mind, this past week, is that it was for the birds – with the Yankees playing the Orioles and Blue Jays. Over the span of the week, facing Baltimore and Toronto, New York went 5-2. (And, one of those losses was against Doc Halladay and the other was a game started by Sergio Mitre.)

In any event, now, the Yankees are 23-8 this season when playing the Orioles and Blue Jays. And, they’re 19-3 when facing the Twins, A’s and Mets (combined) too.

Combined that’s 42-11 when facing the O’s, Jays, Twins, A’s and Mets. That’s .792 baseball. Which means they’re 45-39 against everyone else. And, that’s .536 baseball.

When this season is over, the Yankees really should send a dozen roses to the O’s, Jays, Twins, A’s and Mets – because, this year, those teams have shown New York a really good time.

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Look closely at the bottom of the fifth inning of this game. If you do, you’ll be able to locate the embedded kernels of corn therein along with the steam rising from it’s overall mass…

…man, what a stinker.

With this loss, the Yankees, since July 31st, are now 5-2 in games started by Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin. Why does it seem like it’s much worse than that? Probably because of the residual wake from olfactory nightmare situations like the bottom of the fifth inning today. After all, when you drop a turd in the middle of a rose garden the stink sort overrides the overall favorable aroma…I suppose.

Oh, well, day-nighter tomorrow with CC and A.J. going for the Yankees. Let’s hope that’s better than lighting a match…

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An interesting question came up here yestersday regarding Derek Jeter and Joe DiMaggio – centering on who is the “greater” Yankee (in terms of their career with the team).

I’ve found Jeter and DiMaggio to be very alike – off the field – in terms of how they carry themselves, deal with fans, media, and fellow teammates as well as protect their “image.” But, what about on the field?

Here, it gets a little harder. “Joe D” was a center fielder who played in a home ballpark which was a killer for right-handed batters (such as he). And, DiMaggio missed three years of playing time due to World War II. “Jete” is a shortstop who has played in a more forgiving Yankee Stadium (for right-handed batters such as he). And, Jeter’s career is still unfolding.

Also, there’s the matter of each player’s defensive reputation. Reportedly, DiMaggio never had to dive for a ball in the outfield because his range and knack for tracking flies was so great. Whereas, Jeter’s range at shortstop, most seasons, has brought cause for the expression “Past-a-diving Jeter.” Then again, the Defensive Spectrum says that playing shortstop is more difficult than playing center field. And, we know there have been many failed shortstops who have converted to become pretty solid defensive center fielders. So, maybe a somewhat less than average defensive shortstop and a top-notch defensive center fielder are not as far apart, in terms of value to a team, as it may seem? To be candid, I have no idea. But, if someone wanted to make this point, I would not laugh at it, at first, knowing what little I do know on the subject – and, rather, would defer to see some more study on it before picking a side of the debate.

Moving past off-the-field conduct, clubhouse contributions, and the question of defensive value, we can focus on each player’s offensive statistics.

Thanks to applications like the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia (CBE) and wesites like Baseball-Reference.com (B-R.com) we have stats available that take playing era and ballpark factors and make them all relative – facilitating our comparison of Jeter’s and DiMaggio’s bat.

Joe DiMaggio had 7,671 big league Plate Appearances in his career. And, according to the CBE, he had 708 Runs Created Above Average (RCAA) in those appearances while, according to B-R.com, he posted an adjusted OPS (OPS+) of 155.

Derek Jeter, through yesterday’s game, has 9,703 big league Plate Appearances in his career. And, according to the CBE, he has 379 RCAA in those appearances while, according to B-R.com, he has an OPS+ of 121.

Doesn’t seem close, does it? But, let’s try something else here.

Let’s remember that Joe DiMaggio lost three years to the war. And, let’s remember that Derek Jeter is 35-years old and his career is still unfolding. Can we find two players, who are like “Joe D” and “Jete” that may provide another angle to examine in this debate?

I believe that Johnny Mize and Charlie Gehringer are those two players.

First, let’s look at Johnny Mize compared to Joe DiMaggio, in terms of relative offense:

BATTER		PA	RCAA	OPS+
Johnny Mize	7371	667	158
Joe DiMaggio	7671	708	155

Now, those marks are pretty close. And, the beauty here is that Mize lost three “prime” seasons to the war – just like DiMaggo did during his career. Granted, Mize was a first baseman and DiMaggio, again, was a center fielder. But, it terms of “just the sticks,” you can make a case that Mize’s relative numbers are not that far off from DiMaggio’s relative numbers.

Next, let’s look at Derek Jeter, compared to Charlie Gehringer, through age 35 (with Jeter’s stats through 9/5/09):

BATTER	 	  PA	RCAA	OPS+
Charlie Gehringer 8533	409	127
Derek Jeter	  9703	379	121

Now, these stats are not as close as the ones for Mize and DiMaggio. But, they’re somewhat close – and sort of convenient since both Jeter and Gehringer played the middle infield. (For the record, Gehringer would go on to total 10,237 PA in his career with 444 RCAA and an OPS+ of 124.)

Where am I going with this? Here: If I were to ask you which Hall-of-Famer had the better career, Johnny Mize and Charlie Gehringer, what would your answer be?

If you picked Mize, then, in the debate of DiMaggio versus Jeter, you should pick DiMaggio. But, if you picked Gehringer, then perhaps your answer in the DiMaggio/Jeter question should be Derek Jeter?

Yes, it’s the “complier” versus the superstar debate. It’s Pete Rose’s career against Mark McGwire’s career. Or, maybe it’s like Paul Molitor versus Dick Allen? At the end of the day, maybe there’s not a right-or-wrong answer or a clear winner and loser? That’s all I really want to say here…

…meaning…in the question of Derek Jeter and Joe DiMaggio, and who had the “greater” career…maybe the answer is not as slam-dunk as the stat totals suggest?

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The Yankees selected Eric Duncan in the 1st round of the 2003 June Draft – with the 27th overall pick in the draft. And, here are his minor league numbers as of the close of business on September 5, 2009:

The Yankees passed on Carlos Quentin, Adam Jones, and Andre Ethier to select Duncan. But, of course, hindsight is always 20-20.

In any event, if he were not a first round pick, Eric Duncan probably would have been sent packing by now. Teams have a tendency to give first round picks forever before they get their release…it’s sort of a C.Y.A. thing that a thin-skinned G.M. does…you know…not wanting to admit a mistake.

This all said, Eric Duncan should be playing for the Somerset Patriots, Long Island Ducks, or Newark Bears right now – rather than taking up a spot in the Yankees minor league system. Don’t you agree?

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You’d be somewhat hard pressed to find someone who loves baseball more than I do – especially Yankees baseball – but, 3 hours and 52 minutes for a 6-4, nine inning game, with no rain delays or the like is somewhat insufferable…again…even for me.

In any event, moving on to the important result from this game, coupled with the Red Sox loss to the White Sox today…the Yankees now have a 8.5 game lead in the A.L. East with 26 games to go. And, New York’s magic number is now 19 (to take the A.L. crown). If the Yankees go 13-13 in their remaining 26 games, then the Red Sox will have to go 23-4 to pass New York. Basically, once the Red Sox lose four more games, this puppy is 99.9999999999% locked up for the Yanks.

Also, with their loss, the Red Sox and Rangers find themselves in a heckuva fight for the A.L. Wildcard. Texas lost a tough one today. But, overall, they’ve won four of their last five games – and six of their last ten – to keep the pressure on the Bosox. And, if Texas takes the wildcard, then New York would face them in the ALDS (more than likely).

As I wrote the other day – You want to deal with Motown’s Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello in a best three out of five set? Or, does Texas’ Kevin Millwood, Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter scare you less?

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Let’s look at how the Yankees starting pitchers have done, recently:

First the good:

• CC Sabathia, last 6 starts: 44.3 IP with an ERA of 1.83. Has allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .206/.237/.306 facing 169 batters.
• Andy Pettitte, last 6 starts: 39.6 IP with an ERA of 2.50. Has allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .207/.266/.293 facing 155 batters.

Next, the bad:

• A.J. Burnett, last 7 starts: 42.6 IP with an ERA of 6.54. Has allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .287/.361/.456 facing 192 batters.
• Joba Chamberlain, last 6 starts: 26.0 IP with an ERA of 7.96. Has allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .330/.423/.500 facing 130 batters.
• Sergio Mitre, last 6 games (5 of which were starts): 26.0 IP with an ERA of 5.54. Has allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .306/.350/.519 facing 120 batters.

Is there any question that Sabathia and Pettitte should be the Yankees first and second starters in the post-season?

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Former Yankee Fritz Peterson has written a book entitled “Mickey Mantle Is Going to Heaven.” Kevin Kernan has more on the story. (H/T to BBTF.) Peterson was quite a character in the late ’60′s and early ’70′s. And, you could make a case that he was the 8th best left-handed starting pitcher in Yankees history behind Whitey Ford, Lefty Gomez, Ron Guidry, Andy Pettitte, Eddie Lopat, Herb Pennock and Tommy John.

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Oh, well, I guess we can add Roy Halladay to the list of Daniel Cabrera, Mike Maroth, Billy Traber, Bartolo Colon, Pedro Martinez, Steve Ontiveros, Dave Stieb, Tom Candiotti, Moose Haas, La Marr Hoyt, Nolan Ryan, Skip Lockwood, Joe Niekro, Luis Tiant, Ray Culp, Jim Palmer, Billy Rohr and Blue Moon Odom…as guys who have one-hit the Yankees in my lifetime. (Ryan did it twice, for what it’s worth.)

Thank goodness for Ramiro Pena.

So, in his last 5 starts, including this game, Joba Chamberlain has thrown 21 IP and allowed 19 ER. And, the opposing team has a BA/OBA/SLG line of .337/.408/.457 against him in 103 PA. If he keeps this up, you know what? I’d leave him off the post-season roster – and go with a three-man starting rotation in October.

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Go ahead and rank ‘em. Want to see my Top 20?

(more…)

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Please consider taking the following poll:

Thanks in advance. And, please feel free to add comments on your opinion in the comments section below.

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Just noticed this over at the blog Misc. Baseball – Gathering Assorted Items of Baseball History and Trivia:

On May 27, 1995, exactly four days after Mariano Rivera’s debut, Andy Pettitte made his first big league start. (It’s funny to see that on May 16 ‘95 the Yankees optioned left-hander Andy Pettitte to Class AAA Columbus and to fill his roster spot, they recalled right-hander Mariano Rivera: these two were intertwined from the start in New York.)

It seems like 1995 was a million years ago, no? What were you doing back in May of 1995?

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Skip this one if you’re not into the personal life dish stuff for your favorite Yankees…

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The more I watch this 2009 Yankees team, the more they’re starting to feel like the 1980 Yankees to me.

In 1980, then Yankees manager Dick Howser took a team that had been somewhat pissy and turned them into Camp Happy…just like Joe Girardi has done with this current Yankees squad. In 1980, the Yankees brought in a new first baseman, Bob Watson, to provide offense and leadership. This season, the Yankees brought in Mark Teixeira for the same reasons. In 1980, Reggie Jackson managed to avoid the media glare spotlight – at least more than he did in the past. You can say the same about Alex Rodriguez this season. The 1980 Yankees also had a lot of moving parts – in terms of many different players making positive contributions to the team. And, we know that’s happening now for the Yankees.

It’s little things like that which make this connection for me. Oh, that, and, the fact that the 1980 Yankees won 103 games and out-lasted a Baltimore Orioles team that won 100 games too that season in the A.L. East. (and it looks like the 2009 Yankees will win that many games too this season).

But, what happened in the post-season of 1980? Their ace, Ron Guidry, got banged around in the first game of the ALCS. (This was before the days of the ALDS.) And, then the Yankees lost two close games and were booted out of the playoffs. (This was also when the ALCS was the best three out of five.) In that last loss, the ’80 Yanks blew a 2-1 lead in the 7th inning when George Brett took Goose Gossage deep for a three-run homer. New York lost that game, in the end, by a score of 4-2.

There’s a part of me who can see the same thing happening this October. I see CC Sabathia being too geeked-up and losing the first game of the ALDS. And, I could see A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte then pitching well enough to lose.

Also, in that 1980 ALCS, Bob Watson excelled for the Yankees – batting .500 in 12 ABs in the series. For what it’s worth, I could see Mark Teixeira doing the same for the Yankees this October – in a losing cause. And, in the 1980 ALCS, Reggie Jackson went 3 for 11, with 4 strikeouts, and only one extra base hit – a double. Doesn’t that sound like a typical Alex Rodriguez post-season series as a Yankee (since 2005)?

Anywho…maybe it’s just me? Or, is it? Anyone else out there worried about the 2009 “Camp Happy” Yankees getting into the post-season and then getting bounced, quickly, by someone – via some combination of bad performances by key players and a little bad luck?

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I just came across this comment made by Baseball America’s Editor in Chief, John Manuel, who specializes in prospects and the draft, that he made on their site on August 17th of this year:

I am of the opinion that the Yankees’ recent draft track record, in terms of the money they throw around at players, has not been fruitful. They overpaid for Ian Kennedy, Andrew Brackman, Carmen Angelini, Dellin Betances, Bradley Suttle . . . I know there are others, and some of the guys they’ve given a lot of money in recent years are off to good starts, such as D.J. Mitchell. But in general, it seems the Yanks aren’t getting huge bang for their bucks in the draft, so signing [J.R.] Murphy for $1.25 million fits that track record. Let’s hope for Murphy’s sake that his career gets off to a better start than those of Angelini, Brackman, etc.

…in general, it seems the Yanks aren’t getting huge bang for their bucks in the draft…

Just another reason why I hope that Theo Epstein’s dream comes true someday…

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A somewhat meaningless September game for the Yankees, with Chad Gaudin on the mound starting for New York, against a poorly performing Toronto Blue Jays squad, to be played on fake grass…well…I could go on…but…if you watched all of this game, from the first pitch to the last, without missing any action in between, pat yourself on the back…because you are the committed Yankees fan in the world.

At one point, in this one, it was looking like that Adam Lind liner off Alfredo Aceves in the bottom of the sixth, right at Melky Cabrera, to end that frame might have been one of the key moments in this contest. However, Jason Frasor’s meltdown for Toronto in the ninth, after two outs, made that point moot. And, in the end, for me, the talking points from this game come out of the performances of Brian Bruney and Jorge Posada.

If Brian Bruney cannot be trusted to close out a 5-run lead in a low-pressure game such as this one…then he has no business being on the Yankees post-season roster this year. And, if New York has the cojones to exclude him from play in October…boy…won’t it be interesting to see Bruney’s reaction.

On a more positive note. How about Jorge Posada? That big fly in the 9th inning gives him 8 seasons now with 20+ homeruns. The only catchers in baseball history with 8+ seasons of 20+ homers are Carlton Fisk (8), Gary Carter (9), Yogi Berra (10), and Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza (11 each). And, all of those aforementioned backstops are in Cooperstown or will be, soon.

I’m beginning to think that Posada may find himself in the Hall of Fame as well – someday. I see it going down like this: After retirement, there will be a lot of talk, comparing him to Gabby Hartnett, while Jorge is on the writer’s ballot. But, Posada won’t be voted in by the BBWAA. It will be after Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter are elected to the Hall by the BBWAA, that Posada will get into Cooperstown, via the Veterans Committee…assisted by Jeter’s and Rivera’s lobbying. It will probably happen around the year 2035. In the meantime, all Jorge will have to do is keep his nose clean for the next 27 years. And, at the same time, New York should be careful not to give out #20 to any player who potentially might turn out to be a superstar player…as they may have to retire that puppy when Posada heads to the Hall.

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Via the AP -

George Steinbrenner is planning to travel to New York for some postseason games if the AL East-leading Yankees make the playoffs.

Steinbrenner attended opening day at the new Yankee Stadium this season but has attended few games in New York since becoming increasingly frail. He also watched the Yankees beat the Rays 6-2 on July 29th at Tropicana Field, which is a short trip from his Tampa home.

Steinbrenner has kept a low profile since turning over the day-to-day operation of the team to his sons, Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, two years ago.

George Steinbrenner spent three hours in his office at the team’s spring-training complex Thursday. When asked about the Yankees’ solid play, the 79-year-old owner said: “Let’s keep it going.”

Well, I suppose that’s better than Big Stein saying “More wine for Polyphemus, the son of Neptune!”

I guess the Boss is off Pat Benatar tunes these days and now channeling fellow Floridians…

kc and the sunshine band keep it comin love

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Yup. Read all about it.

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I received an e-mail earlier today where the sender shared that the Yankees team Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) last season was -44.5, the third worst in the league. And, according to their note, this year, New York’s UZR is -12.9, right around the middle of the pack (16th in the big leagues, specifically).

So, what’s behind the improvement? I looked into the stats a bit and believe that the difference between this season and last year is that Nick Swisher – while just a somewhat average right fielder – is a huge improvement over Bobby Abreu (who was terrible in terms of UZR), Mark Teixiera is an improvement over Jason Giambi at first base, and that Derek Jeter has greatly improved his UZR mark (this season compared to last year).

But, while looking into UZR, I found that it’s creator did admit to the following: If one fielder is better at positioning than another, then he will likely have a better UZR even if he has the same or worse range. And, seeing this, I have to think back to all those reports about Mick Kelleher helping Derek Jeter with his positioning this season.

So, maybe the answer here, in terms of why the Yankees are a better defensive team in 2009 (compared to 2008), is: New York got rid of Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi – and they also brought in Mick Kelleher. What do you think?

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