Florida’s Curse on the Yankees

When Carl Pavano re-signed with the Twins a few days ago it pretty much took all top free agents off the board, so to speak. When I emailed my long-time friend Bill about this he came back with a classic rhetorical question in which he wondered if anyone had ever considered using Carl Pavano and the words "top free agent" in the same sentence…for a second time?

Any baseball fan worth snot knows that the Yankees had their fling with Pavano after he had a nice season for the Florida Marlins in 2004 in which he won 18 games. He was also a major part of the staff that beat the Yankees in the World Series in 2003. He got big dollars to sign with NY and almost immediately got hurt. He won 9 games for New York in three years, with each of those wins costing the Yankees about a million dollars in salary.

Of course, a much bigger part of why the Yanks lost the '03 Series to the Marlins was a kid named Josh Beckett.  I hear he's been spotted in New York over the years since, once while on his way to a World Series title.

Pavano also had some strange episode in which he "lost" his car down in Florida, where he was supposedly rehabbing. It was very vague, but the rumors are that the lad may have ingested a variety of adult beverages, and merely lost his way? I have written before that once New York lost out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they should signed Pavano again, just for the laughs.

But no, it looks like the Yanks will go forward with A.J. Burnett as a key component to their rotation – like the #3 guy behind Sabathia and Hughes? Andy Pettitte has not given any sign of wanting to come back other than to say he wouldn’t be ready to start the season in April. That implies he’d consider a (say) late May/early June return? The other potential starting pitcher names being tossed around for consideration are Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova.

Whoa! Our family had a 1963 Chevy Nova, which was a great car, but an Ivan Nova? Can I get some extras on that, like GPS and a DVD player?

Yankee fans must be counting their blessings that they have Sergio Mitre!  Before coming to New York in 2009, who did Mitre pitch for?

Uh, the Florida Marlins of course.  Why even ask?

So, going back to AJ Burnett, it’s my understanding that he went through some nasty times with his wife, and showed up at Yankee Stadium late last season with a black eye.

The story was under reported, and left to us surmise about what had really happened? Rumors were it was domestic situation in which perhaps his wife’s dancer pole had smashed Carl in the face, making him even more homely. Go figure that some dorky looking guy that’s making millions of dollars as a MLB pitcher would marry a beautiful stripper – and then have a problem?

That aside, baseball fans know that AJ was a Florida Marlin too, back in the day. He had some good years and signed a nice 3-year deal with Toronto, winning 18 in his final year. Maybe 18 wins is some magic number for New York? They sign AJ, and we all know the rest.

Lets move on to Javier Vazquez, who the Yanks let slink out of town after his second disastrous stint with the team. Remember NY getting him from the Expos after they’d lost the ’03 World Series to Florida? They had to do something, so they grabbed one of the best pitchers in the National League and paid him 9 MM, before sending him to Arizona for Randy Johnson, which worked out well, didn’t it?

(That reminds me…has any superstar in MLB been any uglier than the Big Unit? Seriously all you baseball historians, show me an uglier SOB than Randy -- really.)
So, continuing with Vazquez, who after one so-so year in AZ goes on to be a workhorse (if .500) pitcher for the White Sox for three seasons, then has this great season for the Braves in 2009. He re-establishes himself as a top pitcher in the National League (again), and the Yankees give him 11.5 MM, to (again) have another ugly season for them in 2010.

So where does Vazquez vamoose to?

Well, Florida, of course.  I will go on the record right now that if he’s healthy enough to make 30 starts (and he’s an innings-eater), Javier will have a very nice year for the Marlins. If he wins 18, please remember you read it here first.

So, is that it for the Florida curse?

Not quite, as we have Rafael Soriano, most recently the closer for Tampa Bay, a different team from Florida that has out performed New York in the last two seasons.

NY is giving Soriano 7.25 MM this year to caddy for Mariano Rivera. Soriano has been healthy 4 of the last 5 years, but he still has 2004-05 and 2008 on his resume. He pitched a total of 24.2 ugly innings in those three seasons.

Why do I have this sense that Soriano will under-perform in New York, or get hurt?

I am not wishing any player bad luck here, but being a confirmed Yankee hater, I feel I am obligated to make jokes and point out all the nasty and funny things about the club.

So, do you think Florida has a curse on the Yankees?

Me?  I am still hoping that someday the Yanks sign a guy that left Florida for Atlanta.

Dan Uglla.

Please…