Alan was hit by a Randy Johnson fastball for uttering:
 AH> achieve that goal.  Unfortunately, Yankee Pat is sabotaging things by
 AH> insisting that Mussina not be offered more than three guaranteed years.
A lot of GMs are reluctant these days to give out money to ANY pitcher for 
that long. There are a few that have but for the most part, they're trying to 
limit their liability, even on young pitchers.
I can't blame Mussina because he's seen a couple of pitchers that are as old 
or older than him get 4+ years. Based on what he's done and what the others 
have done, I think he should get 4 years but that's Gillick.
 AH> the community.  They cost.  (Overpaying Billy Bordick was Yankee Pat's
 AH> move - it was he and Daffy Johnson who had the bug up their butts to
 AH> move one of the top defensive and offensive shortstops in baseball so
 AH> they could sign a player who is at best equal defensively and is by far
 AH> inferior offensively.
You're focusing too much on how this move affects Zeile and not how it 
affected the entire team. This is a GREAT long-term move. You've got to think 
that Ripken will probably field very few questions about his position change 
after this year (Either speculating about WHEN or how he's adjusting to the 
new position) when it could have easily hung over him like a dark cloud for 2 
or 3 more years. Ripken is an UPGRADE defensively over Zeile and the money 
that they saved on Zeile was spent wisely on Eric Davis, who was a bargain at 
$2.2 mil for 2 years.
BTW, it's MIKE Bordick and while he doesn't have Zeile's power, he is capable 
of hitting .250-.270. Baltimore would have had to replace Ripken at shortstop 
at some time in the future and Alexander wasn't the answer (I think he may do 
better now that he doesn't have the pressure of having to replace Ripken). 
Bordick's proven defensively and he's not about to crack under any pressure 
of replacing Ripken like Alexander did.
 AH> Keeping Zeile at third would have cost the same as Bordick, without the
 AH> offensive liability.
Keeping Zeile at third would have meant keeping a player who wasn't any 
better, offensively or defensively, as Ripken and would have only delayed the 
inevitable. I think it also makes it easier for them to pony up to the bar 
and hand Ripken a long-term deal because they know that they won't have to 
fight over where he will play. Even if he leaves Baltimore, he WILL be 
eventually asked to move to third.
--- TrekEd 1.00
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