'I Told You So'

"I told you so."

You think Hank Steinbrenner isn't stewing in his cellulite wishing the the Yankees had pulled the trigger on that Santana deal for a package of Ian Kennedy and Phillip Hughes?

Everything about this developing saga is incredible.

First off, it is obviously way too early to pass judgement on the deal, or lack thereof. But this is New York and when the Yankees are playing .500 ball, there always needs to be an explanation. All Steinbrenners are entitled to explanations after one month of the season!

But was Hank right to want to make the Santana deal? I backed him at the time and I will back him now.

Still, there is a reason that Johan Santana didn't go to the game's two biggest teams when he easily could and should have. Hopefully we don't see the answer to that in 2011.

But what if Phil Hughes is a bust and Ian Kennedy never grows into his 87-mph/5th starter potential? (Remind me again why this guy was a top prospect?)

The fact is, the Yankees didn't make what was a tailor-made deal for them.

And the reason they didn't make it is the funny part: There is no one to blame for this deal but the New York media. And you might be surprised why I think this.

It's not because the media didn't think the Yankees should do this deal. Most, in fact did. The media loves the big splash, the backpage, etc.

No, the reason the Yankees do this deal, like with everything else in New York City and its media, the Yankees overhype their prospects.

Remember when Robinson Cano was the next Rod Carew?

This is all a product of an overblown media.

Nothing has annoyed me more this year than any NFL draft analysis that comes from anyone not named Mel Kiper or Todd McSchay.

How many people actually watched enough Ohio State football over the last two years to draw the conclusion that Vernon Gholston "takes off plays?"

Yet there were hundreds of articles in the New York papers in which credited sports writers talked about Gholston's deficiencies without following it up with, "scouts say" or "according to people that actually know what they are talking about."

None of these people know what they're talking about. They heard this info from a few people that do and made it their own. And I got news for you. Most of us did the same.

The exact same thing happens in baseball.

Phil Hughes may have been an excellent pitching prospect. But when you hear or read about Phil Hughes every single day from multiple journalists, all of a sudden his hype soars. Before last season, no one knew anything about Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy. No one probably ever saw them pitch a game before that. And even if you did see them pitch a game, the odds are that you don't have the baseball eye that allows you to pass judgment on a players "projectability."

The Yankees essentially fell victim to their own hype.

I challenge you to rank the following outfield prospects.

Steve McKay
Colby Rasmus
Austin Jackson
A.C. Morris

Take your time.

Think a little bit.

There's a pretty good chance you have heard of one of these prospects.

Austin Jackson is a Yankee. Because he is in the Yankee farm system you have undoubtedly heard his name in trade talk and other speculation.

You probably haven't heard of Colby Rasmus unless you're a real baseball geek. Well this guy is a top ten prospect in baseball, the future of the St. Louis Cardinals, a much better prospect, according to people who know what they're talking about.

As for the other two prospects.

I just combined Dylan McKay and Steve Sanders to make one and AC Slater and Zach Morris to make the other.

Unfortunately, neither exists.

But if I hadn't told you that and instead told you that they were fast rising prospect for the Mets' class A affiliate, you would have probably believed me. We believe what we read, even if we don't really know the source.

97% of Jets fans hadn't heard of Vernon Gholston before the draft. Yet by draft day, every single one of them wanted the speed rusher from Ohio State.

The same goes for Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes.

We read so much convincing us that these guys were going to be the greatest pitchers ever that we convinced ourselves it was inevitable.

As a result, many Yankee fans thought it was OK not to move the pitching tandem for the game's best arm.

Could they still become great? Absolutely.

But if they don't, then the Yankees passed up on Johan Santana. And for a team where dollars and bloated contracts don't matter, they may never be able to forgive themselves.

And from there, the insecure Hank Steinbrenner will forever get to say "I told you so," and the Yankees will continue to fall apart from the top.

Vaya,
Sip

(Pics courtesy of cnn.net, mlb.com)