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Extra! extra! The Yankees and Mets pulled off HUGE offseason deals, but the final judgment on those moves will be splashed in bold, blaring type on the back pages of New York's tabloids

Sporting News, The, Feb 18, 2002 by Ken Rosenthal

The usually frenetic New York sports scene is in a rare lull. Football season is over. The Knicks and Rangers are disappointments. And the tabloids can't get too excited about the Winter Olympics, seeing as how the only time they sell newspapers is when one figure skater whacks another.

Fear not. New York fans accustomed to daily controversy need not wait long for their next fix. Spring training is upon us, and the Mets and Yankees have flexed their big-market muscle revamped their rosters as much as any team. They feature so many dynamic new elements, some form of spontaneous combustion is as inevitable as the tabloids' cries for a Subway Series.

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The relentless consumption of talent by the two New York teams is bad for the game but good for circulation. As always, the biggest stars will face the most scrutiny. And to calculate their impact, TSN has devised just what baseball needs, another new statistic.

We're calling it NBP-to-PBP ratio. That is, Negative Back-Page Headlines to Positive Back-Page Headlines. It work sorts of like ground-ball-to-fly-ball ration, only it reflects a New York player's projected contributions to the buzz in the city.

Sure, Jason Giambi's slugging percentage is important, but his NBP-to-PBP ratio will better reflect how he adjust to New York. Mo Vaughn could hit 40 homers for the Mets, but if his NBP-to-PBP exceeds 3-to-1, who will even notice?

Before ordering tickets for another Subway Series, consider TSN's exclusive NBP and PBP projected ratios. Given the potential for controversy, a Mets-Yankees matchup in October may not be as likely as it seems.

JASON GIAMBI Potential back-page headline:

JASON ZOMBIE!!! Another E-3

DEFENSE IS THE ONLY CHINK in Giambi's armor. A slugging machine, he almost certainly will benefit by moving from Network Associates Coliseum to Yankee Stadium, a park that favors lefthanded hitters. And in the grand Yankees tradition of Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson, he appears ready, willing and able to become king of New York.

"If ever a guy was meant to bask in the glow, it's him," says Blue Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi, former player personnel director for the A's.

Giambi, 31, projects to a .340 batting average, 40 homers and 124 RBIs over 529 at-bats, using data from STATS Inc. Because he uses the whole field, he also could hit a large number of opposite-field doubles into the spacious left-center gap at Yankee Stadium--a scary thought, considering Giambi led the A.L. with 47 doubles last season.

Put it all together, and Giambi's defensive inadequacies probably will be of little consequence. His range is below average. He isn't adept at receiving throws. But he catches everything he gets to and, unlike his predecessor, Tino Martinez, he won't need to worry about fielding erratic tosses from Chuck Knoblauch at second and Scott Brosius at third.

"The questions about Jason's defensive ability have only come about due to the fact that Tino was so good," Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman says. "If he wasn't replacing Tino at first base, I don't think this would be an issue. It's the only part of Jason's game that you can maybe pick apart."

Perhaps Giambi will work harder on his defense this spring, knowing he is under increased scrutiny. Rookie Nick Johnson, the Yankees' projected designated hitter, is far slicker at first, and the two figure to exchange positions early in Giambi's seven-year contract. Team guy that he is, Giambi might even initiate the move himself.

Giambi was the leader of the A's frat house, but don't worry about his fitting into the Yankees' button-down clubhouse. He's magnetic and fun-loving but also mentally resilient and accustomed to taking responsibility.

"If you don't like Jason Giambi, you don't like M&M's," Ricciardi says.

Projected NBP-to-PBP ratio: 1-to-5.

ROBERTO ALOMAR Potential back-page headline:

ROBBIE, BOBBY IN SNIT!

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS to be self-evident about Alomar:

* He inevitably engages in a petty dispute with his manager (ask Davey Johnson, Ray Miller, Mike Hargrove and Charlie Manuel).

* He is at his transcendent best in his first year with a new club, posting career highs in OPS--on-base percentage plus slugging percentage--in his first seasons with Toronto, Baltimore and Cleveland.

* He is easily distracted by seemingly minor issues, and he's entering a market in which seemingly minor issues often become back-page fodder.

"It might have been more tenuous if it were 10 years ago, when he was a lot younger," says Alomar's marketing agent, John Boggs. "But he's a pretty savvy professional now. He's not going to put himself in a position to create controversy. He realizes this is a real opportunity to put his talent on stage."

In other words, look out.

Playing in the National League for the first time since 1990 won't bother the switch-hitting Alomar, a gloriously instinctive player and master of the game's subtle arts. Batting lefthanded, he swats doubles down the left field line seemingly at will. Playing second base, he occasionally surprises baserunners by throwing to the base behind them, catching those who take overaggressive strides rounding a bag. It's possible to say that New York never has seen a player like him.

Extra! extra! The Yankees and Mets pulled off HUGE offseason deals, but the final judgment on those moves will be splashed in bold, blaring type on the back pages of New York's tabloids

Sporting News, The, Feb 18, 2002 by Ken Rosenthal

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