Monday is Hot Baseball Wife Day here at UmpBump, and today’s honoree is Amber Sabathia, the wife of Yankees ace CC Sabathia.  The former Amber Williams was CC’s high school sweetheart when they were both growing up in Vallejo, California. The couple was married in 2003 and now they have three children, son Carsten Charles Sabathia III, and daughters Jaeden Arie and Cyia Cathleen (ie another “CC”).

Amber Sabathia was pressing her husband hard last offseason to sign with the hometown San Francisco Giants, so they would not have to move to another city, and it was rumored that CC only agreed to sign with the Yankees after Brian Cashman had a private sit-down with Amber to convince her that it was possible to raise kids in New York.

In her free time, Amber is pursuing a college degree in history.

More pictures after the jump…

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Since 1999, there has been an annual tradition among a group of my friends whereby I name a preseason list of “Unquestioned Aces” and then everyone questions my list.  This year being the 10th anniversary of this tradition, I thought I would share the list with UmpBump as well.

My personal definition of an “unquestioned ace” differs from the typical usage of calling the best pitcher on each team that team’s “ace” by default, even if they are not that good. “Unquestioned aces” are true number-one starters: pitchers a manager would gladly start against anyone, anytime. In any given year there are only a small handful of such pitchers in all of baseball.

Being named an “unquestioned ace” is about more than just numbers. A pitcher has to have a certain extra something that strikes fear into the hearts of batters.  However, an unquestioned ace is generally a pitcher who can be relied upon to pitch at least 200 innings, win at least 16 games, and post an ERA of at least 3.75 or better.

The “unquestioned” part is the most important criterion, however.  There must be absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that the said pitcher is a true ace.  Even a rumor of injury or loss of velocity in spring training is enough to bump someone from the list, as long as there are any questions about their ability to dominate in the upcoming season. It generally also means that a pitcher has pitched at least two superlative seasons in a row,  as otherwise there will almost surely be questions as to whether the previous season was a just fluke or not.

This years unquestioned aces are:

Roy Halladay
Tim Lincecum
Roy Oswalt
CC Sabathia
Johan Santana
Brandon Webb

So what do you think? Did I leave anyone out? Did I include someone undeserving?

Aces from previous years after the jump…

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The deal is done. CC is a Yankee.

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Yep, we’re pretty much all sat around today checking on the latest CC Sabathia rumors. Here are all the rumors that mlbtraderumors.com missed (as always, the latest rumors are higher up):

10:40 pm: Ned Colletti has just been found in the MGM Grand, wearing clown shoes. There’s no sign of the gun or of Brian Sabean.

10:37 pm: Bud Selig has opened an investigation into the fruit basket issue and is expected to make a public statement shortly.

10:31 pm: Joel Sherman confirms it: a trace on the phone line shows that the order for the fruit basket was placed from New York’s 212 area code.

10:26 pm: Graziano contacted the woman at the fruit basket delivery service and she said the voice on the phone had a heavy New York accent.

10:21 pm: A second fruit basket has just been delivered to CC’s room, again from the Brewers, according to Abraham.

9:13 pm: According to the AP, Ned Colletti has just been seen running through the hotel’s lobby laughing uncontrollably, waving a pistol, and chasing Brian Sabean.

8:03 pm: George King reports that the Yankees have reportedly replaced The Wynn’s 100% Egyptian cotton 310 thread count sheets with a pinstriped, 600 thread count set.

7:45 pm: Bill Shaikin says the Giants are still in the running. To sweeten their offer, they’ve proposed an opt-out after three years and unlimited use of a personal assistant, Barrie Zeeto (sp?).

6:22 pm: Peter Abraham learned from unnamed Wynn staff that CC “hated the fruit basket [the Brewers sent] and thought it was a hint about his weight problem.”

5:05 pm: Could the Dodgers be involved? Ned Colletti has told reporters that he and CC go “way back” and that the lefty “has always revered Jeff Kent.” He wants to set up a meeting with Sabathia and Genske and said he plans to bring Andruw Jones.

4:17 pm: According to Peter Gammons, Whitey Ford was not happy to be included on the field trip to CC’s suite at The Wynn. The meeting almost came to an abrupt halt when Ford snapped and tried to spew tobacco juice into CC’s bath bubbles. An anonymous GM not known to be in the chase for Sabathia estimated it could cost owner George Steinbrenner as much as another $10MM.

2:28 pm: The Brewers aren’t going quietly. According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Doug Melvin has sent CC an elaborate fruit basket. But will it be enough?

11:42 am: Quoting “rival agents,” Ken Rosenthal reports speculation that Genske is being tailed by street toughs hired by the Players Association, which wants CC to take New York’s record $140MM $161MM offer.

10:07 am: Buster Olney warns to take this for what it’s worth, but his source said that as the meeting wound down, Girardi drew a bath for Sabathia while Berra massaged the ace’s feet. Sabathia also allegedly prefers bubbles to bath salts.

8:12 am: Breakfast for nine just delivered to CC’s suite, says Joel Sherman. According to his source, it will be Sabathia, his lead agent Greg Genske, Cashman, Joe Girardi, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Madonna. Privately, the source says, CC would prefer Sharon Stone.

4:57 am: Dan Graziano says it’s not two people embracing. It’s just CC standing by the window alone. (He’s kind of a big guy.) I think we can infer from his sleeplessness that a decision isn’t coming soon.

4:55 am: George King of the New York Post writes that he can see CC Sabathia’s light on through the drapery at The Wynn. He sees a huge shadow moving inside — it looks like at least two people embracing. Could one of them be Brian Cashman?

Remember when the Brewers’ biggest problem was they had too much starting pitching? CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Seth McClung and Manny Parra — so many arms and only five rotation spots!

Milwaukee won’t have that problem this year.

The Brewers have shown little interest in brining back the oft-injured Sheets, who is a free agent. And Sabathia is being pursued by the deep-pocketed Yankees. And the Angels. And maybe the Red Sox and Giants.

Milwaukee could simply go with a rotation of Gallardo, Suppan, Bush, McClung and Parra, and that wouldn’t be the end of the world. But would it be enough to get the Brewers back to the playoffs? Doubtful. Milwaukee just barely made the postseason in 2008, and that was with Sabathia doing his best Sandy Koufax impression. Without Sabathia it stands to reason that the Brewers will take a step back. And they can’t afford to take a step back. Not when they play in a division with the Cubs.

Obviously, the Brewers need a starting pitcher to offset the likely losses of Sabathia and Sheets. Who’s a good fit? Randy Wolf? Oliver Perez?

No, you don’t replace Sabathia. You can’t replace Sabathia.

And therein lies the dilemma. Should the Brewers re-sign Sabathia, they’d be committing roughly a quarter of the team’s payroll to just one player. If Sabathia got hurt, that’d be it for Milwaukee. They’d sink or swim with the big-boned ace.

That’s a gamble. But a wise man once said, “[T]he house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes. The house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet and you bet big, then you take the house.”

Does Sabathia represent a perfect hand? I don’t know. Nobody does. Nobody knows if a guy of his girth can continue to pitch at an elite level. But if I were the Brewers I’d pay to find out. Because, as another wise man once said, “You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle. But you can’t win much either.”*

*See what I did there? I mixed my gambling movie quotes. I started with a quote from “Ocean’s 11″ and ended with a quote from “Rounders.” Mixing movie quotes is a highwire act. A lesser blogger might have bungled it. But you’re in good hands here.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Brewers could use a new back-end reliever. For much of 2008 Eric Gagne closed games for Milwaukee. After that project failed, the Brewers turned to Soloman Torres. Now Gagne is gone and Torres is retired. Maybe Brian Fuentes would be a good fit? Or Brandon Lyon? Or Milwaukee could trade Mike Cameron for a power bullpen arm, and move Rickie Weeks to center field.

Finally, I feel obliged to mention that Corey Hart was terrible in 2008 and if he can’t improve on last season’s .300 OBP then the Brewers are totally screwed. Rickie Weeks, meanwhile, had his usual decent OBP and crappy batting average. If the Brewers can find a way to combine Weeks and Hart into one super player (Rickie Hart? Corey Weeks?), then they’ll be in business.

-What They Need Index-

Updated

To label the New York Yankees 2008 season as a disappointment might be an understatement. This is the team that year after year has been a staple in the playoffs, and that in a not-too-distant past (though it fades ever so slowly from memory) were the very definition of a dynasty.

Reverting to their winning ways will not be an easy task; GM Brian Cashman has to deal with an aging staff, and has to plug holes in the outfield, first base, and rotation.

Cashman will have to shell out the cash. Har har... har...

On the surface, the most important need for the Yankees this offseason is to bolster their lineup. During the last four seasons, the Yankees either lead or were second in home runs in the American League, relegating to fourth place in 2008; and even though they were third in team OBP, they were seventh in both runs scored and RBI. In 2007, the Yankees led all three of those offensive categories.

Rumors have been flying around the possibility of signing Mark Teixeira, which would add a potent bat to the lineup and replace a departing Jason Giambi, but the the price tag for Tex will prove to be pricey (not that the Yankees couldn’t afford it). Worth noting is Hideki Matsui’s knees, both of which have now been surgically repaired, possibly limiting his defensive abilities in the outfield.

Will the Yanks sign Tex?

So yeah, offense is a big one, on the other hand, beefing the rotation also looms as a critical issue to be addressed if the Yanks are to return to the post season. Team officials have confirmed that they’ll pursue C.C. Sabathia, who’ll definitely command Johan Santana money (again, not that the Yankees couldn’t afford him), but other questions regarding their rotation circle around the future of veterans Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina.

Pettitte has already filed for free-agency, and it’s unclear whether he’ll sign elsewhere, opt to retire, or stay in New York. Pettitte himself has told the press that he’d like to pitch in fancy new Yankee stadium, and he may get a one-year deal worth around $11 million. Mussina is mulling retirement (even though he was, by far, the Yanks best pitcher in ‘08, winning 20 games for the first time in his career), and Cashman said during the GM meetings that the 40-year-old is an option they’re considering.

According to Cashman, only Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain have guaranteed spots in the rotation, and considering pitching is one of the Yankee needs this offseason, it makes sense to bring back both pitchers – especially after disappointing seasons from Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

The Yankees are never a team to stay pat in regards to the hot stove, so don’t be surprised if a they land a couple of big fish via trade or free agency.

- What They Need Index -

–

Update #2: You want your update? I got yer update righteer.

Update/note: This post was ready to go in the morning, and was scheduled for today, but in light of the news that the Yankees have acquired Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox (oh Kenny Williams, how do you do it?) we’ll post an update soon.

Ouchie my arm! (?)

Over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal theorized that the Brewers’ decision to start CC on short rest would hurt him right as he hit the open market. In that outing, Sabathia pitched 5 and two-thirds innings and was charged with the loss. Despite getting tagged for only 1 earned run, Sabathia nonetheless began the bottom of the sixth by giving up a single and a walk, followed by an error, followed by two outs, followed by consecutive pinch-hit singles that scored a total of three runs. Final score: 4-3, Reds.

Today, we received news that temporary-Ned Yost-replacement Dale Sveum planned to pitch CC on short rest again, tomorrow, and could start him again on Sunday. “We’ll just wing the rest of it,” the interim manager said. Well, that’s comforting. Especially, I’m sure, to CC Sabathia’s tired wings.

Last year, Sabathia pitched a career-high 241regular-season innings. His previous career high had been 210 innings, back in 2002, and he hadn’t cracked the 200 mark since. We all saw what happened in the playoffs.

This year, Sabathia is already up to 237 innings. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and despite the fervent hopes (nay, expectations) of Yankee fans, and despite the fat offer Steinbrenner is sure to offer him, he’s been less than stoked about playing in New York. So speculation about where the hefty lefty might end up has been rife. But it might be a good thing that money isn’t CC’s only object, because another late-season meltdown now could affect his future paycheck. Nonetheless, his agent isn’t worried, and CC, of course, says he wants the ball.

So who’s right? The Brewers, who want their mid-season prize to throw until his arm falls off, or the worriers, who fret that the 290-pound ace is too delicate for that?

Maybe you heard. CC almost pitched a no-hitter, but he got screwed. A greedy official scorer robbed him of his feat by ruling a misplayed dribbler a hit.

But never fear. Brewers GM Doug Melvin has a plan to make sure no play is ever scored incorrectly again.

From the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

Doug Melvin said he thought a committee should decide scoring decisions like the one that may have cost Sabathia a no-hitter in the Brewers’ 7-0 victory over the Pirates on Sunday. One official scorer is used in all baseball games until the World Series, where a three-person panel reviews scoring plays.

“There could be possible reviews to see if there’s a better way of doing it where there’s not all the pressure put on one individual,” Melvin said Monday.

He suggested a three-member panel consisting of an official scorer and two writers.

“I thought of it before this play,” he said. “It’s not just because of this. There’s becoming too many changes and too many people involved.”

Get the writers involved? Great idea! That would solve everything! The same way getting the writers involved has eliminated controversy from the MVP, CY Young and Hall of Fame voting.

Sorry Doug, but on behalf of writers everywhere, Iet me be the one to tell you that we’re gonna pass on this offer. Sure, it would be a hell of an honor. And we’re flattered. But, there’s a few problems. The biggest problem, as far as I can see, if that sports writers are supposed to maintain some level of objectivity and you’d be putting them in a position where they would be the ones deciding whether or not a play is a hit. Usually those decisions don’t matter much. But sometimes, as we saw the other night with CC, they do. Sometimes ruling a play a hit can be the difference between a player reaching a milestone that triggers a bonus. And we don’t want that kind of power.

Now, you might counter by pointing out that, hey, writers already vote for MVP, CY Young and Rookie of the Year, and that those awards usually trigger a bonus. So what’s the difference? But I would respond by pointing out that dozens of writers vote for those awards, while only two writers would be helping to decide if a play is an error or a hit and that is a much more concentrated and therefore much more dangerous allotment of power.

If you didn’t buy that argument (and I wouldn’t blame you), I’d acknowledge that writers probably shouldn’t vote for end-of-the-year awards and that doing so clearly is a conflict of interest. But writers enjoy voting for the awards, so that probably won’t change anytime soon. Regardless, two wrongs don’t make a right. And asking writers to be official scorers is wrong, wrong, wrong.