Hal: Yanks Are Not For Sale

So earlier today there was a report in the Daily News that said there have been rumors that the Yankees might be looking to sell after the recent deal made to sell the Dodgers. Here's a little bit more from the article:

Rumors are flying in Major League Baseball and New York banking circles that the family that has owned Major League Baseball's premiere franchise since Cleveland shipbuilder George Steinbrenner purchased the club for $8.8 million in 1973 is exploring the possibility of selling the Yankees.

Multiple baseball and finance sources told the Daily News they are hearing that the team the Steinbrenner family has led to seven World Series titles could be put on the block in the wake of the record sale price of $2.175 billion the Los Angeles Dodgers went for in April.

"There has been chatter all around the banking and financial industries in the city for a couple of weeks now," one high-level baseball source told The News.

Yankee president Randy Levine adamantly denied the rumors: "I can say to you there is absolutely, positively nothing to this. The Steinbrenners are not selling the team." And managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, George's younger son, weighed in with his own denial Thursday morning, saying in a statement: "I just read the Daily News story. It is complete fiction. Me and my family have no intention to sell the Yankees and expect it to be in the family for years to come."

However, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation, the recent sale of the Dodgers to a group that includes NBA legend Magic Johnson is just one reason why the Steinbrenner family may be looking to sell the team, which experts estimate could be worth up to a stunning $3 billion.

Besides Levin's denials in the article, Hal Steinbrenner also responded to the rumors:

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said on Thursday that his family has no intention of selling the storied franchise, responding to a published report in the New York Daily News.

"I just learned of the Daily News story. It is pure fiction," Steinbrenner said in a statement. "The Yankees are not for sale. I expect that the Yankees will be in my family for many years to come."

Honestly, at this point I don't really care what happens, especially if they are sold to an owner who is ready to spend money.

Sure, it would be nice to have the team remain in the Steinbrenner family, but unless your goal as a Yankees fan is to see higher ticket prices along with lower payroll I'm not sure how beneficial that would be.

When The Boss owned the team we as fans always knew that he'd do whatever it took to win, but now after a few years of Hal you can now longer say that. Instead the Yankees are in cost-cutting mode and just spent this past offseason ignoring the two best pitchers on the market (Darvish and Wilson), and instead decided to go the less expensive route and I don't think that's something we'd see from George.

What do you think? Does it matter if the team stays in the Steinbrenner's hands?

Guide to Making a Summer Calendar

Oh, my...I can almost hear the drum roll...

Only TWO more days and the kids are out of school. Do you have any big plans? Small plans? What are you going to do with yours for three whole months?

I have blogged about this last year a bit, but every year, I make a "Summer Calendar" for three months. They are giant calendars where you can see all three months on one sheet of paper (the one in the picture is three 11" x 18" papers, and I am going to glue them together). It is so much easier to keep track of things when you can see everything at once.

My kids are so much better and easier when we have plans and structure. After I had a really hard summer, I decided to do something different the following year. Making the calendar made a huge difference in how we all were and I loved it! Since then, the making of the summer calendar has become kind of a tradition in our family.

If you are interested in starting one, here is what I do;

1. Make a calendar. The bigger the better. The squares need to be big enough so you can write multiple things there.

2. Gather information. I love free activities and such that the local cities provide. I write down fairs, parades, air balloon shows to firemen’s breakfasts as well. I mean, everything our family might enjoy. Also, where I live pretty much all the cities near us have their own fire work nights, I write them down too.

3. Write down all the extra-curricular activities that we signed up for at school, martial arts, and scouts and scout camps.

4. Write down family trips and more.

5. Then, I will have "Sachiko's cooking school" or "art day", or "sewing day" on the off days.

That is pretty much it. My kids get so excited when they can see what's happening on what days (but they know it is not all guaranteed; things happen). When they are not bored they fight and whine less too.

I am almost done making the calendar, come on over summer! :)

No Date Set For Rivera's Surgery

From Roger Rubin:

No date has been set for Rivera’s knee surgery, and the righthander remains on blood-thinning medication for the clot in his leg, discovered after he tore his right ACL on May 3. Rivera said the last time he was examined, the clot was still present. Once the problem is resolved, he will require a few days off the blood thinners before he can have the surgery. But the treatment to eliminate the clot could take as long as three months.

“We’re trying to work the clot first,” Rivera said. “In the meantime, we’re strengthening it.”

Rivera has been doing range-of-motion and strengthening exercises in hopes it will make his post-surgery rehab shorter. On Tuesday, there was little sign of a limp as he walked in the clubhouse.