Nick Cafardo took the bait at the BBWAA dinner and ran with it

If you attended the NY chapter BBWAA dinner a week ago you were set up. Dan Graziano? As I've documented in detail here, he has nothing but contempt for the Yankees and their players. If you knew that, you'd be ready for another orchestrated, grasping scene contrived to elevate a Red Sox player who'd already settled into a different role than that which people like Graziano desperately hoped he'd achieve.

• The misguided portrayal of the evening by Nick Cafardo in the Boston Globe shows how deep the BBWAA bias is. You must understand this group's only function today is to vote on awards and each of them weeps at the thought of this. Since many news organizations are no longer allowing their writers to vote, these guys are in a panic. What could possibly keep them alive, lend credibility? Only 1 thing--to have major teams involve BBWAA in contractual language with a team's star players, like the Red Sox did with Matsuzaka.

There's a whole list of contingencies in his contract based on BBWAA voting--and not just if the player wins or loses. His contract includes express language about compensation for a variety of voting levels in a couple of different awards.

• Have you checked out Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter's contract? According to Cot's MLB contracts in public domain, each of them mentions the following BBWAA award levels: ZERO. So, aside from various voter/writers' personal agendas, they're about to fall off a cliff, lose these votes which are more important than life to some of them.
• And the Red Sox give them life. Not the Yankees. So do you think there's a tiny chance in this life or death scenario these guys might favor a Red Sox player, deify him if necessary (as I've also documented in detail on this blog)? In case you forgot:
• JON PAPELBON WAS PLACED IN CERTAIN "SAVE" SITUATIONS, OR "OPPORTUNITIES," AS THE BASEBALL TONIGHT GUYS LIKE TO REFER TO THEM WHEN SPEAKING OF MARIANO RIVERA. (YOU DON'T HEAR THEM USE THE TERM OPPORTUNITIES UNLESS THEY'RE TRYING TO DIMINISH MARIANO RIVERA).
• BARELY HALF WAY INTO HIS FIRST SEASON, PRESS AND BROADCAST SCREAMED PAPELBON COULD EASILY WIN THE CY YOUNG, MVP, AND ROY.

WHEN SPEAKING OF RIVERA'S COMPLETELY UNRIVALED PERFORMANCES OVER 12 YEARS, FACING THE TOUGHEST SITUATIONS, TOUGHEST BATTERS, GOING 2 AND 3 CONSECUTIVE INNINGS IN REGULAR AND POST SEASON, NOT TO MENTION GOING AN ENTIRE REGULAR SEASON OF 107 INNINGS ONLY GIVING UP 1 HR--IF THEY EVER SPOKE OF MO AT ALL, IT WAS BRIEFLY AND DISMISSIVELY, WITH THINGS LIKE WELL, HE'S ONLY A 1 INNING PITCHER--A LIE--OR HE'S ON A TEAM OF SLUGGERS OR RICH GUYS, OR JUST THE GOD-FORSAKEN YANKEES.

• NEVER DID A MEDIA CAMPAIGN SAY MO SHOULD GET EVEN 1 OF THOSE PRIZES, YET, THEY WERE DYING--DYING--TO GIVE IT TO A NEW GUY AFTER 6 WEEKS, WHEN BATTERS HADN'T EVEN HAD MUCH CHANCE TO FACE HIM.
• DO THE YANKEES OR YES NETWORK HELP MO'S CASE AT ALL? ABSOLUTELY NOT, THEY'RE NOT AT ALL TUNED IN TO THE BASEBALL MEDIA GUYS, WHEREAS IN BOSTON, MINNEAPOLIS AND A FEW OTHER PLACES, THEY ARE.

DOES MO ALSO HAVE A CRAPPY AGENT? ABSOLUTELY.

• THE ONLY REASON MARIANO'S NAME IS MENTIONED NOW IS FOR THEM TO SAY PAPELBON OR JOE BLOW OR ANYONE, GOD PLEASE, SOMEONE BE BETTER THAN MO.

• UNFORTUNATELY, PAPELBON BECAME INJURED WHILE HIS TEAM ATTEMPTED TO USE HIM IN THE WAY THE YANKEES USE MARIANO--MULTIPLE INNING APPEARANCES ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS--AND THEY FEEL HE'S NO LONGER SUITED FOR LATE-INNING RELIEF. THE ANOINTING OF A VERY TALENTED KID AFTER ONLY A FEW WEEKS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF PUBLICITY AIMED AT DEPOSING RIVERA,
• WHEN NOTHING EVEN CLOSE TO THIS HAS EVER BEEN DONE FOR MO WAS AN ENORMOUS MEDIA CREATION, INVOLVING PARTIES WITH OVERLAPPING INTERESTS--THE BBWAA, ESPN, FOX, THE LARGEST INTERNET STATISTICAL ANALYSIS SITES, AND THE RED SOX.
• THESE PEOPLE HAVE YET TO ADMIT FOR ONE SECOND THAT MARIANO WAS EVEN MARIANO, HAVE NEVER SAID HE WAS THE BEST.

• AND MOST OF THE SO-CALLED NEW YORK AREA WRITERS ARE HAPPY TO KEEP HIM ANONYMOUS--IT HELPS THEIR CAREER PROSPECTS AT ESPN, ETC., TO DO SO.
• And they manipulated a scene so Nick Cafardo could write an entire article just as they wanted. From the Boston Globe, 2/4/07, "For any role, he's on call,"

• NY BBWAA writers showing again as I've documented countless times, they'll go to any length to keep Mariano Rivera from getting the recognition he deserves.

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