{"id":8532,"date":"2010-07-12T07:01:40","date_gmt":"2010-07-12T06:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=8532"},"modified":"2010-07-13T07:07:03","modified_gmt":"2010-07-13T06:07:03","slug":"weekly-hit-ground-ball-rangers-roll-the-dice-with-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=8532","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Rangers roll the dice with Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WhgbHlSq\"The All-Star break gives everyone the chance to take a deep breath, reflect on the events of the previous three and a bit months and gather themselves for a big push in the second half of the season.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a welcome pause from the constant hive of activity and some players may have had half an eye on the break for a week or two, whether due to nagging knocks needing a few days\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rest or the grind of playing for a team already out of contention.\u00c2\u00a0 However, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the same for us fans.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll take the break when given, especially as the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game tide us over,\u00c2\u00a0 but the action can keep on rolling along as far as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re concerned.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why it was a welcome surprise when a major trade was consummated at the start of the weekend.\u00c2\u00a0 If we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to have the constant flow of games to discuss over the next few days, we may as well have Cliff Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s move to the Texas Rangers<\/a> to debate instead.\u00c2\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The rumours spreading during the British evening on Friday had a depressing air about them for us non-Yankee fans.\u00c2\u00a0 Lee was reportedly on the verge of signing for the Bronx Bombers, with the deal being so close that the pitcher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wife was discussing plans<\/a> with the wife of CC Sabathia, the two couples knowing each other from their days together in Cleveland.\u00c2\u00a0 The prospect of the Yankees picking a playoff rotation out of Sabathia, Lee, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes and Javier Vazquez made a World Series repeat all the more likely and all the more depressing for clubs that have little hope of competing against such riches.<\/p>\n

Yet no sooner had we started picturing Lee in pinstripes than whispers spread that there was a last minute hitch.\u00c2\u00a0 The deal that was as good as done was now as good as dead.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The development has probably only delayed the inevitable as Lee is a free agent at the season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s end and the Yankees are odds on to splash the cash yet again to get their man.\u00c2\u00a0 Vazquez will depart as a free agent and the rotation will be even better.\u00c2\u00a0 If Yankee fans are upset that Lee slipped from their clutches this time around, well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to feel too much sympathy for their \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdesperate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 plight.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, we can be thankful that the potential deal died and created a more interesting storyline for the rest of the season.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"July<\/a><\/div>\n