‘Twas An Apple Christmas
And I’m not talking about this kind.
I live in a Mac household and Santa usually brings me some assortment of accessories for my MacBook Pro, my iPhone or my iPod. Like the nifty dock below that allows me to play music through my stereo speakers.
I went to our local Apple store this afternoon to add to my loot and the place was mobbed. People weren’t just exchanging gifts either; the line for getting new stuff trailed all the way around the store. But instead of total chaos, there was customer service help everywhere you turned – bright-eyed men and women wearing red shirts and earpieces who not only wanted to answer questions but actually knew the answers. This is all my long-winded way of saying I think Steve Jobs is a genius who could probably make me buy anything he’s selling.
What does this have to do with baseball? Stay with me.
I have no idea if Jobs is a fan of sports in general or baseball in particular, but I can’t help wondering what a guy with his intelligence, marketing savvy and bank account would do with a major league team. I’ll tell you what he wouldn’t do if he owned the Yankees; he wouldn’t start the season with a rotation of CC, AJ, Hughes, Nova and Mitre. Nope. He’d engineer some sort of big signing – keeping his plan secret and then announcing the deal at a news conference that would whip the media into a frenzy. “Yankees Rotation Version 2011” is what he’d call it and then he’d list all the reasons why it represented a much improved formula.
I’m not saying the Yankees won’t still go out and get a pitcher before the season starts or that we’re not okay with the arms we already have (Mitre excluded). Maybe our new pitching coach will have a sensational session with AJ this week or whenever they’re meeting up. Maybe Pettitte will decide to come back for another year. And maybe Ivan Nova is the next King Felix.
A girl can hope. That’s what the holiday season is all about, isn’t it?
Confessions of a She-Fan 
Jane,
Unlike his Microsoft counterpart, Steve Jobs doesn’t seem to have an athletic bone in his body, but neither did a lot of great team owners. I agree totally with you on his flair for marketing once condemning Dell Computers head honcho for their “boring” brown boxing for their product.
Pizazz with a flair of technology might be the way of the Jobs run Yankee dynasty complete with Mac books full of video, comparision programs and possibly a 3D imaging of the opponent of pitcer with cross referrencing up the ying-yang.
I shudder to actually think what hecould have done with either his local Palto Alto neighboring teams the Giants or A’s if he put his mental, wealth and moxyto the test….Maybe complete anarchy would entail…or at least a savvy tech department.
Rays Renegade
http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com
You’re so right about the tech stuff that would be available for scouting, Renegade. And I guess if Jobs cared at all about baseball, he’d be making a run at getting the A’s moved to the backyard of Apple headquarters. I’d love it if he became a part owner of the Yankees though and gave every fan an iPad with the purchase of a ticket to a game!
Hi Jane!
I got an iPad from Santa and it’s my first device ever from Apple. I’m so in love with this thing. 😉
I just hope there will be another starter, they can’t seriously use Mitre as a starter! My wish for the New Year.
– Nadine
Merry Christmas Jane!
Greetings from a snowy NY State! It has been a while since I commented, but with a week off I want to get involved again. Part of my absence had to do with my total apathy with the whole post season. I have scratched my head over all of it, along with having to endure my Red Sox fan of a brother-in-law happily reminding me of how well they have done this off season. I’m hoping Cashman gets off of his tuff after the 1st and gives all of us Yankee fans a late Christmas gift!
I got the new Kindle DX for Christmas and love it! Are your books Kindle ready, Jane? If so, off to Amazon to buy!
Kathleen
Jane as far as the rotation, keep in mind we won 89 games in 2008 with a rotation of Mussina(good), Pettitte(one of his worst seasons), Sidney Ponson(yuck), Darrell Rasner(couldn’t win a game), and a fifth spot that seemed to change with the day. Our current rotation is better, especially if Pettitte comes back, so I am not particularly concerned. Our offense is better now than then as well.
Kathleen,
My husband got me the Kindle for our anniversary this fall and I love it, too. I read Jane’s Best Enemies and thoroughly enjoyed it. I could even get it on my iTouch so I could continue reading when all I had with me was a clutch! My husband told me I shouldn’t kindle any of the books I already have hard copies of, but I am seriously considering getting Jane’s Confessions so that I can have a dose of the Yankees and humor everywhere I go!!
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I am so ready for spring training. I need something wonderfully baseball related to get through this winter slump…
Hey, Nadine. Good job getting an iPad from Santa! I guess you were a very good girl this year. 🙂 I don’t have one yet, but I have a laptop and an iPhone, so do I really need one? Well, of course I do. They’re too cool not to have one.
Merry Christmas, Kathleen. I understand your apathy and share it. I love it when Cashman springs deals on us and he’s done nada this year, unless you count Feliciano. He could help us. Prior and Vizcaino, on the other hand, are just pieces of furniture for me right now. Congrats on your Kindle! (Some of my books are Kindle ready; some aren’t.) I still don’t have one, if you can believe it. I kept thinking I might get an iPad instead, but I think I’ll go for a Kindle in the meantime. Did you get the one that comes all wireless ready no matter where you are?
Yankeesfan27, you’re right about 2008 but I don’t think 89 games will get it done anymore. Our division is too tough now, and a rotation like you mentioned certainly wouldn’t get it done in the postseason when it’s all about pitching. So I remain concerned, although I do think Cashman will make a trade at some point.
So you have a Kindle too, dj? That does it. I’m going online and buying one. Maybe I should download my own books, including Confessions! I hope you had a great Christmas. With New Year’s coming up, spring training is just around the corner. Take heart!
The Kindle I have connects anywhere, anytime. Can also google and get gmail.
I just downloaded “Some Nerve” from the Kindle store. They have 3 of your books available – “Confessions”, “An Ex” and this one. DJ, good idea about “Confessions”. That is next on my list.
Enjoy your day!
Santa, Jane? Santa?
Don’t you mean Hanukkah Harry?
http://paullebowitz.com.previewyoursite.com/blog/?p=117
I figured you got that model of the Kindle, Kathleen. That would work for me since I’m not always at a wireless hot spot. I’m excited that you downloaded the two novels with Confessions waiting in the wings. I’m actually working on getting the older novels in ebook formats. Hopefully, it’ll happen in the new year.
Why are you so stuck on the fact that I celebrate Christmas, Paul? Get over it!
Hi Jane,
First things first – Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!
The off-season is always a drag and although it seems that spring training is a long way off somehow it gets there. I’m not sure that this a year to be excited about other than seeing Jeter’s 3000th hit but, despite the ridiculous ideas fostered by George Steinbrenner, one cannot be expected to win every year and there is no disgrace to a respectable 2nd place finish. Unless some great arms somehow materialize the best we can hope for is 2nd place and maybe a wild card. Without star pitching the wild card doesn’t do anything but guarantee a quick exit. Is there any good pitching in the minors that we might expect to help ion New York in a few years?
At 35 degrees in Florida this morning it’s a little hard to think baseball but Barbara thinks baseball all the time and her weather is probably in the teens with lots of snow to shovel, so maybe things aren’t so bad here.
Harold
There is no doubt Steve Jobs is the man.
I think the way Amaro Jr has come up with the big deals, like Halladay, Oswalt and Lee is very much inline with the way Jobs does things.
Just when the competition think they’re going to have a universal equivalent of the iPad, before January end will be the iPad II again making them all play catch up…
hope you had a good Christmas and a safe and happy new year..:-)
-peter
(philliesoutside)
http://devilabrit.mlblogs.com
Though my husband works for a major computer manufacturer, we have 4 Apple computers in our family. I have a macbook and love it and I LOVE my iPod. Apple products are tactilely very pleasing. And the genius bar is a work of genius. I’ve taken my macbook there several times and they’ve helped me with issues.
I had a surprise apple Christmas because Santa unexpectedly brought me an iPad. It is way cool and I am still trying to learn to use it, but I’ve downloaded apps and have had a lot of fun.
I did have to take a break to help dig out our cars from under the 13 ” of snow we got here. At least it was light powder!
Melissa
Hmmm…now you’ve got me thinking, which is always dangerous. I suppose most starting rotations are more PC like – the manager puts a product on the field and then tweaks it with updates and security patches throughout the season. A Mac starting rotation might just be a better way to go.
– Kristen
http://blithescribe.mlblogs.com/
Kristen, that is brilliant!
I think the Phillies may have that mac starting rotation, but we’ll just have to see.
Melissa
Same to you, Harold! So it’s 35 in Florida? That’s downright unseasonable but at least you’re not knee deep in snow. We’re both lucky on that score. As for our Yanks, despite my constant pleas for a pitcher, I’m not ready to write next season off. I still think we’ll get somebody. The question is who and when!
Peter, your rotation is the equivalent of a Mac. But do the Phillies have the necessary power adapters? Time will tell. Happy Holidays to you too.
Woohoo for you getting an iPad, Melissa. You must be having fun with it, and with all that snow it’s the perfect diversion. Have you been to the iBook store yet?
Mac is always the way to go, Kristen – at least for me. I just find them more user friendly, and given my lack of tech skill I need all the help I can get!
Thanks Melissa! The Phillies might very well have a Mac starting rotation. I suppose if it works out that way you could call the core four the iQuad.
– Kristen
http://blithescribe.mlblogs.com/