The final 2012 bid limits that were posted for this player: PK 5x5: $33 MF 5x5: $31 AP 4x4: $31

I've heard that story about Williams and have no idea if it was true. But it's a good one.

I should have mentioned the Stick by name, he was crucial, but my recollection is that Buck Showalter also changed the culture while George was "gone."

Having Bernie, Jorge, Mariano, and Jeter as the foundation of your dynasty team is pretty dynastic.

During that time that Rotoman mentions below, Gene Michael was instrumental in steering the organization toward the winning culture that Rotoman describes.

There were a few players where Michael put his neck on the line and told George "trade him and I'll go." I know Jeter was one of those players, but there were others.

There's a story involving Bernie Williams as a prospect where George allegedly couldn't stand Bernie's laid back attitude and wanted to trade him. He told Michael to call all 27 teams if he had to and he'd take anything in return. Michael was also told if he disobeyed he'd be fired. So Michael dutifully called around the league and talked about every player but Williams. Then when Steinbrenner asked Stick what happened he replied, "I tried but not a single team asked about Bernie Williams. I guess we're stuck with him."

I don't know how much truth there is in this story, but it's a great yarn.

Could you link us to where "net WPA" is explained, Peter? I'm pretty sure it won't persuade me that Prince was more valuable than Miggy this year, but I might as well give it a chance.

This is as stupid as blaming Obama for unemployment rates in January of 2010. The greatest Yankee story of all during Steinbrenner's rule was the fermata when George was permanently banned from baseball for life in the early 90s. Those were the years that sense prevailed, talent was developed, good players were drafted, championships were coined.

George was rarely the asshole during this period that he was in the late 70s and early 80s, when the Yankees were competing but were always in tumult.

I haven't read the story, but this sounds like silly spacefilling.

I'm on record that I think Trout is the MVP over Cabrera. I'm interested in the way that we measure things leads us contradictory conclusions.

If you have the time, there's an article at BP by Colin Myers that's worth reading.

A lot of time (it's way too long) so I'll sum it up.

He takes Jeff Passan at Yahoo to task for building a false narrative based on the first two games of the ALCS.

The narrative:

The Yankees are staring into a deep abyss. Their core keeps getting older. Their pitching woes remain palpable. Their farm system – especially the upper-level arms that were supposed to be here by now – has dried up considerably. It's not like Jeter's injury was some sort of sign. It was just a reminder of what was – and what is no longer...

It's easy to wonder how much of this traces back to the passing of George Steinbrenner, their bombastic owner. While he presided over more than a decade of misery that preceded the late '90s dynasty, his presence throughout the winning cannot be overstated. The culture under Steinbrenner was about the team. The culture today is about the business. Yankees fans loved Steinbrenner. Yankees fans don't know his sons. The urgency then was palpable. The urgency now is questionable.

The proof that it's false.

If we define the Steinbrenner era as 1973 through 2007 (when he formally handed control of the team over to his sons Hank and Hal), we see a team that won at a .563 clip during the regular season; the post-George Yankees have won at a .591 clip so far. Ah, but what of the postseason? The Yankees made the postseason in eighteen out of 35 of those years, compared to four out of five of the post-George years. Ah, but the pesky wild card muddles the picture. Still, the post-George Yankees have won the division three out of five seasons, compared to 15 out of 35 in the George era. And what of the ultimate prize, winning the World Series? The Yankees under George did that 17 percent of the time, compared to 20 percent of the time for the post-George Yankees (and that’s if we assume the Yankees do not win this year, which seems likely but far from certain at this point).

The problem with the proof? The first sentence. Passan's narrative explicitly does not include the "more than a decade of misery" that began in 1973.

Why am I posting this here?

If your story is that Trout is the MVP this year, not Miggy, I'll listen to you and take you seriously.

If your story is that Prince Fielder was more valuable than Miggy this year, I'll listen, sure, but you're not serious.

As long it's a division winner in the WS, I'm cool with it. BTW Tigers over Phillies in 7 was my preseason prediction.

Too true.

It should be noted that if double plays against and outs created didn't count then baseball would be a different sport.

If you're counting net WPA you do, Alex, but it should be noted that if you look at just positive contributions Miggy led all of baseball in +WPA, with Willingham and Fielder behind him.

Trout is 22nd.