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Post by philinla on May 16, 2007 23:35:49 GMT -5
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Post by pemoco on May 26, 2007 10:49:37 GMT -5
So....
when Torre was brought back I said that my biggest misgiving about the move was Cashman attaching his fate to the performance of Torre. Regardless of the reality or fairness of whether the on-field performance of the team was a reflection of his job performance, Cashman was putting himself in a position where he would be judged by something that is in large part out of his control.
Now we have a situation where there have been a ton of injuries and Torre is contuining with his "free n' easy" style of management. As we all know, the results have not been pretty.
I can live with some down time if it means that there is a plan to build a solid core of a perenniel powerhouse. I think Cashman has such a plan in place, and it's an approach that would not likely be continued under the auspices of a stooge from the Tampa crew.
My long-term concern is not with the record so far this season, it's that Cashman is left himself out there as the fall guy. As we can tell from the Boss' unfiltered comments, he sees the record as a problem and Cashman as the one who bears responsibility. Cashman hasn't been perfect, but imo we are majorly screwed if he's sent packing.
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Post by sinctybldh on May 26, 2007 10:59:38 GMT -5
Cashman in trouble posted: Saturday, May 26, 2007
Think of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman as a contractor who has delivered bad news to a homeowner. Sorry, but the foundation is cracked and needs to be fixed. And the roof is a mess. And your pipes are leaking. And you probably need to rewire the whole structure.
He got the go-ahead from George Steinbrenner 19 months ago to take over all of the team's baseball operations, after years of a splintered chain of command, and the work that Cashman suggested is on-going. Scouts have been replaced and reassigned; the draft strategy has been altered; young pitchers are being stockpiled. Executives with other teams say that the Yankees' farm system was so barren that Cashman is probably in the second year of a rebuilding job that will require four to five years.
Think of the Yankees' organization as a work in progress, with scaffolding raised around the structure, piles of debris cast around the outside, the whole thing looking like a giant mess. And now imagine George Steinbrenner as the owner who pulls up into the driveway and says, in the middle of the job: This looks like hell.
Steinbrenner says Brian Cashman is on the hook for what happens with the Yankees this season. Cashman knows his job is on the line and says he's lost sleep this season, as Filip Bondy writes.
Cashman has been in a race against time during his rebuilding project. On one hand, he has been trying to get the Yankees' farm system back to where it was in the early '90s, to the point that the organization is flush with prospects -- and that means sidestepping the high-priced free agents who may have cost the team draft picks and avoiding enormous long-term obligations (see Jason Giambi). Cashman has been trying to get the Yankees into a situation where they are not reliant on the acquisition of patch-and-fill veterans like Carl Pavano, where they have more minor league options, where they have more payroll flexibility.
But there is a balancing act to all of this, because Cashman is well aware of the Steinbrenner Doctrine, which is that the team must win a championship every year or be deemed a failure. So what Cashman has been trying to do, in the last couple of years, is to create a short bridge into the future, to buy time for the farm system to come around, to buy time for the likes of Phil Hughes. That's why he signed Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte to two-year deals, and traded for Bobby Abreu, knowing that his contractual obligation runs through 2007, only.
The Yankees are floundering, however, having now dropped to 10½ games behind the Red Sox. Cashman came into the year thinking that between what was widely expected to be a dominant offense and a deep bullpen, the Yankees would win enough to contend. But Mussina has been terrible, Abreu and Johnny Damon haven't hit, and the starting rotation has been crushed by injuries. It seems very possible that Cashman will be fired, or at least shoved out of power by The Boss.
If this happens, it is possible that the executive picked to assume Cashman's duties will continue the rebuilding job -- to overhaul the organization's foundation, roof, plumbing, electrical system, so to speak.
But it is more likely that whoever replaces Cashman will be under immediate and enormous pressure to win, and will focus on making the '08 Yankees a championship contender -- and that could mean the resumption of the practice of signing high-priced veterans, the trades of prospects. In other words, the next executive may turn back the Yankees' clock to the winter of 2001-2002 -- when Steinbrenner effectively assumed power of the team's baseball decisions -- rather than to 1990-1991, which is where Cashman is trying to take the team, philosophically.
So often in the past, Steinbrenner's GMs have been pushed into short-term thinking by The Boss, and Cashman is among the few who have had a chance to have big-term thinking; the last was Gene Michael, in the early '90s, when he fostered a system that produced Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Ramiro Mendoza, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada.
The irony now is that in order for the Yankees to free themselves from the destructive habit of buying big-money players, they need their current roster of big-money players to play better, in order for Cashman to keep his power. Cashman needs Giambi and others to play better to save his job, in all likelihood.
If that does not happen -- if the Yankees fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993 -- then Cashman and the rebuilding program may well be aborted. The big-picture thinking will probably stop. And the Red Sox, who had a two-year head start on the Yankees in their own rebuilding job, may turn out to be the greatest beneficiaries.
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Post by sinctybldh on May 26, 2007 11:00:51 GMT -5
Its going to be a really tough pill to swallow if Cashman is fired. The team's future is going to be in huge trouble imo.
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Post by pemoco on May 26, 2007 11:32:40 GMT -5
Its going to be a really tough pill to swallow if Cashman is fired. The team's future is going to be in huge trouble imo. The important work that Cashman has done is not the glamor stuff covered by the daily rags, it's the nuts and bolts stuff that tbh I wouldn't know all that much about if it wasn't for a place like this. Hopefully, this is just a case of Howard Rubenstein being on vacation and some smartass AP reporter tracking down Steinbrenner and scoring some off-the-cuff comments.
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Post by jumbo on May 29, 2007 16:21:36 GMT -5
CASHMAN'S BACKERS HAVE THE BOSS' EAR By GEORGE KING
May 29, 2007 -- TORONTO - Just like a year ago, when GM Brian Cashman talked George Steinbrenner out of firing Joe Torre, there are voices within the Yankee organization telling The Boss that boxing Cashman isn't the right move. Steinbrenner put his GM in the crosshairs Friday when he said, "He is on a big hook."
Since the Yankees have lost all four games since Steinbrenner voiced his displeasure with Cashman, The Boss' frustration rises with every defeat.
"There are people trying to talk him out of it," an organizational voice said yesterday.
Since The Boss has been leaning on his sons, Hank and Hal, it's likely they are backing Cashman, whom Steinbrenner's family genuinely likes.
Another factor working in Cashman's favor is there is no clear-cut replacement. Former GM Gene Michael, a VP and special adviser to Steinbrenner, has been mentioned. But it's been a while since Michael was the GM and he may not want to jump back into the most demanding job in the Yankees universe.
*
One injured veteran returned while another one vanished from the Yankees' starting lineup last night.
Johnny Damon, who didn't start Saturday or Sunday due to leg cramps, was back in center field and leading off. Jason Giambi, who was in a 4-for-24 (.167) slide, was replaced as the DH by Hideki Matsui.
"He has been fighting it the last couple of days," Torre said of Giambi, who is battling a bone spur on the bottom of his left foot.
"I am getting Johnny back out there and using Matsui as the DH, something he probably could use. I want to see if we can generate some runs."
According to Torre, it's possible Giambi will take a cortisone shot in the foot.
"He is sore and we are looking into something he may have done," Torre said. "We will know more [today]."
Matsui accounted for the only two Yankee runs with a two-run homer in the eighth.
As for Damon, he told Torre the Rogers Centre turf didn't present a challenge for his calves.
"He doesn't think it will be a problem," Torre said of his leadoff hitter, who went 0-for-4 and used tennis shoes in the field instead of spikes. "We have to find out about Johnny and make a decision. He will play all three games here."
Damon could DH in one of the three.
*
Asked about the shape of his bullpen before the game, Torre said, "[Scott] Proctor is a little under the weather. He has a little stomach thing going on."
Proctor may not be available tonight.
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc.
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Post by jumbo on Jun 3, 2007 11:31:57 GMT -5
Prince Hal to be king
Boss' son steps up; Cashman and Torre safe for now
BY BILL MADDEN DAILY NEWS SPORTS COLUMNIST
Posted Sunday, June 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM
After years of avoiding the spotlight of the Yankee empire, George Steinbrenner's youngest son has stepped up to take the leading role of a franchise in a state of flux.
Hal Steinbrenner, 38, has quietly assumed the role of general partner of the Yankees in the past few weeks, the Daily News has learned - a move that could delay decisions on the job status of Brian Cashman and Joe Torre.
According to team sources in Tampa, the son known among Yankee insiders as "Prince Hal" has taken charge in the absence of former general partner Steve Swindal - the estranged husband of George Steinbrenner's daughter Jennifer - and is now evaluating all areas of the operation.
Hal Steinbrenner has enlisted Felix Lopez, the husband of his other sister, Jessica, to serve as his envoy in New York. Lopez will travel to New York at least twice a month to evaluate the club's personnel, both on and off the field. He was in New York as recently as two weeks ago to survey the progress on the Yankees' new stadium.
"Expect to see Felix making periodic visits to New York, and then reporting back to Hal," one source confirmed.
Cashman and Torre, however, are presumed to be on safe ground until Hal Steinbrenner completes a thorough evaluation of the club, despite The Boss' comments last week that Cashman is "on a big hook."
As far back as the mid-'90s, George Steinbrenner has wanted Hal to serve as general partner and has viewed him as No. 1 in the line of succession. But after barely a year of working out of an office at Yankee Stadium in the late '90s, Hal grew weary of his father's constant criticism and retreated back to Tampa, where he has been in charge of the family's hotel operations for the past few years.
Hal Steinbrenner, who has recently gone through a divorce, will remain at his Tampa base, according to sources, in order to stay close to his three young daughters.
While he will make periodic trips to New York, he is expected to maintain a low profile, in direct contrast to his father's style. His friends say that Hal detests dealing with the media - unlike The Boss, who loved sparring with reporters and criticizing players and personnel until health problems curtailed his front and back page appearances.
"But make no mistake," another source said, "Hal has stepped forward here. If nothing else, he's looking after his own interest and filling the power vacuum with the concerns about his dad's health."
Meanwhile, another club source insisted that no front office changes are currently being contemplated. It is doubtful that Hal Steinbrenner, in his newly minted role, is prepared to recommend to his father that Cashman or Torre be fired, especially since there are no suitable replacements for either.
"Right now, Hal is doing what The Boss used to do under these circumstances," one source said, "talking to a lot of people in an effort to form a consensus on what's gone wrong and who should be held accountable."
Hal Steinbrenner's ascension is seen by Steinbrenner watchers in Tampa as a move to consolidate what has long been viewed as a house divided. As he has become more actively involved in the family business, Hal Steinbrenner has been working hand-in-hand with his older brother, Hank, even though the two have never been close. Hank Steinbrenner, who was estranged from the family for a couple of years following what sources say was his own painful divorce, is said to be more savvy about baseball than Hal, whose business acumen is believed to have made him his father's choice to serve as general partner.
It would now appear the odd sibling out is Jennifer Steinbrenner, who is in the process of divorcing Swindal. Jenny, according to friends, has been "devastated" by the divorce and was recently forced to sell her palatial home on exclusive Davis Island in Tampa.
"All this time, Steve was the breadwinner there," a source said. "George will never allow the girls to have any say in the family business, and without a spouse now, Jenny doesn't have a whole lot of influence."
bmadden@nydailynews.com
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Post by philinla on Jun 3, 2007 15:51:27 GMT -5
Hal went to my college.
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Post by jumbo on Jun 4, 2007 11:20:09 GMT -5
The Boss still in charge of Yanks Posted: Monday June 04, 2007 05:53AM ET According to several Yankees sources, a published report yesterday that said Hal Steinbrenner is the new leader of the franchise and will determine the fates of Joe Torre and Brian Cashman is false. "That was all fantasy," the source said. "George is still in charge."--New York Post
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Post by philinla on Jun 5, 2007 15:26:51 GMT -5
Thompson and DeSalvo sent down. Henn and Basak called up. Basak will probably play for Jeter tonight. This could be the beginning of the end of Cairo.
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Post by torrey on Jun 5, 2007 18:00:48 GMT -5
is Basak that much of an upgrade to Cairo? I thought he was a long time in the minors
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Post by philinla on Jun 5, 2007 23:14:35 GMT -5
He's younger and has seemed to me like a better hitter.
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Post by philinla on Jun 25, 2007 16:16:44 GMT -5
Yankees sign first-ever Chinese-based sponsor
Yankees Headlines • Exclusive talk with A-Rod on MLB.com • Yankees sign Chinese-based sponsor • Yankees fall to aggressive Giants • Bauman: Rocket's appearance not a relief • Reunion triggers memories of '62 Series • More Yankees Headlines
ADVERTISEMENT print this page | e-mail this page The New York Yankees today became the first Major League club to enter into a sponsorship agreement with a company from the People's Republic of China, announcing an agreement with China's largest dairy company, the Yili Group, to advertise within the Yankees' local territory. As part of the agreement, Yili will receive advertising exposure at Yankee Stadium and in Yankees Magazine, the official game program of the New York Yankees. Yili will receive prominent branding visibility on July 6 when the Yankees introduce left handed pitcher Kai Liu and catcher Zhenwang Zhang, who became the first players from the People's Republic of China to sign with a Major League club with approval from the Chinese Baseball Association on June 19. Earlier this year the Yankees and the Chinese Baseball Association entered into an historic working agreement.
Randy Levine, President of the Yankees, said, "We are very pleased to welcome Yili to the Yankees family as our first sponsor based in China. The Yankees have always been committed to international baseball and international business and China is very important to us. This agreement with Yili is yet another example of how far-reaching the Yankees brand has become and how dedicated we are to growing baseball, and the business of baseball, in China."
Michael Tusiani, Yankees Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales and Sponsorships said, "Securing a sponsorship with Yili Group is a very unique and exciting opportunity for the Yankees organization. Moreover, we hope to continue to generate sponsorship interest from global-based companies, including those based throughout Asia."
The Yili Group is the leading dairy industry enterprise in China. In 2005, Yili products became the official dairy products of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with Yili becoming the first food brand supporter of the Beijing Olympics. Yili Group was recognized with the 2005 CCTV Best Employers of China award and the 2005 China Best Corporate Citizen Acts award.
Womei Beijing Advertising, one of China's leading advertising agencies, represented Yili Group while Sportscorp China assisted the Yankees in securing the sponsorship.
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Post by jumbo on Jun 29, 2007 9:00:48 GMT -5
GM: Tense times for Yankees Posted: Friday June 29, 2007 07:48AM ET Wittingly or unwittingly, Yankees GM Brian Cashman created another high alert yesterday by going on the radio and talking as if jobs could be in danger. Maybe it was nothing more than him saying what he figured George Steinbrenner wanted to hear, but these are tense times for the Yankees.--New York Daily News
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Post by jumbo on Jun 30, 2007 12:28:01 GMT -5
Will Boss fire Yankees coaches? Posted: Saturday June 30, 2007 07:28AM ET If George Steinbrenner has designs on firing Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long and bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan, which was the buzz throughout baseball yesterday, The Boss hasn't told his GM. Brian Cashman said there was nothing to the talk that Steinbrenner was ready to sack Long and Kerrigan.--New York Post
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Post by jumbo on Jul 5, 2007 21:57:59 GMT -5
News | Entertainment | Sports | Jobs | Cars | Real Estate | Apartments | ShopLocal | Place An Ad am New York
As Steinbrenner fades,so do his Yankees Ken Davidoff Baseball
July 5, 2007
George Steinbrenner's declining health is an open secret in Yankees quarters now. No longer must discretion rule the day. From here at Yankee Stadium to the club's Tampa offices, team employees theorize about the principal owner's precise medical condition.
With so many questions looming about the titular Boss and his kingdom, it made sense that the woeful Yankees marked Steinbrenner's 77th birthday with a 6-2 loss to the Twins. George couldn't even enjoy the short-term euphoria of a three-game winning streak, not with Best Pitcher on the Planet Johan Santana on the mound for the bad guys.
"Today was a quality game," Joe Torre said, and Derek Jeter noted, somewhat correctly, that the Yankees have played better the last few days. Of course, back in the day, Steinbrenner would've spat upon such empty verbiage, especially with the schedule halfway complete and the Yankees' record at 39-42.
Alas, Yankees fans yearning for "the George of old" - and there are a lot of you out there, from what I can tell - might as well wish for the Yankees to sign the Loch Ness Monster to play first base. It won't happen, because it can't happen.
Steinbrenner used to visit his native Ohio around the time of his birthday, checking in with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. Then again, he used to come to the Bronx pretty regularly.
Brian Cashman moved the Triple-A outpost to Scranton, however - a rational move, and one that reflected Steinbrenner's diminished input. More to the point, Steinbrenner has attended exactly one Yankees game this season, the home opener. The Tampa resident didn't even go to nearby Tropicana Field when the Yankees played the Devil Rays.
An insider described Steinbrenner as "sometimes real good, sometimes real bad, but there are more bad moments than there were a year ago. It's not a dramatic drop-off, but the slide is continuing."
The hours remain erratic; as the insider put it, "He's cut back from his cut-back schedule." There is limited social interaction; whereas Steinbrenner used to regularly monitor Legends Field and the minor-league complex, he now gets chauffeured into Legends, quietly goes through the lobby and takes the elevator to his fourth-floor office.
People used to brace for a Steinbrenner interaction. Now, the insider said, "There's no fear factor anymore."
Yes, there still is telephone contact with his New York lieutenants - Cashman, president Randy Levine, COO Lonn Trost and hard-working spokesman Howard Rubenstein. And on those good days, Steinbrenner might feel inclined to fire Torre, or tell an industrious reporter that Cashman is "on a big hook." Yet those thoughts routinely fade away before they turn into action.
The impending divorce of Steinbrenner's daughter, Jennifer, from appointed successor Steve Swindal has mucked things up considerably. Steinbrenner's sons, Hank and Hal, have stepped in to help, but neither is the definitive point person for the family, as was the ousted Swindal. The only way Torre could be fired at this point, it appears, would be if Cashman backed the move.
The Yankees are significant long shots to make the playoffs, the result of massive negligence at every level - from overpaying Jason Giambi, to not spending enough on the amateur draft until last year, to some questionable calls by Cashman since he gained complete power in October 2005. They must develop players more organically while feeding the beast created by the YES Network and the lavish ballpark coming in 2009.
They'll have to do all of that, it appears, without a strong ownership presence. The guess here is that Cashman will keep his job into next year - the Steinbrenners trust him and he has built up the young pitching - and remain the franchise's most important person.
Yesterday, on his birthday, Steinbrenner received yet another reality jolt. All he can do is hope that for his 78th next year, his team somehow will be in far better shape. Even if he, realistically, won't be.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
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Post by jumbo on Jul 16, 2007 9:34:02 GMT -5
YANKEE NOTES By GEORGE KING July 16, 2007 -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. .....A Friday lunch date with George Steinbrenner at Legends Field in Tampa didn't lead to Torre discussing a contract extension with The Boss or getting a tongue lashing about the Yankees barely breathing in the AL East and Wild Card races. And even though son Hal Steinbrenner and son-in-law Felix Lopez were on hand, Torre didn't get the impression they are running the show following Steve Swindal's fade to black.
"We talked a little bit about the team in generalities, and that we have to start winning," said Torre, whose club has won eight of 11.
Torre is in the final year of a contract and while he has been receptive to opening discussions about remaining as the manager, Steinbrenner hasn't offered to even talk. That has led to speculation that Torre's 12-year stint working for The Boss will end following this year.
"I think everybody is involved and interested," Torre said. "The family understands how important it is to be involved. They are all active, let's put it that way."
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Post by philinla on Jul 20, 2007 14:19:18 GMT -5
Shelley Duncan's finally been called up. No news yet on who was moved from the 40 and 25 to accomodate his promotion.
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Post by philinla on Jul 21, 2007 22:45:18 GMT -5
DeSalvo down, Henn up!
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Post by jumbo on Aug 1, 2007 15:58:59 GMT -5
Younger Steinbrenner supports Cashman Posted: Wednesday August 01, 2007 07:19AM ET Earlier this season, George Steinbrenner said Brian Cashman was "on a big hook." Yesterday, Hal Steinbrenner said he was hopeful the Yankees GM would return next year. Though the Boss' son cautioned that he has taken an increased role in the baseball side of the franchise only in the last month, he gave Cashman a qualified thumbs-up before a 16-3 drubbing of the White Sox last night. "I hope so," Hal Steinbrenner said about Cashman returning next season. "Everything I've seen, he's done a good job."--New York Post
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Post by jumbo on Sept 29, 2007 11:49:54 GMT -5
September 29, 2007 Steinbrenner Son Elected Chairman of Yankees By TYLER KEPNER
BALTIMORE, Sept. 28 — The line of succession in the Yankees’ hierarchy became clearer on Friday when Hal Steinbrenner, the younger of George Steinbrenner’s two sons, was elected chairman of the board of Yankee Global Enterprises, the umbrella company for the team and the YES Network.
Hal Steinbrenner, 38, had recently taken a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the Yankees, supervising budget matters and overseeing the team management in Tampa, Fla. He was among the executives who had lunch with Manager Joe Torre on Wednesday.
“Hal is very much involved,” Torre said. “He certainly has taken a great deal of interest. He’s a very serious-minded person. Just the few times I’ve been in his company over the last four or five months, we could see the difference, that this was something he was really applying himself to.”
Hal Steinbrenner’s new position was previously held by his former brother-in-law, Steve Swindal, whom George Steinbrenner had named in 2005 as his successor in running the Yankees. But Swindal’s divorce this year from Steinbrenner’s daughter, Jennifer, ended his tenure with the team, and some club officials never believed Steinbrenner would really have put Swindal in charge over one of his sons.
Hank Steinbrenner, Hal’s older brother, is a senior vice president of the Yankees but is less involved than Hal. Felix Lopez, who is married to Steinbrenner’s other daughter, Jessica, was promoted to the board of directors of Yankee Global Enterprises on Friday.
“I am very honored to be elected Chairman of Yankee Global Enterprises LLC,” Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement released by the family publicist, Howard Rubenstein.
“There are many exciting ventures that we’re considering, and I look forward to working hard to bring about success for our organization and for all Yankee fans.”
Hal Steinbrenner, who represented the Yankees at a July news conference in the Bronx to unveil the logo for the 2008 All-Star Game, is considered more introverted than his father. He is quiet and does not seek publicity.
But like his father, he attended Culver Military Academy and Williams College, and Torre observed another similarity: “He has a good business head.”
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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Post by philinla on Sept 29, 2007 13:57:41 GMT -5
Hal went to my school. Good kid.
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Post by michael123 on Sept 29, 2007 21:44:30 GMT -5
Is Hal a Cash and Joe supporter?
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