APNewsBreak: Yankees hit with $13.9M luxury tax

By RONALD BLUM

AP Sports Writer

(AP) — The New York Yankees were hit with a $13.9 million luxury tax bill Thursday, their lowest since 2003.

The fee, assessed by Major League Baseball under its labor contract, is down from $18 million last year and $25.7 million in 2009, when the Yankees won the World Series.

Boston, which missed the playoffs for the second straight season, is the only other team that will have to pay a tax. The Red Sox received a bill for $3.4 million, up from last year’s $1.5 million.

Season-ending payroll information and the tax was sent to teams and obtained by The Associated Press.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, checks to pay the tax must be sent to the commissioner’s office by Jan. 31.

New York has paid the tax in all nine years since it began, $206 million of the $227 million raised under the penalty for high payrolls. The only other teams to pay have been the Red Sox (a total of $18.8 million), Detroit ($1.3 million) and the Los Angeles Angels ($927,000).

The Yankees pay at a 40 percent rate on the amount of their payroll over $178 million, a figure that includes the average annual values of contracts plus benefits. Boston, which exceeded the threshold for the second straight year, pays at a 30 percent rate. For purposes of the tax, New York’s final payroll was $212.7 million and Boston’s was $189.4 million.

Under the new labor contract, the Yankees’ rate would increase to 42.5 percent next year and 50 percent in 2013 if they continue to exceed the threshold, and Boston’s rate would go up to 40 percent next season.

But if in any year a team goes under the threshold, its rate decreases to 17.5 percent the next time it pays the tax.

As an added incentive for the high-spenders to decrease payroll, if they get under the threshold they will become eligible to get back some of the money they contribute in revenue sharing. The tax threshold stays at $178 million through 2013, then goes to $189 million in each of the following three years.

New York’s payroll under the conventional method of calculation – salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses – increased from $215 million to $216 million, still below its high of $222.5 million in 2008.

Boston remained second and finished at $174 million, an increase of $3 million. Philadelphia stayed third at $165 million, a rise of nearly $20 million.

Even before adding Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, the Angels were fourth at $143 million, followed by the financially troubled New York Mets at $142 million, an increase of $14 million and a figure that likely will drop by $30 million or more next season. They were followed by the Chicago teams, who both missed the playoffs, with the Cubs at $141 million and the White Sox at $126 million.

World Series champion St. Louis was 11th at $113 million, and AL champion Texas was 13th at $104 million. Milwaukee (16th at $93 million), Arizona (24th at $66 million) and Tampa Bay (29th at $45 million) made the playoffs from the bottom half of payrolls, while the 2010 champion San Francisco Giants ($125 million) and Minnesota ($115 million) were among the high-spending teams to miss the postseason.

The Marlins, who have added free agents Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell as they prepare to open their new ballpark, were 25th at $62 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers kept their payroll steady at $110 million as owners Frank and Jamie McCourt argued in divorce proceedings that helped cause the team to file for bankruptcy. The Dodgers’ payroll had been $132 million in 2009.

Kansas City dropped from $77 million to last at $45 million. Houston, sold during the season, fell to $81 million from $90 million last year and $108 million in 2009.

Overall payroll was $43,000 shy of the $3 billion mark, up from $2.91 billion last year.

Payroll figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions, such as money included in trades. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to reflect present-day values.

The commissioner’s office computed the average salary at a record $3,039,161, up 3.6 percent from last year’s $2,932,162. The players’ association, which uses a slightly different method, pegged the average at $3,095,183 earlier this month, up 2.7 percent from $3,014,572.

Updated December 23, 2011

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox may have already gotten what they were looking for from Bobby V.

In a move that had reverberated from Kenmore Square to the backyard of the rival New York Yankees, the Red Sox introduced Bobby Valentine as their new manager on Thursday, turning to him to lead the ballclub back to the playoffs and help Boston forget this season’s unprecedented September collapse.

“I am honored, I am humbled and I am pretty [darn] excited,” Valentine said during the news conference in a Fenway Park premium club. “It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that’s going to extend beyond anything I thought I’d be doing. The talent level of the players we have in this organization is a gift to anyone, and I think I’m a receiver of this gift.

“I think we’re going to do this, man,” he said, smiling and turning to shake hands with general manager Ben Cherington. “And I really and truly appreciate this opportunity.”

The 61-year-old former Mets and Rangers manager agreed to a two-year deal with club options for 2014 and 2015. The news conference was attended by owner John Henry and his wife, by Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, by an entourage of friends from Stamford, Conn., by dozens of team employees and by about 100 members of the media, many of them from New York outlets that covered Valentine in his days with the Mets.

“There is a buzz,” Lucchino said, acknowledging that Valentine’s personality and his history in New York could enhance an already intense AL East rivalry with the Yankees. “I think it does add a little bit of kerosene to the fire.”

The event was catered — wraps were served, naturally, for the man who claims to have invented them. The director of public safety in Stamford, where he runs a restaurant and an athletic training facility, Valentine is also a cooking and ballroom dancing aficionado, the son-in-law of former major leaguer Ralph Branca and, most recently, an analyst on ESPN.

Valentine, who also guided the Chiba Lotte Marines to a 2005 championship, greeted one reporter in Japanese.

“Bobby’s a big personality,” Henry said. “I think that’s a plus.”

Valentine brings to Boston a reputation as a polarizing figure who wasn’t afraid to criticize his players publicly — something former Red Sox manager Terry Francona never did — and who bickered with his boss at the Mets. But he takes over a team with a bit of a reputation problem of its own: After going 7-20 in September and missing the playoffs by one game, the Red Sox have been hounded by reports that players drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games instead of sitting in the dugout to support their teammates.

“I didn’t see it first hand,” Valentine cautioned, before saying about the team what he could have said in his own defense: “Reputation is something other people think about you. Right now maybe this group of guys has a reputation that is not warranted. … I can tell you I look forward to working with this group and establishing a culture of excellence.”

Vowing to get to know the players personally first, Valentine said there was no single way to restore discipline to a clubhouse.

“I don’t have a Ten Commandments of Baseball that I’m going to recite to them,” he said.

Valentine took the Mets to the 2000 World Series, where they lost to the Yankees, but he was fired after a last-place finish led to clubhouse turmoil two years later. Depending on whom you believe, he was either a relentless self-promoter or honest to a fault.

“I think people who take the time to get to know me understand I have some qualities in my character that are OK,” he said. “I’m not a monster who breathes fire who some people refer to me as. I’m a guy, a regular human being with regular feelings.”

Valentine said that he had learned from his previous managerial jobs.

But one thing won’t change.

“I’m still going to get frustrated when things aren’t done in an excellent way,” he said. “I’m still going to get out early to try to fix everything in the world and I’m still going to go to bed [angry] that I didn’t do enough.”

Valentine was a late entry in Boston’s managerial search — at least publicly, as the Red Sox left him off their initial short list because he was in a visible position as an ESPN analyst at the time. Pete Mackanin, Sandy Alomar Jr., Dale Sveum, Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont were also interviewed; Lamont was also a finalist.

“It was not a tightly ordered, linear process,” Lucchino said. “It never is.”

Cherington denied reports that Valentine was forced on him by Lucchino and Henry.

“It’s just not true,” said the new GM, who was promoted when Theo Epstein left to become president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. “I feel very strongly we found the right person in Bobby Valentine.”

Valentine said he didn’t allow himself to believe he could get the job until he received a text message from Cherington — pulling out his cellphone to read reporters the time: 8:37 a.m. on Nov. 29. “I would wake up at night thinking there’s a chance and then say, `Don’t go there. You’re going to get your heart broken,”‘ said Valentine, who was in Japan on a goodwill visit when he got the news.

Valentine paid homage to the team’s tradition by selecting the uniform No. 25, which was worn by his one-time roommate Tony Conigliaro. The former Red Sox outfielder’s career was cut short after he was hit in the face by Jack Hamilton’s fastball in 1967.

“I would gladly take it off to put it up on that wall,” Valentine said, pointing to the facade where the Red Sox retired numbers hang.

“I understand the rich tradition of baseball in this city, of sports in this community. I understand the rivalries this team has. And I understand the great talent on this team.”

Valentine said he got a taste of a Yankees rivalry with the Mets. But they only played six times a season in interleague play; the division opponents play 18 games in 2012.

“I’m really excited,” Valentine said. “I know the Yankees always have a team where you have to put your best foot forward when you’re playing them.

“I think we’re going to be able to match them,” he said. “It’s not going to be the best team that wins, but the team that plays the best.”

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox may have already gotten what they were looking for from Bobby V.

In a move that had reverberated from Kenmore Square to the backyard of the rival New York Yankees, the Red Sox introduced Bobby Valentine as their new manager on Thursday, turning to him to lead the ballclub back to the playoffs and help Boston forget this season’s unprecedented September collapse.

“I am honoured, I am humbled and I am pretty (darn) excited,” Valentine said during the news conference in a Fenway Park premium club. “It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that’s going to extend beyond anything I thought I’d be doing. The talent level of the players we have in this organization is a gift to anyone, and I think I’m a receiver of this gift.

“I think we’re going to do this, man,” he said, smiling and turning to shake hands with general manager Ben Cherington. “And I really and truly appreciate this opportunity.”

The 61-year-old former Mets and Rangers manager agreed to a two-year deal with club options for 2014 and 2015. The news conference was attended by owner John Henry and his wife, by Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, by an entourage of friends from Stamford, Conn., by dozens of team employees and by about 100 members of the media, many of them from New York outlets that covered Valentine in his days with the Mets.

“There is a buzz,” Lucchino said, acknowledging that Valentine’s personality and his history in New York could enhance an already intense AL East rivalry with the Yankees. “I think it does add a little bit of kerosene to the fire.”

The event was catered — wraps were served, naturally, for the man who claims to have invented them. The director of public safety in Stamford, where he runs a restaurant and an athletic training facility, Valentine is also a cooking and ballroom dancing aficionado, the son-in-law of former major leaguer Ralph Branca and, most recently, an analyst on ESPN.

Valentine, who also guided the Chiba Lotte Marines to a 2005 championship, greeted one reporter in Japanese.

“Bobby’s a big personality,” Henry said. “I think that’s a plus.”

Valentine brings to Boston a reputation as a polarizing figure who wasn’t afraid to criticize his players publicly — something former Red Sox manager Terry Francona never did — and who bickered with his boss at the Mets. But he takes over a team with a bit of a reputation problem of its own: After going 7-20 in September and missing the playoffs by one game, the Red Sox have been hounded by reports that players drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games instead of sitting in the dugout to support their teammates.

“I didn’t see it first hand,” Valentine cautioned, before saying about the team what he could have said in his own defence: “Reputation is something other people think about you. Right now maybe this group of guys has a reputation that is not warranted. … I can tell you I look forward to working with this group and establishing a culture of excellence.”

Vowing to get to know the players personally first, Valentine said there was no single way to restore discipline to a clubhouse.

“I don’t have a Ten Commandments of Baseball that I’m going to recite to them,” he said.

Valentine took the Mets to the 2000 World Series, where they lost to the Yankees, but he was fired after a last-place finish led to clubhouse turmoil two years later. Depending on whom you believe, he was either a relentless self-promoter or honest to a fault.

“I think people who take the time to get to know me understand I have some qualities in my character that are OK,” he said. “I’m not a monster who breathes fire who some people refer to me as. I’m a guy, a regular human being with regular feelings.”

Valentine said that he had learned from his previous managerial jobs.

But one thing won’t change.

“I’m still going to get frustrated when things aren’t done in an excellent way,” he said. “I’m still going to get out early to try to fix everything in the world and I’m still going to go to bed (angry) that I didn’t do enough.”

Valentine was a late entry in Boston’s managerial search — at least publicly, as the Red Sox left him off their initial short list because he was in a visible position as an ESPN analyst at the time. Pete Mackanin, Sandy Alomar Jr., Dale Sveum, Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont were also interviewed; Lamont was also a finalist.

“It was not a tightly ordered, linear process,” Lucchino said. “It never is.”

Cherington denied reports that Valentine was forced on him by Lucchino and Henry.

“It’s just not true,” said the new GM, who was promoted when Theo Epstein left to become president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. “I feel very strongly we found the right person in Bobby Valentine.”

Valentine said he didn’t allow himself to believe he could get the job until he received a text message from Cherington — pulling out his cellphone to read reporters the time: 8:37 a.m. on Nov. 29. “I would wake up at night thinking there’s a chance and then say, ‘Don’t go there. You’re going to get your heart broken,’” said Valentine, who was in Japan on a goodwill visit when he got the news.

Valentine paid homage to the team’s tradition by selecting the uniform No. 25, which was worn by his one-time roommate Tony Conigliaro. The former Red Sox outfielder’s career was cut short after he was hit in the face by Jack Hamilton’s fastball in 1967.

“I would gladly take it off to put it up on that wall,” Valentine said, pointing to the facade where the Red Sox retired numbers hang.

“I understand the rich tradition of baseball in this city, of sports in this community. I understand the rivalries this team has. And I understand the great talent on this team.”

Valentine said he got a taste of a Yankees rivalry with the Mets. But they only played six times a season in interleague play; the division opponents play 18 games in 2012.

“I’m really excited,” Valentine said. “I know the Yankees always have a team where you have to put your best foot forward when you’re playing them.

“I think we’re going to be able to match them,” he said. “It’s not going to be the best team that wins, but the team that plays the best.”

The gathering was part of a fundraising effort to benefit Vermont farms damaged by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. The event was organized by ESPN baseball writer Buster Olney, who grew up in the area.

The discussion was followed by an online auction of baseball memorabilia donated by players and teams. The funds raised will go to the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund, set up by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and The Vermont Community Foundation. The organization already had raised $1.8 million for flood-damaged Vermont farms before Saturday’s event.

Much of the spotlight fell on Epstein, the former Red Sox general manager who bolted Boston last month to become president of the Cubs. The Massachusetts native spoke openly about the difficulty of leaving Boston after leading the Red Sox to two World Series titles in his nine years as its GM.

“It’s a part of me, it will always be part of me. I’m not going to try and fake it,” Epstein said. “I think we’re all allowed one (American League) team to pull for.”

Epstein talked about his former team’s historic September collapse, in which it went from having the best record in the AL to missing the playoffs altogether.

“How do you describe a death spiral?” he said. “We knew we had issues going into September (even though) we were on pace for 100 wins. We just couldn’t stop bleeding. A lot of things happened at the same time. We lost a few key guys to injury, a few guys had a significant downturn in their performance, and all of a sudden we looked up and we didn’t have enough pitching.”

Epstein also addressed reports of Red Sox starting pitchers drinking beer, eating fried chicken and playing video games in the clubhouse during the team’s disastrous September.

“There weren’t players getting drunk during games. And it wasn’t widespread — it might have been one, two, three guys,” Epstein said.

He acknowledged that some of the Red Sox players “didn’t respond to adversity well,” but said reports of the team’s clubhouse debauchery were exaggerated.

“If you compare the 2011 team to the (World Series champion) 2004 team, they were a bunch of choir boys. The difference is we won the last game in ‘04.”

Epstein wasn’t the only panelist who had to answer questions about a new contract. Cashman just signed a new three-year deal to remain the Yankees general manager — known as one of the most demanding jobs in sports.

He was asked what persuaded him to remain in the Bronx.

“I’m working on that with my therapist,” Cashman joked. “I stayed because I love the game, I love baseball. If they keep saying ‘yes’, if I have the energy, I’ll keep going.”

Cashman said he expects this offseason to be relatively quiet for the Yankees — a rarity for baseball’s biggest spenders.

“We’ve gotten better at adding patience into the franchise,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with our offense. I don’t feel any need to make changes there. But I’m not satisfied with where we are pitching-wise. We’re the Yankees. We’re going to get connected to every (free agent) out there. But it will probably be a conservative winter.”

Now that Epstein is no longer with the Red Sox, Cashman said he looks forward to potentially making deals with the new Cubs team president in the future.

“We don’t really deal with the Red Sox, they don’t deal with us. You don’t see Yankees and Red Sox doing business too easily,” Cashman said. “Unless it’s for something like this.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A Boston Red Sox cap hangs in Calvin Pace’s locker, a curious accessory for a guy who seriously dislikes his team’s next opponent: the New England Patriots.

Don’t worry Jets fans, he’s no traitor.

“When it comes to baseball, I like certain players, and with the Red Sox, I like Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez,” the New York linebacker said with a big smile Friday. “I’m not a Red Sox fan. So, for anybody who’s reading or happens to see me out with the Red Sox hat on, I’m not a fan of the team. I’m a fan of certain players. So, I get a hat for the guys I like.”

Just as he did for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. He also owns a Mets cap, and thinks they should re-sign shortstop Jose Reyes.

“I’m a bandwagon fan when it comes to certain sports,” Pace said, laughing. “I’m not going to lie. I am.”

Pace has a Yankees cap, too, and a fool-proof plan for the Bronx Bombers to win their 28th World Series title next year.

“The Yankees should sign Albert Pujols and put him at third base,” Pace said. “People have been killing A-Rod, so you put Pujols at third, Alex Rodriguez at DH and then you have Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter? Man. You know the Yankees would spend the money.”

Which is why Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino once called the Yankees “the Evil Empire,” a label Pace used Friday to describe the Patriots. Not that New England has outspent its opponents. The Patriots are just not looked upon too favorably in these parts, mostly because of all the winning they’ve done.

This is one of the NFL’s most intense rivalries and the next round will play out Sunday night when the Jets (5-3) host the Patriots (5-3) in a showdown for first place in the AFC East.

“It ought to be a great game,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “It’s almost like Ali-Frazier.”

They’ve been so evenly matched through the years, the teams are tied 52-52-1 in their series heading into this game.

“I’m sure this will be a great atmosphere down there,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “I’m looking forward to it: big division game on the road, teams that know each other well. This will be a good football game. I think everybody’s looking forward to it.”

Ryan is a big boxing fan and has brought up classic bouts before big games such as this one.

“Those were great fights,” Ryan said of the Ali-Frazier bouts. “I remember that growing up and things, so hopefully this can be that kind of game and hopefully we’ll end up on top. Whether we’re Ali or Frazier, I don’t know.”

Lately, the Jets and Patriots have fought to a draw, with each winning three of the past six meetings — although one of New York’s victories came in the playoffs last January.

“The only one that was horrible was that Monday night massacre where we got knocked out in the first round,” said Ryan, referring to New England’s 45-3 victory last season. “But usually you have two good teams going at it.”

Not only that, but a pair of teams with lots of history. The Jets and Patriots are two of the original AFL franchises, but many of the current bad feelings started in 1997 when Bill Parcells left New England after a loss in the Super Bowl to become the Jets coach. Running back Curtis Martin followed Parcells a year later and became one of the best players in Jets history and a possible Hall of Famer.

Then, there was that bizarre day in 2000, when Belichick was all set to replace Parcells as Jets coach. Instead, he bailed after one day as the “H.C. of the N.Y.J.” and became the coach of the Patriots.

“At that point in time, that situation, I did what I felt like I needed to do and I don’t have any regrets about that,” Belichick said Friday. “Certainly a lot of things could have been handled differently or whatever, but anyway, it doesn’t matter now.”

Things got ramped up in 2006, when Eric Mangini left Belichick’s staff in New England to become coach of the Jets. Then came the “Spygate” scandal, when New England was penalized $750,000 and a first-round draft pick by the NFL for illegal sideline videotaping of the Jets.

Ryan has had his own moments, such as a few months after he was hired by the Jets in 2009 when he said he wasn’t in New York “to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.” Ryan has, however, often repeated that he respects Belichick and all he has accomplished with the Patriots.

“I don’t know what the big beef is between New York and Boston,” Pace said. “Seriously, I mean, you’ve got the Knicks-Celtics, Yankees-Red Sox and us against the Patriots. There are so many championships between all of them, but I guess that’s what makes it the rivalry it is. It’s so personal, and that’s why I say the Patriots are the ‘Evil Empire.’”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders and smiled when asked of Pace’s assessment.

“Well, that’s been in a bunch of papers and all that stuff with Belichick and Darth Vader,” he said. “Yeah, why not?”

That’s as far as Ryan will go in terms of trash talking this week. The Jets haven’t been as chatty as they have in some weeks, but Ryan said his team is “relaxed, focused, loose.”

“You look at some of the best rivalries in pro football, like Baltimore and the Steelers, that’s Micky Ward-Arturo Gatti,” Pace said, referring to another classic boxing matchup. “Somebody’s going to come out bloody and they’re going to beat themselves to a pulp. I think our game is a little bit more of a chess match.”

Meaning, the Jets and Patriots try to flip the field position, force turnovers and usually make it come down to a final drive. And this time, this matchup might decide who has to hit the road for the playoffs, and who gets to enjoy the comforts of home.

“We’re so similar, and I don’t think anyone ever wants to admit that,” Pace said. “It’s just funny that it always comes down to Jets-Patriots. These games are so big.”