Streak Over
After the ugliest of losses on Friday night, a nice win yesterday to stop the losing streak. We never do much against 68-year-old Tim Wakefield, but we did enough, thanks to Igawa's stepping in after Karstens had his leg broken by a line drive by the first batter of the game. Perhaps the key with Igawa is not knowing what day he's going to pitch -- but with Karstens gone Igawa is going to have to find a way to pitch well when he does know when his turn is.
And after a brutal 1/3 of an inning on Friday, and having to listen to McCarver and Buck deliver what sounded like Mariano's eulogy, Mariano came in and overmatched the Boston hitters he faced, allowing a broken-bat single to Varitek, and then inducing two weak grounders and a popup to close out the game. A shame he can't pitch against Boston any more, isn't it, Joe? Tim?
Losers.
Joe Is Safe?
I'm totally not buying that Torre's job was in jeopardy if we had gotten swept this weekend. This is the sort of story that "sources" feed gullible sportswriters and which said hacks are all too happy to regurgitate to a credulous fan base.
George is more out of it than into it, and Cashman for reasons unknown to me continues to think that Torre is still the manager he was six years ago. His job wasn't in jeopardy.
But what I didn't need to hear was Joe and Tim's continual apologizing for Torre's brutal handling of the pitching thus far. I understand as well as anyone that the starters haven't been so good and that there's been injuries. But what Torre has failed to see is that April isn't August, that the fifth and sixth innings aren't "late" and that managing these games like they are playoff games can't possibly work when he should have seen how his chewing up the bullpen last year killed us.
And, dirty little secret -- our starters, even with the injuries, etc., aren't the worst. Every team is going to have a run where the starters don't get very deep into games, but the way Torre manages, the starters know that even with a four-run lead, allowing one damn base runner in the seventh inning (or even the sixth, often) is going to get them yanked. What a great way to have to pitch! Not!
Many of our pitching problems are manager-inflicted. And how many extra games have we won as a result of Torre's scorched-earth managing in April? Versus how many extra we will lose over the course of a season?
(I theorized, jokingly, to iris, that perhaps there is a donation made to some charity every time Joe makes a pitching change . . . . or that AT&T (sponsor of the "AT&T Call to the Bullpen") is heavy in Joe's portfolio.)
Joe's job is safe. That's as certain as Mike Meyers showing up in the sixth inning for a "key matchup."
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Almost Comical.
"Trouble In Tampa," starring Mike Meyers (and featuring Joe Torre)
Good news: Wang back! Matsui homers! A Yankee starter glimpses the 7th inning!
Bad news: Games still last 9 innings.
Wang pitched well, got a bit tired in the seventh and left with a one-run lead and runners on second and third and one out.
Enter Vizcaino. This would be his fifth appearance in six games, and he hasn't been effective at all lately. Perfect choice, no?
But wait. Just in case Vizcaino isn't under enough pressure, let's issue an intentional walk to load the bases. Margin for error? That's for sissies!
Vizcano falls behind 2-0. He battles back to 2-2, doesn't' get a call on a close pitch to make it 3-2. I am wondering whether the 3-2 pitch is going to be hit out or simply clear the bases.
The 3-2 pitch is nice and fat but it gets lined to short. Ugly pitch, good result, somehow. Two outs. We could get out of this, maybe. Yeah!
I watch Mike Meyers taking the mound and then I know we're not getting out of this. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if Crawford hits a --
I never get to complete the thought, the ball goes into the seats so fast.
And for the first time since the early 90s, when the Yankees were horribly, pathetically bad, I actually laughed. There was just nothing else to do. And after the laughing I'm just numb, and all I can think about is the stupid bookkeeping aspect of it. Wang gets charged for two of those runs, and gets the loss. Vizcaino gets charged for a run, for intentionally walking a guy. And Meyers gets one charged with one crummy run for blowing up the game. [Meyers also gets a blown save . . . oh boy.] [I have a much better bookkeeping system for situations like this, but now isn't the time.]
It's almost comical. Almost. Using Vizcaino five games out of six when he's pitching poorly. The love affair with Meyers when he's done little to warrant such devotion. The idiots who will very soon start blaming A-Rod for the Yankees' poor showing. I really do want to laugh, to be able to fid it truly funny.
If only I could.
Good news: Wang back! Matsui homers! A Yankee starter glimpses the 7th inning!
Bad news: Games still last 9 innings.
Wang pitched well, got a bit tired in the seventh and left with a one-run lead and runners on second and third and one out.
Enter Vizcaino. This would be his fifth appearance in six games, and he hasn't been effective at all lately. Perfect choice, no?
But wait. Just in case Vizcaino isn't under enough pressure, let's issue an intentional walk to load the bases. Margin for error? That's for sissies!
Vizcano falls behind 2-0. He battles back to 2-2, doesn't' get a call on a close pitch to make it 3-2. I am wondering whether the 3-2 pitch is going to be hit out or simply clear the bases.
The 3-2 pitch is nice and fat but it gets lined to short. Ugly pitch, good result, somehow. Two outs. We could get out of this, maybe. Yeah!
I watch Mike Meyers taking the mound and then I know we're not getting out of this. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if Crawford hits a --
I never get to complete the thought, the ball goes into the seats so fast.
And for the first time since the early 90s, when the Yankees were horribly, pathetically bad, I actually laughed. There was just nothing else to do. And after the laughing I'm just numb, and all I can think about is the stupid bookkeeping aspect of it. Wang gets charged for two of those runs, and gets the loss. Vizcaino gets charged for a run, for intentionally walking a guy. And Meyers gets one charged with one crummy run for blowing up the game. [Meyers also gets a blown save . . . oh boy.] [I have a much better bookkeeping system for situations like this, but now isn't the time.]
It's almost comical. Almost. Using Vizcaino five games out of six when he's pitching poorly. The love affair with Meyers when he's done little to warrant such devotion. The idiots who will very soon start blaming A-Rod for the Yankees' poor showing. I really do want to laugh, to be able to fid it truly funny.
If only I could.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Penthouse to Pavement.
Boston 7, Yankees 6
Last night's game took me from the almost giddy heights to the crushing numb depths. A-Rod takes Curt "Celebrity Fit Club" Schilling deep, twice. The drunks stuffing Fenway are practically silent. Life is good.
Then it all goes wrong. Immediately I blamed Joe. I was so mad I could hardly see straight.
But I've had a night to sleep on it, to mull it over, to rationally consider all the angles.
And I blame Joe.
1. Pettitte didn't have his best, but got through 6.1 innings only giving up two runs and using 100 pitches in the process. OK, Joe takes him out at that point. I can't quibble too much . . . personally I'd have given Andy another 10-15 pitches and see if maybe he might get a couple of quick outs. But all right. Three run lead. 8 outs to get.
2. Proctor comes in and gets the last two outs in the seventh. OK.
3. Top 8, we tack on a run. Excellent.
Now the fish starts to rot from the head, and rapidly.
4. Mike Meyers comes out to start the eighth. Mike Meyers? Our supposed "matchup lefty" is starting an inning with a four-run lead? Against David Oritz, who I can't ever remember Meyers actually getting out. Amazing, truly. I don't even need to have the TV on to know that Oritz gets a hit off of Meyers. The only surprise is that it stayed in the park.
But OK, four run lead, one man on, with six outs to get . . . no biggie, jeez. I calm Myself down.
5. Enter Luis Vizcaino. I do a double take. We have two pitchers named Luis Vizcaino, and just called up the other one from Scranton? I mean, that has to be it, right? There's no way Joe is bringing in the guy who just yesterday got abused by Cleveland and threw thirty pitches in the process, right?
Ummm . . . wrong. It is the same Vizcaino. I guess Joe is going on the "get back on the horse that trampled and horribly maimed you" theory.
6. Well, shucks, it doesn't start out too well. He walks Manny. I'm not sure but I think Meyers could've done that. Drew grounds out, moving up the runners. One out.
Whew, OK, sanity is restored. Two on, four run lead, five outs to get. Cake.
7. But then Lowell singles. Ortiz scores. Still, I'm not too upset. That was Meyers' run, it was richly deserved, and we're still up by three with a nice slow guy on first. Get Varitek to hit a ground ball and the inning's over.
Yankees are stalling and Mariano is warming up. Rut roh.
8. Mariano comes in for the "five-out save" (would that it ended up that way).
Now, I thought we weren't doing this this year, using Mariano for more than one inning. But OK, hmm . . . he hasn't pitched since Sunday when Marco Scutaro (yes the Marco Scutaro) took him deep for a walk-off loss. Maybe he needs the work.
9. Varitek and his 1-something average up. Mariano gets ahead but can't put him away and Varitek gets a hit. Manny scores, Lowell makes it to second without falling.
I'm starting to get a bad feeling, but then I calm myself. We're still up by two. And Crisp is up for goodness sakes. That was Vizcaino's run and it was richly deserved. Mariano will knock the bat out of Cereal Boy's hands, then strike out the next guy, and that's that.
10. Except I didn't figure on one thing: Mariano throwing a pitch the ONE PLACE where Crisp could hit it hard -- down and in with nothing on it. Crisp grounds to where Mank should have been playing and it's a game-tying triple. I had moved anything handy to throw through the TV screen. Smart move on my part.
Now I know what happens. Red Sox will get this run in, bring in Paperboy, and that's the game.
11. Sure enough the feared Joey Cora singles in the go-ahead run. Cora is thrown out stealing and Lugo strikes out. But it doesn't matter. Might as well be a 12-run lead.
12. But the dagger does need to be twisted one final time. Paperboy is not available, since he's pitched two days in a row.
Enter Okajima who does a perfectly fine job.
Red Sox win 7-6 in a game they had no business ever getting close in. Joe's brutal handling of pitchers and complete lack of game feel strikes again.
And while Mariano's location had been crappy, something about these two losses bothers me more: They say the stuff is there, but if Mariano's stuff was really there, couldn't he make mistakes to Marco Scutaro and Coco Crisp inside and get away with it?
iris said to me last night, more than once, "it's going to be a long year." I believe the sweet girl is correct.
Last night's game took me from the almost giddy heights to the crushing numb depths. A-Rod takes Curt "Celebrity Fit Club" Schilling deep, twice. The drunks stuffing Fenway are practically silent. Life is good.
Then it all goes wrong. Immediately I blamed Joe. I was so mad I could hardly see straight.
But I've had a night to sleep on it, to mull it over, to rationally consider all the angles.
And I blame Joe.
1. Pettitte didn't have his best, but got through 6.1 innings only giving up two runs and using 100 pitches in the process. OK, Joe takes him out at that point. I can't quibble too much . . . personally I'd have given Andy another 10-15 pitches and see if maybe he might get a couple of quick outs. But all right. Three run lead. 8 outs to get.
2. Proctor comes in and gets the last two outs in the seventh. OK.
3. Top 8, we tack on a run. Excellent.
Now the fish starts to rot from the head, and rapidly.
4. Mike Meyers comes out to start the eighth. Mike Meyers? Our supposed "matchup lefty" is starting an inning with a four-run lead? Against David Oritz, who I can't ever remember Meyers actually getting out. Amazing, truly. I don't even need to have the TV on to know that Oritz gets a hit off of Meyers. The only surprise is that it stayed in the park.
But OK, four run lead, one man on, with six outs to get . . . no biggie, jeez. I calm Myself down.
5. Enter Luis Vizcaino. I do a double take. We have two pitchers named Luis Vizcaino, and just called up the other one from Scranton? I mean, that has to be it, right? There's no way Joe is bringing in the guy who just yesterday got abused by Cleveland and threw thirty pitches in the process, right?
Ummm . . . wrong. It is the same Vizcaino. I guess Joe is going on the "get back on the horse that trampled and horribly maimed you" theory.
6. Well, shucks, it doesn't start out too well. He walks Manny. I'm not sure but I think Meyers could've done that. Drew grounds out, moving up the runners. One out.
Whew, OK, sanity is restored. Two on, four run lead, five outs to get. Cake.
7. But then Lowell singles. Ortiz scores. Still, I'm not too upset. That was Meyers' run, it was richly deserved, and we're still up by three with a nice slow guy on first. Get Varitek to hit a ground ball and the inning's over.
Yankees are stalling and Mariano is warming up. Rut roh.
8. Mariano comes in for the "five-out save" (would that it ended up that way).
Now, I thought we weren't doing this this year, using Mariano for more than one inning. But OK, hmm . . . he hasn't pitched since Sunday when Marco Scutaro (yes the Marco Scutaro) took him deep for a walk-off loss. Maybe he needs the work.
9. Varitek and his 1-something average up. Mariano gets ahead but can't put him away and Varitek gets a hit. Manny scores, Lowell makes it to second without falling.
I'm starting to get a bad feeling, but then I calm myself. We're still up by two. And Crisp is up for goodness sakes. That was Vizcaino's run and it was richly deserved. Mariano will knock the bat out of Cereal Boy's hands, then strike out the next guy, and that's that.
10. Except I didn't figure on one thing: Mariano throwing a pitch the ONE PLACE where Crisp could hit it hard -- down and in with nothing on it. Crisp grounds to where Mank should have been playing and it's a game-tying triple. I had moved anything handy to throw through the TV screen. Smart move on my part.
Now I know what happens. Red Sox will get this run in, bring in Paperboy, and that's the game.
11. Sure enough the feared Joey Cora singles in the go-ahead run. Cora is thrown out stealing and Lugo strikes out. But it doesn't matter. Might as well be a 12-run lead.
12. But the dagger does need to be twisted one final time. Paperboy is not available, since he's pitched two days in a row.
Enter Okajima who does a perfectly fine job.
Red Sox win 7-6 in a game they had no business ever getting close in. Joe's brutal handling of pitchers and complete lack of game feel strikes again.
And while Mariano's location had been crappy, something about these two losses bothers me more: They say the stuff is there, but if Mariano's stuff was really there, couldn't he make mistakes to Marco Scutaro and Coco Crisp inside and get away with it?
iris said to me last night, more than once, "it's going to be a long year." I believe the sweet girl is correct.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Yankees Win! Yankees Win!
Twin Killing
Two nice wins. Obivously our starting pitching couldn't be as bad as it looked the first time through the rotation, and getting out of arctic temperatures has helped the defense tremendously.
I was talking to a Twins' Fan last night, and I said something along the lines of "I'm not sure how your Ponson experiment is going to work out." His reponse, of the many he might have chosen, was, "Ponson dind't pitch that badly." While not all of hte Yankee hits Monday night off Ponson were exactly scalded, where Ponson kills you is his total inability to respond to adversity. He can pitch well, but usually it's when everything goes right and he pitches well from the very beginning; when things go badly with Ponson they tend to keep going badly.
One for Joe
I criticize Torre a lot, so when he does something I approve of it's only fair that I mention that, too.
Last night, with the Yankees up by a sizeable magin, Damon came up with men on first and second and no one out. Now, I had the absolute certainty that Torre was going to have Damon bunt the runners over. Maybe Torre wasn't thinking of it, even, I don't know, but I felt sure he would bunt.
The pitching coach came out to the mound to talk to Boof Bonser. My exchange with hte aforementioned Twins' fan went something like this:
Me: He's giving him one of those extra-special pitching coach pep talks. [Note: Pitching coach visits to the mound are a pet peeve of mine -- I believe they are ridiculous and generally unnecessary -- they exist mainly so that the manager looks like he's "managing."]
Twins' Fan: More likely they're talking about how to defense it when Damon bunts.
(I'm thinking maybe he's right, since I do figure Torre's bunting here.)
(Then Damon smashes the Bonser offering for a 3-run homer!)
Me (giddy): Guess that wasn't the "good" pep talk.
Twins Fan: I guess he wasn't bunting.
Good move not having Damon bunt, Joe . . . and I thought that before Damon hit one out.
Totally Hot
A-Rod went deep again last night. I am not sure that I personally have ever seen a baseball hit harder.
It's great to see A-Rod on fire like this. I know it won't matter . . . when he has his first slump, when he makes his first bad/costly error, the idiots will be booing again. And the bigger idiots will be talking about him "doing it in October."
It's OK. I see the look on Alex's face these days, like it's taking all he's got not to just burst out laughing, he'shaving so much fun, and I realize that the idiots don't matter to him.
So they don't matter.
Smarten up. You are watching possibly the best player ever. People decades from now will look at his numbers and laugh at the idea that "fans" booed him.
Two nice wins. Obivously our starting pitching couldn't be as bad as it looked the first time through the rotation, and getting out of arctic temperatures has helped the defense tremendously.
I was talking to a Twins' Fan last night, and I said something along the lines of "I'm not sure how your Ponson experiment is going to work out." His reponse, of the many he might have chosen, was, "Ponson dind't pitch that badly." While not all of hte Yankee hits Monday night off Ponson were exactly scalded, where Ponson kills you is his total inability to respond to adversity. He can pitch well, but usually it's when everything goes right and he pitches well from the very beginning; when things go badly with Ponson they tend to keep going badly.
One for Joe
I criticize Torre a lot, so when he does something I approve of it's only fair that I mention that, too.
Last night, with the Yankees up by a sizeable magin, Damon came up with men on first and second and no one out. Now, I had the absolute certainty that Torre was going to have Damon bunt the runners over. Maybe Torre wasn't thinking of it, even, I don't know, but I felt sure he would bunt.
The pitching coach came out to the mound to talk to Boof Bonser. My exchange with hte aforementioned Twins' fan went something like this:
Me: He's giving him one of those extra-special pitching coach pep talks. [Note: Pitching coach visits to the mound are a pet peeve of mine -- I believe they are ridiculous and generally unnecessary -- they exist mainly so that the manager looks like he's "managing."]
Twins' Fan: More likely they're talking about how to defense it when Damon bunts.
(I'm thinking maybe he's right, since I do figure Torre's bunting here.)
(Then Damon smashes the Bonser offering for a 3-run homer!)
Me (giddy): Guess that wasn't the "good" pep talk.
Twins Fan: I guess he wasn't bunting.
Good move not having Damon bunt, Joe . . . and I thought that before Damon hit one out.
Totally Hot
A-Rod went deep again last night. I am not sure that I personally have ever seen a baseball hit harder.
It's great to see A-Rod on fire like this. I know it won't matter . . . when he has his first slump, when he makes his first bad/costly error, the idiots will be booing again. And the bigger idiots will be talking about him "doing it in October."
It's OK. I see the look on Alex's face these days, like it's taking all he's got not to just burst out laughing, he'shaving so much fun, and I realize that the idiots don't matter to him.
So they don't matter.
Smarten up. You are watching possibly the best player ever. People decades from now will look at his numbers and laugh at the idea that "fans" booed him.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Have We Started Yet?
Yankees 10, Orioles 7
Ugly win. Off day. Rainout. Ugly loss. Listless and ugly loss. Ugly win.
Not a good start, despite A-Rod's titanic walk-of grand slam. (I think I heard a couple of A-Rod haters complain that A-Rod was showing off -- a single would've done it. I'm kidding. I hope. Please, all you idiots who feel compelled to mindlessly trash A-Rod, please, get some help, before it's too late. This includes a number of NY sportswriters -- more on that plague upon the NY sports scene below.)
Watching these first four games, if feels like the Yankees were caught by surprise that the season started when it did, because they're playing as though it's about March 20th. And in this I have to blame Joe -- a baseball manager has precious few real tasks -- getting the team ready for the beginning of the season is a pretty important item among that limited set.
Speaking of Ugly
Igawa was the first Yankee starter to pitch five innings. The bullpen is now officially shot, in case you were wondering. These short, ineffective outings by starters are flipping that Pavlovian switch in Joe's head; you can almost hear him muttering under his breath "must use bullpen . . . must use bullpen." Henn and Bruney, who look great now, will age before our eyes as they are ground down by constant (over)use.
After Today's Game . . .
Brian Cashman and Joe Torre spoke after today's game.
Torre: So, should I call Scott or do you want to?
Cashman: Scott?
Torre (swigging green tea): Yeah . . . Scott Boras . . .
Cashman: Huh? What? You think A-Rod deserves a raise?
Laughter. More tea-swigging. Torre belches quietly.
Torre: Ummm . . . no, Brian . . . another . . . client?
Cashman looks puzzled a moment then understands.
Cashman: No, Joe! Absolutely not. Bernie will not be on this team this year.
Torre: Well, I just thought, Brian . . . you know, Damon's day to day, Matsui is hurt, Abreu got hit on the ankle, that was scary . . . we just . . .
Cashman gets up and walks away, waving as he walks.
Cashman: I gotta run, Joe. Talk to you soon. About anything but this.
Torre: (calling after Cashman's retreating form) Sorry, Brian . . . jeez, I just figured . . .
Torre finishes his green tea. Skippy the ballboy, promoted to a clubhouse job this year, quietly offers Joe his highlight reel DVD.
Time for a change
During today's game, the Orioles had the bases loaded and Melvin Mora hit a blooper into the Bermuda Triangle in shallow right field. It falls in. Two runs score. Abreu fields it and throws it to second and Mora is a dead duck. Except Jeter can't handle the throw and a third run scores.
The official scorer, amazingly, ruled this a double and three RBIs. The runner who'd been on first, Dave Roberts I think it was, had stopped at third, and only ran home when Jeter bobbled the throw from the outfield. The correct scoring is single, two RBIs, and an error on Jeter (or E-9 I suppose, but I think Jeter should catch that throw) allowing Mora to reach second and Roberts to score. And really it's not that difficult to arrive at the right scoring call.
Egregiously wrong scoring calls are common in MLB.
OK, I understand that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's not altering the result of the game. And yet, if it's worth having an official score, and thus an official scorer, it's worth having it done correctly. Home-town sportswriters get the gig, and frankly, by and large they're terrible at it.
And I understand why. They have to get quotes from these guys -- their jobs often depend upon at least minimal cooperation from the players. And players are, as we all have seen, an oversensitive lot-- they don't appreciate why they feel are bogus errors or questionable earned runs on their records. The sportswriters are all too happy to oblige. And even if the player(s) in question don't talk a lot to the media, the sportswriters still have to be around them. Familiarity breeds contempt -- in this case contempt for the integrity of the official scoring job.
Time to yank this little perk from the hometown sportswriters. MLB should hire a staff of official scorekeepers, beholden to no one except whoever their boss in the MLB office is.
Ugly win. Off day. Rainout. Ugly loss. Listless and ugly loss. Ugly win.
Not a good start, despite A-Rod's titanic walk-of grand slam. (I think I heard a couple of A-Rod haters complain that A-Rod was showing off -- a single would've done it. I'm kidding. I hope. Please, all you idiots who feel compelled to mindlessly trash A-Rod, please, get some help, before it's too late. This includes a number of NY sportswriters -- more on that plague upon the NY sports scene below.)
Watching these first four games, if feels like the Yankees were caught by surprise that the season started when it did, because they're playing as though it's about March 20th. And in this I have to blame Joe -- a baseball manager has precious few real tasks -- getting the team ready for the beginning of the season is a pretty important item among that limited set.
Speaking of Ugly
Igawa was the first Yankee starter to pitch five innings. The bullpen is now officially shot, in case you were wondering. These short, ineffective outings by starters are flipping that Pavlovian switch in Joe's head; you can almost hear him muttering under his breath "must use bullpen . . . must use bullpen." Henn and Bruney, who look great now, will age before our eyes as they are ground down by constant (over)use.
After Today's Game . . .
Brian Cashman and Joe Torre spoke after today's game.
Torre: So, should I call Scott or do you want to?
Cashman: Scott?
Torre (swigging green tea): Yeah . . . Scott Boras . . .
Cashman: Huh? What? You think A-Rod deserves a raise?
Laughter. More tea-swigging. Torre belches quietly.
Torre: Ummm . . . no, Brian . . . another . . . client?
Cashman looks puzzled a moment then understands.
Cashman: No, Joe! Absolutely not. Bernie will not be on this team this year.
Torre: Well, I just thought, Brian . . . you know, Damon's day to day, Matsui is hurt, Abreu got hit on the ankle, that was scary . . . we just . . .
Cashman gets up and walks away, waving as he walks.
Cashman: I gotta run, Joe. Talk to you soon. About anything but this.
Torre: (calling after Cashman's retreating form) Sorry, Brian . . . jeez, I just figured . . .
Torre finishes his green tea. Skippy the ballboy, promoted to a clubhouse job this year, quietly offers Joe his highlight reel DVD.
Time for a change
During today's game, the Orioles had the bases loaded and Melvin Mora hit a blooper into the Bermuda Triangle in shallow right field. It falls in. Two runs score. Abreu fields it and throws it to second and Mora is a dead duck. Except Jeter can't handle the throw and a third run scores.
The official scorer, amazingly, ruled this a double and three RBIs. The runner who'd been on first, Dave Roberts I think it was, had stopped at third, and only ran home when Jeter bobbled the throw from the outfield. The correct scoring is single, two RBIs, and an error on Jeter (or E-9 I suppose, but I think Jeter should catch that throw) allowing Mora to reach second and Roberts to score. And really it's not that difficult to arrive at the right scoring call.
Egregiously wrong scoring calls are common in MLB.
OK, I understand that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's not altering the result of the game. And yet, if it's worth having an official score, and thus an official scorer, it's worth having it done correctly. Home-town sportswriters get the gig, and frankly, by and large they're terrible at it.
And I understand why. They have to get quotes from these guys -- their jobs often depend upon at least minimal cooperation from the players. And players are, as we all have seen, an oversensitive lot-- they don't appreciate why they feel are bogus errors or questionable earned runs on their records. The sportswriters are all too happy to oblige. And even if the player(s) in question don't talk a lot to the media, the sportswriters still have to be around them. Familiarity breeds contempt -- in this case contempt for the integrity of the official scoring job.
Time to yank this little perk from the hometown sportswriters. MLB should hire a staff of official scorekeepers, beholden to no one except whoever their boss in the MLB office is.
Monday, April 02, 2007
And away we go.
Yankees 9, Devil Rays 5
All sorts of good things happened today.
1. Carol Pavano didn't get hurt before, during, or presumably after his start today.
2. A-Rod had 2 hits, including a HR.
3. The lineup hit well, pretty much all the way up and down. Against a LHP, too, which a few talking heads on ESPN said would give the Yankees trouble.
4. The bullpen performed admirably.
And a couple of not so good things, too.
1. Pavano melted down in the 5th, necessitating all those strong innings from the bullpen.
2. Three errors, including one each by the couple who aren't as close as they once were, A-Rod and Jeter.
Overall, I do go with the Pat Riley plan, i. e., no griping after a win. But last year we ran into problems because: 1) our starters weren't' going deep enough into ballgames, and 2) Joe made a lot of panic moves going to the pen (some of that is attributable to the starters, some to Joe just being weak at handling pitchers when said pitchers are not studs).
OK. We're 1-0. The bullpen isn't shot. Yet.
Royals 7, Red Sox 1
Remember when I wrote that Gil Meche getting $11 million a year from the Royals was totally stupid, irresponsible, and ridiculous?
All I can say is . . . wow, was I ever wrong. Gil Meche is My new favorite non-Yankee player. He's worth all $11 million and then some. 7.1 innings, 1 run, against Boston today. Gil is the man! Give him a raise and an extension! Now!
I saw the last couple innings of this game on ESPN after getting home from work. Sadly, Bozo and Balloon-Head (Joe Morgan and John Miller) were calling the game. How these two remain employed by a national outlet like ESPN is totally beyond Me. From the frequent factual mistakes, the annoying over-pronunciation of all words and names Latino by Miller, Morgan's near-illiteracy, and the general buffoonery and unprofessionalism, these two are a train wreck that you really can stop watching. If only there was an alternative.
Note to Morgan: "Big Papi" is not on David Ortiz' birth certificate. Honestly. Calling him by his nickname is acceptable once, twice, even three times. But not every time you mention the player.
Cubs to be sold. Cubs lose!
Real estate investor Sam Zell is buying the Tribune Co., owners of the Cubs. He is keeping all the media assets together. He is selling the Cubs. He will get less for them than he would've a few months ago before the Tribune Co. pumped the payroll way up.
Oh, and the Cubs lost. How long before Lou dumps the kinder gentler act and has his first tirade?
Monday, March 26, 2007
Movin' On Up!
This is too priceless.
OK, Wang hurts his hamstring. As only the Yankees can do, this hamstring injury means Wang is out until after the All-Star break. (I used to make fun of the Mets' handling of Jose Reyes' hamstring injury until Cano missed a zillion games with his hamstring last season.)
So, no Wang. Mussina? Ummmm, no, t-y-v-f-m. Can't mess with Mike's routine. The cosmic waves that originate in the Andromeda Galaxy and enable Mike to pitch would be disrupted if he pitches Opening Day.
Pettitte? Hmmmm, not so much, the back is a little balky, still. Pencil him in for Late June, sorry, I mean the second time through the rotation.
Igawa? No. Pressure, you know. He's new.
Karstens? Well, the closer Karstens gets to making the team the worse he pitches. His last two outings he's looked godawful.
That leaves Carl "Ow! " Pavano.
In government, this would be the equivalent of 12 people suddenly dying and the Postmaster General becoming President.
What a country. Pavano will manage to hurt himself before the opener, no worries. So Opening Day, look for:
Henn for 3.
Villone for 3.
Proctor for 2/3.
Meyers for 0 (faces one lefty and walks him).
Farnsworth for 1-1/3.
Mariano for 1 . . . Yankees win it bottom nine on Cano's RBI double.
Welcome to 2007. Our record is 1-0. And the bullpen is officially shot.
OK, Wang hurts his hamstring. As only the Yankees can do, this hamstring injury means Wang is out until after the All-Star break. (I used to make fun of the Mets' handling of Jose Reyes' hamstring injury until Cano missed a zillion games with his hamstring last season.)
So, no Wang. Mussina? Ummmm, no, t-y-v-f-m. Can't mess with Mike's routine. The cosmic waves that originate in the Andromeda Galaxy and enable Mike to pitch would be disrupted if he pitches Opening Day.
Pettitte? Hmmmm, not so much, the back is a little balky, still. Pencil him in for Late June, sorry, I mean the second time through the rotation.
Igawa? No. Pressure, you know. He's new.
Karstens? Well, the closer Karstens gets to making the team the worse he pitches. His last two outings he's looked godawful.
That leaves Carl "Ow! " Pavano.
In government, this would be the equivalent of 12 people suddenly dying and the Postmaster General becoming President.
What a country. Pavano will manage to hurt himself before the opener, no worries. So Opening Day, look for:
Henn for 3.
Villone for 3.
Proctor for 2/3.
Meyers for 0 (faces one lefty and walks him).
Farnsworth for 1-1/3.
Mariano for 1 . . . Yankees win it bottom nine on Cano's RBI double.
Welcome to 2007. Our record is 1-0. And the bullpen is officially shot.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Forget You Ever Heard It
It's been a fun off-season. I've been remiss in not updating this blog, basically at all, so let's catch up.
1. The owners did in fact throw common sense to the wind. The new TV and labor peace somehow combined to make Gil Meche appear to be an $11 million a year pitcher.
Back in November, I wrote: "What's Barry Zito going to get -- $16 million a year? $17 million?" I was low by a million there. $18 million a year . . . for seven years.Here are some more numbers to bear in mind re Barry Zito:
Zito's career mark is 102-63, 39 games over .500. Not bad. But . . . 30 of those 39 games over .500 happened in his first three years in baseball. Since 2002, he's 55-46. OK, maybe Oakland isn't as good since then.
Zito gives you innings -- he's pitched more than 200 innings every year since 2000 -- just not a lot at once. ZERO complete games since 2003. But OK, he averages 6+ innings per start.
His other numbers are pretty solid. And that, overall, describes Barry Zito the last 4 years. Pretty solid.
"Pretty solid" gets you $18 million per? Amazing what the Giants are willing to pay to have Barry Bonds not be the biggest story on the team, at least for a while.
2. Pete Rose admits he bet on baseball, a lot, but that isn't apparently what he was supposed to do. For years, everyone's problem with Rose was that he wouldn't admit he bet on baseball. So now he has.
But wait. It's not enough. The way he admitted it, I guess, is the problem. Apparently Pete did not arrange to have himself nailed to a cross before making his admission.
The Rose-haters need to face it: He's never going to feel as bad about what he did as think he should. But when you're given what you claimed you wanted and still you turn your nose up at it, well, you look stupid.
3. Surprise! A-Rod wasn't traded!
I started to get sick hearing every goon on ESPN, FoxSports.com, Michael Kay (who really should've known better) and every other so-called expert call for/demand/predict a trade of A-Rod. But A-Rod, Scott Boras, Joe Torre, Brian Cashman, and every fan who was paying attention knew that A-Rod was no way leaving. This is going to come as a shock to many, but A-ROD ACTUALLY LIKES IT IN NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honest. The talking heads and sportswriters said it so often, starting around August of last season, that they had to keep pumping it, so that they didn't look bad. Chris Russo went so far as to describe the Yankees' off-season as "not a success" because they didn't trade A-Rod. But A-Rod, while he reads all the papers (too much, really) . . . overall is having a great time here and sometimes, and I know this is difficult to accept, sometimes athletes actually mean what they say. A-Rod wants to excel and win, in New York. Honest.
Dissed by reality but undaunted, the "experts" have dumped the trade talk (mostly, as you'll see below) and have taken up a new pet theory: A-Rod will opt out of the last three years of his contract. Ohhhhhhhhhh, ok! In this, they are technically correct . . . A-Rod WILL opt out . . . so that he can sign an extension with the Yankees. You read it here first.
One last bit of idiocy along these lines. Some sportswriter reported via his source (a blogger, no less!) that the Yankees were close to a deal with Anaheim for A-Rod, with New York getting Jared Weaver, Molina, and another young player. This is the same Anaheim GM who regards all his young players as the next Walter Johnson or Babe Ruth; he never trades any young player or prospect. That a "sportswriter" would actually repeat this rumor in print . . . is unprofessional, even by the already-low standards of sports journalism.
4. The Roger Clemens circus. At one point, Mike Greenberg described the annual Clemens retirement/unretirement thing as "a cottage industry." A good line, but now I'm just sick of it. A couple months ago Clemens was quoted as saying there was only a 20% chance that he was coming back. What does that mean? How did Roger arrive at the figure of 20%? I understand that the Yankees have the inside track, since Clemens buddy Andy Pettitte has returned to the Bronx, but as a fan . . . much as I root for the laundry, I honestly don't want Clemens back. To Me, he epitomizes just about everything that is wrong with the modern athlete. Since "retiring" after 2003, has Clemens pitched for ANY reason other than money? It certainly doesn't feel like it. And if Clemens does end up with Yankees, there goes the "I really wanted to play in the same organization as my son" argument.
Let whoever wants Clemens have him.
There's so much more to write about, but it will have to wait.
1. The owners did in fact throw common sense to the wind. The new TV and labor peace somehow combined to make Gil Meche appear to be an $11 million a year pitcher.
Back in November, I wrote: "What's Barry Zito going to get -- $16 million a year? $17 million?" I was low by a million there. $18 million a year . . . for seven years.Here are some more numbers to bear in mind re Barry Zito:
Zito's career mark is 102-63, 39 games over .500. Not bad. But . . . 30 of those 39 games over .500 happened in his first three years in baseball. Since 2002, he's 55-46. OK, maybe Oakland isn't as good since then.
Zito gives you innings -- he's pitched more than 200 innings every year since 2000 -- just not a lot at once. ZERO complete games since 2003. But OK, he averages 6+ innings per start.
His other numbers are pretty solid. And that, overall, describes Barry Zito the last 4 years. Pretty solid.
"Pretty solid" gets you $18 million per? Amazing what the Giants are willing to pay to have Barry Bonds not be the biggest story on the team, at least for a while.
2. Pete Rose admits he bet on baseball, a lot, but that isn't apparently what he was supposed to do. For years, everyone's problem with Rose was that he wouldn't admit he bet on baseball. So now he has.
But wait. It's not enough. The way he admitted it, I guess, is the problem. Apparently Pete did not arrange to have himself nailed to a cross before making his admission.
The Rose-haters need to face it: He's never going to feel as bad about what he did as think he should. But when you're given what you claimed you wanted and still you turn your nose up at it, well, you look stupid.
3. Surprise! A-Rod wasn't traded!
I started to get sick hearing every goon on ESPN, FoxSports.com, Michael Kay (who really should've known better) and every other so-called expert call for/demand/predict a trade of A-Rod. But A-Rod, Scott Boras, Joe Torre, Brian Cashman, and every fan who was paying attention knew that A-Rod was no way leaving. This is going to come as a shock to many, but A-ROD ACTUALLY LIKES IT IN NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honest. The talking heads and sportswriters said it so often, starting around August of last season, that they had to keep pumping it, so that they didn't look bad. Chris Russo went so far as to describe the Yankees' off-season as "not a success" because they didn't trade A-Rod. But A-Rod, while he reads all the papers (too much, really) . . . overall is having a great time here and sometimes, and I know this is difficult to accept, sometimes athletes actually mean what they say. A-Rod wants to excel and win, in New York. Honest.
Dissed by reality but undaunted, the "experts" have dumped the trade talk (mostly, as you'll see below) and have taken up a new pet theory: A-Rod will opt out of the last three years of his contract. Ohhhhhhhhhh, ok! In this, they are technically correct . . . A-Rod WILL opt out . . . so that he can sign an extension with the Yankees. You read it here first.
One last bit of idiocy along these lines. Some sportswriter reported via his source (a blogger, no less!) that the Yankees were close to a deal with Anaheim for A-Rod, with New York getting Jared Weaver, Molina, and another young player. This is the same Anaheim GM who regards all his young players as the next Walter Johnson or Babe Ruth; he never trades any young player or prospect. That a "sportswriter" would actually repeat this rumor in print . . . is unprofessional, even by the already-low standards of sports journalism.
4. The Roger Clemens circus. At one point, Mike Greenberg described the annual Clemens retirement/unretirement thing as "a cottage industry." A good line, but now I'm just sick of it. A couple months ago Clemens was quoted as saying there was only a 20% chance that he was coming back. What does that mean? How did Roger arrive at the figure of 20%? I understand that the Yankees have the inside track, since Clemens buddy Andy Pettitte has returned to the Bronx, but as a fan . . . much as I root for the laundry, I honestly don't want Clemens back. To Me, he epitomizes just about everything that is wrong with the modern athlete. Since "retiring" after 2003, has Clemens pitched for ANY reason other than money? It certainly doesn't feel like it. And if Clemens does end up with Yankees, there goes the "I really wanted to play in the same organization as my son" argument.
Let whoever wants Clemens have him.
There's so much more to write about, but it will have to wait.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Spin City
OK, I get the concept. Namely, that the fact that Carl Pavano is acutally pitching in competitive, it not meaningful, games, is such a gigantic thing that any and all comments about his pitching must be totally, unfailingly, relentlessly, positive.
Joe Torre was asked about Pavano's most recent outing.
Star-Ledger: Joe, a shaky outing for Pavano today . . . any thoughts on what might've caused that?
Joe Torre: Careful now, I wouldn't call it "shaky." I saw a lot of good things out there today.
Daily News: Err, Joe . . . 2.1 innings, 19 hits, 14 runs, all earned . . .
Joe: Well, you can't just look at the box score. 13 of those hits were ground balls. His stuff is down, that's all we're looking for.
New Haven Register: . . . 4 wild pitches, 2 home runs . . .
Joe: . . . and he wasn't walking people! that's important!
St. Regis High School Bugle: Mr. Torre, did I see Pavano wince a little after he threw his last pitch? Given his history--
Yankees PR Director: That concludes the press conference, guys . . thanks a lot for coming . . . there's cold cuts out there for you all . . . oh, and hats . . . grab a hat on your way out . . . and a ball! I had Donnie sign a couple hundred baseballs this morning -- grab some of those . . .
Joe Torre was asked about Pavano's most recent outing.
Star-Ledger: Joe, a shaky outing for Pavano today . . . any thoughts on what might've caused that?
Joe Torre: Careful now, I wouldn't call it "shaky." I saw a lot of good things out there today.
Daily News: Err, Joe . . . 2.1 innings, 19 hits, 14 runs, all earned . . .
Joe: Well, you can't just look at the box score. 13 of those hits were ground balls. His stuff is down, that's all we're looking for.
New Haven Register: . . . 4 wild pitches, 2 home runs . . .
Joe: . . . and he wasn't walking people! that's important!
St. Regis High School Bugle: Mr. Torre, did I see Pavano wince a little after he threw his last pitch? Given his history--
Yankees PR Director: That concludes the press conference, guys . . thanks a lot for coming . . . there's cold cuts out there for you all . . . oh, and hats . . . grab a hat on your way out . . . and a ball! I had Donnie sign a couple hundred baseballs this morning -- grab some of those . . .
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Morneau Wins MVP; The Money Starts Rolling In
Morenau Edges Jeter for AL MVP.
This is the reason that I put little stock in awards that are voted on. That one baseball writer actually had Jeter sixth on his ballot . . . words fail me . . . is beyond childish. That said, Morneau had a fine year, Jeter handled it in classy fashion, and again, take a look at your average baseball writer's work -- we should go nuts over some award they subjectively give out?
The Soriano Factor Kicks In Already.
Gary Matthews Jr. signs with Anaheim for 5 years at more than $10 million per. Juan Pierre joins up with the Dodgers for $44 million over 5 years. Frank Catalanato, yes the Frank Catalanato, signs with Texas for $13.5 million for four.
What's Barry Zito going to get -- $16 million a year? $17 million? Zito is, let's face it, a #3 starter . . . maybe a #2 in an otherwise indifferent rotation. The perenially underachieving JD Drew? Carlos Lee? All of them, and others, are headed into the MegaMillionaires Club thanks to the owners' giddiness over the new TV deal and extended labor peace.
Of course it can't last . . . a couple of years from now the owners will be back to clamoring for a salary cap, bemoaning their inability to make any money owning a baseball team, and I'll have to listen to more interviews with Bud Selig, wherein the Commissioner talks in ominous tones about how bad the game's financial situation is. Maybe by then it will sound funny again.
This is the reason that I put little stock in awards that are voted on. That one baseball writer actually had Jeter sixth on his ballot . . . words fail me . . . is beyond childish. That said, Morneau had a fine year, Jeter handled it in classy fashion, and again, take a look at your average baseball writer's work -- we should go nuts over some award they subjectively give out?
The Soriano Factor Kicks In Already.
Gary Matthews Jr. signs with Anaheim for 5 years at more than $10 million per. Juan Pierre joins up with the Dodgers for $44 million over 5 years. Frank Catalanato, yes the Frank Catalanato, signs with Texas for $13.5 million for four.
What's Barry Zito going to get -- $16 million a year? $17 million? Zito is, let's face it, a #3 starter . . . maybe a #2 in an otherwise indifferent rotation. The perenially underachieving JD Drew? Carlos Lee? All of them, and others, are headed into the MegaMillionaires Club thanks to the owners' giddiness over the new TV deal and extended labor peace.
Of course it can't last . . . a couple of years from now the owners will be back to clamoring for a salary cap, bemoaning their inability to make any money owning a baseball team, and I'll have to listen to more interviews with Bud Selig, wherein the Commissioner talks in ominous tones about how bad the game's financial situation is. Maybe by then it will sound funny again.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Business Must Be Good
Soriano signs with Cubs for 8 years, $136 million.
Word was that the Cubs were "going for it" in 2007. Word also was that Alfonso Soriano was looking for "Carlos Beltran money."
Well the Cubs are apparently going all out and Soriano has his Beltran money.
Rival GMs will be cursing the Cubs this offseason; the Soriano contract sets a market level that means that many average to slightly above-average free agents will be getting a lot more money this year than they otherwise might have.
But purely in baseball terms . . . is it a good signing?
Having seen the Alfonso Soriano show up close and personal for several years, I want no part of him. The most useful thing he did for the Yankees was get us A-Rod. He remains a tremendously gifted player with zero heart and zero hustle. He'll be 31 at the start of this contract . . . an eight-year deal? I know that these long-term deals are entered intp knowing the team get its money's worth up front and way overpays in the end years. But still . . . six years for $108 million wouldn't have done it?
But looking at it just in baseball terms . . .
This past season -- .277, 46 HRs, 95 RBI in 159 games. Nice home run numbers in a park not conducive to them. But . . . 95 RBI? Even on a bad team he coudn't figure out how to drive in 100? In his six years of playing full time, he's only driven in 100 runs twice, and five of those six years he played on great hitting teams.
And the biggest offensive issue with Soriano: 67 walks and 160 strikeouts. Soriano has the same holes in his swing he had as a rookie years ago. Why any pitcher throws him a fastball, ever, is beyond me. Discipline is a word unknown to him in his approach at the plate.
Defensivley, much was made of Soriano's 22 assists in the outfield this past year. Much less often mentioned is his 11 errors, trailing only Adam Dunn among MLB outfielders last year. Soriano doesn't care about defense and never has.
The rumor I've heard is that the Cubs intend to play Soriano in center field and to bat him leadoff. Those would be two massive mistakes. Hide Soriano in left field, where his defensive deficiencies hurt you the least. And you can't bat Soirano leadoff in a National League lineup -- him hitting 40 solo home runs isn't going to help the team very much overall. I'm assuming the Lou Piniella is smart enough to bat Soriano fourth, or fifth.
Soriano is a deeply flawed player capable of occaisionally astounding things. The Cubs massively overpaid . . . suddenly Jeter's $18 million a year begins to look like a bargain, not to mention the piece of A Rod's salary the Yankees are paying, by comparison.
Word was that the Cubs were "going for it" in 2007. Word also was that Alfonso Soriano was looking for "Carlos Beltran money."
Well the Cubs are apparently going all out and Soriano has his Beltran money.
Rival GMs will be cursing the Cubs this offseason; the Soriano contract sets a market level that means that many average to slightly above-average free agents will be getting a lot more money this year than they otherwise might have.
But purely in baseball terms . . . is it a good signing?
Having seen the Alfonso Soriano show up close and personal for several years, I want no part of him. The most useful thing he did for the Yankees was get us A-Rod. He remains a tremendously gifted player with zero heart and zero hustle. He'll be 31 at the start of this contract . . . an eight-year deal? I know that these long-term deals are entered intp knowing the team get its money's worth up front and way overpays in the end years. But still . . . six years for $108 million wouldn't have done it?
But looking at it just in baseball terms . . .
This past season -- .277, 46 HRs, 95 RBI in 159 games. Nice home run numbers in a park not conducive to them. But . . . 95 RBI? Even on a bad team he coudn't figure out how to drive in 100? In his six years of playing full time, he's only driven in 100 runs twice, and five of those six years he played on great hitting teams.
And the biggest offensive issue with Soriano: 67 walks and 160 strikeouts. Soriano has the same holes in his swing he had as a rookie years ago. Why any pitcher throws him a fastball, ever, is beyond me. Discipline is a word unknown to him in his approach at the plate.
Defensivley, much was made of Soriano's 22 assists in the outfield this past year. Much less often mentioned is his 11 errors, trailing only Adam Dunn among MLB outfielders last year. Soriano doesn't care about defense and never has.
The rumor I've heard is that the Cubs intend to play Soriano in center field and to bat him leadoff. Those would be two massive mistakes. Hide Soriano in left field, where his defensive deficiencies hurt you the least. And you can't bat Soirano leadoff in a National League lineup -- him hitting 40 solo home runs isn't going to help the team very much overall. I'm assuming the Lou Piniella is smart enough to bat Soriano fourth, or fifth.
Soriano is a deeply flawed player capable of occaisionally astounding things. The Cubs massively overpaid . . . suddenly Jeter's $18 million a year begins to look like a bargain, not to mention the piece of A Rod's salary the Yankees are paying, by comparison.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Subway gone; Britton "Eats Fresh"
Wright traded to Orioles for Chris Britton.
Jaret "Subway" Wright was dealt to Baltimore for Chris Britton. By doing so, the Yankees actually save a little money and get something in return for the failed Wright experiment as opposed to simply buying him out of the last year of his contract. Wright will be reunited with Leo Mazzone, with whom, as a Brave, he pitched most successfully.
Britton is 24, six years younger than Wright. He comes off his first season in the bigs having gone 0-2 with one save and a 3.35 ERA in 52 games for a bad team that mailed it in somwhere back in July. Not terrible. Britton should help the bullpen but he will stress the post-game food budget a bit -- the 6' 3" righthander tipped the scales at a Sabathia-like 278 by the end of the 2006 season.
Mets sign El Duque to two-year extension.
I thought this was a bit of an odd move at first, but then I read that the Mets actually save some money on this deal -- El Duque qualifies for Medicare Part B and thus the Mets won't have to provide expensive MLB health benefits for him.
Jaret "Subway" Wright was dealt to Baltimore for Chris Britton. By doing so, the Yankees actually save a little money and get something in return for the failed Wright experiment as opposed to simply buying him out of the last year of his contract. Wright will be reunited with Leo Mazzone, with whom, as a Brave, he pitched most successfully.
Britton is 24, six years younger than Wright. He comes off his first season in the bigs having gone 0-2 with one save and a 3.35 ERA in 52 games for a bad team that mailed it in somwhere back in July. Not terrible. Britton should help the bullpen but he will stress the post-game food budget a bit -- the 6' 3" righthander tipped the scales at a Sabathia-like 278 by the end of the 2006 season.
Mets sign El Duque to two-year extension.
I thought this was a bit of an odd move at first, but then I read that the Mets actually save some money on this deal -- El Duque qualifies for Medicare Part B and thus the Mets won't have to provide expensive MLB health benefits for him.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Let's Try This Again
I had to abandon this blog last season due to time constraints. I'm giving it another go . . . and now, with the off-season soon to heat up, seems a good time.
Yankees trade Sheffield.
Great move. I'm bemused by the talk-radio idiots, who continually rag the Yankees for:
1) Having a bad farm system (demonstrably not true, but that's another post)
2) Having too many older players
3) Having too many stars and not enough role-players
4) Having old and creaky starting pitching
So, the Yankees trade an aging "star" in exhange for three young pitching prospects. One could expect the talk radio goons to be overjoyed, that finally the Yankees are heeding their "wisdom."
Nope. I heard almost nothing but cirticism of the trade on WFAN and ESPN Radio.
The Yankees won 97 games with basically zero from Sheffield last year. He just turned 38, was going to make $13 million, and is prone to taking little vacations for weeks at a time. Those on talk radio who say, apparently with a straight face, that, "Sheffield plays hard every game" apparently didn't watch too many Yankee games. Sheffield gets in a sulk and dogs it badly at those times. Only when he's 1) playing for a new contract, and/or 2) is made to feel like the most important player in the history of the team he's playing for, does he give consistent effort.
It will only take a couple of months and six or seven would-be home runs to fall into outfielder's gloves in cavernous Comerica Park before Sheffield launches one of his personal "job actions." Having signed a two-year extension with Detroit for $28 million for the two years after this coming year, Sheffield has absolutely nothing to play for, knowing that his next time "free" he's 41 years old. Even that cross between Abner Doubleday and Dr. Schweitzer (eyeroll), Jim Leyland, won't be able to turn this sow's ear into a silk purse.
On the Yankees' side of the deal of course it's a risk. Pitching prospects are just that -- prospects. But you have to have four or five, often, to get one winner out of the bunch. And Humberto Sanchez just might be the real deal. And he was raised in the Bronx. Instant star if he can pitch at all on the big-league level.
Sports talk radio is fun to listen to sometimes, but really, it's hard to take seriously.
Carl Pavano Update.
Pavano is um, tanned, rested, and ready. Joe Torre says he's our fourth starter for 2007.
There are a lot of jokes I could make but none of them are as funny as that previous sentence above.
Yankees trade Sheffield.
Great move. I'm bemused by the talk-radio idiots, who continually rag the Yankees for:
1) Having a bad farm system (demonstrably not true, but that's another post)
2) Having too many older players
3) Having too many stars and not enough role-players
4) Having old and creaky starting pitching
So, the Yankees trade an aging "star" in exhange for three young pitching prospects. One could expect the talk radio goons to be overjoyed, that finally the Yankees are heeding their "wisdom."
Nope. I heard almost nothing but cirticism of the trade on WFAN and ESPN Radio.
The Yankees won 97 games with basically zero from Sheffield last year. He just turned 38, was going to make $13 million, and is prone to taking little vacations for weeks at a time. Those on talk radio who say, apparently with a straight face, that, "Sheffield plays hard every game" apparently didn't watch too many Yankee games. Sheffield gets in a sulk and dogs it badly at those times. Only when he's 1) playing for a new contract, and/or 2) is made to feel like the most important player in the history of the team he's playing for, does he give consistent effort.
It will only take a couple of months and six or seven would-be home runs to fall into outfielder's gloves in cavernous Comerica Park before Sheffield launches one of his personal "job actions." Having signed a two-year extension with Detroit for $28 million for the two years after this coming year, Sheffield has absolutely nothing to play for, knowing that his next time "free" he's 41 years old. Even that cross between Abner Doubleday and Dr. Schweitzer (eyeroll), Jim Leyland, won't be able to turn this sow's ear into a silk purse.
On the Yankees' side of the deal of course it's a risk. Pitching prospects are just that -- prospects. But you have to have four or five, often, to get one winner out of the bunch. And Humberto Sanchez just might be the real deal. And he was raised in the Bronx. Instant star if he can pitch at all on the big-league level.
Sports talk radio is fun to listen to sometimes, but really, it's hard to take seriously.
Carl Pavano Update.
Pavano is um, tanned, rested, and ready. Joe Torre says he's our fourth starter for 2007.
There are a lot of jokes I could make but none of them are as funny as that previous sentence above.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
A couple of losses; Sturtze to the DL
A's 6, Yankees 1 (Sunday)
Rangers 4, Yankees 2 (Monday)
A great game by Haren Sunday. Although the Yankees helped out a lot by quickly going into first-pitch swinging mode. At one stretch Haren recorded six outs on something like 15 pitches. It was if Randy giving up the three-spot in the first inning took all the starch out of the team. Which is pretty much inexcusable -- even with no Matsui and no Sheffield, three runs is nothing for this team.
As for Randy, perhaps this time they'll do the MRI on the pitching arm.
Last night, a good start by Mussina. He seemed to get unnerved a little by the pop fly home run, but instead of a classic Mussina meltdown he held it together and pitched seven innings only allowing two runs. Unfortunately, Panic Joe turned to his newest favorite pitcher, Kyle (You Lookin' at Me?) Farnsworth, who promptly coughed up 2 runs in the top of the eighth. The Yankees again seemed demoralized by that and went quickly and quietly in the eighth and ninth innings.
Sturtze goes to see Dr. Andrews
Tanyon Sturtze finally admitted what everyone who watches the Yankees has known since the middle of last year: He's hurt. No. 56 is going to see Dr. James Andrews today to discuss his "slightly torn rotator cuff and bursitis."
How much of an idiot did Sturtze make Torre look like these past months? Joe kept running Strutze out there game after game reagrdless of how poorly he pitched, as though he was in the grip of a complex blackmail scheme the likes of which would make the writers of Law and Order: Criminal Intent envious.
And Torre kept calling Sturtze "a gamer." Um, close. The word ends with "r," but the correct term is "liar."
You don't get just a "sligthly torn rotator cuff." Bursitis is a chronic condition. And if you're going to see Dr. Andrews, it's not to shoot the breeze and talk about you don't need surgery.
The sad part is that in all likelihood Sturtze has made whatever is wrong a lot worse by continuing to pitch. Let's hope that Scott Ericson has a little left in the tank, still.
Dodging the weather
Amazingly, with all the cruddy weather of late, the Yankees have somehow avoided being rained out. Not a big deal, but every little bit might help down the stretch. Boston was rained out twice this past week -- they'll have some doubleheaders to contend with. And is it just Me, so does Boston seemingly play all their games at home, and play all of them against Tampa and Baltimore?
Rangers 4, Yankees 2 (Monday)
A great game by Haren Sunday. Although the Yankees helped out a lot by quickly going into first-pitch swinging mode. At one stretch Haren recorded six outs on something like 15 pitches. It was if Randy giving up the three-spot in the first inning took all the starch out of the team. Which is pretty much inexcusable -- even with no Matsui and no Sheffield, three runs is nothing for this team.
As for Randy, perhaps this time they'll do the MRI on the pitching arm.
Last night, a good start by Mussina. He seemed to get unnerved a little by the pop fly home run, but instead of a classic Mussina meltdown he held it together and pitched seven innings only allowing two runs. Unfortunately, Panic Joe turned to his newest favorite pitcher, Kyle (You Lookin' at Me?) Farnsworth, who promptly coughed up 2 runs in the top of the eighth. The Yankees again seemed demoralized by that and went quickly and quietly in the eighth and ninth innings.
Sturtze goes to see Dr. Andrews
Tanyon Sturtze finally admitted what everyone who watches the Yankees has known since the middle of last year: He's hurt. No. 56 is going to see Dr. James Andrews today to discuss his "slightly torn rotator cuff and bursitis."
How much of an idiot did Sturtze make Torre look like these past months? Joe kept running Strutze out there game after game reagrdless of how poorly he pitched, as though he was in the grip of a complex blackmail scheme the likes of which would make the writers of Law and Order: Criminal Intent envious.
And Torre kept calling Sturtze "a gamer." Um, close. The word ends with "r," but the correct term is "liar."
You don't get just a "sligthly torn rotator cuff." Bursitis is a chronic condition. And if you're going to see Dr. Andrews, it's not to shoot the breeze and talk about you don't need surgery.
The sad part is that in all likelihood Sturtze has made whatever is wrong a lot worse by continuing to pitch. Let's hope that Scott Ericson has a little left in the tank, still.
Dodging the weather
Amazingly, with all the cruddy weather of late, the Yankees have somehow avoided being rained out. Not a big deal, but every little bit might help down the stretch. Boston was rained out twice this past week -- they'll have some doubleheaders to contend with. And is it just Me, so does Boston seemingly play all their games at home, and play all of them against Tampa and Baltimore?
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Wow
Yankees 2, A's 0
The best start of Wang's career. Eight shutout innings. 85 pitches. 20, count 'em, 20, ground ball outs. I felt, especially after Bernie's home run in the bottom of the 8th to make it 2-0, supremely confident that Wang could finish this game. Wow.
But of course he wouldn't.
I knew that Joe was going to being Mariano in to pitch the 9th. And he had not, and something terrible happened, the second-guessing would've been deafening. So, Mariano comes in, and with a little trouble, gets the save. All's right with the world. Err, or maybe not.
1. There seem to be a lot more baserunners agasint Mariano this year than in years past. Is this a slow start, or the very beginning of the inevitable dropoff? Mariano is 36, which isn't necessarily old, but he's been a top closer for a very long time, a lot longer than most stay at that level.
2. Further, at this point, left-handed hitters are batting .303 against him. That's a potenitally very troubling thing, becasue it might mean that his out pitch, that cut fastball that renders lefties typcially helpless, is not as sharp as it once was.
3. Mariano's a victim of Joe's managing and circumstance also. Panic Joe using him on Wednesday night when he didn't really have to resulted in last night being the third night in a row and rendering him unavailble today. (He needs to be unavailable today, regardless of whether he says he can pitch or not.) This is the problem with the "give the closer some work when you wouldn't normally use him" theory. You never know. Statistically, all teams get roughly the same number of save opportunites, so as a rule managers are better off not trying to guess.
But, two sides to every coin. And it's entirely possible that the feel of the cutter isn't quite there yet, so Mariano's throwing more fastballs for now. At 36, perhaps he starts a little slower than he did at a younger age. He's pitching a lot better in May than he did in April. The save opportunities haven't been there so far in big bunches and I'm sure that choppiness isnt overall a good thing for his pitching. It's entirely possible that the Mariano will pitch well as long as he feels like it.
So in the end it's way too early to panic about Mariano. I dearly would love to have seen Wang go for the complete game shutout last night, though.
The best start of Wang's career. Eight shutout innings. 85 pitches. 20, count 'em, 20, ground ball outs. I felt, especially after Bernie's home run in the bottom of the 8th to make it 2-0, supremely confident that Wang could finish this game. Wow.
But of course he wouldn't.
I knew that Joe was going to being Mariano in to pitch the 9th. And he had not, and something terrible happened, the second-guessing would've been deafening. So, Mariano comes in, and with a little trouble, gets the save. All's right with the world. Err, or maybe not.
1. There seem to be a lot more baserunners agasint Mariano this year than in years past. Is this a slow start, or the very beginning of the inevitable dropoff? Mariano is 36, which isn't necessarily old, but he's been a top closer for a very long time, a lot longer than most stay at that level.
2. Further, at this point, left-handed hitters are batting .303 against him. That's a potenitally very troubling thing, becasue it might mean that his out pitch, that cut fastball that renders lefties typcially helpless, is not as sharp as it once was.
3. Mariano's a victim of Joe's managing and circumstance also. Panic Joe using him on Wednesday night when he didn't really have to resulted in last night being the third night in a row and rendering him unavailble today. (He needs to be unavailable today, regardless of whether he says he can pitch or not.) This is the problem with the "give the closer some work when you wouldn't normally use him" theory. You never know. Statistically, all teams get roughly the same number of save opportunites, so as a rule managers are better off not trying to guess.
But, two sides to every coin. And it's entirely possible that the feel of the cutter isn't quite there yet, so Mariano's throwing more fastballs for now. At 36, perhaps he starts a little slower than he did at a younger age. He's pitching a lot better in May than he did in April. The save opportunities haven't been there so far in big bunches and I'm sure that choppiness isnt overall a good thing for his pitching. It's entirely possible that the Mariano will pitch well as long as he feels like it.
So in the end it's way too early to panic about Mariano. I dearly would love to have seen Wang go for the complete game shutout last night, though.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Matsui gone for 3 months; The latest on Pavano
Yankees 7, Red Sox 3 (Wed.)
Red Sox 5, Yankees 3 (Thurs.)
After the exhiliration of Wednesday's win (and the special thrill of taking Schilling deep three times, none of them cheapies), last night's game started out ugly, went very long, and ended badly.
Seeing the Matsui play, I immediately said "if that's not broken it's a miracle." The announcers happy-talking about a sprain I knew was just whistling past the graveyard. Alas it was broken, and no Matusi for at least 3 months. Ugh.
The overall effect really shouldn't be that horrendous. One positive is that Melky gets a chance to show what he can do, and I have the gut feeling that he's ready. This lineup, even without Godzilla, should be able to score plenty. If, and it's a big if, the pitching holds up.
And speaking of pitching, Brian Cashman was on the phone last night with Tampa, checking on the progress of oft-injured starter Carl Pavano with Tampa pitching coach Rich Monteleone.
Cashman: How's Pavano doing?
Monteleone: Oh, he's doing great, Chief. He's got a great tan, really seems to be having a ball down here in Florida. We went to this place last night called "All A-Broad." "A-Broad" -- get it? Great place. They have this girl there, the things she can do with a plunger and a feather boa . . .
Cashman: Um, Rich . . . I meant, how's he doing pitching-wise? We need him back healthy.
Monteleone: Oh. Well . . . he was doing great, Chief, until this morning. He bent over to tie his cleats and felt something in his back. We've shut him down for a couple of days.
Cashman (softly): Christ.
Monteleone (brightly): But we expect him to be throwing off flat ground again by next Tuesday. Maybe next Thrusday. Backs are tricky.
Cashman: Flat ground?!? I thought he was making rehab starts!
Monteleone (confused): Um, he was, Chief. Until he got the paper cut two weeks ago. Then, just as that healed, he stubbed his big toe on some boxes marked "K. Brown --Personal." Have you been reading my e-mails?
Cashman: (banging on his keyboard) E-mails? What E-mails . . . oh . . . crap. They were in the "Junk E-Mail folder."
Monteleone: (laughing) Cool! I'm a spammer!
Cashman: (not laughing) All right. So when do we think he'll back up here pitching again?
Montleleone: (thoughtfully) Hm. Well, we don't want to rush these things, Chief, and I'd hate to give an estimate and then have to change it again, so . . .
Cashman: (impatiently) When the hell will he be ready?
Monteleone: (quietly) August 15th.
Cashman: I give up, I just give up.
(Crashing sounds and screams heard on the phone)
Monteleone: Sorry, Chief, I gotta run. The Fed Ex truck coming to pick up Kevin Brown's boxes just ran over Pavano's foot and then plowed into the box office. I'll write again soon!
Cashman: Yeah, you do that. I got another call coming in anyway.
(Cashman switches lines).
Steinbrenner: Brian, it's George! How's Pavano doing? Think we can get Barry Bonds? How about that A-Rod! I knew my little jab would get results! Do Matsui's consecutive games in Japan count? I've got a trade in mind . . . what do you think of Sheffield and Sean Henn for Albert Pujols? . . . oh, yeah, I almost forgot . . . I have some ideas for new promotions . . .
(Cashman sets the receiver down and walks over to the window, opens it, plugs his ears and sings "Cotton-Eyed Joe" at the top of his lungs.)
Red Sox 5, Yankees 3 (Thurs.)
After the exhiliration of Wednesday's win (and the special thrill of taking Schilling deep three times, none of them cheapies), last night's game started out ugly, went very long, and ended badly.
Seeing the Matsui play, I immediately said "if that's not broken it's a miracle." The announcers happy-talking about a sprain I knew was just whistling past the graveyard. Alas it was broken, and no Matusi for at least 3 months. Ugh.
The overall effect really shouldn't be that horrendous. One positive is that Melky gets a chance to show what he can do, and I have the gut feeling that he's ready. This lineup, even without Godzilla, should be able to score plenty. If, and it's a big if, the pitching holds up.
And speaking of pitching, Brian Cashman was on the phone last night with Tampa, checking on the progress of oft-injured starter Carl Pavano with Tampa pitching coach Rich Monteleone.
Cashman: How's Pavano doing?
Monteleone: Oh, he's doing great, Chief. He's got a great tan, really seems to be having a ball down here in Florida. We went to this place last night called "All A-Broad." "A-Broad" -- get it? Great place. They have this girl there, the things she can do with a plunger and a feather boa . . .
Cashman: Um, Rich . . . I meant, how's he doing pitching-wise? We need him back healthy.
Monteleone: Oh. Well . . . he was doing great, Chief, until this morning. He bent over to tie his cleats and felt something in his back. We've shut him down for a couple of days.
Cashman (softly): Christ.
Monteleone (brightly): But we expect him to be throwing off flat ground again by next Tuesday. Maybe next Thrusday. Backs are tricky.
Cashman: Flat ground?!? I thought he was making rehab starts!
Monteleone (confused): Um, he was, Chief. Until he got the paper cut two weeks ago. Then, just as that healed, he stubbed his big toe on some boxes marked "K. Brown --Personal." Have you been reading my e-mails?
Cashman: (banging on his keyboard) E-mails? What E-mails . . . oh . . . crap. They were in the "Junk E-Mail folder."
Monteleone: (laughing) Cool! I'm a spammer!
Cashman: (not laughing) All right. So when do we think he'll back up here pitching again?
Montleleone: (thoughtfully) Hm. Well, we don't want to rush these things, Chief, and I'd hate to give an estimate and then have to change it again, so . . .
Cashman: (impatiently) When the hell will he be ready?
Monteleone: (quietly) August 15th.
Cashman: I give up, I just give up.
(Crashing sounds and screams heard on the phone)
Monteleone: Sorry, Chief, I gotta run. The Fed Ex truck coming to pick up Kevin Brown's boxes just ran over Pavano's foot and then plowed into the box office. I'll write again soon!
Cashman: Yeah, you do that. I got another call coming in anyway.
(Cashman switches lines).
Steinbrenner: Brian, it's George! How's Pavano doing? Think we can get Barry Bonds? How about that A-Rod! I knew my little jab would get results! Do Matsui's consecutive games in Japan count? I've got a trade in mind . . . what do you think of Sheffield and Sean Henn for Albert Pujols? . . . oh, yeah, I almost forgot . . . I have some ideas for new promotions . . .
(Cashman sets the receiver down and walks over to the window, opens it, plugs his ears and sings "Cotton-Eyed Joe" at the top of his lungs.)
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Ugly game; Ugly developments
Red Sox 14, Yankees 3
A rough night in the Bronx. The Yankee highlight came early when Giambi homered to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. From there it went downhill fast. Randy was horrendous, allowing 7 runs (only 2 earned thanks to a couple of errors, but make no mistake -- Randy got shelled. Almost every ball put in play was a rocket).
[Side note, speaking of errors: Everybody get off Melky's back. First, Sheffield is no Roberto Clemente out there, and second, everyone in the ballpark and the annoucers thought Cano had that popup all the way.]
But it's one game. No biggie. Because it's Boston (gasp! organ music swells ominously) everyone needs to make it a big deal. The much more troubling aspect of last night's loss is . . .
Randy goes for MRI
Randy had an MRI today on his shoulder. Apparently this was the team's idea. Joe Torre and Brian Cashman discussed the results of the MRI ealirer today a physician.
Dr. Goniff: As you asked, I administered an MRI to Mr. Johnson and also gave him a complete physical. The results are not necessarily bad, but somewhat surprising.
Torre: What?
Dr. Goniff: Well, Mr, Johnson is in fairly good physical shape for someone his age. . . .
Cashman: Yeah, we know 42 is old for a pitcher.
Dr. Goniff: (surprised) 42? Mr. Johnson is 74 years old, gentlemen.
Torre and Cashman: What the hell?
Dr. Goniff: Yes. That's my best estimate of his age.
Cashman: (on cell phone) Betty, I need you to pull out a copy of Randy's contract immediately. Look at Section 14.b.1 -- "Breach by Fraud."
Dr. Goniff: Anyway, as I was saying . . . he's in pretty good health, but he really should lose some weight, he probably drinks a litle more than is totally healthy, and his knees are in very bad shape.
Cashman: (still on phone) I'm going to fry this fukcer . . . 74 years old. What does it say in there? Can we recover all the money or just a pro-rated portion?
Torre: Wait a second, Doc. Do me a favor. Can you describe "Mr. Johnson" for me?
Dr. Goniff: (thinking) Hmmmmm, yes. Short, pudgy, very short stubbly white hair, mostly bald on top. Somewhat abrasive personality. Didn't seem to know why he was here. Said a tall guy gave him $500 and carfare to Belmont in exchange for coming to see me.
Torre: (reaching into his wallet and pulling out a picture of Don Zimmer) Is this the guy, Doc?
Dr. Goniff: Yes! That's him!
(Cashman hangs up the phone abruptly)
Torre and Cashman (in unison) FUCK!!!!!
(Cashman dials the phone again)
Torre: Ummmm, thanks, Doc. We've gotta go.
Cashman: (on the phone) I don't care where the hell he is! I want him in my office in ten minutes!
A rough night in the Bronx. The Yankee highlight came early when Giambi homered to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. From there it went downhill fast. Randy was horrendous, allowing 7 runs (only 2 earned thanks to a couple of errors, but make no mistake -- Randy got shelled. Almost every ball put in play was a rocket).
[Side note, speaking of errors: Everybody get off Melky's back. First, Sheffield is no Roberto Clemente out there, and second, everyone in the ballpark and the annoucers thought Cano had that popup all the way.]
But it's one game. No biggie. Because it's Boston (gasp! organ music swells ominously) everyone needs to make it a big deal. The much more troubling aspect of last night's loss is . . .
Randy goes for MRI
Randy had an MRI today on his shoulder. Apparently this was the team's idea. Joe Torre and Brian Cashman discussed the results of the MRI ealirer today a physician.
Dr. Goniff: As you asked, I administered an MRI to Mr. Johnson and also gave him a complete physical. The results are not necessarily bad, but somewhat surprising.
Torre: What?
Dr. Goniff: Well, Mr, Johnson is in fairly good physical shape for someone his age. . . .
Cashman: Yeah, we know 42 is old for a pitcher.
Dr. Goniff: (surprised) 42? Mr. Johnson is 74 years old, gentlemen.
Torre and Cashman: What the hell?
Dr. Goniff: Yes. That's my best estimate of his age.
Cashman: (on cell phone) Betty, I need you to pull out a copy of Randy's contract immediately. Look at Section 14.b.1 -- "Breach by Fraud."
Dr. Goniff: Anyway, as I was saying . . . he's in pretty good health, but he really should lose some weight, he probably drinks a litle more than is totally healthy, and his knees are in very bad shape.
Cashman: (still on phone) I'm going to fry this fukcer . . . 74 years old. What does it say in there? Can we recover all the money or just a pro-rated portion?
Torre: Wait a second, Doc. Do me a favor. Can you describe "Mr. Johnson" for me?
Dr. Goniff: (thinking) Hmmmmm, yes. Short, pudgy, very short stubbly white hair, mostly bald on top. Somewhat abrasive personality. Didn't seem to know why he was here. Said a tall guy gave him $500 and carfare to Belmont in exchange for coming to see me.
Torre: (reaching into his wallet and pulling out a picture of Don Zimmer) Is this the guy, Doc?
Dr. Goniff: Yes! That's him!
(Cashman hangs up the phone abruptly)
Torre and Cashman (in unison) FUCK!!!!!
(Cashman dials the phone again)
Torre: Ummmm, thanks, Doc. We've gotta go.
Cashman: (on the phone) I don't care where the hell he is! I want him in my office in ten minutes!
Monday, May 08, 2006
Sweep! One-month Review
Yankees 6, Rangers 1 (Sat.)
Yankees 8, Rangers 5 (Sun.)
The Yankees completed the sweep yesterday, good outings by Chacon and Wang making Torre's brutal managing Friday night a non-factor. Now it's an off day, and the Boston comes to New York for three games starting tomorrow night.
Three more games vs. Boston of the schedule. Yay. Personally, I wish the Yankees could play the 19 games against Boston and the six vs. the Mets all at once at the beginning of the season, and leave 137 games to concentrate on baseball. But anyway, it should be a fun series. Randy was 5-0 vs Boston last year; he'll have to pick up his game if he's going to continue that dominance Tuesday.
The One-month performance reivew
It's a month and change into the season, so it's a good time to take stock of the Yankees' performance so far.
First, the bottom line: Results. In first place (percentage points ahead of Boston). Recall last year at this time the Yankees were 11-19.
Some stats:
Team BA: .290 (3rd in AL)
Runs: 183 (2nd in AL)
On-base: .388 (1st in AL)
Slugging: .466 (4th in AL)
ERA: 3.76 (2nd in AL)
Fielding pct.: .989 (4th in AL)
DER: .7193 (4th in AL) (DER is an important but often-overlooked stat that tells a lot more than a team's fielding percentage. DER is a measure of the percentage of balls put in play (not including home runs) that a team turns into outs. For the 2005 season the Yankees ranked 10th in this category in the AL.)
And a few stats that are not quite as big a deal, but are important to this particular team.
--Yankees lead the AL in sacrifice bunts.
--Yankees are 5th in stolen bases in the AL.
I mention those last two not becasue I love sacrificing and stealing so much, but becasue last year's team was often criticized for not playing "small ball" when the situation seemed to call for it, being too home-run reliant, too big-inning reliant.
So overall, the hitting is good (and pretty well-distrubuted -- the Yankees scored 8 runs yesterday with nothing from Damon or Jeter). No surprise there -- this team will score plenty of runs. And while it's not necessairly a conscious small ball approach, I do notice the team picking up the "cheap" runs -- the RBI groundouts, etc. And that's a good sign.
The starting pitching has been pretty decent, even with Randy's uneven start. Mussina looks like a young man again, Chacon and Wright have been surprisingly good thus far, and Wang has been good enough, most starts.
The bullpen is . . . OK. Proctor a nice surprise, Mariano still seems to be struggling to find his form. Meyers has been generally good. But please, Joe, please -- the love affair with Sturtze must end, and end now. Does he have pictures of you in some compromising position?
So overall, not a bad first month. Lost a couple they shoudl've won, won a couple they should've lost. It's all good.
Yankees 8, Rangers 5 (Sun.)
The Yankees completed the sweep yesterday, good outings by Chacon and Wang making Torre's brutal managing Friday night a non-factor. Now it's an off day, and the Boston comes to New York for three games starting tomorrow night.
Three more games vs. Boston of the schedule. Yay. Personally, I wish the Yankees could play the 19 games against Boston and the six vs. the Mets all at once at the beginning of the season, and leave 137 games to concentrate on baseball. But anyway, it should be a fun series. Randy was 5-0 vs Boston last year; he'll have to pick up his game if he's going to continue that dominance Tuesday.
The One-month performance reivew
It's a month and change into the season, so it's a good time to take stock of the Yankees' performance so far.
First, the bottom line: Results. In first place (percentage points ahead of Boston). Recall last year at this time the Yankees were 11-19.
Some stats:
Team BA: .290 (3rd in AL)
Runs: 183 (2nd in AL)
On-base: .388 (1st in AL)
Slugging: .466 (4th in AL)
ERA: 3.76 (2nd in AL)
Fielding pct.: .989 (4th in AL)
DER: .7193 (4th in AL) (DER is an important but often-overlooked stat that tells a lot more than a team's fielding percentage. DER is a measure of the percentage of balls put in play (not including home runs) that a team turns into outs. For the 2005 season the Yankees ranked 10th in this category in the AL.)
And a few stats that are not quite as big a deal, but are important to this particular team.
--Yankees lead the AL in sacrifice bunts.
--Yankees are 5th in stolen bases in the AL.
I mention those last two not becasue I love sacrificing and stealing so much, but becasue last year's team was often criticized for not playing "small ball" when the situation seemed to call for it, being too home-run reliant, too big-inning reliant.
So overall, the hitting is good (and pretty well-distrubuted -- the Yankees scored 8 runs yesterday with nothing from Damon or Jeter). No surprise there -- this team will score plenty of runs. And while it's not necessairly a conscious small ball approach, I do notice the team picking up the "cheap" runs -- the RBI groundouts, etc. And that's a good sign.
The starting pitching has been pretty decent, even with Randy's uneven start. Mussina looks like a young man again, Chacon and Wright have been surprisingly good thus far, and Wang has been good enough, most starts.
The bullpen is . . . OK. Proctor a nice surprise, Mariano still seems to be struggling to find his form. Meyers has been generally good. But please, Joe, please -- the love affair with Sturtze must end, and end now. Does he have pictures of you in some compromising position?
So overall, not a bad first month. Lost a couple they shoudl've won, won a couple they should've lost. It's all good.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
The Texas Bullpen Massacre (Almost)
Yankees 8, Rangers 7
A thriller that should never have been. After seven innings, Mussina is cruising. He's leading 8-1, having pitched 7 innings, two hits, 85 pitches. 85.
Mussina gives up a single leading off the 8th. Panic Joe pulls him.
Small comes in. Single. Single. 8-2.
Fielder's choice. One out. 8-3.
Single.
Farnsworth comes in.
Single. Bases loaded.
Strikeout. Two outs.
Walk. 8-4. Tying run to the plate. Having managed the game into a save situation, Panic Joe now can use Maraino. Awesome. In a game that was 8-1 before you decided to pour sugar in the gas tank.
Single. 8-6.
Single. 8-7. 8 to freaking 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HBP. Bases loaded.
Fielder's choice. Inning over. Christ.
Mariano gets through the bottom of the 9th and the Yankees escape with the win.
Normally, I can at least understand a manager's thinking. But Torre's moves here are indefensible.
Mussina doesn't need the extra rest. You've got two more games this weekend against a good-hitting team in a bandbox. When you get a dominating performance out of a starter, ride it. At 85 pitches Mussina might easily have pitched 8 innings, or even (gasp!) a complete game. There's no thought that you might need some length out of your bullpen tonight, or Sunday, or both? Did the leadoff single in the eighth scare you that much? Small needed the work, you think? Trust Me, he'll get it, with two more games against Texas and then Boston coming to town for three starting Tuesday.
A lucky, lucky win.
Chacon and Wang need to provide some length today and Sunday, and the bats need to keep producing. Mariano shouldn't pitch tonight, neither should Farnsworth. Thank goodness Monday's an off day.
A thriller that should never have been. After seven innings, Mussina is cruising. He's leading 8-1, having pitched 7 innings, two hits, 85 pitches. 85.
Mussina gives up a single leading off the 8th. Panic Joe pulls him.
Small comes in. Single. Single. 8-2.
Fielder's choice. One out. 8-3.
Single.
Farnsworth comes in.
Single. Bases loaded.
Strikeout. Two outs.
Walk. 8-4. Tying run to the plate. Having managed the game into a save situation, Panic Joe now can use Maraino. Awesome. In a game that was 8-1 before you decided to pour sugar in the gas tank.
Single. 8-6.
Single. 8-7. 8 to freaking 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HBP. Bases loaded.
Fielder's choice. Inning over. Christ.
Mariano gets through the bottom of the 9th and the Yankees escape with the win.
Normally, I can at least understand a manager's thinking. But Torre's moves here are indefensible.
Mussina doesn't need the extra rest. You've got two more games this weekend against a good-hitting team in a bandbox. When you get a dominating performance out of a starter, ride it. At 85 pitches Mussina might easily have pitched 8 innings, or even (gasp!) a complete game. There's no thought that you might need some length out of your bullpen tonight, or Sunday, or both? Did the leadoff single in the eighth scare you that much? Small needed the work, you think? Trust Me, he'll get it, with two more games against Texas and then Boston coming to town for three starting Tuesday.
A lucky, lucky win.
Chacon and Wang need to provide some length today and Sunday, and the bats need to keep producing. Mariano shouldn't pitch tonight, neither should Farnsworth. Thank goodness Monday's an off day.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Extra Inning Win; Too Many Starters?
Yankees 4, Devil Rays 2 (10)
Another nice start by Wright. Thankfully, the Yankee bats woke up enough, tied it in the middle innings and then won it in the 10th. Farnsworth outstanding again. Mariano seems to have gotten it together after some hiccups early on. Nice to see A-Rod get a hit in a big spot.
But why can't this team score about 19 runs against the likes of Casey Fossum? Casey Freaking Fossum. What the hell happens here? Any bum who puts on a Devil Rays uniform magically is able to pitch well against the Yankees but against no one else? These guys got their 7+ ERAs somewhere.
Shawn Chacon was supposed to pitch Tuesday night in Boston, but got rained out. He got skipped last night in Tampa. Chacon discussed the situation with his manager before yesterday's game.
Chacon: Feeling strong, Skip. I'm going to mow them down tonight.
Torre: Umm . . . Shawn, you're not starting tonight. Jaret is.
Chacon: But it's my turn.
Torre: Err, no. Last night was your turn.
Chacon: We were rained out last night.
Torre: Right.
(uneasy silence)
Chacon: Soooooo . . . am I pitching tomorrow night then?
Torre: No. Tomorrow is Randys turn.
Chacon (scratching head): Oh. Am I pitching Friday night?
Torre (incredulous): Are you kidding? Bump Mussina from his turn? I may be crazy but I'm not stupid.
Chacon: So, um . . . everyone gets to pitch when it's their turn except me?
Torre: You got your turn.
Chacon (expasperated): We were rained out!
Torre: (triumphantly): Yes!!! Finally you've got it!
(At this point ptiching coach Ron Guidry happens by the office)
Guidry: Ready to shine tonight, Shawn?
Chacaon: I'm not pitching tonight, Gator. I'm not sure but it's either Wright, unless there's a freak rainstorm in the Dome tonight, in which case Sean Henn gets called up to pitch Thursday, everyone gets moved back two days, and I'm pencilled in to start on June 11th.
(Chacon stomps out of the office)
Guiudry: I think Chacon should pitch tonight, Skip.
Torre (reaching for the Rolaids): Unnnnngggghhhhhhhh . . .
Another nice start by Wright. Thankfully, the Yankee bats woke up enough, tied it in the middle innings and then won it in the 10th. Farnsworth outstanding again. Mariano seems to have gotten it together after some hiccups early on. Nice to see A-Rod get a hit in a big spot.
But why can't this team score about 19 runs against the likes of Casey Fossum? Casey Freaking Fossum. What the hell happens here? Any bum who puts on a Devil Rays uniform magically is able to pitch well against the Yankees but against no one else? These guys got their 7+ ERAs somewhere.
Shawn Chacon was supposed to pitch Tuesday night in Boston, but got rained out. He got skipped last night in Tampa. Chacon discussed the situation with his manager before yesterday's game.
Chacon: Feeling strong, Skip. I'm going to mow them down tonight.
Torre: Umm . . . Shawn, you're not starting tonight. Jaret is.
Chacon: But it's my turn.
Torre: Err, no. Last night was your turn.
Chacon: We were rained out last night.
Torre: Right.
(uneasy silence)
Chacon: Soooooo . . . am I pitching tomorrow night then?
Torre: No. Tomorrow is Randys turn.
Chacon (scratching head): Oh. Am I pitching Friday night?
Torre (incredulous): Are you kidding? Bump Mussina from his turn? I may be crazy but I'm not stupid.
Chacon: So, um . . . everyone gets to pitch when it's their turn except me?
Torre: You got your turn.
Chacon (expasperated): We were rained out!
Torre: (triumphantly): Yes!!! Finally you've got it!
(At this point ptiching coach Ron Guidry happens by the office)
Guidry: Ready to shine tonight, Shawn?
Chacaon: I'm not pitching tonight, Gator. I'm not sure but it's either Wright, unless there's a freak rainstorm in the Dome tonight, in which case Sean Henn gets called up to pitch Thursday, everyone gets moved back two days, and I'm pencilled in to start on June 11th.
(Chacon stomps out of the office)
Guiudry: I think Chacon should pitch tonight, Skip.
Torre (reaching for the Rolaids): Unnnnngggghhhhhhhh . . .
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