It was troubling to hear the boos rain down on Tex at the Stadium tonight. I haven't mentioned him recently for a reason: his slow start is NOTHING to be concerned about.
Maybe I'm wrong and they'll find that he is pressing or that his sore wrist is seriously affecting his swing. But more likely, Tex is just having himself a slow start. Simple as that. I really don't like to pass judgement on gifted, proven experts at the game like Mark Teixeira until at least the end of May. If he hasn't raised his average to at least .250, and performed well in a few clutch spots by that time, THEN fans can complain.
But for now they need to stop it. After all, he's only human, and he seems like a decent guy who is still adjusting to the new environment. Trust me, he hears the boos and he will be negatively affected by them, just like anyone else, including Arod, who is surely going to endure his share of boos as the season unfolds and he starts tanking under pressure, as is his habit.
I should add that paying money to go to a game and then booing one's own team is very uncool, not to mention stupid. Athletes may rarely acknowledge it, but home "field" advantage should be re-named: "home crowd advantage". That's because it's the fans support that creates the advantage, literally MAKING the athletes play better. When fans boo it negates that advantage, emboldens the other team, and makes it less likely that the athlete will perform better in the immediate future. I'll go into more detail about this topic at another time, but fans who like to boo should go read a book on mental toughness for athletes to understand why their support is so important, and why booing is so counter-productive.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Swat! (Yanks 7, Angels 4)
There's a famous scene in Die Hard when Bruce Willis, talking trash to the terrorists over a two-way radio, says "I'm the fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass!" And later in his discourse with the main antagonist, "Yippy Ki-Ay, motherf**ker!"
Well, in the American League, the fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass, is the Anaheim Angels. They bring in little young pitchers that nobody ever has seen before, they pitch their little hearts out, and the speedsters up and down the line-up slap-hit and bloop their way onto base. And then they really get annoying. At every conceivable opportunity they stretch singles into doubles, steal bases, sacrifice and hit behind runners, and generally do all sorts of obnoxious things to make seemingly every game at least somewhat competitive. They also play exceptional defense.
But finally in the 8th inning it was the Yankees who cried, "Yippy Ki-Ay, motherf**ker!". Once again it was Melky with the big hit, driving in Cano (who moments before had extended his hitting streak to 17 games), and swatting the pesky Angels for another day. The Stadium will be...infested with Angels for three more days, though, so the Yankees have more work to do. Let's hope Pettitte ("The Exterminator"?) does the job.
A defining at bat
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, the Tigers had already scored a run and led 1-0. Joba seemed to be struggling with his control. Eiland had already been to the mound. And Miguel Cabrera, a former batting champion with power, a .380 hitter right now, a .444 hitter with the bases loaded, with two grand slams on his resume, a hulking, looming presence, stepped to the plate. This was a major confrontation.
Joba's first pitch was a change-up, floating over the outside corner for strike one. With a violent swing Cabrera fouled the next pitch straight back. Two pitches later the count was 2-2, but Cabrera seemed to be off-balance, looking uncomfortable with his check swing against a very nasty slider. In complete control, Joba looped a wicked curve over the plate that sunk from waist level to the feet. Cabrera swung mightily but caught only air. Strike three.
It kind of reminded me of the performances Wang used to have against David Ortiz. I've seen at bats where Wang simply owned him just like this, going inside and outside, making Ortiz look helpless, with Girardi in the announcer's booth, crowing, "rock the boat, back and forth, back and forth, and out."
Joba's first pitch was a change-up, floating over the outside corner for strike one. With a violent swing Cabrera fouled the next pitch straight back. Two pitches later the count was 2-2, but Cabrera seemed to be off-balance, looking uncomfortable with his check swing against a very nasty slider. In complete control, Joba looped a wicked curve over the plate that sunk from waist level to the feet. Cabrera swung mightily but caught only air. Strike three.
It kind of reminded me of the performances Wang used to have against David Ortiz. I've seen at bats where Wang simply owned him just like this, going inside and outside, making Ortiz look helpless, with Girardi in the announcer's booth, crowing, "rock the boat, back and forth, back and forth, and out."
Nice Joba (Yanks 8, Tigers 6)
Here's what Joba had to say about his performance:
“After the third inning, I said, `Enough is enough.’ They’ve got a great lineup and I knew I had to get things under control, so I really started to attack.”
He didn't go into detail, but CC Sabathia has said the same thing. Both pitchers have publicly stated that they weren't pitching aggressively enough, and since those statements, they have performed well. I also noticed that while Dave Eiland was on the mound jabbering at Joba, the pitcher kept his eye on Posada, as if to silently ask, "Do you approve of what this guy is saying? Why don't we just do our own thing?".
I suspect that Eiland maybe be starting to lose control of his pitchers. And he really needs sunglasses. The cameras too often have caught him in the dugout with glazed eyes, staring blankly, betraying an empty mind, whenever something goes wrong. He appears unsure of himself, something the players have to have picked up on. Eiland might do well to try and gain control, but if he has nothing of substance to offer then the players will ignore him.
Of course, this is only a hunch. I might be missing something important here. But I know baseball and I have experience with leadership, and watching Eiland and his interactions with the players makes me uncomfortable.
With that out of the way, congratulations to the Yankees for utterly thrashing Detroit in the last two games. Cano has now hit in 16 straight games, Swisher, Melky, Matsui, Damon, Jeter, and Cano are off to excellent starts, and they're getting decent pitching performances. They have sufficiently bounced back from last weekend, and if I'm the Angels maybe all I can hope for is to escape the Bronx with a 2-2 split.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A dark day
Today marks the first year ever that both my favorite hockey and basketball teams, the Devils and the Spurs, ended their seasons on the same evening. A lot has changed since 2003, a glorious year in which both teams won championships. And of course, that was the year of Aaron Boone, whose home run felt even better.
An 11-0 throttling by the Yankees did take the edge off, though.
An 11-0 throttling by the Yankees did take the edge off, though.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Domination (Yanks 11, Tigers 0)
By domination, I'm not referring to the Yankees over the Tigers. This game was 0-0 until the 7th, when the Tiger's bullpen came in and got smoked.
No, I'm talking about Phil Hughes, Robinson Cano, and Jose Molina.
Hughes carved up the powerful Tigers lineup, giving up just two hits and two walks in 6 scoreless innings. On one pitch he can blow fastballs past the skilled bats of the Tigers power hitters, on the next his curveballs cartoonishly spiral around the strike zone, freezing hitters and forcing them to flail helplessly, with only a dim hope of getting a piece of the ball. Great start from Mr. Hughes today, and we'll be looking for something similar next time he takes the mound.
And then there's Cano. He is utterly dominant right now. Let's look at the pitchers he has smacked around for the last two weeks and counting:
Gil Meche
Scott Kazmir
Andy Sonnanstine
Cliff Lee
Francisco Carmona
Josh Beckett
Hideki Okajima
Justin Masterson
Justin Verlander
Edwin Jackson
That's an all star lineup of top pitchers that Cano has owned.
Jose Molina might have had more impact on the game than anyone else. With him behind the plate, Hughes looked comfortable and confident. Molina looked comfortable and confident too, when he crushed that grand slam into the Detroit night.
Yankee baseball.
Monday, April 27, 2009
2002
It's been well established that Tyler Kepner strongly dislikes the Yankees. That's too bad, since he's the Yankees beat writer for the city's top newspaper, the NY Times.
Interestingly, Kepner came to be the beat writer for the Yankees in the same year, 2002, that the NY Times bought a share of the Boston Red Sox, which was also the same year, 2002, that Boston changed its front office. Which was also the same year, 2002, that Buster Olney, the Pulitzer prize nominated Yankees beat writer for the Times throughout the championship years, left the paper. His reason:
"I didn't like the direction that the sports section was headed."
It's becoming clear that Tyler Kepner was hired to promote the Red Sox and disparage the Yankees, as part of a larger propaganda attack put together by the Red Sox front office. It was the same year, 2002, the new front office called the Yankees "evil" and Steinbrenner "unbelievable", language that is extremely unusual and unfitting of professionals in their position. It's the same year, 2002, George Mitchell was hired as a "director" for the Red Sox. We all know what that led to: his irresponsible 2006 "Mitchell Report", in which he named as steroid users as many Yankees as he could find from the great teams of the late 90's. Of course, he left out any recognizable names from any Red Sox teams. He then justified this by saying, in small print at the end of his propaganda attack:
"Baseball does not need and cannot afford to engage in a never-ending search for the name of every player who ever used performance enhancing substances."
Whipped up into a frenzy of rage, 2002 was the same year things started getting really ugly in Boston, in Fenway park, and on the field, most of it instigated by the Red Sox. Pedro began threatening Yankee players, pointing at his head while throwing at their hands and under the chin, sometimes injuring them, and finally throwing down Don Zimmer. Sox fans assaulted Yankee pitchers in the bullpen, and Sheffield's assailant was stripped of his season tickets. The list of hate-inspired attacks goes on and on.
This is the real story of the Boston Red Sox since 2002. In that year there was a management and ownership transition that began the most disgraceful crusade to win at all costs coupled with a pathetic propaganda war, of which Tyler Kepner is an integral part, that I've ever seen in American sports. And it's why, when Aaron Boone punished the Red Sox once more for their behavior, Yankee fans cheered extra loud and laughed extra hard because it meant one thing to us: Justice.
I've said what needed to be said. That is all.
Interestingly, Kepner came to be the beat writer for the Yankees in the same year, 2002, that the NY Times bought a share of the Boston Red Sox, which was also the same year, 2002, that Boston changed its front office. Which was also the same year, 2002, that Buster Olney, the Pulitzer prize nominated Yankees beat writer for the Times throughout the championship years, left the paper. His reason:
"I didn't like the direction that the sports section was headed."
It's becoming clear that Tyler Kepner was hired to promote the Red Sox and disparage the Yankees, as part of a larger propaganda attack put together by the Red Sox front office. It was the same year, 2002, the new front office called the Yankees "evil" and Steinbrenner "unbelievable", language that is extremely unusual and unfitting of professionals in their position. It's the same year, 2002, George Mitchell was hired as a "director" for the Red Sox. We all know what that led to: his irresponsible 2006 "Mitchell Report", in which he named as steroid users as many Yankees as he could find from the great teams of the late 90's. Of course, he left out any recognizable names from any Red Sox teams. He then justified this by saying, in small print at the end of his propaganda attack:
"Baseball does not need and cannot afford to engage in a never-ending search for the name of every player who ever used performance enhancing substances."
Whipped up into a frenzy of rage, 2002 was the same year things started getting really ugly in Boston, in Fenway park, and on the field, most of it instigated by the Red Sox. Pedro began threatening Yankee players, pointing at his head while throwing at their hands and under the chin, sometimes injuring them, and finally throwing down Don Zimmer. Sox fans assaulted Yankee pitchers in the bullpen, and Sheffield's assailant was stripped of his season tickets. The list of hate-inspired attacks goes on and on.
This is the real story of the Boston Red Sox since 2002. In that year there was a management and ownership transition that began the most disgraceful crusade to win at all costs coupled with a pathetic propaganda war, of which Tyler Kepner is an integral part, that I've ever seen in American sports. And it's why, when Aaron Boone punished the Red Sox once more for their behavior, Yankee fans cheered extra loud and laughed extra hard because it meant one thing to us: Justice.
I've said what needed to be said. That is all.
Good News and Bad News (Tigers 4, Yanks 2)
Let's start with the bad news and get it out of the way.
The Yankees need to win some games now. Spirits must be low after the Fenway debacle, and so they need to bounce back. But that did not happen today, and this time it wasn't the pitching.
Johnny Damon might be hurting, but he was 0 for 4 and left several men on. This on the same day that Pena gets two hits...I don't like that one bit. The Yankees distributed hits throughout the game but could not put together enough consecutive hits in the same inning. Verlander pitched his heart out, and most importantly, he didn't walk anyone. And now the Yankees are 9-10. They need to win games, and win them right now because the team needs a lift, and because these games will haunt the Yankees in September.
That said, let's get to the good news. CC Sabathia had his best start, after commiting himself to throwing strikes and getting ahead (novel ideas). I'm guessing this is a departure from whatever strategy Eiland is recommending. CC is a pro and he knows how to pitch. He'll follow in the footsteps of Burnett and Pettitte and do as he likes, thank you very much, Dave Eiland. Let's hope Chamberlain does the same.
But there's more. Robinson Cano is crushing almost every pitcher he faces. Usually he does this in August, not April. He's got a 14 game hitting streak going with no signs of letting up. He is also taking more pitches than in years past. Good for him, and we'll be pleased to see him in the all star game, hopefully as the starter.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
A developing country (Red Sox 4, Yanks 1)
What a fiasco. The Yankees have been swept at Fenway. Let's get to the bottom of this:
1. The Red Sox are a hot team that are playing better than the Yankees right now.
2. The Yankees were missing Brian Bruney.
3. The Yankees were missing Nady, Arod, and even Ransom.
4. The Red Sox were also missing players, but their hitters performed in the clutch, while the Yankees hitters, especially the hitters at the bottom of the order, did not. Some of the Red Sox are putting up unsustainable numbers right now, and the Yankees were caught in the middle of it.
5. The officiating tended to favor the Red Sox, which they took advantage of.
6. Had Mariano not missed his spot, the Yankees win the first game. But give credit to Jason Bay. And give credit to the Red Sox for actually looking like the better team on the field in this rivalry, for the first time since the early 90's.
But I'm choosing my words carefully. They "look like" the better team "now". That's all. They might also "look like" the better team in the future, but not be. The Yankees will play better at home, while the Sox will play worse. The Yankees will reach 1,000 wins against the Red Sox this year, a great milestone in their grand tradition of humiliating them.
As for the fans, "Red Sox Nation", whatever that is, is clearly still a developing country. It's primitive neanderthal fans, dirty, drunken, chanting vulgar slurs in unison loud enough for the cameras to hear, but slurs not clean enough for newspapers to print, were at their ugliest in this series, which was to be expected. They have no real experience with winning, no understanding of what it means to have a good team, and their vile, pathetic hatred of the Yankees only continues to show that they still view themselves as inferior. And so they are. As the Arabs march and chant their slurs about America as the "Great Satan", so too do Red Sox fans, envious of our success, humiliated by their long tradition of defeat, turn to hate. I should pity them, but I'm not that nice of a person.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
When it all began
The Red Sox whining about losing Contreras, while every unprofessional, stupid thing they said was gleefully trumpeted by the NY Times...a minority shareholder in the Boston Red Sox. Absolutely pathetic. And this is how it all got started, all the vile hatred we see from Red Sox fans today can be traced back to this moment.
And by the way, Larry Lucchino isn't the first to use the phrase "evil empire". The phrase was never even uttered in any Star Wars film. No, "evil empire" was coined by Ronald Reagan when he referred to the Soviets. Guess that kind of undermines the whole argument for the Red Sox as being the more liberal team. That and the racism thing.
And by the way, Larry Lucchino isn't the first to use the phrase "evil empire". The phrase was never even uttered in any Star Wars film. No, "evil empire" was coined by Ronald Reagan when he referred to the Soviets. Guess that kind of undermines the whole argument for the Red Sox as being the more liberal team. That and the racism thing.
Pitching woes (Red Sox 16, Yanks 11)
When your pitching staff can't hold a six run lead, it's a major problem. It doesn't matter that the Red Sox are hot right now. Six runs is not an acceptable lead to blow. Someone needs to point out the problem and provide solutions, otherwise this is going to be a very long season.
Oh, and let me give my opinion: Dave Eiland is the problem. Fire him and start building a competent pitching staff again.
By the way, the Sox seem to be firing on all cylinders right now, while the Yanks aren't healthy. Throw poor pitching and poor pitching coaching into the mix, and you have baseball games that are TOTALLY bizarre and TOTALLY unpredictable. That's the nature of this rivalry, I guess.
Wake up
Araton says "the fans" are keeping "the rivalry" alive more than the players:
Sadly, he misses the point because he doesn't understand just "who" is trying to keep "what" alive.
Araton says Fenway "erupted in a fury" after Bay's home run. That's a creative way to say "Sox fans started chanting 'Yankees Suck' in their moment of triumph". Surely this was the moment that prompted Araton to write his column. But he's not acknowledging reality, let alone getting to the bottom of it, as I did in my last post. Isn't he curious about why Sox fans would react to Bay's home run with "fury"?
What Araton doesn't understand is that "the fans", at least last night, were not Yankee fans. They were Red Sox fans. And it wasn't "the rivalry" they were trying to keep alive. It was hate. The rivalry will always be there, but we all have a choice for it to be friendly or otherwise. And the Red Sox fans chose hate instead, as they always have, even when they're winning. THAT is the story of the game last night, Mr. Araton. Wake up.
Sadly, he misses the point because he doesn't understand just "who" is trying to keep "what" alive.
Araton says Fenway "erupted in a fury" after Bay's home run. That's a creative way to say "Sox fans started chanting 'Yankees Suck' in their moment of triumph". Surely this was the moment that prompted Araton to write his column. But he's not acknowledging reality, let alone getting to the bottom of it, as I did in my last post. Isn't he curious about why Sox fans would react to Bay's home run with "fury"?
What Araton doesn't understand is that "the fans", at least last night, were not Yankee fans. They were Red Sox fans. And it wasn't "the rivalry" they were trying to keep alive. It was hate. The rivalry will always be there, but we all have a choice for it to be friendly or otherwise. And the Red Sox fans chose hate instead, as they always have, even when they're winning. THAT is the story of the game last night, Mr. Araton. Wake up.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Ugliness at Fenway (Red Sox 5, Yanks 4)
Just when you thought that these games would become watchable and respectful contests between two elite teams, just when you thought that Boston and its fans, after winning two world series and seeing the Yankees miss the playoffs last year, have finally gotten over decades of being destroyed on the baseball field, Boston showed its true colors once again.
For 9 innings the Yankees outplayed the Sox in every measurable category. And then Jason Bay, with his team down 4-2 and two outs in the bottom of the 9th, and a man on first, hit a heroic, courageous home run off of Mariano to tie the game.
The crowd erupted, the game was tied, and the rivalry was in full force. But then it happened again. Thousands of Red Sox fans began, not a "Jason Bay" chant, not an "MVP" chant, not a "Let's Go Red Sox" chant, not a positive and supportive chant, urging the team on to victory, something that would have been heard in EVERY OTHER STADIUM in the country, ESPECIALLY Yankee Stadium. No, what we heard, very clearly picked up by the TV microphones, was a full-throated chant from thousands of fans, "Yankees Suck".
Let's dissect this. We won't get into the vulgarity and unimaginativeness of the chant. After all, it's as simple an insult as one can think of, and it's incredibly vulgar too, because when you say someone "sucks" you imply that they "suck" a penis. So let's not talk about that too much. It's very, very vulgar.
Let's also ignore for the moment the fact this kind of viciousness focuses the opponent and makes them play better, while diminishing the achievements of one's own team. It adds insult to injury, marring a moment of triumph and elation, when rage should not even be a thought that comes to mind.
Let's talk instead about what it means. What it means is that Boston's fans do not know how to respond to winning. It means that they maybe mentally and emotionally conditioned to be unable to accept success. It means that even in the best of times, in incredibly dramatic and exciting moments of triumph, Boston's fans cannot derive real pleasure or inspiration. They refuse to give their own team the credit, choosing instead to ridicule the other team for supposedly playing badly, as if they can't believe that the Red Sox could win in any other way.
It shows that still for Boston fans this rivalry is not about baseball. It's about their pride being permanently damaged by years of domination by a superior team and a superior organization, coming from a richer, more powerful city so close to them. It's about the fact that many of them seem to have gone mad from losing so consistently for so long. It means a culture of losing and self-loathing is branded into these people. And it means that until they get over it, the Yankees will continue to punish them.
Boston fans won't get over it, though, because they and the team have never taken responsibility for their ineptitude. They think they lose because of a curse. No, they lost because they failed to integrate their team, and for a long time many top black players found other, more friendly organizations to play for, rather than the notoriously racist Red Sox. To put it in perspective, how many black players have the Sox sent to the hall of fame? Only Jim Rice? They lost in 1986 not because of Bull Buckner, but because the Mets that year were one of the most dominant baseball teams of all time. They displayed amazing courage and poise under pressure in that 6th game, in which they came back with a two out rally that was only capped by Buckner's gaffe. They lost to the Yankees for so long not because of bad luck, but because the 1998-2001 Yankees were the best ever, a special team of special players that no Red Sox team could ever hope to duplicate. And they lost because of Fenway Park. How many elite players have shied away from playing at that ballpark? If you had the choice would you work in a beautiful new office or a 100 year old dump? And how much potential revenue have the Red Sox forfeited because their park is too small, revenue that could have been spent signing contracts to elite players, just so fans and management can indulge in some fantasy that Fenway has some importance or history behind it, an imagined tradition that simply must be sustained? The only tradition I saw today, indeed the only baseball tradition that exists in Boston...is a tradition of losing, making excuses for it, and then seething with hate.
I hope the Yankees punish Boston and their fans once again for their behavior. Of course, they've done it many times before.
In the clip, there's a reason the guy holding the camera says, "The good Lord is a Yankee fan." It's because, at the time, Aaron Boone's home run meant one thing to Yankee fans: Justice.
For 9 innings the Yankees outplayed the Sox in every measurable category. And then Jason Bay, with his team down 4-2 and two outs in the bottom of the 9th, and a man on first, hit a heroic, courageous home run off of Mariano to tie the game.
The crowd erupted, the game was tied, and the rivalry was in full force. But then it happened again. Thousands of Red Sox fans began, not a "Jason Bay" chant, not an "MVP" chant, not a "Let's Go Red Sox" chant, not a positive and supportive chant, urging the team on to victory, something that would have been heard in EVERY OTHER STADIUM in the country, ESPECIALLY Yankee Stadium. No, what we heard, very clearly picked up by the TV microphones, was a full-throated chant from thousands of fans, "Yankees Suck".
Let's dissect this. We won't get into the vulgarity and unimaginativeness of the chant. After all, it's as simple an insult as one can think of, and it's incredibly vulgar too, because when you say someone "sucks" you imply that they "suck" a penis. So let's not talk about that too much. It's very, very vulgar.
Let's also ignore for the moment the fact this kind of viciousness focuses the opponent and makes them play better, while diminishing the achievements of one's own team. It adds insult to injury, marring a moment of triumph and elation, when rage should not even be a thought that comes to mind.
Let's talk instead about what it means. What it means is that Boston's fans do not know how to respond to winning. It means that they maybe mentally and emotionally conditioned to be unable to accept success. It means that even in the best of times, in incredibly dramatic and exciting moments of triumph, Boston's fans cannot derive real pleasure or inspiration. They refuse to give their own team the credit, choosing instead to ridicule the other team for supposedly playing badly, as if they can't believe that the Red Sox could win in any other way.
It shows that still for Boston fans this rivalry is not about baseball. It's about their pride being permanently damaged by years of domination by a superior team and a superior organization, coming from a richer, more powerful city so close to them. It's about the fact that many of them seem to have gone mad from losing so consistently for so long. It means a culture of losing and self-loathing is branded into these people. And it means that until they get over it, the Yankees will continue to punish them.
Boston fans won't get over it, though, because they and the team have never taken responsibility for their ineptitude. They think they lose because of a curse. No, they lost because they failed to integrate their team, and for a long time many top black players found other, more friendly organizations to play for, rather than the notoriously racist Red Sox. To put it in perspective, how many black players have the Sox sent to the hall of fame? Only Jim Rice? They lost in 1986 not because of Bull Buckner, but because the Mets that year were one of the most dominant baseball teams of all time. They displayed amazing courage and poise under pressure in that 6th game, in which they came back with a two out rally that was only capped by Buckner's gaffe. They lost to the Yankees for so long not because of bad luck, but because the 1998-2001 Yankees were the best ever, a special team of special players that no Red Sox team could ever hope to duplicate. And they lost because of Fenway Park. How many elite players have shied away from playing at that ballpark? If you had the choice would you work in a beautiful new office or a 100 year old dump? And how much potential revenue have the Red Sox forfeited because their park is too small, revenue that could have been spent signing contracts to elite players, just so fans and management can indulge in some fantasy that Fenway has some importance or history behind it, an imagined tradition that simply must be sustained? The only tradition I saw today, indeed the only baseball tradition that exists in Boston...is a tradition of losing, making excuses for it, and then seething with hate.
I hope the Yankees punish Boston and their fans once again for their behavior. Of course, they've done it many times before.
In the clip, there's a reason the guy holding the camera says, "The good Lord is a Yankee fan." It's because, at the time, Aaron Boone's home run meant one thing to Yankee fans: Justice.
Play Ball
Yanks-Red Sox starts tonight at Fenway. Since the Sox started having some success, the rivalry has gone from nuclear to simply seething. Let's see how badly behaved the Red Sox are tomorrow, and how the Yankees respond to it. Questions might be:
How many base runners will run into fielders unnecessarily? One never knows which Red Sox player will be looking to make a crowd-pleasing hit.
How many hitters will mean mug the Yankee pitchers for throwing too close to them? The Sox are notoriously thin-skinned about inside pitches, and like to whip the Fenway faithful into a frenzy of indignation whenever possible by acting victimized.
What nonsense can we expect from David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis? Sure, many of the weirdos from previous Red Sox teams are gone: Mueller, Pedro, Manny, and Schilling are history. But other Red Sox seem to be intent on carrying the shameful torch of poor sportsmanship and classlessness, to the delight of their neurotic fans.
I'd rather see Boston behave itself this weekend and for the rivalry to become more respectful. But I fear that's going to be too much to ask. Let's see tonight. The nice thing is, it brings out the best in the Yankees year after year. The Bombers sometimes seem bored with the 162 game schedule, and playing in Boston against these clowns can have a... focusing effect on them.
But enough talk. It's time to play ball.
How many base runners will run into fielders unnecessarily? One never knows which Red Sox player will be looking to make a crowd-pleasing hit.
How many hitters will mean mug the Yankee pitchers for throwing too close to them? The Sox are notoriously thin-skinned about inside pitches, and like to whip the Fenway faithful into a frenzy of indignation whenever possible by acting victimized.
What nonsense can we expect from David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis? Sure, many of the weirdos from previous Red Sox teams are gone: Mueller, Pedro, Manny, and Schilling are history. But other Red Sox seem to be intent on carrying the shameful torch of poor sportsmanship and classlessness, to the delight of their neurotic fans.
I'd rather see Boston behave itself this weekend and for the rivalry to become more respectful. But I fear that's going to be too much to ask. Let's see tonight. The nice thing is, it brings out the best in the Yankees year after year. The Bombers sometimes seem bored with the 162 game schedule, and playing in Boston against these clowns can have a... focusing effect on them.
But enough talk. It's time to play ball.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
26 home runs in 6 days
Jeter on the speculation about why 26 home runs have already been hit at the New Yankee Stadium.
"People are jumping the gun a little bit with how the ball is carrying here."
The captain has spoken, and it's clear he doesn't want to hear it anymore.
"People are jumping the gun a little bit with how the ball is carrying here."
The captain has spoken, and it's clear he doesn't want to hear it anymore.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Melk Man delivers (Yanks 9, A's 7)
I'd love to get to talking about the Red Sox, but this is a game that refused to be ignored:
Johnny Damon allowed a lazy pop fly to squirt out of his glove.
Jeter threw home to get a runner. But Posada had wandered away and the ball bounced stupidly towards the backstop.
Girardi, surely after consulting with Eiland, left an ineffective Sabathia in the game long enough for the $161 million man to almost get decapitated by a Holliday line drive. That's when the A's tied it.
With the bases loaded and one out, Melky swung at a ball over his head for strike 3.
An Oakland player spun and fell down as he struck out swinging.
Swisher tried to stretch a single into a double, but was tagged out after sliding and then rolling belly-up and past the base, legs splayed and flailing like a beetle.
Whether the errors were by the players or coaches, strategic or physical, this game had it all. It also had clutch hits and great plays by a collection of players. Most importantly, it was the Yankee bullpen, which must have felt a bit insulted by Girardi's reluctance to let them come in for Sabathia when it was clear he had nothing left, pitching 7 scoreless innings and opening the door for Melky Cabrera, the Melk Man, to deliver the goods in the bottom of the 14th.
All eyes on Eiland
I've been harshly critical of Mr. Eiland so far this year. We're only 13 games in and already I've had several posts devoted to his perceived shortcomings.
And I'm not done. Today we learned that Wang is leaving the team to "work out his mechanics" in Florida. That's not good. That's what the OFF SEASON is for. That's what SPRING TRAINING is for. That's what REHAB is for. You don't break up the rotation in the middle of April, especially with the Red Sox looming on the horizon.
The list is getting longer and longer: Hughes, Kennedy, Igawa, Wang, Chamberlain, and now CC Sabathia. All have experienced a decline in performance since Eiland took over. Coincidence?
And I'm not done. Today we learned that Wang is leaving the team to "work out his mechanics" in Florida. That's not good. That's what the OFF SEASON is for. That's what SPRING TRAINING is for. That's what REHAB is for. You don't break up the rotation in the middle of April, especially with the Red Sox looming on the horizon.
The list is getting longer and longer: Hughes, Kennedy, Igawa, Wang, Chamberlain, and now CC Sabathia. All have experienced a decline in performance since Eiland took over. Coincidence?
The Return of the Giambino (Yanks 5, A's 3)
The most interesting thing about today's game against the A's was just how much hair Jason Giambi was going to sport. And it seems that his years with the Yankees had sobered him up a bit.
Rather than returning to NY looking like a wild-eyed neanderthal, Giambi simply sported a stylish stubble. Good for him. I didn't see it but I'm sure he got a nice applause when he was introduced. For the Yankees he got on base all the time, hit plenty of home runs, and was a true clutch performer. We'll never forget his two home runs in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS that kept hope alive in perhaps the greatest game ever played at Yankee Stadium.
Oh, and Pettitte pitched the Yanks to victory today. One more game with the A's....and then the season really starts.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Fenway?
Why are we still playing in Fenway park?
Let's take a look at the rest of the league:
AL East:
The Blue Jays opened the Skydome in 1989. A revolutionary park.
The Yankees renovated in the mid-70's and opened New Yankee Stadium this year.
The Orioles have Camden Yards, the first of the retro parks, opened in the 90's.
The Rays are moving to a new ballpark in a few years.
AL Central:
The Tigers scrapped Tiger Stadium in 2000.
Chicago opened New Comiskey in the early 90's.
The Royals' stadium is ancient, built in the 60's.
The Twins are leaving the metrodome soon, which is actually a mistake because that ballpark was instrumental in their winning two World Series.
The Indians have Jacobs field, built in the 90's.
AL West:
The Mariners just moved from the Kingdome.
The A's are still at the Colosseum, an astoundingly old park, built in 1966.
The Rangers have a newish park, built in 1994.
The Angels have dinosaur, built in 1966.
NL East:
The Marlins are moving soon.
The Mets just opened a new stadium.
The Braves started playing in Turner Field in 1997.
The Phillies left the vet a few years ago.
The Nationals have their own new park.
NL Central:
St. Louis has a new park, opened in 2006.
Great American Ballpark replaced Riverfront as the Reds' home in 2003.
The Brewers have Miller Park, built in 2001.
The Astros have Enron, oh sorry Astros field, which replaced the famous Dome.
Pittsburg's PNC park opened in 2001.
NL West:
AT&T has a view of the San Francisco Bay, a far cry from dreary Candlestick.
The Diamondbacks started out with a new park in 1998.
The Padres have Petco, opened in 2004.
The Dodgers have the third oldest park in baseball, Dodgers Stadium, which was opened in 1962. Real old school by today's standards.
The Rockies moved to Coors field after a few years at Mile High.
That leaves two franchises who refuse to build new ballparks or even properly renovate their existing parks: The Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.
Wrigley Field symbolizes a long, colorful history of ineptitude. The Cubs blow up the baseballs from the big games they lose. I've got a better idea. Blow up Wrigley and move on with your lives!
As for the Red Sox, the same was true for them until recently (their history had less "color", though). Boston has a history of extended periods of excellence, despite the long drought. They held on with cramped, bizarrely constructed, quirky little Fenway until they finally won the big one (twice). However, now they still cling to it, with no plans to move on the horizon, as if they and the hapless Cubs know better than everyone else. But even for the Red Sox, it's time to move on.
The Yanks won't mind, though, if Fenway holds on a few decades more. We've got lots of fond memories there. To put it in perspective, last year, because the Yankees were forced to start three minor league pitchers in three consecutive days at Fenway, the Sox eked out their first 3-game sweep of the Bombers at Fenway since sweeping the 1990 last place Yankees there. So like I said, the Yankees have plenty of good memories at Fenway. But eventually, for both teams, memories take a back seat, and the future beckons, as in all areas of life.
Let's take a look at the rest of the league:
AL East:
The Blue Jays opened the Skydome in 1989. A revolutionary park.
The Yankees renovated in the mid-70's and opened New Yankee Stadium this year.
The Orioles have Camden Yards, the first of the retro parks, opened in the 90's.
The Rays are moving to a new ballpark in a few years.
AL Central:
The Tigers scrapped Tiger Stadium in 2000.
Chicago opened New Comiskey in the early 90's.
The Royals' stadium is ancient, built in the 60's.
The Twins are leaving the metrodome soon, which is actually a mistake because that ballpark was instrumental in their winning two World Series.
The Indians have Jacobs field, built in the 90's.
AL West:
The Mariners just moved from the Kingdome.
The A's are still at the Colosseum, an astoundingly old park, built in 1966.
The Rangers have a newish park, built in 1994.
The Angels have dinosaur, built in 1966.
NL East:
The Marlins are moving soon.
The Mets just opened a new stadium.
The Braves started playing in Turner Field in 1997.
The Phillies left the vet a few years ago.
The Nationals have their own new park.
NL Central:
St. Louis has a new park, opened in 2006.
Great American Ballpark replaced Riverfront as the Reds' home in 2003.
The Brewers have Miller Park, built in 2001.
The Astros have Enron, oh sorry Astros field, which replaced the famous Dome.
Pittsburg's PNC park opened in 2001.
NL West:
AT&T has a view of the San Francisco Bay, a far cry from dreary Candlestick.
The Diamondbacks started out with a new park in 1998.
The Padres have Petco, opened in 2004.
The Dodgers have the third oldest park in baseball, Dodgers Stadium, which was opened in 1962. Real old school by today's standards.
The Rockies moved to Coors field after a few years at Mile High.
That leaves two franchises who refuse to build new ballparks or even properly renovate their existing parks: The Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.
Wrigley Field symbolizes a long, colorful history of ineptitude. The Cubs blow up the baseballs from the big games they lose. I've got a better idea. Blow up Wrigley and move on with your lives!
As for the Red Sox, the same was true for them until recently (their history had less "color", though). Boston has a history of extended periods of excellence, despite the long drought. They held on with cramped, bizarrely constructed, quirky little Fenway until they finally won the big one (twice). However, now they still cling to it, with no plans to move on the horizon, as if they and the hapless Cubs know better than everyone else. But even for the Red Sox, it's time to move on.
The Yanks won't mind, though, if Fenway holds on a few decades more. We've got lots of fond memories there. To put it in perspective, last year, because the Yankees were forced to start three minor league pitchers in three consecutive days at Fenway, the Sox eked out their first 3-game sweep of the Bombers at Fenway since sweeping the 1990 last place Yankees there. So like I said, the Yankees have plenty of good memories at Fenway. But eventually, for both teams, memories take a back seat, and the future beckons, as in all areas of life.
"Oh, we beat them like 1,000 times."
I'll have a lot more to say about the Yankee-Red Sox rivaly in the coming days and months. But let's start with this heartwarming tidbit:
The Yankees are 993-778 against the Sox, a staggering number which includes an 11-8 postseason record (the "Bucky Dent" game counted as a regular season game) and 1,774 games played, according to wikipedia.
What this means is that by the end of this season the Yankees probably will have beaten the Red Sox literally 1,000 times.
Edit: Actually, this post seems to be innacurate. Wikipedia is wrong (of course, it was written by a Red Sox fan). The correct numbers are 1061-890. So they've beaten Boston well over 1,000 times. I think I'll walk with a bounce in my step for the rest of the day.
The Yankees are 993-778 against the Sox, a staggering number which includes an 11-8 postseason record (the "Bucky Dent" game counted as a regular season game) and 1,774 games played, according to wikipedia.
What this means is that by the end of this season the Yankees probably will have beaten the Red Sox literally 1,000 times.
Edit: Actually, this post seems to be innacurate. Wikipedia is wrong (of course, it was written by a Red Sox fan). The correct numbers are 1061-890. So they've beaten Boston well over 1,000 times. I think I'll walk with a bounce in my step for the rest of the day.
The Stadium's greatest photos...
Another trip down memory lane, in what is supposed to be the greatest moments in the Stadium's history.
The clips would have been nice, but this will do.
The clips would have been nice, but this will do.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Time to reflect
Today's rainout leaves us with some time to reflect on the first series at Yankee stadium against the Indians, and what the next few days will bring.
F.A.Q.:
1. Why are there so many home runs at the new ballpark?
2. What's wrong with Wang?
3. Why are field-level prices so high?
4. When are we going to make up this game against the A's?
5. Will Wang pitch against the Red Sox?
Here are the answers:
1. Who cares? It's an awfully small sample size to be drawing conclusions.
2. His mechanics are different from last years, probably as a result of rust and his foot injury.
3. Who cares? The Yankees think they make more money by setting them high. Get over it.
4. The July 24-26 series against the A's in the Bronx will now be a 4 game set.
5. No, are you crazy?
F.A.Q.:
1. Why are there so many home runs at the new ballpark?
2. What's wrong with Wang?
3. Why are field-level prices so high?
4. When are we going to make up this game against the A's?
5. Will Wang pitch against the Red Sox?
Here are the answers:
1. Who cares? It's an awfully small sample size to be drawing conclusions.
2. His mechanics are different from last years, probably as a result of rust and his foot injury.
3. Who cares? The Yankees think they make more money by setting them high. Get over it.
4. The July 24-26 series against the A's in the Bronx will now be a 4 game set.
5. No, are you crazy?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
A game of inches, and courage (Yanks 7, Indians 3)
Today's game was decided by two factors. Luck, and courage.
Burnett the burner once again showed why he's big time. Pitching into the 7th, he held the powerful Indians' lineup to 3 runs, leaving with one out and the bases loaded, down 3-1. Then (I'm gonna call him Johnny A-ball) got the next two outs in a courageous display of clutch pitching to keep the game within reach.
In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees big time players came through. First Matsui cut the lead in half with a clutch hit to make it 3-2. Then Posada connected solidly, lifting the ball into the heavens...but got under it.
Watching the TV, one can only estimate the position of a fly ball by watching the outfielder and listening to the announcer. And as the outfielder drifted back slowly toward the wall, the announcer's voice rose, the crowd stood on it's feet...and the ball dropped STRAIGHT DOWN into the hands of a fan who was sticking his arms out drunkenly over the wall. The fan failed to make the catch, the ball dropped to the grass, replays provided little evidence for overturning the home run, and the Yanks took the lead! A game of inches indeed.
But there was more. While the Yankees' courage and poise under pressure was on display late, the Indians cowardice reared its feathery head. With the bases loaded and two outs in a one run game, Cody Ransom broke his bat and popped a lazy fly ball down the line into left. Ransom threw the sawed off handle to the grass in disgust, trotting dejectedly down the first base line. The 3 runners on base did their duty, jogging around the bases while waiting for the ball to be caught.
But it was not caught. The left fielder, rather than running full speed and sliding to make the catch, which would have ended the inning, kept the game within reach, and earned him part of his bloated salary, stopped short of the wall, preventing a self-inflicted faceplant, but also allowing the ball to bounce just inside the foul line. Three runs scored and the game was out of reach for the Tribe, who could learn a thing or two about execution down the stretch in tight games. Lucky for them, the Yankees were here to provide two days of lessons in that area.
Burnett the burner once again showed why he's big time. Pitching into the 7th, he held the powerful Indians' lineup to 3 runs, leaving with one out and the bases loaded, down 3-1. Then (I'm gonna call him Johnny A-ball) got the next two outs in a courageous display of clutch pitching to keep the game within reach.
In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees big time players came through. First Matsui cut the lead in half with a clutch hit to make it 3-2. Then Posada connected solidly, lifting the ball into the heavens...but got under it.
Watching the TV, one can only estimate the position of a fly ball by watching the outfielder and listening to the announcer. And as the outfielder drifted back slowly toward the wall, the announcer's voice rose, the crowd stood on it's feet...and the ball dropped STRAIGHT DOWN into the hands of a fan who was sticking his arms out drunkenly over the wall. The fan failed to make the catch, the ball dropped to the grass, replays provided little evidence for overturning the home run, and the Yanks took the lead! A game of inches indeed.
But there was more. While the Yankees' courage and poise under pressure was on display late, the Indians cowardice reared its feathery head. With the bases loaded and two outs in a one run game, Cody Ransom broke his bat and popped a lazy fly ball down the line into left. Ransom threw the sawed off handle to the grass in disgust, trotting dejectedly down the first base line. The 3 runners on base did their duty, jogging around the bases while waiting for the ball to be caught.
But it was not caught. The left fielder, rather than running full speed and sliding to make the catch, which would have ended the inning, kept the game within reach, and earned him part of his bloated salary, stopped short of the wall, preventing a self-inflicted faceplant, but also allowing the ball to bounce just inside the foul line. Three runs scored and the game was out of reach for the Tribe, who could learn a thing or two about execution down the stretch in tight games. Lucky for them, the Yankees were here to provide two days of lessons in that area.
7-6, and bring on the Sox, ("the real") America's team. Oh wait we got the A's next.
Long memories needed
There are some people out there who WON'T be happy when Wang returns to form. And lemme give you a clue...they're just a couple of hour's drive north-east from NYC. They're sure to remember this one.
Technical Difficulties (Indians 22, Yanks 4)
During the record setting second inning yesterday, Fox Sports, not known for the accuracy or neutrality of their analysis, surprised me. Showing a super-slow motion replay of Wang's delivery to the plate, they pointed out, very clearly and accurately, that Wang's arm was lagging behind his body as it moved forward. What this means is that once the body has moved forward too far, the arm and shoulders have to do all the work to get the expected velocity and bite. Imagine a batter that steps forward too soon with his swing: Once his weight is forward, he has to use his upper body to generate speed on the bat.
This is the situation with Wang. We can speculate about the root causes; it could be rust, lack of practice, an unconscious adjustment he made because of last season's injury, or something more fundamental, like his focus. But that's up to Wang and the coaches to address if they need to. The only thing that really matters is that Wang's mechanics are obviously flawed, as was depicted by the slow motion replays.
It's not new or unusual for a pitcher to suddenly lose his mechanics. It happens from time to time. It's actually kind of normal. And when it does, the pitcher needs to NOT PITCH until they're right. This can take time, but in Wang's case it's essential for his mechanics to return because:
a. clearly he cannot pitch even passably without them.
b. bad mechanics increase the risk of injury.
There's talk of him skipping his next start at Fenway. That's a good idea. But there is hope. According to Girardi, Wang will not go to the minors, because if he did, another team would be able to aquire him. And Eiland had this to say:
"He’ll start getting results. But you don’t get confidence by not pitching. So he’s going to pitch. He’s going to pitch, and he’s going to get confidence, and he’s going to get better.”
Make it happen.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Wang's big start
Big day for Wang here. Indians lineup is pretty good. In practice he's been pitching to hitters in addition to his usual catchers, to better simulate a game situation. If he flops again, what then? Here in Taiwan we're pulling for him. I was wearing my Wang shirt today and some old dude on a motorcycle rode by shouting "Yang gee dui!" which means "Go Yankees" or something.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Red Sox: The "real" America?
Via Yahoo, Gordon Edes on the Red Sox having the dubious distinction of being the last team in MLB to suit up an African American. This gleaming beacon of American values and work ethic, these rugged cowboys who pit themselves against the "evil empire" every year...also passed up on Willie Mays when he was available.
Jeter (Yanks 6, Indians 5)
As Jeter came to bat with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the 8th with the score tied at 5, one thought came to my mind:
"He's going to have a great at bat. What will his strategy be?
a. Work a walk and steal second? Or
b. Try to get to 2-0 or 3-1 and swing for the fences? Four Yankees have hit home runs today, including Melky Cabrera, and Jeter doesn't have a hit yet. He prefers to hit home runs in the late innings of close games. Maybe he'll try for a home run."
The answer: b
"He's going to have a great at bat. What will his strategy be?
a. Work a walk and steal second? Or
b. Try to get to 2-0 or 3-1 and swing for the fences? Four Yankees have hit home runs today, including Melky Cabrera, and Jeter doesn't have a hit yet. He prefers to hit home runs in the late innings of close games. Maybe he'll try for a home run."
The answer: b
....and a belly to belly!
Gotta love these Taiwanese announcers. First Damon blasted one out of the park. Then as Tex's mammoth home run soared into the upper deck, the announcer exclaimed:
"Chinese Chinese Chinese BACK TO BACK!!!! Chinese Chinese Chinese..."
"Chinese Chinese Chinese BACK TO BACK!!!! Chinese Chinese Chinese..."
6.04
I think the Yankees should be hitting this guy Reyes pretty hard. In 2007 he had a not-so-scintillating 6.04 ERA for St. Louis.
An open letter to Tyler Kepner (NY Times Yankee beatwriter)
Dear Mr. Kepner,
Are you aware that the tone, word choices, selection of statistics, and the opinions expertly embedded in your reporting all create the strong impression that you have a powerful dislike for the Yankees?
Many Yankee fans read the NY Times and may be driven away (to places like, God forbid, the NY Post) by this apparent loathing of the team that is on display day after day, in report after report, and in analysis after analysis.
Wouldn't you rather report on a team that you enjoy watching? Having had the privilege of watching and reporting on virtually every single Yankee game played over the last few years, it is impossible that the Yankees' professionalism, respect for their opponents, and poise under pressure, all of which should be at least somewhat inspiring to anyone who watches the team regularly, has escaped your attention. And yet you give no indication of these strengths of the team in any of your reports.
Instead what I usually see is a seemingly obsessive fixation on the economics of the team; the salaries, the ballpark, and the like. And in every article is seems that your purpose is to dampen our spirits in the best of times, and rub salt in our wounds in the worst. It reads like the bitter grumblings of a Red Sox fan masquerading as a Yankee reporter.
I think I speak for all of your Yankee fan readers when I say that, while you write brilliantly, and while I love the NY Times and enjoy getting my news from this paper, unless the tone of the Yankee reporting becomes a little more balanced and respectful, I shall be forced to turn to other sources of Yankee news.
Regards,
-Leigh
Are you aware that the tone, word choices, selection of statistics, and the opinions expertly embedded in your reporting all create the strong impression that you have a powerful dislike for the Yankees?
Many Yankee fans read the NY Times and may be driven away (to places like, God forbid, the NY Post) by this apparent loathing of the team that is on display day after day, in report after report, and in analysis after analysis.
Wouldn't you rather report on a team that you enjoy watching? Having had the privilege of watching and reporting on virtually every single Yankee game played over the last few years, it is impossible that the Yankees' professionalism, respect for their opponents, and poise under pressure, all of which should be at least somewhat inspiring to anyone who watches the team regularly, has escaped your attention. And yet you give no indication of these strengths of the team in any of your reports.
Instead what I usually see is a seemingly obsessive fixation on the economics of the team; the salaries, the ballpark, and the like. And in every article is seems that your purpose is to dampen our spirits in the best of times, and rub salt in our wounds in the worst. It reads like the bitter grumblings of a Red Sox fan masquerading as a Yankee reporter.
I think I speak for all of your Yankee fan readers when I say that, while you write brilliantly, and while I love the NY Times and enjoy getting my news from this paper, unless the tone of the Yankee reporting becomes a little more balanced and respectful, I shall be forced to turn to other sources of Yankee news.
Regards,
-Leigh
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Throne
The place looks breathtaking. It is now the premier stadium in MLB. It has the right combination of a retro feel and a sense of newness, class, and respect for a Yankee history that is one of the richest in all of sports. It's a Yankee fan's ballpark, a new, glimmering throne for the kings of baseball.
Here are some photos from the NY Times.
2 games in 1 (Indians 10, Yanks 2)
Its seemed like two games were played yesterday at the grand opening for the New Yankee Stadium.
The first game was an amazing pitching duel between two of the best. Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia went pitch for pitch, strikeout for strikeout, hit for hit, run for run. Though the opposing offenses were able to work walks and deep counts, Lee and Sabathia persevered, each throwing over 110 pitches into the 6th inning while keeping a stranglehold on the game. What I like most about pitching duels is that when they occur, they magnify the importance of every play that is made in the game. Every error, every hit, every great play in the field becomes a key to victory. Unfortunately, it also means that umpires also have a greater impact on the result.
Luck and the umpires ruled the second game. Edwar Ramirez replaced Sabathia in the 6th and promptly dominated every hitter he faced. The problem was, he couldn't get an out. The Indians were lucky over and over again, reaching base on strange errors and slow squibblers just out of the reach of the infielders. Ramirez's pitch count ballooned and Phil Coke was brought in. Then Veras.
Veras let two runners reach base and then struck out Jonny Peralta looking. However the umpire called that pitch a ball, Veras was forced to throw one out over the plate on the next 3-2 pitch, Peralta launched it into Central Park and 5 minutes later Marte came on and the game was a blowout. That's baseball, I guess.
In a game this close, an umpire's incompetence in calling balls and strikes can have a profound effect on the outcome. Add to that the extremely unlucky outing by Ramirez and you have a very strange game indeed.
We should give respect to Cliff Lee, who pitched great in a tough atmosphere. He's a big game pitcher for sure. His opponent, Sabathia, did not have the same control of his pitches, though CC did show some toughness in overcoming his mistakes and minimizing the damage in a high-profile game. My question is: Has CC always had this much difficulty with his control? If not, who should we blame? CC for choking? Or Eiland for his poor coaching?
Predictions
Lebron really went out on a limb there. Usually player guarantees are correct for GAMES, not seasons. Namath and Messier come to mind as examples of predicting and then following through on positively influencing the outcomes of big games.
Michael Irvin comes to mind as a chump who went too far. Who was he, at the start of the 1994 season, to predict a third straight superbowl for the cowbums? The Niners set that straight.
Sounds to me like Lebron belongs to the latter bunch (the chumps). Still, I like the confidence.
Michael Irvin comes to mind as a chump who went too far. Who was he, at the start of the 1994 season, to predict a third straight superbowl for the cowbums? The Niners set that straight.
Sounds to me like Lebron belongs to the latter bunch (the chumps). Still, I like the confidence.
What did Lebron just say?
A brief NBA basketball interlude before the Yankees open their new stadium:
Did Lebron just guarantee a championship for the Cavs? The playoffs haven't even begun!
That's awesome. BTW, write this down (actually it's written for you here, so don't worry about writing it):
East: Cavs aren't reaching the Finals. Neither are the Celtics. It's gonna be the Magic.
West: The Lakers have 11 more wins than any other team in the west. They're young and confident, already with experience in the postseason and they have a top coach. Kobe can finish games in the fourth quarter, kind of like Mariano. I just don't see how the Lakers can lose, especially with Manu out for the Spurs. I've never heard of most of the Blazers. Maybe the Rockets can give the Lakers a run, maybe the Spurs. But don't put money on that. San Antonio wins championships bienially, and this is supposed to be their year. Without Ginobili that's probably unrealistic. If they did it, it would be...monumental.
Finals: Hard to say. If I had to choose, it would be the Lakers. But I don't like the Lakers.
Actually I should probably give my thoughts about hockey too:
Look for the Devils to win it all this year. They've played great all year, they're healthy, they're talented, experienced, a veteran club. Disciplined in their system, they were among the stingiest teams in terms of goals allowed in the NHL this year, most of which was played WITHOUT Brodeur. Add to that 4 above average, talented lines with creative scoring threats, and who can move the puck and constantly apply pressure...and you have a Cup. LET'S GO DE-VILS!
Did Lebron just guarantee a championship for the Cavs? The playoffs haven't even begun!
That's awesome. BTW, write this down (actually it's written for you here, so don't worry about writing it):
East: Cavs aren't reaching the Finals. Neither are the Celtics. It's gonna be the Magic.
West: The Lakers have 11 more wins than any other team in the west. They're young and confident, already with experience in the postseason and they have a top coach. Kobe can finish games in the fourth quarter, kind of like Mariano. I just don't see how the Lakers can lose, especially with Manu out for the Spurs. I've never heard of most of the Blazers. Maybe the Rockets can give the Lakers a run, maybe the Spurs. But don't put money on that. San Antonio wins championships bienially, and this is supposed to be their year. Without Ginobili that's probably unrealistic. If they did it, it would be...monumental.
Finals: Hard to say. If I had to choose, it would be the Lakers. But I don't like the Lakers.
Actually I should probably give my thoughts about hockey too:
Look for the Devils to win it all this year. They've played great all year, they're healthy, they're talented, experienced, a veteran club. Disciplined in their system, they were among the stingiest teams in terms of goals allowed in the NHL this year, most of which was played WITHOUT Brodeur. Add to that 4 above average, talented lines with creative scoring threats, and who can move the puck and constantly apply pressure...and you have a Cup. LET'S GO DE-VILS!
Ransom
Lots of respect to Cody Ransom for his ninth-inning double off of Troy Percival. As my old high school coach used to say, "That took balls of steel."
On watching Pettitte
What a performance by Pettitte. He just grinded that one out. And his personality is emerging as well, which is common among successful thrity-something veterans in most sports (see Dennis Rodman, Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, Terrell Owens, etc. for more on the antics of aging stars). Pettitte is more subdued. Like Karl Malone in his late years, Pettitte just mutters to himself all game long. Once he has muttered something, he usually makes a good pitch. I suspect that he's saying positive things to himself to increase his focus and reach his ideal performance state (I.P.S). At least, that what I hope he's saying...
And I don't mean to brag, but I think other long-time fans probably know what I'm talking about: I can read Pettitte's move to first base now. Yeah, it took a while, but I can read it a lot better than most of the guys who find themselves on first base. Yes, I think that, though I could probably never make good contact against Pettitte, if I were to ever find myself on first base against him...he's have no chance of picking me off.
And I don't mean to brag, but I think other long-time fans probably know what I'm talking about: I can read Pettitte's move to first base now. Yeah, it took a while, but I can read it a lot better than most of the guys who find themselves on first base. Yes, I think that, though I could probably never make good contact against Pettitte, if I were to ever find myself on first base against him...he's have no chance of picking me off.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Professional Baseball (Yanks 4, Rays 3)
I thought the Rays were supposed to be "superior"...yesterday they showed their true colors. Rather than a baseball powerhouse, they look more like a pesky, young group of ballplayers, long on talent and short on professionalism. They look like a team of Robinson Cano type players. Plenty of talent and physical ability. Can hit for power and average, with great fielding skills, a light attitude and great energy. However, they make mistakes. They lose focus. Their hitting is talented but unpolished, shown by their inability to be patient, take pitches, extend at bats, slow the game down, and adapt to changing circumstances in the game that demand not just physically amazing but also intellectually brilliant plays. That's the stuff that pros do. And sometimes professionalism wins ballgames too.
No ballplayer exemplifies professionalism more than Jeter, and no team exemplifies it more than the Yankees. Never panicking or getting emotional, Jeter and the Yankees calmly and systematically dismantled the Rays in the last two games of this series, after the craziness of the opening game.
Stoic, calculating, ruthless, and immensely skilled, the Yankees executed all game long. They made extraordinary plays in the field, came back twice, and set the table for Jeter to first score the tying run off of Damon's double, and then drive in Cody Ransom for the winning run with 2 outs in the top of the ninth. Mariano then shut the door.
Under Joe Torre we saw these types of performances all the time. Under Girardi, not as much last year. The difference, though, is that this year the Yankees once again have the deadly combination of
1. 4 consistent starting pitchers
2. A bullpen that shortens the game
3. Hitters that take pitches, reach base and force appearances from the opposition's bullpen before the 7th inning.
4. Clutch hitting if the game is close in the late innings (in years past we had 9 clutch hitters, now some still need to prove themselves)
The Yankees are now 5-4 after a long road trip in which they had to play in three home openings for their opponents. Now they come home to their new ballpark for the grand opening...and the game should be grand. Cliff Lee is pitching, but the Yankees should be able to ride the wave of excitment over their new home to victory.
Rather than a picture, I thought only could do the play justice. This is Jeter turning a double play at 3rd base. Yes, 3rd base.
No ballplayer exemplifies professionalism more than Jeter, and no team exemplifies it more than the Yankees. Never panicking or getting emotional, Jeter and the Yankees calmly and systematically dismantled the Rays in the last two games of this series, after the craziness of the opening game.
Stoic, calculating, ruthless, and immensely skilled, the Yankees executed all game long. They made extraordinary plays in the field, came back twice, and set the table for Jeter to first score the tying run off of Damon's double, and then drive in Cody Ransom for the winning run with 2 outs in the top of the ninth. Mariano then shut the door.
Under Joe Torre we saw these types of performances all the time. Under Girardi, not as much last year. The difference, though, is that this year the Yankees once again have the deadly combination of
1. 4 consistent starting pitchers
2. A bullpen that shortens the game
3. Hitters that take pitches, reach base and force appearances from the opposition's bullpen before the 7th inning.
4. Clutch hitting if the game is close in the late innings (in years past we had 9 clutch hitters, now some still need to prove themselves)
The Yankees are now 5-4 after a long road trip in which they had to play in three home openings for their opponents. Now they come home to their new ballpark for the grand opening...and the game should be grand. Cliff Lee is pitching, but the Yankees should be able to ride the wave of excitment over their new home to victory.
Rather than a picture, I thought only could do the play justice. This is Jeter turning a double play at 3rd base. Yes, 3rd base.
A note about slow starts...
Wang has started the season with a 29 ERA over two games. If some think this is grounds for dismissal, think of this: David Cone was worse over the first two games of 1998 (with an ERA of 30). He would finish 1998 with 20 wins, a 3.55 ERA and a great postseason. And the next year...perfection.
Captain Clutch and Burnett the Burner (Yanks 7 Rays 2)
If you're a Yankee hater and you're looking for more reasons to indulge and wallow in your self-pity for losing against the Yanks so badly and for so long, there's no need to google the words "Yankees suck" or "pinstripes make me barf.org ". The ultimate Yankee hate site is none other than the NY Times.
Yesterday Tyler Kepner, who has built a career out of writing ugly, misleading, and ultimately hateful reports of Yankee games (presumably for his Mets fan following, who, by the way, have demonstrated over the years a peculiar lack of knowledge about baseball) called the Yankees, in terms of how they compare with the Rays, "inferior". "Evidence of inferiority stared (the Yankees) in the face", Kepner declared yesterday after the 15-5 loss.
Maybe AJ Burnett and Derek Jeter read that little slice of baloney. First Burnett utterly manhandled one of the best hitting clubs in MLB. We see no-hitters and near-no-hitters from time to time, but almost never against a defending AL pennant-winning lineup. It was a remarkable thumping.
And yet, the Rays made it interesting. Garza kept the game respectable, and finally the Rays managed a couple of runs to tie it. The Trop was rocking, the Rays were rolling, and the game looked to be slipping away from the Yankees.
Then came the Captain.
First he hit the game winning single. It was vintage Jeter, slowing the game down, fouling balls off, taking close pitches for balls and then strutting around in circles before slowing stepping back into the batters box. And then devastating the opposition.
But he wasn't done. In his next at-bat, with a look on his face that said, "You raise your banners one night and give yourselves rings the next? Are you kidding me? Here's what I think of that..." Jeter blasted a majestic 3 run home run, crushing the Rays' hopes and sending their fans slouching towards the exits. And all the way around the bases and into the dugout, he never cracked a smile. THAT'S Yankee baseball.
Today's article by Kepner was subdued. Apparently unable to acknowledge Yankee superiority when he sees it, he quotes Evan Longoria instead: "'give credit where credit is due.'" Whatever, dude.
The NY Times has a long tradition of despising the Yankees, with a determination to drawing attention to their miscues while downplaying or even ignoring their successes. To my knowledge that tradition was interrupted only in the late 90's by Buster Olney, who wrote respectable, even admiring reports and analysis of Yankee games. We miss his balanced commentary very much. Below is what I think is his best article. After the Yankees won the 1998 World Series, Olney laid out all the evidence for why the 1998 Yankees (and by extension the 1998-2001 Yankees) were the greatest team in baseball history. Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Stats, please!
In the coming days Elias will probably publish the answer to this question:
Nick Swisher hit a home run and threw a strikeout in the same game. Who was the last position player to do so?
Nick Swisher hit a home run and threw a strikeout in the same game. Who was the last position player to do so?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Short memories needed (Rays 15 Yanks 5)
If the Yanks are to perform well tomorrow, they're going to have to forget about what happened today.So let's do our duty by acknowledging reality, pointing out the problem, and providing a solution. Then we can move on.
Acknowledging reality:
Wang's ERA over two starts is now 29, which is a disgrace for any pitcher, let alone a former Cy Young candidate. We keep hearing about how he doesn't have his stuff. Well, maybe Girardi and Eiland should stop complaining and start providing solutions. And at the same time, maybe they could let us in on what they're doing. As paying customers, we have a right to know how they plan to fix this problem, otherwise they'll appear secretive and dishonest, which usually only conceals inaction and incompetence (check out the Bush presidency for more details).
Pointing out the problem:
Yesterday's game was almost unwinnable, as I said in the previous post. But Wang could have pitched better. And with his pitching as a catalyst, the Yankees could have played a very competitive game. After all, they did eventually get to Kazmir.
Instead the Yankees were thrashed in every way possible. Let's be frank; The Rays did whatever they wanted. They were hyped up in front of their home crowd, raising banners, congratulating themselves. Young teams always respond better to crowd noise and tend to play on emotion more than veterans. That's nice, and they deserved to be honored for their achievements last year. Now let's put them back in their place.
Provide a solution:
Girardi whined, "Whatever could go wrong tonight went wrong." How about manning up, taking responsibility and providing solutions?
Reading quotes like this is very disturbing to me: Is Girardi saying that EVERYTHING went wrong? If EVERYTHING had gone wrong, then Kazmir would have pitched a perfect first inning and every one of the Rays would have reached base in the bottom of the first. Scoring run after run, never making an out, the game would have needed to be suspended in the bottom of the first, after the Rays had scored 30, perhaps 40 or even 50 runs, and with some old mercy rule having to be unearthed so that everyone could go home. In baseball, this is "whatever could go wrong tonight went wrong". What I'm trying to say is that Girardi is playing the victim and failing to take responsibility. People who say things like this are acting like losers because they're trying to justify their inability to succeed by blaming incredibly bad luck. I hope I'm wrong, and I hope Girardi isn't a loser. But he certainly sounded like one yesterday.
So I'll provide the same solution that I did at the start of the season : Fire Girardi and his staff, and bring some grown-ups in to coach this team.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Getting down to business (Royals 6 Yanks 4)
Yanks are now 3-3 after yesterday's loss to KC. Joba pitched pretty well, as did most of the bullpen. I also like Gardner leading off, although Jeter does a fine job too.
There were a couple of low lights, though:
1. Phil Coke did not perform well.
2. Melky grounded into two double plays.
3. Swisher may be getting the job done with the bat, but he just can't allow ground balls to roll stupidly between his legs and into the outfield. That's UN (say the "UN" long and loud for the correct effect)-acceptable.
A little about Mr. Coke: Drafted in 2002 out of San Joaquin Delta Junior College in the 26th, yes, the 26th round by the Yankees. He had a handful of very, very strong outings last year, and ended up posting these promising numbers:
IP: 14.2 Hits: 8 Earned Runs: 1 BB: 2 K: 14 ERA: 0.61 BAA: .160
Yesterday proved that those numbers were deceptive. But it's too early to tell just how deceptive they were. Until Coke proves himself again, PLEASE Mr. Girardi, bring in a baller in these late-inning close game situations (at least for now). Coke will have plenty of opportunities in garbage innings to show that last season's numbers weren't a total fluke. Once he has done that, THEN let him pitch in bigger spots. We'll be keeping an eye out.
But enough about KC. We got business in Tampa Bay. They're great at home, Kazmir is pitching, and it's their home opener, so it will be ear-splitting from the first pitch to the last out. The Yankees cannot be expected to win this game. However, look for the championship caliber ballers, Jeter, Matsui, and Posada, to play like the true pros they are.
There were a couple of low lights, though:
1. Phil Coke did not perform well.
2. Melky grounded into two double plays.
3. Swisher may be getting the job done with the bat, but he just can't allow ground balls to roll stupidly between his legs and into the outfield. That's UN (say the "UN" long and loud for the correct effect)-acceptable.
A little about Mr. Coke: Drafted in 2002 out of San Joaquin Delta Junior College in the 26th, yes, the 26th round by the Yankees. He had a handful of very, very strong outings last year, and ended up posting these promising numbers:
IP: 14.2 Hits: 8 Earned Runs: 1 BB: 2 K: 14 ERA: 0.61 BAA: .160
Yesterday proved that those numbers were deceptive. But it's too early to tell just how deceptive they were. Until Coke proves himself again, PLEASE Mr. Girardi, bring in a baller in these late-inning close game situations (at least for now). Coke will have plenty of opportunities in garbage innings to show that last season's numbers weren't a total fluke. Once he has done that, THEN let him pitch in bigger spots. We'll be keeping an eye out.
But enough about KC. We got business in Tampa Bay. They're great at home, Kazmir is pitching, and it's their home opener, so it will be ear-splitting from the first pitch to the last out. The Yankees cannot be expected to win this game. However, look for the championship caliber ballers, Jeter, Matsui, and Posada, to play like the true pros they are.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Bet the house! (Yanks 6 Royals 1)
In the last post I first wrote, "Bet the house that CC will blow KC away tomorrow." My better judgement told me to edit out such a bold prediction. If I indulge too often in that habit, eventually I'll end up spectacularly, laughably wrong. So I said safer things like "expect" and "it's likely", although I really felt it was pretty much predetermined that CC would be very motivated and have no trouble dismantling that lineup.
The Yankees continue to hit, and the bullpen continues to perform. Once Joba and Wang decide to join the party, I think we'll have ourselves a legit shot at 100 wins.
And by the way, how about Nick Swisher (a career .245 hitter), stepping up into the Yankee three spot yesterday and smoking balls left and right? He's the story of the season so far.
The Yankees continue to hit, and the bullpen continues to perform. Once Joba and Wang decide to join the party, I think we'll have ourselves a legit shot at 100 wins.
And by the way, how about Nick Swisher (a career .245 hitter), stepping up into the Yankee three spot yesterday and smoking balls left and right? He's the story of the season so far.
Uh Oh
CC has something to prove, and he's going to try and take out his frustrations on lowly K.C. This game will probably prove that at least some of the money invested in Mr. Sabustia was worth it. But it will do nothing to quell fears that he cannot perform in high profile games. And by the way, if he flops again tonight (which is unlikely), expect fireworks from management.
2-2 (Yanks 4 Royals 1)
7 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 6 strikeouts.
This was by far the best pitching performance we've had so far. It came not from the most expensive pitcher in history, nor from the Yankee ace from last year who is supposed to be making his triumphant return from injury. No, it came from our number 4 guy, and in Yankee fans hearts, one of our number one guys of all time, the ultimate Yankee, Andy Pettitte.
Even against a team like the Royals, who are not noted for their hitting prowess, this was a fantastic performance.
And by the way, just how good is this Yankee bullpen? Well, since the first game (in which the O's were understandably excited about playing before a sellout home crowd, something that may not happen for them again this season), the Yankee bullpen has pitched more than 9 innings and given up 1....hit.
I gotta give props to Kyle Farnsworth for striking out (on swinging strikes, no less) all three hitters he faced, our 2,3, and 4 guys. Yankee fans booed him mercilessly throughout his tenure in NY, and I don't blame him for coming to play yesterday.
This was by far the best pitching performance we've had so far. It came not from the most expensive pitcher in history, nor from the Yankee ace from last year who is supposed to be making his triumphant return from injury. No, it came from our number 4 guy, and in Yankee fans hearts, one of our number one guys of all time, the ultimate Yankee, Andy Pettitte.
Even against a team like the Royals, who are not noted for their hitting prowess, this was a fantastic performance.
And by the way, just how good is this Yankee bullpen? Well, since the first game (in which the O's were understandably excited about playing before a sellout home crowd, something that may not happen for them again this season), the Yankee bullpen has pitched more than 9 innings and given up 1....hit.
I gotta give props to Kyle Farnsworth for striking out (on swinging strikes, no less) all three hitters he faced, our 2,3, and 4 guys. Yankee fans booed him mercilessly throughout his tenure in NY, and I don't blame him for coming to play yesterday.
Friday, April 10, 2009
A.J. cliche (Yanks 11 Orioles 2)
The cliches flowed like champaign on new years:
A.J. on his performance: "I tried to set the tone, stop the bleeding and get us on track."
And on his bases-loaded escape: "I was fired up to get out of the jam."
And Girardi has this gem: "You don’t want to be 0-3." We never said we did, Joe.
Burnett's line was troublingly similar to that of Sabathia's and Wang's: Less than six innings pitched and 7 hits. The difference: Burnett was able to strike hitters out. Had he not been able to, then he would have been out of the game before the 5th inning. But he DID manage to strike some people out, and that was the difference in the ballgame.
Well, not the only difference. The Yankee lineup destroyed the O's pitching in this series. Only Koji Uehara , who nobody had ever seen before, could stop them, and I'll bet that won't happen again. And think of this: the Yanks scored 11 runs today with no hits from Jeter or Damon (our 1,2 guys). That's a badass lineup.
On to K.C. And let's give that Swisher guy some more at bats!
A.J. on his performance: "I tried to set the tone, stop the bleeding and get us on track."
And on his bases-loaded escape: "I was fired up to get out of the jam."
And Girardi has this gem: "You don’t want to be 0-3." We never said we did, Joe.
Burnett's line was troublingly similar to that of Sabathia's and Wang's: Less than six innings pitched and 7 hits. The difference: Burnett was able to strike hitters out. Had he not been able to, then he would have been out of the game before the 5th inning. But he DID manage to strike some people out, and that was the difference in the ballgame.
Well, not the only difference. The Yankee lineup destroyed the O's pitching in this series. Only Koji Uehara , who nobody had ever seen before, could stop them, and I'll bet that won't happen again. And think of this: the Yanks scored 11 runs today with no hits from Jeter or Damon (our 1,2 guys). That's a badass lineup.
On to K.C. And let's give that Swisher guy some more at bats!
Edit, August 15th The Yankees faced Uehara again and they still could not hit him well. Now he is on the DL. And "that Swisher guy" was just getting started.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
THIS is our pitching coach?
Eiland played for 10 seasons, won 12, lost 27 with an ERA of 5.74. He had two tommy john surgeries, which is not an excuse for those numbers.
My guess is that Eiland and maybe even Girardi will be fired before the end of the season. When they are fired, it will probably come in mid May or early June, when the team is in too deep a hole to contend in the AL East.
My guess is that Eiland and maybe even Girardi will be fired before the end of the season. When they are fired, it will probably come in mid May or early June, when the team is in too deep a hole to contend in the AL East.
Edit: August 15; The firing did not happen, of course. The pitching settled down, and the Yankees now have the best record in baseball. But at the time, Girardi and Eiland had a lot of explaining to do, that's for sure.
Girardi and Eiland? (Orioles 7 Yanks 5)
In two straight games, two Cy Young contending starting pitchers put up these numbers:
Sabustia: 4.1 innings 8 hits 6 earned runs 5 walks 0 strikeouts
Wang: 3.2 innings 9 hits 7 runs 3 walks 0 strikeouts
When do we stop blaming the players and start taking a hard look at the coaches? Is Girardi REALLY a competent manager? Is Dave Eiland REALLY able to prepare his pitchers to perform at their best?
Last season it was sometimes hard to tell who was in control of the team; the veteran leaders or the coaching staff. In an infamous conference on the mound, Posada once overruled Girardi's decision to replace a pitcher. If Posada was so comfortable questioning authority in front of the fans, one can only assume that he and the other veterans are even bolder behind the scenes.
Girardi may be a good coach. He got a lot of accolades for being "good with the young pitchers" during his short tenure in Florida. But could we have really expected Girardi to be able to come to this team, an extraordinary group full of talent, experience, salaries, and egos...not to mention players who used to be his teammates, and lead them? Or was that foolish?
Well, I thought it was foolish. I thought this team needed a Phil Jackson type, an old veteran coach, who was also once a top player, with a proven ability to motivate his players, command respect, and excel in the postseason. The question is not whether Girardi fits this mold. The question is whether he meets ANY of these criteria. To make matters worse, it now makes sense to take a second look even at Girardi's supposed strength. If he was so "good with the young pitchers", then how does one explain the complete collapse of Hughes and Kennedy in the first two months of last season, a collapse that cost the Yankees the wild card?
Ok so maybe Hughes and Kennedy "weren't ready". But guess what? Sabustia didn't look ready on Monday. And Wang didn't look ready to pitch tonight. So I ask again, whose responsibility is it to prepare the players? Sure, it is partly the players'. But never underestimate the role of a coach in this matter. And I think we need to start asking questions about who this Dave Eiland guy really is. Let's start with Wikipedia's entry on Eiland and go from there.
Sabustia: 4.1 innings 8 hits 6 earned runs 5 walks 0 strikeouts
Wang: 3.2 innings 9 hits 7 runs 3 walks 0 strikeouts
When do we stop blaming the players and start taking a hard look at the coaches? Is Girardi REALLY a competent manager? Is Dave Eiland REALLY able to prepare his pitchers to perform at their best?
Last season it was sometimes hard to tell who was in control of the team; the veteran leaders or the coaching staff. In an infamous conference on the mound, Posada once overruled Girardi's decision to replace a pitcher. If Posada was so comfortable questioning authority in front of the fans, one can only assume that he and the other veterans are even bolder behind the scenes.
Girardi may be a good coach. He got a lot of accolades for being "good with the young pitchers" during his short tenure in Florida. But could we have really expected Girardi to be able to come to this team, an extraordinary group full of talent, experience, salaries, and egos...not to mention players who used to be his teammates, and lead them? Or was that foolish?
Well, I thought it was foolish. I thought this team needed a Phil Jackson type, an old veteran coach, who was also once a top player, with a proven ability to motivate his players, command respect, and excel in the postseason. The question is not whether Girardi fits this mold. The question is whether he meets ANY of these criteria. To make matters worse, it now makes sense to take a second look even at Girardi's supposed strength. If he was so "good with the young pitchers", then how does one explain the complete collapse of Hughes and Kennedy in the first two months of last season, a collapse that cost the Yankees the wild card?
Ok so maybe Hughes and Kennedy "weren't ready". But guess what? Sabustia didn't look ready on Monday. And Wang didn't look ready to pitch tonight. So I ask again, whose responsibility is it to prepare the players? Sure, it is partly the players'. But never underestimate the role of a coach in this matter. And I think we need to start asking questions about who this Dave Eiland guy really is. Let's start with Wikipedia's entry on Eiland and go from there.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
CC Sabustia
First there was A-fraud the compiler. Now we have CC Sebustia the disappointer. I kept hearing stories this week about how CC was becoming a clubhouse leader. Well not today. CC isn't going to be a leader in the Yankee clubhouse anytime soon. The best player on the team is always the leader by default. You can have vocal leaders or whatever, but the real leader is the man with the most skills and the most passion. CC displayed neither yesterday.
The problem with CC is that he's not a big game pitcher. We'll take a look at why he's not a big game pitcher, given his talent and skill set, another time. For now let's take a look at his cumulative postseason numbers:33 innings, 22 runs, 22 walks, 7.92 ERA, with an on base % of .464. Interestingly, "world series numbers are not available". I wonder why! With starting pitching like that, it's almost impossible for a team to reach the world series. I think we've found the Arod of pitchers.
Sure he'll get us 200 innings, 15 wins and maybe a sub-4 ERA. But the Yankees need players who can perform in high profile games. CC doesn't look like the kind of guy who can go 6 and two thirds of one run ball at Fenway park. And that's what it's going to take to win the AL East.
The problem with CC is that he's not a big game pitcher. We'll take a look at why he's not a big game pitcher, given his talent and skill set, another time. For now let's take a look at his cumulative postseason numbers:33 innings, 22 runs, 22 walks, 7.92 ERA, with an on base % of .464. Interestingly, "world series numbers are not available". I wonder why! With starting pitching like that, it's almost impossible for a team to reach the world series. I think we've found the Arod of pitchers.
Sure he'll get us 200 innings, 15 wins and maybe a sub-4 ERA. But the Yankees need players who can perform in high profile games. CC doesn't look like the kind of guy who can go 6 and two thirds of one run ball at Fenway park. And that's what it's going to take to win the AL East.
A New Yankee Blog (Orioles 10 Yanks 5)
It happens every year now. The Yankees buy up much of the best talent during the off season, then start the season poorly.
Today was no exception. The story of the game was CC Sabathia, by all accounts the Shaq of baseball, flopping in his Yankee debut. He posted a +10 ERA on the day, gave up 6 runs in 4.1 dreadful innings, walked 5, and perhaps most alarming of all, was unable to strike anyone out. It was hard to watch him loafing around up there, unable to locate his pitches.
In a high-profile game like this, one can expect the experienced, championship caliber Yankee players to perform at their best, and they didn't disappoint. Jeter was 3-5 and Matsui and Posada homered. Though the Yankees lost in dispiriting fashion, the guys we can rely on, Jeter, Matsui, and Posada, will always play inspirational baseball when they're needed most. And that's the primary reason I still think the Yankees are worth watching.
Today was no exception. The story of the game was CC Sabathia, by all accounts the Shaq of baseball, flopping in his Yankee debut. He posted a +10 ERA on the day, gave up 6 runs in 4.1 dreadful innings, walked 5, and perhaps most alarming of all, was unable to strike anyone out. It was hard to watch him loafing around up there, unable to locate his pitches.
In a high-profile game like this, one can expect the experienced, championship caliber Yankee players to perform at their best, and they didn't disappoint. Jeter was 3-5 and Matsui and Posada homered. Though the Yankees lost in dispiriting fashion, the guys we can rely on, Jeter, Matsui, and Posada, will always play inspirational baseball when they're needed most. And that's the primary reason I still think the Yankees are worth watching.
About this blog:
As you read through this blog, you might notice a few things that are different from other blogs.
Here's what I don't do.
1. I don't regurgitate a lot of stats. That's because I think you know what the stats are already. And when I DO talk stats, I have a larger concept in mind that I'm trying to get across. I'll be trying to tell a story. It's also very important to choose the RIGHT stats and let the others go. So I'll be chiefly concerned with batting averages, on-base percentages, ERAs, fielding percentages, and those stats that actually indicate something meaningful about the players' performances. Stats like a pitchers win-loss record, however, are virtually irrelevant (unless a pitcher was 2-14 the year before), so I almost never mention them here.
2. I don't write about tired subjects. The question about whether Joba should be in the pen or a starter is a tired subject. In other words, we've discussed it at length already and it could go both ways. It's time to trust the Yankee coaches to make the right move IN THE RIGHT SITUATION and be done with it. Steroids are also a tired subject.
3. I don't usually weigh in on what Girardi should do with this player or that player unless it is glaringly obvious. I think the coaches almost always have more information to work with, and more experience with making baseball decisions than most of us.
4. I don't talk much about injuries, trade rumors, possible acquisitions, call-ups, send-downs, and the like, unless they PROFOUNDLY affect the team. If you want to read about that junk, there are plenty of sources of information out there. This is not one of them, because the addition or the rumor of an addition or subtraction of a player almost never affects the outcome of a game unless several players are moved around at once. So I rarely discuss it.
5. I don't complain about slumping players, unless the slump is so long that it is having a noticeable affect on the teams ability to win games AND the player seems unlikely to recover his form. Slumps happen all the time in baseball, to everyone, including the best players. It's cool.
6. I usually don't make predictions, but when I do, perk up your ears, because there's money to be made. Sports are, by nature, unpredictable. If you're looking for money-making opportunities, I can tell you this: most games will not make you money over the long run. But if you carefully select the games you bet, you might be able to show a profit. Much of the time, only deep insight will allow you to find those games that are virtual locks. Be advised, though, that you'll have to be right much more often than 50% of the time, which means you should only bet those locks. They're rare, but I'll provide those when I think they're in the immediate future.
Here's what I do:
1. I write about the Yankees in a way that nobody else (at least, nobody else I've read) writes about them. Sports are a human drama, a reality show, but one in which courage, passion, and sacrifice make champions. There's a lot that goes into winning games and championships, and in this blog I attempt to elucidate just what I think those things are.
2. I write reports that I think a Yankee fan would want to read. The blog is called "Yankee Baseball" because "Yankee Baseball" is different from the baseball that is played by the rest of the league. This blog draws attention to that difference in an attempt to explain what's going on on the field, which, in my view, can be quite different from what is reported by the media.
3. I try to get to the core of the issues facing the team, the real reasons behind their successes and failures, and the true nature of their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox.
4. In essence, I want this to become a go-to blog for every Yankee fan who wants the real story, from the perspective of a fan who watches with the sound off, who listens only to the crowd, and who has 20 years of experience watching every major American sport, drawing insight from all of them, along with insights into and reminiscences of past Yankee glory, insights that can be applied to enhance our understanding of the Yankees of today.
5. I hope when you read this blog that you too feel as I always have about this team. I hope that the Yankees' professionalism, respect for their opponents, camaraderie, courage, and poise under pressure inspire you, as it has for me, to emulate those attributes in your own lives, and to be reminded that even in times of adversity, people can and do rise above challenges and perform at their best. And the harder life becomes, the better we must perform, because challenges are opportunities to become true performers in sports and in life. THAT'S Yankee Baseball.
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