Did Mike Vaccaro really take a "stroll through town" and count the Mets caps?:
"But really, this isn't all about performance. It's about buzz. It's about keeping your ear to the sidewalk, hearing what the people are talking about. Right now, Yankees remain the dominant team in the market, they sell 50,000 tickets every night, TV ratings are high, merchandise still flies off shelves, and there's 12 uninterrupted years of success to draw upon.
It's just a smaller difference now. And there are weekends, like the one just past, when you take a stroll through town and it's starting to look and sound and feel an awful lot like the middle '80s again."
It's all about performance.
It's always all about performance.
The Mets just won five in a row at the same time the Yankees lost four in a row. That's performance, not buzz.
The Mets have 6 1/2 on Philadelphia while the Yankees are one game back of Boston. That's all that really matters.
So, it's definitely the wrong time to declare Yankee supremacy. Beltran is better than I thought, Unit is worse than I thought, and the Yankees simply have way too many injuries. But Vaccaro should know by now that the Mets could have a bad week and get a few injuries, too.
Throwing caution to the wind, Mike Lupica boldly declares the Mets the best team in baseball:
"The Mets aren't just the best team in New York right now, they are the best team in baseball. The Tigers have a better record, but nobody believes they could beat Willie Randolph's team straight up."
I just spit my coffee.
I absolutely believe the Tigers could beat the Mets straight up. I'm somebody! I'm somebody!
But I'm not sure what it even means to "beat the Mets." Over the course of the next 100 games? In a seven-game series?
Nobody believes the Tigers can win more games than the Mets this season? Nobody believes the Tigers could beat the Mets in a seven-game series?
What does Mike Lupica have against the Tigers? Why aren't the Tigers exciting? Why don't the Tigers have personality? Why don't the Tigers have an exciting blend of old and new?
Lupica isn't impressed with the rookie relievers on the Tigers who throw the ball 100+ mph? Combined with the artistic lefty veteran, Kenny Rogers?
It's an exciting blending of old and new! It's a mix of veterans and emerging homegrown talent, many of whom suffered through a 120-loss season just three years ago.
Wow! Come to think of it, the Tigers are way more appealing than the Mets and all their high-priced free agents, trying to buy a World Series title, money-beating the Diamondbacks.
I think Lupica may have just convinced me. Go Tigers! Roar!
But I know this isn't really about the Tigers. It's about Alex Rodriguez:
"But Beltran, such a disappointment last season, is having the kind of MVP stretch Yankee fans want from A-Rod."
The entire 2005 season was an MVP stretch from ARod. Literally.
ARod was also just named Player of the Month in the AL. Just last month.
You know what it's like defending ARod? It's like defending ice cream and pizza.
You know what it's like waiting for ARod to produce? It's like waiting for the sun to rise in the East.
.300, 40, 120 every year. Plus or minus 10 percent.
If that's not carrying a team, then there is no such thing as carrying a team. If Yankee fans are not satisfied with those kind of numbers, then they're spoiled and ignorant.
Besides, even if Beltran is putting up MVP numbers, they're all in blowout wins and he doesn't really have the "it" factor. If you want to be thought of MVP around here, you can't just bust up the furniture in 15-run blowouts of the Diamondbacks.
3 comments:
Wow, this site is such a refreshing find. Your Yankee insight is excellent, and I am usually dissatisfied with the Yankee knowledge of so-called sportswriters.
Perhaps the reason I am gushing with praise is that by defending Arod you seem to be one of the few people who get it: Arod is unfairly criticized everyday by sportswriters and fair-weather Yankee fans who don't know anything about this team. I am embarassed when I hear the boos shower Arod every time he fails to get a hit. All hitters go through slumps, and no other Yankee would be treated in such a way. Last week, after the Yankees lost to the Red Sox 9-3, the New York Times could have placed a photo of any of the game highlights (Bernie's homer or any of the Boston players who played well) with their write-up on the game. But what photo do they choose? Arod, with a caption describing his failure to get a hit and the fact that he let a ball get by him for a double. Oh, cool...I didn't realize that it's actually the fielder's fault when an opposing player gets a hit.
Also, thank you for pointing out the fact that Yankee starters simply do not go deep enough into games, and the bullpen is forced to throw too many innings. Starters must go deeper if we are going to have a solid bullpen at the end of the season.
Oh, but I must add one thing... the Tigers are not for real, and they will not make the playoffs. The wild card will go to the AL East and the White Sox will win the Central. I cannot wait until this Tiger buzz dies down, the Tigers cannot hold their own with real teams (Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, etc.) but they sure can kick Kansas City's ass!
Well, I certainly wouldn't want to add to the Tiger buzz. But I can absolutely envision a scenario where the Tigers win 92 games while the Mets win 91. It's amusing to me that Lupica would dismiss the Tigers as if they're playing above their heads. Maybe they are. But then he lists all the great things about the Mets and he sounds like he's talking about the Tigers.
Replace Todd Jones and play the Royals ten more times. Those are your Keys To Success.
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