I already ranted at length about this exact same "Shooting From the Lip" article (I'm Mike Lupica, and I am outta control, man. I'm not shooting from the hip, I'm shootin' from the lip, throwin' crazy knowledge at you, with some hip puns, too.), but this is my blog and I want to vent.
Lupica has the nerve to casually try to sneak the following argument past you:
"(Epstein) was hiring somebody to manage the Red Sox, who might be working on two World Series in a row right now if not for Grady Little."
I know Lupica covers his butt with the qualifier "might," but he's really implying that the Sox are good enough to have won the last two World Series. They should have won. One stupid managerial move is the only thing that stopped them last year. They almost won.
Big deal.
You know who else almost won in 2003? The Yankees.
You know who else almost won in 2003? The A's.
Also, the Giants, the Twins, the Cubs, and the Braves. Oh, and don't forget the teams who almost made the playoffs. They all might have won. A clutch hit here or there, a fly ball that doesn't curve foul, a favorable umpire's call, maybe a bad managerial move is all that stopped them.
Besides, why is he giving the Red Sox game seven of the 2003 ALCS? If Little brings in Williamson or Embree ... I dunno, Mike Timlin ... the Yankees automatically lose? Hideki Matsui strikes out on three pitches because Embree is a Super Human with a lifetime ERA of 0.00?
What about the freakin' Florida Marlins? Why on Earth does Lupica assume the Marlins could not beat the Red Sox in the World Series? I know Lupica says might, but anything is might. It's the Butterfly Effect, for crying out loud. Lupica wouldn't say it if he didn't think it should have happened.
Until Theo Epstein became the New Kid in Town, Lupica has spent most of the past 364 days writing "I <3 Josh Beckett" on the cover of his Trapper Keeper. Now he thinks his ex-boyfriend would have laid down against the Red Sox?
As a Yankee fan, I'll gladly apply Lupica's logic to my team. The Yankees almost won this season, and last season, and in 2001, and in 1997, and in 1995. They were in first place in 1994 when the strike hit. Even in the 2002 loss to the Angels, I think that if Torre had taken El Duque out of game #2 before he pitched to Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus, the Yankees would have won. Then, they would have won the World Series.
So, there ya go. The Yankees are world champs for the past ten years! Brian Cashman and Gene Michael are geniuses, man! Ten almosts in a row!
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Mike Lupica Redefines Journalistic Excellence.
While not fellating a blow-up picture of Theo Epstein, Mike Lupica finds time to grace the public every Sunday with a column that details his views on sports and sundry matters of import. Entitled "Shooting From the Lip," I've often mocked the column's subpar substance and style.
Have I simply been shortsighted?
In an online review of "Huckleberry Finn," an Amazon reviewer who uses the name "C. Middleton" eloquently explains the impact of Mark Twain thusly: "Twain chose to write this book in the language of the vernacular, while other writers maintained an allegiance to English prose."
The importance of Twain's approach can hardly be overstated. Groundbreaking, mind-expanding, earth-shattering, possibly as influential as any book ever written. Twain broke the rules. Twain wrote in the Language of the People.
With this in mind, perhaps I have misinterpreted Mike Lupica the entire time.
When a man shatters journalistic standards by ending his paragraphs with sentences such as "Epstein sure did," and the jaw-dropping "And did," then perhaps the destabilizing effect on the reader is intentional. Perhaps Lupica's bizarre application of his Poetic License is a call-to-arms to all journalists throughout the land.
Lupica is not writing in the haughty prose of the journalistic elite; he is not even writing in the vernacular of the people. Lupica is pushing prose back to the Elemental. The way a child would write, the pure, pristine Language you somehow knew before you knew how to write, before you knew how to speak, before you knew how to think.
I've misinterpreted Mike Lupica's journalistic manifesto the whole time. He is intentionally choosing to bypass the biases of intelligence, logic, and skill. Lupica's goal is to push journalistic standards to a new high. The only way this can be accomplished, ironically, is by constructing the English language as though he were a retard.
Do you need more proof?
Mike Lupica not only breaks up the following into two sentences, he considers it a whole new paragraph: "Then he has to decide. On his own."
Lupica also considers this a paragraph: "Nobody knows anything."
Genius.
As for Theo Epstein, Lupica seems shocked and amazed that the Red Sox have organizationally rebounded from last year's ALCS, perhaps ignoring the fact that the Red Sox went out and bought Curt Schilling and the closer from the team that almost knocked them out of the 2003 playoffs in the first round.
Winning is great. Winning is why you play. But, as some writers have unnecessarily pointed out, Epstein is a Genius because he has $130 million to spend.
This is not sour grapes from a Yankee fan, because buying a title is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just the obvious reality, and, for some reason, most observers seem shocked that the Red Sox are going to stick around and challenge the Yankees for a while (like they have pretty much for my entire lifetime?) and buy into the marketing camapaign that Millionaire Mercenaries can still be Dirt Dogs.
David Ortiz can rake. If he was on my team, I would love him to a degree that my psychiatrist would find alarming.
But David Ortiz did not win the WS just to make Boston fans happy. David Ortiz was a ten-year-old in the Dominican Republic when Buckner made the error, okay? He does not know your pain, he does not have any empathy for you, he does not share the collective Red Sox Nation psyche. He is a mercenary who has played in Boston for two years.
The Red Sox are heroes because they won the World Series. It is not inappropriate to point out that they're highly-paid, mercenary, greedy, free agent heroes.
Very odd reaction from the non-Boston journalistic community when you consider how often the Yankees have been mocked for buying World Series titles.
Have I simply been shortsighted?
In an online review of "Huckleberry Finn," an Amazon reviewer who uses the name "C. Middleton" eloquently explains the impact of Mark Twain thusly: "Twain chose to write this book in the language of the vernacular, while other writers maintained an allegiance to English prose."
The importance of Twain's approach can hardly be overstated. Groundbreaking, mind-expanding, earth-shattering, possibly as influential as any book ever written. Twain broke the rules. Twain wrote in the Language of the People.
With this in mind, perhaps I have misinterpreted Mike Lupica the entire time.
When a man shatters journalistic standards by ending his paragraphs with sentences such as "Epstein sure did," and the jaw-dropping "And did," then perhaps the destabilizing effect on the reader is intentional. Perhaps Lupica's bizarre application of his Poetic License is a call-to-arms to all journalists throughout the land.
Lupica is not writing in the haughty prose of the journalistic elite; he is not even writing in the vernacular of the people. Lupica is pushing prose back to the Elemental. The way a child would write, the pure, pristine Language you somehow knew before you knew how to write, before you knew how to speak, before you knew how to think.
I've misinterpreted Mike Lupica's journalistic manifesto the whole time. He is intentionally choosing to bypass the biases of intelligence, logic, and skill. Lupica's goal is to push journalistic standards to a new high. The only way this can be accomplished, ironically, is by constructing the English language as though he were a retard.
Do you need more proof?
Mike Lupica not only breaks up the following into two sentences, he considers it a whole new paragraph: "Then he has to decide. On his own."
Lupica also considers this a paragraph: "Nobody knows anything."
Genius.
As for Theo Epstein, Lupica seems shocked and amazed that the Red Sox have organizationally rebounded from last year's ALCS, perhaps ignoring the fact that the Red Sox went out and bought Curt Schilling and the closer from the team that almost knocked them out of the 2003 playoffs in the first round.
Winning is great. Winning is why you play. But, as some writers have unnecessarily pointed out, Epstein is a Genius because he has $130 million to spend.
This is not sour grapes from a Yankee fan, because buying a title is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just the obvious reality, and, for some reason, most observers seem shocked that the Red Sox are going to stick around and challenge the Yankees for a while (like they have pretty much for my entire lifetime?) and buy into the marketing camapaign that Millionaire Mercenaries can still be Dirt Dogs.
David Ortiz can rake. If he was on my team, I would love him to a degree that my psychiatrist would find alarming.
But David Ortiz did not win the WS just to make Boston fans happy. David Ortiz was a ten-year-old in the Dominican Republic when Buckner made the error, okay? He does not know your pain, he does not have any empathy for you, he does not share the collective Red Sox Nation psyche. He is a mercenary who has played in Boston for two years.
The Red Sox are heroes because they won the World Series. It is not inappropriate to point out that they're highly-paid, mercenary, greedy, free agent heroes.
Very odd reaction from the non-Boston journalistic community when you consider how often the Yankees have been mocked for buying World Series titles.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Another (sportswriter) writes some (junk).
Brad Parks Crank Yanks Bill Buckner:
"He was at home at his farm in Idaho yesterday afternoon when he answered the phone and was met with the suggestion that, perhaps if the Red Sox won the World Series that night, people in New England might finally put their grudge against him to rest.
'That's not up to me,' he growled. 'That's up to you (sportswriters). You guys are the ones who write all this (junk).'
But wouldn't the glory of 2004 chase away the ghosts of 1986? Erase the pain of that one little ground ball that happened to sneak through his wickets in a game in which the Red Sox were one strike away from a championship? Make it somehow mean less now that the curse had finally been lifted?
'This series has nothing to do with the series I played,' Buckner said, then, before hanging up, added, 'I wouldn't want to have your job, to have to write all the (junk) you do. You take care now.' "
Maybe Buckner's not really tortured by the curse. Maybe he just doesn't like you.
"He was at home at his farm in Idaho yesterday afternoon when he answered the phone and was met with the suggestion that, perhaps if the Red Sox won the World Series that night, people in New England might finally put their grudge against him to rest.
'That's not up to me,' he growled. 'That's up to you (sportswriters). You guys are the ones who write all this (junk).'
But wouldn't the glory of 2004 chase away the ghosts of 1986? Erase the pain of that one little ground ball that happened to sneak through his wickets in a game in which the Red Sox were one strike away from a championship? Make it somehow mean less now that the curse had finally been lifted?
'This series has nothing to do with the series I played,' Buckner said, then, before hanging up, added, 'I wouldn't want to have your job, to have to write all the (junk) you do. You take care now.' "
Maybe Buckner's not really tortured by the curse. Maybe he just doesn't like you.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Felz eloquently presents the contrarian opinion.
Today's Daily News poll:
Do you want to see Pedro Martinez as a Yankee?
Yes 17%
No 83%
Total Votes: 1093
Fine, you dummies. You asked for bad team full of nice guys, maybe George & Cashman will give you what you want.
But no booing when Pedro spins a 6-hit shutout for the Blue Jays on the same night that Jorge Depaula gets lit up for the Yankees.
No picking the Orioles to win the wild card because they sign Pedro. Remember, you think he's just a six-inning pitcher.
No crying that the "young kids" whom the Yankees are finally "giving a chance" have ERAs that are higher than the price of a beer and two hot dogs.
You know something? Pedro has slowed down. He is a 100-pitch pitcher.
You know something else? 100 good pitches from Pedro is a lot better than 1,000,000 bad pitches from Contreras-Weaver-Rogers-Loaiza-Neagle-Halsey-Graman-Keisler-Vazquez.
Why don't we see if Andy Hawkins is available? He might fit in better in the clubhouse and stuff, you losers. Don't you remember what it was like?
Do you want to see Pedro Martinez as a Yankee?
Yes 17%
No 83%
Total Votes: 1093
Fine, you dummies. You asked for bad team full of nice guys, maybe George & Cashman will give you what you want.
But no booing when Pedro spins a 6-hit shutout for the Blue Jays on the same night that Jorge Depaula gets lit up for the Yankees.
No picking the Orioles to win the wild card because they sign Pedro. Remember, you think he's just a six-inning pitcher.
No crying that the "young kids" whom the Yankees are finally "giving a chance" have ERAs that are higher than the price of a beer and two hot dogs.
You know something? Pedro has slowed down. He is a 100-pitch pitcher.
You know something else? 100 good pitches from Pedro is a lot better than 1,000,000 bad pitches from Contreras-Weaver-Rogers-Loaiza-Neagle-Halsey-Graman-Keisler-Vazquez.
Why don't we see if Andy Hawkins is available? He might fit in better in the clubhouse and stuff, you losers. Don't you remember what it was like?
World Series game. On the road.
7 IP, 3 hits, 0 earned runs (admittedly, a baserunning mistake or two by Fundamentally Sound Small Ball Experts St. Louis may have helped).
See, the third base coach was saying "Go!," but the non-DH / pitcher / pseudo-baserunner thought he was saying "No!"
Still, no matter how you slice it, Pedro performed a wee bit better than Kevin Brown or that pitcher from Montreal whose name shall not be spoken.
John Harper of the Daily News is not swayed, but Kevin Kernan of the Post thinks "Pedro would look fabulous in Pinstripes."
See, the third base coach was saying "Go!," but the non-DH / pitcher / pseudo-baserunner thought he was saying "No!"
Still, no matter how you slice it, Pedro performed a wee bit better than Kevin Brown or that pitcher from Montreal whose name shall not be spoken.
John Harper of the Daily News is not swayed, but Kevin Kernan of the Post thinks "Pedro would look fabulous in Pinstripes."
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Don't disrupt the chemistry ...
... of a team that hasn't won the World Series for four years in a row.
"If you want no part of Pedro Martinez in pinstripes, which surely must be the general sentiment among Yankee fans ... "
It's tough to even comment on an entire article when the first sentence forces you to do a spit take and wonder if you've read it correctly.
Pedro Martinez is not the complete answer to the Yankee starting pitching problems. Nobody is. Pedro is definitely a six-inning pitcher nowadays (which is about 4 2/3 innings more than the Yankees can expect from Brown, Vazquez, or the fresh-faced Brad Halsey).
But why wouldn't you want Pedro on your team? I can't think of one reason.
I suspect the Yankees would have to overpay for him, which would make him like every other player on the team, except maybe for Hideki Matsui and Bubba Crosby.
Harper basically contradicts his own argument by correctly comparing Pedro to pre-Yankee Clemens:
"Perhaps most significantly, the Yankee players loathe Pedro for his intimidation tactics over the years, especially after last year's playoff game where he threw at Karim Garcia and then made that threatening gesture toward Jorge Posada, a player he has mocked from the dugout for years when not pitching.
Yes, they felt much the same way about Roger Clemens, and Clemens won them over when he became a Yankee. But he did so at least partly by setting an example with his work ethic, by being a good teammate."
Y'all loathe Pedro? Boo friggin' hoo. Get over it. Nobody likes their coworkers, except some of us don't get paid millions of dollars to loathe our coworkers and play baseball for a living.
The Yankees don't need "good teammates," they need good pitchers. If Pedro Martinez actually comes to the Yankees and pitches well, then "happy" would be my general sentiment.
If he earns his pinstripes by hitting Mike Piazza in the head, then he might instantly become my Favorite Yankee Ever.
"If you want no part of Pedro Martinez in pinstripes, which surely must be the general sentiment among Yankee fans ... "
It's tough to even comment on an entire article when the first sentence forces you to do a spit take and wonder if you've read it correctly.
Pedro Martinez is not the complete answer to the Yankee starting pitching problems. Nobody is. Pedro is definitely a six-inning pitcher nowadays (which is about 4 2/3 innings more than the Yankees can expect from Brown, Vazquez, or the fresh-faced Brad Halsey).
But why wouldn't you want Pedro on your team? I can't think of one reason.
I suspect the Yankees would have to overpay for him, which would make him like every other player on the team, except maybe for Hideki Matsui and Bubba Crosby.
Harper basically contradicts his own argument by correctly comparing Pedro to pre-Yankee Clemens:
"Perhaps most significantly, the Yankee players loathe Pedro for his intimidation tactics over the years, especially after last year's playoff game where he threw at Karim Garcia and then made that threatening gesture toward Jorge Posada, a player he has mocked from the dugout for years when not pitching.
Yes, they felt much the same way about Roger Clemens, and Clemens won them over when he became a Yankee. But he did so at least partly by setting an example with his work ethic, by being a good teammate."
Y'all loathe Pedro? Boo friggin' hoo. Get over it. Nobody likes their coworkers, except some of us don't get paid millions of dollars to loathe our coworkers and play baseball for a living.
The Yankees don't need "good teammates," they need good pitchers. If Pedro Martinez actually comes to the Yankees and pitches well, then "happy" would be my general sentiment.
If he earns his pinstripes by hitting Mike Piazza in the head, then he might instantly become my Favorite Yankee Ever.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Lupica Rips ARod!
"I Hate ARod, I Love Jeter" is just an opinion. I can't rip Lupica for his opinion, though I think it's the kind of worthwhile and deep baseball analysis that one might expect from 12-year-old girls at the mall.
Lupica doesn't explain if he thinks Posada is cute or if Sheffield is icky, but he offer several other bizarre interpretations of reality that he seems to think are fact.
Decide for yourself if the following are Fact or Fiction:
" ... the last Yankee dynasty, the one that was supposed to go on and on until Jeter had won the World Series as many times as Joe DiMaggio did, or Yogi." Jeter was "supposed to" get ten rings? Ten?
"If you can't whip them on the field anymore, the way the old Yankees used to, money-whip them."
"George has forgotten the essence of who they were," one American League executive said this week. "He didn't put together the team that won all the time by buying up all the good players." He didn't? That's news to me. He didn't buy players like Boggs, Fielder, Key, Rogers, Neagle, Cone, Wetteland, Clemens, Wells, Knoblauch? He didn't steal Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez from cash-strapped teams? He didn't outbid Boston for Bernie after the 1998 season?
Or perhaps all those free agents (and free-agent-eligibles) were just not "good players"?
Because the Yankees had good players and they came from somewhere. They didn't grow on trees and they didn't play for free.
"Stars everywhere. The new Yankees! The rest of the American League, even the Red Sox, weren't even supposed to play the season!" Foulke! Schilling! Halladay! Tejada! No Pettitte, Clemens, or Wells! The Yankees weren't even supposed to make the playoffs this season!
"Once more, almost unbelievably, A-Rod's former team got better and his new team didn't." Why would anybody find it "unbelievable" that the Rangers got better? They got better pitching. ARod doesn't pitch. Duh.
"Let me ask you a question: Who's set up better for the future right now: the Yankees with A-Rod or the Rangers without him?" Uhhh, are you joking? The Yankees. With ARod.
But in five years, or ten years, when ARod has some rings and the Texas Rangers don't, Lupica will forget he ever wrote this. Kind of like he forgot that he wrote, at the All Star Break, that the Mets were poised to take over New York baseball.
Lupica doesn't explain if he thinks Posada is cute or if Sheffield is icky, but he offer several other bizarre interpretations of reality that he seems to think are fact.
Decide for yourself if the following are Fact or Fiction:
" ... the last Yankee dynasty, the one that was supposed to go on and on until Jeter had won the World Series as many times as Joe DiMaggio did, or Yogi." Jeter was "supposed to" get ten rings? Ten?
"If you can't whip them on the field anymore, the way the old Yankees used to, money-whip them."
"George has forgotten the essence of who they were," one American League executive said this week. "He didn't put together the team that won all the time by buying up all the good players." He didn't? That's news to me. He didn't buy players like Boggs, Fielder, Key, Rogers, Neagle, Cone, Wetteland, Clemens, Wells, Knoblauch? He didn't steal Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez from cash-strapped teams? He didn't outbid Boston for Bernie after the 1998 season?
Or perhaps all those free agents (and free-agent-eligibles) were just not "good players"?
Because the Yankees had good players and they came from somewhere. They didn't grow on trees and they didn't play for free.
"Stars everywhere. The new Yankees! The rest of the American League, even the Red Sox, weren't even supposed to play the season!" Foulke! Schilling! Halladay! Tejada! No Pettitte, Clemens, or Wells! The Yankees weren't even supposed to make the playoffs this season!
"Once more, almost unbelievably, A-Rod's former team got better and his new team didn't." Why would anybody find it "unbelievable" that the Rangers got better? They got better pitching. ARod doesn't pitch. Duh.
"Let me ask you a question: Who's set up better for the future right now: the Yankees with A-Rod or the Rangers without him?" Uhhh, are you joking? The Yankees. With ARod.
But in five years, or ten years, when ARod has some rings and the Texas Rangers don't, Lupica will forget he ever wrote this. Kind of like he forgot that he wrote, at the All Star Break, that the Mets were poised to take over New York baseball.
Torre criticized.
When Javy Vazquez comes out of the bullpen in the second inning to pitch to Johnny Damon with the bases loaded, one gets the idea that Torre isn't trying to win that day's game. One gets the sense that Torre has ulterior motives: Save Mussina for the World Series, give Loaiza some confidence for the World Series and beyond, etc.
Torre isn't doing anything differently. It's just that a lot of his quizzical moves have a tendency to work out ... what with the good players and all. When his moves don't work out, folks start to notice that they were kind of dumb in the first place.
Really, it's not even the moves working out, it's just the team winning. Torre may have made some bad moves in Game Three, but his team scored 19 runs, so it's all forgotten.
As for his demeanor, I think he's so addicted to the calm, avuncular shtick, that he wouldn't be able to emotionally inspire his team even if the situation demanded it. Torre would dismiss this as a panic move.
Of course, no matter how clam his exterior demeanor was, the real panic move was bringing in Mariano in the 8th inning of game five.
Torre isn't doing anything differently. It's just that a lot of his quizzical moves have a tendency to work out ... what with the good players and all. When his moves don't work out, folks start to notice that they were kind of dumb in the first place.
Really, it's not even the moves working out, it's just the team winning. Torre may have made some bad moves in Game Three, but his team scored 19 runs, so it's all forgotten.
As for his demeanor, I think he's so addicted to the calm, avuncular shtick, that he wouldn't be able to emotionally inspire his team even if the situation demanded it. Torre would dismiss this as a panic move.
Of course, no matter how clam his exterior demeanor was, the real panic move was bringing in Mariano in the 8th inning of game five.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Et tu, Klapisch?
Klapisch is definitely a prince among swine, one of the best in the business. He didn't keep this article under his pillow all year (for the fourth year in a row) just waiting to gleefully pounce on George because the Yankees didn't win the World Series.
(Ironic how Lupica now remembers the recent Yankee Championship teams "as special as any New York sports team we have ever had," but at the time, he was basically ragging on Clemens for not being a True Yankee and dismissing the Yankees for recklessly buying WS titles ... which, admittedly, is better than recklessly buying AL East titles.)
I'm not going to take on Lupica today. If I started, it would lead to a sentence-by-sentence analysis and a fifty-page online manifesto which would ultimately prove that Character does not win baseball games and that Lupica et al must know this deep down.
It's downright cowardly and illogical to wait for one team to lose and then claim that team has no character. Just read the articles by the same folks last Sunday, when Torre's surgical professionals were about to sweep Francona's sloppy dirtdogs.
If one is to seriously propose that Character made the difference in the ALCS, then one has to believe that the Yankees suddenly lost all of their collective character on Sunday morning. (Some fans seem to think that Yankees just felt superior and entitled and stopped trying hard, and, at the same time, they crumbled under the pressure. Somewhow, the Yankees were too casual and too uptight at the same time.)
Or perhaps the Red Sox suddenly became collectively self-actualized on Sunday morning and learned how to handle pressure, etc.
Streaks and slumps occur all the time. It should be no surprise that Matsui hits .100 in 15 at-bats after hitting .700 in his previous 15 at-bats. Baseball is very unpredictable in the short run.
But what was constant during all seven games of the ALCS? The character of the players.
Well, that's a start to my vent ... back to Klapisch for a minute ... try to understand the stupidity of the following archaelogical excursion where he tries to find signs that the 2004 Yankees lack character:
"That 6-0 deficit indeed ruined the Yankees, who spent six innings demonstrating just how wide the gulf was between them and the 1996-2000 core. Other than Derek Jeter, no Yankee got the ball out of the infield against Derek Lowe. Instead, the images of the Yankees' lack of heart were everywhere -- from Hideki Matsui leading off the second inning swinging at a borderline 2-0 pitch, despite being down by six runs; to A-Rod being booed by Yankees fans after his final at-bat of the season; to Tom Gordon, who, according to one team source, was so unnerved by October pressure that he was throwing up in the bullpen during Game 6."
Hideki Matsui has no heart because he swung at a borderline 2-0 pitch? I wonder how many heartless homeruns he hit on borderline 2-0 pitches this season.
ARod has no heart because he got booed? (Or is it because he had the nerve to go 0-for-4?)
Flash Gordon has no heart because he vomited in the bullpen? Flash is definitely one of the biggest goats of this ALCS, and he truly may not be able to handle the pressure of big games, but even that's not a lack of heart. The guy's vomiting in the bullpen, he's no stoic mercenary, we need more gutty players like that!
Naturally, Derek Jeter is the exception somehow, because Mr. .200 managed an rbi single. Big whoop. How about one lousy fly ball over the wall in Fenway, when we needed it, which might propel the Yankees to the Big Dance.
C'mon, Klapisch, you're better than this. You're on my side of this battle, aren't you? You're more clear-eyed than the rest of them, aren't you? Did Olney hypnotize you, or something?
Besides, if the Yankees had really given up, why did they rally for two late runs off Pedro? Why did they get Sierra to the plate with a chance to bring the score within just four runs (heh)?
The reason for the game seven loss is not Matsui swinging at a borderline 2-0 pitch. The blame is squarely on Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez. The problem with them might be their character and their heart, but it's mostly their velocity and their location.
(Ironic how Lupica now remembers the recent Yankee Championship teams "as special as any New York sports team we have ever had," but at the time, he was basically ragging on Clemens for not being a True Yankee and dismissing the Yankees for recklessly buying WS titles ... which, admittedly, is better than recklessly buying AL East titles.)
I'm not going to take on Lupica today. If I started, it would lead to a sentence-by-sentence analysis and a fifty-page online manifesto which would ultimately prove that Character does not win baseball games and that Lupica et al must know this deep down.
It's downright cowardly and illogical to wait for one team to lose and then claim that team has no character. Just read the articles by the same folks last Sunday, when Torre's surgical professionals were about to sweep Francona's sloppy dirtdogs.
If one is to seriously propose that Character made the difference in the ALCS, then one has to believe that the Yankees suddenly lost all of their collective character on Sunday morning. (Some fans seem to think that Yankees just felt superior and entitled and stopped trying hard, and, at the same time, they crumbled under the pressure. Somewhow, the Yankees were too casual and too uptight at the same time.)
Or perhaps the Red Sox suddenly became collectively self-actualized on Sunday morning and learned how to handle pressure, etc.
Streaks and slumps occur all the time. It should be no surprise that Matsui hits .100 in 15 at-bats after hitting .700 in his previous 15 at-bats. Baseball is very unpredictable in the short run.
But what was constant during all seven games of the ALCS? The character of the players.
Well, that's a start to my vent ... back to Klapisch for a minute ... try to understand the stupidity of the following archaelogical excursion where he tries to find signs that the 2004 Yankees lack character:
"That 6-0 deficit indeed ruined the Yankees, who spent six innings demonstrating just how wide the gulf was between them and the 1996-2000 core. Other than Derek Jeter, no Yankee got the ball out of the infield against Derek Lowe. Instead, the images of the Yankees' lack of heart were everywhere -- from Hideki Matsui leading off the second inning swinging at a borderline 2-0 pitch, despite being down by six runs; to A-Rod being booed by Yankees fans after his final at-bat of the season; to Tom Gordon, who, according to one team source, was so unnerved by October pressure that he was throwing up in the bullpen during Game 6."
Hideki Matsui has no heart because he swung at a borderline 2-0 pitch? I wonder how many heartless homeruns he hit on borderline 2-0 pitches this season.
ARod has no heart because he got booed? (Or is it because he had the nerve to go 0-for-4?)
Flash Gordon has no heart because he vomited in the bullpen? Flash is definitely one of the biggest goats of this ALCS, and he truly may not be able to handle the pressure of big games, but even that's not a lack of heart. The guy's vomiting in the bullpen, he's no stoic mercenary, we need more gutty players like that!
Naturally, Derek Jeter is the exception somehow, because Mr. .200 managed an rbi single. Big whoop. How about one lousy fly ball over the wall in Fenway, when we needed it, which might propel the Yankees to the Big Dance.
C'mon, Klapisch, you're better than this. You're on my side of this battle, aren't you? You're more clear-eyed than the rest of them, aren't you? Did Olney hypnotize you, or something?
Besides, if the Yankees had really given up, why did they rally for two late runs off Pedro? Why did they get Sierra to the plate with a chance to bring the score within just four runs (heh)?
The reason for the game seven loss is not Matsui swinging at a borderline 2-0 pitch. The blame is squarely on Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez. The problem with them might be their character and their heart, but it's mostly their velocity and their location.
Clemens Forgets How to Win.
Boyfriend / MVP Pettitte's dugout presence no match for MVP Pujols' and Rolen's on-field presence.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Jeter is a loser ...
... four years in a row.
(Speaking of Jeter, he shouldn't be calling out his current teammates when he only hit .200 for the series. When the Captain gets credit for wins, he should share the blame for the losses. But he's got the winner rep, so that's impossible.)
Anyway, on to the article at hand ...
"Paul O'Neill's Yankees wouldn't have ever blown a three-game lead in a best-of-7 series to anybody, much less the Boston Red Sox. Neither would Tino Martinez's Yankees. "
For one thing, Scott Miller wasn't running his trap after this "configuration of the Yankees" came back to beat the Twins. Also, I'll bet he was nowhere to be found when this "confguration of the Yankees" won the AL East and took a 3-0 lead on the Red Sox in the ALCS.
Secondly, I saw nothing ... not one thing ... zilch ... on the field or off the field ... that made me question this team's character. Kevin Brown punched a wall in the clubhouse, but that was just "competitive intensity" if it's Paul O'Neill attacking a water cooler.
Thirdly, one has to ask, if Scott Miller truly believes so much in the importance of Character, why couldn't Tino Martinez's Cardinals even make the playoffs? Now, as soon as they get rid of Tino Martinez, the Cardinals find themselves one win away from the World Series.
Why obscure the issue? Why are we missing the point of baseball? Why are we talking so much about character, chemistry, magic, mystique, curses, and ghosts?
It's so obvious why the Yankees lost. Pitiful back of the rotation, inability to hit Boston's bullpen, and poor RISP down the stretch.
It broke my heart, but Johnny Damon hitting the BP fastball by Gopher Ball Javy is a strangely beautiful thing. It's Truth and Justice. The ghost of Babe Ruth can't help you if you stink. It's not a matter of Character (though Javy is no doubt a sissy), it's always a matter of Execution.
A man like Javy Vazquez can't choke because he doesn't have enough skill. He can't pitch in pressure situations, he can't pitch in non-pressure situations. He can't pitch in big games, he can't pitch in small games. He can't pitch against good teams, he can't pitch against bad teams.
It's a freakin' Dr. Seuss of Gopher Balls. "He gives up hrs to White Sox, Red Sox, Live Sox, Dead Sox. He gives up hrs to Righties, Lefties, Smallies, Hefties."
The 2004 Yankees never quit, they never took anything for granted, they just got beat fair and square.
You win as a team and you lose as a team. If winning the WS is the binary measure of success, and if Jeter and his True Torre Yankees (Posada, Bernie, etc.) were "winners" when they got 4 in 5 years, then they're "losers" when they lose four in a row.
You know what else? So were O'Neill and Tino in 1997 and 2001, and the majority of their careers.
Winning the World Series is tough. Beating the 2004 Red Sox is tough, just like beating the 2001 Diamondbacks was tough. It's not solely a matter of will.
Nobody ever stops trying or spontaneously loses their character, they just sometimes get beat fair and square.
(Speaking of Jeter, he shouldn't be calling out his current teammates when he only hit .200 for the series. When the Captain gets credit for wins, he should share the blame for the losses. But he's got the winner rep, so that's impossible.)
Anyway, on to the article at hand ...
"Paul O'Neill's Yankees wouldn't have ever blown a three-game lead in a best-of-7 series to anybody, much less the Boston Red Sox. Neither would Tino Martinez's Yankees. "
For one thing, Scott Miller wasn't running his trap after this "configuration of the Yankees" came back to beat the Twins. Also, I'll bet he was nowhere to be found when this "confguration of the Yankees" won the AL East and took a 3-0 lead on the Red Sox in the ALCS.
Secondly, I saw nothing ... not one thing ... zilch ... on the field or off the field ... that made me question this team's character. Kevin Brown punched a wall in the clubhouse, but that was just "competitive intensity" if it's Paul O'Neill attacking a water cooler.
Thirdly, one has to ask, if Scott Miller truly believes so much in the importance of Character, why couldn't Tino Martinez's Cardinals even make the playoffs? Now, as soon as they get rid of Tino Martinez, the Cardinals find themselves one win away from the World Series.
Why obscure the issue? Why are we missing the point of baseball? Why are we talking so much about character, chemistry, magic, mystique, curses, and ghosts?
It's so obvious why the Yankees lost. Pitiful back of the rotation, inability to hit Boston's bullpen, and poor RISP down the stretch.
It broke my heart, but Johnny Damon hitting the BP fastball by Gopher Ball Javy is a strangely beautiful thing. It's Truth and Justice. The ghost of Babe Ruth can't help you if you stink. It's not a matter of Character (though Javy is no doubt a sissy), it's always a matter of Execution.
A man like Javy Vazquez can't choke because he doesn't have enough skill. He can't pitch in pressure situations, he can't pitch in non-pressure situations. He can't pitch in big games, he can't pitch in small games. He can't pitch against good teams, he can't pitch against bad teams.
It's a freakin' Dr. Seuss of Gopher Balls. "He gives up hrs to White Sox, Red Sox, Live Sox, Dead Sox. He gives up hrs to Righties, Lefties, Smallies, Hefties."
The 2004 Yankees never quit, they never took anything for granted, they just got beat fair and square.
You win as a team and you lose as a team. If winning the WS is the binary measure of success, and if Jeter and his True Torre Yankees (Posada, Bernie, etc.) were "winners" when they got 4 in 5 years, then they're "losers" when they lose four in a row.
You know what else? So were O'Neill and Tino in 1997 and 2001, and the majority of their careers.
Winning the World Series is tough. Beating the 2004 Red Sox is tough, just like beating the 2001 Diamondbacks was tough. It's not solely a matter of will.
Nobody ever stops trying or spontaneously loses their character, they just sometimes get beat fair and square.
Genius.
Instead, please use my blog for birdcage liner.
Just do me a favor, next time your dog poops, rather than waste something valuable like yesterday's newspaper to pick it up, please use the contract of Javier Vazquez.
Just do me a favor, next time your dog poops, rather than waste something valuable like yesterday's newspaper to pick it up, please use the contract of Javier Vazquez.
More challenges for the sportswriting community.
- After two straight walk-off hrs in the NLCS and 4 dingers by the Red Sox in game seven, can we stop talking about the importance of Small Ball? Buster Olney was undoubtedly pontificating about how Damon has to just make contact, move the runners over, cut down on his swing and make sure he gets one run in, get a productive out.
- After the Red Sox came back from a 19-8 loss and a 3-0 hole in the series, and after the Astros came back to win 3 in a row after being in a 2-0 hole to a 105-win team, can we stop talking about the importance of Momentum?
- After three of the Final Four in baseball are the three best Offensive teams, and the average score in the playoffs is a football score, can we stop talking about how Good Pitching always beats Good Hitting?
Mt. Steinbrenner.
Don't worry about the Curse of the Babe. It can never die as long as lazy people are paid to write about sports.
I was hoping a Boston victory would inspire sportswriters to come up with a new angle ... maybe even tell us what happened on the field? ... but I knew this was a naive dream.
For another tired cliche, let's talk about the impending eruption of Mt. Steinbrenner:
" 'I want to congratulate the Boston team. They did very well and played very well,' Steinbrenner said. 'They are a great team.' "
(Clearly, the rantings of a madman.)
"It stood in contrast to a year ago when the Yankee owner gloated over his team's win over Boston."
(Well, winning is typically better than losing. Oddly, the Red Sox seem happier this year than they did last year.)
As usual, Steinbrenner is accused of overreacting before he does anything. I'm sure George is frustrated, angry, etc., and I'm sure his plaintive and curt response to the press is not indicative of his true emotions, but that's not the point.
The proposition is that Steinbrenner will act irrationally because of these emotions. Punch an elevator, fire his manager, trade Brown and Posada and Bernie for Odalis Perez.
I suspect the typical offseason changes. Most likely upgrades at cf and 2b, lefty for the bullpen, try to find another starter somewhere because Brown and Vazquez are busts.
All rational stuff, though. The rivalry you thought couldn't get any better just got better. Let's reload and get 'em next year ... with Nomar at second base.
I was hoping a Boston victory would inspire sportswriters to come up with a new angle ... maybe even tell us what happened on the field? ... but I knew this was a naive dream.
For another tired cliche, let's talk about the impending eruption of Mt. Steinbrenner:
" 'I want to congratulate the Boston team. They did very well and played very well,' Steinbrenner said. 'They are a great team.' "
(Clearly, the rantings of a madman.)
"It stood in contrast to a year ago when the Yankee owner gloated over his team's win over Boston."
(Well, winning is typically better than losing. Oddly, the Red Sox seem happier this year than they did last year.)
As usual, Steinbrenner is accused of overreacting before he does anything. I'm sure George is frustrated, angry, etc., and I'm sure his plaintive and curt response to the press is not indicative of his true emotions, but that's not the point.
The proposition is that Steinbrenner will act irrationally because of these emotions. Punch an elevator, fire his manager, trade Brown and Posada and Bernie for Odalis Perez.
I suspect the typical offseason changes. Most likely upgrades at cf and 2b, lefty for the bullpen, try to find another starter somewhere because Brown and Vazquez are busts.
All rational stuff, though. The rivalry you thought couldn't get any better just got better. Let's reload and get 'em next year ... with Nomar at second base.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Best ALCS Ever?
Except for last year. Between the same two teams. Game seven, extra innings, on-field brawls, Clemens back at Fenway.
Not to pooh-pooh the cultural drama of what's going on here, but at least wait until they play the game. Then, let history decide.
If I know one thing, it's that David Ortiz or Keith Foulke or Mark Bellhorn or Hideki Matsui or Tanyon Sturtze or Bernie Williams can go from Hero to Goat purty darn quick. Bellhorn throws one lousy relay throw into the dugout and nobody remembers the 3-run dinger from last night.
The best sportswriter in the world also takes the angle that tonight is, in fact, a "big game." In case you were wondering.
I agree with Lupica regarding one opinion that might not be so obvious and universal: The ALCS is bigger than the World Series. Same goes for most sports. Your divisional rival is your true rival, the team you play every year, the team you really, really, REALLY hate deep-down. No question about it, losing to the Red Sox tonight would be worse than losing to the Astros or Cardinals in the WS (also worse than it was to lose to the D'backs, Angels, Indians, Dodgers, Reds, Mariners, Marlins, Royals, etc.). That's what a rivalry is.
However, if Mike Lupica can find one Yankee player, coach, manager, owner, GM, or employee who "thought they had them swept," then he should quote that source. I know the Yankees play it close to the vest, and everyone had to be confident after a 19-8 win and a 3-zip lead in the series, but I truly doubt if any player on the Yankees assumed the series was over.
Mike Lupica stupidly thought the Yankees had the Red Sox swept if they went up 3-0 (he said so in his article after game two). Mike Lupica stupidly could not envision the Red Sox winning one more game, much less three more games.
Lupica-Land is a crazy place. First, he'll tell you something can't happen, and you think he's nuts, he doesn't know what he's talking about.
Then, when he is proven wrong, he won't admit that he was wrong ... the ethereal "Everybody" was wrong.
This was not "Supposed To" happen.
Ever notice how often things happen that Lupica insists were not "Supposed To" happen?
Maybe, just maybe, Mike Lupica didn't know what was "Supposed To" happen the whole time.
Not to pooh-pooh the cultural drama of what's going on here, but at least wait until they play the game. Then, let history decide.
If I know one thing, it's that David Ortiz or Keith Foulke or Mark Bellhorn or Hideki Matsui or Tanyon Sturtze or Bernie Williams can go from Hero to Goat purty darn quick. Bellhorn throws one lousy relay throw into the dugout and nobody remembers the 3-run dinger from last night.
The best sportswriter in the world also takes the angle that tonight is, in fact, a "big game." In case you were wondering.
I agree with Lupica regarding one opinion that might not be so obvious and universal: The ALCS is bigger than the World Series. Same goes for most sports. Your divisional rival is your true rival, the team you play every year, the team you really, really, REALLY hate deep-down. No question about it, losing to the Red Sox tonight would be worse than losing to the Astros or Cardinals in the WS (also worse than it was to lose to the D'backs, Angels, Indians, Dodgers, Reds, Mariners, Marlins, Royals, etc.). That's what a rivalry is.
However, if Mike Lupica can find one Yankee player, coach, manager, owner, GM, or employee who "thought they had them swept," then he should quote that source. I know the Yankees play it close to the vest, and everyone had to be confident after a 19-8 win and a 3-zip lead in the series, but I truly doubt if any player on the Yankees assumed the series was over.
Mike Lupica stupidly thought the Yankees had the Red Sox swept if they went up 3-0 (he said so in his article after game two). Mike Lupica stupidly could not envision the Red Sox winning one more game, much less three more games.
Lupica-Land is a crazy place. First, he'll tell you something can't happen, and you think he's nuts, he doesn't know what he's talking about.
Then, when he is proven wrong, he won't admit that he was wrong ... the ethereal "Everybody" was wrong.
This was not "Supposed To" happen.
Ever notice how often things happen that Lupica insists were not "Supposed To" happen?
Maybe, just maybe, Mike Lupica didn't know what was "Supposed To" happen the whole time.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Way to go, Yankee fans!
The Yankees might actually lose a playoff game to the Red Sox. The Yankees might actually lose a playoff series to the Red Sox.
Apparently convinced that a 2-run 8th-inning lead is insurmountable for the team that has 60-something comeback wins this season, Yankee fans express their dismay by throwing trash on the field and risking a forfeit.
This all occurred ostensibly in protest of an umpire call on the ARod karate chop play, but that was not even an incorrect call.
Spoiled, crybaby fans like that don't deserve to revel in the delight of a ninth-inning comeback or a game seven victory.
My friend Dave thinks that the blood in Curt Schilling's sock broke the curse. Since it's a red sock.
Dave's kooky enough, and one time he passed out in the bleacher bathroom at Yankee Stadium; and one time he mocked a SF Giants fan with the chant "Bar-ry" even though Barry Bonds had hit a 500-foot hr earlier in the game; and one time he made me literally eat my shoe (not the whole thing) when Gary Ward hit a hr; and one time he dressed up his five-year-old sister in a hockey mask told her to be the "catcher"; but Dave would never throw trash on the field.
Apparently convinced that a 2-run 8th-inning lead is insurmountable for the team that has 60-something comeback wins this season, Yankee fans express their dismay by throwing trash on the field and risking a forfeit.
This all occurred ostensibly in protest of an umpire call on the ARod karate chop play, but that was not even an incorrect call.
Spoiled, crybaby fans like that don't deserve to revel in the delight of a ninth-inning comeback or a game seven victory.
My friend Dave thinks that the blood in Curt Schilling's sock broke the curse. Since it's a red sock.
Dave's kooky enough, and one time he passed out in the bleacher bathroom at Yankee Stadium; and one time he mocked a SF Giants fan with the chant "Bar-ry" even though Barry Bonds had hit a 500-foot hr earlier in the game; and one time he made me literally eat my shoe (not the whole thing) when Gary Ward hit a hr; and one time he dressed up his five-year-old sister in a hockey mask told her to be the "catcher"; but Dave would never throw trash on the field.
Pettitte Worship Reaches New Low.
"The 32-year-old left-hander was 6-4 with a 3.90 ERA in his first year with the Astros but had three trips to the disabled list. His season officially ended when he underwent surgery to repair a left elbow tendon Aug. 24.
Still, it's not too much of a stretch to say Pettitte has been the Astros' MVP in 2004."
Lieber the Ignored.
Just to have a little fun with this article, replace "Schilling" with "Lieber," replace "hurt ankle" with "Tommy John shoulder," and replace "extend the series" to "send his team to the World Series."
Believe me, if Jon Lieber didn't play for the Yankees, he would make for a compelling story. Even a compelling underdog story. Minus the corny tee shirt.
Believe me, if Jon Lieber didn't play for the Yankees, he would make for a compelling story. Even a compelling underdog story. Minus the corny tee shirt.
Buster Olney paid to watch a baseball game.
I challenge anyone to find a single worthwhile opinion in Buster Olney's in-game analysis. The article contains few Olney opinions of any kind (other than stuff like "the pressure now shifts to the Yankees" and "nice scoop by Jeter"). It boils down to nothing more than an inning-by-inning synopsis of the game and a mind-numbing pitch count tracker.
Thanks, but I watched the game, too.
If I had missed the game, there are lots of places I could go for a more detailed pitch-by-pitch recap.
Thanks, but I watched the game, too.
If I had missed the game, there are lots of places I could go for a more detailed pitch-by-pitch recap.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)