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.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Second-guessers are liars and cowards.
This from an online YES Network poll:
"Should Joe Torre have left Tanyon Sturtze in to pitch the eighth inning of Game 4 on Sunday?
YES 65%
NO 34%
Total responses: 1246"
The Yankees are six outs away from a World Series berth, and I'm supposed to believe that the fans wanted Tanyon Sturtze pitching his third inning instead of the most dominating player in postseason history?
The results of this poll also highlight two vexing phenomena:
"Should Joe Torre have left Tanyon Sturtze in to pitch the eighth inning of Game 4 on Sunday?
YES 65%
NO 34%
Total responses: 1246"
The Yankees are six outs away from a World Series berth, and I'm supposed to believe that the fans wanted Tanyon Sturtze pitching his third inning instead of the most dominating player in postseason history?
The results of this poll also highlight two vexing phenomena:
- Why do people lie in anonymous polls?
- Why do people always find some bizarr-o way to blame the manager when their team loses a close game?
Mariano gives up a run, Yankees lead series 3-1.
I'll take my odds anyday with the Yankee bullpen vs. the Red Sox bullpen, though it didn't quite work out last night.
It's so unusual for Super Mariano to blow a save that it's the obvious headline, but it's a non-issue if somebody on the Yankees ... anybody on the Yankees ... could have just delivered a lousy hit with runners in scoring position.
With ineffective Pedro and injured Schilling on deck, don't expect this genius article to become much more than birdcage liner.
But, on the other hand, weird things can happen in baseball. If anybody still doesn't believe in the Curse of the Bam-Boonie, read this chilling story.
In the other league that nobody seems to care about, Carlos Beltran hit his 8th hr in 9 playoff games and the Houston Astros Did Not Quit. Strangely, though Beltran's tie-breaking blast was certainly dramatic, the rest of the team did not act like they just won the World Series.
Plus, Houston's fans still believe in their team and stuff.
Why not Houston?
What 25 men believe, 25 men will achieve: The 2004 Astros.
It's so unusual for Super Mariano to blow a save that it's the obvious headline, but it's a non-issue if somebody on the Yankees ... anybody on the Yankees ... could have just delivered a lousy hit with runners in scoring position.
With ineffective Pedro and injured Schilling on deck, don't expect this genius article to become much more than birdcage liner.
But, on the other hand, weird things can happen in baseball. If anybody still doesn't believe in the Curse of the Bam-Boonie, read this chilling story.
In the other league that nobody seems to care about, Carlos Beltran hit his 8th hr in 9 playoff games and the Houston Astros Did Not Quit. Strangely, though Beltran's tie-breaking blast was certainly dramatic, the rest of the team did not act like they just won the World Series.
Plus, Houston's fans still believe in their team and stuff.
Why not Houston?
What 25 men believe, 25 men will achieve: The 2004 Astros.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Rain Delay gives El Duque's shoulder time to heal.
Exclusive Felz knowledge for you in a media blitz trying to convince you that the rain delay is an advantage for the Red Sox.
I truly don't understand the willingness of the media to make excuses for the Red Sox.
Go ahead and pitch Schilling in game five, do the Yankees a favor. Schilling was bombed by the Yankees last week (he was also bombed by the Yankees at Fenway in July). It's not 2001 anymore, alright?
An extra day of rest is not going to heal a dislocated Achilles' Heel. An extra day of rest might get El Duque five more pitches ... ten more pitches ... a little more snap on that 0-2 pitch to Millar with the bases loaded.
A rain dealy is not much of an advantage either way, but the dopey media inexplicably focuses on Schilling's ankle (and Johnny Damon's hairstyle) while completely ignoring El Duque's right shoulder.
I truly don't understand the willingness of the media to make excuses for the Red Sox.
Go ahead and pitch Schilling in game five, do the Yankees a favor. Schilling was bombed by the Yankees last week (he was also bombed by the Yankees at Fenway in July). It's not 2001 anymore, alright?
An extra day of rest is not going to heal a dislocated Achilles' Heel. An extra day of rest might get El Duque five more pitches ... ten more pitches ... a little more snap on that 0-2 pitch to Millar with the bases loaded.
A rain dealy is not much of an advantage either way, but the dopey media inexplicably focuses on Schilling's ankle (and Johnny Damon's hairstyle) while completely ignoring El Duque's right shoulder.
Friday, October 15, 2004
You can't pick your own nickname, either.
At least I give Grady Little credit for his Snappy Answer to a Stupid Question:
"I have people ask me all the time would I have done anything differently and the truth is, if I knew what the result was going to be I probably would."
That's the rub, isn't it? Managing would be kinda easy if we knew what the result was going to be.
"I have people ask me all the time would I have done anything differently and the truth is, if I knew what the result was going to be I probably would."
That's the rub, isn't it? Managing would be kinda easy if we knew what the result was going to be.
Do it for Lupica!
Mike Lupica tries to inspire his Favorite Team to Victory in the ALCS. It would be the Curse of the Bam-Boonie!
Lupica works for a New York newspaper, so you'd think he'd be able to empathize with Yankee fans, report on the situation from a Yankee Fan point of view, or at least just report the cold, hard facts ... which tend to be pro-Yankee for the team that keeps winning 100 games and whatnot. Anything besides this tired act of rooting so hard for the other team.
Starting off this press release for his Favorite Li'l Underdogs is this reminder that, while the Red Sox haven't actually beat the Yankees recently, they keep trying hard:
"The Red Sox made a run at the Yankees in the regular season of 2003, finally got to within a game of first place in September. The Yankees won the American League East by six games.
So what's the point? In his attempt to prove that the Red Sox could be successful in the ALCS because of their Never Say Die attitude, his evidence is a list of several recent instances where their comebacks have not been successful.
Mike Lupica has spent all summer (All summer? How about entire career?) attempting to scare Yankee fans into thinking their team wouldn't make the playoffs, wouldn't win the AL East, certainly couldn't beat the Red Sox in a short series. The Yankees have no lefty starters, for the Love of God!
Trust Lupica, don't believe your own eyes. The Yankees are actually losing all these games that the scoreboard says they're winning.
Now, just to remind you, the Red Sox were the favorites at the beginning of this series and also the favorites at the beginning of the season. Even after the Yankees signed ARod. Every poll, most expert predictions, even Ben Affleck still picked the Red Sox.
Patriot's Day represents typical Boston / Red Sox Nation insular stupidity. One city takes the day off from work, runs a marathon, plays professional baseball at 11:00 in the morning. This year, this disgrace occurred on April 19th. How do I know? Easy. I looked up the game recap on yahoo.
A little more research tells me that after taking 3 out of 4 from New York in that Patriot's Weekend series, the Red Sox record was 7 - 5 and the Yankees record was 6 - 8.
The Red Sox were already in first place. The Red Sox had Schilling and Foulke, the Yankees didn't have Pettitte nor Clemens because those two were sittin' in a tree in Houston k.i.s.s.i.n.g. El Duque wasn't even pitching, Lieber wasn't even pitching. ARod was 1-for-17 in the four-game series at Fenway.
It was still a week before the Sox swept the Yankees in New York, took a high-water 4 1/2 game lead, and the Yankee fans booed Jeter. But, on April 19th, Red Sox Nation was quite optimistic.
How does Lupica remember that day?:
"Tonight, the Boston Red Sox need Bronson Arroyo to be as good against Kevin Brown as he was on Patriots' Day, when nobody thought the Red Sox had a chance to beat the Yankees."
Is it a small deal for Lupica to rewrite history, to slightly misrepresent the facts?
Well, I don't think it's really a small deal. It speaks to Lupica's journalistic integrity and ... ha ha ha! ... sorry about that. I just implied that Mike Lupica has "journalistic integrity."
Forget that thought. Cleanse your palate. Do-over.
Let's just say that Mike Lupica has already decided on his storyline, and it's the Underdog Red Sox, damn it. Truth be damned. The Red Sox are tough and they're gritty and ... even though I told you 10,000 times that they'd beat the Yankees in a short series ... they're suddenly the Underdogs, and they always were.
Lupica works for a New York newspaper, so you'd think he'd be able to empathize with Yankee fans, report on the situation from a Yankee Fan point of view, or at least just report the cold, hard facts ... which tend to be pro-Yankee for the team that keeps winning 100 games and whatnot. Anything besides this tired act of rooting so hard for the other team.
Starting off this press release for his Favorite Li'l Underdogs is this reminder that, while the Red Sox haven't actually beat the Yankees recently, they keep trying hard:
"The Red Sox made a run at the Yankees in the regular season of 2003, finally got to within a game of first place in September. The Yankees won the American League East by six games.
Then the Red Sox came back hard at the Yankees after being down 3-2 in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees ended up winning Game 7.
This year the Red Sox came back from 10-1/2 games out in the middle of August, cut the Yankees' lead to 2-1/2 games. The Yankees held them off in September. And held them off in Game 1 of this ALCS after the Red Sox made their run after being down 8-0."
So what's the point? In his attempt to prove that the Red Sox could be successful in the ALCS because of their Never Say Die attitude, his evidence is a list of several recent instances where their comebacks have not been successful.
Mike Lupica has spent all summer (All summer? How about entire career?) attempting to scare Yankee fans into thinking their team wouldn't make the playoffs, wouldn't win the AL East, certainly couldn't beat the Red Sox in a short series. The Yankees have no lefty starters, for the Love of God!
Trust Lupica, don't believe your own eyes. The Yankees are actually losing all these games that the scoreboard says they're winning.
Now, just to remind you, the Red Sox were the favorites at the beginning of this series and also the favorites at the beginning of the season. Even after the Yankees signed ARod. Every poll, most expert predictions, even Ben Affleck still picked the Red Sox.
Patriot's Day represents typical Boston / Red Sox Nation insular stupidity. One city takes the day off from work, runs a marathon, plays professional baseball at 11:00 in the morning. This year, this disgrace occurred on April 19th. How do I know? Easy. I looked up the game recap on yahoo.
A little more research tells me that after taking 3 out of 4 from New York in that Patriot's Weekend series, the Red Sox record was 7 - 5 and the Yankees record was 6 - 8.
The Red Sox were already in first place. The Red Sox had Schilling and Foulke, the Yankees didn't have Pettitte nor Clemens because those two were sittin' in a tree in Houston k.i.s.s.i.n.g. El Duque wasn't even pitching, Lieber wasn't even pitching. ARod was 1-for-17 in the four-game series at Fenway.
It was still a week before the Sox swept the Yankees in New York, took a high-water 4 1/2 game lead, and the Yankee fans booed Jeter. But, on April 19th, Red Sox Nation was quite optimistic.
How does Lupica remember that day?:
"Tonight, the Boston Red Sox need Bronson Arroyo to be as good against Kevin Brown as he was on Patriots' Day, when nobody thought the Red Sox had a chance to beat the Yankees."
Is it a small deal for Lupica to rewrite history, to slightly misrepresent the facts?
Well, I don't think it's really a small deal. It speaks to Lupica's journalistic integrity and ... ha ha ha! ... sorry about that. I just implied that Mike Lupica has "journalistic integrity."
Forget that thought. Cleanse your palate. Do-over.
Let's just say that Mike Lupica has already decided on his storyline, and it's the Underdog Red Sox, damn it. Truth be damned. The Red Sox are tough and they're gritty and ... even though I told you 10,000 times that they'd beat the Yankees in a short series ... they're suddenly the Underdogs, and they always were.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Excuses, excuses.
It's not that I don't understand fully what the Schilling injury means to this series. The advantage flips to the Yankees, even if the score wasn't already 2-zip. (If only Vegas had known about the severity of the ankle injury before they set that -135 in favor of Boston, huh?)
I just can't believe that the dirtdog, happy-go-lucky, No "I" in "Team," Cowboy Up team (and Red Sox Nation in general) are acting like a bunch of crybabies.
Nobody is crying for the Yankees when Brown's back goes out; they got what they asked for when they signed a 39-year-old pitcher.
Nobody on the Yankees makes excuses when their ex-MVP first baseman goes down with various injuries; the waiver wire replacement hits a homerun.
If I was a Red Sox fan, I wouldn't even want to hear it.
If Schilling is injured or subpar, he's supposed to step up, make adjustments, get the job done. If he can't, then there are 24 other teammates on this $130 mill roster who can.
Varitek is proud because his team "almost" won game one, Francona is bragging about "almost" winning the AL East, claiming "moral victories" because they didn't throw in the towel after six innings in game one (and Joe Buck will remind you of Boston's feisty confidence every two minutes, in case you had forgotten).
Can you imagine Torre or Jeter claiming a "moral victory" in a game that they "almost" won?
A "moral victory" is just a code word for "loss." I can only hope that Boston keeps fighting and playing their hearts out so they can claim two more Never Say Die "moral victories."
I just can't believe that the dirtdog, happy-go-lucky, No "I" in "Team," Cowboy Up team (and Red Sox Nation in general) are acting like a bunch of crybabies.
Nobody is crying for the Yankees when Brown's back goes out; they got what they asked for when they signed a 39-year-old pitcher.
Nobody on the Yankees makes excuses when their ex-MVP first baseman goes down with various injuries; the waiver wire replacement hits a homerun.
If I was a Red Sox fan, I wouldn't even want to hear it.
If Schilling is injured or subpar, he's supposed to step up, make adjustments, get the job done. If he can't, then there are 24 other teammates on this $130 mill roster who can.
Varitek is proud because his team "almost" won game one, Francona is bragging about "almost" winning the AL East, claiming "moral victories" because they didn't throw in the towel after six innings in game one (and Joe Buck will remind you of Boston's feisty confidence every two minutes, in case you had forgotten).
Can you imagine Torre or Jeter claiming a "moral victory" in a game that they "almost" won?
A "moral victory" is just a code word for "loss." I can only hope that Boston keeps fighting and playing their hearts out so they can claim two more Never Say Die "moral victories."
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Andy who?
Jon Lieber has come up big in both of his playoff starts, he is 13-3 at home for the season, and he hasn't lost since August 20th.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Five Keys.
Ken Singleton boils the ALCS down to Five Keys: offense, starting pitching, defense, bullpen pitching, and intangibles.
Hard to argue.
Though, of course, I'm personally not too keen on "intangibles," there aren't too many other things that could determine the outcome once you've covered offense, starting pitching, defense, and bullpen pitching.
Hard to argue.
Though, of course, I'm personally not too keen on "intangibles," there aren't too many other things that could determine the outcome once you've covered offense, starting pitching, defense, and bullpen pitching.
Red Sox are the favorites.
What ever happened to Lawrence Rocca? Does anybody know?
After they added Schilling and Foulke, the Red Sox have been the favorites since day one. Every reader poll, every expert pick, and even Vegas odds favor the Red Sox.
"The Yankees are a good team, and they showed how superior they were to the Minnesota Twins last week, but these aren't your father's Red Sox, these aren't Nomar Garciaparra's Red Sox, and they certainly aren't last year's Sawx, either."
I agree that the Sox are better than they were last year, but same goes are the Yankees.
Doesn't anybody even remember last year's Yankee team? Giambi went deep a few times in the playoffs, but the Yankees basically got nothing from him or Soriano in the playoffs.
The third baseman was Aaron Boone (Alex Rodriguez is better).
The right field committee was Juan Rivera, Karim Garcia, and David Dellucci (Gary Sheffield is better).
Last year's starting staff was superior to this year's underrated starting staff, but this staff can get it to the far superior bullpen. Last year's set up men ... in the playoffs ... after the Yankees had given up on Antonio Osuna, Juan Acevedo, Armando Benitez, and Jesse Orosco ... were Jose Contreras, Jeff Nelson, and Chris Hammond.
But the biggest reason the Yankees might win this thing? The Red Sox only hit .260 away from Fenway.
After they added Schilling and Foulke, the Red Sox have been the favorites since day one. Every reader poll, every expert pick, and even Vegas odds favor the Red Sox.
"The Yankees are a good team, and they showed how superior they were to the Minnesota Twins last week, but these aren't your father's Red Sox, these aren't Nomar Garciaparra's Red Sox, and they certainly aren't last year's Sawx, either."
I agree that the Sox are better than they were last year, but same goes are the Yankees.
Doesn't anybody even remember last year's Yankee team? Giambi went deep a few times in the playoffs, but the Yankees basically got nothing from him or Soriano in the playoffs.
The third baseman was Aaron Boone (Alex Rodriguez is better).
The right field committee was Juan Rivera, Karim Garcia, and David Dellucci (Gary Sheffield is better).
Last year's starting staff was superior to this year's underrated starting staff, but this staff can get it to the far superior bullpen. Last year's set up men ... in the playoffs ... after the Yankees had given up on Antonio Osuna, Juan Acevedo, Armando Benitez, and Jesse Orosco ... were Jose Contreras, Jeff Nelson, and Chris Hammond.
But the biggest reason the Yankees might win this thing? The Red Sox only hit .260 away from Fenway.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Joel Sherman plays Imaginary GM.
If you want a good laugh, scroll down and read Joel Sherman's suggested Imaginary Five Moves that somehow create this Imaginary Lineup for the 2005 Mets:
1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Jason Kendall, C
3. Shawn Green, RF
4. Magglio Ordonez, LF
5. Bret Boone, 2B
6. Tino Martinez, 1B
7. David Wright, 3B
8. Mike Cameron, CF
Before you start arguing that Wright should probably bat ahead of Tino, remember that Tino isn't even on the team.
Actually, hitters #2 through #6 aren't even on the team, and probably never will be.
I double-checked the calendar to see if Sherman was just playing an April Fool's Joke. Syd Finch as the #1 starter, Rickey Henderson back in LF, and trade Mike Piazza and Tom Glavine to the Red Sox for ... for ... Manny Ramirez, Keith Foulke, Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon, and Bill Mueller. Oh, and David Ortiz, but the Mets will thrown Kaz Matsui.
But at least Joel Sherman has chutzpah, because the man who just tried to convince you that the Mets can trade Mike Piazza for Shawn Green has no problem casting stones:
"When it comes to intelligence, in both meanings - brains and industry-wide observation - the Wilpons often find themselves lacking."
He also prepares you for some very boring winter meetings:
"Only one player definitely available this offseason deserves substantial commitment in dollars and years: Houston OF Carlos Beltran."
1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Jason Kendall, C
3. Shawn Green, RF
4. Magglio Ordonez, LF
5. Bret Boone, 2B
6. Tino Martinez, 1B
7. David Wright, 3B
8. Mike Cameron, CF
Before you start arguing that Wright should probably bat ahead of Tino, remember that Tino isn't even on the team.
Actually, hitters #2 through #6 aren't even on the team, and probably never will be.
I double-checked the calendar to see if Sherman was just playing an April Fool's Joke. Syd Finch as the #1 starter, Rickey Henderson back in LF, and trade Mike Piazza and Tom Glavine to the Red Sox for ... for ... Manny Ramirez, Keith Foulke, Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon, and Bill Mueller. Oh, and David Ortiz, but the Mets will thrown Kaz Matsui.
But at least Joel Sherman has chutzpah, because the man who just tried to convince you that the Mets can trade Mike Piazza for Shawn Green has no problem casting stones:
"When it comes to intelligence, in both meanings - brains and industry-wide observation - the Wilpons often find themselves lacking."
He also prepares you for some very boring winter meetings:
"Only one player definitely available this offseason deserves substantial commitment in dollars and years: Houston OF Carlos Beltran."
Moley moley moley moley moley.
"Nice to mole you. Nice to meet you. Don't say mole. I said mole."
I think the Curse nonsense is yet another example of a common, fundamental problem with sports analyses by fans and writers: They confuse their own emotions for the emotions of the players.
The fans get nervous, the fans feel pressure, the fans feel like jumping off of bridges after so-called "tough" losses.
I can tell you right now what tomorrow's headlines will be. No mention of Wright or Oswalt. You will either be asked to be amazed by Houston's ability to rebound from a tough loss or you'll be asked to believe that Houston lost because they were emotionally unable to rebound from a tough loss.
The players are not robots, but they can't worry about "tough" losses too much, or pressure, or history. The ball is coming in at 90 mph.
This type of psychological analysis of a game (or a series) -- this focus on the intangibles -- has become the primary evaluation criteria. It deserves about 5% of the ink and it gets about 95% of the ink. Joe Buck watches the game that you're watching and he never, ever, ever talks about hitting or pitching. He is obsessed with "pressure" and "atmosphere" and a player's ability to psychologically respond to it.
I don't think that the Red Sox players care about the curse. But if Red Sox Nation wants to help 'em out, maybe they should stop talking about it so much.
I think the Curse nonsense is yet another example of a common, fundamental problem with sports analyses by fans and writers: They confuse their own emotions for the emotions of the players.
The fans get nervous, the fans feel pressure, the fans feel like jumping off of bridges after so-called "tough" losses.
I can tell you right now what tomorrow's headlines will be. No mention of Wright or Oswalt. You will either be asked to be amazed by Houston's ability to rebound from a tough loss or you'll be asked to believe that Houston lost because they were emotionally unable to rebound from a tough loss.
The players are not robots, but they can't worry about "tough" losses too much, or pressure, or history. The ball is coming in at 90 mph.
This type of psychological analysis of a game (or a series) -- this focus on the intangibles -- has become the primary evaluation criteria. It deserves about 5% of the ink and it gets about 95% of the ink. Joe Buck watches the game that you're watching and he never, ever, ever talks about hitting or pitching. He is obsessed with "pressure" and "atmosphere" and a player's ability to psychologically respond to it.
I don't think that the Red Sox players care about the curse. But if Red Sox Nation wants to help 'em out, maybe they should stop talking about it so much.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Curse of the Bam-Boonie
First of all, let's clear up this Curse nonsense right up-front: There is no Curse of the Bambino.
The Yankees won a record 60-something games by comeback in the regular season, yet when they do the exact same thing against the Twins, it's October Magic & Mystique. I think this Yankee team had lots of May Magic and lots of August Magic, but apparently nobody was too impressed.
If the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the ALCS, they'd better hit and pitch better. They won't win because of intimidation, history, mystique, or Babe Ruth's ghost. I think the Yankees' potential advantages are (1) home field, and (2) Mariano over Foulke.
But let's just say you do believe in curses and mystique and all that jazz, at least the Curse of the Bambino stands up to scrutiny. The Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees and, in retrospect, it completely changed the balance of power in the American League. Throw in some Game Seven Boston losses, a grand total of zero World Series titles, excruciating losses to the Yankees and others, and you've got your fodder for Red Sox Nation Torture.
Okay, it's all familiar territory. Babe, Bucky, Buckner, Boone, but it's still stupid and subtly insulting to the players who actually play the game. Because Mussina might throw a 5-hit shutout and Sierra might drive in 7 runs, but the Yankees really won because of Babe Ruth.
Babe Ruth won't be in the Stadium next Tuesday, and neither will Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, or Aaron Boone. (Well, Bucky Dent might be at the Stadium, fetching some food for Reggie Jackson in the luxury boxes.)
In this context, please read this Mike Lupica excerpt, which he repeated this morning on the Sports Reporters:
Yes, Lupica actually wrote this. I provided a link just for verification, because the more times you read it, the more you'll just shake your head in disbelief. Even more amazingly, Lupica actually thinks this is so funny, that he repeated it on national television.
This is like that "No Soap, Radio" joke where everybody in the room laughs uncomfortably because somebody just said a stupid joke that they don't understand ... and they're not sure if they're missing something ... maybe you're the only person who doesn't understand the joke.
Don't worry. It's not you. It's Lupica. Lupica doesn't get it.
First of all, it's just not funny. It's not a good pun. "Bambino" becomes "Bam-Boonie"? Ha ha ha! I get it, I get it. "Boone," as in "Aaron Boone."
But why not just call if "Curse of Aaron Boone"?
Oh, right. Because "Bambino" is a well-known curse and then you linked Aaron Boone to Babe Ruth by messily combining their names. Cool!
Yeah, I get it and everything ... I really do get it, Mike ... but how does Aaron Boone relate to Babe Ruth? They both were Yankees, right? They both hurt the Red Sox, right? So "Bam-Boonie" is now a curse for the Yankees?
You know what? I totally get it. But it's time for a refill of my drink, look at the time, you know I'm going to go stand over there for a while. Nice talking to you, Mike!
Secondly, how exactly has Aaron Boone come back to curse the Yankees?
The Yankees won 101 games, the AL East, home field throughout the playoffs. Aaron Boone sits on the Disabled List of the Cleveland Indians.
Boone's Replacement just hit .420 in the first round with power, speed, and even some walks. Last year, Boone hit .200 in the first round, .176 in the second round, and .143 in the World Series.
Boone's Replacement had a nice .286, 36, 108 in the 2004 regular season. Boone ended the 2004 season with 0 hrs, 0 runs, 0 stolen bases, and 0 rbis.
If this is a curse, then the Yankees need more curses. Maybe Aaron Boone can get together with Rondell White, Bert Campaneris, Raul Mondesi, and every other ex-Yankee, and try to stick pins into a George Steinbrenner voodoo doll.
While they watch the playoffs on televison.
The Yankees won a record 60-something games by comeback in the regular season, yet when they do the exact same thing against the Twins, it's October Magic & Mystique. I think this Yankee team had lots of May Magic and lots of August Magic, but apparently nobody was too impressed.
If the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the ALCS, they'd better hit and pitch better. They won't win because of intimidation, history, mystique, or Babe Ruth's ghost. I think the Yankees' potential advantages are (1) home field, and (2) Mariano over Foulke.
But let's just say you do believe in curses and mystique and all that jazz, at least the Curse of the Bambino stands up to scrutiny. The Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees and, in retrospect, it completely changed the balance of power in the American League. Throw in some Game Seven Boston losses, a grand total of zero World Series titles, excruciating losses to the Yankees and others, and you've got your fodder for Red Sox Nation Torture.
Okay, it's all familiar territory. Babe, Bucky, Buckner, Boone, but it's still stupid and subtly insulting to the players who actually play the game. Because Mussina might throw a 5-hit shutout and Sierra might drive in 7 runs, but the Yankees really won because of Babe Ruth.
Babe Ruth won't be in the Stadium next Tuesday, and neither will Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, or Aaron Boone. (Well, Bucky Dent might be at the Stadium, fetching some food for Reggie Jackson in the luxury boxes.)
In this context, please read this Mike Lupica excerpt, which he repeated this morning on the Sports Reporters:
"I ask the following question in honor of Aaron Boone:
If the Yankees don't win, could it possibly be The Curse of the Bam-Boonie?"
Yes, Lupica actually wrote this. I provided a link just for verification, because the more times you read it, the more you'll just shake your head in disbelief. Even more amazingly, Lupica actually thinks this is so funny, that he repeated it on national television.
This is like that "No Soap, Radio" joke where everybody in the room laughs uncomfortably because somebody just said a stupid joke that they don't understand ... and they're not sure if they're missing something ... maybe you're the only person who doesn't understand the joke.
Don't worry. It's not you. It's Lupica. Lupica doesn't get it.
First of all, it's just not funny. It's not a good pun. "Bambino" becomes "Bam-Boonie"? Ha ha ha! I get it, I get it. "Boone," as in "Aaron Boone."
But why not just call if "Curse of Aaron Boone"?
Oh, right. Because "Bambino" is a well-known curse and then you linked Aaron Boone to Babe Ruth by messily combining their names. Cool!
Yeah, I get it and everything ... I really do get it, Mike ... but how does Aaron Boone relate to Babe Ruth? They both were Yankees, right? They both hurt the Red Sox, right? So "Bam-Boonie" is now a curse for the Yankees?
You know what? I totally get it. But it's time for a refill of my drink, look at the time, you know I'm going to go stand over there for a while. Nice talking to you, Mike!
Secondly, how exactly has Aaron Boone come back to curse the Yankees?
The Yankees won 101 games, the AL East, home field throughout the playoffs. Aaron Boone sits on the Disabled List of the Cleveland Indians.
Boone's Replacement just hit .420 in the first round with power, speed, and even some walks. Last year, Boone hit .200 in the first round, .176 in the second round, and .143 in the World Series.
Boone's Replacement had a nice .286, 36, 108 in the 2004 regular season. Boone ended the 2004 season with 0 hrs, 0 runs, 0 stolen bases, and 0 rbis.
If this is a curse, then the Yankees need more curses. Maybe Aaron Boone can get together with Rondell White, Bert Campaneris, Raul Mondesi, and every other ex-Yankee, and try to stick pins into a George Steinbrenner voodoo doll.
While they watch the playoffs on televison.
Mike Lupica: The Man who thinks ARod shouldn't bat second.
I think you could poll 10 million Yankee fans and zero of them would have a problem with ARod batting second.
Mike Lupica not only insists that ARod was not "supposed to" bat second, he constantly insists that Yankee fans don't want ARod batting second.
Though his warped mind hardly deserves the attention, I present the Advanced Lupica Reader:
"The Yankees have all the history, which means all the good history, and all the tradition." This is true, and quite irrelevant to next week's ALCS, but if George Steinbrenner or Suzyn Waldman bring up Yankee History and Mystique, then Lupica will undoubtedly scorn them. Tell them it's a Tired Act.
"The Yankees have all the money." Next sentence, Lupica is going to tell you how the Red Sox are better because they added Schilling and Foulke. They added Foulke after they faced his team in the ALDS. Since the Yankees have all the money, one would be forced to wonder how the Penniless Red Sox signed Schilling and Foulke in the offseason. Or Damon, Manny, Pedro, Nixon, Ortiz ... poor Red Sox.
Poor, wacky Red Sox with their long hair. They can't even afford barbers because the Yankees have all the money. Boo hoo.
"The Yankees won more games than the Red Sox and won the American League East. When it was all on the line last year in Game 7 and the Yankes were losing 5-2 in the 8th, the Yankees came back on the Red Sox and tied the game and finally won it when Aaron Boone turned into Bucky Dent. " Really? What are you going to tell me next, MOTO? That the Yankees and Red Sox have a rivalry?
"We all thought it was impossible that two pitchers - Schilling and Johnson - could beat Jeter and Rivera and the rest of Joe Torre's Yankees. I sure thought that way. But that is exactly what Schilling and Johnson did." Did you think it was impossible that the Diamondbacks with Schilling and Johnson could beat the Yankees in 2000? Did anyone think that?
See, this is another indication of Lupica's central downfall. He mistakes his own opinions for the opinions of all Yankee fans ... the opinions of everyone.
Amazingly, while he thinks his personal opinions are universally-held, he couldn't be more wrong.
No matter how many times he writes in a column that ARod shouldn't bat second, that ARod was supposed to be Babe Ruth, that ARod strikes out too much, that Yankee fans miss Andy Pettitte, that Yankee fans don't like Steinbrenner, etc., etc., etc. -- just because Lupica writes it in a column does not make it true.
It never reflects reality, it never reflects the opinions of anybody else, and it never convinced anybody else to share his warped point of view.
As another example, Mike Lupica is thinking of Randy Johnson, and he insists that you are, too:
"If Schilling going to the Red Sox and A-Rod going to the Yankees instead of the Red Sox were the two transactions of the baseball winter, Yankee fans know the biggest of the summer, the deal that wasn't made, was Randy Johnson to the Yankees."
Mike Lupica not only insists that ARod was not "supposed to" bat second, he constantly insists that Yankee fans don't want ARod batting second.
Though his warped mind hardly deserves the attention, I present the Advanced Lupica Reader:
"The Yankees have all the history, which means all the good history, and all the tradition." This is true, and quite irrelevant to next week's ALCS, but if George Steinbrenner or Suzyn Waldman bring up Yankee History and Mystique, then Lupica will undoubtedly scorn them. Tell them it's a Tired Act.
"The Yankees have all the money." Next sentence, Lupica is going to tell you how the Red Sox are better because they added Schilling and Foulke. They added Foulke after they faced his team in the ALDS. Since the Yankees have all the money, one would be forced to wonder how the Penniless Red Sox signed Schilling and Foulke in the offseason. Or Damon, Manny, Pedro, Nixon, Ortiz ... poor Red Sox.
Poor, wacky Red Sox with their long hair. They can't even afford barbers because the Yankees have all the money. Boo hoo.
"The Yankees won more games than the Red Sox and won the American League East. When it was all on the line last year in Game 7 and the Yankes were losing 5-2 in the 8th, the Yankees came back on the Red Sox and tied the game and finally won it when Aaron Boone turned into Bucky Dent. " Really? What are you going to tell me next, MOTO? That the Yankees and Red Sox have a rivalry?
"We all thought it was impossible that two pitchers - Schilling and Johnson - could beat Jeter and Rivera and the rest of Joe Torre's Yankees. I sure thought that way. But that is exactly what Schilling and Johnson did." Did you think it was impossible that the Diamondbacks with Schilling and Johnson could beat the Yankees in 2000? Did anyone think that?
See, this is another indication of Lupica's central downfall. He mistakes his own opinions for the opinions of all Yankee fans ... the opinions of everyone.
Amazingly, while he thinks his personal opinions are universally-held, he couldn't be more wrong.
No matter how many times he writes in a column that ARod shouldn't bat second, that ARod was supposed to be Babe Ruth, that ARod strikes out too much, that Yankee fans miss Andy Pettitte, that Yankee fans don't like Steinbrenner, etc., etc., etc. -- just because Lupica writes it in a column does not make it true.
It never reflects reality, it never reflects the opinions of anybody else, and it never convinced anybody else to share his warped point of view.
As another example, Mike Lupica is thinking of Randy Johnson, and he insists that you are, too:
"If Schilling going to the Red Sox and A-Rod going to the Yankees instead of the Red Sox were the two transactions of the baseball winter, Yankee fans know the biggest of the summer, the deal that wasn't made, was Randy Johnson to the Yankees."
Saturday, October 09, 2004
I'll take the blue pill.
If this is the Yankee reality, I'd rather live in the computer-generated imaginary world where El Duque starts the game.
The much-maligned Yankee starting staff has given up 6 earned runs in 21 innings so far vs. the Twins. The Twins aren't the 1930 A's (or the 2004 Red Sox), but it's still a good job.
That starting pitching success ends today, you can count on that, as Javy Vazquez once again shows no ability to get the big out or make the big pitch.
Going to Mariano in game three was the right move. May as well bring in Mariano. Torre knows there's going to be a game five.
PS - If Vazquez comes through, I will apologize to him. Because I know that's what he's really waiting for as vindication: An apology from a blogger.
The much-maligned Yankee starting staff has given up 6 earned runs in 21 innings so far vs. the Twins. The Twins aren't the 1930 A's (or the 2004 Red Sox), but it's still a good job.
That starting pitching success ends today, you can count on that, as Javy Vazquez once again shows no ability to get the big out or make the big pitch.
Going to Mariano in game three was the right move. May as well bring in Mariano. Torre knows there's going to be a game five.
PS - If Vazquez comes through, I will apologize to him. Because I know that's what he's really waiting for as vindication: An apology from a blogger.
The Red Sox are wacky.
"Theo Epstein, his dress shirt already drenched by celebratory champagne, took a chug from a bottle of Bud in the Boston locker room. Then he tried to shake the tiny hand of Nelson de la Rosa, who at 28 inches is the world's shortest actor."
28 inches tall?
He could star in the screen rendition of my upcoming book, "Sliders to Cairo."
28 inches tall?
He could star in the screen rendition of my upcoming book, "Sliders to Cairo."
Friday, October 08, 2004
Sliders to Cairo.
"It would make for a most intriguing title for a novel - "Sliders to Cairo." What could that be about? Sliders? Cairo? How do they connect? Baseball and the Middle East? Can't be; too incongruous."
Baseball with Bingo Long on a bus was wacky. Baseball with ghosts in a cornfield blew my mind. The Bad News Bears went to Houston, then they even went to Japan.
But Baseball and the Middle East?
Baseball?!?! And the Middle East?!?! In the same novel??? Have you lost your mind, Marty Noble?
It can't be! It can't be, I say!
The whole idea is just ... it's just ... it's just too ... incongruous, this "Sliders to Cairo" craziness.
I mean, what the heck could a novel like that be about?
How the heck do sliders connect to Cairo, damn it?! How are you gonna do it? Nobody has EVER connected sliders to Cairo, so what makes you think you can do it now?
It can't happen, Marty. The general public is not ready for this idea so ahead of its time.
Marty Noble, I hate you and I love you. I find your creative genius both infuriating and exhilarating.
Baseball with Bingo Long on a bus was wacky. Baseball with ghosts in a cornfield blew my mind. The Bad News Bears went to Houston, then they even went to Japan.
But Baseball and the Middle East?
Baseball?!?! And the Middle East?!?! In the same novel??? Have you lost your mind, Marty Noble?
It can't be! It can't be, I say!
The whole idea is just ... it's just ... it's just too ... incongruous, this "Sliders to Cairo" craziness.
I mean, what the heck could a novel like that be about?
How the heck do sliders connect to Cairo, damn it?! How are you gonna do it? Nobody has EVER connected sliders to Cairo, so what makes you think you can do it now?
It can't happen, Marty. The general public is not ready for this idea so ahead of its time.
Marty Noble, I hate you and I love you. I find your creative genius both infuriating and exhilarating.
I'll believe it when I see it.
"And Orlando Hernandez, still plagued by a weak right shoulder, will not start tomorrow's Game 4, according to two sources. Instead, the inconsistent Javier Vazquez will get the assignment."
You have to read between the lines here. Notice how they said weak right shoulder for El Duque.
But his left shoulder is still strong.
So, even if El Duque's right arm falls off, I'm sure Torre would prefer left-handed El Duque to the ... "inconsistent" ... Javier Vazquez.
You have to read between the lines here. Notice how they said weak right shoulder for El Duque.
But his left shoulder is still strong.
So, even if El Duque's right arm falls off, I'm sure Torre would prefer left-handed El Duque to the ... "inconsistent" ... Javier Vazquez.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Yankee Starting Pitching.
"Such is the status of the Yankees' pitching staff that a 39-year-old with an ailing back is the best option."
I trust Brown in game three and I trust El Duque in game four. In fact, my suspicion is that El Duque's sore shoulder will magically get better with two runners on base and two strikes on the batter.
But the subtext of this story is the ridiculous demise of Javier Vazquez. This guy was hyped as an ace, as a Cy Young candidate. Last year, in the NL, he had a 3.24 era and 241 k's. He was 10 - 5, 3.56 at the all star break.
Now, he's pitching out of the bullpen and probably won't throw a single important pitch in the postseason.
Can the Yankees get Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera back?
Overall, I think the Yankee starting pitching is quite underrated. Mussina and Lieber combined for 5 runs in 13 2/3 innings (more or less) for the first two playoff starts, not too shabby for an Achilles' Heel. Brown and El Duque should match up well against the likes of Lackey, Lohse, Wakefield, etc.
(How did Jon Lieber do in "Pettitte's spot," by the way? Not to belabor the anti-Pettitte point, but I'd rather have the guy who has already rehabbed from Tommy John surgery than the guy about to get Tommy John surgery.)
I will concede that the current Yankee staff does not compare favorably to the best recent Championship Yankee staffs ... Clemens, Pettitte, Wells, Key, Cone ... Irabu, Rogers, Gooden, Weaver, Neagle ...
The thing is, the 2004 Yankees aren't playing the 1998 Yankees.
I trust Brown in game three and I trust El Duque in game four. In fact, my suspicion is that El Duque's sore shoulder will magically get better with two runners on base and two strikes on the batter.
But the subtext of this story is the ridiculous demise of Javier Vazquez. This guy was hyped as an ace, as a Cy Young candidate. Last year, in the NL, he had a 3.24 era and 241 k's. He was 10 - 5, 3.56 at the all star break.
Now, he's pitching out of the bullpen and probably won't throw a single important pitch in the postseason.
Can the Yankees get Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera back?
Overall, I think the Yankee starting pitching is quite underrated. Mussina and Lieber combined for 5 runs in 13 2/3 innings (more or less) for the first two playoff starts, not too shabby for an Achilles' Heel. Brown and El Duque should match up well against the likes of Lackey, Lohse, Wakefield, etc.
(How did Jon Lieber do in "Pettitte's spot," by the way? Not to belabor the anti-Pettitte point, but I'd rather have the guy who has already rehabbed from Tommy John surgery than the guy about to get Tommy John surgery.)
I will concede that the current Yankee staff does not compare favorably to the best recent Championship Yankee staffs ... Clemens, Pettitte, Wells, Key, Cone ... Irabu, Rogers, Gooden, Weaver, Neagle ...
The thing is, the 2004 Yankees aren't playing the 1998 Yankees.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Rain Man writes another wicked cool baseball article.
"The potential World Series matchups range from first-time opponents (Angels-Cardinals, Angels-Dodgers, Angels-Astros, Angels-Braves, Twins-Astros, Yankees-Astros, Red Sox-Astros, Red Sox-Braves), to a renewal of old rivalries (Twins-Cardinals, Twins-Dodgers, Twins-Braves, Red Sox-Cardinals, Yankees-Cardinals, Yankees-Dodgers, Yankees-Braves)."
What about the Red Sox-Dodgers? You missed one, Rain Man. You only categorized fifteen of the sixteen potential World Series matchups.
I want to know what Phil Pepe thinks about Red Sox-Dodgers!
This mind-numbing analysis reads like a book report you wrote in third grade:
"The New York Yankees are a baseball team. They play in New York. One time, I went to a Yankee game and they won.
The Yankees have won lots of World Series. One of their best players was Babe Ruth, who also built Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees won their first World Series in 1923.
They also won World Series in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 when they beat the Mets.
I hope the Yankee win the World Series this year.
They will either play the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Houston Astros, or the Atlanta Braves."
What about the Red Sox-Dodgers? You missed one, Rain Man. You only categorized fifteen of the sixteen potential World Series matchups.
I want to know what Phil Pepe thinks about Red Sox-Dodgers!
This mind-numbing analysis reads like a book report you wrote in third grade:
"The New York Yankees are a baseball team. They play in New York. One time, I went to a Yankee game and they won.
The Yankees have won lots of World Series. One of their best players was Babe Ruth, who also built Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees won their first World Series in 1923.
They also won World Series in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 when they beat the Mets.
I hope the Yankee win the World Series this year.
They will either play the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Houston Astros, or the Atlanta Braves."
Pedro Martinez misses pregame introduction!
"There were rumblings, grumblings and more than a few raised eyebrows when Pedro Martinez didn't come out for pregame introductions. Some speculated it was a temper tantrum from a guy who's used to being the Game 1 go-to-guy, while others, such as Francona, said they didn't even notice."
Look, the Angels stink. Not compared to the Expos, but compared to other playoff teams.
The Angels started this guy at second base yesterday. Today, they send the most overrated pitcher in baseball, Fatty Fatso, out there against a team that scored 950 runs. (The most overrated pitcher besides Eric Milton, I should clarify.)
Look, the Angels stink. Not compared to the Expos, but compared to other playoff teams.
The Angels started this guy at second base yesterday. Today, they send the most overrated pitcher in baseball, Fatty Fatso, out there against a team that scored 950 runs. (The most overrated pitcher besides Eric Milton, I should clarify.)
On deck are Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey. At Fenway.
The Red Sox don't need to worry about Pedro missing the pregame introductions in game 1; the Angels need to worry about Fatso showing up for game 2.
- The Red Sox are sending a limo to make sure he gets there on time.
- When he has trouble locating the strike zone, the catcher tells him to pretend his mitt is a cheeseburger.
- I'm not saying he's fat, but when he cut his finger the other day, gravy came out.
The only good news about the impending Red Sox ALDS romp is that Mike Scioscia can no longer bask in the glow of suspending Jose Guillen.
Just in case you mistakenly thought that the Red Sox were going to win because of hitting, pitching, fielding, running, and throwing, here's a more cogent baseball analysis:
"Exactly 18 years ago (yes, that is "18" as in "1918") the Red Sox beat the Angels 8-1 (yes, as in the last two digits of that blasted year) in Game 1 of the 1986 American League Championships Series -- the last time these two teams met in playoff action. If deja vu is a factor in the curse, then Tuesday's 9-3 victory bodes well for the afflicted.
The Red Sox went on to win the '86 ALCS with an 8-1 (here we go again with those 1's and 8's) in Game 7."
ARod only batting .500 in playoffs so far.
Ture, one of his hits was just an infield single. But, on the other hand, one of his outs was the Greatest Catch Ever by Torii Hunter at the wall.
"Rodriguez started slowly in the first inning, unable to pick up a slow roller bare-handed before getting, then in the Yankee half was thrown out at third running on a 3-and-2 pitch for the third out."
You watched the game yourself. We all did. You know that ARod had no chance on the ground ball in the first inning, it was just an infield hit. You also know that he was thrown out on a hit-and-run, not even a straight steal.
Seems obvious to me that Jim Baumbach was going to write this story no matter what occurred in the game: "After missing the slow roller in the first, he almost threw one away. Couple that with getting thrown out at third, and it seemed as if the atmosphere was getting the best of him."
"Rodriguez started slowly in the first inning, unable to pick up a slow roller bare-handed before getting, then in the Yankee half was thrown out at third running on a 3-and-2 pitch for the third out."
You watched the game yourself. We all did. You know that ARod had no chance on the ground ball in the first inning, it was just an infield hit. You also know that he was thrown out on a hit-and-run, not even a straight steal.
Seems obvious to me that Jim Baumbach was going to write this story no matter what occurred in the game: "After missing the slow roller in the first, he almost threw one away. Couple that with getting thrown out at third, and it seemed as if the atmosphere was getting the best of him."
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Say what?
Gary Sheffield compares Johan Santana to similar pitchers from ancient times:
``He's a modern-day Curt Schilling or Randy Johnson.''
``He's a modern-day Curt Schilling or Randy Johnson.''
Monday, October 04, 2004
When Linda Sturtze talks, people listen.
What the hell is this? An analysis of the Yankees' middle relief? Complete with comments by their parents?
Is Paul Quantrill ready for the playoffs?
Just ask his dad, who own an auto dealership in Port Hope, Ontario:
" 'He's been struggling the last few weeks, and he doesn't know what it is,' said his father, John, who owns an auto dealership in Port Hope, Ontario. 'None of us do, or we'd try to help him. ... This is probably the longest period he's had when he's struggled to get an out and perform consistently.' "
Why is Tanyon Sturtze pitching so well lately? Well, let's ask world-renowned Baseball Analyst, Tantyon Sturtze's Mom:
"'I've always thought of him as a starter,' his mother, Linda Sturtze, said. 'But it looks like he's found a niche.' "
...
Is Paul Quantrill ready for the playoffs?
Just ask his dad, who own an auto dealership in Port Hope, Ontario:
" 'He's been struggling the last few weeks, and he doesn't know what it is,' said his father, John, who owns an auto dealership in Port Hope, Ontario. 'None of us do, or we'd try to help him. ... This is probably the longest period he's had when he's struggled to get an out and perform consistently.' "
Why is Tanyon Sturtze pitching so well lately? Well, let's ask world-renowned Baseball Analyst, Tantyon Sturtze's Mom:
"'I've always thought of him as a starter,' his mother, Linda Sturtze, said. 'But it looks like he's found a niche.' "
...
Role Reversal.
Read enough Mike Vaccarro during the season and you'd think the Yankees were going to lose 100 games instead of winning 100 games.
Now, he gives the Twins no shot in the first round.
One of his reasons? "And, by the way, the Yankees made Santana look more human in the process than any team has since the middle of July. "
Truly, this is a flat-out lie.
Last week vs. the Yankees, Santana allowed 1 run and 3 hits over five innings. One walk and five strikeouts. He retired the last 11 Yankees he faced and left with a 3-1 lead before the bullpen blew it.
Since the all star break, Santana is 13-0 with a 1.21 era.
I personally think the Yankees are a better overall team, but Santana is unbeatable right now. That's two games out of five. So, yeah, I'd give the Twins a shot.
Now, he gives the Twins no shot in the first round.
One of his reasons? "And, by the way, the Yankees made Santana look more human in the process than any team has since the middle of July. "
Truly, this is a flat-out lie.
Last week vs. the Yankees, Santana allowed 1 run and 3 hits over five innings. One walk and five strikeouts. He retired the last 11 Yankees he faced and left with a 3-1 lead before the bullpen blew it.
Since the all star break, Santana is 13-0 with a 1.21 era.
I personally think the Yankees are a better overall team, but Santana is unbeatable right now. That's two games out of five. So, yeah, I'd give the Twins a shot.
Not everything Mike Lupica says is ignorant.
Just most of it.
"Rodriguez and the Yankees have their 100 wins now, even went to 101 against the Blue Jays yesterday. Around here, it is treated like the world's most expensive and entertaining out-of-town tryout. Tomorrow night against the Twins, these Yankees get their shot at the first of those 11 wins Reggie always talks about.
And A-Rod gets his official first shot at being a great Yankee."
Fair enough.
But just be consistent. If playoff performance is what makes one a great Yankee, then Tino and Bernie haven't really been great Yankees, while Brian Doyle and Larry Milbourne have.
"He was still called the best in the game by some on his way into town, even better than Barry Bonds."
Who "some"? What "some"? Where "some"?
It's probably correct that "some" thought ARod was even better than Barry Bonds, just like there are still "some" that think the Earth is flat.
Lupica is theoretically a baseball journalist who understands baseball. Scorn those "some," don't give ink to their crazy ideas.
Besides, the only possible argument that ARod was the best player in the game was based on the fact that he was playing a gold glove ss. Everybody knew ... or should have known ... that ARod lost a lot of his status when he was moved to third base.
"This is one of the deepest and most versatile batting orders in the history of the Yankees, all the way back to Murderers' Row. Playing in that lineup, A-Rod has produced the second lowest home run total of his career, second lowest RBI total, second lowest batting average."
This is one of the deepest and most versatile batting orders in the history of the Yankees, all the way back to Murderers' Row?
Is he serious?
Just look it up, man.
Nobody on the team is hitting .300. Nobody on the team has 40 homeruns. Nobody on the team has 30 stolen bases.
This lineup might have potential to be historic if you just take career highs and dream a little bit.
But is this lineup better than the 1961 Yankees and their 240 hrs without a DH?
Better than Career Year 1998 when even Scott Brosius had 100 rbis?
Better than 1985 with Randolph, Henderson, Mattingly, Winfield, even Pagliarulo hitting 20 hrs? Okay, 2004 lineup has more depth than 1985.
Better than the 1941 Yankees with Dimaggio, Henrich, Keller, Dickey, Berra, Gordon?
Come on, get serious.
Besides, if ARod is having a disappointing year, guess who else is having a disappointing year? Everyone's Favorite MVP Candidate, Gary Sheffield.
Think I'm joking?
Sheffield had his lowest batting average since 1998 and hit 39 points lower than last season.
Sheffield also had less hrs, runs scored, and rbis while supposedly playing in a modern-day Murderers' Row.
Maybe it was the pressure of playing in NY or maybe it was because Derek Jeter was his teammate. Who can say why players have such disappointing seasons as Gary Sheffield?
Oh, well.
Maybe he'll finally start hitting in the playoffs.
"Rodriguez and the Yankees have their 100 wins now, even went to 101 against the Blue Jays yesterday. Around here, it is treated like the world's most expensive and entertaining out-of-town tryout. Tomorrow night against the Twins, these Yankees get their shot at the first of those 11 wins Reggie always talks about.
And A-Rod gets his official first shot at being a great Yankee."
Fair enough.
But just be consistent. If playoff performance is what makes one a great Yankee, then Tino and Bernie haven't really been great Yankees, while Brian Doyle and Larry Milbourne have.
"He was still called the best in the game by some on his way into town, even better than Barry Bonds."
Who "some"? What "some"? Where "some"?
It's probably correct that "some" thought ARod was even better than Barry Bonds, just like there are still "some" that think the Earth is flat.
Lupica is theoretically a baseball journalist who understands baseball. Scorn those "some," don't give ink to their crazy ideas.
Besides, the only possible argument that ARod was the best player in the game was based on the fact that he was playing a gold glove ss. Everybody knew ... or should have known ... that ARod lost a lot of his status when he was moved to third base.
"This is one of the deepest and most versatile batting orders in the history of the Yankees, all the way back to Murderers' Row. Playing in that lineup, A-Rod has produced the second lowest home run total of his career, second lowest RBI total, second lowest batting average."
This is one of the deepest and most versatile batting orders in the history of the Yankees, all the way back to Murderers' Row?
Is he serious?
Just look it up, man.
Nobody on the team is hitting .300. Nobody on the team has 40 homeruns. Nobody on the team has 30 stolen bases.
This lineup might have potential to be historic if you just take career highs and dream a little bit.
But is this lineup better than the 1961 Yankees and their 240 hrs without a DH?
Better than Career Year 1998 when even Scott Brosius had 100 rbis?
Better than 1985 with Randolph, Henderson, Mattingly, Winfield, even Pagliarulo hitting 20 hrs? Okay, 2004 lineup has more depth than 1985.
Better than the 1941 Yankees with Dimaggio, Henrich, Keller, Dickey, Berra, Gordon?
Come on, get serious.
Besides, if ARod is having a disappointing year, guess who else is having a disappointing year? Everyone's Favorite MVP Candidate, Gary Sheffield.
Think I'm joking?
Sheffield had his lowest batting average since 1998 and hit 39 points lower than last season.
Sheffield also had less hrs, runs scored, and rbis while supposedly playing in a modern-day Murderers' Row.
Maybe it was the pressure of playing in NY or maybe it was because Derek Jeter was his teammate. Who can say why players have such disappointing seasons as Gary Sheffield?
Oh, well.
Maybe he'll finally start hitting in the playoffs.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Predictions are stupid.
Round 1
Braves sweep Giants. I mean, Braves sweep Astros.
Cards over Dodgers. Gagne blows a game and Felz laughs at him.
Twins over Yankees. I think the Yankees are better than they were last year, but Santana scares me in best-of-five.
Red Sox over Angels. Angels stink.
Round 2
Braves over Cards. Cox over Larussa.
Red Sox over Twins. Sox won't even see Santana until game 3 and they'll have to cancel the game after six innings because the Metrodome will have to prepare for a tractor pull.
Round 3 (a k a "World Series on Fox")
Braves over Red Sox. Game seven lost on ninth inning error by Cabreras.
Braves sweep Giants. I mean, Braves sweep Astros.
Cards over Dodgers. Gagne blows a game and Felz laughs at him.
Twins over Yankees. I think the Yankees are better than they were last year, but Santana scares me in best-of-five.
Red Sox over Angels. Angels stink.
Round 2
Braves over Cards. Cox over Larussa.
Red Sox over Twins. Sox won't even see Santana until game 3 and they'll have to cancel the game after six innings because the Metrodome will have to prepare for a tractor pull.
Round 3 (a k a "World Series on Fox")
Braves over Red Sox. Game seven lost on ninth inning error by Cabreras.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Maybe Michael Moore should investigate.
"And it would be interesting to know whether Steinbrenner, or any of his minions, heard another Kaat comment in early September during a series with Tampa Bay. At the conclusion of one of the games, it was a lock D-Rays shortstop B.J. Upton would be selected for making YES' 'Play of the Game.' Instead, a Yankee got the nod.
'Somebody stuffed the ballot box at the last minute,' Kaat said on the air. 'Anybody who watched this game knows Upton's play was the best.'
Who 'stuffed' the ballot box? Well, that would depend on which Yankee suit called YES to make sure Upton's play was not named 'Play of the Game.' "
What next? What next, I say?!
Is Raissman going to tell me that the YES Network radar gun isn't correct? That El Duque's changeup isn't really 103 mph?
I'm not sure if I can live in a world where the integrity of the Allstate Good Hands Play of the Game is not pristine and pure.
Why?
What is going on here? Giambi has shown nothing. Not a thing.
I know it's unlikely that C. J. Nitkowski or Steve Karsay would contribute much in a playoff series, but it's even more unlikely that Giambi is going to contribute anything.
What is going to happen if Giambi actually reaches base? Is he going to be pinch-ran for every time? Or is Torre going to let him collapse on the trek from first base to second base?
Bubba Crosby should be playing CF in every game where the Yankees have a lead in the late innings. I am not sure if Crosby is on the postseason roster, but he can contribute every game, pinch-running or fielding.
Giambi will not intimidate the opposing manager with his "presence" and it's nothing more than wishful thinking to imagine another Kirk Gibson '88.
The Yankees rushed him back and hoped he could contribute, but he has proven that he can't. Give it up. Keeping Giambi on the postseason roster is downright irresponsible at this point.
I know it's unlikely that C. J. Nitkowski or Steve Karsay would contribute much in a playoff series, but it's even more unlikely that Giambi is going to contribute anything.
What is going to happen if Giambi actually reaches base? Is he going to be pinch-ran for every time? Or is Torre going to let him collapse on the trek from first base to second base?
Bubba Crosby should be playing CF in every game where the Yankees have a lead in the late innings. I am not sure if Crosby is on the postseason roster, but he can contribute every game, pinch-running or fielding.
Giambi will not intimidate the opposing manager with his "presence" and it's nothing more than wishful thinking to imagine another Kirk Gibson '88.
The Yankees rushed him back and hoped he could contribute, but he has proven that he can't. Give it up. Keeping Giambi on the postseason roster is downright irresponsible at this point.
Bern Baby Bern.
Be
Upon close
But he's no longe
But what I don't unde
While blogging is certainly egocentric by nature, I find it hard to believe that Bernie Williams is looking for an apology from some guy he doesn't even know:
Daily News needs some new material, too.
Mike Lupica, disguising himself as "Staff Report," can scarcely contain his passive-aggressive disgust as the Yankees prove him wrong and win the AL East again.
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