Jon Lieber: Yankee Legend.

Gee, and I thought I was a fan of Jon Lieber:

"Lieber had turned those Yankee high command hopes into about the best money they ever spent.

His 14 wins, including seven down the stretch, tied Vazquez for the staff high; his control (102 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 176-2/3 innings) was the stuff of long ago Yankee legends such as Whitey Ford and Eddie Lopat. His 0.92 walks per nine innings was the best in the majors, while his 5.67 strikeouts-to-walks ratio was fourth best behind Ben Sheets, Randy Johnson and Schilling.

In a season in which the Yankee starting rotation crumbled, Lieber rose from the rubble to wind up as Joe Torre's No. 2 in the postseason. If there was one person, it seemed, they could count on for 2005, it was Lieber."

Naturally, if the Yankees had picked up the $8 mill option, Madden would point out Lieber's 4.33 era and 216 hits allowed in 176-2/3 innings.

You know, I truly think Lieber was an underrated Yankee pitcher in 2004, especially in the second half. Nobody else seemed to think he could pitch well in "Pettitte's spot," the number two game of the playoffs series.

I thought the Yankees would pick up his $8 mill option in 2005, as Madden insists they should have. Even Cashman says they probably should have picked up Lieber's option:

"In retrospect we probably should have picked up the option," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said yesterday. "But who knew the market was going to explode the way it did?"

Whoops!

So I actually agree overall with the point of the article. The Yankees should not have let Lieber get away, he was purty darn good.

But I can't help but think that Bill Madden is suddenly jumping on the Lieber bandwagon only because it's a way to take a dig at Brian Cashman and the Yankee decision-makers in general. I don't recall anybody jumping to Lieber's defense last year when the playoffs rolled around, much less comparing him to Whitey Ford.

I'll give you an example of what I mean.

On October 12, Madden previewed the Yankees/Sox ALCS.

"YANKEES STRENGTHS: Theirs is the second best offense in baseball, ranking second behind the Red Sox in runs, on-base percentage and slugging while tied for first with the White Sox in homers. Yanks had six players with 20 or more homers and 1-through-9, they're well balanced between righties and lefties. In Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cairo they also have three genuine base stealing threats so they can play 'little ball' as well. There's no underestimating the Yankees' record 61 come-from-behind wins. Assuming he's able to put aside his personal tragedy, Mariano Rivera (53-for-57 in saves) remains the most dominant closer in baseball, and Tom Gordon has been the best set-up man (9-4, 2.21 ERA, 96 strikeouts, 23 walks in 89 2/3 innings) Joe Torre has had. Yanks are 81-5 when leading after seven innings.

YANKEES WEAKNESSES: Despite Kevin Brown's five-inning renaissance in the ALDS, the starting rotation remains very suspect. It now looks as if Orlando Hernandez will go in Game 4, but who knows what to expect after his almost two-week layoff? The Yankee starters must be able to get into the seventh inning - which they have not done, especially the second half of the season - because their middle relief is where they're most vulnerable. Despite his late-season efficiency, Tanyon Sturtze is still a work in progress. The enigmatic Javy Vazquez is slated to be the other long man. There's not much firepower on the bench, especially when Ruben Sierra starts."

So no mention of Lieber in YANKEE STRENGTHS or YANKEE WEAKNESSES.

What about KEY [sic] TO THE SERIES?

"KEY TO THE SERIES: The starters, particularly Kevin Brown and (presumably) El Duque, are going to have to provide innings if the Yanks are to have any chance of getting past the best Sox team since 1975. Yanks could be catching a break with the decision to start Schilling only twice, but that might be irrelevant if they are unable to solve Wakefield."

So what's the problem here?

The problem is that Madden is creating another revisionist history and reporting it as fact. This is revisionist history from just one year ago.

Reading Madden's article in February -- now that Lieber is on the Phillies -- you'd come to the conclusion that Lieber was a Cy Young candidate and a fan favorite.

If Jon Lieber was a Yankee legend, a fan favorite, the most reliable Yankee starter in the playoffs, the sole warrior emerging from the ashes of a decimated Yankee starting staff ... then why didn't anybody notice last October? Why didn't Bill Madden mention Jon Lieber's name one time in an article that previewed the ALCS?

I'll answer my own question because I know why. Because Madden is going to overrate every player the Yankees get rid of and underrate every player the Yankees sign. It's not journalism, it's playa hatin'.

Trot Nixon backs off ARod criticisms.

No, he doesn't.

Yes, he does.

No, he doesn't.

Sportsmen of the Year.

"Following last season's World Series win, the first baseman opened a can of worms when he claimed the Sox began a pregame ritual of downing shots of whiskey down 0-3 to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Millar said yesterday the uproar following that disclosure, which wasn't totally backed by teammates, caused him considerable grief.

'The thing that bothered me was that it had nothing to do with alcohol. This wasn't about a team drinking alcohol. It was a symbolic toast, and it took a life of its own that way,' Millar said."

You can take symbolic toasts with lemonade or diet Sprite and not risk influencing all the poor li'l kids in Southie who look up to you. Not that I personally care that much, but since we're all riding our high horses and throwing stones, I feel quite comfortable breaking Kevin Millar's glass house ... while mixing as many metaphors as humanly possible in one sentence.

Open Letter to George: Don't Listen to This Guy!

"But as the boys of summer get back to work, let's be honest and admit that baseball's in trouble. The steroid scandal is getting worse."

Baseball is not in trouble, and neither are the Yankees. The NHL is in trouble.

If Michael Goodwin doesn't believe that, he should go to Ticketmaster and try to buy a ticket to a mid-week game at Yankee Stadium vs. the Detroit Tigers. He will be sitting in the left-field bleachers with the Con Ed Kids.

As for the notion that the steroid scandal is "getting worse," at least I give Goodwin credit for keeping his nose to the grindstone. Most writers took the weak-ass revised labor agreement and are ready to declare the end of the "steroid era." So are most fans.

Most fans just don't want to hear about it. We're ready to be swept away by 6-4-3 double plays and really long homeruns. The game itself is just too good, it's not going anywhere. Here we are now, entertain us.


"It's time, Boss, to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park. Do the one thing that will make clear what the Yankees stand for and what baseball should stand for.

Kick Jason Giambi off the Yankees. Tell him, and the world, there is no place in pinstripes for cheaters."

Be careful when you start deciding what baseball world should stand for. Sure, it should stand for puppy dogs and sunny Saturdays. Nobody should cheat, lie, or steal. But we've got the judiciary system to take care of criminals.

When we earnestly start sliding down this particular slippery slope, Sheffield is off the team for sure, and probably several others. Clemens won a Cy Young in NY while on steroids. Randy Velarde was also mentioned in the BALCO case, and he was a Yankee ... even if he wasn't any good.

Every team is affected by steroids. It's not just LaRussa and Giambi who are guilty of the big Cover Up. Baseball's past does not change one bit if Jason Giambi is hit by a bus tomorrow. Even if the Yankees offered up Giambi as a sacrifice, then a lot of cheaters are just getting away with it.


"Fans are basically amoral - if you play well, they love you. That's the beauty of sports. What happens on the field is all that counts. Normally."

Yup. But then why is the sport in trouble?


"Not to be corny, but children have been denied a piece of our heritage - the right to look up to baseball players. We must restore the game's integrity so it can reclaim its honored place in American life."

Ever notice when somebody says "not to be" something, then they immediately are that something?

Nobody should look up to baseball players. If there was a period in this country when little children looked up to baseball players, they were looking up to racists, scoundrels, alcoholics, wife beaters, cheats, and drug addicts.

Not to be cynical, Michael, but Bobby Thomson stole the sign.


"Well, baseball needs saving again. We face the possibility that some of the sacred stats in the record books are fraudulent. Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Giambi and other Popeye druggies have corrupted history."

McGwire? Briefly held the single-season HR record. Check.

Bonds? Currenty holds the single-season HR record and is about to pass Ruth and possibly even Aaron. Check.

Canseco? He was the first player to have a 40/40 season. I'm not sure how "sacred" that one is. Oh, and Greenwell wants his MVP, damn it.

Giambi? He did hit that game-winning grand slam against Minnesota. Maybe they want that game back, damn it.


"Okay, let's say you're stuck with the bum. Then tell Torre under no circumstances is Giambi to play. He can sit and watch 162 games. All you lose is money. The important thing is that his name never again appear in a Yankees box score."

Giambi can sit and watch 162 games? All the Yankees lose is money?

Is this article a practical joke after all?

Was I just Punk'd?

So you wanna be a sportwriter ...

"For days Steinbrenner had been refusing comment through publicist Howard Rubenstein, but then, suddenly, he came waltzing into the Legends Field lunchroom that was packed with reporters yesterday. Surely this was his way of alerting the media he was ready to rumble.

Turned out he was just hungry.

Reporters waited him out, naturally, and rushed after him when he left the lunchroom. It was a scene that has been played out many times over the years, usually with the Yankee owner delivering his typically blunt commentary on one subject or another.

But in keeping with his more recent habit of staying out of the headlines, Steinbrenner refused to stop for reporters, offering only brief, innocuous answers to questions as he walked back to the elevators - and then returned to his fourth-floor office."

I'm John Harper reporting from Tampa, Florida with some late breaking news. George Steinbrenner has eaten lunch. Details at 11:00.

I'd like to backslap you, Joel Sherman ...

"Alex Rodriguez is turning into Bobby Valentine before our eyes. His mere smile, the way he answers questions, the style he carries himself at work all generate loathing even from folks who hardly know him.

With Valentine now in Japan and largely forgotten, it is possible the most skilled player in the game has morphed into the most hated. Icy Barry Bonds evokes mainly indifference from opponents, and backslapping Jason Giambi garners more pity than hatred within baseball's inner sanctum."

Barry Bonds evokes a lot of emotions in a lot of people, but indifference is not one of them. Nor did I realize that Bobby Valentine was universally loathed by folks who hardly know him.

But, then again, I don't claim to be too in tune with baseball's "inner sanctum."

I don't even know what baseball's "inner sanctum" is or who's a member. But it sounds kind of gross. It sounds like a place you go to gossip about other ballplayers and get "backslapped" by Jason Giambi.

Dr. Varitek teaches Cy Young Award winners how to pitch.

Funny how Pedro & Schilling seem to be purty darn good with or without Jason Varitek behind the plate. Dr. Varitek's confidence-building techniques didn't work so well with B.K. Kim and Jeff Suppan. I guess Dr. Varitek just wasn't properly able to analyze the fragile psyches of pitchers who throw 82 mph cheese that hangs over the middle of the plate.

Trot Nixon stops taking steroids, loses mind.

Hey, Trot Nixon: What do you tell people when they ask you about the Yankees?

"I tell them about (Derek) Jeter and Bernie Williams and (Jorge) Posada. I don't tell them about Rodriguez. ... He can't stand up to Jeter in my book or Bernie Williams or Posada."

At least ARod hasn't admitted to taking steroids. Taking steroids must make you mad.

"I don't feel sorry for Giambi but I do have a great amount of respect for him, for what he's done in this game, the kind of person he is. He's a superstar and he doesn't act like it."

I agree. Superstars don't hit .208.

But since you are so judgemental about the Yankee third baseman, you must certainly have a judgement about the Yankee first baseman.

"A lot of people have lost respect for people like Giambi. I can't judge him for what he did I don't even know him that well but I enjoy talking to him over at first base."

Nice criteria, but what were you talking about?

Last season's Spring Training, maybe?

When Giambi was scrutinized for losing so much weight, fueling speculation about steroid use?

Did Giambi personally help you with that "no late-night snacks and soft drinks" line to help explain the quick loss of 14 pounds?

Speaking of steroids, has anybody seen a recent picture of Pedro Martinez? Am I the only person to notice that his head has swelled about ten hat sizes in the past five years?

It's not steroids, it's his exercise regimen.

Hooray! The Steroid Era is Over!

As if that wasn't funny enough, Ken Williams thinks the enigmatic Jose Contreras will win and win big:

"Ken Williams says that 5.50 ERA will be a thing of the past with a new start and the help of Orlando Hernandez. Williams says that Contreras will win and win big. He and El Duque are significant parts of a staff Williams believes is going to be very good."

Ha ha ha. That's a good one.

Jason Giambi auditions for a job at the Daily News.

From what I can tell, Jason Giambi was 0-for-5 last night.

The Daily News didn't like it, the New York Post didn't like it, Newsday didn't like it, the Star-Ledger didn't like it, with varying degrees of moral outrage.

Torre, Cashman, & Steinbrenner sound like hypocritical clowns, but they've got an investment they're trying the protect.

Of course Giambi had nothing to say. Of course Giambi sounded intellectually vapid and morally bankrupt. Of course he was evasive and shaky with the facts.

Who does Giambi think he is? Mike Lupica?


The New York Sun was also unimpressed with Giambi, making it a clean sweep, but at least they've got something thought-provoking and contrarian to say about the matter:

"It's hard to tell exactly how Giambi let down the press. I'm a member of the press; I'm not offended or disappointed or surprised by his drug use. He didn't harm me in any way.

If anyone has harmed the press, it's been the press, which offered nothing more than innuendo as ballplayers swelled grotesquely in the 1990s. Our job is to cover baseball; the job of a ballplayer is to play it. Players owe writers nothing but the common decency and respect any person owes another. If Jason Giambi can avoid disappointment when I put whiskey in my body, I can avoid disappointment when he puts testosterone in his.

It's similarly hard to tell exactly how Giambi let down the fans. They were more than happy to cheer for him when he looked like a pro wrestler, and only the youngest or most willfully naive fans could have illusions about what made him look like that. Players owe fans nothing but their best effort, not an accounting of what goes into their bodies.

It's still harder to tell how Giambi let down the Yankee organization. It strains credibility past the breaking point to imagine that they didn't know what he was doing when they signed him. They were happy to reap the benefits of his drug use; he owes them no apology now that the consequences of that have embarrassed them."

Giambi is guilty of something, so are lots of ballplayers, so are lots of people. But his biggest crime from a fan's point of view might be hitting .208; his biggest crime from a writer's point of view might be giving bad press conferences.

1998.

"Mark McGwire is just as big a propped-up, juiced-up fraud as Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and the late Ken Caminiti."

Really? What, it takes six years or retrospective analysis to realize this? In 1998, the citizens of St. Louis didn't have eyes and brains?

Some grizzled big city writers were so swept away by the homerun race of 1998, they wrote a glowing ode to the same 'roid heads they now condemn.

This is not just comical in retrospect, it was comical at the time. Putting one's head in the sand is not journalism. But since we all put our collective heads in the sand in 1998, I just assumed we'd all be cool with Giambi & Bonds in 2005.

Methinks they doth protest too much.

For one thing, I trust Jose Canseco more than I trust the Leader of the Free World.

For another thing, I hope the Leader of the Free World does not seriously think MLB steroid use is a priority of his administration.

I hope the Defenders of the Game go after Ivan Rodriguez with the same zeal that they go after Bonds and Giambi. Of course they won't. Because, deep down, nobody really cares about steroids.

The good news, of course, is that steroid furor will end in 2007. January, 2007, to be precise. Not only will the integrity of baseball be saved, but Western civilization will be saved.

Bad Idea Gets Ink.

"For years baseball has tried to peddle this ridiculous dream that any big-league team blessed with enough know-how, desire and luck could win the World Series regardless of its payroll.

It's a big, fat lie, of course. It's nothing but a marketing ruse that's meant to sell hope in the hinterlands, though there is none."


Not that it's a huge deal, but I honestly don't recall MLB trying to peddle the idea than "any big-league team" (etc., etc., etc.) could win the World Series.

Commissioner Buzz Kill is not exactly a marketing genius. In fact, he has seemed quite preoccupied with shouting from the mountaintop that small-market teams got no shot. Selig even wanted to eliminate some small market teams (maybe that's not such a bad idea). Revenue sharing, luxury taxes, hand wringing, eye rolling, saying bad things about his own sport. He's no David Stern, you know?

The funny thing is, lots of small-market teams do pretty well. Florida got two rings recently, the Twins keep winning their division, the A's make the playoffs more often the the Mets or the Phillies.

The Nationals stink. The Brewers stink. Doesn't mean all low-payroll teams stink. Doesn't mean the whole sport stinks.

So let's tear down the economic model and rebuild it and, at the end of the day, we've done all this for a few thousand baseball fans in Milwaukee? What's the point?

I am only being somewhat flippant with my response that these low-revenue teams belong in the minor leagues. Justify your existence. Why does Milwaukee somehow deserve major league baseball more than, say, Erie, Pennsylvania or Portland, Oregon? If the argument is expanded, then why stop with 30 teams? Let all the fans throughout the whole country experience the thrill of a bogus pennant race.

You see, MLB is doing fine, even if some of the teams are not:

"Baseball seems to be brewing for another of its ugly internecine fights, all right. But this time it could be owners fighting owners. Because the way the sport is built needs to fundamentally change."


Why does MLB need to fundamentally change? What are Bud Selig, Jim Bowden, and Johnette Howard whining about?

If the salary gap is killing the sport, why is the sport setting attendance records, revenue records, salary records? The sport is not dying, the sport is thriving.

The problem ain't when the players get paid too much, the problem is when the funds dry up. Ask the NHL.