Mike Lupica rarely pays attention to anything.

"Bonds rarely pays attention to anything or anyone other than himself. But if he watched what happened last year with Giambi, his teammate on the BALCO All-Stars, he couldn't help but notice that Giambi, hitting the way he did the second half of the season and being as much an MVP for the Yankees in that period as anybody, was better than a Presidential pardon."

For a second there, I thought Mike Lupica said Jason Giambi was as much an MVP for the Yankees in the second half of the season as anybody.

In the second half of 2005, Giambi hit .266 with 22 hrs and 55 rbis. Giambi is a slow baserunner and, when he's not DHing, he's a mediocre fielder at an unimportant position.

That's as valuable as Alex Rodriguez. .325-25-58 and about 3 errors at third base.

That's as valuable as Mariano Rivera. 23 saves, 1.69 era in 43 innings.

That's as valuable as Aaron Small. 10-0, 3.20 era in 76 innings.

Jeter .310-8-33-53 runs while playing shortstop; Sheffield .284-17-55; Chacon 7-3, 2.85 era in 74 innings; Johnson 8-2, 3.31 era in 98 innings.

What Mike Lupica said right there is a crock. Can you imagine actually believing that Jason Giambi was the second-half MVP for the Yankees in 2005?

Yet, I have a hunch that Lupica just planted a Stupid seed. Fifty thousand Mike and the Mad Dog listeners just read that column and think it's Gospel. They're going to bother me all summer long, aren't they?


I know rigorous statistical analysis is not the essence of Shootin' From The Lip. (The essence of Shootin' From The Lip is Fox TV shows, Oscar wardrobes, and Johnny Damon's hair, even though Lupica doesn't want to talk about Johnny Damon's hair.) But you've still got to do better than that. You can't just assert that Giambi was the Yankee MVP in the second half of 2005 when there is no way to back it up. You've got to at least look at the scoreboard stats.

"I know everything is supposed to be rosy down there in Yankeeville, but I don't see how you can't have questions about the Yankee starting rotation.

Especially the two guys at the top of it, Big Unit Johnson and Mike Mussina.

Maybe the question is this:

Are either one of them getting better at this stage of their careers?"

I know everything is supposed to be rosy down there in Metville, but I was wondering if Pedro and Glavine are getting better at this stage of their careers. I know everything is supposed to be rosy down there in RedSoxville, but I was wondering if Wells and Schilling are getting better at this stage of their careers. I know everything is supposed to be rosy down there in WhiteSoxville, but I was wondering if Buehrle and Vazquez are getting better at this stage of their careers.

It's precisely the wrong question. Of course Johnson and Mussina are not "getting better" at this stage of their careers.

Same goes for Damon, Jeter, ARod, Posada, Giambi, Rivera, Sheffield, etc. The only players who are suddenly going to "get better" are young players who are in the early "stage of their careers."

You might occasionally get an outlier -- 2000 Edgardo Alfonzo or 1993 Gregg Jefferies -- but it's safe to say that veterans in major league baseball don't suddenly "get better."

The most important observation is that the Yankees don't need Johnson and Mussina to get better. The Yankees need 30 combined wins.


Is Lupica slyly suggesting that Johnson and Mussina are on the way down and out? That Johnson and Mussina are anchors that will bring S.S. Yankee down with them?

Yes, I think that is what he's suggesting. Please remember Lupica's assertion when the Yankees win the AL East and Randy Johnson wins the Cy Young Award.

Though when Lupica is proven wrong, he'll just deny ever saying it.