Baseball According to Barra.

Thank you, Allen Barra, for doing the research for my blog:

"It's hard to think of a superstar in recent years who gets so little respect from his own press, in which he has been referred to, at various times, as Nay-Rod, Pay-Rod, and A-Fraud. Alex Rodriguez, born in New York, perhaps the greatest all-around player of his generation, the greatest Latin ballplayer of all time, and the fifth-greatest player in Yankee history after Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio—in most areas of personal accomplishment he is either ahead of or close to DiMaggio—is practically without support in his hometown.

But as fans are beginning to realize, the New York press, infiltrated by Boston homies such as the Daily News' Mike Lupica and ESPN's Peter Gammons, is ridiculously Red Sox–centric. The New York Times, which owns a minority stake in the Red Sox, leads the pack. As Eric Wolff asked in New York magazine (January 9), 'Has the Times Gone Red Sox Crazy?' From October 12, 2005, the first day of the Yankees' off-season, to the first week in January, there were 105 articles mentioning the Red Sox, two more than the Yankees and 26 more than the Mets. 'The paper's Boston coverage can be absurd,' Wolff wrote. 'Witness its infamous October 2003 pro-Sox editorial'—endorsing the Red Sox for the World Series over the Yankees—'What's going on? Too many Harvard grads on 43rd Street?'

The eye-opener was how little support A-Rod got last year for his second MVP award, with many local writers clamoring for the Red Sox's David Ortiz. A-Rod was equal or superior to Ortiz in all hitting stats, and in the field and on the bases he made contributions that Ortiz, a DH and a liability anywhere but in the batter's box, couldn't begin to match. Yet after the award was announced, the Daily News headlined 'More Bling, but No Ring,' while the New York Post said 'MVP But . . . Lack of Rings Tarnishes A-Rod's Second AL Trophy.' That's the way it goes for Rodriguez; if his team doesn't win it all, his awards are 'tarnished.' "

I feel so relieved.

It's like I have a disease and the doctors don't believe me and I think I'm going crazy ... and then Allen Barra gives my disease a name.

One of these things is not like the other.

I could probably instantly come up with better choices at every position, though Steve Trout is certainly the ultimate example of a New York Meltdown. I think Trout set the record for wild pitches in an inning.

Most of the list leaves me cold. Most of the bad NY players are bad players everywhere else. I am not convinced, for example, that Tony Womack tanked in NY because of pressure. Womack hasn't exactly been lighting it up in his post-Yankee career.

As with every other baseball article written in 2006, it boils down to a mischaracterization of ARod.

The lunacy that surrounds the ARod discussion is evidenced by the fact that he's on this list in the first place. It's actually almost impossible to believe what John Rolfe has to say about ARod. Rolfe crams about fifty misconceptions into one paragraph:

"SS: Alex Rodriguez: Yes, his reign of error is taking place at third base, but he's a shortstop by trade. It is there that the snowball began to grow in 2001 with his signing that 10-year, $252 million deal with the Rangers. Along with justifying the dough and recognition as the game's best all-around player, A-Rod has had to contend with the fact that teams tend to improve after he leaves (Seattle, Texas). It didn't help that he arrived in the Bronx in time to be a focal point of the Yankees' catastrophic collapse in the 2004 ALCS. His 2005 AL MVP season aside, nothing less than a Series crown can save him now, so is it any wonder he looks so uncomfortable out there? Imagine what he'd be hearing if the Yankees were in Boston's present hole in the AL East."

First of all, ARod is a third baseman for the Yankees. This is supposedly a list of people who have suffered in New York. Rolfe's disclaimer aside, it makes no sense to list ARod at shortstop. Especially since there are about 100 shortstops who tanked in New York.

(The obvious choice at third base is Lenn Sakata, who suddenly developed a mystery stomach ailment whenever Bucky Dent asked him to play third base. Sakata made Gregg Jefferies look like Mike Schmidt.)

Secondly, this "snowball" couldn't have started in 2001. ARod has won two MVPs since 2001. ARod's numbers since 2001 are first ballot Hall of Fame all the way, even though he has struggled for a major portion of 2006.

Thirdly, Seattle is now in last place. If they improved for a while after ARod left (and Unit, and Griffey) , it's because they went to Japan and paid a lot of money for the AL MVP. They also added pitching. Just like Texas added pitching. ARod doesn't pitch. Those teams sure didn't lose because of ARod.

Now, ponder the italicized words for a moment: "His 2005 AL MVP season aside ..."

Think about that verbal sleight of hand. "ARod's 2005 AL MVP season aside." Neat trick.

I say, his June 2006 and August 2006 aside, ARod is the best third baseman in Yankee history.

Actually, even if you include his June 2006 and August 2006, he's the best third baseman in Yankee history.

You're just going to ignore an entire 2005 AL MVP season. You're just going to ignore .321 48 130.

It all happened just one season ago and it was all historic and John Rolfe just wants to cast it aside because it doesn't fit with the parameters of his argument.

Dude: Weak.

"What" is more important than "Why."

I was just talking with my friend on the phone and I started getting hysterical about this topic. I thought I'd better blog it out.


I am pleased and relieved that the tough New York press has finally noticed that David Wright is hitting .205 in August and that he has hit zero homeruns since signing his big contract.

Wallace Matthews summarizes:

"The cumulative numbers are still good - 22 home runs, 91 RBIs, a .294 batting average - but not so good when you remember that on July 9, the last day before the All-Star break, Wright had 20 home runs and 74 RBIs and was hitting .316. He finished that game with a three-run homer that gave the Mets a 7-6 win over the Marlins.

Except for his paycheck, it has been all downhill from there.

He hasn't homered since July 28, a span of 94 at-bats. He is hitting .200 for the month of August and is 2-for-his-last-25."

Is it the pressure of the contract? No. Couldn't be that.

When ARod slumps, it's because he can't handle pressure. When ARod slumps, it's because he's thinking too hard. When Wright slumps, it's just because hitting a baseball is difficult.

Will Wright's slump last? Of course it won't last. Just like ARod's slump won't last.

You can check the records of every baseball player who ever played. Check the records of every player in the Hall of Fame. They all had subpar games, weeks, months, seasons.


"Unlike the other third baseman in town, Wright has not fallen into revelatory bouts of public self-pity, or mentioned vague injuries even his manager was unaware of, or feigned not caring when it was obvious that the whole thing was tearing him up. He has not ripped his shirt off in Central Park or jumped between a kid and a speeding truck. And his fielding, steady but never spectacular, is as steady and unspectacular as ever."

I suppose all that may be true, though I'm still not sure what's so bad about sunbathing in Central Park or jumping between a kid and a speeding truck.

But guess what else?

David Wright is hitting .205 in August.

That's the bottom line.

Keep relaxing and letting the game come to you. Keep smiling in the dugout and giving good interviews with the reporters. Keep insisting you're healthy mentally and physically. It isn't working.

Maybe Wright should consider stressing out and taking some extra b.p., like the other third baseman in town.

Deconstructing Klapisch.

"Say the Bombers go out in the first round, as they did against the Angels last year. Or even more damning, imagine them losing to the Mets in the World Series while Rodriguez struggles with Pedro Martinez's change-up or is unable to catch up to Billy Wagner's fastball. Fair or not, it'll be a debt he'll never repay."

Say the Mets go out in the first round and Pedro Martinez is on the disabled list ...

Say ARod bats .500 in the first round, but the Yankees lose ...

Say you were a sportswriter and you just proposed the inconceivable notion that losing in the World Series is worse than losing in the first round of the playoffs ...


"Not after going 2-for-his-last-17 in 2004 while the Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox in the ALCS. Not after failing to drive in a single run in the Yankees' five-game loss to Anaheim in 2005. One more disappointing October, and A-Rod can forget about ever winning over the fans, many of whom have already given up on this seemingly futuristic robot."

Raise your hand if you've already given up on this, errr, "seemingly futuristic robot." If you are a Yankee fan and you've given up on Alex Rodriguez, then you are ignorant.

Especially since ARod's a futuristic robot. He can just go back to his futuristic laboratory and replace a few parts and fix his mechanical flaws.


"A-Rod has the skills and strength that exceed any mortal's, and there's no denying he's on his way to an 800-home run career. Rodriguez's swing is still the one you'd teach to a Little Leaguer. But at this point, most Yankee loyalists will take Derek Jeter's heart, any day."

The crux of the matter.

ARod is not a human. He's not even mortal. He's just a heartless tin man futuristic robot who happens to be super-skilled.

In contrast, Derek Jeter is a bartender-by-day who worked hard to hone his mere mortal skills.

Bull. ARod has a smuch heart as anybody and he works as hard as anybody.


"The shortstop's ninth-inning, two-out, two-strike [sic] single off Jon Papelbon at Fenway Park on Aug. 20 did more than send the Yankees and Sox into extra innings and an eventual 8-5 Bombers victory. It all but ended the Red Sox' dream of a first-place finish in the East."

Offensively and defensively, ARod outperformed Jeter during the five-game sweep in Boston. Just a matter of fact.

Thank Goodness for Jeter and his two well-timed RBI hits, but (a) Giambi had 2 homeruns in that game, (b) one hit can not possibly determine the 162-game AL East pennant, (c) the Red Sox are not dead yet, and (d) I'm almost positive it was an 0-1 pitch to Jeter.


"It's anecdotes such as these that make you appreciate the subtle difference between great players and those who come close. Talent isn't the only crucible; there are hundreds of major league-caliber players stuck at Class AAA. Hard work alone won't end a slump, either. If so, A-Rod would've already been hitting 1.000. It's the mental toughness that smoothes the path to the World Series."

So, ARod has immortal strength and skill and he will cruise to 800 homeruns. But he's not a great player. The reason ARod isn't quite great is because he tries too hard and practices too much.

Uh huh.


"Think of the players who've flourished in the Bronx – Jeter, Mariano Rivera, even the volatile Gary Sheffield."

(Just don't bring up the 2004 ALCS again.)

Using Klapisch's criteria, Sheffield and Giambi have absolutely not flourished in the Bronx.


"That's not to say he can't save himself from this downward spiral. Even one four-hit game would be enough to remind everyone why Rodriguez is still the single greatest weapon in pinstripes. But time is running out, and now the stakes have been raised. For A-Rod, it's all or nothing this October."

Wow. If you say so, Bob Klapisch. "All or nothing." ARod will quit or be traded if the Yankees lose in the playoffs or if ARod has a bad postseason.

But, I think the writers should put something on the table, too.

If ARod wins the World Series MVP, they need to shut up. Forever.

Not Writing About Alex Rodriguez.

Joel Sherman really, really, really doesn't want to write about Alex Rodriguez.

He doesn't want to write about Alex Rodriguez so much, that, if you read carefully, he wrote the same article twice:

"The plan today was to write about the opposite of A-Rod, to praise the 10 most pleasant surprises of 2006. But how do you ignore 1-for-17 with 12 strikeouts? How do you ignore that the overflow caravan of futile support now includes John Wooden? How do you ignore that in the two weeks since A-Rod told us he had been hurt, refused to specify the injuries, but promised he was now healthy and ready to play his best, that he has instead possibly played his worst in the worst season of a great career?

The answer is that it cannot be ignored."

ARod's 2006 is actually very similar to his first season in New York in 2004. You could look it up. The only real difference is maybe 10 more errors, which probably will lead to 2 or 3 more unearned runs. Just to provide some perspective.

In any case, do you know how easy it is for Sherman to ignore the ARod story? Or at least focus on something else for once? Simply write a story about something else. The reading public is ready for it.

At the very least, if you're going to complain about the taxing subject matter, provide some in-depth insight. The only thing Sherman provides is a recap of the boxscores.

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems.

Alex Rodriguez is having a subpar season. Too many errors, too many strikeouts, too many lousy at-bats. The slumps seem to linger while the streaks haven't lasted long enough. (I think I'm repeating myself.)

The numbers: .279/.380/.492, 26 hrs, 93 rbis, and 88 runs scored.

Despite his struggles, Alex Rodriguez is probably still among the top 25 AL players in 2006.

Jon Heyman lists ARod as the biggest bust in the entire American League:

"1. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees. First there was the error streak (five quick ones), now there's the strikeout streak (11 in 15 at-bats). A .492 slugging percentage is OK for mortal men. But for the $252 million man? Fuhgettaboutit."

Carl Pavano hasn't pitched an inning in 14 months and Heyman lists Pavano twenty-first on this list.

When all is said and done, Alex Rodriguez will probably hit close to .300/.400/.500 40, 120, 120, and ARod's a bigger bust than Carl Pavano?

No, he isn't.


Scan the list and you'll see that none of these players have numbers that are in the same stratosphere as Alex Rodriguez.

The closest is Mark Teixeira, a first baseman who has 14 less rbis and 11 less runs. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Teixeira is on the list, either.)

ARod is nowhere near the biggest bust in the AL. I could easily list a few unmentioned Red Sox who are bigger busts than ARod, especially since Heyman is taking injuries and salaries into account.

Wait a second: If Heyman includes Pavano, then that just opens the door for injured players. Just find 25 players who earn $8 million+ and you've got you're 25 biggest busts right there.

Plus, if injuries count, then Matsui and Sheffield are automatically bigger busts than ARod. Their combined $24 million has produced only 38 rbis in 2006.


So, what is really going on here?

The Problem is that Jon Heyman, and many others, have no ability to figure out the statistical expectations for the $252 million man.

The Problem is that Jon Heyman and other paid baseball analysts offer the same insider insight as your barber.

Right Now!

"Of that baseball nine, the least valuable to his team right now is A-Rod, the Most Valuable Player of the American League last year. You could say that even before he was 0-for-10 against the Angels with seven strikeouts."

In August (the last days before September), David Wright is hitting .200 in 85 at-bats, with 0 homeruns, 10 rbis, and 17 strikeouts.

In August, David Wright has an on-base percentage of .281 and a slugging percentage of .282.

Since the all-star break, David Wright is hitting .241 with 2 homeruns.

So, I guess it just depends on what Lupica means by "right now."

Say Something Nice About Johnny Damon.

Mike Lupica on January 29, 2006: "You have to say that the Red Sox don't lose much offense replacing Johnny Damon with Coco Crisp, and pick up younger legs in the process."

2006 Crisp: .268/.319/.386, 6 hrs, 50 runs, 26 rbis. Played in 81 games.

2006 Damon: .296/.367/.510, 20 hrs, 91 runs, 67 rbis. Played in 91 games.


Mike Lupica on April 23, 2006: "In Boston they now think of Johnny Damon as the guy who used to play center for the Red Sox right before Cocoa [sic] Crisp."

In Boston, you know what they think of Johnny Damon right now? They think of Johnny Damon as the guy who just went 10-for-23 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 6 runs scored, and 8 runs batted in during New York's five-game sweep of Boston.

You know what they think of Coco Crisp? 1-for-19 in the same series.

In Boston they now think they want Theo Epstein's head on a pole.


I suppose the discussion isn't over yet. Damon could start stinking out the joint and Crisp might start hitting .400 and win the 2006 World Series MVP. We'll all have to wait and see.

But the bottom line is this: Mike Lupica doesn't know what he's talking about.

I like sushi.

"They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium. This is really happening. They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium. Will repetition get that message across?"

Well, "they" did tear down most of it during a major renovation in the '70s. They even moved the sacred monuments from centerfield.


"They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium, demolish part of the soul of this city, bulldoze a place 4 million fans will visit this season alone, destroy a shrine that has seen the biggest moments in the sport's history, and so few people seem to care."

A lot of people care. A zillion people have written the same article. Probably would have been two zillion and fifty-four thousand, but fifty-four thousand are still stuck in the postgame parking lot.

"'(Yankee Stadium) is indisputably the most famous stadium in the country, if not the world,' baseball commissioner Bud Selig said, 'an American monument that has endured for 84 years.'

So, why not 84 more?"

The urinal cakes in the troughs in the bathroom have lasted 84 years and that gum under your seat belonged to Babe Ruth himself.

Been to Yankee Stadium recently? Okay, good. It wasn't too bad, right?

But have you even been to another baseball park recently?

"'No one will ever forget the House That Ruth Built,' Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said.

So, why make it a memory?"

The House that Ruth Built already is a memory. "They" tore down most of it during a major renovation in the '70s.


"Yes, the old place has its warts. Yes, it underwent a massive renovation in the '70s that changed much of the original design."

Oh, so you knew about that renovation thing.

So, you kind of contradicted all of your previous points.


"Now, in three years, we'll head to the Bronx, and we'll take our $100 seats in a fancy new building, complete with the manufactured charm and the $10 sushi bars and the noise-eliminating skyboxes, and we'll be able to look over at the empty space where Yankee Stadium used to be."

Sweet.


Accourding to Tim Salmon, Yankee Fan Extraordinaire: "Now they're talking about a new stadium here. Oh my gosh, how do you do that? It's like moving a burial ground. How do you take all the memories from here and move it over there? This is a monument. It's tradition. You walk up to the same plate that DiMaggio, Ruth and Gehrig did."

It's absolutely not at all like moving a burial ground. It's just a baseball stadium. That's really insulting to the sanctity of burial grounds.

Oh, and it's not the same plate the DiMaggio, Ruth, and Gehrig used. It's a different home plate. It might be the same plate that Matt Lawton or Omar Moreno used, but I'm pretty sure they replace home plate once every forty or fifty years.


Memo to Tim Salmon, Steve Politi, Wallace Matthews, and everybody else who doesn't want to go to new Yankee Stadium: I'll take your ticket.

In fact, I dare you not to go to new Yankee Stadium.

Greatest Mustachioed Man in the Universe.

The moral high ground from a man who has never publicly used the "s" word:

"The report also had Giambi testifying that he injected both human growth hormone and testosterone, rubbed an undetectable steroid known as 'the cream' on his body and placed drops of another, called 'the clear,' under his tongue.

On Feb. 10, 2005, Giambi met with reporters at Yankee Stadium, apologizing for the distraction he caused to his team during the previous year.

'I take full responsibility for it,' he said that day. 'I'm a man, and that's why I'm standing here today.'"

Why Derek Jeter Isn't the MVP.

Still got fifty games to go, so this discussion is "Who's the MVP if the season ended today?"

Jeter is making a strong bid, but ...

"Now, the Yankees and their fans have a habit of overstating the case. Exaggeration and hype are as much a part of the Yankee Stadium experience as Bob Sheppard, or the YMCA."

With one notable exception, who just happened to be last year's AL MVP.

I don't mind Dan Graziano's gushing column. I don't mind Torre's intimation that Jeter deserves the MVP because Jeter, like, fouls off a lot of tough pitches before striking out.

This is typical hometown support. It's typical overstating of your candidate's case. I'm sure Mike Scioscia is telling repoters that Chone Figgins is so versatile and such a clubhouse presence and you've just got to watch him play every day.

It's very striking when compared to last year at this time, when I was bombarded with made-up statistical splits like "close-and-late." I want Graziano to dismiss Jeter because Jeter has zero walk-off homeruns. At least Graziano would be intellectually consistent.

(In fairness, I don't specifically remember Graziano's thoughts regarding last year's MVP race. I just lumped him in with all the general anti-ARod sentiment in New York.)


"'If people are paying attention,' Yankees manager Joe Torre said before last night's game, 'there's no reason he shouldn't be able to win it.'

That's the thing, though, about Jeter as an MVP candidate. You have to look pretty closely to get it."

Simply untrue. Jeter's MVP candidacy is solidly based on the stats.

.343/.418/.484, 71 rbis, 81 runs scored.

The problem is that David Ortiz already has 41 hrs, 111 rbis, 86 runs scored and 10,000 previous columns which explained why David Ortiz is the clutchiest clutch player of the last 100 years.

Don't you people see what you did? In your zeal to pump up David Ortiz vis a vis Alex Rodriguez in 2005, you created a Big Papi monster. You can't just dismiss Ortiz as hype now that Jeter is Ortiz's competition.


"By most objective measures, Jeter is a poor defensive shortstop. But he does seem to have that knack for making the big play in the big spot -- the one that gets on the highlight shows, the one that makes Yankee fans angry when they read sentences like the first one of this paragraph. He's probably the game's best all-around baserunner, as his 26 steals in 29 attempts this season help illustrate. And his contributions on offense are downright polychromatic."

I think the much-maligned objective defensive measures show that Jeter is having an excellent year at shortstop. It's Dan Graziano's column, so I'll let him do the research. Which he doesn't even bother to do.

Without a doubt, by most objective and subjective measures, Jeter's Gold Gloves in 2004 and 2005 were jokes. But we're talking about 2006.


"This year, voters will be looking for a candidate, because the field, while crowded, is as yet undefined. Many of the top statistical candidates -- David Ortiz, Travis Hafner, Jim Thome, Jason Giambi -- are designated hitters. The best statistical candidate, Manny Ramirez, lags too far behind teammate Ortiz in MVP hype to win it."

You just defined an field of candidates which you said was undefined. That wasn't too difficult to define, was it?

I also have no idea why he'd pick Manny Ramirez as the "best statistical candidate." (As opposed to the "non-statistical candidates," like Derek Jeter. Vote with your heart.)

Which statistic?

Manny is a strong candidate, indeed. He's 9th in BA, 2nd in ob%, 4th in slugging%, 6th in rbis, 17th in runs. Those are all statistics. Therefore, Manny is a "statistical candidate."

But it's very easy to make an argument that several other players are better "statistical candidates." Hafner, Ortiz, Thome, Dye ...


"If the Twins get in, Joe Mauer -- the league's best catcher and the only American League player currently ahead of Jeter in batting average -- will make a strong case, but he trails teammate Justin Morneau badly in the power categories."

Bam!

Graziano had to go right back to the power categories. You knew he had to. Which is what the voters will also go back to, despite the Barry Larkin and Kirk Gibson anomalies.

But there's the rub. If you go with the RBIs, the pick is Ortiz. If you go with the "polychromatic" players, the pick is Mauer.

Greed is Good.

I anxiously await the Wallace Matthews article which criticizes the new Shea Stadium:

"The Boss says his new ballpark will be 'better for the fans.'"

It will be. I guarantee it. From the water fountain in the dugout to the carpeting in the press box.

"Do you like the idea of paying even more for your seat than the already league-high ticket prices at Yankee Stadium?"

Yes, if it results in a nicer stadium and a continually great team to watch.

"Do you not mind the prospect of being shut out of a game because the new park will have between 5,000 and 7,000 fewer seats?"

I don't mind.

"Are you OK with the idea of cozying up on the couch in front of the TV set because that is now the only seat for a Yankees game you can afford?"

Sounds like heaven.

"Have you grown accustomed to seeing one precious bit of New York history after another fall to the wrecker's ball?"

Yes. Like they did in 1974 to the real Yankee Stadium.

"If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then The Boss is right. The new Yankee Stadium will be better for you."

I can not wait.

"What really makes this deal so distasteful is that it has been built on 15 years of ever-changing lies, each with the same purpose: to enrich the Yankees and rip off their fans."

Does any Yankee fan feel ripped off lately?

"All of this, of course, was designed to obscure the real reason: The old House That Ruth Built doesn't drive enough revenue, in the current vernacular, or at least not as much as it should."

I'm not sure if this has been obscured too much. Everybody knows the Yankees want to maximize profit potential. I think they're fairly upfront about it.

"Never mind that last night, for an essentially meaningless game between the Yankees and Orioles, more than 52,000 jammed their way into the park, or that this year they will top 4 million in attendance for the second year running."

Four million fans, all of whom are supposedly being ripped off.

Please stop saying games are meaningless and homeruns are meaningless and baseball is meaningless. The Yankees are in a pennant race. That win might put them in the playoffs.

You're a sportswriter. Find the meaning. Make up a meaning. Johnny Damon's homerun might have saved a dying kid in the hospital.

Even in the Yankees had a 20-game lead in the AL East, you just pointed out that there are 52,000 people jamming their way into the park. At the very least, it's meaningful to them.

"At an average ticket price of $50 a game - the high is $115 - the live gate alone generates some $2.5 million a night, times 81 nights. Throw in concessions, merchandising and the $60-million rights fee from the YES network, and you've got quite a haul."

Yup. Quite a haul. Ain't it wonderful?

Money is the fuel that drives the entire enterprise.

"Ah, but the new Stadium will have 57 luxury boxes, costing upwards of $500,000 each, where the well-heeled can attend a cocktail party with their backs to the game."

Thanks, well-heeled with your backs to the game!

You just paid for 1/4th of a middle reliever.

Now, when I'm sitting comfortably in front of my TV, I don't have to suffer through as many Carlos Almanzars blowing the game in the seventh inning.

"There will be a gourmet restaurant that will make you long for a $7 hot dog."

A gourmet restaurant sounds like the worst thing imaginable. The children! Somebody please think of the children!

You know what I eat and drink when I go to Yankee Stadium? Nothing. Maybe overpay for a cheap beer, but that's about it.

Why? Because the food is a ripoff.

Kind of like the $8.00 tub of popcorn at a movie theater.

Nobody's putting a gun to your head to eat a $7 hot dog.

"There will be amenities you cannot imagine and only the most privileged will be able to afford."

I have a fairly strong imagination. What amenities will be provided that only the most privileged will be able to afford? A topless oil massage by Jorge Posada's wife?

It's probably just some overpriced wine coolers and chicken fingers.

The Meaning of Meaning.

The Yankees had three runs on five hits as Jered Weaver made the entire team look silly (the only exception being Derek Jeter).

But you know who's really to blame whenever the Yankees lose:

"Thirteen was an unlucky number in the Yankee universe yesterday afternoon - unless you had Alex Rodriguez in a 'meaningless home run' pool."

Funny, because I had Craig Wilson and Jason Giambi in the meaningless home run pool.

Did I win the pool?


Gee, if the Angels had scored two less runs, ARod's homerun would have been a cherished "close and late" homerun.

Gee, I thought ARod's HR was the spark that led to an inferno that led to a thrilling Yankee comeback. Five O' Clock Thunder and all that jazz.


Filip (with an "F") Bondy describes the homerun as "another meaningless, late-inning homer, this one moving him to No. 30 on the career list at 454":

"You don't want to pick on A-Rod. You want to write about almost anybody or anything else, after the Yankees lose again, 5-3, to the Angels."

You want to write about somebody else?

Let me offer some suggestions:

1) Jorge Posada is now 0 for his last 26 and, instead of hitting a meaningless homerun to spark a ninth-inning rally, he hit a meaningful fly out to left field to end the game.

2) Jason Giambi, the designated hitter, struck out twice and only had one hit. It was a homerun in the ninth inning (back-to-back and belly-to-belly), but it was just as "meaningless" as ARod's.

3) Johnny Damon, 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts.

4) Bob Abreu, 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 LOB.

5) Robinson Cano, Don't You Know, 0-for-3 with a rally-killing double play and no homeruns, meaningless or otherwise.


Ken Davidoff doesn't exactly call ARod's HR "meaningless," just that it was hit at a time "when only a statistically unlikely rally could have helped his club."

With Jered Weaver on the mound, backed up by the Angels bullpen, I think any rally was statistically unlikely.

Craig Wilson hit a solo shot in the fifth. Didn't seem to stoke a rally.


Alex Rodriguez is not going to hit a HR every time he bats. A review of baseball history suggests that this is statistically unlikely. It would be nice, but it's just not going to happen.

Let's say we know beforehand that ARod is going to have a so-so day: 1-for-4, 2 ks, 1 ground out, and 1 HR. I'll agree that the HR doesn't erase the previous lousy at-bats. Also, the ground out is worse than a typical ground out, since it was a GIDP.

In this mind experiment, let's go ahead and switch ARod's ninth-inning HR with an earlier out. What is the result? The Yankees still lose and ARod is still criticized for hitting unimportant HRs.

So what if he hits a 2-run HR in the first inning? Where was he when it mattered in the ninth inning?

Striking out to end the game? Typical ARod the Choker!


"And after the 5-3 loss, for those of us granted access to the Yankees' clubhouse, it was the one in which the reigning American League Most Valuable Player vowed that he was about to bust loose."

You know, you look up in early August and the man still has 25 hrs, 83 rbis, and 82 runs scored.

The fielding has been shockingly bad, he has hit into too many double plays, and he has struck out way too many times. When a player strikes out once every four times, the situational hitting will suffer, and it has. All around, a subpar season for a great player.

But 25 hrs, 83 rbis, and 82 runs scored is still nothing to sneeze at. Sorry if ARod ruined everybody's headline when he hit that ninth-inning homerun. Maybe it would have had more "meaning" if Posada could get a hit this month.


Also, after tanking in Baltimore, ARod already has busted loose.

In his last six games, ARod is 10-for-22 (.455 ba) with 4 walks (.538 on-base percentage), 2 doubles, 3 homeruns (.955 slugging percentage), 5 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in.

Keep it up, ARod.

Chien-Ming Wang is a pitcher who plays for the Yankees.

"You watched the game last night between the Yankees and their personal tormentors, the West Coast Angels, and it reminded you that the Bombers are still missing something important, after all that money and all these years.

They're missing Joe Saunders, a young, homegrown lefty with a world of promise."

Chien-Ming Wang is a righty, but he's still young, homegrown, with a world of promise, and quite a bit of that promise has already been realized.

21-9 career record.

13-4, 3.69 era, 161 innings pitched in 2006. Among the leauge leaders.


"The Yanks produced one of these guys a decade ago, Andy Pettitte, and they never replaced him when he packed his bags for Houston."

Is Bondy really fixated on the fact that Wang is a righty and Pettitte is a lefty?

If it helps, Wang leads the league in ground ball double plays.


"Too many trades, not enough material left in the minors."

The Yankees should have kept Ted Lilly. But Ted Lilly is merely good, not great.

You know who else is pretty good? Jake Westbrook.

The other trades? No worries.

Brandon Claussen is 16-27; Randy Choate is a so-so middle reliever; Ben Ford is out of baseball; Randy Keisler has a career era of 6.82.


"They lean hard on mercenaries and pickups along the way, getting as far as October but no longer to the Canyon of Heroes."

The Yankees have not won the World Series in five whole years. That much is true.

Maybe Bondy would prefer a starting rotation of Claussen, Ford, Keisler, Brian Boehringer, and Ed Yarnall. Sounds like the World Champs.


When I say "Brett Jodie," you say "Canyon."

When I say "Jorge Depaula," you say "of."

When I say "Craig Dingman," you say "Heroes."


Everybody's a mercenary. Young players and old players, minor leaguers and Hall of Famers. The Yankees who won the World Series were mercenaries and the Yankees who lost in the playoffs were mercenaries. Andy Pettitte is a mercenary and so is Joe Saunders and so is Filip Bondy, who spells his first name with an "F," instead of a "Ph."


"This revolving-door system worked well enough for the Yanks in the late '90s, with Pettitte there to anchor things."

Oh, I forgot. Pettitte was the anchor. Not Wells winning 20 games, not Cone winning 20 games, not Clemens winning the Cy Young, not El Duque and his .999 winning percentage in the playoffs.

Listen up, everybody: The 1998 Yankees were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was also eight years ago.


"It turns out the Yankees haven't won the AL East in August, after all. They haven't won anything yet."

He's joking, right?


"It appeared for a few days this week as if the race might end a bit earlier than expected ... "

To whom did this appear?

Because the Yankees amassed a whopping three game lead in early August? The race appeared to be over?


"Meanwhile, Saunders, a rookie, mixed his stuff like a veteran, like Pettitte, until his fielders let him down in the seventh, on an error by third baseman Maicer Izturis and a miscommunication on a simple foul pop near first."

Why are we still talking about Andy Pettitte?

Andy Pettitte is no longer on the Yankees, Andy Pettitte is 11-12 with a 4.86 era in a league where the pitchers hit.

I'll take Chien-Ming Wang. He wears number 40 and plays for the Yankees.

Maybe Filip Bondy should check out a game sometime. They play on the YES Network during the week and on Channel Nine on Fridays.

He was going for the 5-9-3 double play.

"I just tried to get two," Rodriguez said. "Looking back on it, I probably should have gotten the one."

With Alex Rodriguez, the Mets might have won a World Series or two.

"Can you imagine how different this might have turned out had Phillips marched into Fred Wilpon's office two months after the Mets were overwhelmed by the Yankees in the 2000 World Series and convinced his boss to sign A-Rod?"

Sure. I can imagine.

With a shortstop who regularly puts up 40 and 120, the Mets may have made the playoffs each of the past five seasons instead of missing the playoffs each of the past five seasons.

All the Rodriguez merch that filled Steinbrenner's coffers may have made Wilpon an even wealthier man.

The seemingly impoosible boost in attendance at Yankee Stadium may have been transferred to Shea.


"Wilpon's wallet would have tightened up like A-Rod with men on base had he committed to 10 years at $25 million per.

Consequently, no Glavine, no Pedro, neither of the Carloses and no Wagner."

Everyone knows that ARod wasn't demanding $25 mill per from the Mets.

But, as discussed above, it's an investment. You take a World Series team and you add another superstar player. You don't stop there. You get playoff money, World Series money, merch, ticket sales increase, etc.

All of this is money, money, money, money that Jeff Duncan was unable to generate.


Why no Pedro on the Mets? Over the past five years, the Mets just made more money, so they could have spent more money.

As a bonus, no Ty Wigginton at the hot corner.


Also, there's something seriously wrong with Matthews's math skills.

Let's just assume ARod was actually paid $25 million by the Mets and let's further assume that the Mets generated no additional revenue as a result of the investment. Both of these assumptions are wrong by a lot, but we'll give Matthews's attempt at an argument the benefit of the doubt.

According to USA Today's Baseball Salary database, the 2006 Mets mentioned by Matthews make the following salaries:

Glavine: $10 mill.
Pedro: $15 mill.
Beltran: $13.5 mill.
Delgado: $13.5 mill.
Wagner: $10.5 mill.

Total: $62.5 mill.

So, if the Mets had spent $25 mill on Alex Rodriguez, they wouldn't have been able to afford any of these players? What happened to the remaining $37.5 mill? Did Minaya spend the whole thing on ARod's Shea Stadium luxury box and Spring Training merchandise booth?

Do you feel lied to?

You should.


Oh, by the way, guess how well the Mets have done without Alex Rodriguez? They haven't done squat.

Was that seriously Wallace Matthews's grand plan? Stink for five years and then spend some money?

Good plan. It really worked out.


"As for Reyes and Wright? Well, because each of them plays a position also played by A-Rod, at least one, if not both of them, probably would be playing elsewhere."

Well, gee. I doubt that very much. Because even if one of them had to be moved to make room for a slouch like ARod, I doubt if both of them would have to be moved.

Because, as good as Alex Rodriguez is, he does not play two positions at the same time.


Or how about this disastrous scenario?

ARod at shortstop on his way to 800 homeruns, young Wright at 3b, Reyes and a few minor leaguers traded for Barry Zito and Nick Swisher.

That team might have two rings by now, instead of zero.

Overcoming Bad Sportswriting.

"This is apparently another moment in baseball time when the Yankees made a big trade and everybody else in the American League is supposed to stop playing.

The Yankees got A-Rod and everybody else in the league was supposed to be too afraid to come out of the clubhouse."

Not true.

I'm pretty sure I'm repeating myself, but the Yankees had lost Pettitte, Clemens, and Soriano while the Red Sox had added Foulke and Schilling. Before the start of the 2004 season, the Red Sox were probably the favorites to win the AL East.


"It was the same when they put Johnny Damon at leadoff over the winter.
You know what it was really like around here?"

Not true.

Josh Beckett and his 5.00 ERA were considered a more important signing than Damon.

The Red Sox were praised by lots of people, including Mike Lupica, for replacing Damon with Coco Crisp, who has come through with a whopping 21 rbis.


"Around here, the Yankees are still treated like the defending champion of baseball every year, even though the last year they won the World Series was 2000."


Huh? I must have missed the parade, too.

The Yankees have won eight straight divisions and have made the playoffs eleven straight seasons. The Yankees also have the deepest pockets. This is why they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

However, around here, the Yankees are treated like unclutch losers any year they don't win the World Series.

Meanwhile, Lupica treats the Mets like (ahem) the Best Team in Baseball, even though the last year they won the World Series was 1986.

You know how the Yankees have spent about $1 billion on payroll the past five years and not won the World Series? Lupica will remind you from time to time. Well, he never mentions that the Mets have spent about half a billion and not even made the playoffs.

"Since the start of the season, the Yankees have lost Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, Robinson Cano.

Of course it has been a lot to overcome, and they did it splendidly for a long time before it was time to go out and buy a big-ticket replacement like Bobby Abreu."

Splendid.

"Since the start of the season, the Red Sox have lost three-fifths of what was supposed to be their original starting rotation, lost their starting right fielder, lost their starting catcher.

Doesn't matter.

The Yankees have had to overcome more.

Why?

They're the Yankees, that's why!"

Not true.

The Yankees had to overcome more because (a) the Yankees lost more talented players than the Red Sox lost and (b) the Yankees lost their players for a longer period of time.

"Since the start of the season" is a wee bit misleading (i.e., a big, fat Lupica lie) because, for instance, it ignores the lingering injury to Carl Pavano. While Pavano might not be too good, he was 1/5th of the Yankees' rotation.

Cano has been gone for about a month, Sheffield has been gone for about nine weeks, andMatsui has been gone for about eleven weeks.

Varitek got hurt five whole days ago.

The Golden Sombrero.

David Ortiz looked lost at the plate last night.

Is it time for Boston to finally realize they made a mistake and that Ortiz can't handle the pressure of playing in Boston?

Columbus Clippers Just Got Interesting.

"You have already forgotten his name, haven't you? Aaron something. Gruel? Giles?

No, Guiel. That's it."

I remember his name, but I'll try to forget.

Just like I try to forget Mark Bellhorn, Matt Lawton, David Dellucci, Charles Gipson, and Tony Tarasco.

They haunt my dreams.

Oh, no offense, Aaron. You did hit a couple of homeruns and you seem like a swell guy.

You also play baseball much better than I can.


"Came off waivers from Kansas City, of all places. Hit a couple of home runs, including a big one against Texas. Hustled in the outfield. Would have scaled the Big Bat had the team asked him to, he was so happy to be here, to be a small part of something big."

Fascinating stuff.

Somebody should make a movie about it.


" 'Regardless of whether he'll perform better than myself, for the fans and for the team, they feel like they're more comfortable with the established name.'

More comfortable, a bit better, but less interesting."

True.

Approximately four million people will crowd into Yankee Stadium this season to watch the team play.

I'm guessing just about zero of them came to watch Aaron Guiel play.


But, I have great news for Steve Politi. He can still watch the uber-interesting Kansas City Royals or, better yet, the Columbus Clippers.

Mr. Fascinating Himself will play right field every day in Columbus.

Homegrown Talent.

All these people complaining about trading homegrown talent.

Would you have traded Marty Janzen for David Cone?

Would you have traded Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson?

Would you have traded Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill?

Step off, stupid. I got a million of 'em.

Who am I arguing with, anyway?

Never give less than 98%.

Corey Lidle defends Bobby Abreu's work ethic:

"He may not be that guy that sacrifices his body running into a wall, but he's there 160 games a year ready to play."

The Greatest Team That Never Was.

I'd like to invite all my readers (all five or six of you) to take a tour of the Creationism Museum. You can learn how dinosaurs and humans roamed the Earth at the same time!

Which reminds me of the first WFAN caller I heard yesterday, chastising the Abreu deal: "The Yankees will not win with all these free agents. They won with homegrown talent. They need clutch, homegrown talent like ..." (Please pause and put down your drinks.) "... Tino and Brosius."


I wonder what percentage of Yankee fans really think (a) Tino was clutch, (b) Tino and Brosius were homegrown, (c) the 1998 - 2000 Winner Yankees had more homegrown talent than the 2001 - 2006 Loser Yankees.

I think the answer is 99.9999%

The math goes something like this:

(Number of Yankee Fans - 1) / (Number of Yankee Fans).


O'Neill was never a Red, Girardi was never a Rockie, Boggs never played for Boston, Cone never played for Kansas City, Wetteland never played for Montreal, Knoblauch never played for the Twins.

Fielder, Duncan, Justice, Hayes, Neagle, Hill, Canseco, were all Yankees, but not really. Not to those who understand what it means to be a Yankee.

Some claim that Homegrown Yankees and Free Agent "Yankees" roamed the same ballfields at the same time, but they are merely blasphemers. Go worship an Alex Rodriguez false idol, Blasphemer!

Ian O'Connor Puts the Jerk in Knee-Jerk.

The Yankees add a decent, if overrated, outfielder, largely in response to losing two all star corner outfielders.

They give up zero prime time prospects. Cano and Wang and Cabrera are still on the team and Hughes is still in the organization.

They add a little bit of salary, but not too much, all things considered. Presumably, it will be a wash in a couple of months when Sheffield comes off the books.

Steinbrenner didn't trade away the future for aging superstars, though he's oddly always accused of doing so. He strengthened the bench and, hopefully, helped out the rotation a little. As usual, at the trading deadline, Steinbrenner avoided a big splash and made a few little splashes.

So, the bottom line is that there is really no course of action that Steinbrenner could have taken that would have not drawn knee-jerk criticism from Ian O'Connor:

"With some $200 million invested in a team in perfectly reasonable playoff position, George Steinbrenner did what no other sports owner would have fathomed."

I think every owner tried to make deadline deals to make their team better. If they haven't fathomed this, then they're very bad owners.


"No, Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle shouldn't be confused with Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter."

Thanks for the head's up, Mr. Baseball Historian.


"But Abreu and Lidle will give the Yankees a slightly better chance of winning their 27th World Series title, and their seventh under Steinbrenner, which is the point of all this."

Exactly.

That's the point of all this.

Which is why you make the deal.


"Things happen in baseball. Crosstown, the Mets were basking in their double-figure divisional lead when Duaner Sanchez was suddenly lost for the season with a shoulder injury suffered in a taxi crash.

So the Mets sent Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez."

Enough is enough! This is unfathomable.

The Mets have a 14-game lead and they can't leave well enough alone?

This is gluttony, and gluttony is a sin.

This is why people hate New York and why Mel Gibson hates Jews. This is nothing but a bunch of Zionist, imperialistic New York city slickers robbing hardworking towns like Pittsburgh.

That's not really true, but it sure doesn't help the perception.


"No such event inspired Steinbrenner to make his own deadline moves."

Ian O'Connor's logic teacher done learneded him good. Let's think through that thar proposition:

Exhibit A: In response to Sanchez's injury (Event 1), the Mets traded for two pitchers.

Exhibit B: In response to Matsui's injury (Event 2) and Sheffield's injury (Event 3), the Yankees traded for a corner outfielder.

But in Ian O'Connor's Alternate O'Universe, an injury to a Met player is nothing like an injury to a Yankee player.