As I write this, Jon Lester's ERA is 5.59 and Joba Chamberlain's ERA is 3.43.
The most controversial and widely-criticized 3.43 ERA in the history of baseball.
Joba was actually taken to task for inducing four double plays in five innings last weekend. (Should have been six, even though that's not really possible. It's just that two of the double plays followed botched double plays.)
People must either really love strikeouts or they really insist on pushing their agendas rather than just enjoying good baseball games.
"Joba Chamberlain belongs in the bullpen because I said so."
Then, their rooting interest is warped. Rather than rooting for their team, they end up rooting for their predictions.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
ARod slides and hits in simulated game.
Not much here, but it begs the question:
Which player will be the first to hit a HR this season? Alex Rodriguez or David Ortiz?
Which player will be the first to hit a HR this season? Alex Rodriguez or David Ortiz?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Gardner's uniform is dirty.
Batting average: .220.
On-base percentage: .254.
Slugging percentage: .271.
Rookie of the Year awards: 0.
MVPs: 0.
Now I totally see the similarities to Dustin Pedroia.
By Golly, that's a stupid thing to say.
"Though looking back, the premise for the original A-Rod comment, about how the Yankees would be better off without him, still stands: They don’t miss the constant nonsense that accompanies him and will continue to well into the next decade. Though the Yankees haven’t thrived without him, their offense hasn’t exactly suffered. Their .854 OPS ranks fourth in baseball, aided, certainly, by their juiced stadium. But still."
The Yankee offense has suffered greatly without ARod.
Because ARod's replacements have OPSes of .421, .333, and .546.
That was easy.
The Yankee offense has suffered greatly without ARod.
Because ARod's replacements have OPSes of .421, .333, and .546.
That was easy.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Number three hitter.
It's fascinating that Ortiz is still batting third. In a tie game with the bases loaded and no outs, I think there's no Red Sox player I'd rather have batting. Ortiz is likely to strike out or hit into a double play and unlikely to get an extra-base hit.
So why does Ortiz still bat third?
Solely because of his past accomplishments.
So why does Ortiz still bat third?
Solely because of his past accomplishments.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Bob Klapisch is a sellout.
I am not even going to spend too much time on Klapisch's typical "Yankees aren't as good as you thought they were," wherein he claims the weekend trip to Boston will tell you a lot about this team, but the rest of the season doesn't count too much because of the small sample size.
This is standard Klapisch stuff and not very convincing in whatever it's trying to say.
Instead, I want to transcribe a portion of an article from Yankees Magazine.
I purchased this magazine when I visited Yankee Stadium because it's part of the scorecard. Yes, I kept score, and, yes, I misspelled Albaladejo.
Anyway, while Klapisch is contributing hard-hitting journalism to the pro-Yankees rag and sucking from Steinbrenner's teat, you know what he claims? Ready for this one?
Klapisch suggests that ARod/Teixeira could combined for 100 HRs this year and that the 2009 Yankees may have the greatest infield of all time.
Flat-out embarrassing:
"But even more than a power surge, Teixeira represents the start of an infield renaissance that could make the Yankees' quarter one of the best in modern history.
Talent evaluators from both leagues say it's true: The Bombers' infield alignment, both on defense and at the plate, is incomprehensibly loaded and worthy of comparison to the best in the last 50 years.
Think about it. The Yankees now sport two Gold Glove winners -- Derek Jeter and, once he returns from his surgery, Alex Rodriguez -- on the left side, and Teixeira, who in addition to being the game's premier switch-hitting first baseman [Felz note: Even more feared than Tony Clark and Dmitri Young?], has also won two gold gloves. And finally, there's Robinson Cano, who, after a long winter of intense workouts, is ready to make good on the projections as a latter-day Rod Carew."
I know Klapisch's work, for the most part, and he damned sure hasn't spent too much time comparing Robinson Cano to Rod Carew.
Ironically, though, Klapisch spends a lot of time complaining about the soft, free agent mercenaries in the Yankee dugout.
This is standard Klapisch stuff and not very convincing in whatever it's trying to say.
Instead, I want to transcribe a portion of an article from Yankees Magazine.
I purchased this magazine when I visited Yankee Stadium because it's part of the scorecard. Yes, I kept score, and, yes, I misspelled Albaladejo.
Anyway, while Klapisch is contributing hard-hitting journalism to the pro-Yankees rag and sucking from Steinbrenner's teat, you know what he claims? Ready for this one?
Klapisch suggests that ARod/Teixeira could combined for 100 HRs this year and that the 2009 Yankees may have the greatest infield of all time.
Flat-out embarrassing:
"But even more than a power surge, Teixeira represents the start of an infield renaissance that could make the Yankees' quarter one of the best in modern history.
Talent evaluators from both leagues say it's true: The Bombers' infield alignment, both on defense and at the plate, is incomprehensibly loaded and worthy of comparison to the best in the last 50 years.
Think about it. The Yankees now sport two Gold Glove winners -- Derek Jeter and, once he returns from his surgery, Alex Rodriguez -- on the left side, and Teixeira, who in addition to being the game's premier switch-hitting first baseman [Felz note: Even more feared than Tony Clark and Dmitri Young?], has also won two gold gloves. And finally, there's Robinson Cano, who, after a long winter of intense workouts, is ready to make good on the projections as a latter-day Rod Carew."
I know Klapisch's work, for the most part, and he damned sure hasn't spent too much time comparing Robinson Cano to Rod Carew.
Ironically, though, Klapisch spends a lot of time complaining about the soft, free agent mercenaries in the Yankee dugout.
Predictions are stupid.
Yankees lose two out of three to Boston this weekend, including one extra-inning loss.
Ransom/Pena combine for zero hits and zero RBIs.
Everyone who thought for a second that the Yankees are better off without ARod swallows their retraction rather than admit they were wrong.
Ransom/Pena combine for zero hits and zero RBIs.
Everyone who thought for a second that the Yankees are better off without ARod swallows their retraction rather than admit they were wrong.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Stop. Talking. About. Nineteen. Ninety. Eight.
"Memories fade. Faces change. Old ballparks close and new ones open."
Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time.
"You look up one morning and all of a sudden Derek Jeter's a 34-year-old slap hitter who can't play shortstop anymore ..."
Yes, one morning in 2007.
"And then you go to the new Yankee Stadium on a chilly Tuesday night in April to see Andy Pettitte get the win and Mariano Rivera the save against the Oakland A's, and the memories start to color themselves back in a little bit."
I think a day has not gone by in the last eleven years when the Yankee team was not unfavorably compared to the 1998 Yankees.
Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time.
"You look up one morning and all of a sudden Derek Jeter's a 34-year-old slap hitter who can't play shortstop anymore ..."
Yes, one morning in 2007.
"And then you go to the new Yankee Stadium on a chilly Tuesday night in April to see Andy Pettitte get the win and Mariano Rivera the save against the Oakland A's, and the memories start to color themselves back in a little bit."
I think a day has not gone by in the last eleven years when the Yankee team was not unfavorably compared to the 1998 Yankees.
I don't think anybody remembers Robin Ventura, but they're reminded of Scott Brosius every single day.
Anyway, the rest of the article is basically a stunning realization that a baseball team will benefit from contributions from its starting catcher, starting shortstop, closer, and one of its five starting pitchers.
Anyway, the rest of the article is basically a stunning realization that a baseball team will benefit from contributions from its starting catcher, starting shortstop, closer, and one of its five starting pitchers.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Matthews called old Yankee Stadium "a tense, joyless cauldron."
"From a baseball standpoint, the first week of the new Yankee Stadium couldn't have gone much better, four wins in six games including yesterday's interminable 9-7 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Melky Cabrera's walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning."
Today's game would be considered the best game of all time if it was a playoffs game.
Since it's a game that nobody cares about, it's "interminable" and Waldman and Sterling spent the whole time complaining about getting their delayed trip to Boston.
"But from a public relations standpoint, it hardly could have gone much worse.
Put it this way: If the first week of my marriage was as devoid of magic as the Yankees' first week in their new park, one or both of us wouldn't still be around 25 years later."
Nice. You nailed your wife really good on your Honeymoon then. Good to know.
Also, I can think of a lot of ways it could have gone worse from a public relations standpoint:
"We are, and certainly, this place will still be here in 2034. Still, it makes you wonder if, when the Yankees moved across the street, they left more than just an old ballpark behind."
Lucky gal, lucky gal.
"The old Stadium was a vibrant, rowdy, sometimes dangerous but always living place where baseball was the primary language spoken."
Wrong.
I had a bleacher seat for David Wells's Perfect Game and half the people were there solely to collect their beanie babies.
"Here, it seems sterile, corporate and frighteningly devoid of buzz."
Of course it does.
We need Scott Brosius back.
"Thankfully, the blast Cabrera hit to put a merciful end to a nearly five-hour game needed no help from the wind and no explanation from an engineer or a meteorologist."
You really just don't like baseball.
"It doesn't bode well for the rest of the season, because if you're not feeling the mojo now, you probably never will. Sure, the place will sell out when the Red Sox or Mets are in the house, but for the first time in many years, get used to the place being half-full, or if the Yankees ever fall out of contention, a lot less than that."
The Stadium will never be half full, I guarantee it.
Also, I'm not sure why the second-place Yankees will fall out of contention.
This was a midday weekday game vs. Oakland in the rain.
Jeter hit a HR, Melky hit a freakin' walkoff in the 14th inning. The Yankee bullpen pitched eight scoreless innings (if you're keeping score.)
How spoiled are you? How unappreciative?
"Right now, if the Yankees were a Broadway show, these first-week returns are of the type that precede a closing notice. The show will go on here, of course, but for now at least, it looks as if the era of the daily sellout, no matter who the opponent is, who the starting pitchers are, or what the significance of the game is, are as finished as the old Stadium."
The "era" of the daily sellout, that "era" was exactly three seasons. You should call it the "ARod era."
For the 2001 season -- following the fourth title in five years -- a team with O'Neill and Tino and Brosius -- the attendance was 3.26 million.
The Yankees have already sold 3.5 million tickets this season.
Today's game would be considered the best game of all time if it was a playoffs game.
Since it's a game that nobody cares about, it's "interminable" and Waldman and Sterling spent the whole time complaining about getting their delayed trip to Boston.
"But from a public relations standpoint, it hardly could have gone much worse.
Put it this way: If the first week of my marriage was as devoid of magic as the Yankees' first week in their new park, one or both of us wouldn't still be around 25 years later."
Nice. You nailed your wife really good on your Honeymoon then. Good to know.
Also, I can think of a lot of ways it could have gone worse from a public relations standpoint:
- Jeter was caught with kiddie porn.
- The ushers had murdered some of the fans and stolen their food.
- A column had collapsed, like at the old Yankee Stadium in 1998.
- Lee Mazzilli or Joel Skinner were still on the team.
"We are, and certainly, this place will still be here in 2034. Still, it makes you wonder if, when the Yankees moved across the street, they left more than just an old ballpark behind."
Lucky gal, lucky gal.
"The old Stadium was a vibrant, rowdy, sometimes dangerous but always living place where baseball was the primary language spoken."
Wrong.
I had a bleacher seat for David Wells's Perfect Game and half the people were there solely to collect their beanie babies.
"Here, it seems sterile, corporate and frighteningly devoid of buzz."
Of course it does.
We need Scott Brosius back.
"Thankfully, the blast Cabrera hit to put a merciful end to a nearly five-hour game needed no help from the wind and no explanation from an engineer or a meteorologist."
You really just don't like baseball.
"It doesn't bode well for the rest of the season, because if you're not feeling the mojo now, you probably never will. Sure, the place will sell out when the Red Sox or Mets are in the house, but for the first time in many years, get used to the place being half-full, or if the Yankees ever fall out of contention, a lot less than that."
The Stadium will never be half full, I guarantee it.
Also, I'm not sure why the second-place Yankees will fall out of contention.
This was a midday weekday game vs. Oakland in the rain.
Jeter hit a HR, Melky hit a freakin' walkoff in the 14th inning. The Yankee bullpen pitched eight scoreless innings (if you're keeping score.)
How spoiled are you? How unappreciative?
"Right now, if the Yankees were a Broadway show, these first-week returns are of the type that precede a closing notice. The show will go on here, of course, but for now at least, it looks as if the era of the daily sellout, no matter who the opponent is, who the starting pitchers are, or what the significance of the game is, are as finished as the old Stadium."
The "era" of the daily sellout, that "era" was exactly three seasons. You should call it the "ARod era."
For the 2001 season -- following the fourth title in five years -- a team with O'Neill and Tino and Brosius -- the attendance was 3.26 million.
The Yankees have already sold 3.5 million tickets this season.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Selig is not a scapegoat, but he is a profiteer.
"How convenient if Bud Selig were responsible for the steroids Alex Rodriguez stuck in his (Alex’s, not Bud’s, that would be weird) rear end."
Very good use of the English language, maestro.
Rather than parenthetically explaining dangling participles, just don't use them.
"Wouldn’t this be easy if it were Tom Hicks’ fault, him and all his owner buddies?"
In what way would "this" be easy?
Whatever "this" is.
"Or, even better, Don Fehr’s, because he impeded the commissioner’s early – and, granted, not whole-hearted – efforts for a drug-testing program."
I'm having difficulty determining what information this sentence is trying to convey.
"This" would be easy if "it" were Tom Hicks's fault. Or, even better, Don Fehr's ...
"This" would be better if "it" were Don Fehr's what? Don Fehr's fault. The subject is from the previous sentence, naturally.
You have to be a detective to figure it out.
"Then we could all agree this was about the culture and the greed and the nefarious scheme, and not about the decisions made by – what? – hundreds of players. Thousands?"
No. The decisions made by billions and billions of players.
"We could lay it at the tawny wing tips of the wealthy old men who run the game, because they, of course, let this happen. Because they got rich off it."
Well, they did let it happen and they absolutely got rich off it.
I'm not sure why this course of action is more convenient, easier, or better than blaming the players.
"As fastball velocities and home run balls decline in unison, and the greenies are swept away, and the game takes a stab at normalcy, already history’s note takers are making this a Selig problem, or at best an institutional problem, conveniently ignoring the names and résumés of an entire generation of cheaters and liars and criminals."
Are you serious?
Nobody cares about Selig and his tainted $17.5M salary.
Barry Bonds is going to trial.
ARod's cousin is front page news.
Palmeiro, Sheffield, and McGwire might not make the Hall of Fame
Everybody blames the players.
"Funny, in a game that rests its head every night on accountability – hit or miss, win or lose, we’re not holding players to the same standard when they’re sitting in their living rooms, deciding whether or not to depress the syringe plunger. Because, you know, it’s so much easier to assume it’s Bud’s fault for letting it get that far, for raising the vein."
Who isn't holding the players accountable?
You're creating fictional material for a column.
Very good use of the English language, maestro.
Rather than parenthetically explaining dangling participles, just don't use them.
"Wouldn’t this be easy if it were Tom Hicks’ fault, him and all his owner buddies?"
In what way would "this" be easy?
Whatever "this" is.
"Or, even better, Don Fehr’s, because he impeded the commissioner’s early – and, granted, not whole-hearted – efforts for a drug-testing program."
I'm having difficulty determining what information this sentence is trying to convey.
"This" would be easy if "it" were Tom Hicks's fault. Or, even better, Don Fehr's ...
"This" would be better if "it" were Don Fehr's what? Don Fehr's fault. The subject is from the previous sentence, naturally.
You have to be a detective to figure it out.
"Then we could all agree this was about the culture and the greed and the nefarious scheme, and not about the decisions made by – what? – hundreds of players. Thousands?"
No. The decisions made by billions and billions of players.
"We could lay it at the tawny wing tips of the wealthy old men who run the game, because they, of course, let this happen. Because they got rich off it."
Well, they did let it happen and they absolutely got rich off it.
I'm not sure why this course of action is more convenient, easier, or better than blaming the players.
"As fastball velocities and home run balls decline in unison, and the greenies are swept away, and the game takes a stab at normalcy, already history’s note takers are making this a Selig problem, or at best an institutional problem, conveniently ignoring the names and résumés of an entire generation of cheaters and liars and criminals."
Are you serious?
Nobody cares about Selig and his tainted $17.5M salary.
Barry Bonds is going to trial.
ARod's cousin is front page news.
Palmeiro, Sheffield, and McGwire might not make the Hall of Fame
Everybody blames the players.
"Funny, in a game that rests its head every night on accountability – hit or miss, win or lose, we’re not holding players to the same standard when they’re sitting in their living rooms, deciding whether or not to depress the syringe plunger. Because, you know, it’s so much easier to assume it’s Bud’s fault for letting it get that far, for raising the vein."
Who isn't holding the players accountable?
You're creating fictional material for a column.
Monday, April 20, 2009
I was wondering about that ...
"Robinson’s swipes of home are widely cited as proof of his daring. But the 11 times he was caught are rarely mentioned. (One additional play ruled a caught stealing was in fact a failed squeeze.)"
Nick Swisher is a fan favorite.
Nick Swisher waves to the fans in the bleachers and seems like a cool dude. I can understand why he's being embraced.
Of course, the diehards didn't boo Swisher when Pavano struck him out for the third time. Even with the bases loaded and two outs with the game seemingly on the line in the sixth inning.
I can only conclude that Swisher's 41 Yankee at-bats had endeared Swisher to the diehards more than Chien-Ming Wang's 46 wins in the previous 2 1/2 seasons.
Because Wang got booed on Saturday.
By the diehards.
The diehards in the upper deck and the bleachers who got pushed out of their behind-home-plate box seats by the corporate types on their cell phones. The wealthy Wall Street millionaires who know nothing about baseball.
Here are some other observations I learned on Sunday from by fellow bleacher diehards:
Of course, the diehards didn't boo Swisher when Pavano struck him out for the third time. Even with the bases loaded and two outs with the game seemingly on the line in the sixth inning.
I can only conclude that Swisher's 41 Yankee at-bats had endeared Swisher to the diehards more than Chien-Ming Wang's 46 wins in the previous 2 1/2 seasons.
Because Wang got booed on Saturday.
By the diehards.
The diehards in the upper deck and the bleachers who got pushed out of their behind-home-plate box seats by the corporate types on their cell phones. The wealthy Wall Street millionaires who know nothing about baseball.
Here are some other observations I learned on Sunday from by fellow bleacher diehards:
- Jeter is hot.
- Mariano Rivera has more Cy Young Awards than any other player currently on the Yankees.
- Posada hit a "designated hitter" home run in the seventh inning.
- The Yankees were going to bat in the bottom of the ninth.
- Major League Baseball has a 20-run "mercy" rule, but it wasn't enforced on Saturday when Cleveland scored 22 runs.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
"Wrist injury."
"Over a larger sample of games -- from 2007 to 2008 -- his OPS dropped almost 200 points, as he coped with a wrist injury.
It's early, of course, and there are weeks and months left for Ortiz to find his Big Papi opposite-field power stroke that made him one of the most feared hitters in baseball. But here's the part that has to concern the Red Sox: He looks as bad as his numbers indicate. Opposing talent evaluators are stunned by the regression in his bat speed, by how different a hitter he seems to be compared to what he was in his prime."
I mean, look, as far as I'm concerned, all of these players are innocent until proven guilty. I don't even care too much if they're guilty of this particular infraction.
But this is simply common sense.
The guy's career highs in Minnesota were .282/20/75.
He signs with Boston at the age of 27, right in the midst of the so-called "steroids era," and now his career highs are .332/54/148.
Mitchell Report comes out and he's right back to putting up the Minnesota numbers.
What is the function of Buster Olney?
Why pose the question if you're not even going to answer it?
It's early, of course, and there are weeks and months left for Ortiz to find his Big Papi opposite-field power stroke that made him one of the most feared hitters in baseball. But here's the part that has to concern the Red Sox: He looks as bad as his numbers indicate. Opposing talent evaluators are stunned by the regression in his bat speed, by how different a hitter he seems to be compared to what he was in his prime."
I mean, look, as far as I'm concerned, all of these players are innocent until proven guilty. I don't even care too much if they're guilty of this particular infraction.
But this is simply common sense.
The guy's career highs in Minnesota were .282/20/75.
He signs with Boston at the age of 27, right in the midst of the so-called "steroids era," and now his career highs are .332/54/148.
Mitchell Report comes out and he's right back to putting up the Minnesota numbers.
What is the function of Buster Olney?
Why pose the question if you're not even going to answer it?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
.192 slugging percentage to go along with an inability to play in the field.
Without steroids, Big Papi no es bueno.
Monday, April 13, 2009
A link for Mike Lupica's deli guy.
I picked a random midweek game.
Baltimore at New York, Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00 pm.
Stubhub lists 550 selections under $30, which probably equals about 1,500 - 2,000 seats.
Quite a few of these tickets are under $15. This is because people who bought season tickets or multi-game plans are trying to dump their tickets.
You will sit in the upper deck or in the bleachers and you won't be able to get tickets to see the Red Sox or the Mets. You also won't get dugout seats for the playoffs unless you want to spend a lot of money.
These prices and seating arrangements should be acceptable to a hardcore fan like yourself.
I've attended approximately 200 baseball games and I've only spent $75 for a ticket once or twice. Puh-lenty of options below the average price.
Also, I usually skip the food. It's nasty and overpriced. You own a deli -- fill up before the game.
Oh, you'll also probably need a computer and a printer, because the tickets will be delivered via .pdf. Not like the good ol' days, I know.
Yeah, I know it was awesome the time you got Joe Pepitone's autograph. Yawn.
Baltimore at New York, Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00 pm.
Stubhub lists 550 selections under $30, which probably equals about 1,500 - 2,000 seats.
Quite a few of these tickets are under $15. This is because people who bought season tickets or multi-game plans are trying to dump their tickets.
You will sit in the upper deck or in the bleachers and you won't be able to get tickets to see the Red Sox or the Mets. You also won't get dugout seats for the playoffs unless you want to spend a lot of money.
These prices and seating arrangements should be acceptable to a hardcore fan like yourself.
I've attended approximately 200 baseball games and I've only spent $75 for a ticket once or twice. Puh-lenty of options below the average price.
Also, I usually skip the food. It's nasty and overpriced. You own a deli -- fill up before the game.
Oh, you'll also probably need a computer and a printer, because the tickets will be delivered via .pdf. Not like the good ol' days, I know.
Yeah, I know it was awesome the time you got Joe Pepitone's autograph. Yawn.
50 is a lot of homeruns for a season in the major leagues.
50 is not a good batting average for a season in the major leagues.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Yes, it's very engrossing.
"And here's the thing: At least for the moment, his chase of the 500-homer mark is a lot more engrossing than the rent-a-record that comes along with Gary Sheffield. One wheelhouse swing from Delgado in that first inning, and suddenly the slugger was just 30 away from that still exclusive club."
I challenge Filip Bondy to poll the next 1,000 people he meets and ask them how many HRs Carlos Delgado has.
I challenge Filip Bondy to poll the next 1,000 people he meets and ask them how many HRs Carlos Delgado has.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Obviously, that's why Joba needs to start.
"You want to get upset about a legitimate issue regarding Joba Chamberlain?
Then stamp your feet, pound your desk and wonder when in hell the Yankees are going to realize that the benefits of adding Joba to their starting rotation are far outweighed by the risk of removing him from their bullpen?
As ironclad evidence, I submit Monday afternoon's season-opening 10-5 loss to the Orioles."
The Yankees lost that game because the starting pitcher was terrible. Six runs in 4 1/3 innings, and he left the game with the bases loaded and one out.
"I mean, here the Yankees were Monday, having survived an awful inaugural outing by CC Sabathia to climb back into a game their were trailing 6-1 on the strength of home runs by Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui.
With the Yankees trailing only 6-5 after seven innings, all the momentum had shifted from the home team to the visitors. There seemed to be no way the dreadful Orioles bullpen could protect that one-run lead, and no way the Yankees could fail to win that ballgame."
Right.
Actually, I was thinking there was no way the Yankees could win this ballgame. Momentum is an idea for hacks who don't have to identify a round object hurtling towards them at 95 miles per hour from 55 feet away and then try to squarely hit that round object with a cylinder.
So, Joba pitches the eighth -- presumably, a shutout inning, because his bullpen ERA is 0.00 -- and then Rivera pitches the ninth, presumably a shutout inning, because his bullpen ERA is 0.00.
(No need to be snarky; this is just a thought experiment.)
The Yankees still lose 6-5.
"Last April, Joba would have come out of the pen to pitch the eighth, and maybe the seventh, and a game that appeared lost after five innings would have looked very much like a game the Yankees were fated to win."
Doubtful that Joba would have entered a game the Yankees were losing.
Also, if it was last April, you'd see a lot of the middle of the bullpen. Because Hughes and Kennedy were in the starting rotation, soon to be replaced by Rasner and Ponson.
Who is getting the Yankees to the 8th inning? Or the 7th inning?
"That means that when the time comes for the Yankees to put the brakes on the other team's offense, retake the momentum and prepare for the predictable endgame known as Mariano Rivera ..."
The Yankees would have lost 6-5.
It was Sabathia's fault all the way.
Then stamp your feet, pound your desk and wonder when in hell the Yankees are going to realize that the benefits of adding Joba to their starting rotation are far outweighed by the risk of removing him from their bullpen?
As ironclad evidence, I submit Monday afternoon's season-opening 10-5 loss to the Orioles."
The Yankees lost that game because the starting pitcher was terrible. Six runs in 4 1/3 innings, and he left the game with the bases loaded and one out.
"I mean, here the Yankees were Monday, having survived an awful inaugural outing by CC Sabathia to climb back into a game their were trailing 6-1 on the strength of home runs by Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui.
With the Yankees trailing only 6-5 after seven innings, all the momentum had shifted from the home team to the visitors. There seemed to be no way the dreadful Orioles bullpen could protect that one-run lead, and no way the Yankees could fail to win that ballgame."
Right.
Actually, I was thinking there was no way the Yankees could win this ballgame. Momentum is an idea for hacks who don't have to identify a round object hurtling towards them at 95 miles per hour from 55 feet away and then try to squarely hit that round object with a cylinder.
So, Joba pitches the eighth -- presumably, a shutout inning, because his bullpen ERA is 0.00 -- and then Rivera pitches the ninth, presumably a shutout inning, because his bullpen ERA is 0.00.
(No need to be snarky; this is just a thought experiment.)
The Yankees still lose 6-5.
"Last April, Joba would have come out of the pen to pitch the eighth, and maybe the seventh, and a game that appeared lost after five innings would have looked very much like a game the Yankees were fated to win."
Doubtful that Joba would have entered a game the Yankees were losing.
Also, if it was last April, you'd see a lot of the middle of the bullpen. Because Hughes and Kennedy were in the starting rotation, soon to be replaced by Rasner and Ponson.
Who is getting the Yankees to the 8th inning? Or the 7th inning?
"That means that when the time comes for the Yankees to put the brakes on the other team's offense, retake the momentum and prepare for the predictable endgame known as Mariano Rivera ..."
The Yankees would have lost 6-5.
It was Sabathia's fault all the way.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
The problem with bias.
Joel Sherman's Yankee-hating gets in the way of reasoning:
"CY YOUNG
Jon Lester, Red Sox. He had a huge innings jump last year, so that is a bit scary. But he is a strike-throwing, fearless horse with well-above-average stuff.
MVP
Evan Longoria, Rays. I see a 40-homer Gold Glover winner, and it is possible his top competition will come from teammate B.J. Upton.
...
BEST FREE-AGENT SIGNING
John Smoltz, Red Sox. This signing may not work for everyone. But once the Red Sox's bid failed on Mark Teixeira, they had plenty of cash. And for a big-market team, a one-year, $5.5 million gamble on a motivated, athletic star who also happens to be among the best big-game pitchers ever, works.
...
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Terry Francona, Red Sox. He has a lot of moving parts in a difficult atmosphere, but always seems to have a firm grasp on his roster, and that should be even easier in his first full season without Manny Ramirez. "
Francona really shouldn't win manager of the year since he's got all the Cy Young winners and best free agent signings.
When the Red Sox win 135 games, it will primarily be because of all the great Red Sox players and not so much the manager.
I'm not going to call it McStadium ...
Because it's not funny and it's not historically accurate. I think it will catch on in the pop culture lexicon as successfully as Curse of the Bam-Boonie:
"Jeter runs out to short in this McMansion of a Stadium - call it The McStadium - the way he did for the first time as a regular across the street, in 1996, when the winning started."
That's when the Yankee winning started ... in 1996. Thanks for clearing that up. This whole time, I knew they were lying about 26 World Championships.
Just for some historical perspective, the new Yankee Stadium has 5,000 fewer seats than the previous version.
But, when Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, its capacity was 80,000, though I don't think it had anywhere near that many seats. They just sort of comfortably crammed 30,000 extra people into the urine-soaked tunnels.
The Stadium made a lot of money back then, too. Which is the purpose of the entire thing.
"It is not just Yankee fans that want things the way they used to be, on the other side of 161st St. It is Jeter, too. The Yankees will win another Series eventually, maybe even this season at McStadium. Jeter may still be at short when they do. But it won't be the way it was. The Yankees of today are the new place. They're A-Rod. Jeter was made for the place across the street."
We get it: Jeter good, ARod bad. Old Stadium good, new Stadium bad. Lupica is nothing if not predictable.
I also like how the House that Ruth Built -- the first ballpark to be called a stadium -- is somehow re-imagined, in Lupica's warped mind, as a monument to grittiness and humility.
You, sir, are stupid and out of touch.
Can you imagine being so spoiled and out of touch that you'd complain about a 2009 Yankee Championship because Alex Rodriguez is on the team and because it's in a new stadium? I know a lot of Yankee fans, and exactly zero of them would complain about a 2009 Yankee Championship.
"Aw, gee, we won the World Series. But it's not the same. Shucks."
Lupica, just give it up and openly root for the Red Sox. You know you want to.
"Jeter runs out to short in this McMansion of a Stadium - call it The McStadium - the way he did for the first time as a regular across the street, in 1996, when the winning started."
That's when the Yankee winning started ... in 1996. Thanks for clearing that up. This whole time, I knew they were lying about 26 World Championships.
Just for some historical perspective, the new Yankee Stadium has 5,000 fewer seats than the previous version.
But, when Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, its capacity was 80,000, though I don't think it had anywhere near that many seats. They just sort of comfortably crammed 30,000 extra people into the urine-soaked tunnels.
The Stadium made a lot of money back then, too. Which is the purpose of the entire thing.
"Jeter's Yankees giving you 1998 and what might have been the best Yankee team of them all."
Oh, fine. The 1998 Yankees were Jeter's Yankees. I thought they were Darren Holmes's Yankees. But that's just me." 'We played the way you're supposed to play and won the way you're supposed to win,' he said to me once."
The next thing Jeter said was, "I take my coffee with cream and two sugars. Make it snappy, you sniveling man-child."
"It is not just Yankee fans that want things the way they used to be, on the other side of 161st St. It is Jeter, too. The Yankees will win another Series eventually, maybe even this season at McStadium. Jeter may still be at short when they do. But it won't be the way it was. The Yankees of today are the new place. They're A-Rod. Jeter was made for the place across the street."
We get it: Jeter good, ARod bad. Old Stadium good, new Stadium bad. Lupica is nothing if not predictable.
I also like how the House that Ruth Built -- the first ballpark to be called a stadium -- is somehow re-imagined, in Lupica's warped mind, as a monument to grittiness and humility.
You, sir, are stupid and out of touch.
Can you imagine being so spoiled and out of touch that you'd complain about a 2009 Yankee Championship because Alex Rodriguez is on the team and because it's in a new stadium? I know a lot of Yankee fans, and exactly zero of them would complain about a 2009 Yankee Championship.
"Aw, gee, we won the World Series. But it's not the same. Shucks."
Lupica, just give it up and openly root for the Red Sox. You know you want to.
Teaching pitching to a pitcher.
"Five down
Joba Chamberlain’s right arm.
Sorry, there’s no over-looking a decline in velocity, even in spring, from a pitcher who suffered two shoulder injuries last year. Joba’s stiff front-leg delivery could be a problem, today and in the long-term."
When Joba was coming out of the bullpen, he was expected to pitch one inning. He often threw the ball 99 MPH.As a starting pitcher, Joba is expected to throw six innings. He will not be able to throw the ball 99 MPH for six innings. Therefore, he isn't trying to throw the ball 99 MPH.
I don't know if Joba will be a great starting pitcher. I think he will be pretty good because he seems to know what's he doing out there. I know that he has learned this particular lesson sooner than most flamethrowers.
You know, if any other pitcher took this approach, Klapisch would remind us that it's call pitching instead of throwing.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Get with the program.
"Remember when the crack of a bat and the pop of a fastball into a catcher's mitt were among the purest sounds you could hope to hear on a warm spring day?"
No.
"Truth resided in their resonance: You heard them and knew, without thinking or seeing, that those producing such a glorious melody had done so through honest honing of their craft."
Incorrect.
"While fans are still flocking to baseball in record numbers, the game's credibility is gone. Whether it's as dire as Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's home run record or as benign as former Yankees pitcher Jason Grimsley adding a couple miles per hour to his fastball, the prism through which we judge the game has been distorted beyond recognition."
For the record, Jason Grimsley is a former Phillie, Indian, Angel, Royal, Diamondback, and Yankee.
I actually agree that the game has been distorted beyond recognition. I was just thinking that Royce Clayton benefited from steroids, too, even if he never took them. If you played on a team with a bunch of steroid users, you might have scored 20 - 30 more runs per year. This increased your value and you got paid more money.
Selig for damn sure made a lot of money from steroids. He pockets $17.5M this year while condemning the impurity of the Steroid-Induced HR.
But, here's the thing: The sentence started with, "fans are flocking to the game in record numbers." I believe many of Selig's decisions are foolish, but the game has grown and thrived under Selig's administration.
Therefore, Phil Bondy's five-point-plan to fix the game is rather moot. He's not really trying to fix the game. He's just trying to make it more agreeable to himself.
If you are truly enamored with the innocence of a ball snapping against leather, go watch Little League games. I encourage it. It's fun.
No.
"Truth resided in their resonance: You heard them and knew, without thinking or seeing, that those producing such a glorious melody had done so through honest honing of their craft."
Incorrect.
"While fans are still flocking to baseball in record numbers, the game's credibility is gone. Whether it's as dire as Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's home run record or as benign as former Yankees pitcher Jason Grimsley adding a couple miles per hour to his fastball, the prism through which we judge the game has been distorted beyond recognition."
For the record, Jason Grimsley is a former Phillie, Indian, Angel, Royal, Diamondback, and Yankee.
I actually agree that the game has been distorted beyond recognition. I was just thinking that Royce Clayton benefited from steroids, too, even if he never took them. If you played on a team with a bunch of steroid users, you might have scored 20 - 30 more runs per year. This increased your value and you got paid more money.
Selig for damn sure made a lot of money from steroids. He pockets $17.5M this year while condemning the impurity of the Steroid-Induced HR.
But, here's the thing: The sentence started with, "fans are flocking to the game in record numbers." I believe many of Selig's decisions are foolish, but the game has grown and thrived under Selig's administration.
Therefore, Phil Bondy's five-point-plan to fix the game is rather moot. He's not really trying to fix the game. He's just trying to make it more agreeable to himself.
If you are truly enamored with the innocence of a ball snapping against leather, go watch Little League games. I encourage it. It's fun.
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