Production vs. Efficiency.

Pretty good article which I think may have indirectly led me to change my mind regarding Edgar Martinez's HOF credentials, from nay to yea:

"What baffles me is the argument that Edgar Martinez isn't a Hall-of-Famer because he was a designated hitter. It's like not voting for Greg Maddux because he didn't rush for enough yardage. It's a total non sequitur -- it's an invented reason that makes no sense. A reprise of the facts from above:

The rules of baseball have, since 1973, required that every team in the American League fill a position known as 'the designated hitter'

Edgar Martinez was the best designated hitter in the history of the sport"

I think you obviously have to be more productive as a DH than as a gold glove shortstop.

I'm not sure how many people are disqualifying Martinez solely because of his position, but it's a clear handicap compared to players who made an impact in the field.


"There are 19 players who finished their careers with a batting average over .300, an on-base percentage over .400, and a slugging percentage over .500. Two of them played for the Rockies, pre-humidor. Two of them might never make the Hall of Fame because of scandal. Three of them will make the Hall of Fame unless they're caught up in a scandal. The rest are super-inner-circle-gold-star Hall-of-Famers. Jimmie Foxx. Mel Ott. Stan Musial. Those types."

Batting average and on-base percentage reflect a player's efficiency.

HOF entrants tend to amass stats over a long career.

I think that's the crux of the argument, rather than the pro-DH vs. anti-DH.


At first glance, I don't think Martinez's scoreboard stats are enough to put him in the HOF: .312, 309 HRs, 1,261 RBIs.

Runs scored: 1,219, which ranks him 160th all-time.

Willie Randolph had more runs scored.

160th on the list surrounds Martinez with good players, but not HOF types.


RBIs: 1,261, which ranks him 121st all-time. Some HOFers had fewer, lots of non-HOFers had more.

Harold Baines had 400 more RBIs.

Jeff Kent had 300 more RBIs and played the field.


But then I thought about it a little more. In terms of overall production, Martinez is a rare batter who gets a lot of walks and a lot or extra-base hits, who gets a lot of runs scored and a lot of RBIs.

Runs Created: 1,631, 58th all-time. (Problem is, I can't quite figure out the Bill Freakin' James definition of Runs Created.)

162-game averages: .312/.418/.515, 24 HRs, 41 doubles, 96 runs, 99 RBIs.


In any case, my observation is that Martinez probably belongs in the HOF, even though his production stats don't really make his induction a slam dunk.

Raise your hand if you're very fat.

The team, the time.

"But for those perhaps uncertain over whether to part with their millions, the owners have listed some less obvious perks that would come with a share of the Queens ball club.

¶ Access to Mr. Met, the team mascot, although the degree of access is not entirely spelled out. It definitely means you, as a part-owner, can schmooze with Mr. Met at Citi Field. It’s less clear whether you could get him to come to your child’s birthday party without a fee."

Mike Lupica doesn't like it when his predictions are proven incorrect.

"There is this idea that the government failed with the Barry Bonds case because Bonds in the end did no jail time."

Yes.


"And there is the idea that the government wasted money, because that is always such a big concern in the sports section."

There are lots of ideas.

With regards to Barry Bonds, lot of observers opined, yes, it was a waste of government resources from the start.

The general public opinion -- not a particularly important litmus test, necessarily, but certainly more valid than the vague "this idea" or "the idea" -- has starkly tilted towards this viewpoint.

Speaking for myself, I think the Constitutional violations are more worrisome than Barry Bonds's tainted HR records.


"But the reason that Bonds only took a fall on one felony — obstruction of justice — is because the guy who knew everything about what Bonds took and when he took it and how much of it he took refused — to the end — to testify."

Sure.

But you knew that when you were guaranteeing Bonds jail time.

It's hard to believe, but Mike Lupica likely knows less about U.S. jurisprudence than he does about U.S. baseball.


"Maybe you think that Bonds won something on Friday when he got probation and home confinement and 250 hours of community service.

But I don’t, whether the prosecution covered itself in glory or not."

Covered itself in glory?

Yuck.


"Put it another way, if you really think this was some kind of triumph for him:

Would you rather be him, or the great Henry Aaron, whose home run record Bonds broke?"

Avoiding jail time is, in fact, some kind of triumph.

He lost a long time ago in the Court of Public Opinion, but he was relatively victorious in the Court of Court.


As for who'd I'd rather be?

Sounds like a fun playground exercise for 6-year-olds.

Hmmmm ...

I'd rather be Bonds, because Bonds is younger than Aaron and, because of this, I think Bonds will live longer from this day forward and that's why I'd rather be Bonds instead of Aaron.

Balls.

Professional athletes make ridiculous amounts of money.

Albert Pujols for $24 million per year is clearly a bargain:

"Forget about what kind of shape Albert Pujols is going to be in at the back end of his ridiculous contract with the Angels.

I mean what kind of shape is he going to be in when he reaches A-Rod’s age?"

Good shape.


"Joe Buck, a St. Louis guy, is absolutely right."

There's a first time for everything.


"The real winners here are the Cardinals, who took their best shot at re-signing Pujols and then didn’t have to be the team giving Pujols a ridiculous 10-year contract.

You know who my early favorite is to win the NL Central in 2012?

The Cardinals, that’s who."

The Cardinals didn't win the NL Central last year ... or the year before that ...and, since the conclusion of last season, they have lost a HOF manager and the best player in baseball.


But, yeah, "early favorites to win the NL Central in 2012" sound like an indictment of the NL Central rather than an endorsement of the Cardinals.

Name five players from the 1962 Mets.

"Even if you weren’t alive in 1962, you know the story of the original Mets. They lost 120 games, which set a modern day record for futility that stands to this day. They were truly awful. Yet around here, they remain one of the most beloved teams of all time."

I am guessing there was some degree of excitement for fans of the displaced Giants and Dodgers.


"The original Mets were adored because they were a novelty, and because New York had lost its two National League franchises, the Dodgers and Giants, to California. It’s also safe to say they were adored by so many because they weren’t the Yankees."

So the novelty wore off long ago.


"And why do we bring this up today? Because it’s time for Mets fans to once again bask in the glow of their own inferiority. Seriously. This is the way it oughta be."

I'm going to guess that the fans of 1962 Mets weren't having nearly so much fun as this revisionist history suggests.

Casey Stengel and Choo Choo Coleman saying funny things to the press. You guys should be a stand up act.


"So that brings us into the present, and the opportunity for the Mets to basically start all over again. Cry if you want about losing Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins. Scream at the top of your lungs about the Wilpon family and the team’s financial state. Lose sleep over what looks like a two-, three-, maybe four-year rebuilding project that has just gotten started.

Or bask in it."

Well, if you're a fan of a team, then you're a fan of a team. There are some benefits to uncrowded stadiums with empty upper decks. uncrowded parking lots, uncrowded beer lines, and uncrowded bathrooms. Satisfaction can be defined as the degree to which expectations are met and sometimes it can ultimately make one happier to have low expectations.

But the 1962 Mets were probably not particularly beloved then and definitely not particularly beloved now. It's revisionist history and myth-making.


The fundamentals of sports enjoyment don't change too much: Winning is good, losing is bad.

There's nothing more expensive than cheap labor.

"However, from a pure baseball standpoint, great as Pujols has been through the first 11 years of his career, there's no good reason to give a 10-year contract to a player who will turn 32 next month."

I can think of a few good reasons:

1) Pujols is now on your team.

2) Your team will win more baseball games.

3) Your team will bring in more revenue and increase its value.

4) You will acquire return on your investment.

The Yankees will not trade Jesus Montero.

He's a young, inexpensive player who they could have traded (with others) for Cliff Lee (I think).

Now that the investment is about to pay off, they're not going to trade him for Gio Gonzalez.

I suddenly feel hap hap happy today.

We'll take a case of gauze and twenty fungo bats.

Lupica's new favorite manager.

Ben Cherington will probably be Lupica's new favorite GM.

Though it's also possible Lupica will just follow Theo to Chicago.

Mushnick vs. Francesa

"What a shame that Ryan Braun, last week named the National League MVP, didn’t take a few seconds to give credit where credit is deserved.

Braun, after all, became a lock to win the award even before the season began, when our incomparable all-seeing and all-knowing evaluator of human athleticism and horse flesh, Mike Francesa, dismissed Braun as nothing special, not even among the majors’ top two-way outfielders.

Francesa even ridiculed and stepped on a caller who asked him how he could not include Braun on his list of the best outfielders in the majors."

Hilarious that Mushnick remembers this conversation and calls out Francesa.

More ridiculous that I remember this conversation on Francesa's radio show.

It's quite true that Francesa dismissed Braun's credentials. But the topic was whether or not MLB had any OF superstars. Where are the Willies, Mickeys, and Dukes?

So Francesa wasn't so much dismissing Braun vis a vis Braun's peers, he was dismissing Braun vis a vis other OF superstars in MLB history.

I'm hardly defending Francesa -- this is the sports radio host who doesn't know who Al Albuquerque is -- and Francesa probably has no idea how good Ryan Braun is. But Sherman is slightly misrepresenting the conversation.


"There is no one who speaks more authoritatively and more imperiously — and gets more colossally wrong — than Francesa. He can turn a three-TD road ’dog into a blowout winner simply by stating that the visitors shouldn’t even bother to get off the bus. Good thing he didn’t take the U.S. in the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Cuban Missile Crisis ???


Here's the thing: Every person who picks NFL games is wrong half the time and they always have a short memory.

For inexplicable reasons, they're paid for their opinions.

For even less explicable reasons, lots of people listen.

So, as long as this occurs, Mushnick will always have a lot of fodder for his Scorecard of Life.

2011 NL MVP.

Them		Us
Ryan Braun	388	Matt Kemp	24
Matt Kemp	332	Ryan Braun	21
Prince Fielder	229	Prince Fielder	10
Justin Upton	214	Justin Upton	10
Albert Pujols	166	Albert Pujols	4
Joey Votto	135	Lane Berkman	3
Lance Berkman	118	Joey Votto	2
Troy Tulowitzki	69
Roy Halladay	52
Ryan Howard	39
Jose Reyes	31
Clayton Kershaw	29
Shane Victorino	18
Ian Kennedy	16
Cliff Lee	12
Hunter Pence	10
Pablo Sandoval	7
John Axford	7
Michael Morse	5
Carlos Beltran	3
Miguel Montero	2
Yadier Molina	2
Starlin Castro	1
Craig Kimbrel	1
Carlos Ruiz	1
Mike Stanton	1

2011 AL MVP.

Them		Us
Justin Verlander	280	Curtis Granderson	25
Jacoby Ellsbury	242	Miguel Cabrera	18
Jose Bautista	231	Jose Bautista	14
Curtis Granderson	215	Justin Verlander	11
Miguel Cabrera	193	Robinson Cano	9
Robinson Cano	112	Jacoby Ellsbury	7
Adrian Gonzalez	105
Michael Young	96
Dustin Pedroia	48
Evan Longoria	27
Ian Kinsler	25
Alex Avila	13
Paul Konerko	11
CC Sabathia	10
Adrian Beltre	9
Ben Zobrist	7
Victor Martinez	7
James Shields	7
Mark Teixeira	5
Asdrubal Cabrera	4
Alex Gordon	3
Josh Hamilton	1
David Robertson	1

2011 NL Cy Young.

Baseball Writers' Association of America:

Name	Points
Clayton Kershaw	207
Roy Halladay	133
Cliff Lee	90
Ian Kennedy	76
Cole Hamels	17
Tim Lincecum	7
Yovani Gallardo	5
Matt Cain	3
John Axford	2
Craig Kimbrel	2
Madison Bumgarner	1
Ryan Vogelsong	1

Felz & His Friends:

Name	Points
Clayton Kershaw	30
Roy Halladay	23
Ian Kennedy	16
Cliff Lee	11
Yovani Gollardo	2
John Axford	1
Craig Kimbrel	1
David Robertson	1
C.J. Wilson	1

A day late.

"Injuries forced Alex Rodriguez to enter the postseason without enough time to regain his typical comfort level at the plate, prompting Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to wonder Tuesday if Eric Chavez could have been the better choice at third base.

'Chavy might have been a better option there at the end,' Cashman said"

Not a very brave position to take after the fact.

Chavez at third couldn't have hurt. But ARod probably would have been the DH. Posada and Montero played well as DH. So the Yankees would have been hurt by ARod's bat, anyway.

2011 AL Cy Young.

Baseball Writers' Association of America:

Name	Points
Justin Verlander	196
Jered Weaver	97
James Shields	66
CC Sabathia	63
Jose Valverde	28
C.J. Wilson	9
Dan Haren	7
Mariano Rivera	4
Josh Beckett	3
Ricky Romero	2
David Robertson	1

Felz & His Friends:

Name	Points
Justin Verlander	36
Jered Weaver	19
CC Sabathia	16
Josh Beckett	2
Felix Hernandez	2
Mariano Rivera	2
James Shields	2
David Robertson	1
C.J. Wilson	1

Jose Reyes no hay amigo.

Gold Glove award is silly

No Gold Glove for Gardner or Teixeira.

Goodness Gracious.

The customer is always right.

"One day. That’s all I ask. Please, for all that is good in this world, give me a 24-hour moratorium on the breathless talk about Major League Baseball’s television ratings and the doom they portend."

How meta of you.

It's like one of those infinite mirrors.

A man writes about a 24-hour moratorium on the talk about MLB's television ratings, thus ending said moratorium.


"In the middle of the most compelling World Series in a decade, one of the overriding themes is that nobody is watching.

And to those people, all I have to say is: Sorry, suckers. You’re missing something great."

I definitely don't believe this is he most compelling World Series in a decade, but that's not really the point. A sporting match is compelling if you have an emotional interest in the outcome.


"Earlier this week, in an interview with Bob Costas, commissioner Bud Selig said television ratings 'are always a concern.' To which I reply: Why? Why does anybody aside from Rupert Murdoch and his minions at Fox give a thousandth of a whoop about how many people watch the games?"

Well, Bud Selig should care, for obvious reasons.


"Why does baseball insist on comparing itself to the NFL?"

You've got a point there. NFL wins in America.


"Should MLB continue on its current path, where national TV viewership stagnates, hopefully the league will learn to embrace its strengths and not concern itself with indicators that don’t reflect the game’s true state. It has labor peace. It has great storylines. It has fantastic players. It has a wonderful product.

If people don’t want to watch, fine. Their loss."

I agree with some of the points, but I don't understand the contempt for the fans.

Of course Selig wants to have high ratings. Low ratings may be a portend of bad things to come. But it's not the people's fault for being disinterested.

If people don't want to watch, not fine.

If enough people don't want to watch, Jeff Passan will need to find a new job.

Jilted sportswriters are amusing.

Albert Pujols, the best player of baseball on planet Earth, makes an error:

"At the center of it was a cutoff throw on which Pujols whiffed. The ball slipped away, allowing what would be the winning run to advance into scoring position."

Yep. He made an error.


"Pujols mimicked the ball, showering, dressing and dashing before the clubhouse doors opened."

The baseball showered, dressed, and dashed out the clubhouse doors?


"Part of stardom – perhaps the hardest part – is accountability."

In Pujols's case, the hardest part is the uncanny ability to hit a baseball thrown toward him from 60 feet away, moving 90+ mph, with a wooden cylinder, 8 players with gloves in the field, etc., etc., etc.


"Pujols is not accountable to the media. This is not about that. Nor is it about his accountability to fans that may or may not want to know how he spit the bit in a crucial game. Pujols, more than anything, must be accountable to his teammates, those he ostensibly leads."

Meh.

He's the best player they'll ever see.

When he's ditching a press conference early, they should warm up his car.

Ode to a sac fly.

Though, to be fair, the Yankees would have sold their kingdom for a well-timed sac fly.

Not so much in game two.

"Maybe he's a long-lost relative of Anatoly Karpov. It's possible he grew up with Boris Spassky. Or maybe he just ran into Garry Kasparov at a chicken dinner someplace.

But once again Wednesday night, that noted grandmaster of the emerald chess board, Mr. Tony La Russa, checkmated his way through the World Chess Championships of October, at his Karpovian best.

'You know, I've never seen him play chess,' said La Russa's hitting coach, Mark McGwire, after the Cardinals had finished outfoxing the Rangers, 3-2, in Game 1 of the World Series. 'But I'll tell you what. He's running a hot hand right now.'

Wait. He's never seen the guy play chess? Isn't that exactly what the Cardinals' zoned-in manager has been playing for about three decades now -- for 5,097 games and counting?

Of course he has. But it's very possible that never, ever, has Tony La Russa maneuvered those chess pieces better than he has over the past three weeks.

Maybe there's been a hotter managerial hand in somebody else's dugout back in some other time, some other place, some other October. But let's just say none comes to mind."

I think Stark is being serious.

LaRussa is a good manager. He is not a genius.

Things That Will Not Happen.

Though the Yankees maybe could pay Ortiz $10,000/month to provide clean urine for ARod's drug tests.

Joe Posnanski writes what I was thinking.

A few days late with the link, but this is exactly what I was thinking ... except, of course, I hadn't conducted the historical research:

"Up to that point, Verlander had pitched six innings and allowed two runs. Even if you ignore No. 1 and No. 2 -- THAT was supposed to make me reconsider Verlander as an MVP? Six innings, two runs? Of course, by the time I actually saw the message, Verlander had given up two more runs -- a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a double by Brett Gardner scored those two runs. That made seven innings, four runs. Sure: Can you send me back my MVP ballot?

This was a disappointing start by Verlander -- I don't really see how you could see it any other way. Sure, he had dazzling moments. Sure, he struck out 11. Sure, he was fun to watch. He's always fun to watch. And anytime a pitcher in 2011 goes eight innings, you tip your cap. But when a pitcher gives up four runs in eight innings (which is what Verlander did), he usually loses. Since 2001, pitchers who go eight innings and give up four runs in the regular season are 44-86. You want the stat of the day? In the history of the postseason, before Verlander, pitchers who allowed four runs in eight innings were -- get ready for it -- 1-14.

And yet, it sure seemed like everybody kept on clinging to the 'what a stunning and amazing performance by Verlander' story line. It seemed like, based on what people on TV were saying and what some people on the Internet were writing, that Verlander had just thrown an 18-strikeout, one-hit shutout against the '27 Yankees.Tom Verducci interviewed Verlander like he was the clear-cut hero. More people messaged me to make their after-the-bell Verlander for MVP case. The announcers and analysts went on and on about the guts, the courage, the fortitude of Justin Brooks Verlander. It was plain weird."

The Giants are the current World Series Champions and they're not even in the playoffs.

"Lately the progression goes like this: Win World Series in 2009, lose ALCS in 2010, lose in first round in 2011. But George Steinbrenner as much as he wants to act and sound like a boss (lower-case 'b'), still called his team's season 'a bitter disappointment.'

Actually, it is quite normal, if you put it into current historical context."

Right!

Derek Jeter has lost in the first round more ofthen than he has won World Series.


The Yankees insult their fans when they label successful seasons a "disappointment."

A 97-win season, best record in AL, milestones for Jeter and Mariano (if you're into that kind of thing), the emergence of Ivan Nova and, to a lesser extent, Jesus Montero.

Granderson led the league in runs and RBIS.

Robertson brought back memories of '96 Mariano.

The 2011 Yankees have strong candidates for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Cashman even deserves consideration for GM of the Year considering how he reacted to the "loss" of Cliff Lee.


"The Yankees always win a ton of games during the regular season and make the playoffs every year out-spending the competition by a lot - every year - and then are more likely to lose in the first round than they are to make the World Series. It is the way they are built and will continue to be built because Hal Steinbrenner seems perfectly happy to watch the money roll in under the current management."

YES!!!!

Lupica finally GETS IT!!!!

The Steinbrenners make so much money, they can afford personal acting lessons from Javier Bardiem. That's how they are able to convincingly act sad when they go in front of the cameras and pretend the season is a disappointment.


By the way, using this all-or-nothing criteria, no major American sports entity is "successful."

• The Yankees have won only 27 Championships in 98 seasons.
• Jack Nicklaus lost more often than he won.
• Michael Jordan only won 6 rings in 15 years.
• Tom Brady has lost in the playoffs more often than he has won the Super Bowl.

"Somehow that management still talks as if it is 1996-2000 and Joe Torre is still the manager and the Yankees of that time - still working off a blueprint created by Gene Michael - always seemed to find a way to win the game they lost Thursday night to the Tigers.

Only this team is not that team despite the way they always invoke the spirit of the dead Boss. This operation is not the old one that actually built a Yankee dynasty."

Bleh.

For one thing, the Torre Yankees always seemed to find a way to win close games, except when they lost close games. Like when they lost in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

The Yankees' dynasties were actually built by outspending their opponents.

Ruth and Berra didn't have to deal with three rounds of the playoffs.

"If it was the old operation, maybe there would be more accountability for the 'failure' to reach a goal that they make sound like an inherited right:

The winning of the World Series. And that means winning more than one in 11 years.

But the most dramatic thing the Yankees do, other than sign more free-agent stars, is change pitching coaches once in a while. They make the playoffs with amazing consistency, year after year. Make boatloads of money. Then they make the Series about as often as a lot of other people in baseball, even as they talk about how special they are."

Now Lupica is getting funny.

Is he baiting the Yankees to make dramatic roster changes?

What sort of dramatic changes does he envision for a 97-win team?

The "old" operation ... and I'm going back to 1980 ... may have indeed over-reacted to a tough ALDS loss. That's really the only way to ruin the team.

The best reaction is to sound like you're panicky and angry ... probably an attempt to empathize with the fans ... and calmly make roster decisions.


"They are a playoff-making dynasty. Just not a Yankee dynasty. It means they are the modern version of the Atlanta Braves of the 90s. Only those Braves made the Series a lot more than the Yankees have over this past decade."

Lupica meant that as an insult.

"The Mets of the 90s." That would be an insult.

The Braves of the 90s were one of the best teams ever.


By the way, the Braves of the 90s were the modern version of the Braves of the 90s. Because the 90s were, like, only twenty years ago. Which is still modern. Many of the Braves of the 90s are still alive. Some of the Braves of the 90s are still playing baseball. One of the Braves of the 90s is still playing for the Braves.


"The guy continued, 'You know what they need? They need more guys like Brett Gardner. More tough guys like that. But they keep getting away from the essence of who they were once. They can't wait to get rid of old guys like Posada and Jeter. But when they're all gone, and Rivera is gone, they'll be further away from their essence, the thing that made them great in the late 90s, than ever.' "

Right.

Brett Gardner and David Eckstein and Don Mattingly and David Dellucci and Wil Nieves.


No one knows what the Yankees "need." Brett Gardner might hit .000 in the playoffs next season and Teixeira might hit 12 HRs in his next 5 playoff games. In the regular season, you can only win the regular season. You try not to get picked off in the playoffs.


Let's play a mind game to support my point. Let's replace the "albatrosses" ARod, Sabathia, and Teixeira with Longoria, Shields, and Kotchman. You save a lot of money and you might be grittier, I suppose.

Does that less expensive Yankee team win the World Series? You can guarantee that this team beats the Tigers in the first round?


In fact, you can pick any 25 players you want in all of baseball. Pujols, Halladay, Lee, Valverde, Lincecum, Verlander, Beltre, Brett Gardner ... and this team isn't guaranteed to win the World Series. This team isn't guaranteed to win a weekend series vs. the Astros.


Ryan Howard just hit .100 in a playoff series. Joe Dimaggio hit .271 in the playoffs. Ted Williams hit .200 in the playoffs. Willie Mays hit .247 with 1 HR in the playoffs.

Go ahead and pick Brett Gardner (.246 playoff BA and 0-for-10 in the World Series, by the way, so an unusual choice) over all of these players. I'll cross my fingers that the superstar opposing pitcher will make an occasional mistake ... my HOF batter will hopefully connect and hit the ball very far.


"The season wasn't a bitter disappointment at all. It was perfectly normal for the Yankees. Somebody should have given Levine a cigar when it was over."

Yup, they should have given him a cigar. The "boss" (with a lower-case "b"). Celebrate the so-called lost decade where you made $1 Billion (with an upper-case "B").

The Yankees and Red Sox were good teams in 2011 and will continue to be good teams.

An annual off-season ritual is to gaze into the Yankees' dystopian future:

"On the surface anyway, the Red Sox's historic September collapse and the quick extermination from the playoffs by Jim Leyland's Detroit Tigers could lead one to think there may be hope after all for the other three, less-affluent clubs in the American League East, particularly this year's feel-good story, the Tampa Bay Rays."

One might think that if one is foolish.


Break down this reasoning: A well-timed Russell Martin sac fly and the Yankees advance to the ALCS ... and, because of this, the Blue Jays lose all hope?


The Red Sox underachieved to 90 wins. They were in the playoffs until the last play of the season.

The Yankees somehow cake-walked to 97 wins.

Despite the AL East's so-called "early exits" from the playoffs, the AL East is the best division in baseball.


"In the Yankees' case, we're talking about a veteran team that got by all season with a patchwork starting rotation that will now require an infusion of even more millions, between the necessity of adding another No. 2 or No. 3 starter and the re-negotiation with CC Sabathia when he opts out of the four years and $92 million remaining on his deal."

A lot of veterans.

Also, a lot of young players: Robertson, Joba, Hughes, Nova, Gardner, Cervelli, Montero, Romine ...


"In the meantime, the Yankees are strangled by the $143 million remaining on Alex Rodriguez's insane contract, which runs through 2017."

If the Yankees are strangled by ARod's contract, then how can they afford to re-negotiate with Sabathia AND also afford a No. 2 or No. 3 starter?


"Right there, that's about $65 million per year in payroll the Yankees will have committed to three players for the next five to six years – three players who only figure to regress and, thus, will be virtually untradeable."

Trade?

Madden thinks the Yankees are going to trade ARod, Sabathia, or Teixeira?

So even if the Yankees signed Pujols for first base, they couldn't even use Teixeira as an overpaid pinch hitter?


"But the Red Sox are in just as bad shape in regard to bad contracts, which figure to severely cramp them in the coming years."

The bad contracts figure to do nothing of the sort.

To extend the metaphor, think of the big payroll as Midol for the severe cramping caused by bad contracts.


"Granted, the Yankees and Red Sox, more than any of the other 28 teams, with their seemingly unlimited stadium and marketing resources, have the ability to eat their losses on bad contracts and move on."

Granted.

So your argument is kaput.


"But there's a reason neither of them are playing more baseball this year, namely that their highest-paid players didn't live up to the money they're getting paid."

Of course this is true.

Player X is highly-paid and underperformed and this causes anger.

The problem with the proposed fixes, though, is that they incorrectly presume that an inexpensive replacement would play better.


"The Rays have the best young starting pitching in baseball, one of the best managers in baseball in Joe Maddon and, in Andrew Friedman, one of the best GMs in baseball - and most everyone agrees the Rays are a couple of quality, productive bats away from being the best team in baseball."

The Rays have one good, young starting pitcher and his name is Jeremy Hellickson.

Which is not to say James Shields isn't good, but he's not young.

Which is not to say David Price isn't young, but he's not good.


The Phillies' #5 starter was 11-3.

The Rays are a good team. I think the Rays have been disrespected and under-appreciated for four years. But they're not one or two bats away from being the best team in baseball.


" 'It won't be my decision, or solely my decision, but eventually Major League Baseball is going to vaporize this team,' Sternberg said. 'It could go on nine, 10, 12 more years, but between now and then it's going to vaporize this team. Maybe a check gets written locally, maybe someone writes me a check (to buy the team). If I had $80 million to put out there, we'd be moving along in life. We just don't have $12 million to put into a hitter.' "

I'm calling shenanigans on this whole line of thinking.

I know a high payroll is beneficial. It's why the Yankees and Red Sox will succeed in 2012.

But when Madden mentioned "diminishing returns," he should also understand how that applies to baseball payrolls.

Tampa is reaping the benefits of lots of last-place finishes. They got lots of high draft picks, which allows them to (briefly) stuff the roster with young players, who are productive at pre-free-agency prices.

But the Rays GM would be surprised at how little extra production he'd get for $80 million. The benefit isn't linear. Put it this way: If the Rays doubled their payroll, I guarantee they wouldn't win 182 games next year.

Mark Teixeira finally emerges from the shadows and rightfully claims his goat horns.

"Alex Rodriguez may have made the final out in both last year's ALCS and this year's AL division series - and taken most of the heat from the fans - but Mark Teixeira's invisible bat has been equally responsible for the Yankees' postseason failures over the past two years."

Equal?

ARod is batting .255 in the playoffs since joining the Yankees and .277 overall in the playoffs.

Teixeira's comparable numbers are .170 and .207.

Some analysts don't like statistics. Some analysts REALLY don't like statistics.

"Again, not that A-Rod can’t or won’t be a productive player in the future; it’s just that his days as A-ROD, THE ALL-TIME GREAT (you know, 50 homers, 140 RBIs, .325) are over."

.325, 50 homers, 140 RBIs? In one season? ARod has never done that.

He batter over .325 one time and that was in 1996. (This was arguably his best year, but it depends how you look at it. I'll take .358, 54 doubles, 36 HRs. I think he simply changed his style and focused on HRs. But, wow: .358, 54 doubles, 36 HRs.)

140 RBIS? Twice in his career. Yankee fans were treated to one of these seasons, in 2007: .314/54/156.


"Plus, there was that interesting play in the bottom of the fourth when, with A-Rod on second and one out, Jorge Posada (boy, is he going out with a bang) lined a hard single to center. A-Rod, rounding third, was held up by third-base coach Robbie Thomson. The Yankees wound up not scoring in the inning."

Right.

ARod is hurt. He basically can't run, field, or hit.

I really don't think a 36-year-old world-class athlete is finished physically. This is actually the first season in his MLB career that ARod wasn't productive and this lack of production was mostly due to injury.

"After the game, A-Rod took the questions and, essentially, stated that he has to get his health back.

But, make no mistake, the A-Rod you are watching today is not the A-Rod of yesterday. Whatever the reason, whether it be no steroids or too many injuries or age or whatever, is irrelevant. "

Well, the reason is very relevant.

If it be "no steroids," then he's not getting it back. If it be age, then he's not going to get younger. If it be injuries, then he will likely get healthy and drive in 120 next year.

It's the difference between being drunk or ugly. Tomorrow, the drunk will be sober.


"The reality is that the new 10-year contract he signed after opting out (which, by the way, was opposed by GM Brian Cashman) will be an albatross around the neck of the New York Yankees for years to come."

Most observers seem to misundrestand the concept of an albatross. It's not merely a foolish decision, it's not merely a large expenditure, it's not merely a large expenditure with insufficient returns.

ARod's contract may be all these things -- though I'm not sure if the Yankee gravy train would be rolling quite so furiously the past four years -- or if they'd have won the WS in 2009 -- if they'd saved $20 mill per year and played Mike Lowell at 3b every day.

(Adrian Beltre at half the price would have been a wise choice in retrospect, but, you know, that's just not how it works. Also, it's unclear whether a productive player sans star power could fill the back pages and the $1,000 seats at a plushy new stadium.)

ARod's contract would be too expensive baseball-wise even if he was putting up .325/50/140 every year.

This is not unique. Every long-term contract will eventually overpay for an old player.

But even that's not an albatross.

An albatross is specifically concerned with missed opportunity costs.

An albatross is a liability that is holding you back.

Jayson Werth's contract may be an albatross. Jason Bay's contract may be an albatross. If you're the Royals, Billy Butler's contract may be an albatross.

If you're the Yankees? No albatross.

The Yankees have been so burdened by ARod's contract, they subsequently lavished long-term contracts to Teixeira, Sabathia, Granderson, Rivera, Jeter ... and tried give another $100 million to Cliff Lee.

The idea that ARod's contract is holding back the Yankees is like saying Soros needs to cancel his Netflix subscription on account of the rate hike.

Insight into the ALDS.

I'll bet you didn't know why the Yankees lost in the ALDS. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees lost because their pitching didn't hold up. The reason you thought differently is because Ken Rosenthal is wrong:

"Just play it out.

The Yankees’ likely Game 1 starter would have been right-hander Freddy Garcia, who shut out the Rangers for six innings on April 16, but no longer is anyone’s idea of an ace.

Left-hander CC Sabathia probably could have started Game 2 after throwing 37 pitches in 1 1/3 innings in his first career relief appearance on Thursday night. But Sabathia looked gassed in the postseason and at times down the stretch. The Yankees might have pushed him back to Game 3 in favor of — gulp — righty A.J. Burnett.

And Game 4? Righty Ivan Nova, who left the Division Series clincher with tightness in his right forearm, probably would have been done for the postseason, creating an opening for righty Phil Hughes.

The Rangers would have trashed such a collection. They won’t trash Verlander and fellow right-handers Doug Fister and Max Scherzer."

Maybe the Rangers would have pummeled the Yankees. Maybe the Rangers won't pummel the Tigers.

I know, for a fact, that the Yankees' pitching was mostly excellent in the ALDS vs. the Tigers.

A.J Burnett (gulp!) pitched pretty good. So did Freddy Garcia, even if he's no longer anybody's idea of an ace. So did Nova ... unsure if his injury is minor ... so it's unclear if he'd have been available for the imaginary ALCS vs. the Rangers that Ken Rosenthal is handicapping in his head.

"But really, what is Sabathia now?

He wasn’t the same pitcher after Girardi twice brought him back from rain delays in Seattle on July 26. In his first 24 starts, he had a 2.55 ERA and allowed seven homers in 176 2/3 innings. In his last nine starts, he had a 4.30 ERA and allowed 10 homers in 60 2/3 innings. He also turned in a rocky performance in his one true Division Series start (not the abbreviated one), allowing 13 baserunners and four runs in 5 1/3 innings."

Sabathia is one of the best pitchers in baseball.


"Don’t get me wrong — Sabathia still is a top-of-the-rotation starter, and if he gets his weight back under control, he almost certainly will be one again."

Sabathia is a top-of-the rotation starter.

If he gets his weight back under control, he will be one again.


Sabathia, is X.
If Sabathia does Y, he will be X again.


"They already are stuck with one albatross of a contract, the six years and $143 million remaining on third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s deal. First baseman Mark Teixeira, owed $112.5 million over the next five years, is showing early signs of offensive decline."

I don't know what any of this has to do with the Yankees' pitching in the ALDS, which performed quite well in the ALDS


No Yankee contract is an albatross. The Yankees make tons of money. They could release ARod if they wanted to, absorb the payroll hit, replace him with Nunez, and still win 90 games.

They missed the ALCS by one whole run.

That failure is clearly on the offense not the pitching.


The Yankees are actually stacked with young talent -- Robertson, Hughes, Nova, Joba, Gardner, Montero, Nunez.

I don't know how they will fill the roster in the future. I am too concerned, frankly, with next week's imaginary ALCS vs. Texas.

A batter who hit .191 with 3 HRs in 68 at-bats since the All Star break.

This observation is not intended to excuse ARod's performance. I'm just acknowledging the reality of the rehabbing player who batted fourth for the Yankees in the playoffs.

ARod as a Concept is a cleanup hitter.

ARod as an Actual Player in October, 2011 is not a cleanup hitter, and probably not even a starting player.

The unwillingness to acknowledge this reality possibly cost the Yankees the first round of the playoffs.

"At 'em" ball. Short for "at them" ball, in which "them" refers to the fielders on a baseball field.

"Smoltz, sensing impending doom, speculated how "talk radio" in New York would be buzzing Wednesday. As Don Kelly stepped in, Smoltz offered Burnett an escape from the mess he was in.

'Here's what he (Burnett) needs. He's tipped his hand. You don't want to tip your hand. You need an atom ball,' Smoltz said. 'And what that atom ball is you don't know where it goes - line drive, robbing a home run - you've got to get an out. You just need to get the ball over the plate and say, 'OK, I've forgotten it. The jitters are gone.'

Almost on cue, Burnett got that 'atom ball.' He grooved a pitch. Kelly lined a wicked shot to center that Curtis Granderson, after taking a step in, retreated in time to make a leaping catch to end the inning.

After that, Burnett settled in, giving up just one run, until Joe Girardi came to get him in the sixth.

Credit Smoltz with some simple but brilliant analysis.

It also marked the first time someone issued an atomic theory from a baseball broadcast booth."

Let's talk about Terry Francona some more.

Yankees are in playoffs. Yawn. Let's talk about the Red Sox instead.

Oh, we can briefly mention the Yankees:

"The Yankees seemed pretty happy to see the Rays make the playoffs this week, and we'll see how that works out if both teams make it to the American League Championship Series, right?"

Weak.

You'd say the same thing about the Red Sox Danger if the Yankees had beaten the Rays, thereby allowing the Red Sox into the playoffs.

You can say the same thing about Verlander and the Tigers, Hamilton and the Rangers, Weaver and the Angels.

The Yankees are better than the Rays.

The Yankees are the best team in the AL.

That doesn't mean the Yankees can cake walk into the World Series.


"It really will be interesting to see how it goes for Alex Rodriguez this October, since there seems to be this notion that because he had such a big October a couple of years ago, he is now in the clear forever."

Well, after two multi-page defenses of Terry Francona in which you chastised the "what have you done for me lately?" mentality, I'd be curious why the same standards are not applied to an injured all-star third baseman.

ARod's postseason OPS is .925 (not including this year's 0-for-5). He has nothing to prove.


Having said that, there are two Yankees I don't trust this postseason. One is ARod and the other is Soriano.

ARod is hurt and not ready to play.

ARod was the only Yankee starter without a hit in Game One. Which doesn't necessarily mean he won't hit two HRs tonight, but he has a mere 3 HRs and a mere 73 at-bats since the all star break.

I don't care about ARod's legacy at this point, I just think the team would be better with Chavez at 3b. ARod should be DHing at most.

Genius Sportswriter: One baseball team can beat another baseball team.

Don't blame Girardi. Blame Papelbon and Crawford:

"The New York Yankees helped drive a stake through the heart of one city Wednesday night and, in the process, applied a rejuvenating jolt to the heart of another.

By losing to the Tampa Bay Rays, they helped ensure a bleak October for the Boston Red Sox, but in helping to destroy one monster, the Yankees may well have helped to create another. Ding, dong, the Red Sox are dead, which is what a lot of Yankees fans were hoping for, and what at least one columnist that I know very well insisted was a must just a week ago."

I have no shame in admitting that I was rooting against the Red Sox. That is the essence of the rivalry. Of course, the Yankees could lost in the ALCS to the Rays. Just like they might have lost to the Red Sox.

"In one sense, the Yankees accomplished one mission over the past three days in St. Petersburg: They rid themselves of the potential menace of the Boston Red Sox for this October."

That was not the Yankees' mission.

Girardi never hid the fact that his team was going to try, within reason. A team that was tanking wouldn't have taken a 7-0 lead into the 8th inning.

"But in doing so they helped build a new menace -- one that, unlike the fading Red Sox, seems to be getting stronger and more confident."

If the Red Sox had won a one-game playoff with Tampa, then they'd be on a 3-game winning streak entering the playoffs, getting "stronger" and "more confident."

Every team that advances to the second round has at least a one-game winning streak.

The Yankees lost 13 out of 19 to the Red Sox this season.

Though every playoff team is dangerous, the Rays are the worst AL playoff team.

I'd rather play the Rays.

"Now the Yankees' best chance may lie in hoping that someone else does unto Tampa Bay what the Yankees did unto Boston."

The Yankees' best chance is beating Verlander in Game One.

What the Yankees "did unto" Boston was losing three games in a row to a third party. So that strategy won't work too well in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers are going to help the Yankees by ... losing three in a row to Tampa?

Regular Season in Review.

Curtis Granderson easily led the league in runs, led the league in RBIs, almost led the league in HRs, and stole 25 bases.

David Robertson had 100 Ks in 67 innings and a 1.08 ERA.

What happened to David Wright? .254 and 97 Ks in 102 games. The power numbers aren't too bad, all things considered (14 HRs, 60 runs, 61 RBIs), but he now he has become a player who Ks about once per game.

High point: 9/1/2011. Burnett beats Lester, Sox leave bases loaded in ninth.

Low point: 5/16/2011. Yankees fall to 20-19 amidst Posada drama.

"Plenty" now means "one."

It was lame. Not illegal, not immoral, just lame:

"The speedy leadoff hitter had a tenuous lead in the race for his first batting title, so with the blessing of his manager, he decided to take a seat in the 162nd game of the season.

This is Jose Reyes, of course. But this is also Willie Wilson. This is 2011, of course, and it led to a firestorm that ruined what should have been a celebration of a wonderful season.

But this is also 1982, a year before Reyes was born. This was in Kansas City, where a former three-sport star at Summit High saw a chance to become the first switch hitter in 26 years to win the American League batting title.

So, on the final day of the season, Wilson took himself out of the lineup and finished the season at .3316. He sweated out a big night from Robin Yount, the future Hall of Famer who went 4-for-5 to end the year at .3307."

It was lame then and it's lame now.


"Does that make it ideal? Put it this way: It certainly would have been cooler had Reyes gone 4-for-4 and hit for the cycle in what could be his final game in a Mets uniform.

But this is an accomplishment over an entire season, not one day."

In this case, 125 games (plus one inning) is an "entire season."

"It’s unfortunate 28,816 fans didn’t get to see more from Reyes today, but they did have 125 games before that of brilliance. And, if the Mets want to guarantee their fans another five years of him at shortstop, it’s their decision to open their checkbook, not his.

'One thing I do all the time, man, is play 100 percent all the time,' said Reyes, who seemed genuinely confused at all the questions about a controversy coming his way after the game"

When I watch Reyes play, he often seems disinterested and bored.

Part of that this year was due to health, but "100 percent all the time" is just lip service.


"Another speedy leadoff hitter was in the same boat 29 years later. Turns out, in the history of baseball, Jose Reyes has plenty of company."

"Plenty of company" = Willie Wilson.


I don't think the fans care that much about the batting title. That's why they booed.

Kevin Kernan probably knew the Yankees' AAA staff would outpitch David Price tonight.

ARod is hurt.

He's not playing tonight and I doubt he'll be productive in the playoffs, if he plays at all.

This doesn't mean the Yankees are doomed:

"If A-Rod's timing doesn't come around, opposing managers will walk Cano and the clock will strike midnight on the Yankees' October."

First of all, the Cinderella metaphor is misplaced. Yankees are 98-win, $200 million, home-field-advantage favorites.


Secondly, how much baseball do you have to watch to understand that it's unpredictable? I mean, if the Yankees need a productive ARod to win, then how did they win 98 games?

Maybe Sabathia and Nova throw back-to-back shutouts.

Maybe Verlander pulls a hamstring on the second pitch of the game.


Kevin Kernan knows that Cano will be intentionally walked and ARod will make out and, because of this, the Yankees will lose in the playoffs. How does he possibly know with precision how the details of the games will unfold?

Maybe Cano walks, ARod is hit by pitch, and Teixeira hits a homerun to give the Yankees a 14-run lead.

Maybe Cano walks, ARod hits into an error, and then Teixeira hits a bloop single that scores two runs and gives the Yankees a 17-run lead.

Maybe Cano walks, the pitcher balks three times in a row, and the Yankees sweep despite ARod's .100 batting average.

Maybe Russell Martin will hit into a triple play and a Red Sox rookie catcher will hit two homeruns.

I left after one inning for the fans who paid to see me play.

You won the batting title. Congratulations. Please stop talking:

"Reyes said he told Mets manager Terry Collins 'if I go 1 for 1, take me out of the game.'

...

“A lot of people told me I shouldn’t play today. I said, ‘Oh, no. I want to play. I want to be there for the fans,' Reyes said."

Ted Williams he ain't.

Lame:

"In his only at-bat of the game, and possibly his last as a Met, shortstop Jose Reyes reached base with a bunt single to lead off the first before being replaced by pinch-runner Justin Turner. Reyes' hit put his batting average at .337 for the season, meaning that Milwaukee's Ryan Braun will have to record at least three hits against the Pirates in his evening game to snatch the NL batting title."

Incongruous.

"Sandy Alderson rewarded Collins Tuesday for keeping the Mets competitive for most of this injury-riddled season by exercising his contract option for 2013.

...

They lost to the Reds Tuesday night, 5-4, in 13 innings and are fourth in the NL East with a 76-85 record."

Is Girardi Manager of the Year?

"One swing by Jacoby Ellsbury.

That's all it took Sunday night to remind the Red Sox are still the last team they want to see in the playoffs."

I think the Yankees and their fans want to see the Red Sox eliminated simply due to the rivalry, not due to strategic analyses of potential playoff matchups.


"You can talk about the challenge of facing Justin Verlander twice in a series with the Tigers, the prospect of pitching to Josh Hamilton and the powerful Rangers or the difficulty of trying to hit against the Rays' formidable staff, but no team has handled the Yankees this season the way the Red Sox have."

The Sox are injured and flailing.

I really think that Girardi deserves a lot of credit for handling the bullpen and navigating a six-man rotation, keeping them fresh for September and October.

As for a five-game or seven-game series, you just have no way of knowing what is going to happen. The Yankees could get swept by the Rays in the ALCS ... and, of course, the Yankees might not even make the ALCS.

The best strategy is to try to win every game ... balancing health concerns once the division is clinched ... and don't bother trying to manipulate playoff matchups.

The other best strategy is to beat Verlander.


"Nobody is suggesting that Girardi has plans to tank these last two games in an attempt to help the Rays get into the playoffs, but it wouldn't be the worst idea.

With the exception of Russell (I hate the Red Sox) Martin, you won't hear anybody drawing a paycheck from the Yankees publicly express their desire to keep Boston out of the postseason."

I actually think Girardi will tank the last two games.

Sometimes, the scrubs get a win, despite the manager's best efforts. Baseball is a funny game.


"Girardi is handling this as well as he possibly can. Sending out a lineup filled with September call-ups would be bad karma, an invitation for the baseball gods to set up a Yankees-Rays ALCS that could come back and bite the Bombers.

'We don't choose opponents,' Girardi said. 'We are given opponents, and we try to beat them.' "

Mike Lupica will probably blame the Yankees somehow if the Rays win the wild card, but most sane observers know the Yankees have earned the privilege to play it any way they choose. Screwing the Red Sox is just a bonus.

Mets block Yankees from bringing minor league team to Newark. Not sure what the Mets hoped to gain.

No. Please. Stop.

Is Mariano Rivera overrated?

To put it succinctly, "no."

Professor Smith elaborates. Please don't confuse negative opinions regarding saves or negative opinions regarding closers in general with negative opinions of Mariano Rivera:

"Does that mean that Mariano Rivera is not as good as we think? No way. He's an incredible pitcher," Smith says. "Is it because he pitches the ninth inning? I don't think so.

"It's because he gets people out."

The other 74 losses, too.

"This morning, the Mets sit four games under .500 with 16 games remaining. Four against the Nationals beginning today. Then three in Atlanta and three more at St. Louis. They conclude the season with three-game sets against the Reds and Phillies. Can they go 10-6 the rest of the way? That's certainly not impossible. But 9-7 seemed a whole lot easier."

Yup, that's how it usually works.

The losses are bad for you win-loss record and the wins are good for your win-loss record.

One month later.

Wayne Coffey on Aug. 12 (not to be confused with today's 6-5 victory over the Angels):

"But make no mistake: this 6-5 victory over the Angels was not merely another fun day in the summer sun for a 71-45 team. This was a game that had to leave a ripe residue of concern, if not outright worry, no matter if anybody will admit it.

Because for the second straight time, Mariano Rivera came in and gave up a home run. For the third straight time, he came in and looked eminently hittable, even fragile."

Predictably, since this supposedly worrisome stretch of three whole games, Mariano has put up the following stats:

11 games, 11 IP, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts, 10 saves, 0 blown saves.

Ian Kennedy has 19 wins.

You know who else is having a good year?

Melky Cabrera.

Go figure.

Beware the Tigers.

"Suddenly, with all the things we focus on around here, like the Yankees getting their rotation set for the postseason, or even the Red Sox getting healthy before October, is it time to wonder if the Tigers may be the AL's best team?

'Not a chance,' said an American League scout who has been following Detroit for much of the streak. 'I don't see them as close to the Yankees or Red Sox. They've just gotten fat lately against the Indians and White Sox, who are playing embarrassing baseball.'

With Justin Verlander at the top of the rotation, however, the scout says the Tigers are not going to be a fun matchup for any team in the ALDS."

Right.

The Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers, and Angels will be a difficult ALDS matchup.

Somebody has to win. It might be the Yankees.

What we learned in tonight's game.

1. A.J. Burnett is clutch. I never lost faith in you, A.J.

2. Jesus Montero is not clutch, as evidenced by his lifetime .000 batting average with the bases loaded.

At last ...

... Ken Doll is out of the rotation.

Phil Hughes's Home / Away Splits.

2011: Home ERA 8.89 / Away ERA 4.00.

Career: Home ERA 5.07 / Away ERA 3.84.

Critics and cheeseburgers fuel Ortiz's production.

The adjective "historic" takes on new lows:

"Only three other players in their age-34-or-older season, standing at least 6-foot-3 and weighing at least 220 pounds, did what Ortiz did last season: hit at least .270, get on base 37-plus percent of the time and slug better than .529. If Ortiz can keep up his numbers this season – a .300 batting average, a .388 on-base percentage and a .557 slugging percentage ..."

True Grit.

I know the Mets are in 60-67 and in danger of slipping into last place, but this doesn't fully explain the victorious Mets season.

It's math, folks.

The Mets started the season 5-13 (.278), which is bad.

The Mets have only won 5 of their last 21 games (5-16, .238), which is also bad.

It's a combined 10-29, which is a .256 winning percentage for approximately 1/4 of the season.

But this ignores the games in between. The gritty games which will win the MVP for Jose Reyes and the Manager of the Year for Terry Collins.

The Mets were an unbelievable 50-38 in the rest of the games. Probably the best 88-game stretch in baseball history.

So if you just ignore the beginning of the season and the end of the season, the Mets are Amazin'.

Girardi takes it out on sportswriters.

1) I also thought the "Joe Mauer third strike" excuse was absurd.

2) I don't know why Girardi is afraid to lash out at an unpopular player:

"This was no subtle, side-of-the mouth slur. Two steps toward the dugout, Burnett turned toward Girardi as he appeared to say, 'That was [expletive] [expletive].' You better believe the manager heard it, as did the Yankee infielders who’d gathered on the mound.

Girardi kept his back turned, pretending to be unaware of the insult. When he got to the dugout, however, Girardi followed Burnett into the runway and moments later the right-hander was back on the bench.

It looked like a seminal moment for Girardi, except that he backed away from it. Instead, the manager lashed out at YES Network’s Jack Curry, responding with sarcasm after being asked about the exchange.

'This is silly. This is really, really silly,' he said. 'You know what? We had a fistfight, is what we had. Nothing happened between me and A.J.'

The manager and Burnett stuck to an absurd story they’d cooked up, claiming the blow-up was rooted in a close pitch to Joe Mauer that wasn’t called a strike. No one bought it, not even the YES announcers. Ken Singleton, following what he called the 'old-school' code of conduct, stated the obvious: Burnett showed up his manager in front of millions of viewers.

Too bad Girardi didn’t have the guts to stand up to Burnett in public. He found it easier trying to bully Curry, who stood his ground. The angrier Girardi became, the more it looked like he’d been caught in a lie."

On the other hand, maybe Girardi and Burnett are telling the truth.

Half of his 2011 productivity came on one A.J. Burnett pitch.

I'll explain in five words why the Yankees don't regret Alex Rodriguez's contract.

Nobody buys Curtis Granderson jerseys.

"Once back, Rodriguez will reclaim third base, remember how to catch a pop-up and try to avoid finishing a season with fewer than 20 home runs (he currently has 13) for the first time since he became an everyday major leaguer."

He'll have 20 HRs by the end of the month.


He'll also probably DH a lot with Chavez playing third.


Of course ARod is not worth $27.5 million per year, or whatever. Just about every veteran baseball player is overpaid.

But there is really no reason for the Yankees to regret signing him to a long-term, expensive contract. It's not as though 1996 ARod was available as an alternative.

Everyone for NL MVP.

"On Aug. 14, Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla saw his hitting streak snapped at 33 games. His dominance during the streak left him with a batting average 58 points higher than it began. At the conclusion of the streak, he was also left tied for third place in the National League home run race.

With all his success for the past month and despite having a .231 average, he could still claim the NL MVP."

Seek help, you homer.

"Before I get told to seek help or to stop being a homer, hear me out."

This had better be good.


"This has been the year of the pitcher. Pitchers like Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, Jered Weaver and Roy Halladay have been dominating hitters on a regular basis this season. "

Three of them are in the American League.


"It's been a year that even the greatest player in the sport—Albert Pujols—has struggled more than ever before in his career (he too has come out of his slump). Outside of Prince Fielder and Matt Kemp, no other player has been more dominant than Uggla."

Well, then at least vote for the players who have been more dominant.

"With six weeks left before the end of the regular season, there is still time for Uggla to raise his average up to an acceptable .250. A higher average, coupled with high home run and RBI totals and quality defense, and Uggla could be a serious contender for the award."

Oh.

Lots of things could happen.

MVP discussion with no mention of Prince Fielder.

"A month ago Toronto's Jose Bautista was on a fast track to win the American League MVP Award. Now, runner-up is the best he can hope for. And that might be a stretch."

A month ago, Adrian Gonzalez was on a fast track to win the American League MVP Award.


"Take nothing away from Bautista, but the Red Sox are leading the toughest division in the Major Leagues and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is a huge reason why."

Take nothing away from Bautista ... except the American League MVP Award.

"Zeroing on the AL MVP is much easier than in the NL.

There's always a debate among Baseball Writers Association of America voters as to whether the MVP should be from a winning team -- a team that makes the postseason. Many voters feel strongly that a player on a losing team, no matter how great his season, should not be MVP."

I agree this is dumb, in and of itself.

"Really, though, Braun isn't having a season equal to Reyes and the Dodgers' Matt Kemp, both playing on teams no longer in playoff contention.

Throw the 'winning team' belief out the window and give the MVP to Reyes."

That's known as a red herring: "You shouldn't exclude Reyes because he plays for a losing team." I agree that Reyes shouldn't necessarily be punished because the Mets are bad. I just happen to think that other players in the NL are having better seasons.


Fielder has not missed a game. I happen to put a lot of emphasis on games played. Fielder is .305/.417/.567, 27 HRs, 75 runs, 89 RBIs ... err, 0 stolen bases.

Reyes is .336/.377/.507 , 5 HRs, 80 runs, 37 RBIs ... 34 stolen bases.

(I abstain from similar comparisons to Kemp, Braun, Pujols, etc.).

Reyes gets credit for playing shortstop, huge debits for missing 20+ games. During those 20+ games, Reyes had essentially zero value to the Mets.

My elbow hurts just thinking about it.

"[Scott Proctor] was one of former manager Joe Torre's most trusted relievers back in 2006, when he threw 102 1/3 innings and compiled a 3.52 ERA in 83 games.

Torre also turned to Proctor plenty in 2007 before he was traded. In 54 1/3 innings (54 games), Proctor was 2-5 with a 3.81 ERA."

I'm not being hysterical. I'm not being hysterical. I'm not being hysterical. I'm pointing out the facts.

Imagine if Mariano had actually blown the save:

"It would be ridiculous to suggest the Yankees need to start shopping for a closer, or even to think that Rivera is about to turn into the relieving equivalent of Willie Mays at the end of his career. But it's not hysteria to point out the facts. Between 1997 and 2009, Rivera gave up runs in three straight outings exactly four times. He has now done it three times in the last 15 months."

Rivera is about to save 19 games in a row with an ERA of 0.00.


More to the point, what is the actionable item? There isn't one.

If Sabathia can't win in the playoffs and if Rivera can't save a game in the playoffs, then, yeah, the Yankees are probably sunk.

What are the Yankees supposed to do about it in August?

Should the Yankees fake injuries for Sabathia and Rivera so they can move Hughes into the starting rotation, make Robertson the closer, and put Brackman on the big league roster?

Problem solved.

Nobody cares. Write about the Mets.

"The Yankees scored nine runs and made it a nice, easy night for Ivan Nova, who is about twice the starting pitcher A.J. Burnett is right now."

A little late to the Nova party, but, whatever. He's just 11-4, 3.85 ERA. Starting pitcher for the Yankees. Who play in New York.

Lupica is the Last Person on Earth who thought Burnett was the Yankees' #2 starter.


"The game was also noteworthy for another reason: The Yankees got back over .500 against teams with winning records in the American League this season."

Wow.

If you add in today's win, the Yankees are two games over .500 against winning teams in the AL.

Which means the Yankees are 10 games over .500 against non-Boston winning teams in the AL.

I'm suddenly optimistic. I really didn't think the Yankees were playing that well against good teams.


"Of course these numbers from the regular season of 2011 are more than somewhat skewed because our kids are 2-10 against the Red Sox this season. Now in our company town, this really isn't supposed to matter because of two things, as far as I can tell reading and listening:

Twenty-three years ago – 23 – the Mets beat up on the Dodgers during the regular season and only lost to them once and still got beat by the Dodgers, seven games, in the National League Championship Series that year. I mention that stat a lot myself, even though I never assume because the Dodgers got hit by lightning one time that you can practically expect something like that to happen in the playoffs because it happened in '88."

You.

Are.

Lying.

Naturally, some people bring up the '88 Dodgers as the prime example of the relative meaningless of regular season records.

It's the prime example, but hardly the only example.

"Something like that" happens in the playoffs every year.


"Here's the deal: You either think these Red Sox-Yankees games matter in the regular season, or you don't. If not, lose the hype and buildup forever. If we're going to talk about The Rivalry and the history and how it's the best thing going in baseball and maybe all pro sports, then just because the story doesn't come out the way it's supposed to – that means from New York's way of thinking – means that these games are such trifles that they practically shouldn't be counted in the standings. It doesn't work that way."

When I was a youngster, I remember the guy on WPIX hyping up the weekend series with the Mariners. The awful Mariners were describes as "pesky." This was one of my first lessons in PR-speak.

Lupica seems to be complaining that the Yankee PR machine is engaging in PR.

Everyone else is hyper-worried about the Yankees. Worried about Sabathia, Mariano, the Red Sox, ARod's hip, Colon, Garcia, Burnett, etc.


"And by the way? I was never one of the people who thought that the Red Sox were going to run and hide in the AL East because they signed Adrian Gonzalez and during the regular season. The idea that those signings, the Red Sox spending for one winter the way the Yankees usually do, turned the Yankees into $200 million underdogs is as ridiculous now as it was then. I never think the Yankees are big underdogs to anybody starting the season, and that includes the Phillies after the they sign Cliff Lee."

I never thought the Yankees were underdogs, either, by the way.

But I didn't use a newspaper column to say, "I told ya so," because (a) I don't have a newspaper column, and (b) I am post-pubescent.

Mariano Rivera's Career is Over.

We've been through this nonsense before. We've been through this nonsense every year since 1997:

"If Mo goes south, the Yankees have no chance."

No chance to do what? No chance to make the playoffs? Because, while I know that nothing is settled until it's settled, the Yankees have a 6-game lead on the Angels with 48 games to play. I think they could possibly hold off the Angels even if Mariano went on the DL for two months.

"Joe Girardi’s club can live with A.J. Burnett being the Mediocre Man just trying to have fun. They can survive for a time without Alex Rodriguez and they can weather Jorge Posada’s struggles that cost him his DH job.

But if Mariano Rivera falters, the Yankees might as well call it a season. They go as Mo goes."

Oh.

That's a stupid thing to stay.


"The Great Rivera stumbled for the second straight game last night, surrendering a two-run home run to Bobby Abreu in the ninth inning. That blast to right gave the Angels a stunning 6-4 win at Yankee Stadium and handed Rivera (1-2) the loss.

For now, life for the Yankees is 'Oh, Mo!' ”

It was "stunning."

I was "stunned."

I was actually stunned that Girardi didn't walk Abreu after the count got to 3-1. I considered if a failure by Rivera, Marin, Girardi, and the architect who moved the RF fence in 50 feet to accommodate Babe Ruth.

As for Rivera's back-to-back meltdowns, they consisted of exactly one legit hit.

"Abreu’s home run, his second of the night, sent Rivera’s ERA against the Angels into orbit. His 3.60 career ERA against them is his highest against any opponent."

I'll let the stupidity and irrelevance of that observation speak for itself.


"Rivera is Yankee gold. Still, in a season of questions, the biggest question is staring the Yankees in the face: Is the Great Rivera finally showing his age?"

No.

Old School.

“ 'I let [the win] go,' said Burnett, who allowed seven runs and 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings. 'They didn’t beat me, I lost the game. I wished somebody would have grabbed me and shook me. I tried not to lose the game.'

As Burnett was giving up hit after hit, none of the infielders visited him on the hill to pat him on the back or simply give him a breather. The frustration surfaced when he slapped the ball in Joe Girardi’s hand leaving the mound and in the tunnel from the dugout, where he ripped his shirt off."

I have a vision in my head. It's Goose Gossage sitting in the dugout after a tough loss. Or Bob Gibson. Or Don Drysdale. Or Ron Guidry.

Sweat-soaked and angry, Goose sits at his locker staring into a group of reporters. From his pursed lips underneath his handlebar mustache, he explains his disappointing outing with the following words:

"None of the infielders visited him on the hill to pat me on the back or simply give me a breather."

Did you know cortisone is a steroid?

I don't get the unending "Christmas Miracle" joke and I don't understand Lupica's personal gripe with Bartolo Colon, of all people:

"If Christmas Miracle Colon makes it to the end of the season pitching at anything close to a high level, they're going to have to open another branch of that hospital in the Dominican where he got his 'stem cells.' "

First of all, you're accusing Bartolo Colon of lying and cheating. That's the clear insinuation of putting the words "stem cells" in quotation marks. So you're accusing Bartolo Colon of using human growth hormones or steroids.

I can't prove Colon didn't use steroids, but Lupica has the burden of proof.

I know that filthy liars like Lupica project their tendencies upon other people, but this is quite an accusation to make without proof.


Secondly, I thought of Colon when I heard about Lackey's cortisone shot.

Lackey sure is pitching better since his "cortisone shot," don't you think?

It's understandable that Lackey would turn to "cortisone shots," given the pressure of his contract. Lackey probably asked David Ortiz how Ortiz's career suddenly rebounded for a second time (wink, wink). Maybe Lackey uses Ortiz's "supplier" of 100% legal medicinal aids.


"The Mets may be running out of steam, but Jose Reyes sure can't if he wants to get paid, right?"

Yes, it would be terrific if the Mets overpaid for the overrated Jose Reyes.

But the Mets can't be running out of steam. The Mets are the biggest story in New York and you just said one week ago that you'd never give up on the Mets.

To quoth:

"Even if Santana does come back, it is hard to say how the Mets keep the Braves in sight. Or stay over .500. That doesn't make sense. But neither has the Mets season over the last 80 games or so. You count them out now that Beltran is gone. Count me out of the counting-out business with Collins' Mets."

Do you know what men do? Men say what they mean and mean what they say.

Your punishment for lying is mandatory attendance at every Mets game for the rest of the season. You have to ignore the first-place Yankees and write a column about every interminable, September-callup, 10-games-out-of-the-Wild-Card Mets game.


"You can trust me on this one:

You know what the guys running the Yankees must fantasize about a lot:

Getting out from under the rest of Alex Rodriguez's contract somehow.

The modern-day Yankees have signed players to a lot of dumb contracts over the years.

Never one as dumb as A-Rod's."

This weird, ongoing proclamation goes beyond typical anti-ARod/anti-Yankee bias. It's just downright illogical and easily disprovable.

My advice is, don't trust Mike Lupica on anything. The only thing he's consistent at is being Mike Lupica. Which means being a hypocrite ... or maybe an ignoramus.

Lupica proclaims no modern-day Yankee contract is worse than ARod's contract.

Just on the current 2011 Yankees (or Trenton Thunder, as the case may be): Kei Igawa, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett, Derek Jeter, Rafael Soriano, Jorge Posada.

"Modern-day" Yankees could go back to Steve Kemp, but certainly would include, say, Jeff Weaver, Hideki Irabu, Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez, Jaret Wright, Kevin Brown, Jason Giambi.

What about the Roger Clemens contract of 2007?

ARod's annual .300/30/100 is dumber than paying a 44-year-old pitcher a pro-rated salary of $28 million (?) ... which would have been the highest salary in baseball at the time ... to win 6 games and lose 6 games? To last a whole 2 1/3 innings in the playoffs?

I know the ARod contract is longer and the ARod contract is bigger, so it's appropriate to grade on a curve. But ARod earns his money and always has.

I think the "guys running the Yankees" fantasize about different things. The "guys running the Yankees" are happy to overpay for ARod, Jeter, Posada, Burnett, etc., as long as the Yankees keep winning and the merch keeps moving.

I think the "guys running the Yankees" fantasize about similarly overpaying for Cliff Lee.