"But there are worst-case scenarios as well, and the Yankees made this deal without knowing exactly what those could be. Perhaps it's a suspension far beyond expectation. Or the emergence of charges or more evidence or incident reports or cell-phone video. Or something the Yankees haven't even considered. The circumstances with NFL players Ray Rice and Greg Hardy demonstrated that,"
I guess.
How much are the Yankees on the hook for?
All of these contracts are risky, by definition.
"The prudent choice would've been to follow the Dodgers and Red Sox's lead and back away from Chapman, even at the discounted price. The Yankees didn't have to have Chapman, just as the Dodgers didn't have to pair him with Kenley Jansen. With the free-agent market prices seemingly frozen and quality players still unsigned, there could be other cost-conscious ways for the team to get better in the weeks ahead.
But the Yankees made their choice with eyes wide open. And in so doing, they knowingly forfeited all rights to excuses if this turns out badly because of off-field problems."
Oh no.
Not that.
Anything but that.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
Five-Inning Games
I like the acquisition. Sometimes, it's wise to enhance your existing strengths rather than focus on your weaknesses.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Right on cue ...
... the case for Larry Walker.
Not so sure he makes a compelling argument here, but I'd still expect more consideration for Walker:
"Let's deal with the elephant in the room when it comes to Walker -- the 10 seasons he spent playing half of his games a mile high in Denver. Did all of that time at Coors Field boost Walker's numbers? Absolutely. He hit an astronomical .381/.462/.710 (1.172 OPS) in 597 career games at Coors.
But keep two things in mind. First, most players perform better at home. For example, Major League batters had a .739 home OPS in 2015, compared with .704 on the road. Second, Walker still was an excellent hitter away from his home park. During his nine full seasons with the Rockies, he produced an .890 road OPS, and his career .865 mark is 39th all-time among players with 1,000 road games. Griffey, a lock for induction this year, notched an .860. And when Walker was at his absolute best, in 1997, he hit .346/.443/.733 with 29 homers in 75 road games, slightly better than he did at home. So no, he wasn't just a product of altitude."
Not so sure he makes a compelling argument here, but I'd still expect more consideration for Walker:
"Let's deal with the elephant in the room when it comes to Walker -- the 10 seasons he spent playing half of his games a mile high in Denver. Did all of that time at Coors Field boost Walker's numbers? Absolutely. He hit an astronomical .381/.462/.710 (1.172 OPS) in 597 career games at Coors.
But keep two things in mind. First, most players perform better at home. For example, Major League batters had a .739 home OPS in 2015, compared with .704 on the road. Second, Walker still was an excellent hitter away from his home park. During his nine full seasons with the Rockies, he produced an .890 road OPS, and his career .865 mark is 39th all-time among players with 1,000 road games. Griffey, a lock for induction this year, notched an .860. And when Walker was at his absolute best, in 1997, he hit .346/.443/.733 with 29 homers in 75 road games, slightly better than he did at home. So no, he wasn't just a product of altitude."
Pivoting off a HOF article ...
... which includes a pic of an actual HOF ballot ... I'm surprised Larry Walker doesn't get more consideration.
The home/road splits probably explain it.
But then I wonder if anyone who plays in Colorado will every make the HOF.
If you really care about Jerry Crasnick's vote, then you can read the rest of the article. He voted for Bonds and Clemens.
The home/road splits probably explain it.
But then I wonder if anyone who plays in Colorado will every make the HOF.
If you really care about Jerry Crasnick's vote, then you can read the rest of the article. He voted for Bonds and Clemens.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
The Mets choked in the World Series.
"What, the grace period is over already with the Mets?"
Says the guy who just explained why Coughlin is going to get fired, even if the Giants beat the undefeated Panthers. I think that's what he said, please forgive me for scanning it.
Says the guy who has already anointed Porzingis.
Point being, Lupica is a typical modern media short-attention-span idiot who suddenly wants to put the monster back into its cage.
There is no grace period. The grace period for "MVP" Yoenis Cespedes lasted less than one month; the grace period for Daniel Murphy lasted less than one week; the grace period for Terry Collins lasted less than one game.
"You know the moment I’ll remember most in New York sports, before the last night of the baseball season went wrong?"
You gave it away when you said baseball ... so I'm going to guess it wasn't an Islanders game ... I'll go with the Mets?
"I’ll remember what it felt like and sounded like at Citi Field when the Mets were still ahead in Game 5, and they were three outs away from going back to Kansas City.
I’ll remember what it felt like and sounded like when Matt Harvey came out of the dugout to pitch the top of the 9th, because I would have done the same thing Terry Collins did that night, and send him the hell out there."
Ha ha ha.
How arrogant: "I would have done the same thing."
Because world-renowned baseball strategist Mike Lupica would have done the same thing, then no one can question the wisdom of the strategy. Mike Lupica and his 20 Championship rings.
"Harvey walked the leadoff guy, of course, and should have been gone right there.
Before long Duda was throwing wide and Hosmer was on his way home, and you know what happened later.
The other team was just better.
Not a lot better.
Just enough."
Harvey choked and Collins choked.
That's what choking is.
It's when you lose because the importance of the moment gets the best of you.
"This was still the October — and November — when we officially got the Mets back.
This was the time in baseball New York when Citi Field finally sounded the way old Shea did across the parking lot.
It would have been great to win it all, of course it would, are you kidding?"
The Yankees almost beat the Red Sox in 2004. It would have been great to win it all, of course it would, are you kidding?
"But how could you ever walk away feeling like losers after a run like that?"
Because the Royals scored more runs than the Mets.
Says the guy who just explained why Coughlin is going to get fired, even if the Giants beat the undefeated Panthers. I think that's what he said, please forgive me for scanning it.
Says the guy who has already anointed Porzingis.
Point being, Lupica is a typical modern media short-attention-span idiot who suddenly wants to put the monster back into its cage.
There is no grace period. The grace period for "MVP" Yoenis Cespedes lasted less than one month; the grace period for Daniel Murphy lasted less than one week; the grace period for Terry Collins lasted less than one game.
"You know the moment I’ll remember most in New York sports, before the last night of the baseball season went wrong?"
You gave it away when you said baseball ... so I'm going to guess it wasn't an Islanders game ... I'll go with the Mets?
"I’ll remember what it felt like and sounded like at Citi Field when the Mets were still ahead in Game 5, and they were three outs away from going back to Kansas City.
I’ll remember what it felt like and sounded like when Matt Harvey came out of the dugout to pitch the top of the 9th, because I would have done the same thing Terry Collins did that night, and send him the hell out there."
Ha ha ha.
How arrogant: "I would have done the same thing."
Because world-renowned baseball strategist Mike Lupica would have done the same thing, then no one can question the wisdom of the strategy. Mike Lupica and his 20 Championship rings.
"Harvey walked the leadoff guy, of course, and should have been gone right there.
Before long Duda was throwing wide and Hosmer was on his way home, and you know what happened later.
The other team was just better.
Not a lot better.
Just enough."
Harvey choked and Collins choked.
That's what choking is.
It's when you lose because the importance of the moment gets the best of you.
"This was still the October — and November — when we officially got the Mets back.
This was the time in baseball New York when Citi Field finally sounded the way old Shea did across the parking lot.
It would have been great to win it all, of course it would, are you kidding?"
The Yankees almost beat the Red Sox in 2004. It would have been great to win it all, of course it would, are you kidding?
"But how could you ever walk away feeling like losers after a run like that?"
Because the Royals scored more runs than the Mets.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Two guys I don't want to listen to right now.
Pete Rose shrugging off his continued gambling on baseball:
"And so, as Rose sat here listening to his lawyers paint a picture that he's a changed man and Rose himself declare that he's 'a good man,' baseball's banished hit king acted like it was no big deal at all that he's still betting ... still betting on baseball.
That admittance to Manfred was part of the reason why his ban wasn't lifted.
Proving he still doesn't get it, Rose explained, 'I worked hard my whole life. I'm 74 years old and that's the way I get my enjoyment.' "
CC Sabathia talking about MLB pitchers cashing in with huge contracts:
"As for the big contracts being handed out this year, well, he loves it.
'I think it's fantastic,' Sabathia said, then laughed. 'I mean, what can you say? Opt-out clauses and all that. I think it's part of the game. These guys are working hard and throwing a lot of innings. I hope it kind of stays where it is, or gets better.' "
"And so, as Rose sat here listening to his lawyers paint a picture that he's a changed man and Rose himself declare that he's 'a good man,' baseball's banished hit king acted like it was no big deal at all that he's still betting ... still betting on baseball.
That admittance to Manfred was part of the reason why his ban wasn't lifted.
Proving he still doesn't get it, Rose explained, 'I worked hard my whole life. I'm 74 years old and that's the way I get my enjoyment.' "
CC Sabathia talking about MLB pitchers cashing in with huge contracts:
"As for the big contracts being handed out this year, well, he loves it.
'I think it's fantastic,' Sabathia said, then laughed. 'I mean, what can you say? Opt-out clauses and all that. I think it's part of the game. These guys are working hard and throwing a lot of innings. I hope it kind of stays where it is, or gets better.' "
Tuesday, December 08, 2015
When the player to be named later turns out to be Brendan Ryan ...
... that tips the scales.
Castro is relatively cheap and the Yankees didn't give up much.
Castro is relatively cheap and the Yankees didn't give up much.
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
The first place team in the AL East just lost their best starting pitcher.
... and this would force Cashman's hand because why?:
"Armed with owner John Henry’s deep pockets and permission to spend, team president Dave Dombrowski alerted the Yankees and the AL East that, after two straight last-place finishes, the Red Sox are hell-bent on rising to the top of the division David Price helped the Blue Jays win last season.
The Red Sox and Price, the stud lefty free agent, agreed Tuesday on a seven-year deal for $217 million, the richest contract in history for a pitcher.
...
'No reaction,' general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday evening when asked how Price going to the Red Sox affects the Yankees."
Well, there ya go.
"Armed with owner John Henry’s deep pockets and permission to spend, team president Dave Dombrowski alerted the Yankees and the AL East that, after two straight last-place finishes, the Red Sox are hell-bent on rising to the top of the division David Price helped the Blue Jays win last season.
The Red Sox and Price, the stud lefty free agent, agreed Tuesday on a seven-year deal for $217 million, the richest contract in history for a pitcher.
...
'No reaction,' general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday evening when asked how Price going to the Red Sox affects the Yankees."
Well, there ya go.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Value Proposition
I'm not sure if it costs money to be an ESPN Insider.
Maybe it's free and ESPN uses your demographic information for marketing.
Without ESPN Insider, I can only view the following:
1) A detailed analysis of Buster Olney's #1 free agent shortstop.
2) A summary of Buster Olney's #2 free agent shortstop.
If you want a detailed analysis of Brandon Crawford and the rest of the list, you can't get it unless you're an insider.
But why would anyone give a damn about Buster Olney's list of free agent shortstops?
Why would anyone become an ESPN Insider when this kind of slop is the bait?
Maybe it's free and ESPN uses your demographic information for marketing.
Without ESPN Insider, I can only view the following:
1) A detailed analysis of Buster Olney's #1 free agent shortstop.
2) A summary of Buster Olney's #2 free agent shortstop.
If you want a detailed analysis of Brandon Crawford and the rest of the list, you can't get it unless you're an insider.
But why would anyone give a damn about Buster Olney's list of free agent shortstops?
Why would anyone become an ESPN Insider when this kind of slop is the bait?
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015
This is a very stupid propostion.
If losing was the same as winning, then there is no reason to keep score:
"We’re crawling up on a month since the Royals tore up the final act of the Mets’ splendid season, which means we probably are inching toward the day when Mets fans can come to what should be the only conclusion about the 2015 season: It was just about as satisfying as a season can possibly be. Except for the ending."
Yeah, well ... it's all about the happy ending.
"In a lot of ways, fans of every team in New York take their cues from Yankees fans, who have been schooled by their team to find anything short of a championship unacceptable. And that simply is not the way it should be."
I can defend the thrill of the journey, and I don't think anything short of a championship is unacceptable.
But you play to win the game. It's the best thing about sports.
"Sometimes, yes: Teams that fall shy of championships fall shy of that which was expected for them, and so the tinge of disappointment should be there. But that’s the exception."
Only one team can win the championship. So 29 out of 30 teams in baseball will fall short of that strict standard. But that still means 29 out of 30 should feel at least a tinge of disappointment, for crying out loud. Professional pride requires it.
"Here are eight of our teams from the past 25 years who didn’t win titles but did (or should have) made their fans every bit as happy as the first team on our list."
A preposterous notion that does not require further dissection.
If the Mets fulfill their potential, then this 2015 season will be seen as the start of something great. If not, it's just the 2007 Rockies or a million other almost teams ... that didn't quite achieve the, err, happy ending.
This sentence ought to make every Mets fan vomit:
"Bill Parcells famously said there’s no medals for trying in pro sports, but the ’15 Mets make a compelling argument that sometimes there ought to be."
Have a ticker tape pardade for the Mets, why don't you? The Yankees, too, because they made the playoffs.
Check out this blurb about the 2001 Yankees:
"6. 2001 Yankees
It wasn’t just the emotion of the time, it was the grittiness of the team. By Game 7 of the World Series the Yankees were running on fumes and muscle memory and little else, and yet it almost was enough: They came as close as is humanly possible to winning a fourth straight title — and covered themselves in glory more completely than many of the teams of that era that went the distance."
For what it's worth? I can't imagine a Yankee fan celebrating the 2001 almost World Series.
It was a memorable season and exciting series. But Yankees lost ... the Diamondbacks were the winners and the Yankees were the losers. It's really that simple.
"We’re crawling up on a month since the Royals tore up the final act of the Mets’ splendid season, which means we probably are inching toward the day when Mets fans can come to what should be the only conclusion about the 2015 season: It was just about as satisfying as a season can possibly be. Except for the ending."
Yeah, well ... it's all about the happy ending.
"In a lot of ways, fans of every team in New York take their cues from Yankees fans, who have been schooled by their team to find anything short of a championship unacceptable. And that simply is not the way it should be."
I can defend the thrill of the journey, and I don't think anything short of a championship is unacceptable.
But you play to win the game. It's the best thing about sports.
"Sometimes, yes: Teams that fall shy of championships fall shy of that which was expected for them, and so the tinge of disappointment should be there. But that’s the exception."
Only one team can win the championship. So 29 out of 30 teams in baseball will fall short of that strict standard. But that still means 29 out of 30 should feel at least a tinge of disappointment, for crying out loud. Professional pride requires it.
"Here are eight of our teams from the past 25 years who didn’t win titles but did (or should have) made their fans every bit as happy as the first team on our list."
A preposterous notion that does not require further dissection.
If the Mets fulfill their potential, then this 2015 season will be seen as the start of something great. If not, it's just the 2007 Rockies or a million other almost teams ... that didn't quite achieve the, err, happy ending.
This sentence ought to make every Mets fan vomit:
"Bill Parcells famously said there’s no medals for trying in pro sports, but the ’15 Mets make a compelling argument that sometimes there ought to be."
Have a ticker tape pardade for the Mets, why don't you? The Yankees, too, because they made the playoffs.
Check out this blurb about the 2001 Yankees:
"6. 2001 Yankees
It wasn’t just the emotion of the time, it was the grittiness of the team. By Game 7 of the World Series the Yankees were running on fumes and muscle memory and little else, and yet it almost was enough: They came as close as is humanly possible to winning a fourth straight title — and covered themselves in glory more completely than many of the teams of that era that went the distance."
For what it's worth? I can't imagine a Yankee fan celebrating the 2001 almost World Series.
It was a memorable season and exciting series. But Yankees lost ... the Diamondbacks were the winners and the Yankees were the losers. It's really that simple.
Nobody watches baseball.
"But last week, when Comcast blacked out YES, leaving its more than
900,000 subscribers in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania in the
dark, the initial propaganda blast wasn’t just directed at Fox-owned
YES, but also its programming jewel — the Yankees. Comcast said that,
over the course of the 2015 season, most of its subscribers were tuning
out the Bombers.
...
This amounts to not very well-disguised double talk. What Comcast is saying is that, for whatever reason, whether it be a lack of marquee stars or a boring style of play, the product the Yankees put on the field is not compelling.
Worse still, Comcast is saying the Yankees, the most storied franchise in all of sports, have become irrelevant to its subscribers."
It's a contract negotiation tactic, not an assessment of the team.
Nobody tuned out the regular season Yankee games because nobody was tuning in to the regular season Yankee games to begin with.
No wonder when I go to work and talk about the games, nobody knows what I'm talking about.
...
This amounts to not very well-disguised double talk. What Comcast is saying is that, for whatever reason, whether it be a lack of marquee stars or a boring style of play, the product the Yankees put on the field is not compelling.
Worse still, Comcast is saying the Yankees, the most storied franchise in all of sports, have become irrelevant to its subscribers."
It's a contract negotiation tactic, not an assessment of the team.
Nobody tuned out the regular season Yankee games because nobody was tuning in to the regular season Yankee games to begin with.
No wonder when I go to work and talk about the games, nobody knows what I'm talking about.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
2015 AL MVP
The 2015 AL MVP poll ... wherein we learn that one sportswriter could not think of ten AL players more valuable than Brian McCann ... and another sportswriter could not think of ten AL players more valuable than Alex Rodriguez ... and another could not think of ten AL players more valuable than Mark Teixeira.
BBWAA
Felz Poll
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Josh Donaldson | 385 |
| Mike Trout | 304 |
| Lorenzo Cain | 225 |
| Manny Machado | 158 |
| Dallas Keuchel | 107 |
| Nelson Cruz | 94 |
| Adrian Beltre | 83 |
| Jose Bautista | 82 |
| David Price | 62 |
| Jose Altuve | 44 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 40 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 38 |
| Prince Fielder | 33 |
| Chris Davis | 32 |
| J.D. Martinez | 18 |
| Jason Kipnis | 17 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | 10 |
| Kendrys Morales | 7 |
| Chris Sale | 4 |
| Mookie Betts | 4 |
| Jose Abreu | 3 |
| Ian Kinsler | 3 |
| Mike Moustakas | 3 |
| Carlos Correa | 2 |
| Brian McCann | 2 |
| Eric Hosmer | 2 |
| Russell Martin | 2 |
| Michael Brantley | 1 |
| Wade Davis | 1 |
| Brian Dozier | 1 |
| David Ortiz | 1 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 1 |
| Mark Teixeira | 1 |
Felz Poll
| Name | Points |
| Josh Donaldson | 19 |
| Mike Trout | 13 |
| Lorenzo Cain | 2 |
| Prince Fielder | 2 |
| Dallas Keuchel | 2 |
| Jose Altuve | 1 |
| Jose Bautista | 1 |
| Adrian Beltre | 1 |
2015 NL MVP
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Bryce Harper | 420 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 234 |
| Joey Votto | 175 |
| Anthony Rizzo | 162 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 139 |
| Jake Arrieta | 134 |
| Zack Greinke | 130 |
| Nolan Arenado | 102 |
| Buster Posey | 84 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 49 |
| Kris Bryant | 34 |
| Matt Carpenter | 26 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | 24 |
| A.J. Pollock | 21 |
| Jason Heyward | 15 |
| Dee Gordon | 6 |
| Trevor Rosenthal | 5 |
| Curtis Granderson | 4 |
| Gerrit Cole | 3 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 3 |
Felz Poll
| Name | Points |
| Bryce Harper | 14 |
| Jake Arrieta | 6 |
| Buster Posey | 6 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 5 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 4 |
| Anthony Rizzo | 3 |
| Joey Votto | 2 |
| Zack Greinke | 1 |
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
2015 NL Cy Young
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Jake Arrieta | 169 |
| Zack Greinke | 147 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 101 |
| Gerrit Cole | 40 |
| Max Scherzer | 32 |
| Madison Bumgarner | 8 |
| Jacob deGrom | 7 |
| Mark Melancon | 5 |
| John Lackey | 1 |
Felz Poll
| Name | Points |
| Jake Arrieta | 19 |
| Zack Greinke | 13 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 8 |
| Gerrit Cole | 3 |
2015 AL Cy Young
Not too many Felz voters this year, but here are the comparative results:
BBWAA
Felz Poll
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Dallas Keuchel | 186 |
| David Price | 143 |
| Sonny Gray | 82 |
| Chris Sale | 30 |
| Chris Archer | 29 |
| Wade Davis | 10 |
| Felix Hernandez | 9 |
| Colin McHugh | 5 |
| Corey Kluber | 4 |
| Marco Estrada | 3 |
| Andrew Miller | 3 |
| Shawn Tolleson | 3 |
| Carlos Carrasco | 2 |
| Dellin Betances | 1 |
Felz Poll
| Name | Points |
| David Price | 18 |
| Dallas Keuchel | 14 |
| Sonny Gray | 4 |
| Felix Hernandez | 3 |
| Chris Archer | 1 |
| Edinson Volquez | 1 |
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Well, duh.
This guy wants to trade Teixeira.
This guy inexplicably thinks this will save the Yankees $23 million.
Because this guy inexplicably thinks there is a trading partner willing to take on Teixeira's entire salary.
This guy inexplicably thinks this will save the Yankees $23 million.
Because this guy inexplicably thinks there is a trading partner willing to take on Teixeira's entire salary.
Friday, November 06, 2015
I am so pleased the Yankees had a boring reaction the the Mets' World Series appearance.
No Steinbrenner-esque grab for the headlines or splashy free agent signings:
"Yet even their glorious past cannot rescue the Bombers from exile into unfamiliar territory. The Mets now control the media landscape the Yankees have owned for many moons. Commanding the spotlight is extremely beneficial to the bottom line, especially when it comes to selling tickets and producing TV ratings.
And that’s what this game is really about."
Cool.
If that's what the game is really about, then the Yankees beat the Mets in 2015.
They also beat the Mets head-to-head on the field in 2015.
They call that the Subway Series and hype it up. In 2016, the Yankees will be underdogs and the Mets will be under-performing fat cats.
"The Mets are well on their way to doing just that. While their average season rating on SNY did not surpass the Bombers’ average on YES (2.76, 259,223 total viewers), it was the Mets’ most watched season since 2010.
The Mets are positioned to surpass those numbers in 2016. Along with a high-beam spotlight comes the ability to capture the floaters, aka front-running fans. They are not vocal (no first-time-callers/ longtime morons among them) but their ranks are large."
Their ranks are small ... and, once again, the ratings indicate that nobody watches baseball on TV.
If the Mets lose Cespedes to free agency and start off the season 12-14, then the "floaters" will go watch "Better Call Saul."
"Their only loyalty is to winning. And they have been following the Yankees, whether it be purchasing tickets or tuning in to YES. Now this fickle core sees what the Metropolitans have done and they, too, want to invest in the Mets future.
Of course the Bombers will survive. And there’s every chance that, once the season starts, they will thrive.
Still, it’s got to feel strange in the Bronx. For the New York Yankees, the brand with all that history and tradition, are now officially flying under the radar."
"Even though the entire Daily News sports writing staff will be rooting against the Yankees, there is every chance that, once the season starts, the Yankees will thrive."
There are some pretty obvious flaws in Raissman's logic ... if the "floaters" are loyal to winning, then why have they been following the Yankees and tuning into YES? The Yankees have not won a playoff game since 2012.
The fickle core is not a core. It's a fickle periphery.
The fans stay with their team. It's just that dormant Mets fans wake up and buy brand new Daniel Murphy Lip Balm because their team is advancing in the playoffs.
"Yet even their glorious past cannot rescue the Bombers from exile into unfamiliar territory. The Mets now control the media landscape the Yankees have owned for many moons. Commanding the spotlight is extremely beneficial to the bottom line, especially when it comes to selling tickets and producing TV ratings.
And that’s what this game is really about."
Cool.
If that's what the game is really about, then the Yankees beat the Mets in 2015.
They also beat the Mets head-to-head on the field in 2015.
They call that the Subway Series and hype it up. In 2016, the Yankees will be underdogs and the Mets will be under-performing fat cats.
"The Mets are well on their way to doing just that. While their average season rating on SNY did not surpass the Bombers’ average on YES (2.76, 259,223 total viewers), it was the Mets’ most watched season since 2010.
The Mets are positioned to surpass those numbers in 2016. Along with a high-beam spotlight comes the ability to capture the floaters, aka front-running fans. They are not vocal (no first-time-callers/ longtime morons among them) but their ranks are large."
Their ranks are small ... and, once again, the ratings indicate that nobody watches baseball on TV.
If the Mets lose Cespedes to free agency and start off the season 12-14, then the "floaters" will go watch "Better Call Saul."
"Their only loyalty is to winning. And they have been following the Yankees, whether it be purchasing tickets or tuning in to YES. Now this fickle core sees what the Metropolitans have done and they, too, want to invest in the Mets future.
Of course the Bombers will survive. And there’s every chance that, once the season starts, they will thrive.
Still, it’s got to feel strange in the Bronx. For the New York Yankees, the brand with all that history and tradition, are now officially flying under the radar."
"Even though the entire Daily News sports writing staff will be rooting against the Yankees, there is every chance that, once the season starts, the Yankees will thrive."
There are some pretty obvious flaws in Raissman's logic ... if the "floaters" are loyal to winning, then why have they been following the Yankees and tuning into YES? The Yankees have not won a playoff game since 2012.
The fickle core is not a core. It's a fickle periphery.
The fans stay with their team. It's just that dormant Mets fans wake up and buy brand new Daniel Murphy Lip Balm because their team is advancing in the playoffs.
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Oh, yeah, I forgot about this guy.
It was just, "going to rehab" ... and the Yankees are out of the playoffs ... and then nobody cares about you or your rehab.
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
Say "almost" again. I dare someone to say "almost" again.
"He'd struck out nine Royals, and he'd delivered a mid-game stretch of six consecutive outs on whiffs. He'd given up four singles over eight shutout innings and 102 pitches and, of equal consequence, he'd carried himself like a man possessed by a redemptive spirit, releasing primal screams during the game and even encouraging the packed house at Citi Field to pump up the noise."
Redemptive and primal.
"Towel slung over his shoulder, Harvey was some fire-breathing sight in that dugout as he confronted his manager, ordering him to send him out for the ninth so he could shove that innings-limit fiasco down the haters' throats once and for all.
'He's been through a tough summer,' Collins would say. The people in the stands? They'd been through a lot of tough summers with the Mets, and now nearly 45,000 of them were chanting, 'We want Harvey.' "
You know?
If Collins had just sent his starter out there because he trusted his starter more than he trusted his closer?
That would be perfectly understandable.
"How could Collins not listen to them, the same fans who stood and cheered for a middling player, Wilmer Flores, on the July night everyone thought he'd been traded? The same fans who had traveled to Los Angeles and Chicago to watch their long-shot Mets advance in the postseason? The same fans the 66-year-old Collins had hugged and kissed and sprayed with champagne on this once-in-a-career carpet ride to the World Series?"
How could the manager of a baseball team not listen to the fans in the stands?
Is that a rhetorical question? Or is this just Opposite Day?
"It was the right call at the right time, no matter what Collins said in his news conference after this soul-crushing 12-inning defeat was complete."
Soul-crushing is not primal or redemptive.
"Sometimes, good managing and good coaching mean listening to your very best players. At the time Harvey dramatically raced from the dugout to the mound, inspiring an eruption in the stands, how many witnesses truly thought this was a bad idea?"
I agree.
But what about after the walk to the first batter?
Collins actually said that he couldn't take him out after just one batter. I had no idea that was a thing.
"Murphy? Thanks for disappearing at the plate and for turning the art of infield defense into a dark and ill-timed comedy.
Duda? What the hell kind of throw was that?
Familia? Was that Game 1 quick pitch to Alex Gordon really necessary?
Yoenis Cespedes? Do you actually think the Mets are going to offer you a nine-figure contract after playing the outfield and running the bases as if you were goofing around at some celebrity softball event?
Collins? Even your wife ripped you for wasting Familia in a Game 3 blowout and then refusing to use him for six outs in Game 4.
In win-or-else New York, this is often the time to strike down on the Mets with an unforgiving hand. To remind them they night never get another shot at this. To shred them for having all those young-stud arms and, you know, for still not getting it done."
New York is not the only place that's win-or-else.
The 2014 NL Manager of the Year was Matt Williams.
Collins got his contract extension, well-deserved, I suppose. He'll learn quickly what happens if his team doesn't win the World Series.
Redemptive and primal.
"Towel slung over his shoulder, Harvey was some fire-breathing sight in that dugout as he confronted his manager, ordering him to send him out for the ninth so he could shove that innings-limit fiasco down the haters' throats once and for all.
'He's been through a tough summer,' Collins would say. The people in the stands? They'd been through a lot of tough summers with the Mets, and now nearly 45,000 of them were chanting, 'We want Harvey.' "
You know?
If Collins had just sent his starter out there because he trusted his starter more than he trusted his closer?
That would be perfectly understandable.
"How could Collins not listen to them, the same fans who stood and cheered for a middling player, Wilmer Flores, on the July night everyone thought he'd been traded? The same fans who had traveled to Los Angeles and Chicago to watch their long-shot Mets advance in the postseason? The same fans the 66-year-old Collins had hugged and kissed and sprayed with champagne on this once-in-a-career carpet ride to the World Series?"
How could the manager of a baseball team not listen to the fans in the stands?
Is that a rhetorical question? Or is this just Opposite Day?
"It was the right call at the right time, no matter what Collins said in his news conference after this soul-crushing 12-inning defeat was complete."
Soul-crushing is not primal or redemptive.
"Sometimes, good managing and good coaching mean listening to your very best players. At the time Harvey dramatically raced from the dugout to the mound, inspiring an eruption in the stands, how many witnesses truly thought this was a bad idea?"
I agree.
But what about after the walk to the first batter?
Collins actually said that he couldn't take him out after just one batter. I had no idea that was a thing.
"Murphy? Thanks for disappearing at the plate and for turning the art of infield defense into a dark and ill-timed comedy.
Duda? What the hell kind of throw was that?
Familia? Was that Game 1 quick pitch to Alex Gordon really necessary?
Yoenis Cespedes? Do you actually think the Mets are going to offer you a nine-figure contract after playing the outfield and running the bases as if you were goofing around at some celebrity softball event?
Collins? Even your wife ripped you for wasting Familia in a Game 3 blowout and then refusing to use him for six outs in Game 4.
In win-or-else New York, this is often the time to strike down on the Mets with an unforgiving hand. To remind them they night never get another shot at this. To shred them for having all those young-stud arms and, you know, for still not getting it done."
New York is not the only place that's win-or-else.
The 2014 NL Manager of the Year was Matt Williams.
Collins got his contract extension, well-deserved, I suppose. He'll learn quickly what happens if his team doesn't win the World Series.
Sunday, November 01, 2015
The thing is, it was an easy play.
I have a proposition, an unprovable idea, a hypothesis of sorts, if you will indulge me.
Murphy charges the ball, flips to first, runners move up.
Next KC batter gets a hit, drives in two, Royals win 4-3:
"The ball was bouncing slowly across the infield grass, and all of Citi Field was thinking about what might happen next. This was an out — not an easy play, but certainly an out — which meant the Mets would be just four outs away from evening this World Series.
Then second baseman Daniel Murphy charged at the roller and tilted his glove toward the infield, just a few inches from scraping the dirt. Just enough space for a baseball to find its way through.
Just enough room to make 44,815 hearts sink.
Because this was not an out. This was an error, one of the most devastating in Mets history. Instead of coming to the ballpark on Sunday with a chance to move one victory away from a victory parade in lower Manhattan, the Mets need a win just to stay alive.
...
Again: It wasn't an easy play, but it was one Murphy had to make. When the ball slid under his glove, Zobrist sprinted around from second to score, and the game was tied."
Turning two would have been exceedingly difficult. I'm not sure if any 2b/ss combo could have turned two.
But why was this not an easy play?
Here, watch it again.
It was fundamentally unsound. Which the Mets are.
Murphy said later (something to the effect of) he should have used two hands and gotten in front of it. Which is true. Which he should have been practicing fielding for the past nine years.
Murphy charges the ball, flips to first, runners move up.
Next KC batter gets a hit, drives in two, Royals win 4-3:
"The ball was bouncing slowly across the infield grass, and all of Citi Field was thinking about what might happen next. This was an out — not an easy play, but certainly an out — which meant the Mets would be just four outs away from evening this World Series.
Then second baseman Daniel Murphy charged at the roller and tilted his glove toward the infield, just a few inches from scraping the dirt. Just enough space for a baseball to find its way through.
Just enough room to make 44,815 hearts sink.
Because this was not an out. This was an error, one of the most devastating in Mets history. Instead of coming to the ballpark on Sunday with a chance to move one victory away from a victory parade in lower Manhattan, the Mets need a win just to stay alive.
...
Again: It wasn't an easy play, but it was one Murphy had to make. When the ball slid under his glove, Zobrist sprinted around from second to score, and the game was tied."
Turning two would have been exceedingly difficult. I'm not sure if any 2b/ss combo could have turned two.
But why was this not an easy play?
Here, watch it again.
It was fundamentally unsound. Which the Mets are.
Murphy said later (something to the effect of) he should have used two hands and gotten in front of it. Which is true. Which he should have been practicing fielding for the past nine years.
Mets' infield defensive liability hasn't cost them until tonight.
So says Gary Cohen ... apparently forgetting all about David Wright's throwing error which put the winning run on base in Game One.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
They don't know what old school really is, so they think they're old school.
No need to invoke Gibson and Drysdale and old school yarns of days gone by. No, the proper reference is right across the Hudson River a mere 15 years ago.
Mike Piazza lying on his back, staring into the sky, blinking; Clemens on the mound, hands on his knees, pretending to give a damn.
Mets fans are experts on high and tight fastballs is all I'm saying.
Or one can look back a few weeks ago, when Mets fans wanted to put Old School Utley in jail. A forgotten play because the Mets beat the Dodgers ... and a quick quiz would reveal Mets "fans" in shiny new orange-n-blue hats couldn't name the injured Mets shortstop if Chris Carlin offered them $100 on Beer Money.
Syndergaard is right: if the Royals don't like it, then they ought to fight ... or, better yet, win the game.
Just like if Tejada doesn't like getting slid into, then he ought to get out of the way.
Syndergaard was fine. Six innings, three runs, and, most importantly, the win. He pitched about as well as Harvey and deGrom. Starting pitchers often look better when their offense scores nine runs, but, whatever.
The thing is: if the first pitch was really so intimidating, why did the Royals bat .600 and score three runs the first time through the lineup?
Mike Piazza lying on his back, staring into the sky, blinking; Clemens on the mound, hands on his knees, pretending to give a damn.
Mets fans are experts on high and tight fastballs is all I'm saying.
Or one can look back a few weeks ago, when Mets fans wanted to put Old School Utley in jail. A forgotten play because the Mets beat the Dodgers ... and a quick quiz would reveal Mets "fans" in shiny new orange-n-blue hats couldn't name the injured Mets shortstop if Chris Carlin offered them $100 on Beer Money.
Syndergaard is right: if the Royals don't like it, then they ought to fight ... or, better yet, win the game.
Just like if Tejada doesn't like getting slid into, then he ought to get out of the way.
Syndergaard was fine. Six innings, three runs, and, most importantly, the win. He pitched about as well as Harvey and deGrom. Starting pitchers often look better when their offense scores nine runs, but, whatever.
The thing is: if the first pitch was really so intimidating, why did the Royals bat .600 and score three runs the first time through the lineup?
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Gimme a break.
Brutal Game 1 loss could mean quick finish for Mets in World Series.
After Harper rings the alarm bells, I feel more confident than ever that the World Series will go seven games.
DeGrom, Syndergaard, and Harvey still start five out of the next six games.
Monday, October 26, 2015
He's the saddest boy in the world :-(
Exclusive: Stop the presses! Sports memorabilia practitioner behaves in unethical manner towards its customers!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
I googled.
Lupica + Agbayani found this gem, and I was right. It's the same article:
"After all the heroes of the Mets season, they needed one to step in now against the Yankees. And so Benny Agbayani did that. He had hit in every single postseason game the Mets had played before last night. He had been the hero of Game 3 against the Giants, in the bottom of the 13th. Now it was him against El Duque, on the night when El Duque was trying to get to 9-0 for his postseason career. It was Benny against El Duque in the bottom of the eighth, Todd Zeile on first, the game tied at 2-2. Benny hit one between David Justice and Bernie Williams, hit one hard in the alley. He is part Hawaiian on his mother's side, part Portuguese, part Irish. His father is part Filipino, Chinese, Spanish. In a Subway Series, he was a perfect New Yorker, a melting pot all by himself, suddenly he was the most important guy in town. Justice and Williams chased the ball, Zeile ran all the way home, and now the Mets were ahead 3-2 in Game 3. Bubba Trammell came on later, Bubba, who tried to be the Met hero of Game 1, hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. This time Armando Benitez, protecting a lead of two runs instead of one, did the job. The Mets got a game off the Yankees last night, at last. Maybe we can get the Series we want, after all. Benny Agbayani, a perfect New Yorker, gave us a shot last night, with a shot up the alley in the eighth.
...
But now Zeile worked a walk out of him and then it was once again Benny's turn in the postseason. Another Game 3 for him. He hit a shot past Justice and Williams. All the way to the wall. Mets 3, Yankees 2. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE wins were about to become one hundred and two for Valentine's Mets. Shea made a sound in the night, a minute before midnight, that said it wasn't dead yet. Neither were the Mets. If they can win tonight, they are even with the Yankees."
Root much?
Lupica + Josh Satin doesn't reveal much. In fact, a felzball entry is near the top of the google search.
I distinctly remember Lupica hyping up Satin on the radio. Because I almost drove my car off the road. Maybe not so much in print.
"After all the heroes of the Mets season, they needed one to step in now against the Yankees. And so Benny Agbayani did that. He had hit in every single postseason game the Mets had played before last night. He had been the hero of Game 3 against the Giants, in the bottom of the 13th. Now it was him against El Duque, on the night when El Duque was trying to get to 9-0 for his postseason career. It was Benny against El Duque in the bottom of the eighth, Todd Zeile on first, the game tied at 2-2. Benny hit one between David Justice and Bernie Williams, hit one hard in the alley. He is part Hawaiian on his mother's side, part Portuguese, part Irish. His father is part Filipino, Chinese, Spanish. In a Subway Series, he was a perfect New Yorker, a melting pot all by himself, suddenly he was the most important guy in town. Justice and Williams chased the ball, Zeile ran all the way home, and now the Mets were ahead 3-2 in Game 3. Bubba Trammell came on later, Bubba, who tried to be the Met hero of Game 1, hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. This time Armando Benitez, protecting a lead of two runs instead of one, did the job. The Mets got a game off the Yankees last night, at last. Maybe we can get the Series we want, after all. Benny Agbayani, a perfect New Yorker, gave us a shot last night, with a shot up the alley in the eighth.
...
But now Zeile worked a walk out of him and then it was once again Benny's turn in the postseason. Another Game 3 for him. He hit a shot past Justice and Williams. All the way to the wall. Mets 3, Yankees 2. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE wins were about to become one hundred and two for Valentine's Mets. Shea made a sound in the night, a minute before midnight, that said it wasn't dead yet. Neither were the Mets. If they can win tonight, they are even with the Yankees."
Root much?
Lupica + Josh Satin doesn't reveal much. In fact, a felzball entry is near the top of the google search.
I distinctly remember Lupica hyping up Satin on the radio. Because I almost drove my car off the road. Maybe not so much in print.
Wolf! Wolf!
The Colorado Rockies will win the World Series next year.
If they don't, I will keep predicting that they will.
Over the course of several decades, I may end up being correct:
"So you know the Royals will come into Game 1 on Tuesday night thinking that this is every bit their time in baseball, as they try to win their first World Series since 1985 the way the Mets try to win their first since ‘86, especially after the way the Royals won Game 6 against the Blue Jays on Friday night, Lorenzo Cain running the bases the way Junior Griffey ran the bases against the Yankees in another October."
Yes, every team that goes into the World Series is on a roll and every team feels like a team of destiny.
You brought up an anti-Yankee moment from 20 years ago and compared two plays that were actually very dissimilar. Other than the fact that both plays had baseball players score runs via running around the bases.
But, you know ... good job. So stupid ...
"Still: It is the Mets who come into this World Series as the best and most complete team in baseball, with the best starting pitching in this world."
I think this is inaccurate.
The Mets won 90 games in a terrible division. The Mets absolutely earned their trip to the World Series. They beat the Nationals head to head, they beat the Dodgers, they humiliated the Cubs.
I don't think they're the best and most complete team in baseball, even after their July acquisitions.
The defense is average at best, the lineup is streaky at best, the "bridge" to Familia is non-existent. It wouldn't shock me if the Mets win the World Series. It also wouldn't shock me if the Royals' lineup handles the Mets' starting pitching and then destroys the Mets' middle relievers.
"They come into Tuesday night riding the same kind of wave that the Giants did the last time they won a Super Bowl, after they were 7-7 that time. And by the time those Giants made it to Lucas Oil Stadium, 7-7 didn’t matter anymore the way the Mets being just two games over .500 with 60 games to play doesn’t matter now."
Right.
The New York Giants.
I thought for sure, up until the point it said Super Bowl, that this was a baseball comparison. I thought it was going to say "the same kind of wave that the Giants did last year with Bumgarner ..."
So now, instead of pointlessly comparing two dissimilar baseball plays 20 years apart, we're comparing two different sports.
"The waiting was hard and mean, especially in baseball New York. The Yankees have only won one Series of their own since ’06. But there was the powerful idea, built over so many playoff seasons for the Yankees over the last 20 years, that not only was this their town now, but always would be."
A made-up idea you have been fighting against for 20 years.
So when it finally comes true, guess what? You don't get any credit for making that prediction.
Because, if it took twenty freaking years? That's indistinguishable from forever, for all intents and purposes.
"Only that changes, and maybe for a long time. Because whatever your rooting interest is, if you had to bet your own money right now, you would bet it on the Mets."
So?
What?
I mean, this is the moment you've supposedly been waiting for.
The Yankees are offering no resistance, but they've never been the enemy. This is a prison of your own making. You could fly the whole time, Dumbo.
Besides, baseball analysis-wise? ... the long-forgotten supposed job of baseball journalists? ... one can easily look at the Yankees' future with optimism, independently of the Mets.
The Yankees can quietly build a good team with unheralded promising young players and it would be a dream come true if Lupica crushed on Daniel Murphy for a while instead of Alex Rodriguez.
The worst thing the Yankees can do right now is react to this so-called rivalry with the Mets. Try to get media attention by making a splash. The Yankees are going to have their hands full with Toronto and other AL East teams for a few more years while they wait for all these long-term contracts to finally expire.
"There it was last Sunday night after Game 2 against the Cubs when the loud, cold night had finally ended, and I was with the crowd of people coming down the stairs and out into the parking lot, shouting 'Let’s Go Mets!' as they headed for their cars or for trains, some of the crowd heading towards Roosevelt Ave. and the rest hooking a left up 126th.
And in that moment, you could remember what it was like in this same parking lot when the ‘86 Mets were as big as any New York baseball team had ever been, and people were filing down those old, narrow ramps and out of old Shea; when the huge October swings came from Strawberry and Dykstra and Kid Carter and Ray Knight and Keith Hernandez, the way they come from Daniel Murphy now, and Curtis Granderson, and Yoenis Cespedes."
What were you expecting when your team makes the World Series?
Toronto hadn't even made the playoffs in 22 years. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908. The Royals made the WS last year, of course, but their playoff drought was 29 years.
Are fans in KC sitting on their hands, or something? Does their enthusiasm somehow denigrate the enthusiasm of, say, Cardinals fans?
My gripe is something like this: I am certainly not dismissing the genuine enthusiasm of genuine Mets fans. I'm dismissing the notion that this enthusiasm is somehow unique to the Mets, unique to New York City, that Mets fans in particular are "long-suffering."
I keep hearing, "We've never seen this before," as if Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura and Endy Chavez. never existed. How come nobody remembers Edgardo Alfonzo?
I recall a short-lived Benny Agbayani Obsession. Because: Playoffs! I could probably google Lupica + Agbayani and find the same article from 15 years ago (Lupica + Josh Satin would be truly terrifying).
"There is never any timetable for a moment like this, at Citi Field or anywhere else. There was no timetable for the Giants that time. Then Eli Manning threw one to Victor Cruz and by the time Cruz stopped running it was a 99-yard touchdown play against the Jets.
That was no fluke. Neither is this. There are no straight lines in sports, especially not to the Canyon of Heroes."
OK, not sure why it's necessary to cross-pollinate sports moments.
The 2015 Mets have a very obvious NY baseball analogy and that is the 1996 Yankees. Ahead of schedule, young players, fan base surprised by their playoff success, etc.
If it's important to gauge the relative enthusiasm of New York's two baseball teams, then you can't do this in 2015 because the Yankees aren't good enough. I don't think Yankee fans were, you know, quietly exiting the Stadium in October 2000, bored with their third title in a row :-(
"I love when people who didn’t watch five Mets games during the regular season tell you with great certainty why they are now going all the way, baby!"
I love when journalists who didn't watch five Mets games during the regular season tell you with great certainty why they are now the best baseball team on the planet.
If they don't, I will keep predicting that they will.
Over the course of several decades, I may end up being correct:
"So you know the Royals will come into Game 1 on Tuesday night thinking that this is every bit their time in baseball, as they try to win their first World Series since 1985 the way the Mets try to win their first since ‘86, especially after the way the Royals won Game 6 against the Blue Jays on Friday night, Lorenzo Cain running the bases the way Junior Griffey ran the bases against the Yankees in another October."
Yes, every team that goes into the World Series is on a roll and every team feels like a team of destiny.
You brought up an anti-Yankee moment from 20 years ago and compared two plays that were actually very dissimilar. Other than the fact that both plays had baseball players score runs via running around the bases.
But, you know ... good job. So stupid ...
- Donaldson struck out looking and it reminded me of Beltran taking a third strike against the Cardinals.
- A guy hit a HR and it reminded me of the time that Molina hit that HR to beat the Mets.
- Some pitcher walked a guy and it reminded me of the time Kenny Rogers walked in the winning run against the Braves.
"Still: It is the Mets who come into this World Series as the best and most complete team in baseball, with the best starting pitching in this world."
I think this is inaccurate.
The Mets won 90 games in a terrible division. The Mets absolutely earned their trip to the World Series. They beat the Nationals head to head, they beat the Dodgers, they humiliated the Cubs.
I don't think they're the best and most complete team in baseball, even after their July acquisitions.
The defense is average at best, the lineup is streaky at best, the "bridge" to Familia is non-existent. It wouldn't shock me if the Mets win the World Series. It also wouldn't shock me if the Royals' lineup handles the Mets' starting pitching and then destroys the Mets' middle relievers.
"They come into Tuesday night riding the same kind of wave that the Giants did the last time they won a Super Bowl, after they were 7-7 that time. And by the time those Giants made it to Lucas Oil Stadium, 7-7 didn’t matter anymore the way the Mets being just two games over .500 with 60 games to play doesn’t matter now."
Right.
The New York Giants.
I thought for sure, up until the point it said Super Bowl, that this was a baseball comparison. I thought it was going to say "the same kind of wave that the Giants did last year with Bumgarner ..."
So now, instead of pointlessly comparing two dissimilar baseball plays 20 years apart, we're comparing two different sports.
"The waiting was hard and mean, especially in baseball New York. The Yankees have only won one Series of their own since ’06. But there was the powerful idea, built over so many playoff seasons for the Yankees over the last 20 years, that not only was this their town now, but always would be."
A made-up idea you have been fighting against for 20 years.
So when it finally comes true, guess what? You don't get any credit for making that prediction.
Because, if it took twenty freaking years? That's indistinguishable from forever, for all intents and purposes.
"Only that changes, and maybe for a long time. Because whatever your rooting interest is, if you had to bet your own money right now, you would bet it on the Mets."
So?
What?
I mean, this is the moment you've supposedly been waiting for.
The Yankees are offering no resistance, but they've never been the enemy. This is a prison of your own making. You could fly the whole time, Dumbo.
Besides, baseball analysis-wise? ... the long-forgotten supposed job of baseball journalists? ... one can easily look at the Yankees' future with optimism, independently of the Mets.
The Yankees can quietly build a good team with unheralded promising young players and it would be a dream come true if Lupica crushed on Daniel Murphy for a while instead of Alex Rodriguez.
The worst thing the Yankees can do right now is react to this so-called rivalry with the Mets. Try to get media attention by making a splash. The Yankees are going to have their hands full with Toronto and other AL East teams for a few more years while they wait for all these long-term contracts to finally expire.
"There it was last Sunday night after Game 2 against the Cubs when the loud, cold night had finally ended, and I was with the crowd of people coming down the stairs and out into the parking lot, shouting 'Let’s Go Mets!' as they headed for their cars or for trains, some of the crowd heading towards Roosevelt Ave. and the rest hooking a left up 126th.
And in that moment, you could remember what it was like in this same parking lot when the ‘86 Mets were as big as any New York baseball team had ever been, and people were filing down those old, narrow ramps and out of old Shea; when the huge October swings came from Strawberry and Dykstra and Kid Carter and Ray Knight and Keith Hernandez, the way they come from Daniel Murphy now, and Curtis Granderson, and Yoenis Cespedes."
What were you expecting when your team makes the World Series?
Toronto hadn't even made the playoffs in 22 years. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908. The Royals made the WS last year, of course, but their playoff drought was 29 years.
Are fans in KC sitting on their hands, or something? Does their enthusiasm somehow denigrate the enthusiasm of, say, Cardinals fans?
My gripe is something like this: I am certainly not dismissing the genuine enthusiasm of genuine Mets fans. I'm dismissing the notion that this enthusiasm is somehow unique to the Mets, unique to New York City, that Mets fans in particular are "long-suffering."
I keep hearing, "We've never seen this before," as if Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura and Endy Chavez. never existed. How come nobody remembers Edgardo Alfonzo?
I recall a short-lived Benny Agbayani Obsession. Because: Playoffs! I could probably google Lupica + Agbayani and find the same article from 15 years ago (Lupica + Josh Satin would be truly terrifying).
"There is never any timetable for a moment like this, at Citi Field or anywhere else. There was no timetable for the Giants that time. Then Eli Manning threw one to Victor Cruz and by the time Cruz stopped running it was a 99-yard touchdown play against the Jets.
That was no fluke. Neither is this. There are no straight lines in sports, especially not to the Canyon of Heroes."
OK, not sure why it's necessary to cross-pollinate sports moments.
The 2015 Mets have a very obvious NY baseball analogy and that is the 1996 Yankees. Ahead of schedule, young players, fan base surprised by their playoff success, etc.
If it's important to gauge the relative enthusiasm of New York's two baseball teams, then you can't do this in 2015 because the Yankees aren't good enough. I don't think Yankee fans were, you know, quietly exiting the Stadium in October 2000, bored with their third title in a row :-(
"I love when people who didn’t watch five Mets games during the regular season tell you with great certainty why they are now going all the way, baby!"
I love when journalists who didn't watch five Mets games during the regular season tell you with great certainty why they are now the best baseball team on the planet.
Friday, October 23, 2015
What about the other 50 weeks per year?
1. Don't spend one public dime on this idea.
2. There are about a million venues where people can get together to watch sports.
3. The racial/societal tensions in NYC? Please don't realy on the vicissitudes of a sports team to address these important issues.
2. There are about a million venues where people can get together to watch sports.
3. The racial/societal tensions in NYC? Please don't realy on the vicissitudes of a sports team to address these important issues.
Do not read the comments section if you feel the need to retain the illusion of a properly educated populace in a representative democracy.
One guy does say that he doesn't flaunt his heterosexuality and he's sick and tired of homosexual flaunting their sexuality and shoving their sexuality down his throat.
Assuming this is a Freudian slip, and the chances that it's not a Freudian slip are close to zero, and he's worried about the discomfort of homosexuals shoving things down his throat, I've heard that Chloraseptic (TM) helps and, oddly enough, squeezing your left thumb.
Assuming this is a Freudian slip, and the chances that it's not a Freudian slip are close to zero, and he's worried about the discomfort of homosexuals shoving things down his throat, I've heard that Chloraseptic (TM) helps and, oddly enough, squeezing your left thumb.
Doesnt like ARod, doesn't see irony.
"Of the thousands of baseball players and experts Fox Sports could have
selected to appear on its postseason shows, it picked the worst."
They might be the next-to-worst, but they couldn't be the worst.
"It chose the most notorious, earnest and purposeful cheater to ever play the game. It chose the man whose name is synonymous with performance-enhancing drugs. It chose A-Rod."
I don't think he's the most notorious, earnest, or purposeful cheater to ever play the game by any means.
Though decades' worth of cheaters appreciate your willingness to let them off the hook.
"Alex Rodriguez, who admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 and then was suspended for the entire 2014 season for his big role in the Biogenesis scandal, isn’t just any old baseball steroids guy. He is the guy."
Except he isn't.
Take the Mets. Their emerging superstar closer who hasn't allowed a run in the postseason.
He is the Mets' backup closer.
Can you even name the Mets' primary closer? The guy who was suspended for repeated steroid use?
Not that Mejia is more famous than ARod, but that is Christine Brennan's fault.
"Congratulations, Fox. What a terrible message this sends to children — if kids actually watched playoff baseball games anymore."
I believe that children are our future.
Prohibit them from exposure to ARod and they will lead the way.
"Experts say the use of performance-enhancing drugs by kids in high school sports has reached epidemic proportions. Seeing superstars suspended or hauled before Congress can act as a deterrent to these kids. Seeing them propped up on pregame shows as faux stars does not."
If seeing superstars suspended or hauled before Congress can act as a deterrent to these kids, then how did PED use by kids in high school reach epidemic proportions?
The Congressional hearings were, like, 10 years ago.
ARod became an analyst on Fox Sports, like, yesterday.
"Perhaps next year, Fox can put together a panel featuring A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro. Now that’s truly hitting for the cycle.
Fox Sports’ baseball audience is minuscule compared with the NFL’s, but that doesn’t make the network’s decision any less egregious. In fact, that’s probably why Fox did it, to try to boost ratings. It’s not a coincidence that one of Rodriguez’s fellow studio analysts is Pete Rose."
1) That sounds like an interesting panel because I haven't heard from Palmeiro in a long time.
2) I think it's a total coincidence that ARod's fellow studio analyst is Pete Rose. The link is that they're both cheaters in MLB. Other than that distinction they share with thousands of other ex-jocks, they don't have much more in common.
3) Boosting ratings is not probably why Fox Sports chose ARod to be a studio analyst ... it's the only reason. What other reason could one possibly imagine?
"For all baseball’s talk and action on the subject of PEDs, it has never taken them as seriously as the Olympic world has, and it still does not. That’s why the sport allows someone who has flouted the rules as badly as A-Rod has to still be one of the faces of the game.
This tells us that the game, and Fox Sports, will do anything to get attention.
Anything."
We wouldn't want to give any attention to ARod, would we?
Think of the children.
They might be the next-to-worst, but they couldn't be the worst.
"It chose the most notorious, earnest and purposeful cheater to ever play the game. It chose the man whose name is synonymous with performance-enhancing drugs. It chose A-Rod."
I don't think he's the most notorious, earnest, or purposeful cheater to ever play the game by any means.
Though decades' worth of cheaters appreciate your willingness to let them off the hook.
"Alex Rodriguez, who admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 and then was suspended for the entire 2014 season for his big role in the Biogenesis scandal, isn’t just any old baseball steroids guy. He is the guy."
Except he isn't.
Take the Mets. Their emerging superstar closer who hasn't allowed a run in the postseason.
He is the Mets' backup closer.
Can you even name the Mets' primary closer? The guy who was suspended for repeated steroid use?
Not that Mejia is more famous than ARod, but that is Christine Brennan's fault.
"Congratulations, Fox. What a terrible message this sends to children — if kids actually watched playoff baseball games anymore."
I believe that children are our future.
Prohibit them from exposure to ARod and they will lead the way.
"Experts say the use of performance-enhancing drugs by kids in high school sports has reached epidemic proportions. Seeing superstars suspended or hauled before Congress can act as a deterrent to these kids. Seeing them propped up on pregame shows as faux stars does not."
If seeing superstars suspended or hauled before Congress can act as a deterrent to these kids, then how did PED use by kids in high school reach epidemic proportions?
The Congressional hearings were, like, 10 years ago.
ARod became an analyst on Fox Sports, like, yesterday.
"Perhaps next year, Fox can put together a panel featuring A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro. Now that’s truly hitting for the cycle.
Fox Sports’ baseball audience is minuscule compared with the NFL’s, but that doesn’t make the network’s decision any less egregious. In fact, that’s probably why Fox did it, to try to boost ratings. It’s not a coincidence that one of Rodriguez’s fellow studio analysts is Pete Rose."
1) That sounds like an interesting panel because I haven't heard from Palmeiro in a long time.
2) I think it's a total coincidence that ARod's fellow studio analyst is Pete Rose. The link is that they're both cheaters in MLB. Other than that distinction they share with thousands of other ex-jocks, they don't have much more in common.
3) Boosting ratings is not probably why Fox Sports chose ARod to be a studio analyst ... it's the only reason. What other reason could one possibly imagine?
"For all baseball’s talk and action on the subject of PEDs, it has never taken them as seriously as the Olympic world has, and it still does not. That’s why the sport allows someone who has flouted the rules as badly as A-Rod has to still be one of the faces of the game.
This tells us that the game, and Fox Sports, will do anything to get attention.
Anything."
We wouldn't want to give any attention to ARod, would we?
Think of the children.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
No.
Grown ups "should" do whatever they want:
"Stop being sour.
Yankees fans, you're upset, and we get it. Alex Rodriguez is on Fox Sports in a suit. Masahiro Tanaka just had offseason surgery. The team just dumped its second hitting coach in as many years. In the Bronx, the lights are off.
Meanwhile, Queens has been electric. The Mets own all the headlines and the back pages and they have a legitimate chance to reach the World Series.
And, Yankees fans, you should be rooting for them. Here's why:"
The particulars of the argument don't matter much.
Fun? Sure. If you're a Mets fan.
Leadership? Sure. Starting in the playoffs when they started winning, they started demonstrating leadership. That's wonderful ... if you're a Mets fan.
The young arms? They're poised for the future it seems. If you're a Mets fan, that's encouraging.
Guts? I mean ... the bold July acquisitions would be dismissed as mercenary rentals if the Mets were losing. But they're not losing.
Sympathy? Not compared to the Cubs ... or the Royals ... or the Blue Jays, for that matter.
As for the question being posed in the first place: I don't recall Mets fans being implored to join the Yankee bandwagon in '76, '77, '78, '81, '96, '98, '99, '00 (well, that one doesn't count, of course), '01, '03, or '09.
Yankee fan allegiance is not a huge storyline around here, and it shouldn't be, but Yankees fans are sometimes being asked to join the party (what is Mike Francesa doing behind home plate at CitiField?).
"It's a New York thing and we should root for the local team."
No.
Some Yankee fans consider the Mets to be their rivals, so they will root against the Mets. Some Yankee fans (yours truly) don't really consider the Mets to be their rivals, so the proper attitude -- the respectful attitude -- is indifference.
"Stop being sour.
Yankees fans, you're upset, and we get it. Alex Rodriguez is on Fox Sports in a suit. Masahiro Tanaka just had offseason surgery. The team just dumped its second hitting coach in as many years. In the Bronx, the lights are off.
Meanwhile, Queens has been electric. The Mets own all the headlines and the back pages and they have a legitimate chance to reach the World Series.
And, Yankees fans, you should be rooting for them. Here's why:"
The particulars of the argument don't matter much.
Fun? Sure. If you're a Mets fan.
Leadership? Sure. Starting in the playoffs when they started winning, they started demonstrating leadership. That's wonderful ... if you're a Mets fan.
The young arms? They're poised for the future it seems. If you're a Mets fan, that's encouraging.
Guts? I mean ... the bold July acquisitions would be dismissed as mercenary rentals if the Mets were losing. But they're not losing.
Sympathy? Not compared to the Cubs ... or the Royals ... or the Blue Jays, for that matter.
As for the question being posed in the first place: I don't recall Mets fans being implored to join the Yankee bandwagon in '76, '77, '78, '81, '96, '98, '99, '00 (well, that one doesn't count, of course), '01, '03, or '09.
Yankee fan allegiance is not a huge storyline around here, and it shouldn't be, but Yankees fans are sometimes being asked to join the party (what is Mike Francesa doing behind home plate at CitiField?).
"It's a New York thing and we should root for the local team."
No.
Some Yankee fans consider the Mets to be their rivals, so they will root against the Mets. Some Yankee fans (yours truly) don't really consider the Mets to be their rivals, so the proper attitude -- the respectful attitude -- is indifference.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Lupica steps it up on October.
"It was that way for Brian Doyle, who stepped in for Willie Randolph at second base what feels like 100 years ago and hit .438 in the 1978 World Series against the Dodgers. Of course Al Weis, another second baseman, became an unlikely home run hitter for the Mets in the ’69 World Series. And that is just the short list."
I totally have a much bigger list of unlikely NY baseball playoff heroes and that list is easily accessible to me.
I just don't want to share it with you at this time because I wouldn't want to bore you.
There was also, you know ... that guy? ... you know the one ... the guy with the thing? Yes, exactly. That's who I was thinking of. Oh, man, remember when he did that?
"Daniel Murphy, second baseman, is a better hitter and a better ballplayer than Weis was, or Doyle. But it still happens to him now. Does it ever. He has the time of his baseball life, out of the Dodgers series and right into this 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series against the Cubs. Just like that the Mets are two games from the World Series. And half-a-dozen from winning it all."
The HRs for Murphy are a surprise for sure, but it's not as if he's the #8 hitter.
Those kinds of short-sample-size outbursts happen. They never don't happen.
"But it has been that kind of October for his son. Murphy has made it, finally, to games like the ones he is playing now, after all the empty Octobers in his career. If you are Murphy, and all you’ve ever done is watch somebody else play these games, you had to wonder what it would be like on baseball’s bright, loud, great stage. All athletes, no matter how confident, no matter how strong their faith in themselves and God, wonder what kind of game they will have when the lights get turned up."
Oh, yeah, that God comment reminds me.
Personally? I don't let him off the hook for being an anti-homosexual bigot.
So that's another reason to root for the Cubs.
I totally have a much bigger list of unlikely NY baseball playoff heroes and that list is easily accessible to me.
I just don't want to share it with you at this time because I wouldn't want to bore you.
There was also, you know ... that guy? ... you know the one ... the guy with the thing? Yes, exactly. That's who I was thinking of. Oh, man, remember when he did that?
"Daniel Murphy, second baseman, is a better hitter and a better ballplayer than Weis was, or Doyle. But it still happens to him now. Does it ever. He has the time of his baseball life, out of the Dodgers series and right into this 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series against the Cubs. Just like that the Mets are two games from the World Series. And half-a-dozen from winning it all."
The HRs for Murphy are a surprise for sure, but it's not as if he's the #8 hitter.
Those kinds of short-sample-size outbursts happen. They never don't happen.
"But it has been that kind of October for his son. Murphy has made it, finally, to games like the ones he is playing now, after all the empty Octobers in his career. If you are Murphy, and all you’ve ever done is watch somebody else play these games, you had to wonder what it would be like on baseball’s bright, loud, great stage. All athletes, no matter how confident, no matter how strong their faith in themselves and God, wonder what kind of game they will have when the lights get turned up."
Oh, yeah, that God comment reminds me.
Personally? I don't let him off the hook for being an anti-homosexual bigot.
So that's another reason to root for the Cubs.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Baseball is back in the Big Apple!
"Everybody knows the monster pro football has become, here and everywhere else."
Even in Singapore.
So when I say "everywhere," I don't mean "everywhere."
I'll trust the readers to fill in the blanks, read between the lines, come along with me on my linguistic journey, as I expand the meaning of words and thus expand the English language.
"Everybody knows that the Giants’ two Super Bowl wins over the Patriots feel as big as anything that has ever happened in New York sports, at least back to the ’69 Mets and Namath’s Jets."
Almost as big as when the women's soccer team won the World Cup with that lady from New Jersey.
"But then look at what has happened around here now that the Mets are back in play, with a chance to win it all. Look how much of the oxygen in the room baseball takes up even with two winning football teams over there at MetLife Stadium."
Totally valid comparison.
Baseball's semifinal round generates more interest than week 6 of the NFL season for a 3-2 Giants team ... and the conclusion is ... well, there is no conclusion. It's another example Lupica's weird allegiance to Selig.
"The Dodgers may make a splash soon by firing Don Mattingly, as if it was Mattingly’s fault that his hitters left enough runners on base in Game 5 to start a softball team."
Or a baseball team. Softball teams only have one more player. A fourth outfielder ... or, like, a fifth infielder when Lupcia is batting.
Maybe it is Mattingly's fault. Why don't you explore the situation and present some observations and facts?
It's very possible that Mattingly didn't prepare his team mentally or strategically for the playoffs. I know Girardi, for example, is content letting his all-or-nothings accumulate regular season stats that help them in contract negotiations (though nobody on the team even got 100 RBIs this year). It doesn't surprise me that Keuchel shut them down in the playoffs. Partially because Keuchel is flat-out good, but also partially because the Yankees have gotten fat and happy off of hanging curves and middle relievers. What's the backup plan? There ain't one.
I don't follow the Dodgers closely enough to praise or bury Mattingly ... neither does Lupica.
"As you ask another question:
If the Mets’ plan to get back to this moment was so cheap and dumb, how come they’re still playing this season and the Dodgers aren’t?"
The Mets have been kind of cheap and will probably continue to be cheap.
It is a perfectly good strategy if (a) you are willing to wait nine years to make the playoffs, and (b) you understand what happens when you win. Your young players hit free agency at the same time your draft position falls.
So ... is your point the Dodgers' GM is lousy? "Everbody knows that" (heh heh).
That doesn't necessarily let Mattingly off the hook.
Even in Singapore.
So when I say "everywhere," I don't mean "everywhere."
I'll trust the readers to fill in the blanks, read between the lines, come along with me on my linguistic journey, as I expand the meaning of words and thus expand the English language.
"Everybody knows that the Giants’ two Super Bowl wins over the Patriots feel as big as anything that has ever happened in New York sports, at least back to the ’69 Mets and Namath’s Jets."
Almost as big as when the women's soccer team won the World Cup with that lady from New Jersey.
"But then look at what has happened around here now that the Mets are back in play, with a chance to win it all. Look how much of the oxygen in the room baseball takes up even with two winning football teams over there at MetLife Stadium."
Totally valid comparison.
Baseball's semifinal round generates more interest than week 6 of the NFL season for a 3-2 Giants team ... and the conclusion is ... well, there is no conclusion. It's another example Lupica's weird allegiance to Selig.
"The Dodgers may make a splash soon by firing Don Mattingly, as if it was Mattingly’s fault that his hitters left enough runners on base in Game 5 to start a softball team."
Or a baseball team. Softball teams only have one more player. A fourth outfielder ... or, like, a fifth infielder when Lupcia is batting.
Maybe it is Mattingly's fault. Why don't you explore the situation and present some observations and facts?
It's very possible that Mattingly didn't prepare his team mentally or strategically for the playoffs. I know Girardi, for example, is content letting his all-or-nothings accumulate regular season stats that help them in contract negotiations (though nobody on the team even got 100 RBIs this year). It doesn't surprise me that Keuchel shut them down in the playoffs. Partially because Keuchel is flat-out good, but also partially because the Yankees have gotten fat and happy off of hanging curves and middle relievers. What's the backup plan? There ain't one.
I don't follow the Dodgers closely enough to praise or bury Mattingly ... neither does Lupica.
"As you ask another question:
If the Mets’ plan to get back to this moment was so cheap and dumb, how come they’re still playing this season and the Dodgers aren’t?"
The Mets have been kind of cheap and will probably continue to be cheap.
It is a perfectly good strategy if (a) you are willing to wait nine years to make the playoffs, and (b) you understand what happens when you win. Your young players hit free agency at the same time your draft position falls.
So ... is your point the Dodgers' GM is lousy? "Everbody knows that" (heh heh).
That doesn't necessarily let Mattingly off the hook.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Somebody noticed.
"In 523 at-bats, A-Rod whiffed 145 times in 2015, the most ever for a
season in his career. Before '15, his highest total was 139, a number he
reached twice, once in 2005 and then again '06."
Next up?
David Wright's career postseason batting average.
Next up?
David Wright's career postseason batting average.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
The Future of the Yankees.
"You want to count Monday night’s sleep-inducing 3-0 loss to the Astros as making the playoffs, go ahead. Yet the last time the Yankees played a postseason series was 2012, when the Tigers swept them out of the ALCS. Adding a second wild-card spot is the product of MLB’s marketing department to keep more teams alive in September and a very flawed concept."
George A. King III just atoned for a multitude of sins with one beautiful paragraph.
"Though Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t possess the knee-jerk gene his father did, Steinbrenner likely will make changes if 2016 is the fourth season without the Yankees playing a postseason series.
Here are five topics Girardi likely will be asked to address Friday."
Girardi is not going to find too many supporters, frankly. Suzyn Waldman isn't going to weep on the air, put it that way.
"1. What was more costly in September, losing Mark Teixeira or the way Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner played?"
Easy answer: the latter.
"Considering the Yankees’ starters aren’t likely to go from 12th in the league in innings pitched (927) to among the leaders next season with likely the same names, does the bullpen need another arm in front of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller to go with Justin Wilson?"
I am a proponent. The game is changing. Relievers are more effective because it's an easier job, so stop relying on starters to get through the lineup four times ... or even three times.
"4. Whom does Girardi see at second base next season?"
George A. King III, I think it's just "who" instead of "whom."
I'm pretty sure the answer is Refsnyder, half a season too late. Which brings me to my digression ...
October 2012 is when Jeter broke his ankle.
The Yankees had just beaten Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs. It was exciting.
In Game One of the ALCS vs. Detroit, the Yankees scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie up the game ... Ibanez did it again!
Jeter breaks his ankle in extra innings, Yankees lose the game, Yankees get swept by Detroit.
Three years ago. Roughly 500 games ago.
The Yankees have been a boring team ever since with virtually zero realistic chance of winning the World Series.
They have finished over .500 every year and a lot of these games have been exciting for sure. At times, the Yankees have over-achieved for extended periods of time, which is nice and perhaps provides some optimism for the fans.
But I think I speak for a lot of Yankee fans when I say the team is boring and the brand is broken. We're all just waiting for the big contracts to end and the team to get a fresh start. The line about striving to win a Championship every year is stale (one whole ring since 2000?).
So the answer to every question should be the younger guy who has potential. Don't worry about the egos of ARod, Teixeira, Beltran, Sabathia, McCann, Headley. We know what they can do. It's not going to be enough.
Rolling the dice with the youngsters isn't just the best strategy, it's the only strategy.
Jeter's broken ankle was a turning point.
I think Tuesday's Wild Card loss may have been the breaking point.
I think this team needs more than a few tweaks.
Girardi is not above criticism.
"Did he misfire at times? You bet. All managers do. He likely regrets benching Jacoby Ellsbury in the wild-card game. The gamble did not work when neither Chris Young nor Brett Gardner got any hits and now, Girardi acknowledged, he may have some fence-mending to do with a player who’s on a $153-million contract. Though Girardi said he and Ellsbury 'had a great conversation about the move,' it had to be an ego sting for the big-name center fielder.
Of course, as Girardi also pointed out: 'If you played Ells would it have been better? Would it have been three runs better? I don’t know that.
'None of us knows that.'"
"Let's see ... according to my spreadsheet, the probability that Ellsbury's presence would have created three more runs is 1.57% ... but this doesn't factor into account that it was a night game and the temperature was under 65 degrees, and we all know that Ellsbury has historically under-performed by 0.25 standard deviations when the temperature is under 65 degrees."
Listen to yourself: "Three runs better, three runs better, three runs better."
That's really how you analyze the situation?
That's the best you've got?
I mean, Ellsbury's ego doesn't concern me in the least, and I think his Yankee career is salvageable if he gets healthy next year.
Don't judge Girardi by the team's performance in the Wild Card game. What about the final two months of the season? What happened to your team, dude?
It's not so much that Girardi is unable to gauge the attitude of his team, it's that he seems completely unwilling to do so ... and, in response, the team goes through the motions.
Of course, as Girardi also pointed out: 'If you played Ells would it have been better? Would it have been three runs better? I don’t know that.
'None of us knows that.'"
"Let's see ... according to my spreadsheet, the probability that Ellsbury's presence would have created three more runs is 1.57% ... but this doesn't factor into account that it was a night game and the temperature was under 65 degrees, and we all know that Ellsbury has historically under-performed by 0.25 standard deviations when the temperature is under 65 degrees."
Listen to yourself: "Three runs better, three runs better, three runs better."
That's really how you analyze the situation?
That's the best you've got?
I mean, Ellsbury's ego doesn't concern me in the least, and I think his Yankee career is salvageable if he gets healthy next year.
Don't judge Girardi by the team's performance in the Wild Card game. What about the final two months of the season? What happened to your team, dude?
It's not so much that Girardi is unable to gauge the attitude of his team, it's that he seems completely unwilling to do so ... and, in response, the team goes through the motions.
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Yahoo writers make their playoff predictions.
They make these playoff predictions after the Wild Card round.
Why?
Because the Wild Card round isn't really the playoffs.
Why?
Because the Wild Card round isn't really the playoffs.
Competition
I can't believe all the whining. If you don't like it, then beat Arrieta ... or beat the Cardinals in the regular season. At least Clint Hurdle is acting like a grown man.
Girardi
"The Yankees
were already well on their way to a drubbing in the first game of a
doubleheader on Saturday when reliever Nick Goody unleashed a pitch in
the bottom of the seventh inning that the Baltimore slugger Chris Davis
swung at and missed. But in a manner fitting for how the day — and the
week — unfolded for the Yankees, the pitch eluded catcher John Ryan
Murphy and bounced to the backstop, allowing Nolan Reimold to coast home
from third.
That put the Orioles ahead by 10-2.
Or so it seemed. Because a moment later, Yankees Manager Joe Girardi
signaled to the umpires that he wanted to challenge the play, believing
that Goody’s pitch had nicked Davis in the foot. If it had, the play
would be dead, and Reimold would have to return to third.
As it turned out, Girardi was correct.
As it also turned out, it mattered little. The Yankees lost, 9-2."
I give him credit for watching this game because I surely had tuned out.
"Girardi
led the Yankees this season, which ended quietly with a 3-0 loss to the
Houston Astros in the American League wild-card game Tuesday night, in
what has become his distinctive manner — chin out, homework finished and
fingers itching to push the right buttons.
If
Girardi seems to be forever seeking windmills at which to tilt or hills
that he can push boulders up, Sisyphus-like — or pitching changes to
execute — that is because that is exactly what he is doing. Tuesday’s
showdown with the Astros was hardly the only game he managed this year
as if the season depended on it.
Whether
he has been too relentless in that approach now seems open to question,
particularly because the 2015 Yankees faded as the season drew to a
close. Still, he remains the man trusted to push the team as far as it
can go. And as Girardi himself might point out, the 2016 season is a
mere six months away."
Overall, the team exceeded expectations.
I thought Girardi failed to push the team down the stretch, actually, growing over-confident with a big lead in the AL East and an easy travel schedule.
"He
was criticized for overusing Dellin Betances, who threw more innings
than any other reliever in baseball this season, including a recent
appearance against the Mets when he was called upon in the eighth inning
with the Yankees ahead, 5-0. But Girardi’s small circle of trust
probably affected the Yankees more on the offensive end.
Is
it a coincidence that the only players who looked fresh at the end of
the season were Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird and Rob Refsnyder (all 25 or
younger) and 38-year-old Carlos Beltran, the only regular who was given
frequent rest over the first half of the season?
Alex
Rodriguez (40 years old), Brett Gardner (32) and Chase Headley (31) all
played more than 150 games — and Mark Teixeira (35) was on pace to do
so when he broke his leg in August. Jacoby Ellsbury (32) played in 111
of the 119 games in which he was not on the disabled list. And Brian
McCann (31), who had three extra-base hits after Sept. 1, started 119
games at catcher — his most since 2010.
Whether
Girardi will trust promising young players like Murphy, the versatile
Dustin Ackley, Refsnyder or a young outfielder like Slade Heathcott or
Mason Williams to take on a bigger role next year is uncertain. Bird
might be back in the minors so he can play regularly if Teixeira and
Rodriguez return in good health, Cashman said.
Meanwhile,
there is little doubt that over the winter, Girardi will examine any
data, conduct his due diligence and head to spring training with plans
and contingencies. As Cashman said, he does not take anything lightly.
Which may or may not be a problem."
I'd say the bullpen management is an ongoing strength. He rode his old, expensive players too much and should have seen the breakdowns coming. He also clearly doesn't possess the "emotional intelligence" that Torre possessed, and that counts for something.
We knew Young would get the start on Tuesday, but it was a bold move to bench Ellsbury instead of Gardner.
Gardner rewarded this loyalty with and 0-for-4 and 3 strikeouts.
Monday, October 05, 2015
100 percentage points.
100% chance that one team will win the World Series, but you can't have more than 100% of anything.
How would you divvy up the ten teams?
It's not easy. The 100 points disappear quickly.
Dodgers 16%
Cardinals 15%
Blue Jays 15%
Royals 14%
Mets 11%
Rangers 10%
Pirates 9%
Cubs 5%
Astros 3%
Yankees 2%
How would you divvy up the ten teams?
It's not easy. The 100 points disappear quickly.
Dodgers 16%
Cardinals 15%
Blue Jays 15%
Royals 14%
Mets 11%
Rangers 10%
Pirates 9%
Cubs 5%
Astros 3%
Yankees 2%
Sunday, October 04, 2015
Maybe the teams don't care as much about these games as you seem to think they do.
What's at stake in game #162? Not much. Nobody cares, evidently, as actions speak louder than words.
Don't sell this as an important game or a playoff-esque game and then bring Capuano out of the bullpen in the fourth inning.
Same goes for Toronto resting up and conceding home field (in the ALCS, for crying out loud) to the Royals. So that's what Toronto is playing for ... home field in the ALCS ... but only if KC makes it to the ALCS.
They also play the winner of the AL West in the ALSA instead of the Wild Card winner ... as if there's a huge difference there in sub-90 win teams.
Oh, and as for home field in the World Series? That's the winner of the All Star Game.
I can't remember who won the All Star Game, can you?
Don't sell this as an important game or a playoff-esque game and then bring Capuano out of the bullpen in the fourth inning.
Same goes for Toronto resting up and conceding home field (in the ALCS, for crying out loud) to the Royals. So that's what Toronto is playing for ... home field in the ALCS ... but only if KC makes it to the ALCS.
They also play the winner of the AL West in the ALSA instead of the Wild Card winner ... as if there's a huge difference there in sub-90 win teams.
Oh, and as for home field in the World Series? That's the winner of the All Star Game.
I can't remember who won the All Star Game, can you?
I don't believe Mike Lupica is a baseball fan, nor do I believe he pays attention to actual baseball games.
The best regular season I can think of -- in terms of weird September comebacks, anyway -- was that season a few years ago when the Rays came from way back and knocked out Boston on the last day of the season. The Cardinals did the same thing to the Braves.
It wasn't that long ago.
It was 2011:
"There has never been a better regular season in baseball than this one, at least not lately."
What is your agenda?
This is such an implausibly ridiculous statement, that I find it utterly impossible that you genuinely feel this way.
"All the way to the last weekend of the season, you had two New York teams in the playoffs, you had Chicago in the playoffs, you had the Dodgers in the playoffs and the Angels still trying to get in."
Well, gee.
When 1/3rd of the teams make the "playoffs," then a lot of teams will make the "playoffs."
There is simply no comparison to the first nine decades of MLB because the teams really had to earn it.
"That’s just the overture.
You had two Texas teams in play and the Cardinals — and their 100 victories — and the Royals in play and the team in Canada with as strong a chance to win it all as anybody."
OK. You're clearly prefer quantity over quality.
I gladly admit that Saturday's game in Texas drew a big crowd who thought they'd witness a division-clinching event. It took to game #161 to get some buzz in Arlington, but it's more buzz than I thought they'd get.
Toronto (aka "the team in Canada") is a huge success story in 2015. Again, that took a division title. I doubt they'd get jazzed up about a wild card, but, on the other hand, they've waited a long time.
"But the country is supposed to have passed the game by.
Sure it has."
Relative to football, I think, but that's water that passed under the bridge a long time ago.
"You know who says that?"
Who?
Who says this?
Who dares to question the Selig Success Story of watered-down playoff teams and luxury taxes and "parity"? Is it one of the usual suspects? Is it one of your unnamed friends, a "huge Yankee fan," or such? Is it Rudy Giuliani? Is it one of the contestants from "Dancing with the Stars"? Is it your father/mother/wife/one of your children? Is it Scott Boras? Is it ARod's platelet-spinning doctor? Is it Mike Baxter, that kid from Archbishop Molloy who saved Johan Santana's no-hitter? Is is Mr. Met?
"People who don’t really know anything about baseball or who never cared about baseball in the first place, and think that the real national pastime is deciding between DraftKings and FanDuel."
DraftKings and FanDuel probably bother with fantasy baseball, but fantasy baseball is undoubtedly a teeny tiny fraction of their fantasy football business.
Which kind of disproves your point, doesn't it? The popularity of football-fueled DraftKings and FanDuel? Millions of Americans ignoring baseball?
If there are enough people who never cared about baseball in the first place, then ... well, you finish the conclusion about national pastimes and such.
I think Cubs vs. Pirates will be an interesting wild card game.
The Yankees will benefit from the wild card this year and the Yankees were the first AL wild card team ever, back in 1995.
I still insist that the 2015 regular season was ruined by the wild card safety net.
The AL East race was boring because Girardi never pushed the gas pedal to the floor. Of course, some of the games were exciting -- Beltran's 3-run HR, a couple of Tanaka masterpieces -- but it was nowhere near the tension of a good old-fashioned pennant race between two legit rivals.
The AL West and all the possible permutations that are coming down to the last week? Imagine if only one of these teams could make the playoffs.
Who loses in this scenario? Pittsburgh and Chicago. Tough. Sorry, but you need to beat St. Louis ... and maybe one of wild card teams would have been compelled to really go for it at the trading deadline, with the knowledge that 95 wins wasn't going to cut it.
That's how I feel about that ... and I've never even looked at DraftKings or FanDuel.
It wasn't that long ago.
It was 2011:
"There has never been a better regular season in baseball than this one, at least not lately."
What is your agenda?
This is such an implausibly ridiculous statement, that I find it utterly impossible that you genuinely feel this way.
"All the way to the last weekend of the season, you had two New York teams in the playoffs, you had Chicago in the playoffs, you had the Dodgers in the playoffs and the Angels still trying to get in."
Well, gee.
When 1/3rd of the teams make the "playoffs," then a lot of teams will make the "playoffs."
There is simply no comparison to the first nine decades of MLB because the teams really had to earn it.
"That’s just the overture.
You had two Texas teams in play and the Cardinals — and their 100 victories — and the Royals in play and the team in Canada with as strong a chance to win it all as anybody."
OK. You're clearly prefer quantity over quality.
I gladly admit that Saturday's game in Texas drew a big crowd who thought they'd witness a division-clinching event. It took to game #161 to get some buzz in Arlington, but it's more buzz than I thought they'd get.
Toronto (aka "the team in Canada") is a huge success story in 2015. Again, that took a division title. I doubt they'd get jazzed up about a wild card, but, on the other hand, they've waited a long time.
"But the country is supposed to have passed the game by.
Sure it has."
Relative to football, I think, but that's water that passed under the bridge a long time ago.
"You know who says that?"
Who?
Who says this?
Who dares to question the Selig Success Story of watered-down playoff teams and luxury taxes and "parity"? Is it one of the usual suspects? Is it one of your unnamed friends, a "huge Yankee fan," or such? Is it Rudy Giuliani? Is it one of the contestants from "Dancing with the Stars"? Is it your father/mother/wife/one of your children? Is it Scott Boras? Is it ARod's platelet-spinning doctor? Is it Mike Baxter, that kid from Archbishop Molloy who saved Johan Santana's no-hitter? Is is Mr. Met?
"People who don’t really know anything about baseball or who never cared about baseball in the first place, and think that the real national pastime is deciding between DraftKings and FanDuel."
DraftKings and FanDuel probably bother with fantasy baseball, but fantasy baseball is undoubtedly a teeny tiny fraction of their fantasy football business.
Which kind of disproves your point, doesn't it? The popularity of football-fueled DraftKings and FanDuel? Millions of Americans ignoring baseball?
If there are enough people who never cared about baseball in the first place, then ... well, you finish the conclusion about national pastimes and such.
I think Cubs vs. Pirates will be an interesting wild card game.
The Yankees will benefit from the wild card this year and the Yankees were the first AL wild card team ever, back in 1995.
I still insist that the 2015 regular season was ruined by the wild card safety net.
The AL East race was boring because Girardi never pushed the gas pedal to the floor. Of course, some of the games were exciting -- Beltran's 3-run HR, a couple of Tanaka masterpieces -- but it was nowhere near the tension of a good old-fashioned pennant race between two legit rivals.
The AL West and all the possible permutations that are coming down to the last week? Imagine if only one of these teams could make the playoffs.
Who loses in this scenario? Pittsburgh and Chicago. Tough. Sorry, but you need to beat St. Louis ... and maybe one of wild card teams would have been compelled to really go for it at the trading deadline, with the knowledge that 95 wins wasn't going to cut it.
That's how I feel about that ... and I've never even looked at DraftKings or FanDuel.
Friday, October 02, 2015
Replaceable
"Where would the Yankees be without Adam Warren this season? They would
be waking up in their Baltimore hotel Friday morning, just as they are.
The only difference is they may not all still be soaked in champagne."
Or they'd have to replace him with Hansel Robles.
Or they'd have to replace him with Hansel Robles.
AL Least?
The AL East is the best division in the AL and probably the second-best division in baseball.
Just sayin'.
Just sayin'.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Despite rumors to the contray, Mike Lupica was not laid off.
You know the drill by now: Mets are great, ARod is a bum, it would be a shame if (Longtime Fan Favorite) Juan Uribe didn't play in the playoffs, pro-David Ortiz, pro-Red Sox ...
"One of the amazing late-season stories in baseball, and that means anywhere, is the way 35-year old Rich Hill has pitched for the Boston Red Sox.
On Friday night against the Orioles, Hill gave up a hit to the first batter he faced and didn’t give up another one until the 9th, and walked away with a two-hitter."
Who????
That is one of the amazing late-season stories in baseball? Two sub-.500 washouts snoring through a late September game?
That's what caught your attention in late-season MLB?
Not the time Jose Altuve was cleaning wax out of his ears while sitting on the bench?
"One of the amazing late-season stories in baseball, and that means anywhere, is the way 35-year old Rich Hill has pitched for the Boston Red Sox.
On Friday night against the Orioles, Hill gave up a hit to the first batter he faced and didn’t give up another one until the 9th, and walked away with a two-hitter."
Who????
That is one of the amazing late-season stories in baseball? Two sub-.500 washouts snoring through a late September game?
That's what caught your attention in late-season MLB?
Not the time Jose Altuve was cleaning wax out of his ears while sitting on the bench?
Thursday, September 24, 2015
I did a double-take when I saw Bailey on the mound.
"Now on to the bullpen. The Yankees like Pazos and Cotham and both seemingly are auditioning for potential postseason roles.
Girardi’s closer, Andrew Miller, was not available after throwing 42 pitches in a two-inning stint in Tuesday’s win, so bullpen roles were shifted, giving Pazos, Cotham and, later, Andrew Bailey, a chance in high-leverage moments. Maybe the fact that the struggling Chasen Shreve didn’t pitch says something about his place in the relief pecking order.
Going into the game, Girardi planned to use Justin Wilson in the eighth inning Wednesday and then close with Dellin Betances. 'We never really got to a situation where we could use them,' Girardi lamented.'"
I don't think Pazos, Cotham, or Bailey are auditioning for a spot on the playoff roster.
Girardi turned over the game to middle-of-the-bullpen September callups.
The score was 0-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning with a runner on first base and two outs.
"But this all brings us to the real problem Wednesday − the Yanks mustered nothing on offense against Long Island’s Marcus Stroman, setup man Brett Cecil and closer Roberto Osuna.
'We just weren’t able to get any runs across,' said Brett Gardner, one of the culprits since he is 4-for-39 in his last 10 games. 'You’ve got to score a couple runs if you want to beat these guys.
“We just didn’t do our job offensively.'
What does any move matter if your team does not score against the team it’s chasing in the race?"
This is all hypothetical, of course, but if the score was 0-0 or 1-0 in the ninth inning ... and ARod led off with a (small rally) double ... then maybe the offense plays it differently and gets the run home.
Maybe they win the game in extra innings.
Maybe they pull withing 1.5 of the Blue Jays and make a run at the East.
I doubt any of this would happen, but it might have.
The bullpen moves matter because Girardi's actions speak louder than his words. He knows the Yankees won't win the AL East and he is preparing for the Wild Card.
If Wednesday's game was a playoff game, if it was the biggest game of the season, then Girardi would have put all hands on deck and taken his changes with the White Sox.
Girardi’s closer, Andrew Miller, was not available after throwing 42 pitches in a two-inning stint in Tuesday’s win, so bullpen roles were shifted, giving Pazos, Cotham and, later, Andrew Bailey, a chance in high-leverage moments. Maybe the fact that the struggling Chasen Shreve didn’t pitch says something about his place in the relief pecking order.
Going into the game, Girardi planned to use Justin Wilson in the eighth inning Wednesday and then close with Dellin Betances. 'We never really got to a situation where we could use them,' Girardi lamented.'"
I don't think Pazos, Cotham, or Bailey are auditioning for a spot on the playoff roster.
Girardi turned over the game to middle-of-the-bullpen September callups.
The score was 0-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning with a runner on first base and two outs.
"But this all brings us to the real problem Wednesday − the Yanks mustered nothing on offense against Long Island’s Marcus Stroman, setup man Brett Cecil and closer Roberto Osuna.
'We just weren’t able to get any runs across,' said Brett Gardner, one of the culprits since he is 4-for-39 in his last 10 games. 'You’ve got to score a couple runs if you want to beat these guys.
“We just didn’t do our job offensively.'
What does any move matter if your team does not score against the team it’s chasing in the race?"
This is all hypothetical, of course, but if the score was 0-0 or 1-0 in the ninth inning ... and ARod led off with a (small rally) double ... then maybe the offense plays it differently and gets the run home.
Maybe they win the game in extra innings.
Maybe they pull withing 1.5 of the Blue Jays and make a run at the East.
I doubt any of this would happen, but it might have.
The bullpen moves matter because Girardi's actions speak louder than his words. He knows the Yankees won't win the AL East and he is preparing for the Wild Card.
If Wednesday's game was a playoff game, if it was the biggest game of the season, then Girardi would have put all hands on deck and taken his changes with the White Sox.
Small Rally
Brendan Kuty describes the smallest rally of all:
"SMALL RALLY: Alex Rodriguez doubled off Toronto closer Roberto Osuna to lead off the ninth inning but was stranded on third base."
"SMALL RALLY: Alex Rodriguez doubled off Toronto closer Roberto Osuna to lead off the ninth inning but was stranded on third base."
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Yankees are 5-12 (.294) vs. Toronto this year.
Toronto is better.
The must-win games have already been played.
Except the Yankees didn't, you know ... win.
The must-win games have already been played.
Except the Yankees didn't, you know ... win.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
This is boring stuff.
This is the third year in a row where the Yankees hit September with a mediocre team and lost lots of games and conducted lots of postgame press conferences explaining how they're not mathematically eliminated.
In this September to Remember, the Yankees got bombed by Toronto, they lost to Baltimore, they squeaked by the Rays. They're all big games, in theory.
Girardi promised this part of the season was going to be easy because his team wouldn't have to travel too much from the Eastern Time Zone, which sounds like a Program Director at a nursing home rallying his troops to the early bird special at the local Golden Griddle.
Their "strong hold" on the Wild Card is 4 games.
But they think they can catch Toronto, who's up by 4.5.
The Yankees look at the schedule and think that they're going to cruise through Boston and Chicago and Baltimore. Does it ever occur to anyone that Boston and Chicago and Baltimore and the Mets and the Blue Jays look at their upcoming schedule and consider the Yankees a soft spot?:
"The Yankees now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 4.5 games in the American League East, their biggest deficit of the season. Yes, they still have a strong hold on the Wild Card (4.0 games) but 16 games remain in the season, and nothing's guaranteed.
Plus, the Wild Card, Girardi's said all year, is nothing he's too interested in, considering it's a do-or-die, one-game playoff.
That means Saturday, Game 2 of the Subway Series, is as important as any game this season. The Yankees surely don't want to drop the fist two games against the Mets, then face a sweep, and Matt Harvey, on Sunday followed by three games in Toronto starting Monday."
Girardi will change his tune about the wild card when his team is 11 games back of Toronto.
"The Wild Card is an opportunity we played hard for all year."
The Wild Card is dreadful for MLB. Teams like this don't deserve second chances in the playoffs.
In this September to Remember, the Yankees got bombed by Toronto, they lost to Baltimore, they squeaked by the Rays. They're all big games, in theory.
Girardi promised this part of the season was going to be easy because his team wouldn't have to travel too much from the Eastern Time Zone, which sounds like a Program Director at a nursing home rallying his troops to the early bird special at the local Golden Griddle.
Their "strong hold" on the Wild Card is 4 games.
But they think they can catch Toronto, who's up by 4.5.
The Yankees look at the schedule and think that they're going to cruise through Boston and Chicago and Baltimore. Does it ever occur to anyone that Boston and Chicago and Baltimore and the Mets and the Blue Jays look at their upcoming schedule and consider the Yankees a soft spot?:
"The Yankees now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 4.5 games in the American League East, their biggest deficit of the season. Yes, they still have a strong hold on the Wild Card (4.0 games) but 16 games remain in the season, and nothing's guaranteed.
Plus, the Wild Card, Girardi's said all year, is nothing he's too interested in, considering it's a do-or-die, one-game playoff.
That means Saturday, Game 2 of the Subway Series, is as important as any game this season. The Yankees surely don't want to drop the fist two games against the Mets, then face a sweep, and Matt Harvey, on Sunday followed by three games in Toronto starting Monday."
Girardi will change his tune about the wild card when his team is 11 games back of Toronto.
"The Wild Card is an opportunity we played hard for all year."
The Wild Card is dreadful for MLB. Teams like this don't deserve second chances in the playoffs.
Easier Solution: No Wild Card
Beat Toronto or miss the playoffs.
No fans in New York, Minnesota, Cleveland, Texas, etc. are excited about the Wild Card race. It ruins divisional races.
I don't even consider the Wild Card round to be the playoffs. I don't think Yankee Stadium will sell out a Wild Card game (if the Yankees make the playoffs).
Girardi's solution is to extend it to a best-of-three. The World Series will finish up around Thanksgiving.
No fans in New York, Minnesota, Cleveland, Texas, etc. are excited about the Wild Card race. It ruins divisional races.
I don't even consider the Wild Card round to be the playoffs. I don't think Yankee Stadium will sell out a Wild Card game (if the Yankees make the playoffs).
Girardi's solution is to extend it to a best-of-three. The World Series will finish up around Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Conclusion: NY Fans are Fair Weather Fans.
"Noticing more blue-and-orange caps and fewer navy pinstripes around New York these days?"
Nope.
"Hearing more talk about how the Mets keep finding ways to win?"
Yes. Because they have been winning.
One guy at the Ledger basically said he'd rather watch tennis than watch the Yankees.
"But some telling evidence points to trouble for the Yankees and a boon for the Mets, suggesting that New York might be turning into a Mets town for the first time since their championship season of 1986."
Nope.
"It is not just a feeling. By the measures of attendance and television viewership, the Mets are surging while their crosstown rivals are sliding a bit."
And when I say evidence, I mean "evidence."
"It is an improbable reversal of fortune, given that the Yankees have dominated the market so clearly since they won four World Series from 1996 to 2000, capped by a triumph over the Mets in the so-called Subway Series."
It's not improbable by any means, and it's not even a reversal of fortune.
The Yankees haven't been too good in several years. The Mets just happened to be even worse.
If you viewed these teams independently, you'd see nothing unusual at all. The Toronto attendance is up, the Phillies attendance is down.
The "buzz" factor is enhanced precisely because it has been so long.
"The Yankees’ paid attendance at home is averaging 39,537 a game, down 5.6 percent from the average at this time last year, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The Yankees, who trail first-place Toronto by three games in the American League East, have never averaged below 40,000 fans a game since moving to the new Yankee Stadium in 2009.
(Major League Baseball, which calculates attendance differently, has the Yankees’ average home attendance at 40,086.)
The Mets are averaging 31,257 a game this season, a 17.6 percent rise from last season. That is still about 10,000 short of the capacity at Citi Field, but this season’s increase of 4,689 fans a game represents a drastic shift from a dispiriting trend: Attendance had fallen almost 32 percent from a peak of 38,941 during the inaugural season of the ballpark six years ago."
Like I said, fair weather fans.
"Yet perhaps a more precise reflection of the passion of a fan base is viewership on a team’s cable television channel. After all, most fans prefer to watch games without having to buy tickets, which can be expensive."
I'd say TV viewing is not a more precise reflection of the passion of a fan base.
"But the Yankees, who averaged 454,000 viewers a game in 2007, are drawing only 256,000 this season, a 10 percent decrease from 2014 after a comparable number of games."
What you're really saying is that nobody watches baseball on TV.
Which partially explains why writers can get away with nonsense like "Teixeira is a gold glover," but I digress.
The Yankees' TV audience fell from 454,000 in 2007 to 284,000 in 2014. To what do you attribute this fall in TV ratings? Because it damned sure wasn't the Mets buzz drawing Yankee fans away.
"The Mets’ average television audience, which reached a high of 314,171 in 2007, bottomed out at 138,627 in 2013 before a slight revival to just over 144,000 last season.
But so far this season, viewership is up 62 percent, to 240,091 a game. And games are averaging 324,195 viewers since the Mets acquired the slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on July 31.
For the season, the Yankees’ lead over the Mets in average viewership is about 20,000 — a far cry from four years ago, when the difference was more than 200,000."
Pitiful.
I mean, what can I say, I'm shocked.
Nobody watches regular season baseball on TV.
Check out the propaganda pics in this article. You don't think the press acts like free PR for the Mets?
I like the ACTION PICTURE of Ruben Tejada running home!
Juxtaposed with Gardner hitting a HR in a sullen, empty Yankee Stadium ... ignoring the fact that it was the second game of a rain-drenched double header.
"The Yankees are an older, less flashy team that lost much of its charisma with the retirements of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter in 2013 and 2014."
I agree. But those two were playing from 2008 - 2014, while TV ratings tanked. So maybe lots of fans got 4G phones or something. Maybe TV ratings are not really a good reflection of the passion of a team's fan base.
"The former ace C. C. Sabathia is struggling with a bad knee and the wear and tear of pitching nearly 3,000 innings in his career, and the Yankees’ current top pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, is soldiering on with a slightly torn elbow ligament."
Well, Sabathia and Tanaka may not be big draws, but Sabathia (CC, not C.C., please) has been coming up clutch down the stretch ... and Tanaka is the best starting pitcher in New York.
"Their biggest star is probably Alex Rodriguez, whose unlikely comeback after a season-long suspension has helped keep the Yankees in the pennant race. Although it seems that fans have grudgingly accepted him because he is producing well and not causing trouble, he is not a Jeter-like presence who draws fans to the stadium in droves.
Jeter merchandise is the hottest seller among all Yankees, according to Fanatics.com, a retailer. The Yankees are the top-selling team in Major League Baseball this season, but sales of Mets goods, led by those of pitcher Matt Harvey, are up 140 percent this season and 300 percent this month compared with figures from 2014."
The Yankees are the top-selling team in MLB this season ... but the Mets are up 10,000%!
The GDP of the United States is still #1 in the world ... but Estonia's GDP is up 12%! Because they got a new Dairy Queen right near the gas station!
"Still, the task of turning New York into a Mets town is far from complete. Prince, the blogger, offered two ways to measure future progress: when Mets caps are highly visible on all trains, not just the 7 line to Flushing, and when a fan’s request to turn a restaurant television to a Mets game is not met with a look 'like you have three eyes.'"
Gee, very compelling "evidence."
I heard a guy call a radio show today and say he converted to a Mets fan. He was on the way to Yankee Stadium on Friday night when he turned around and headed for Citi Field. Which is a cute story, but the Mets were playing in Atlanta that night.
I know lots of Yankee fans and I know lots of Mets fans. I actually know one guy who sort of converted. More like he started paying attention to the Mets as well as the Yankees. Doesn't bother me. I'm sure most Mets fans don't want ex-Yankee front runners invading their ballpark, am I right?
So you're not fooling anybody ... and nobody cares who you root for. Nobody. I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true.
I despise the subway series, and this is another reason why.
The Yankees don't need to be crowned Kings of New York ... they're going to have enough trouble hanging on to a Wild Card spot. So taking two out of three is imperative for the Yankees ... just like taking the series against Tampa is imperative.
The Mets have nothing to prove, they already crushed the Washington Grapes.
The Mets are better than the Yankees this year. It finally happened. Give Mike Lupica and everyone else in the press a cookie. They've been waiting for it for 20 years.
Is it as good as you thought it would be?
Or are you setting yourself up for a sweep by the Dodgers?
It would be ironic if the Yankees made it to the ALCS and the Mets got bombed in the first round. The disinterested press should be banned from the press box and the fair weather fans trying to transfer from the 7 train should be blocked at Grand Central.
Nope.
"Hearing more talk about how the Mets keep finding ways to win?"
Yes. Because they have been winning.
One guy at the Ledger basically said he'd rather watch tennis than watch the Yankees.
"But some telling evidence points to trouble for the Yankees and a boon for the Mets, suggesting that New York might be turning into a Mets town for the first time since their championship season of 1986."
Nope.
"It is not just a feeling. By the measures of attendance and television viewership, the Mets are surging while their crosstown rivals are sliding a bit."
And when I say evidence, I mean "evidence."
"It is an improbable reversal of fortune, given that the Yankees have dominated the market so clearly since they won four World Series from 1996 to 2000, capped by a triumph over the Mets in the so-called Subway Series."
It's not improbable by any means, and it's not even a reversal of fortune.
The Yankees haven't been too good in several years. The Mets just happened to be even worse.
If you viewed these teams independently, you'd see nothing unusual at all. The Toronto attendance is up, the Phillies attendance is down.
The "buzz" factor is enhanced precisely because it has been so long.
"The Yankees’ paid attendance at home is averaging 39,537 a game, down 5.6 percent from the average at this time last year, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The Yankees, who trail first-place Toronto by three games in the American League East, have never averaged below 40,000 fans a game since moving to the new Yankee Stadium in 2009.
(Major League Baseball, which calculates attendance differently, has the Yankees’ average home attendance at 40,086.)
The Mets are averaging 31,257 a game this season, a 17.6 percent rise from last season. That is still about 10,000 short of the capacity at Citi Field, but this season’s increase of 4,689 fans a game represents a drastic shift from a dispiriting trend: Attendance had fallen almost 32 percent from a peak of 38,941 during the inaugural season of the ballpark six years ago."
Like I said, fair weather fans.
"Yet perhaps a more precise reflection of the passion of a fan base is viewership on a team’s cable television channel. After all, most fans prefer to watch games without having to buy tickets, which can be expensive."
I'd say TV viewing is not a more precise reflection of the passion of a fan base.
"But the Yankees, who averaged 454,000 viewers a game in 2007, are drawing only 256,000 this season, a 10 percent decrease from 2014 after a comparable number of games."
What you're really saying is that nobody watches baseball on TV.
Which partially explains why writers can get away with nonsense like "Teixeira is a gold glover," but I digress.
The Yankees' TV audience fell from 454,000 in 2007 to 284,000 in 2014. To what do you attribute this fall in TV ratings? Because it damned sure wasn't the Mets buzz drawing Yankee fans away.
"The Mets’ average television audience, which reached a high of 314,171 in 2007, bottomed out at 138,627 in 2013 before a slight revival to just over 144,000 last season.
But so far this season, viewership is up 62 percent, to 240,091 a game. And games are averaging 324,195 viewers since the Mets acquired the slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on July 31.
For the season, the Yankees’ lead over the Mets in average viewership is about 20,000 — a far cry from four years ago, when the difference was more than 200,000."
Pitiful.
I mean, what can I say, I'm shocked.
Nobody watches regular season baseball on TV.
Check out the propaganda pics in this article. You don't think the press acts like free PR for the Mets?
I like the ACTION PICTURE of Ruben Tejada running home!
Juxtaposed with Gardner hitting a HR in a sullen, empty Yankee Stadium ... ignoring the fact that it was the second game of a rain-drenched double header.
"The Yankees are an older, less flashy team that lost much of its charisma with the retirements of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter in 2013 and 2014."
I agree. But those two were playing from 2008 - 2014, while TV ratings tanked. So maybe lots of fans got 4G phones or something. Maybe TV ratings are not really a good reflection of the passion of a team's fan base.
"The former ace C. C. Sabathia is struggling with a bad knee and the wear and tear of pitching nearly 3,000 innings in his career, and the Yankees’ current top pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, is soldiering on with a slightly torn elbow ligament."
Well, Sabathia and Tanaka may not be big draws, but Sabathia (CC, not C.C., please) has been coming up clutch down the stretch ... and Tanaka is the best starting pitcher in New York.
"Their biggest star is probably Alex Rodriguez, whose unlikely comeback after a season-long suspension has helped keep the Yankees in the pennant race. Although it seems that fans have grudgingly accepted him because he is producing well and not causing trouble, he is not a Jeter-like presence who draws fans to the stadium in droves.
Jeter merchandise is the hottest seller among all Yankees, according to Fanatics.com, a retailer. The Yankees are the top-selling team in Major League Baseball this season, but sales of Mets goods, led by those of pitcher Matt Harvey, are up 140 percent this season and 300 percent this month compared with figures from 2014."
The Yankees are the top-selling team in MLB this season ... but the Mets are up 10,000%!
The GDP of the United States is still #1 in the world ... but Estonia's GDP is up 12%! Because they got a new Dairy Queen right near the gas station!
"Still, the task of turning New York into a Mets town is far from complete. Prince, the blogger, offered two ways to measure future progress: when Mets caps are highly visible on all trains, not just the 7 line to Flushing, and when a fan’s request to turn a restaurant television to a Mets game is not met with a look 'like you have three eyes.'"
Gee, very compelling "evidence."
I heard a guy call a radio show today and say he converted to a Mets fan. He was on the way to Yankee Stadium on Friday night when he turned around and headed for Citi Field. Which is a cute story, but the Mets were playing in Atlanta that night.
I know lots of Yankee fans and I know lots of Mets fans. I actually know one guy who sort of converted. More like he started paying attention to the Mets as well as the Yankees. Doesn't bother me. I'm sure most Mets fans don't want ex-Yankee front runners invading their ballpark, am I right?
So you're not fooling anybody ... and nobody cares who you root for. Nobody. I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true.
"More important, they probably need to do well in the postseason and then re-sign Cespedes.
'I think we have a great chance of going all the way,' Breuer said."
Comedian Jim Breuer, by the way.
Your go-to guy for expertise in ... I don't know what.
"Before that can happen, the two teams will play each other this weekend for the first time since April, when the Yankees took two of three games.
They may want to remind the Mets again of who has been boss for so many years."
I despise the subway series, and this is another reason why.
The Yankees don't need to be crowned Kings of New York ... they're going to have enough trouble hanging on to a Wild Card spot. So taking two out of three is imperative for the Yankees ... just like taking the series against Tampa is imperative.
The Mets have nothing to prove, they already crushed the Washington Grapes.
The Mets are better than the Yankees this year. It finally happened. Give Mike Lupica and everyone else in the press a cookie. They've been waiting for it for 20 years.
Is it as good as you thought it would be?
Or are you setting yourself up for a sweep by the Dodgers?
It would be ironic if the Yankees made it to the ALCS and the Mets got bombed in the first round. The disinterested press should be banned from the press box and the fair weather fans trying to transfer from the 7 train should be blocked at Grand Central.
Greg Bird x 4
Greg Bird has 98 at-bats this season. Mark Teixeira has 392 at-bats this season.
Bird x 4: 392 ab, .235/.315/.459, 24 hr, 76 rbis, 68 runs, 48 bb, 128 k.
Teixeira: 392 ab, .255/.357/.548, 31 hr, 79 rbis, 57 runs, 57 bb, 85 k.
Bird x 4: 392 ab, .235/.315/.459, 24 hr, 76 rbis, 68 runs, 48 bb, 128 k.
Teixeira: 392 ab, .255/.357/.548, 31 hr, 79 rbis, 57 runs, 57 bb, 85 k.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Attendance 27,320.
I'm not criticizing Mets fans.
I'm just curious if the fawning press will notice the lack of buzz.
When Yankee Stadium is barren, the press takes note.
I'm just curious if the fawning press will notice the lack of buzz.
When Yankee Stadium is barren, the press takes note.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
0-for-10 with a walk.
Ellsbury's first half: 40 games, .318/.399/.376, 14 stolen bases, 32 runs.
Ellsbury's second half: 50 games, .212/.254/.332, 4 stolen bases, 25 runs.
Ellsbury's second half: 50 games, .212/.254/.332, 4 stolen bases, 25 runs.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Why is there no Yankee buzz?
Maybe it's the ticket prices.
Maybe it's the absence of Jeter.
Maybe it's because the fans are spoiled.
Maybe it's because the Wild Card ruins the AL East race.
Or maybe it's because the fans are smart.
The Yankees are not as good as Toronto and an overachieving mediocre team is still a mediocre team.
Is anybody jazzed about a Wild Card game? I know I'm not.
Maybe it's the absence of Jeter.
Maybe it's because the fans are spoiled.
Maybe it's because the Wild Card ruins the AL East race.
Or maybe it's because the fans are smart.
The Yankees are not as good as Toronto and an overachieving mediocre team is still a mediocre team.
Is anybody jazzed about a Wild Card game? I know I'm not.
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
The Man Who Had No Remote Control.
"So who out there had a TV-watching experience like this on Tuesday night? You were glued to the Mets for six innings to see how Matt Harvey would
do after he became a back-page punching bag, and when the ball rolled
past Yoenis Cespedes' glove to put him in a 7-1 hole, you figured that
was that.
CLICK.
And you put on the U.S. Open to see Serena Williams drop the second set to her sister Venus in their quarterfinal match, leaving open the possibility — albeit a slim one — that the older sister could stop her younger sibling's march to Grand Slam history.
The second set was over, so you find the remote control again and put your finger on the last-channel button ...
CLICK.
Wait. THE METS TIED THE GAME?!!?"
Well, that's a very specific TV-watching experience, but you seem a little too excited.
Go for a walk or something. Read a book. Make a prediction on whether or not the Fed will raise interest rates during their September meeting.
"The Yankees? They might take their own turn as the team to watch this month, but the overnight ratings tell the story."
If the overnight ratings tell the story, then we don't need you.
"The Williams vs. Williams sisters led the New York market with a 4.7 share, because if you were going to watch one tennis match this tournament, this was it. The Mets were not far behind at 4.56. The Yankees, meanwhile, were well back at a solid 3.29."
Must-See TV got beat by a tennis match.
I didn't even know tennis was on TV.
"I only caught a few minutes of the Yankees, and that'll probably be the case again tonight. The Mets go for the sweep in Washington, and maybe this is the night they put the Nationals to rest for good. Or maybe it's a night that gives fans a reason to chomp their nails for another week or two."
You missed a very good game, sports writer.
Tanaka with another masterpiece. Bad opponent, but not a bad lineup.
You missed a stellar double play started by Brendan Ryan.
Since you have ignored the Yankees this season, you've missed quite a few good, young players. You've missed the best bullpen in baseball. You missed the Rise of DiDi.
Since you promise not to pay attention to the Yankees the rest of this season, I promise to ignore anything you have to say about them.
By the way? With a remote control and the Internet? It's not too difficult to follow all 30 teams if you care about baseball.
CLICK.
And you put on the U.S. Open to see Serena Williams drop the second set to her sister Venus in their quarterfinal match, leaving open the possibility — albeit a slim one — that the older sister could stop her younger sibling's march to Grand Slam history.
The second set was over, so you find the remote control again and put your finger on the last-channel button ...
CLICK.
Wait. THE METS TIED THE GAME?!!?"
Well, that's a very specific TV-watching experience, but you seem a little too excited.
Go for a walk or something. Read a book. Make a prediction on whether or not the Fed will raise interest rates during their September meeting.
"The Yankees? They might take their own turn as the team to watch this month, but the overnight ratings tell the story."
If the overnight ratings tell the story, then we don't need you.
"The Williams vs. Williams sisters led the New York market with a 4.7 share, because if you were going to watch one tennis match this tournament, this was it. The Mets were not far behind at 4.56. The Yankees, meanwhile, were well back at a solid 3.29."
Must-See TV got beat by a tennis match.
I didn't even know tennis was on TV.
"I only caught a few minutes of the Yankees, and that'll probably be the case again tonight. The Mets go for the sweep in Washington, and maybe this is the night they put the Nationals to rest for good. Or maybe it's a night that gives fans a reason to chomp their nails for another week or two."
You missed a very good game, sports writer.
Tanaka with another masterpiece. Bad opponent, but not a bad lineup.
You missed a stellar double play started by Brendan Ryan.
Since you have ignored the Yankees this season, you've missed quite a few good, young players. You've missed the best bullpen in baseball. You missed the Rise of DiDi.
Since you promise not to pay attention to the Yankees the rest of this season, I promise to ignore anything you have to say about them.
By the way? With a remote control and the Internet? It's not too difficult to follow all 30 teams if you care about baseball.
With all due respect, Cespedes has 34 NL RBIs this season.
"Plus, there’s scant evidence that the voters (two members of the
Baseball Writers of America from each league city) will reward a
half-season of excellence. In 1984, pitcher Rick Sutcliffe was traded
from the Indians to the Cubs, for whom he went 16-1 with a 2.69 ERA,
lifting Chicago to a division title. For that performance, Sutcliffe was
awarded the NL’s Cy Young award over Dwight Gooden of the Mets (17-9,
2.60 ERA).
But for midseason acquisitions, that’s it. In 1987, Doyle Alexander was traded to the Tigers from the Braves (for John Smoltz!) and went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for Detroit. That got him fourth place in the Cy Young voting. In 2008, Manny Ramirez was dealt from the Red Sox to the Dodgers and promptly produced a slash line of .396/.489/.743 in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the season-long resumes of St. Louis’s Albert Pujols, Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who all finished ahead of him in the voting."
Sutcliffe was traded in mid-June, not the end of July.
Unless the voting changed to one MVP instead of one per league, Cespedes can't win. The award is for one league and for the whole year.
But for midseason acquisitions, that’s it. In 1987, Doyle Alexander was traded to the Tigers from the Braves (for John Smoltz!) and went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for Detroit. That got him fourth place in the Cy Young voting. In 2008, Manny Ramirez was dealt from the Red Sox to the Dodgers and promptly produced a slash line of .396/.489/.743 in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the season-long resumes of St. Louis’s Albert Pujols, Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who all finished ahead of him in the voting."
Sutcliffe was traded in mid-June, not the end of July.
Unless the voting changed to one MVP instead of one per league, Cespedes can't win. The award is for one league and for the whole year.
Monday, September 07, 2015
They should post a pic of Johan Santana, celebrating his no-hitter on the field, arm disconnected from body, career ended. A testament to management's unerring consideration for a player's long-term health.
Oh, and by the way, the Mets traded Nolan Ryan. So really appropriate message for Matt Harvey regarding team loyalty and digging deep.
The Mets haven't done anything wrong. They know they have a young, valuable pitcher and have treated him accordingly. There is no reason to bench Harvey in the playoffs unless his arm hurts. There are plenty of reasons to keep an eye on his surgically-reconstructed arm, balancing short-term goals with long-term goals. This goes for every player, not just Harvey.
Everyone knows 180 innings is a guideline, not a magic number. Everyone knows that "innings pitched" does not correspond directly to "pitch count." Everyone knows that some innings and some pitches are more stressful than others.
So, first the Mets have to make the playoffs. Then, assess their team's health and set their roster and rotation. Take it one step at a time.
As for the snark?
The Nolan Ryan Tough Guy tweet?
For every Nolan Ryan, there are 1,000 Mark Fidryches. Perhaps Harvey could post all the pitchers from the Elbow Graveyard in response, but it would break the Internet.
The Mets haven't done anything wrong. They know they have a young, valuable pitcher and have treated him accordingly. There is no reason to bench Harvey in the playoffs unless his arm hurts. There are plenty of reasons to keep an eye on his surgically-reconstructed arm, balancing short-term goals with long-term goals. This goes for every player, not just Harvey.
Everyone knows 180 innings is a guideline, not a magic number. Everyone knows that "innings pitched" does not correspond directly to "pitch count." Everyone knows that some innings and some pitches are more stressful than others.
So, first the Mets have to make the playoffs. Then, assess their team's health and set their roster and rotation. Take it one step at a time.
As for the snark?
The Nolan Ryan Tough Guy tweet?
For every Nolan Ryan, there are 1,000 Mark Fidryches. Perhaps Harvey could post all the pitchers from the Elbow Graveyard in response, but it would break the Internet.
It's all Scott Boras's fault.
Lupica is just mad that Jeter got the scoop:
"Matt Harvey went running to Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune — occasionally a safe house for athletes in trouble — on Sunday to try to end a controversy that his agent created. Harvey said things in a short essay that he should have said when he faced the media on Saturday in Miami. The fact that it took him a day longer than it should have to wake up isn’t anybody’s fault but his own."
You wish Matt Harvey was blaming the media. It would make you feel important.
I challenge anyone to read Harvey's rather terse post and find any suggestion of blaming anyone.
Lupica is so used to this pretend dance between the media and the players, that he just writes the script out of habit.
"Matt Harvey, who likes the bright light that comes with being a celebrity in New York, needs to realize once and for all that with a talent like his and a stage like this come responsibility. At least in the Players Tribune he sounded like the grownup he ought to be at his age, and after everything that has happened to him so far in his career."
Mike Lupica says adults should stop acting childish.
"Once and for all: The media didn’t start this, the Mets didn’t, neither did any angry Mets fan.
Boras did."
Start what?
You (and many others) over-reacted because Harvey gave vague answers at an impromptu "press conference" where he didn't live up to a stupid and childish media-created cartoon character.
It demonstrates journalistic bravery to go after Scott Boras, by the way.
Nice column. It didn't explain who, what, where, when, why, or how. Lupica is just a guy who's angry that Harvey and Jeter won't return his calls.
"Matt Harvey went running to Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune — occasionally a safe house for athletes in trouble — on Sunday to try to end a controversy that his agent created. Harvey said things in a short essay that he should have said when he faced the media on Saturday in Miami. The fact that it took him a day longer than it should have to wake up isn’t anybody’s fault but his own."
You wish Matt Harvey was blaming the media. It would make you feel important.
I challenge anyone to read Harvey's rather terse post and find any suggestion of blaming anyone.
Lupica is so used to this pretend dance between the media and the players, that he just writes the script out of habit.
"Matt Harvey, who likes the bright light that comes with being a celebrity in New York, needs to realize once and for all that with a talent like his and a stage like this come responsibility. At least in the Players Tribune he sounded like the grownup he ought to be at his age, and after everything that has happened to him so far in his career."
Mike Lupica says adults should stop acting childish.
"Once and for all: The media didn’t start this, the Mets didn’t, neither did any angry Mets fan.
Boras did."
Start what?
You (and many others) over-reacted because Harvey gave vague answers at an impromptu "press conference" where he didn't live up to a stupid and childish media-created cartoon character.
It demonstrates journalistic bravery to go after Scott Boras, by the way.
Nice column. It didn't explain who, what, where, when, why, or how. Lupica is just a guy who's angry that Harvey and Jeter won't return his calls.
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