In all seriousness, if you don't want the questions answered, then stop asking them.
Shut the whole sports reporting enterprise down and let the numbers speak for themselves:
"I love David Ortiz. I love the fact that he's a self-made megastar in Boston, a town tough enough to make New York seem warm and fuzzy. I love that he's the one remaining Red Sox icon who loves the hubbub of The Hub. I love that he returned from a heart ailment and picked right up where he left off, hitting home runs.
I love that he'll speak his mind, too."
I feel a "but" coming on.
"Except this one time, when he should keep his thoughts to himself."
A "but" or an "except."
"On Sunday, he went too far when he campaigned for MVP. I don't particularly like it when guys campaign for the Hall of Fame, but in the case of Cooperstown, at least they're not campaigning against anyone, just for themselves.
When you campaign for MVP, you're putting yourself ahead of other worthy candidates."
You've gone too far now, Big Papi. You've gone too far! You said you deserved the American League MVP award!
"I love David Ortiz."
"I don't like players who blah blah blah blah blah blah."
A lot of sportswriters really think the story is about themselves.
"If anything, Ortiz's words are going to put Jeter in an even more positive light, as the candidate who lacks any interest in glorifying himself (and by the way, the scoring call that so upset Ramirez and Ortiz was an error on Jeter that didn't cause him to complain). Jeter's response to New York writers was predictable. 'I'm not thinking about winning an MVP,' Jeter said. 'I'm thinking about winning the division. Our focus here isn't on individual awards.' Perfect."
I knew Ortiz would suffer a backlash and I find it amusing that, just three weeks ago, Ortiz was cherished for his forthrightness and fun attitude. (A five-game sweep will change a lot of perceptions, won't it?)
I also agree that it's simply the wrong thing to say. Boston could still make the playoffs and win the World Series if they have a good couple of weeks. No reason to indirectly criticize your teammates or to even worry about the AL MVP award.
But I still disapprove of Heyman's disapproval.
If guys like Heyman really want the players to "put up [their] numbers and pipe down," then let's base the MVP voting on the damned numbers.
Not how much you "love" the player or his postgame interview style.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Get Used to Second Place.
Big Papi drops the gap-toothed teddy bear act and ruins any hope he had for the MVP:
"I'll tell you one thing," Ortiz said. "If I get 50 home runs and 10 more RBI [which would give him 137], that's going to be a round number that no one else in the American League will have."
137 might be a prime number, but it's definitely not a round number.
No great mathemetician, Ortiz also proves to be no great logician:
"All depends on who makes the playoffs," he said. "Dye is having an unbelievable season, an incredible year. Konerko, too."
"Morneau, he's having a great season, but in Minnesota, there's no publicity. I bet you nobody knows who he is."
Okay, if you say so.
But if it all depends on who makes the playoffs, you're probably out of the running.
"Don't get me wrong -- [Jeter's] a great player, having a great season, but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup," Ortiz continued. "Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be."
I agree. Ortiz has a point. But I also think Ortiz hurt his chances by missing a couple of weeks, even if it's through no fault of his own. Same goes for Pujols, Beltran, Hafner, etc.
Not the biggest problem with Ortiz's candidacy, though.
He just blew the whole thing by asking for it, by admitting he wants it, by acting like he cares about it. Your team is ten games out. You're supposed to say you're not interested in individual awards.
If you go to the reporters and beg for the MVP? You'll never get it. The reporters place humility above all other characteristics.
Three weeks ago, you were everybody's favorite player. You were Superman. You were the Clutchest Player of All Time.
Now we don't like you anymore.
"I'll tell you one thing," Ortiz said. "If I get 50 home runs and 10 more RBI [which would give him 137], that's going to be a round number that no one else in the American League will have."
137 might be a prime number, but it's definitely not a round number.
No great mathemetician, Ortiz also proves to be no great logician:
"All depends on who makes the playoffs," he said. "Dye is having an unbelievable season, an incredible year. Konerko, too."
"Morneau, he's having a great season, but in Minnesota, there's no publicity. I bet you nobody knows who he is."
Okay, if you say so.
But if it all depends on who makes the playoffs, you're probably out of the running.
"Don't get me wrong -- [Jeter's] a great player, having a great season, but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup," Ortiz continued. "Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be."
I agree. Ortiz has a point. But I also think Ortiz hurt his chances by missing a couple of weeks, even if it's through no fault of his own. Same goes for Pujols, Beltran, Hafner, etc.
Not the biggest problem with Ortiz's candidacy, though.
He just blew the whole thing by asking for it, by admitting he wants it, by acting like he cares about it. Your team is ten games out. You're supposed to say you're not interested in individual awards.
If you go to the reporters and beg for the MVP? You'll never get it. The reporters place humility above all other characteristics.
Three weeks ago, you were everybody's favorite player. You were Superman. You were the Clutchest Player of All Time.
Now we don't like you anymore.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Why Derek Jeter Is The MVP.
"If this year's race was a political election, Boston's David Ortiz (47 homers, 121 RBI) and the White Sox's Jermaine Dye (40-109) would be the mainstream party candidates while Jeter - who enters this weekend's series in Baltimore with just 12 homers and 85 RBI - would be running as an independent."
Travis Hafner (42 homers, 117 RBI) would be ... I don't know ... the Forgotten Third-Party Candidate.
"Jeter, with a .344 average, is in a race for the batting title with Minnesota's Joe Mauer but otherwise isn't much of a factor on the AL leaderboards. His value is more intangible, it seems, and to win he'll need voters to look beyond the raw data."
Why does Sam Borden assume that Joe Mauer doesn't bring intangible values to the Minnesota Twins? David Ortiz doesn't bring leadership values to the Red Sox? Jermaine Dye hasn't stirred up his teammates before each and every game with a clubhouse speech?
"The success of the Yankees could end up being a factor in the race, too. And Ortiz's candidacy figures to be hurt by the Sox's rapid collapse over the past few weeks."
I think Ortiz's candidacy was hurt more by his trip to the hospital. During that time, Ortiz was 0-for-0 with 0 hrs and 0 runs batted in.
" 'That has to count,' Posada said. 'Playing in meaningful games for the last month makes a difference. There is more pressure. Without that, how valuable is someone, really?' "
Am I the only person who finds it odd that nobody can think of a candidate from the team with the best record in the league? Magglio Ordonez just doesn't have enough intangibles?
Also, while I believe that Posada was stumping for Jeter, the point about playing in meaningful September games actually helps the cases for Mauer, Morneau, and Dye more than it helps the case for Jeter.
"Still, stats aren't the basis for Jeter's candidacy anyway. Fifty-six years ago when Phil Rizzuto won the MVP - the last Yankee shortstop to do so - he beat out a deep field (including Yogi Berra) that in many cases had better numbers."
Can we all please get something straight once and for all?
A gold glove shortstop (he might earn it this year legitimately) who bats .340 with speed and power, walks a lot, scores 120 runs and drives in 100 is making a very strong stat-based argument for MVP.
That's why he's the MVP, if he's the MVP.
It's not because of the way he stands on the top step of the dugout.
Travis Hafner (42 homers, 117 RBI) would be ... I don't know ... the Forgotten Third-Party Candidate.
"Jeter, with a .344 average, is in a race for the batting title with Minnesota's Joe Mauer but otherwise isn't much of a factor on the AL leaderboards. His value is more intangible, it seems, and to win he'll need voters to look beyond the raw data."
Why does Sam Borden assume that Joe Mauer doesn't bring intangible values to the Minnesota Twins? David Ortiz doesn't bring leadership values to the Red Sox? Jermaine Dye hasn't stirred up his teammates before each and every game with a clubhouse speech?
"The success of the Yankees could end up being a factor in the race, too. And Ortiz's candidacy figures to be hurt by the Sox's rapid collapse over the past few weeks."
I think Ortiz's candidacy was hurt more by his trip to the hospital. During that time, Ortiz was 0-for-0 with 0 hrs and 0 runs batted in.
" 'That has to count,' Posada said. 'Playing in meaningful games for the last month makes a difference. There is more pressure. Without that, how valuable is someone, really?' "
Am I the only person who finds it odd that nobody can think of a candidate from the team with the best record in the league? Magglio Ordonez just doesn't have enough intangibles?
Also, while I believe that Posada was stumping for Jeter, the point about playing in meaningful September games actually helps the cases for Mauer, Morneau, and Dye more than it helps the case for Jeter.
"Still, stats aren't the basis for Jeter's candidacy anyway. Fifty-six years ago when Phil Rizzuto won the MVP - the last Yankee shortstop to do so - he beat out a deep field (including Yogi Berra) that in many cases had better numbers."
Can we all please get something straight once and for all?
A gold glove shortstop (he might earn it this year legitimately) who bats .340 with speed and power, walks a lot, scores 120 runs and drives in 100 is making a very strong stat-based argument for MVP.
That's why he's the MVP, if he's the MVP.
It's not because of the way he stands on the top step of the dugout.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Frank Deford, Thinkin' Feller.
"Baseball has always been heavy laden with statistics, to the point where, well deservedly, it is mocked and satirized."
By whom is it mocked and satirized?
"That's the most ground balls to the second baseman hit by a left-handed batter in a night game in the last 36 years. Har de har har."
Oh, it is mocked and satirized by you.
That was a good one: "The most ground balls to the second baseman hit by a left-handed hitter in a night game in the last 36 years."
Har de har har, indeed.
"But for all that, statistics are very much of both the substance and the charm of baseball."
Phew.
"No sport can be so easily quantified."
Any sport can be easily quantified.
"And somewhat like that, this dreaded statistic, the pitch count, which professes to save pitchers' arms, may be, in the process, damaging the whole greater game."
Less pitches undoubtedly save pitchers' arms. It's simply a matter of degree. It's physically impossible that throwing a pitch is less damaging to a pitcher's arm than not throwing a pitch.
Now, do you think the pitcher needs to build endurance? Perhaps.
But for every chest-thumping Bob Feller, there are hundreds of Mark Fidryches and Kerry Woods littering the baseball graveyards.
For every freakish Steve Carlton who seemingly proves that 300 innings will build up your endurance, there are dozens of Don Gulletts who quickly throw out their arms.
I also have a hunch that, as the game has progressed through the decades, the overall talent level has vastly increased. Also, the salaries have vastly increased. As a result, the pressure and intensity of each pitch has increased in a similar fashion.
I have a hunch that Iron Joe was not continually firing 90 mph splitters during his 400-inning seasons. He simply didn't have to.
Point being, I doubt very much that the pitchers who played 100 years ago had stronger shoulders. I think they pretty much lobbed the ball over the plate.
"But even worse is the law of unintended consequence. Once the pitch count mattered so much, opposing teams began to concentrate on making the pitcher pitch more pitches."
Smart. Because bullpen pitchers are usually worse than starting pitchers.
Actually, this difference in ability was even more stark in, say, the '50s and the '60s. Maybe the batters should have taken more pitches and tried to tire out the starter.
"Suddenly, actually hitting pitches is subsidiary to simply staying at the plate as long as possible."
Does Frank Deford even watch baseball games?
Hitting pitches is hardly subsidiary to simply staying at the plate as long as possible. I'm guessing that Vlad Guerrero will get more MVP votes than Kevin Youkilis. I'm guessing most observers realize that Robinson Cano is having a better offensive year than Mark Loretta.
Ideally, a batter works the count, walks a lot, strikes out a little, and combines a high batting average with speed, power, and an ability to hit situationally. Good luck finding that player.
"Baseball is beginning to remind me of basketball before there was a 24-second clock, when the idea was to freeze the ball."
Foul balls are your problem with Nine Man Stand Around?
"Next time you watch a baseball game, take note of how many foul balls there are. Really. This is one statistic somebody should start paying attention to."
Ummm, okay. I agree that there are a lot of foul balls in baseball games. It's not exactly like watching a basketball team freeze the ball, but there are certainly a lot of foul balls.
"It's easier to foul off pitches now, because the new parks don't have much extra territory where foul pops can be caught and because hitters are stronger, with whippier bats, so they can get around on pitches at the last instant and bang it foul."
It's easier to foul off pitches now? Compared to when?
I actually wish foul balls was a statistic that was tracked more carefully. It would probably prove that Frank Defords "whippier bat" theory is nonsense.
Deford's genius solution to baseball's non-existent problem?:
"Play ball! Pitch the ball! Swing at the ball! Hit the ball!"
Just don't hit it foul.
If you hit the ball foul, you're ruining the game of baseball.
By whom is it mocked and satirized?
"That's the most ground balls to the second baseman hit by a left-handed batter in a night game in the last 36 years. Har de har har."
Oh, it is mocked and satirized by you.
That was a good one: "The most ground balls to the second baseman hit by a left-handed hitter in a night game in the last 36 years."
Har de har har, indeed.
"But for all that, statistics are very much of both the substance and the charm of baseball."
Phew.
"No sport can be so easily quantified."
Any sport can be easily quantified.
"And somewhat like that, this dreaded statistic, the pitch count, which professes to save pitchers' arms, may be, in the process, damaging the whole greater game."
Less pitches undoubtedly save pitchers' arms. It's simply a matter of degree. It's physically impossible that throwing a pitch is less damaging to a pitcher's arm than not throwing a pitch.
Now, do you think the pitcher needs to build endurance? Perhaps.
But for every chest-thumping Bob Feller, there are hundreds of Mark Fidryches and Kerry Woods littering the baseball graveyards.
For every freakish Steve Carlton who seemingly proves that 300 innings will build up your endurance, there are dozens of Don Gulletts who quickly throw out their arms.
I also have a hunch that, as the game has progressed through the decades, the overall talent level has vastly increased. Also, the salaries have vastly increased. As a result, the pressure and intensity of each pitch has increased in a similar fashion.
I have a hunch that Iron Joe was not continually firing 90 mph splitters during his 400-inning seasons. He simply didn't have to.
Point being, I doubt very much that the pitchers who played 100 years ago had stronger shoulders. I think they pretty much lobbed the ball over the plate.
"But even worse is the law of unintended consequence. Once the pitch count mattered so much, opposing teams began to concentrate on making the pitcher pitch more pitches."
Smart. Because bullpen pitchers are usually worse than starting pitchers.
Actually, this difference in ability was even more stark in, say, the '50s and the '60s. Maybe the batters should have taken more pitches and tried to tire out the starter.
"Suddenly, actually hitting pitches is subsidiary to simply staying at the plate as long as possible."
Does Frank Deford even watch baseball games?
Hitting pitches is hardly subsidiary to simply staying at the plate as long as possible. I'm guessing that Vlad Guerrero will get more MVP votes than Kevin Youkilis. I'm guessing most observers realize that Robinson Cano is having a better offensive year than Mark Loretta.
Ideally, a batter works the count, walks a lot, strikes out a little, and combines a high batting average with speed, power, and an ability to hit situationally. Good luck finding that player.
"Baseball is beginning to remind me of basketball before there was a 24-second clock, when the idea was to freeze the ball."
Foul balls are your problem with Nine Man Stand Around?
"Next time you watch a baseball game, take note of how many foul balls there are. Really. This is one statistic somebody should start paying attention to."
Ummm, okay. I agree that there are a lot of foul balls in baseball games. It's not exactly like watching a basketball team freeze the ball, but there are certainly a lot of foul balls.
"It's easier to foul off pitches now, because the new parks don't have much extra territory where foul pops can be caught and because hitters are stronger, with whippier bats, so they can get around on pitches at the last instant and bang it foul."
It's easier to foul off pitches now? Compared to when?
I actually wish foul balls was a statistic that was tracked more carefully. It would probably prove that Frank Defords "whippier bat" theory is nonsense.
Deford's genius solution to baseball's non-existent problem?:
"Play ball! Pitch the ball! Swing at the ball! Hit the ball!"
Just don't hit it foul.
If you hit the ball foul, you're ruining the game of baseball.
Lou Gehrig died of Lou Gehrig's Disease ...
... what are the odds of that?
At the end of Jon Heyman's article about AL breakout players is a similar misunderstanding of cause and effect:
"Maybe all Alex Rodriguez needed was some support from the home folk. Is it a coincidence that he got hot as soon as Yankee Stadium crowds started to show him some love?"
At the end of Jon Heyman's article about AL breakout players is a similar misunderstanding of cause and effect:
"Maybe all Alex Rodriguez needed was some support from the home folk. Is it a coincidence that he got hot as soon as Yankee Stadium crowds started to show him some love?"
Monday, September 04, 2006
Selective Memory.
"The lead in the division is nine games, the magic number is down to 18 and the fans have become downright leisurely, wandering in and out of the action like a U.S. Open crowd prowling the outer courts. The atmosphere around Yankee Stadium is laid-back, almost friendly."
Good thing Alex Rodriguez has played so brilliantly in the past several games. If he hadn't, the lead in the division might be only six or seven games. With three games remaining vs. Boston.
Also, please remember that the White Sox and Twins are potential Yankee playoff opponents. These games are damned important.
"It can mean only one thing: Alex Rodriguez is set up to have a monstrous September."
That would be good, right? Trying to clinch the pennant? Trying to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs?
"He is three days into it, and if the month ended today, he already would have one fewer home run than he managed in the entire month of August."
I keep hearing how terrible and nightmarish ARod's month of August was.
In August, ARod hit .277/.364/.482 with 5 homeruns, 8 doubles, 22 rbis, and 18 runs scored.
"But then, the pennant race is over. The pressure is off. Suddenly, it's A-Rod Time."
The pennant race isn't over. I'm pleased and surprised that the Red Sox have collapsed so quickly. But the pennant race isn't over until it's over.
Certainly, the race for homefield advantage isn't over.
Doesn't Wallace Matthews want Game Seven of the ALCS at home?
"All of the tension has gone out of the American League East race as the Red Sox, hobbled by injuries and rocked by misfortune, spin hopelessly out of contention. For the first time in many Septembers, all is well in the Bronx."
Good thing ARod hit .333 in the five game sweep of Boston.
Good thing ARod has contributed 31 hrs and 104 rbis this season.
There might be a lot of tension in the AL East race if the Yankees had an inferior player at third base.
"The Yankees are chasing nobody and nobody is chasing them."
The Yankees are chasing the Tigers for best record in the AL.
" 'He can put up numbers like nobody,' Joe Torre said after the 10-1 win. 'It's great to see him having such relaxed at-bats.'
And that, friends, sums up the Alex Rodriguez conundrum in two revealing sentences."
It sums up the Joe Torre conundrum in two revealing sentences.
When any player on the Yankees has a bad game, guess why? They were "uncomfortable."
When any player on the Yankees has a good game, guess why? They were "comfortable."
How convenient.
"So what? Around here, performance is gauged not by stats but by situations. It's not so much what you do but when you do it, and against whom. All too often, when Rodriguez does it, it doesn't really matter."
As we all know by now, that's completely untrue. Matthews works backwards, as usual.
The games against Seattle and the Angels must have been important. Why? Because ARod stunk out the joint.
The games against Minnesota and Detroit must not have been important. Why? Because ARod hit 5 homeruns in 4 games.
"Like yesterday. The game mattered only to the Minnesota Twins, who are fighting for the wild-card spot. The Yankees are just killing time between now and October, trying out kid pitchers and hoping nobody important gets hurt before the playoffs."
Odd.
I thought the Yankee were trying to (a) clinch their division, and, for the hundredth time, (b) catch the Tigers for best record in the AL.
Winning is good. Winning is always good. Let's not complicate the main objectives of competitive sports.
Led by ARod, the Yankees stormed through two playoff teams and went 4-2 on the homestand. This helped extend the lead in the AL East to nine games.
But if ARod keeps slumping and the team keeps losing, then the lead isn't nine games.
"Of course Rodriguez is relaxed. Nobody goes into a slump during batting practice."
I couldn't argue with Matthews when he referred to Yankee fans as "hypocrites." But he's gone too far when he says the Twins' pitchers are batting practice pitchers.
Oh, by the way, players absolutely slump during batting practice. Watch batting practice sometime.
"By the end of this relaxed September, Rodriguez will have compiled his customarily impressive numbers. A lot of fans will forget the agonies of the summer, the .213 batting average in June, the 10 strikeouts in 15 at-bats against the Angels in late August, the 22 errors, the appalling failures to come through in truly key situations."
Not sure when the Yankees have had "truly key" situations this season, but ARod has come through in plenty of them.
I also think a lot of fans will remember ARod's failures this season.
But why should we remember? You just told us that none of that matters because it wasn't the playoffs.
Good thing Alex Rodriguez has played so brilliantly in the past several games. If he hadn't, the lead in the division might be only six or seven games. With three games remaining vs. Boston.
Also, please remember that the White Sox and Twins are potential Yankee playoff opponents. These games are damned important.
"It can mean only one thing: Alex Rodriguez is set up to have a monstrous September."
That would be good, right? Trying to clinch the pennant? Trying to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs?
"He is three days into it, and if the month ended today, he already would have one fewer home run than he managed in the entire month of August."
I keep hearing how terrible and nightmarish ARod's month of August was.
In August, ARod hit .277/.364/.482 with 5 homeruns, 8 doubles, 22 rbis, and 18 runs scored.
"But then, the pennant race is over. The pressure is off. Suddenly, it's A-Rod Time."
The pennant race isn't over. I'm pleased and surprised that the Red Sox have collapsed so quickly. But the pennant race isn't over until it's over.
Certainly, the race for homefield advantage isn't over.
Doesn't Wallace Matthews want Game Seven of the ALCS at home?
"All of the tension has gone out of the American League East race as the Red Sox, hobbled by injuries and rocked by misfortune, spin hopelessly out of contention. For the first time in many Septembers, all is well in the Bronx."
Good thing ARod hit .333 in the five game sweep of Boston.
Good thing ARod has contributed 31 hrs and 104 rbis this season.
There might be a lot of tension in the AL East race if the Yankees had an inferior player at third base.
"The Yankees are chasing nobody and nobody is chasing them."
The Yankees are chasing the Tigers for best record in the AL.
" 'He can put up numbers like nobody,' Joe Torre said after the 10-1 win. 'It's great to see him having such relaxed at-bats.'
And that, friends, sums up the Alex Rodriguez conundrum in two revealing sentences."
It sums up the Joe Torre conundrum in two revealing sentences.
When any player on the Yankees has a bad game, guess why? They were "uncomfortable."
When any player on the Yankees has a good game, guess why? They were "comfortable."
How convenient.
"So what? Around here, performance is gauged not by stats but by situations. It's not so much what you do but when you do it, and against whom. All too often, when Rodriguez does it, it doesn't really matter."
As we all know by now, that's completely untrue. Matthews works backwards, as usual.
The games against Seattle and the Angels must have been important. Why? Because ARod stunk out the joint.
The games against Minnesota and Detroit must not have been important. Why? Because ARod hit 5 homeruns in 4 games.
"Like yesterday. The game mattered only to the Minnesota Twins, who are fighting for the wild-card spot. The Yankees are just killing time between now and October, trying out kid pitchers and hoping nobody important gets hurt before the playoffs."
Odd.
I thought the Yankee were trying to (a) clinch their division, and, for the hundredth time, (b) catch the Tigers for best record in the AL.
Winning is good. Winning is always good. Let's not complicate the main objectives of competitive sports.
Led by ARod, the Yankees stormed through two playoff teams and went 4-2 on the homestand. This helped extend the lead in the AL East to nine games.
But if ARod keeps slumping and the team keeps losing, then the lead isn't nine games.
"Of course Rodriguez is relaxed. Nobody goes into a slump during batting practice."
I couldn't argue with Matthews when he referred to Yankee fans as "hypocrites." But he's gone too far when he says the Twins' pitchers are batting practice pitchers.
Oh, by the way, players absolutely slump during batting practice. Watch batting practice sometime.
"By the end of this relaxed September, Rodriguez will have compiled his customarily impressive numbers. A lot of fans will forget the agonies of the summer, the .213 batting average in June, the 10 strikeouts in 15 at-bats against the Angels in late August, the 22 errors, the appalling failures to come through in truly key situations."
Not sure when the Yankees have had "truly key" situations this season, but ARod has come through in plenty of them.
I also think a lot of fans will remember ARod's failures this season.
But why should we remember? You just told us that none of that matters because it wasn't the playoffs.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Eight games up.
Get out the little violins and enter Mike Lupica's pro-Bosox world:
"Around here," the Yankees would be crucified if they missed the playoffs.
The Red Sox and their $120 million payroll couldn't absorb some injuries? Boo hoo.
Lupica, did you look closely at my reaction when I heard about David Ortiz's heart palpitations? I was crying inside, but it just came out as a hearty laugh.
"By the way, the Red Sox are the latest example of how fast things change.
In a month, they lose their captain, Jason Varitek.
They lose their right fielder, Trot Nixon.
They lose David Ortiz with an irregular heartbeat and Manny Ramirez with a bad knee, or whatever it is bothering Manny these days.
This week they find out that Jon Lester, the best young pitcher they have, a kid with a 7-2 record, is suffering from a cancer known as anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.
Then Jonathan Papelbon, one of the best stories of the whole season as the Red Sox closer, takes himself out of Friday night's game when he feels something go wrong inside his right shoulder.
The Red Sox announce after the game that Curt Schilling is hurt and has to miss a start, too.
All that in a month.
And around here, we still treat this year's edition of the Yankees like the Fighting 69th."
"Around here," the Yankees would be crucified if they missed the playoffs.
The Red Sox and their $120 million payroll couldn't absorb some injuries? Boo hoo.
Lupica, did you look closely at my reaction when I heard about David Ortiz's heart palpitations? I was crying inside, but it just came out as a hearty laugh.
Blame it on the rain.
"Crack!"
Mike Fitzpatrick started his story with some onomatopoeia. It really grabbed my attention.
"Alex Rodriguez connected on a big swing and sent a long drive soaring toward the black batter's eye beyond the center-field fence.
It definitely sounded like a home run. And right off the bat, it looked like a no-doubter.
Not on this day, though."Maybe so, but ...
"A gusting wind also kept Robinson Cano's deep drive in the ballpark, and the Minnesota TwinsNew York Yankees 6-1 Saturday in a game called during the eighth inning because of rain."
Yeah, but ...
... THE TWINS HIT TWO HOMERUNS!!!
Mike Fitzpatrick started his story with some onomatopoeia. It really grabbed my attention.
"Alex Rodriguez connected on a big swing and sent a long drive soaring toward the black batter's eye beyond the center-field fence.
It definitely sounded like a home run. And right off the bat, it looked like a no-doubter.
Not on this day, though."Maybe so, but ...
"A gusting wind also kept Robinson Cano's deep drive in the ballpark, and the Minnesota TwinsNew York Yankees 6-1 Saturday in a game called during the eighth inning because of rain."
Yeah, but ...
... THE TWINS HIT TWO HOMERUNS!!!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Baseball According to Barra.
Thank you, Allen Barra, for doing the research for my blog:
It's like I have a disease and the doctors don't believe me and I think I'm going crazy ... and then Allen Barra gives my disease a name.
"It's hard to think of a superstar in recent years who gets so little respect from his own press, in which he has been referred to, at various times, as Nay-Rod, Pay-Rod, and A-Fraud. Alex Rodriguez, born in New York, perhaps the greatest all-around player of his generation, the greatest Latin ballplayer of all time, and the fifth-greatest player in Yankee history after Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio—in most areas of personal accomplishment he is either ahead of or close to DiMaggio—is practically without support in his hometown.
But as fans are beginning to realize, the New York press, infiltrated by Boston homies such as the Daily News' Mike Lupica and ESPN's Peter Gammons, is ridiculously Red Sox–centric. The New York Times, which owns a minority stake in the Red Sox, leads the pack. As Eric Wolff asked in New York magazine (January 9), 'Has the Times Gone Red Sox Crazy?' From October 12, 2005, the first day of the Yankees' off-season, to the first week in January, there were 105 articles mentioning the Red Sox, two more than the Yankees and 26 more than the Mets. 'The paper's Boston coverage can be absurd,' Wolff wrote. 'Witness its infamous October 2003 pro-Sox editorial'—endorsing the Red Sox for the World Series over the Yankees—'What's going on? Too many Harvard grads on 43rd Street?'
The eye-opener was how little support A-Rod got last year for his second MVP award, with many local writers clamoring for the Red Sox's David Ortiz. A-Rod was equal or superior to Ortiz in all hitting stats, and in the field and on the bases he made contributions that Ortiz, a DH and a liability anywhere but in the batter's box, couldn't begin to match. Yet after the award was announced, the Daily News headlined 'More Bling, but No Ring,' while the New York Post said 'MVP But . . . Lack of Rings Tarnishes A-Rod's Second AL Trophy.' That's the way it goes for Rodriguez; if his team doesn't win it all, his awards are 'tarnished.' "
I feel so relieved.It's like I have a disease and the doctors don't believe me and I think I'm going crazy ... and then Allen Barra gives my disease a name.
One of these things is not like the other.
I could probably instantly come up with better choices at every position, though Steve Trout is certainly the ultimate example of a New York Meltdown. I think Trout set the record for wild pitches in an inning.
Most of the list leaves me cold. Most of the bad NY players are bad players everywhere else. I am not convinced, for example, that Tony Womack tanked in NY because of pressure. Womack hasn't exactly been lighting it up in his post-Yankee career.
As with every other baseball article written in 2006, it boils down to a mischaracterization of ARod.
The lunacy that surrounds the ARod discussion is evidenced by the fact that he's on this list in the first place. It's actually almost impossible to believe what John Rolfe has to say about ARod. Rolfe crams about fifty misconceptions into one paragraph:
"SS: Alex Rodriguez: Yes, his reign of error is taking place at third base, but he's a shortstop by trade. It is there that the snowball began to grow in 2001 with his signing that 10-year, $252 million deal with the Rangers. Along with justifying the dough and recognition as the game's best all-around player, A-Rod has had to contend with the fact that teams tend to improve after he leaves (Seattle, Texas). It didn't help that he arrived in the Bronx in time to be a focal point of the Yankees' catastrophic collapse in the 2004 ALCS. His 2005 AL MVP season aside, nothing less than a Series crown can save him now, so is it any wonder he looks so uncomfortable out there? Imagine what he'd be hearing if the Yankees were in Boston's present hole in the AL East."
First of all, ARod is a third baseman for the Yankees. This is supposedly a list of people who have suffered in New York. Rolfe's disclaimer aside, it makes no sense to list ARod at shortstop. Especially since there are about 100 shortstops who tanked in New York.
(The obvious choice at third base is Lenn Sakata, who suddenly developed a mystery stomach ailment whenever Bucky Dent asked him to play third base. Sakata made Gregg Jefferies look like Mike Schmidt.)
Secondly, this "snowball" couldn't have started in 2001. ARod has won two MVPs since 2001. ARod's numbers since 2001 are first ballot Hall of Fame all the way, even though he has struggled for a major portion of 2006.
Thirdly, Seattle is now in last place. If they improved for a while after ARod left (and Unit, and Griffey) , it's because they went to Japan and paid a lot of money for the AL MVP. They also added pitching. Just like Texas added pitching. ARod doesn't pitch. Those teams sure didn't lose because of ARod.
Now, ponder the italicized words for a moment: "His 2005 AL MVP season aside ..."
Think about that verbal sleight of hand. "ARod's 2005 AL MVP season aside." Neat trick.
I say, his June 2006 and August 2006 aside, ARod is the best third baseman in Yankee history.
Actually, even if you include his June 2006 and August 2006, he's the best third baseman in Yankee history.
You're just going to ignore an entire 2005 AL MVP season. You're just going to ignore .321 48 130.
It all happened just one season ago and it was all historic and John Rolfe just wants to cast it aside because it doesn't fit with the parameters of his argument.
Dude: Weak.
Most of the list leaves me cold. Most of the bad NY players are bad players everywhere else. I am not convinced, for example, that Tony Womack tanked in NY because of pressure. Womack hasn't exactly been lighting it up in his post-Yankee career.
As with every other baseball article written in 2006, it boils down to a mischaracterization of ARod.
The lunacy that surrounds the ARod discussion is evidenced by the fact that he's on this list in the first place. It's actually almost impossible to believe what John Rolfe has to say about ARod. Rolfe crams about fifty misconceptions into one paragraph:
"SS: Alex Rodriguez: Yes, his reign of error is taking place at third base, but he's a shortstop by trade. It is there that the snowball began to grow in 2001 with his signing that 10-year, $252 million deal with the Rangers. Along with justifying the dough and recognition as the game's best all-around player, A-Rod has had to contend with the fact that teams tend to improve after he leaves (Seattle, Texas). It didn't help that he arrived in the Bronx in time to be a focal point of the Yankees' catastrophic collapse in the 2004 ALCS. His 2005 AL MVP season aside, nothing less than a Series crown can save him now, so is it any wonder he looks so uncomfortable out there? Imagine what he'd be hearing if the Yankees were in Boston's present hole in the AL East."
First of all, ARod is a third baseman for the Yankees. This is supposedly a list of people who have suffered in New York. Rolfe's disclaimer aside, it makes no sense to list ARod at shortstop. Especially since there are about 100 shortstops who tanked in New York.
(The obvious choice at third base is Lenn Sakata, who suddenly developed a mystery stomach ailment whenever Bucky Dent asked him to play third base. Sakata made Gregg Jefferies look like Mike Schmidt.)
Secondly, this "snowball" couldn't have started in 2001. ARod has won two MVPs since 2001. ARod's numbers since 2001 are first ballot Hall of Fame all the way, even though he has struggled for a major portion of 2006.
Thirdly, Seattle is now in last place. If they improved for a while after ARod left (and Unit, and Griffey) , it's because they went to Japan and paid a lot of money for the AL MVP. They also added pitching. Just like Texas added pitching. ARod doesn't pitch. Those teams sure didn't lose because of ARod.
Now, ponder the italicized words for a moment: "His 2005 AL MVP season aside ..."
Think about that verbal sleight of hand. "ARod's 2005 AL MVP season aside." Neat trick.
I say, his June 2006 and August 2006 aside, ARod is the best third baseman in Yankee history.
Actually, even if you include his June 2006 and August 2006, he's the best third baseman in Yankee history.
You're just going to ignore an entire 2005 AL MVP season. You're just going to ignore .321 48 130.
It all happened just one season ago and it was all historic and John Rolfe just wants to cast it aside because it doesn't fit with the parameters of his argument.
Dude: Weak.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
"What" is more important than "Why."
I was just talking with my friend on the phone and I started getting hysterical about this topic. I thought I'd better blog it out.
I am pleased and relieved that the tough New York press has finally noticed that David Wright is hitting .205 in August and that he has hit zero homeruns since signing his big contract.
Wallace Matthews summarizes:
"The cumulative numbers are still good - 22 home runs, 91 RBIs, a .294 batting average - but not so good when you remember that on July 9, the last day before the All-Star break, Wright had 20 home runs and 74 RBIs and was hitting .316. He finished that game with a three-run homer that gave the Mets a 7-6 win over the Marlins.
Except for his paycheck, it has been all downhill from there.
He hasn't homered since July 28, a span of 94 at-bats. He is hitting .200 for the month of August and is 2-for-his-last-25."
Is it the pressure of the contract? No. Couldn't be that.
When ARod slumps, it's because he can't handle pressure. When ARod slumps, it's because he's thinking too hard. When Wright slumps, it's just because hitting a baseball is difficult.
Will Wright's slump last? Of course it won't last. Just like ARod's slump won't last.
You can check the records of every baseball player who ever played. Check the records of every player in the Hall of Fame. They all had subpar games, weeks, months, seasons.
"Unlike the other third baseman in town, Wright has not fallen into revelatory bouts of public self-pity, or mentioned vague injuries even his manager was unaware of, or feigned not caring when it was obvious that the whole thing was tearing him up. He has not ripped his shirt off in Central Park or jumped between a kid and a speeding truck. And his fielding, steady but never spectacular, is as steady and unspectacular as ever."
I suppose all that may be true, though I'm still not sure what's so bad about sunbathing in Central Park or jumping between a kid and a speeding truck.
But guess what else?
David Wright is hitting .205 in August.
That's the bottom line.
Keep relaxing and letting the game come to you. Keep smiling in the dugout and giving good interviews with the reporters. Keep insisting you're healthy mentally and physically. It isn't working.
Maybe Wright should consider stressing out and taking some extra b.p., like the other third baseman in town.
I am pleased and relieved that the tough New York press has finally noticed that David Wright is hitting .205 in August and that he has hit zero homeruns since signing his big contract.
Wallace Matthews summarizes:
"The cumulative numbers are still good - 22 home runs, 91 RBIs, a .294 batting average - but not so good when you remember that on July 9, the last day before the All-Star break, Wright had 20 home runs and 74 RBIs and was hitting .316. He finished that game with a three-run homer that gave the Mets a 7-6 win over the Marlins.
Except for his paycheck, it has been all downhill from there.
He hasn't homered since July 28, a span of 94 at-bats. He is hitting .200 for the month of August and is 2-for-his-last-25."
Is it the pressure of the contract? No. Couldn't be that.
When ARod slumps, it's because he can't handle pressure. When ARod slumps, it's because he's thinking too hard. When Wright slumps, it's just because hitting a baseball is difficult.
Will Wright's slump last? Of course it won't last. Just like ARod's slump won't last.
You can check the records of every baseball player who ever played. Check the records of every player in the Hall of Fame. They all had subpar games, weeks, months, seasons.
"Unlike the other third baseman in town, Wright has not fallen into revelatory bouts of public self-pity, or mentioned vague injuries even his manager was unaware of, or feigned not caring when it was obvious that the whole thing was tearing him up. He has not ripped his shirt off in Central Park or jumped between a kid and a speeding truck. And his fielding, steady but never spectacular, is as steady and unspectacular as ever."
I suppose all that may be true, though I'm still not sure what's so bad about sunbathing in Central Park or jumping between a kid and a speeding truck.
But guess what else?
David Wright is hitting .205 in August.
That's the bottom line.
Keep relaxing and letting the game come to you. Keep smiling in the dugout and giving good interviews with the reporters. Keep insisting you're healthy mentally and physically. It isn't working.
Maybe Wright should consider stressing out and taking some extra b.p., like the other third baseman in town.
Deconstructing Klapisch.
"Say the Bombers go out in the first round, as they did against the Angels last year. Or even more damning, imagine them losing to the Mets in the World Series while Rodriguez struggles with Pedro Martinez's change-up or is unable to catch up to Billy Wagner's fastball. Fair or not, it'll be a debt he'll never repay."
Say the Mets go out in the first round and Pedro Martinez is on the disabled list ...
Say ARod bats .500 in the first round, but the Yankees lose ...
Say you were a sportswriter and you just proposed the inconceivable notion that losing in the World Series is worse than losing in the first round of the playoffs ...
"Not after going 2-for-his-last-17 in 2004 while the Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox in the ALCS. Not after failing to drive in a single run in the Yankees' five-game loss to Anaheim in 2005. One more disappointing October, and A-Rod can forget about ever winning over the fans, many of whom have already given up on this seemingly futuristic robot."
Raise your hand if you've already given up on this, errr, "seemingly futuristic robot." If you are a Yankee fan and you've given up on Alex Rodriguez, then you are ignorant.
Especially since ARod's a futuristic robot. He can just go back to his futuristic laboratory and replace a few parts and fix his mechanical flaws.
"A-Rod has the skills and strength that exceed any mortal's, and there's no denying he's on his way to an 800-home run career. Rodriguez's swing is still the one you'd teach to a Little Leaguer. But at this point, most Yankee loyalists will take Derek Jeter's heart, any day."
The crux of the matter.
ARod is not a human. He's not even mortal. He's just a heartless tin man futuristic robot who happens to be super-skilled.
In contrast, Derek Jeter is a bartender-by-day who worked hard to hone his mere mortal skills.
Bull. ARod has a smuch heart as anybody and he works as hard as anybody.
"The shortstop's ninth-inning, two-out, two-strike [sic] single off Jon Papelbon at Fenway Park on Aug. 20 did more than send the Yankees and Sox into extra innings and an eventual 8-5 Bombers victory. It all but ended the Red Sox' dream of a first-place finish in the East."
Offensively and defensively, ARod outperformed Jeter during the five-game sweep in Boston. Just a matter of fact.
Thank Goodness for Jeter and his two well-timed RBI hits, but (a) Giambi had 2 homeruns in that game, (b) one hit can not possibly determine the 162-game AL East pennant, (c) the Red Sox are not dead yet, and (d) I'm almost positive it was an 0-1 pitch to Jeter.
"It's anecdotes such as these that make you appreciate the subtle difference between great players and those who come close. Talent isn't the only crucible; there are hundreds of major league-caliber players stuck at Class AAA. Hard work alone won't end a slump, either. If so, A-Rod would've already been hitting 1.000. It's the mental toughness that smoothes the path to the World Series."
So, ARod has immortal strength and skill and he will cruise to 800 homeruns. But he's not a great player. The reason ARod isn't quite great is because he tries too hard and practices too much.
Uh huh.
"Think of the players who've flourished in the Bronx – Jeter, Mariano Rivera, even the volatile Gary Sheffield."
(Just don't bring up the 2004 ALCS again.)
Using Klapisch's criteria, Sheffield and Giambi have absolutely not flourished in the Bronx.
"That's not to say he can't save himself from this downward spiral. Even one four-hit game would be enough to remind everyone why Rodriguez is still the single greatest weapon in pinstripes. But time is running out, and now the stakes have been raised. For A-Rod, it's all or nothing this October."
Wow. If you say so, Bob Klapisch. "All or nothing." ARod will quit or be traded if the Yankees lose in the playoffs or if ARod has a bad postseason.
But, I think the writers should put something on the table, too.
If ARod wins the World Series MVP, they need to shut up. Forever.
Say the Mets go out in the first round and Pedro Martinez is on the disabled list ...
Say ARod bats .500 in the first round, but the Yankees lose ...
Say you were a sportswriter and you just proposed the inconceivable notion that losing in the World Series is worse than losing in the first round of the playoffs ...
"Not after going 2-for-his-last-17 in 2004 while the Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox in the ALCS. Not after failing to drive in a single run in the Yankees' five-game loss to Anaheim in 2005. One more disappointing October, and A-Rod can forget about ever winning over the fans, many of whom have already given up on this seemingly futuristic robot."
Raise your hand if you've already given up on this, errr, "seemingly futuristic robot." If you are a Yankee fan and you've given up on Alex Rodriguez, then you are ignorant.
Especially since ARod's a futuristic robot. He can just go back to his futuristic laboratory and replace a few parts and fix his mechanical flaws.
"A-Rod has the skills and strength that exceed any mortal's, and there's no denying he's on his way to an 800-home run career. Rodriguez's swing is still the one you'd teach to a Little Leaguer. But at this point, most Yankee loyalists will take Derek Jeter's heart, any day."
The crux of the matter.
ARod is not a human. He's not even mortal. He's just a heartless tin man futuristic robot who happens to be super-skilled.
In contrast, Derek Jeter is a bartender-by-day who worked hard to hone his mere mortal skills.
Bull. ARod has a smuch heart as anybody and he works as hard as anybody.
"The shortstop's ninth-inning, two-out, two-strike [sic] single off Jon Papelbon at Fenway Park on Aug. 20 did more than send the Yankees and Sox into extra innings and an eventual 8-5 Bombers victory. It all but ended the Red Sox' dream of a first-place finish in the East."
Offensively and defensively, ARod outperformed Jeter during the five-game sweep in Boston. Just a matter of fact.
Thank Goodness for Jeter and his two well-timed RBI hits, but (a) Giambi had 2 homeruns in that game, (b) one hit can not possibly determine the 162-game AL East pennant, (c) the Red Sox are not dead yet, and (d) I'm almost positive it was an 0-1 pitch to Jeter.
"It's anecdotes such as these that make you appreciate the subtle difference between great players and those who come close. Talent isn't the only crucible; there are hundreds of major league-caliber players stuck at Class AAA. Hard work alone won't end a slump, either. If so, A-Rod would've already been hitting 1.000. It's the mental toughness that smoothes the path to the World Series."
So, ARod has immortal strength and skill and he will cruise to 800 homeruns. But he's not a great player. The reason ARod isn't quite great is because he tries too hard and practices too much.
Uh huh.
"Think of the players who've flourished in the Bronx – Jeter, Mariano Rivera, even the volatile Gary Sheffield."
(Just don't bring up the 2004 ALCS again.)
Using Klapisch's criteria, Sheffield and Giambi have absolutely not flourished in the Bronx.
"That's not to say he can't save himself from this downward spiral. Even one four-hit game would be enough to remind everyone why Rodriguez is still the single greatest weapon in pinstripes. But time is running out, and now the stakes have been raised. For A-Rod, it's all or nothing this October."
Wow. If you say so, Bob Klapisch. "All or nothing." ARod will quit or be traded if the Yankees lose in the playoffs or if ARod has a bad postseason.
But, I think the writers should put something on the table, too.
If ARod wins the World Series MVP, they need to shut up. Forever.
Not Writing About Alex Rodriguez.
Joel Sherman really, really, really doesn't want to write about Alex Rodriguez.
He doesn't want to write about Alex Rodriguez so much, that, if you read carefully, he wrote the same article twice:
"The plan today was to write about the opposite of A-Rod, to praise the 10 most pleasant surprises of 2006. But how do you ignore 1-for-17 with 12 strikeouts? How do you ignore that the overflow caravan of futile support now includes John Wooden? How do you ignore that in the two weeks since A-Rod told us he had been hurt, refused to specify the injuries, but promised he was now healthy and ready to play his best, that he has instead possibly played his worst in the worst season of a great career?
In any case, do you know how easy it is for Sherman to ignore the ARod story? Or at least focus on something else for once? Simply write a story about something else. The reading public is ready for it.
At the very least, if you're going to complain about the taxing subject matter, provide some in-depth insight. The only thing Sherman provides is a recap of the boxscores.
He doesn't want to write about Alex Rodriguez so much, that, if you read carefully, he wrote the same article twice:
"The plan today was to write about the opposite of A-Rod, to praise the 10 most pleasant surprises of 2006. But how do you ignore 1-for-17 with 12 strikeouts? How do you ignore that the overflow caravan of futile support now includes John Wooden? How do you ignore that in the two weeks since A-Rod told us he had been hurt, refused to specify the injuries, but promised he was now healthy and ready to play his best, that he has instead possibly played his worst in the worst season of a great career?
The answer is that it cannot be ignored."
ARod's 2006 is actually very similar to his first season in New York in 2004. You could look it up. The only real difference is maybe 10 more errors, which probably will lead to 2 or 3 more unearned runs. Just to provide some perspective.In any case, do you know how easy it is for Sherman to ignore the ARod story? Or at least focus on something else for once? Simply write a story about something else. The reading public is ready for it.
At the very least, if you're going to complain about the taxing subject matter, provide some in-depth insight. The only thing Sherman provides is a recap of the boxscores.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Mo' Money, Mo' Problems.
Alex Rodriguez is having a subpar season. Too many errors, too many strikeouts, too many lousy at-bats. The slumps seem to linger while the streaks haven't lasted long enough. (I think I'm repeating myself.)
The numbers: .279/.380/.492, 26 hrs, 93 rbis, and 88 runs scored.
Despite his struggles, Alex Rodriguez is probably still among the top 25 AL players in 2006.
Jon Heyman lists ARod as the biggest bust in the entire American League:
"1. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees. First there was the error streak (five quick ones), now there's the strikeout streak (11 in 15 at-bats). A .492 slugging percentage is OK for mortal men. But for the $252 million man? Fuhgettaboutit."
Carl Pavano hasn't pitched an inning in 14 months and Heyman lists Pavano twenty-first on this list.
When all is said and done, Alex Rodriguez will probably hit close to .300/.400/.500 40, 120, 120, and ARod's a bigger bust than Carl Pavano?
No, he isn't.
Scan the list and you'll see that none of these players have numbers that are in the same stratosphere as Alex Rodriguez.
The closest is Mark Teixeira, a first baseman who has 14 less rbis and 11 less runs. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Teixeira is on the list, either.)
ARod is nowhere near the biggest bust in the AL. I could easily list a few unmentioned Red Sox who are bigger busts than ARod, especially since Heyman is taking injuries and salaries into account.
Wait a second: If Heyman includes Pavano, then that just opens the door for injured players. Just find 25 players who earn $8 million+ and you've got you're 25 biggest busts right there.
Plus, if injuries count, then Matsui and Sheffield are automatically bigger busts than ARod. Their combined $24 million has produced only 38 rbis in 2006.
So, what is really going on here?
The Problem is that Jon Heyman, and many others, have no ability to figure out the statistical expectations for the $252 million man.
The Problem is that Jon Heyman and other paid baseball analysts offer the same insider insight as your barber.
The numbers: .279/.380/.492, 26 hrs, 93 rbis, and 88 runs scored.
Despite his struggles, Alex Rodriguez is probably still among the top 25 AL players in 2006.
Jon Heyman lists ARod as the biggest bust in the entire American League:
"1. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees. First there was the error streak (five quick ones), now there's the strikeout streak (11 in 15 at-bats). A .492 slugging percentage is OK for mortal men. But for the $252 million man? Fuhgettaboutit."
Carl Pavano hasn't pitched an inning in 14 months and Heyman lists Pavano twenty-first on this list.
When all is said and done, Alex Rodriguez will probably hit close to .300/.400/.500 40, 120, 120, and ARod's a bigger bust than Carl Pavano?
No, he isn't.
Scan the list and you'll see that none of these players have numbers that are in the same stratosphere as Alex Rodriguez.
The closest is Mark Teixeira, a first baseman who has 14 less rbis and 11 less runs. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Teixeira is on the list, either.)
ARod is nowhere near the biggest bust in the AL. I could easily list a few unmentioned Red Sox who are bigger busts than ARod, especially since Heyman is taking injuries and salaries into account.
Wait a second: If Heyman includes Pavano, then that just opens the door for injured players. Just find 25 players who earn $8 million+ and you've got you're 25 biggest busts right there.
Plus, if injuries count, then Matsui and Sheffield are automatically bigger busts than ARod. Their combined $24 million has produced only 38 rbis in 2006.
So, what is really going on here?
The Problem is that Jon Heyman, and many others, have no ability to figure out the statistical expectations for the $252 million man.
The Problem is that Jon Heyman and other paid baseball analysts offer the same insider insight as your barber.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Right Now!
"Of that baseball nine, the least valuable to his team right now is A-Rod, the Most Valuable Player of the American League last year. You could say that even before he was 0-for-10 against the Angels with seven strikeouts."
In August (the last days before September), David Wright is hitting .200 in 85 at-bats, with 0 homeruns, 10 rbis, and 17 strikeouts.
In August, David Wright has an on-base percentage of .281 and a slugging percentage of .282.
Since the all-star break, David Wright is hitting .241 with 2 homeruns.
So, I guess it just depends on what Lupica means by "right now."
In August (the last days before September), David Wright is hitting .200 in 85 at-bats, with 0 homeruns, 10 rbis, and 17 strikeouts.
In August, David Wright has an on-base percentage of .281 and a slugging percentage of .282.
Since the all-star break, David Wright is hitting .241 with 2 homeruns.
So, I guess it just depends on what Lupica means by "right now."
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Say Something Nice About Johnny Damon.
Mike Lupica on January 29, 2006: "You have to say that the Red Sox don't lose much offense replacing Johnny Damon with Coco Crisp, and pick up younger legs in the process."
2006 Crisp: .268/.319/.386, 6 hrs, 50 runs, 26 rbis. Played in 81 games.
2006 Damon: .296/.367/.510, 20 hrs, 91 runs, 67 rbis. Played in 91 games.
Mike Lupica on April 23, 2006: "In Boston they now think of Johnny Damon as the guy who used to play center for the Red Sox right before Cocoa [sic] Crisp."
In Boston, you know what they think of Johnny Damon right now? They think of Johnny Damon as the guy who just went 10-for-23 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 6 runs scored, and 8 runs batted in during New York's five-game sweep of Boston.
You know what they think of Coco Crisp? 1-for-19 in the same series.
In Boston they now think they want Theo Epstein's head on a pole.
I suppose the discussion isn't over yet. Damon could start stinking out the joint and Crisp might start hitting .400 and win the 2006 World Series MVP. We'll all have to wait and see.
But the bottom line is this: Mike Lupica doesn't know what he's talking about.
2006 Crisp: .268/.319/.386, 6 hrs, 50 runs, 26 rbis. Played in 81 games.
2006 Damon: .296/.367/.510, 20 hrs, 91 runs, 67 rbis. Played in 91 games.
Mike Lupica on April 23, 2006: "In Boston they now think of Johnny Damon as the guy who used to play center for the Red Sox right before Cocoa [sic] Crisp."
In Boston, you know what they think of Johnny Damon right now? They think of Johnny Damon as the guy who just went 10-for-23 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 6 runs scored, and 8 runs batted in during New York's five-game sweep of Boston.
You know what they think of Coco Crisp? 1-for-19 in the same series.
In Boston they now think they want Theo Epstein's head on a pole.
I suppose the discussion isn't over yet. Damon could start stinking out the joint and Crisp might start hitting .400 and win the 2006 World Series MVP. We'll all have to wait and see.
But the bottom line is this: Mike Lupica doesn't know what he's talking about.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
I like sushi.
"They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium. This is really happening. They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium. Will repetition get that message across?"
Well, "they" did tear down most of it during a major renovation in the '70s. They even moved the sacred monuments from centerfield.
"They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium, demolish part of the soul of this city, bulldoze a place 4 million fans will visit this season alone, destroy a shrine that has seen the biggest moments in the sport's history, and so few people seem to care."
A lot of people care. A zillion people have written the same article. Probably would have been two zillion and fifty-four thousand, but fifty-four thousand are still stuck in the postgame parking lot.
Been to Yankee Stadium recently? Okay, good. It wasn't too bad, right?
But have you even been to another baseball park recently?
"Yes, the old place has its warts. Yes, it underwent a massive renovation in the '70s that changed much of the original design."
Oh, so you knew about that renovation thing.
So, you kind of contradicted all of your previous points.
"Now, in three years, we'll head to the Bronx, and we'll take our $100 seats in a fancy new building, complete with the manufactured charm and the $10 sushi bars and the noise-eliminating skyboxes, and we'll be able to look over at the empty space where Yankee Stadium used to be."
Sweet.
Accourding to Tim Salmon, Yankee Fan Extraordinaire: "Now they're talking about a new stadium here. Oh my gosh, how do you do that? It's like moving a burial ground. How do you take all the memories from here and move it over there? This is a monument. It's tradition. You walk up to the same plate that DiMaggio, Ruth and Gehrig did."
It's absolutely not at all like moving a burial ground. It's just a baseball stadium. That's really insulting to the sanctity of burial grounds.
Oh, and it's not the same plate the DiMaggio, Ruth, and Gehrig used. It's a different home plate. It might be the same plate that Matt Lawton or Omar Moreno used, but I'm pretty sure they replace home plate once every forty or fifty years.
Memo to Tim Salmon, Steve Politi, Wallace Matthews, and everybody else who doesn't want to go to new Yankee Stadium: I'll take your ticket.
In fact, I dare you not to go to new Yankee Stadium.
Well, "they" did tear down most of it during a major renovation in the '70s. They even moved the sacred monuments from centerfield.
"They're going to tear down Yankee Stadium, demolish part of the soul of this city, bulldoze a place 4 million fans will visit this season alone, destroy a shrine that has seen the biggest moments in the sport's history, and so few people seem to care."
A lot of people care. A zillion people have written the same article. Probably would have been two zillion and fifty-four thousand, but fifty-four thousand are still stuck in the postgame parking lot.
"'(Yankee Stadium) is indisputably the most famous stadium in the country, if not the world,' baseball commissioner Bud Selig said, 'an American monument that has endured for 84 years.'
So, why not 84 more?"
The urinal cakes in the troughs in the bathroom have lasted 84 years and that gum under your seat belonged to Babe Ruth himself.Been to Yankee Stadium recently? Okay, good. It wasn't too bad, right?
But have you even been to another baseball park recently?
"'No one will ever forget the House That Ruth Built,' Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said.
So, why make it a memory?"
The House that Ruth Built already is a memory. "They" tore down most of it during a major renovation in the '70s."Yes, the old place has its warts. Yes, it underwent a massive renovation in the '70s that changed much of the original design."
Oh, so you knew about that renovation thing.
So, you kind of contradicted all of your previous points.
"Now, in three years, we'll head to the Bronx, and we'll take our $100 seats in a fancy new building, complete with the manufactured charm and the $10 sushi bars and the noise-eliminating skyboxes, and we'll be able to look over at the empty space where Yankee Stadium used to be."
Sweet.
Accourding to Tim Salmon, Yankee Fan Extraordinaire: "Now they're talking about a new stadium here. Oh my gosh, how do you do that? It's like moving a burial ground. How do you take all the memories from here and move it over there? This is a monument. It's tradition. You walk up to the same plate that DiMaggio, Ruth and Gehrig did."
It's absolutely not at all like moving a burial ground. It's just a baseball stadium. That's really insulting to the sanctity of burial grounds.
Oh, and it's not the same plate the DiMaggio, Ruth, and Gehrig used. It's a different home plate. It might be the same plate that Matt Lawton or Omar Moreno used, but I'm pretty sure they replace home plate once every forty or fifty years.
Memo to Tim Salmon, Steve Politi, Wallace Matthews, and everybody else who doesn't want to go to new Yankee Stadium: I'll take your ticket.
In fact, I dare you not to go to new Yankee Stadium.
Greatest Mustachioed Man in the Universe.
The moral high ground from a man who has never publicly used the "s" word:
"The report also had Giambi testifying that he injected both human growth hormone and testosterone, rubbed an undetectable steroid known as 'the cream' on his body and placed drops of another, called 'the clear,' under his tongue.
On Feb. 10, 2005, Giambi met with reporters at Yankee Stadium, apologizing for the distraction he caused to his team during the previous year.
'I take full responsibility for it,' he said that day. 'I'm a man, and that's why I'm standing here today.'"
"The report also had Giambi testifying that he injected both human growth hormone and testosterone, rubbed an undetectable steroid known as 'the cream' on his body and placed drops of another, called 'the clear,' under his tongue.
On Feb. 10, 2005, Giambi met with reporters at Yankee Stadium, apologizing for the distraction he caused to his team during the previous year.
'I take full responsibility for it,' he said that day. 'I'm a man, and that's why I'm standing here today.'"
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Why Derek Jeter Isn't the MVP.
Still got fifty games to go, so this discussion is "Who's the MVP if the season ended today?"
Jeter is making a strong bid, but ...
"Now, the Yankees and their fans have a habit of overstating the case. Exaggeration and hype are as much a part of the Yankee Stadium experience as Bob Sheppard, or the YMCA."
With one notable exception, who just happened to be last year's AL MVP.
I don't mind Dan Graziano's gushing column. I don't mind Torre's intimation that Jeter deserves the MVP because Jeter, like, fouls off a lot of tough pitches before striking out.
This is typical hometown support. It's typical overstating of your candidate's case. I'm sure Mike Scioscia is telling repoters that Chone Figgins is so versatile and such a clubhouse presence and you've just got to watch him play every day.
It's very striking when compared to last year at this time, when I was bombarded with made-up statistical splits like "close-and-late." I want Graziano to dismiss Jeter because Jeter has zero walk-off homeruns. At least Graziano would be intellectually consistent.
(In fairness, I don't specifically remember Graziano's thoughts regarding last year's MVP race. I just lumped him in with all the general anti-ARod sentiment in New York.)
"'If people are paying attention,' Yankees manager Joe Torre said before last night's game, 'there's no reason he shouldn't be able to win it.'
That's the thing, though, about Jeter as an MVP candidate. You have to look pretty closely to get it."
Simply untrue. Jeter's MVP candidacy is solidly based on the stats.
.343/.418/.484, 71 rbis, 81 runs scored.
The problem is that David Ortiz already has 41 hrs, 111 rbis, 86 runs scored and 10,000 previous columns which explained why David Ortiz is the clutchiest clutch player of the last 100 years.
Don't you people see what you did? In your zeal to pump up David Ortiz vis a vis Alex Rodriguez in 2005, you created a Big Papi monster. You can't just dismiss Ortiz as hype now that Jeter is Ortiz's competition.
"By most objective measures, Jeter is a poor defensive shortstop. But he does seem to have that knack for making the big play in the big spot -- the one that gets on the highlight shows, the one that makes Yankee fans angry when they read sentences like the first one of this paragraph. He's probably the game's best all-around baserunner, as his 26 steals in 29 attempts this season help illustrate. And his contributions on offense are downright polychromatic."
I think the much-maligned objective defensive measures show that Jeter is having an excellent year at shortstop. It's Dan Graziano's column, so I'll let him do the research. Which he doesn't even bother to do.
Without a doubt, by most objective and subjective measures, Jeter's Gold Gloves in 2004 and 2005 were jokes. But we're talking about 2006.
"This year, voters will be looking for a candidate, because the field, while crowded, is as yet undefined. Many of the top statistical candidates -- David Ortiz, Travis Hafner, Jim Thome, Jason Giambi -- are designated hitters. The best statistical candidate, Manny Ramirez, lags too far behind teammate Ortiz in MVP hype to win it."
You just defined an field of candidates which you said was undefined. That wasn't too difficult to define, was it?
I also have no idea why he'd pick Manny Ramirez as the "best statistical candidate." (As opposed to the "non-statistical candidates," like Derek Jeter. Vote with your heart.)
Which statistic?
Manny is a strong candidate, indeed. He's 9th in BA, 2nd in ob%, 4th in slugging%, 6th in rbis, 17th in runs. Those are all statistics. Therefore, Manny is a "statistical candidate."
But it's very easy to make an argument that several other players are better "statistical candidates." Hafner, Ortiz, Thome, Dye ...
"If the Twins get in, Joe Mauer -- the league's best catcher and the only American League player currently ahead of Jeter in batting average -- will make a strong case, but he trails teammate Justin Morneau badly in the power categories."
Bam!
Graziano had to go right back to the power categories. You knew he had to. Which is what the voters will also go back to, despite the Barry Larkin and Kirk Gibson anomalies.
But there's the rub. If you go with the RBIs, the pick is Ortiz. If you go with the "polychromatic" players, the pick is Mauer.
Jeter is making a strong bid, but ...
"Now, the Yankees and their fans have a habit of overstating the case. Exaggeration and hype are as much a part of the Yankee Stadium experience as Bob Sheppard, or the YMCA."
With one notable exception, who just happened to be last year's AL MVP.
I don't mind Dan Graziano's gushing column. I don't mind Torre's intimation that Jeter deserves the MVP because Jeter, like, fouls off a lot of tough pitches before striking out.
This is typical hometown support. It's typical overstating of your candidate's case. I'm sure Mike Scioscia is telling repoters that Chone Figgins is so versatile and such a clubhouse presence and you've just got to watch him play every day.
It's very striking when compared to last year at this time, when I was bombarded with made-up statistical splits like "close-and-late." I want Graziano to dismiss Jeter because Jeter has zero walk-off homeruns. At least Graziano would be intellectually consistent.
(In fairness, I don't specifically remember Graziano's thoughts regarding last year's MVP race. I just lumped him in with all the general anti-ARod sentiment in New York.)
"'If people are paying attention,' Yankees manager Joe Torre said before last night's game, 'there's no reason he shouldn't be able to win it.'
That's the thing, though, about Jeter as an MVP candidate. You have to look pretty closely to get it."
Simply untrue. Jeter's MVP candidacy is solidly based on the stats.
.343/.418/.484, 71 rbis, 81 runs scored.
The problem is that David Ortiz already has 41 hrs, 111 rbis, 86 runs scored and 10,000 previous columns which explained why David Ortiz is the clutchiest clutch player of the last 100 years.
Don't you people see what you did? In your zeal to pump up David Ortiz vis a vis Alex Rodriguez in 2005, you created a Big Papi monster. You can't just dismiss Ortiz as hype now that Jeter is Ortiz's competition.
"By most objective measures, Jeter is a poor defensive shortstop. But he does seem to have that knack for making the big play in the big spot -- the one that gets on the highlight shows, the one that makes Yankee fans angry when they read sentences like the first one of this paragraph. He's probably the game's best all-around baserunner, as his 26 steals in 29 attempts this season help illustrate. And his contributions on offense are downright polychromatic."
I think the much-maligned objective defensive measures show that Jeter is having an excellent year at shortstop. It's Dan Graziano's column, so I'll let him do the research. Which he doesn't even bother to do.
Without a doubt, by most objective and subjective measures, Jeter's Gold Gloves in 2004 and 2005 were jokes. But we're talking about 2006.
"This year, voters will be looking for a candidate, because the field, while crowded, is as yet undefined. Many of the top statistical candidates -- David Ortiz, Travis Hafner, Jim Thome, Jason Giambi -- are designated hitters. The best statistical candidate, Manny Ramirez, lags too far behind teammate Ortiz in MVP hype to win it."
You just defined an field of candidates which you said was undefined. That wasn't too difficult to define, was it?
I also have no idea why he'd pick Manny Ramirez as the "best statistical candidate." (As opposed to the "non-statistical candidates," like Derek Jeter. Vote with your heart.)
Which statistic?
Manny is a strong candidate, indeed. He's 9th in BA, 2nd in ob%, 4th in slugging%, 6th in rbis, 17th in runs. Those are all statistics. Therefore, Manny is a "statistical candidate."
But it's very easy to make an argument that several other players are better "statistical candidates." Hafner, Ortiz, Thome, Dye ...
"If the Twins get in, Joe Mauer -- the league's best catcher and the only American League player currently ahead of Jeter in batting average -- will make a strong case, but he trails teammate Justin Morneau badly in the power categories."
Bam!
Graziano had to go right back to the power categories. You knew he had to. Which is what the voters will also go back to, despite the Barry Larkin and Kirk Gibson anomalies.
But there's the rub. If you go with the RBIs, the pick is Ortiz. If you go with the "polychromatic" players, the pick is Mauer.
Greed is Good.
I anxiously await the Wallace Matthews article which criticizes the new Shea Stadium:
"The Boss says his new ballpark will be 'better for the fans.'"
It will be. I guarantee it. From the water fountain in the dugout to the carpeting in the press box.
"Do you like the idea of paying even more for your seat than the already league-high ticket prices at Yankee Stadium?"
Yes, if it results in a nicer stadium and a continually great team to watch.
"Do you not mind the prospect of being shut out of a game because the new park will have between 5,000 and 7,000 fewer seats?"
I don't mind.
"Are you OK with the idea of cozying up on the couch in front of the TV set because that is now the only seat for a Yankees game you can afford?"
Sounds like heaven.
"Have you grown accustomed to seeing one precious bit of New York history after another fall to the wrecker's ball?"
Yes. Like they did in 1974 to the real Yankee Stadium.
"If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then The Boss is right. The new Yankee Stadium will be better for you."
I can not wait.
"What really makes this deal so distasteful is that it has been built on 15 years of ever-changing lies, each with the same purpose: to enrich the Yankees and rip off their fans."
Does any Yankee fan feel ripped off lately?
"All of this, of course, was designed to obscure the real reason: The old House That Ruth Built doesn't drive enough revenue, in the current vernacular, or at least not as much as it should."
I'm not sure if this has been obscured too much. Everybody knows the Yankees want to maximize profit potential. I think they're fairly upfront about it.
"Never mind that last night, for an essentially meaningless game between the Yankees and Orioles, more than 52,000 jammed their way into the park, or that this year they will top 4 million in attendance for the second year running."
Four million fans, all of whom are supposedly being ripped off.
Please stop saying games are meaningless and homeruns are meaningless and baseball is meaningless. The Yankees are in a pennant race. That win might put them in the playoffs.
You're a sportswriter. Find the meaning. Make up a meaning. Johnny Damon's homerun might have saved a dying kid in the hospital.
Even in the Yankees had a 20-game lead in the AL East, you just pointed out that there are 52,000 people jamming their way into the park. At the very least, it's meaningful to them.
"At an average ticket price of $50 a game - the high is $115 - the live gate alone generates some $2.5 million a night, times 81 nights. Throw in concessions, merchandising and the $60-million rights fee from the YES network, and you've got quite a haul."
Yup. Quite a haul. Ain't it wonderful?
Money is the fuel that drives the entire enterprise.
"Ah, but the new Stadium will have 57 luxury boxes, costing upwards of $500,000 each, where the well-heeled can attend a cocktail party with their backs to the game."
Thanks, well-heeled with your backs to the game!
You just paid for 1/4th of a middle reliever.
Now, when I'm sitting comfortably in front of my TV, I don't have to suffer through as many Carlos Almanzars blowing the game in the seventh inning.
"There will be a gourmet restaurant that will make you long for a $7 hot dog."
A gourmet restaurant sounds like the worst thing imaginable. The children! Somebody please think of the children!
You know what I eat and drink when I go to Yankee Stadium? Nothing. Maybe overpay for a cheap beer, but that's about it.
Why? Because the food is a ripoff.
Kind of like the $8.00 tub of popcorn at a movie theater.
Nobody's putting a gun to your head to eat a $7 hot dog.
"There will be amenities you cannot imagine and only the most privileged will be able to afford."
I have a fairly strong imagination. What amenities will be provided that only the most privileged will be able to afford? A topless oil massage by Jorge Posada's wife?
It's probably just some overpriced wine coolers and chicken fingers.
"The Boss says his new ballpark will be 'better for the fans.'"
It will be. I guarantee it. From the water fountain in the dugout to the carpeting in the press box.
"Do you like the idea of paying even more for your seat than the already league-high ticket prices at Yankee Stadium?"
Yes, if it results in a nicer stadium and a continually great team to watch.
"Do you not mind the prospect of being shut out of a game because the new park will have between 5,000 and 7,000 fewer seats?"
I don't mind.
"Are you OK with the idea of cozying up on the couch in front of the TV set because that is now the only seat for a Yankees game you can afford?"
Sounds like heaven.
"Have you grown accustomed to seeing one precious bit of New York history after another fall to the wrecker's ball?"
Yes. Like they did in 1974 to the real Yankee Stadium.
"If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then The Boss is right. The new Yankee Stadium will be better for you."
I can not wait.
"What really makes this deal so distasteful is that it has been built on 15 years of ever-changing lies, each with the same purpose: to enrich the Yankees and rip off their fans."
Does any Yankee fan feel ripped off lately?
"All of this, of course, was designed to obscure the real reason: The old House That Ruth Built doesn't drive enough revenue, in the current vernacular, or at least not as much as it should."
I'm not sure if this has been obscured too much. Everybody knows the Yankees want to maximize profit potential. I think they're fairly upfront about it.
"Never mind that last night, for an essentially meaningless game between the Yankees and Orioles, more than 52,000 jammed their way into the park, or that this year they will top 4 million in attendance for the second year running."
Four million fans, all of whom are supposedly being ripped off.
Please stop saying games are meaningless and homeruns are meaningless and baseball is meaningless. The Yankees are in a pennant race. That win might put them in the playoffs.
You're a sportswriter. Find the meaning. Make up a meaning. Johnny Damon's homerun might have saved a dying kid in the hospital.
Even in the Yankees had a 20-game lead in the AL East, you just pointed out that there are 52,000 people jamming their way into the park. At the very least, it's meaningful to them.
"At an average ticket price of $50 a game - the high is $115 - the live gate alone generates some $2.5 million a night, times 81 nights. Throw in concessions, merchandising and the $60-million rights fee from the YES network, and you've got quite a haul."
Yup. Quite a haul. Ain't it wonderful?
Money is the fuel that drives the entire enterprise.
"Ah, but the new Stadium will have 57 luxury boxes, costing upwards of $500,000 each, where the well-heeled can attend a cocktail party with their backs to the game."
Thanks, well-heeled with your backs to the game!
You just paid for 1/4th of a middle reliever.
Now, when I'm sitting comfortably in front of my TV, I don't have to suffer through as many Carlos Almanzars blowing the game in the seventh inning.
"There will be a gourmet restaurant that will make you long for a $7 hot dog."
A gourmet restaurant sounds like the worst thing imaginable. The children! Somebody please think of the children!
You know what I eat and drink when I go to Yankee Stadium? Nothing. Maybe overpay for a cheap beer, but that's about it.
Why? Because the food is a ripoff.
Kind of like the $8.00 tub of popcorn at a movie theater.
Nobody's putting a gun to your head to eat a $7 hot dog.
"There will be amenities you cannot imagine and only the most privileged will be able to afford."
I have a fairly strong imagination. What amenities will be provided that only the most privileged will be able to afford? A topless oil massage by Jorge Posada's wife?
It's probably just some overpriced wine coolers and chicken fingers.
Monday, August 14, 2006
The Meaning of Meaning.
The Yankees had three runs on five hits as Jered Weaver made the entire team look silly (the only exception being Derek Jeter).
But you know who's really to blame whenever the Yankees lose:
"Thirteen was an unlucky number in the Yankee universe yesterday afternoon - unless you had Alex Rodriguez in a 'meaningless home run' pool."
Funny, because I had Craig Wilson and Jason Giambi in the meaningless home run pool.
Did I win the pool?
Gee, if the Angels had scored two less runs, ARod's homerun would have been a cherished "close and late" homerun.
Gee, I thought ARod's HR was the spark that led to an inferno that led to a thrilling Yankee comeback. Five O' Clock Thunder and all that jazz.
Filip (with an "F") Bondy describes the homerun as "another meaningless, late-inning homer, this one moving him to No. 30 on the career list at 454":
"You don't want to pick on A-Rod. You want to write about almost anybody or anything else, after the Yankees lose again, 5-3, to the Angels."
You want to write about somebody else?
Let me offer some suggestions:
1) Jorge Posada is now 0 for his last 26 and, instead of hitting a meaningless homerun to spark a ninth-inning rally, he hit a meaningful fly out to left field to end the game.
2) Jason Giambi, the designated hitter, struck out twice and only had one hit. It was a homerun in the ninth inning (back-to-back and belly-to-belly), but it was just as "meaningless" as ARod's.
3) Johnny Damon, 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts.
4) Bob Abreu, 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 LOB.
5) Robinson Cano, Don't You Know, 0-for-3 with a rally-killing double play and no homeruns, meaningless or otherwise.
Ken Davidoff doesn't exactly call ARod's HR "meaningless," just that it was hit at a time "when only a statistically unlikely rally could have helped his club."
With Jered Weaver on the mound, backed up by the Angels bullpen, I think any rally was statistically unlikely.
Craig Wilson hit a solo shot in the fifth. Didn't seem to stoke a rally.
Alex Rodriguez is not going to hit a HR every time he bats. A review of baseball history suggests that this is statistically unlikely. It would be nice, but it's just not going to happen.
Let's say we know beforehand that ARod is going to have a so-so day: 1-for-4, 2 ks, 1 ground out, and 1 HR. I'll agree that the HR doesn't erase the previous lousy at-bats. Also, the ground out is worse than a typical ground out, since it was a GIDP.
In this mind experiment, let's go ahead and switch ARod's ninth-inning HR with an earlier out. What is the result? The Yankees still lose and ARod is still criticized for hitting unimportant HRs.
So what if he hits a 2-run HR in the first inning? Where was he when it mattered in the ninth inning?
Striking out to end the game? Typical ARod the Choker!
"And after the 5-3 loss, for those of us granted access to the Yankees' clubhouse, it was the one in which the reigning American League Most Valuable Player vowed that he was about to bust loose."
You know, you look up in early August and the man still has 25 hrs, 83 rbis, and 82 runs scored.
The fielding has been shockingly bad, he has hit into too many double plays, and he has struck out way too many times. When a player strikes out once every four times, the situational hitting will suffer, and it has. All around, a subpar season for a great player.
But 25 hrs, 83 rbis, and 82 runs scored is still nothing to sneeze at. Sorry if ARod ruined everybody's headline when he hit that ninth-inning homerun. Maybe it would have had more "meaning" if Posada could get a hit this month.
Also, after tanking in Baltimore, ARod already has busted loose.
In his last six games, ARod is 10-for-22 (.455 ba) with 4 walks (.538 on-base percentage), 2 doubles, 3 homeruns (.955 slugging percentage), 5 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in.
Keep it up, ARod.
But you know who's really to blame whenever the Yankees lose:
"Thirteen was an unlucky number in the Yankee universe yesterday afternoon - unless you had Alex Rodriguez in a 'meaningless home run' pool."
Funny, because I had Craig Wilson and Jason Giambi in the meaningless home run pool.
Did I win the pool?
Gee, if the Angels had scored two less runs, ARod's homerun would have been a cherished "close and late" homerun.
Gee, I thought ARod's HR was the spark that led to an inferno that led to a thrilling Yankee comeback. Five O' Clock Thunder and all that jazz.
Filip (with an "F") Bondy describes the homerun as "another meaningless, late-inning homer, this one moving him to No. 30 on the career list at 454":
"You don't want to pick on A-Rod. You want to write about almost anybody or anything else, after the Yankees lose again, 5-3, to the Angels."
You want to write about somebody else?
Let me offer some suggestions:
1) Jorge Posada is now 0 for his last 26 and, instead of hitting a meaningless homerun to spark a ninth-inning rally, he hit a meaningful fly out to left field to end the game.
2) Jason Giambi, the designated hitter, struck out twice and only had one hit. It was a homerun in the ninth inning (back-to-back and belly-to-belly), but it was just as "meaningless" as ARod's.
3) Johnny Damon, 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts.
4) Bob Abreu, 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 LOB.
5) Robinson Cano, Don't You Know, 0-for-3 with a rally-killing double play and no homeruns, meaningless or otherwise.
Ken Davidoff doesn't exactly call ARod's HR "meaningless," just that it was hit at a time "when only a statistically unlikely rally could have helped his club."
With Jered Weaver on the mound, backed up by the Angels bullpen, I think any rally was statistically unlikely.
Craig Wilson hit a solo shot in the fifth. Didn't seem to stoke a rally.
Alex Rodriguez is not going to hit a HR every time he bats. A review of baseball history suggests that this is statistically unlikely. It would be nice, but it's just not going to happen.
Let's say we know beforehand that ARod is going to have a so-so day: 1-for-4, 2 ks, 1 ground out, and 1 HR. I'll agree that the HR doesn't erase the previous lousy at-bats. Also, the ground out is worse than a typical ground out, since it was a GIDP.
In this mind experiment, let's go ahead and switch ARod's ninth-inning HR with an earlier out. What is the result? The Yankees still lose and ARod is still criticized for hitting unimportant HRs.
So what if he hits a 2-run HR in the first inning? Where was he when it mattered in the ninth inning?
Striking out to end the game? Typical ARod the Choker!
"And after the 5-3 loss, for those of us granted access to the Yankees' clubhouse, it was the one in which the reigning American League Most Valuable Player vowed that he was about to bust loose."
You know, you look up in early August and the man still has 25 hrs, 83 rbis, and 82 runs scored.
The fielding has been shockingly bad, he has hit into too many double plays, and he has struck out way too many times. When a player strikes out once every four times, the situational hitting will suffer, and it has. All around, a subpar season for a great player.
But 25 hrs, 83 rbis, and 82 runs scored is still nothing to sneeze at. Sorry if ARod ruined everybody's headline when he hit that ninth-inning homerun. Maybe it would have had more "meaning" if Posada could get a hit this month.
Also, after tanking in Baltimore, ARod already has busted loose.
In his last six games, ARod is 10-for-22 (.455 ba) with 4 walks (.538 on-base percentage), 2 doubles, 3 homeruns (.955 slugging percentage), 5 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in.
Keep it up, ARod.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Chien-Ming Wang is a pitcher who plays for the Yankees.
"You watched the game last night between the Yankees and their personal tormentors, the West Coast Angels, and it reminded you that the Bombers are still missing something important, after all that money and all these years.
They're missing Joe Saunders, a young, homegrown lefty with a world of promise."
Chien-Ming Wang is a righty, but he's still young, homegrown, with a world of promise, and quite a bit of that promise has already been realized.
21-9 career record.
13-4, 3.69 era, 161 innings pitched in 2006. Among the leauge leaders.
"The Yanks produced one of these guys a decade ago, Andy Pettitte, and they never replaced him when he packed his bags for Houston."
Is Bondy really fixated on the fact that Wang is a righty and Pettitte is a lefty?
If it helps, Wang leads the league in ground ball double plays.
"Too many trades, not enough material left in the minors."
The Yankees should have kept Ted Lilly. But Ted Lilly is merely good, not great.
You know who else is pretty good? Jake Westbrook.
The other trades? No worries.
Brandon Claussen is 16-27; Randy Choate is a so-so middle reliever; Ben Ford is out of baseball; Randy Keisler has a career era of 6.82.
"They lean hard on mercenaries and pickups along the way, getting as far as October but no longer to the Canyon of Heroes."
The Yankees have not won the World Series in five whole years. That much is true.
Maybe Bondy would prefer a starting rotation of Claussen, Ford, Keisler, Brian Boehringer, and Ed Yarnall. Sounds like the World Champs.
When I say "Brett Jodie," you say "Canyon."
When I say "Jorge Depaula," you say "of."
When I say "Craig Dingman," you say "Heroes."
Everybody's a mercenary. Young players and old players, minor leaguers and Hall of Famers. The Yankees who won the World Series were mercenaries and the Yankees who lost in the playoffs were mercenaries. Andy Pettitte is a mercenary and so is Joe Saunders and so is Filip Bondy, who spells his first name with an "F," instead of a "Ph."
"This revolving-door system worked well enough for the Yanks in the late '90s, with Pettitte there to anchor things."
Oh, I forgot. Pettitte was the anchor. Not Wells winning 20 games, not Cone winning 20 games, not Clemens winning the Cy Young, not El Duque and his .999 winning percentage in the playoffs.
Listen up, everybody: The 1998 Yankees were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was also eight years ago.
"It turns out the Yankees haven't won the AL East in August, after all. They haven't won anything yet."
He's joking, right?
"It appeared for a few days this week as if the race might end a bit earlier than expected ... "
To whom did this appear?
Because the Yankees amassed a whopping three game lead in early August? The race appeared to be over?
"Meanwhile, Saunders, a rookie, mixed his stuff like a veteran, like Pettitte, until his fielders let him down in the seventh, on an error by third baseman Maicer Izturis and a miscommunication on a simple foul pop near first."
Why are we still talking about Andy Pettitte?
Andy Pettitte is no longer on the Yankees, Andy Pettitte is 11-12 with a 4.86 era in a league where the pitchers hit.
I'll take Chien-Ming Wang. He wears number 40 and plays for the Yankees.
Maybe Filip Bondy should check out a game sometime. They play on the YES Network during the week and on Channel Nine on Fridays.
They're missing Joe Saunders, a young, homegrown lefty with a world of promise."
Chien-Ming Wang is a righty, but he's still young, homegrown, with a world of promise, and quite a bit of that promise has already been realized.
21-9 career record.
13-4, 3.69 era, 161 innings pitched in 2006. Among the leauge leaders.
"The Yanks produced one of these guys a decade ago, Andy Pettitte, and they never replaced him when he packed his bags for Houston."
Is Bondy really fixated on the fact that Wang is a righty and Pettitte is a lefty?
If it helps, Wang leads the league in ground ball double plays.
"Too many trades, not enough material left in the minors."
The Yankees should have kept Ted Lilly. But Ted Lilly is merely good, not great.
You know who else is pretty good? Jake Westbrook.
The other trades? No worries.
Brandon Claussen is 16-27; Randy Choate is a so-so middle reliever; Ben Ford is out of baseball; Randy Keisler has a career era of 6.82.
"They lean hard on mercenaries and pickups along the way, getting as far as October but no longer to the Canyon of Heroes."
The Yankees have not won the World Series in five whole years. That much is true.
Maybe Bondy would prefer a starting rotation of Claussen, Ford, Keisler, Brian Boehringer, and Ed Yarnall. Sounds like the World Champs.
When I say "Brett Jodie," you say "Canyon."
When I say "Jorge Depaula," you say "of."
When I say "Craig Dingman," you say "Heroes."
Everybody's a mercenary. Young players and old players, minor leaguers and Hall of Famers. The Yankees who won the World Series were mercenaries and the Yankees who lost in the playoffs were mercenaries. Andy Pettitte is a mercenary and so is Joe Saunders and so is Filip Bondy, who spells his first name with an "F," instead of a "Ph."
"This revolving-door system worked well enough for the Yanks in the late '90s, with Pettitte there to anchor things."
Oh, I forgot. Pettitte was the anchor. Not Wells winning 20 games, not Cone winning 20 games, not Clemens winning the Cy Young, not El Duque and his .999 winning percentage in the playoffs.
Listen up, everybody: The 1998 Yankees were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was also eight years ago.
"It turns out the Yankees haven't won the AL East in August, after all. They haven't won anything yet."
He's joking, right?
"It appeared for a few days this week as if the race might end a bit earlier than expected ... "
To whom did this appear?
Because the Yankees amassed a whopping three game lead in early August? The race appeared to be over?
"Meanwhile, Saunders, a rookie, mixed his stuff like a veteran, like Pettitte, until his fielders let him down in the seventh, on an error by third baseman Maicer Izturis and a miscommunication on a simple foul pop near first."
Why are we still talking about Andy Pettitte?
Andy Pettitte is no longer on the Yankees, Andy Pettitte is 11-12 with a 4.86 era in a league where the pitchers hit.
I'll take Chien-Ming Wang. He wears number 40 and plays for the Yankees.
Maybe Filip Bondy should check out a game sometime. They play on the YES Network during the week and on Channel Nine on Fridays.
Friday, August 11, 2006
He was going for the 5-9-3 double play.
"I just tried to get two," Rodriguez said. "Looking back on it, I probably should have gotten the one."
Monday, August 07, 2006
With Alex Rodriguez, the Mets might have won a World Series or two.
"Can you imagine how different this might have turned out had Phillips marched into Fred Wilpon's office two months after the Mets were overwhelmed by the Yankees in the 2000 World Series and convinced his boss to sign A-Rod?"
Sure. I can imagine.
With a shortstop who regularly puts up 40 and 120, the Mets may have made the playoffs each of the past five seasons instead of missing the playoffs each of the past five seasons.
All the Rodriguez merch that filled Steinbrenner's coffers may have made Wilpon an even wealthier man.
The seemingly impoosible boost in attendance at Yankee Stadium may have been transferred to Shea.
"Wilpon's wallet would have tightened up like A-Rod with men on base had he committed to 10 years at $25 million per.
Consequently, no Glavine, no Pedro, neither of the Carloses and no Wagner."
Everyone knows that ARod wasn't demanding $25 mill per from the Mets.
But, as discussed above, it's an investment. You take a World Series team and you add another superstar player. You don't stop there. You get playoff money, World Series money, merch, ticket sales increase, etc.
All of this is money, money, money, money that Jeff Duncan was unable to generate.
Why no Pedro on the Mets? Over the past five years, the Mets just made more money, so they could have spent more money.
As a bonus, no Ty Wigginton at the hot corner.
Also, there's something seriously wrong with Matthews's math skills.
Let's just assume ARod was actually paid $25 million by the Mets and let's further assume that the Mets generated no additional revenue as a result of the investment. Both of these assumptions are wrong by a lot, but we'll give Matthews's attempt at an argument the benefit of the doubt.
According to USA Today's Baseball Salary database, the 2006 Mets mentioned by Matthews make the following salaries:
Glavine: $10 mill.
Pedro: $15 mill.
Beltran: $13.5 mill.
Delgado: $13.5 mill.
Wagner: $10.5 mill.
Total: $62.5 mill.
So, if the Mets had spent $25 mill on Alex Rodriguez, they wouldn't have been able to afford any of these players? What happened to the remaining $37.5 mill? Did Minaya spend the whole thing on ARod's Shea Stadium luxury box and Spring Training merchandise booth?
Do you feel lied to?
You should.
Oh, by the way, guess how well the Mets have done without Alex Rodriguez? They haven't done squat.
Was that seriously Wallace Matthews's grand plan? Stink for five years and then spend some money?
Good plan. It really worked out.
"As for Reyes and Wright? Well, because each of them plays a position also played by A-Rod, at least one, if not both of them, probably would be playing elsewhere."
Well, gee. I doubt that very much. Because even if one of them had to be moved to make room for a slouch like ARod, I doubt if both of them would have to be moved.
Because, as good as Alex Rodriguez is, he does not play two positions at the same time.
Or how about this disastrous scenario?
ARod at shortstop on his way to 800 homeruns, young Wright at 3b, Reyes and a few minor leaguers traded for Barry Zito and Nick Swisher.
That team might have two rings by now, instead of zero.
Sure. I can imagine.
With a shortstop who regularly puts up 40 and 120, the Mets may have made the playoffs each of the past five seasons instead of missing the playoffs each of the past five seasons.
All the Rodriguez merch that filled Steinbrenner's coffers may have made Wilpon an even wealthier man.
The seemingly impoosible boost in attendance at Yankee Stadium may have been transferred to Shea.
"Wilpon's wallet would have tightened up like A-Rod with men on base had he committed to 10 years at $25 million per.
Consequently, no Glavine, no Pedro, neither of the Carloses and no Wagner."
Everyone knows that ARod wasn't demanding $25 mill per from the Mets.
But, as discussed above, it's an investment. You take a World Series team and you add another superstar player. You don't stop there. You get playoff money, World Series money, merch, ticket sales increase, etc.
All of this is money, money, money, money that Jeff Duncan was unable to generate.
Why no Pedro on the Mets? Over the past five years, the Mets just made more money, so they could have spent more money.
As a bonus, no Ty Wigginton at the hot corner.
Also, there's something seriously wrong with Matthews's math skills.
Let's just assume ARod was actually paid $25 million by the Mets and let's further assume that the Mets generated no additional revenue as a result of the investment. Both of these assumptions are wrong by a lot, but we'll give Matthews's attempt at an argument the benefit of the doubt.
According to USA Today's Baseball Salary database, the 2006 Mets mentioned by Matthews make the following salaries:
Glavine: $10 mill.
Pedro: $15 mill.
Beltran: $13.5 mill.
Delgado: $13.5 mill.
Wagner: $10.5 mill.
Total: $62.5 mill.
So, if the Mets had spent $25 mill on Alex Rodriguez, they wouldn't have been able to afford any of these players? What happened to the remaining $37.5 mill? Did Minaya spend the whole thing on ARod's Shea Stadium luxury box and Spring Training merchandise booth?
Do you feel lied to?
You should.
Oh, by the way, guess how well the Mets have done without Alex Rodriguez? They haven't done squat.
Was that seriously Wallace Matthews's grand plan? Stink for five years and then spend some money?
Good plan. It really worked out.
"As for Reyes and Wright? Well, because each of them plays a position also played by A-Rod, at least one, if not both of them, probably would be playing elsewhere."
Well, gee. I doubt that very much. Because even if one of them had to be moved to make room for a slouch like ARod, I doubt if both of them would have to be moved.
Because, as good as Alex Rodriguez is, he does not play two positions at the same time.
Or how about this disastrous scenario?
ARod at shortstop on his way to 800 homeruns, young Wright at 3b, Reyes and a few minor leaguers traded for Barry Zito and Nick Swisher.
That team might have two rings by now, instead of zero.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Overcoming Bad Sportswriting.
"This is apparently another moment in baseball time when the Yankees made a big trade and everybody else in the American League is supposed to stop playing.
The Yankees got A-Rod and everybody else in the league was supposed to be too afraid to come out of the clubhouse."
Not true.
I'm pretty sure I'm repeating myself, but the Yankees had lost Pettitte, Clemens, and Soriano while the Red Sox had added Foulke and Schilling. Before the start of the 2004 season, the Red Sox were probably the favorites to win the AL East.
"It was the same when they put Johnny Damon at leadoff over the winter.
You know what it was really like around here?"
Not true.
Josh Beckett and his 5.00 ERA were considered a more important signing than Damon.
The Red Sox were praised by lots of people, including Mike Lupica, for replacing Damon with Coco Crisp, who has come through with a whopping 21 rbis.
"Around here, the Yankees are still treated like the defending champion of baseball every year, even though the last year they won the World Series was 2000."
Huh? I must have missed the parade, too.
The Yankees have won eight straight divisions and have made the playoffs eleven straight seasons. The Yankees also have the deepest pockets. This is why they deserve the benefit of the doubt.
However, around here, the Yankees are treated like unclutch losers any year they don't win the World Series.
Meanwhile, Lupica treats the Mets like (ahem) the Best Team in Baseball, even though the last year they won the World Series was 1986.
You know how the Yankees have spent about $1 billion on payroll the past five years and not won the World Series? Lupica will remind you from time to time. Well, he never mentions that the Mets have spent about half a billion and not even made the playoffs.
The Yankees had to overcome more because (a) the Yankees lost more talented players than the Red Sox lost and (b) the Yankees lost their players for a longer period of time.
"Since the start of the season" is a wee bit misleading (i.e., a big, fat Lupica lie) because, for instance, it ignores the lingering injury to Carl Pavano. While Pavano might not be too good, he was 1/5th of the Yankees' rotation.
Cano has been gone for about a month, Sheffield has been gone for about nine weeks, andMatsui has been gone for about eleven weeks.
Varitek got hurt five whole days ago.
The Yankees got A-Rod and everybody else in the league was supposed to be too afraid to come out of the clubhouse."
Not true.
I'm pretty sure I'm repeating myself, but the Yankees had lost Pettitte, Clemens, and Soriano while the Red Sox had added Foulke and Schilling. Before the start of the 2004 season, the Red Sox were probably the favorites to win the AL East.
"It was the same when they put Johnny Damon at leadoff over the winter.
You know what it was really like around here?"
Not true.
Josh Beckett and his 5.00 ERA were considered a more important signing than Damon.
The Red Sox were praised by lots of people, including Mike Lupica, for replacing Damon with Coco Crisp, who has come through with a whopping 21 rbis.
"Around here, the Yankees are still treated like the defending champion of baseball every year, even though the last year they won the World Series was 2000."
Huh? I must have missed the parade, too.
The Yankees have won eight straight divisions and have made the playoffs eleven straight seasons. The Yankees also have the deepest pockets. This is why they deserve the benefit of the doubt.
However, around here, the Yankees are treated like unclutch losers any year they don't win the World Series.
Meanwhile, Lupica treats the Mets like (ahem) the Best Team in Baseball, even though the last year they won the World Series was 1986.
You know how the Yankees have spent about $1 billion on payroll the past five years and not won the World Series? Lupica will remind you from time to time. Well, he never mentions that the Mets have spent about half a billion and not even made the playoffs.
"Since the start of the season, the Yankees have lost Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, Robinson Cano.
Of course it has been a lot to overcome, and they did it splendidly for a long time before it was time to go out and buy a big-ticket replacement like Bobby Abreu."
Splendid."Since the start of the season, the Red Sox have lost three-fifths of what was supposed to be their original starting rotation, lost their starting right fielder, lost their starting catcher.
Doesn't matter.
The Yankees have had to overcome more.
Why?
They're the Yankees, that's why!"
Not true.The Yankees had to overcome more because (a) the Yankees lost more talented players than the Red Sox lost and (b) the Yankees lost their players for a longer period of time.
"Since the start of the season" is a wee bit misleading (i.e., a big, fat Lupica lie) because, for instance, it ignores the lingering injury to Carl Pavano. While Pavano might not be too good, he was 1/5th of the Yankees' rotation.
Cano has been gone for about a month, Sheffield has been gone for about nine weeks, andMatsui has been gone for about eleven weeks.
Varitek got hurt five whole days ago.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The Golden Sombrero.
David Ortiz looked lost at the plate last night.
Is it time for Boston to finally realize they made a mistake and that Ortiz can't handle the pressure of playing in Boston?
Is it time for Boston to finally realize they made a mistake and that Ortiz can't handle the pressure of playing in Boston?
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Columbus Clippers Just Got Interesting.
"You have already forgotten his name, haven't you? Aaron something. Gruel? Giles?
No, Guiel. That's it."
I remember his name, but I'll try to forget.
Just like I try to forget Mark Bellhorn, Matt Lawton, David Dellucci, Charles Gipson, and Tony Tarasco.
They haunt my dreams.
Oh, no offense, Aaron. You did hit a couple of homeruns and you seem like a swell guy.
You also play baseball much better than I can.
"Came off waivers from Kansas City, of all places. Hit a couple of home runs, including a big one against Texas. Hustled in the outfield. Would have scaled the Big Bat had the team asked him to, he was so happy to be here, to be a small part of something big."
Fascinating stuff.
Somebody should make a movie about it.
" 'Regardless of whether he'll perform better than myself, for the fans and for the team, they feel like they're more comfortable with the established name.'
More comfortable, a bit better, but less interesting."
True.
Approximately four million people will crowd into Yankee Stadium this season to watch the team play.
I'm guessing just about zero of them came to watch Aaron Guiel play.
But, I have great news for Steve Politi. He can still watch the uber-interesting Kansas City Royals or, better yet, the Columbus Clippers.
Mr. Fascinating Himself will play right field every day in Columbus.
No, Guiel. That's it."
I remember his name, but I'll try to forget.
Just like I try to forget Mark Bellhorn, Matt Lawton, David Dellucci, Charles Gipson, and Tony Tarasco.
They haunt my dreams.
Oh, no offense, Aaron. You did hit a couple of homeruns and you seem like a swell guy.
You also play baseball much better than I can.
"Came off waivers from Kansas City, of all places. Hit a couple of home runs, including a big one against Texas. Hustled in the outfield. Would have scaled the Big Bat had the team asked him to, he was so happy to be here, to be a small part of something big."
Fascinating stuff.
Somebody should make a movie about it.
" 'Regardless of whether he'll perform better than myself, for the fans and for the team, they feel like they're more comfortable with the established name.'
More comfortable, a bit better, but less interesting."
True.
Approximately four million people will crowd into Yankee Stadium this season to watch the team play.
I'm guessing just about zero of them came to watch Aaron Guiel play.
But, I have great news for Steve Politi. He can still watch the uber-interesting Kansas City Royals or, better yet, the Columbus Clippers.
Mr. Fascinating Himself will play right field every day in Columbus.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Homegrown Talent.
All these people complaining about trading homegrown talent.
Would you have traded Marty Janzen for David Cone?
Would you have traded Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson?
Would you have traded Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill?
Step off, stupid. I got a million of 'em.
Who am I arguing with, anyway?
Would you have traded Marty Janzen for David Cone?
Would you have traded Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson?
Would you have traded Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill?
Step off, stupid. I got a million of 'em.
Who am I arguing with, anyway?
Never give less than 98%.
Corey Lidle defends Bobby Abreu's work ethic:
"He may not be that guy that sacrifices his body running into a wall, but he's there 160 games a year ready to play."
"He may not be that guy that sacrifices his body running into a wall, but he's there 160 games a year ready to play."
The Greatest Team That Never Was.
I'd like to invite all my readers (all five or six of you) to take a tour of the Creationism Museum. You can learn how dinosaurs and humans roamed the Earth at the same time!
Which reminds me of the first WFAN caller I heard yesterday, chastising the Abreu deal: "The Yankees will not win with all these free agents. They won with homegrown talent. They need clutch, homegrown talent like ..." (Please pause and put down your drinks.) "... Tino and Brosius."
I wonder what percentage of Yankee fans really think (a) Tino was clutch, (b) Tino and Brosius were homegrown, (c) the 1998 - 2000 Winner Yankees had more homegrown talent than the 2001 - 2006 Loser Yankees.
I think the answer is 99.9999%
The math goes something like this:
(Number of Yankee Fans - 1) / (Number of Yankee Fans).
O'Neill was never a Red, Girardi was never a Rockie, Boggs never played for Boston, Cone never played for Kansas City, Wetteland never played for Montreal, Knoblauch never played for the Twins.
Fielder, Duncan, Justice, Hayes, Neagle, Hill, Canseco, were all Yankees, but not really. Not to those who understand what it means to be a Yankee.
Some claim that Homegrown Yankees and Free Agent "Yankees" roamed the same ballfields at the same time, but they are merely blasphemers. Go worship an Alex Rodriguez false idol, Blasphemer!
Which reminds me of the first WFAN caller I heard yesterday, chastising the Abreu deal: "The Yankees will not win with all these free agents. They won with homegrown talent. They need clutch, homegrown talent like ..." (Please pause and put down your drinks.) "... Tino and Brosius."
I wonder what percentage of Yankee fans really think (a) Tino was clutch, (b) Tino and Brosius were homegrown, (c) the 1998 - 2000 Winner Yankees had more homegrown talent than the 2001 - 2006 Loser Yankees.
I think the answer is 99.9999%
The math goes something like this:
(Number of Yankee Fans - 1) / (Number of Yankee Fans).
O'Neill was never a Red, Girardi was never a Rockie, Boggs never played for Boston, Cone never played for Kansas City, Wetteland never played for Montreal, Knoblauch never played for the Twins.
Fielder, Duncan, Justice, Hayes, Neagle, Hill, Canseco, were all Yankees, but not really. Not to those who understand what it means to be a Yankee.
Some claim that Homegrown Yankees and Free Agent "Yankees" roamed the same ballfields at the same time, but they are merely blasphemers. Go worship an Alex Rodriguez false idol, Blasphemer!
Ian O'Connor Puts the Jerk in Knee-Jerk.
The Yankees add a decent, if overrated, outfielder, largely in response to losing two all star corner outfielders.
They give up zero prime time prospects. Cano and Wang and Cabrera are still on the team and Hughes is still in the organization.
They add a little bit of salary, but not too much, all things considered. Presumably, it will be a wash in a couple of months when Sheffield comes off the books.
Steinbrenner didn't trade away the future for aging superstars, though he's oddly always accused of doing so. He strengthened the bench and, hopefully, helped out the rotation a little. As usual, at the trading deadline, Steinbrenner avoided a big splash and made a few little splashes.
So, the bottom line is that there is really no course of action that Steinbrenner could have taken that would have not drawn knee-jerk criticism from Ian O'Connor:
"With some $200 million invested in a team in perfectly reasonable playoff position, George Steinbrenner did what no other sports owner would have fathomed."
I think every owner tried to make deadline deals to make their team better. If they haven't fathomed this, then they're very bad owners.
"No, Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle shouldn't be confused with Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter."
Thanks for the head's up, Mr. Baseball Historian.
"But Abreu and Lidle will give the Yankees a slightly better chance of winning their 27th World Series title, and their seventh under Steinbrenner, which is the point of all this."
Exactly.
That's the point of all this.
Which is why you make the deal.
"Things happen in baseball. Crosstown, the Mets were basking in their double-figure divisional lead when Duaner Sanchez was suddenly lost for the season with a shoulder injury suffered in a taxi crash.
So the Mets sent Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez."
Enough is enough! This is unfathomable.
The Mets have a 14-game lead and they can't leave well enough alone?
This is gluttony, and gluttony is a sin.
This is why people hate New York and why Mel Gibson hates Jews. This is nothing but a bunch of Zionist, imperialistic New York city slickers robbing hardworking towns like Pittsburgh.
That's not really true, but it sure doesn't help the perception.
"No such event inspired Steinbrenner to make his own deadline moves."
Ian O'Connor's logic teacher done learneded him good. Let's think through that thar proposition:
Exhibit A: In response to Sanchez's injury (Event 1), the Mets traded for two pitchers.
Exhibit B: In response to Matsui's injury (Event 2) and Sheffield's injury (Event 3), the Yankees traded for a corner outfielder.
But in Ian O'Connor's Alternate O'Universe, an injury to a Met player is nothing like an injury to a Yankee player.
They give up zero prime time prospects. Cano and Wang and Cabrera are still on the team and Hughes is still in the organization.
They add a little bit of salary, but not too much, all things considered. Presumably, it will be a wash in a couple of months when Sheffield comes off the books.
Steinbrenner didn't trade away the future for aging superstars, though he's oddly always accused of doing so. He strengthened the bench and, hopefully, helped out the rotation a little. As usual, at the trading deadline, Steinbrenner avoided a big splash and made a few little splashes.
So, the bottom line is that there is really no course of action that Steinbrenner could have taken that would have not drawn knee-jerk criticism from Ian O'Connor:
"With some $200 million invested in a team in perfectly reasonable playoff position, George Steinbrenner did what no other sports owner would have fathomed."
I think every owner tried to make deadline deals to make their team better. If they haven't fathomed this, then they're very bad owners.
"No, Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle shouldn't be confused with Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter."
Thanks for the head's up, Mr. Baseball Historian.
"But Abreu and Lidle will give the Yankees a slightly better chance of winning their 27th World Series title, and their seventh under Steinbrenner, which is the point of all this."
Exactly.
That's the point of all this.
Which is why you make the deal.
"Things happen in baseball. Crosstown, the Mets were basking in their double-figure divisional lead when Duaner Sanchez was suddenly lost for the season with a shoulder injury suffered in a taxi crash.
So the Mets sent Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez."
Enough is enough! This is unfathomable.
The Mets have a 14-game lead and they can't leave well enough alone?
This is gluttony, and gluttony is a sin.
This is why people hate New York and why Mel Gibson hates Jews. This is nothing but a bunch of Zionist, imperialistic New York city slickers robbing hardworking towns like Pittsburgh.
That's not really true, but it sure doesn't help the perception.
"No such event inspired Steinbrenner to make his own deadline moves."
Ian O'Connor's logic teacher done learneded him good. Let's think through that thar proposition:
Exhibit A: In response to Sanchez's injury (Event 1), the Mets traded for two pitchers.
Exhibit B: In response to Matsui's injury (Event 2) and Sheffield's injury (Event 3), the Yankees traded for a corner outfielder.
But in Ian O'Connor's Alternate O'Universe, an injury to a Met player is nothing like an injury to a Yankee player.
Monday, July 31, 2006
If Wallace Matthews Is Unhappy, Then It Must Have Been A Good Deal.
"Was this deal absolutely necessary?"
"Necessary" is a dumb word to use to describe baseball players.
Derek Jeter is not "necessary." Mariano Rivera is not "necessary." Joe Torre is not "necessary." Teams keep winning World Series without any of them.
It's all cost-benefit analysis and nothing more.
"How much more refreshing it would have been had Cashman studied the cards already in his hand, taken a deep breath and said, 'I'll play these.' "
Wheee! Aaron Guiel is as refreshing as a summer breeze!
We can go horseback riding, swimming, and even bicycling.
I also like how Matthews thinks second place is refreshing. Losing 19-6 to the Devil Rays was like chewing on a freakin' Mentos.
Matthews is just tired of the Yankees winning. He wants them to lose. That's why he thinks the 2006 Yankees are so refreshing.
"Which means that right now, the notoriously prickly Sheffield probably is planning to move his rehab schedule to some tropical island. The acquisition of Abreu, signed through 2007, effectively ends his Yankees career."
Again with the dangling participles. Can't you writers learn how to write?
"Abreu's contract effectively ends his Yankee career."
Abreu's contract ended Abreu's Yankee career?
It's a shame it ended this way. Sheffield was awesome with the Yankees. But then he got hurt.
Of course, two months ago, Wallace Matthews already knew Sheffield's Yankee career was over, and Matthews seemed kind of happy about it.
"It also means that the Bernie Williams Farewell Tour, which was playing nightly to large and appreciative crowds, now will be relegated to part-time duty, as originally planned before the injury bug bit the Yankees' outfield."
The 2006 Yankee season is not the Bernie Williams Farewell Tour. The 2006 Yankee season isthe 2006 Yankees season.
The Yankees originally planned to play Bernie Williams part time -- you just said so! -- and now you're criticizing them for going back to the original plan?
So, baseball-wise, Matthews at least seems to understand that the deal doesn't hurt the Yankees. Four minor leaguers nobody ever heard of?
It cost the Yankees nothing in terms of talent, the contracts will basically replace the Sheffield contract, and the Yankees also got Corey Lidle, who, amazingly enough, goes completely unmentioned in the entire article.
Wallace, talk to me. What's your real gripe?:
"It reinforces the perception of the Yankees as a bloated, imperialistic organization, willing to do anything to ensure that the field they compete on is anything but level."
No!
Not that perception!
Not the perception that the Yankees are bloated, imperialistic, and willing to do anything to ensure that the field they compete on is anything but level!
Anything but that!
Quick! Before this perception gets out of control, let's trade Giambi and Posada and Damon to the Senators.
"Necessary" is a dumb word to use to describe baseball players.
Derek Jeter is not "necessary." Mariano Rivera is not "necessary." Joe Torre is not "necessary." Teams keep winning World Series without any of them.
It's all cost-benefit analysis and nothing more.
"How much more refreshing it would have been had Cashman studied the cards already in his hand, taken a deep breath and said, 'I'll play these.' "
Wheee! Aaron Guiel is as refreshing as a summer breeze!
We can go horseback riding, swimming, and even bicycling.
I also like how Matthews thinks second place is refreshing. Losing 19-6 to the Devil Rays was like chewing on a freakin' Mentos.
Matthews is just tired of the Yankees winning. He wants them to lose. That's why he thinks the 2006 Yankees are so refreshing.
"Which means that right now, the notoriously prickly Sheffield probably is planning to move his rehab schedule to some tropical island. The acquisition of Abreu, signed through 2007, effectively ends his Yankees career."
Again with the dangling participles. Can't you writers learn how to write?
"Abreu's contract effectively ends his Yankee career."
Abreu's contract ended Abreu's Yankee career?
It's a shame it ended this way. Sheffield was awesome with the Yankees. But then he got hurt.
Of course, two months ago, Wallace Matthews already knew Sheffield's Yankee career was over, and Matthews seemed kind of happy about it.
"It also means that the Bernie Williams Farewell Tour, which was playing nightly to large and appreciative crowds, now will be relegated to part-time duty, as originally planned before the injury bug bit the Yankees' outfield."
The 2006 Yankee season is not the Bernie Williams Farewell Tour. The 2006 Yankee season isthe 2006 Yankees season.
The Yankees originally planned to play Bernie Williams part time -- you just said so! -- and now you're criticizing them for going back to the original plan?
So, baseball-wise, Matthews at least seems to understand that the deal doesn't hurt the Yankees. Four minor leaguers nobody ever heard of?
It cost the Yankees nothing in terms of talent, the contracts will basically replace the Sheffield contract, and the Yankees also got Corey Lidle, who, amazingly enough, goes completely unmentioned in the entire article.
Wallace, talk to me. What's your real gripe?:
"It reinforces the perception of the Yankees as a bloated, imperialistic organization, willing to do anything to ensure that the field they compete on is anything but level."
No!
Not that perception!
Not the perception that the Yankees are bloated, imperialistic, and willing to do anything to ensure that the field they compete on is anything but level!
Anything but that!
Quick! Before this perception gets out of control, let's trade Giambi and Posada and Damon to the Senators.
Andrew Marchand Looks Like a Girl.
"IN YANKEE ads Michael Kay voices for the YES Network he exclaims, 'Pride, Power, Pinstripes.' It may be time to officially add Propaganda."
The Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network is a 24-hour propaganda machine for the Yankees. The only time it's not a propaganda machine for the Yankees is when it's 3:00 am on Sunday mornings and they're showing reruns of Oregon Ducks football games.
"This weekend, when it came to the booing of Alex Rodriguez, YES - as if scripted by the Yankees - chose to either ignore the issue or accentuate the positive."
That's probably the worst example of Yankee propaganda I can think of.
This weekend, I suffered through a few minutes of the David Cone Yankeeography. David Cone only pitched for the Yankees for 5 1/2 years. The dude was 1-10 in 2000 when they sent him down to the minor leagues and John Sterling makes Cone sound like a returning hero. A parade of Yankee players explaining how David Cone was such a goshdarn great interview that diverted attention away from the other players, who apparently were more introverted.
People: He was 4-14, 6.91 ERA in 2000 and Torre stuck with him and this decision almost cost the Yankees a World Series title.
Where's the Denny Neagle Yankeeography?
"On Friday the YES-produced Ch. 9 telecast failed to even show the crowd's reaction as Rodriguez walked to the plate for his first at-bat in The Bronx since the epic 'To boo or not to boo' debate peaked with Rudy from Manhattan taking a moment from plotting a presidential run to call WFAN.
Despite the monumental buildup, Ch. 9 chose a pitch-by-pitch replay of a Jason Giambi strikeout instead of A-Rod and the fans."
Did you know about the monumental buildup to ARod's first at-bat on Friday?
Because I don't recall any monumental buildup to ARod's first at-bat on Friday. Andrew Marchand was the only person on Earth who thought there was a monumental buildup to ARod's first at-bat on Friday.
From what I can gather, the fans gave him a nice ovation, the announcers mentioned it in passing and then returned their attention to the baseball game.
The Baseball Game! With the three strikes and the four balls and the nine innings! It's why we're all here in the first place!
Andrew Marchand thinks the announcers on YES have ignored the booing of ARod? The announcers on YES have dissected this story for two months. The announcers on YES have discussed it endlessly. The announcers on YES are tired of it by now.
If Andrew Marchand seriously wants an at-bat-by-at-bat account of the fan's reaction, then he should be careful what he wishes for. I'd rather see the replay of the Giambi strikeout.
The Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network is a 24-hour propaganda machine for the Yankees. The only time it's not a propaganda machine for the Yankees is when it's 3:00 am on Sunday mornings and they're showing reruns of Oregon Ducks football games.
"This weekend, when it came to the booing of Alex Rodriguez, YES - as if scripted by the Yankees - chose to either ignore the issue or accentuate the positive."
That's probably the worst example of Yankee propaganda I can think of.
This weekend, I suffered through a few minutes of the David Cone Yankeeography. David Cone only pitched for the Yankees for 5 1/2 years. The dude was 1-10 in 2000 when they sent him down to the minor leagues and John Sterling makes Cone sound like a returning hero. A parade of Yankee players explaining how David Cone was such a goshdarn great interview that diverted attention away from the other players, who apparently were more introverted.
People: He was 4-14, 6.91 ERA in 2000 and Torre stuck with him and this decision almost cost the Yankees a World Series title.
Where's the Denny Neagle Yankeeography?
"On Friday the YES-produced Ch. 9 telecast failed to even show the crowd's reaction as Rodriguez walked to the plate for his first at-bat in The Bronx since the epic 'To boo or not to boo' debate peaked with Rudy from Manhattan taking a moment from plotting a presidential run to call WFAN.
Despite the monumental buildup, Ch. 9 chose a pitch-by-pitch replay of a Jason Giambi strikeout instead of A-Rod and the fans."
Did you know about the monumental buildup to ARod's first at-bat on Friday?
Because I don't recall any monumental buildup to ARod's first at-bat on Friday. Andrew Marchand was the only person on Earth who thought there was a monumental buildup to ARod's first at-bat on Friday.
From what I can gather, the fans gave him a nice ovation, the announcers mentioned it in passing and then returned their attention to the baseball game.
The Baseball Game! With the three strikes and the four balls and the nine innings! It's why we're all here in the first place!
Andrew Marchand thinks the announcers on YES have ignored the booing of ARod? The announcers on YES have dissected this story for two months. The announcers on YES have discussed it endlessly. The announcers on YES are tired of it by now.
If Andrew Marchand seriously wants an at-bat-by-at-bat account of the fan's reaction, then he should be careful what he wishes for. I'd rather see the replay of the Giambi strikeout.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Batting Average Is Important. Except When It's Not.
It is almost impossible for Mike Lupica to compose a thought without instantly contradicting himself.
Even in this very article by Mike Lupica!
"If you use that kind of Yankee math, Jeter is already leading the league in hitting even though Joe Mauer's average is 17 points higher."
Well, not exactly. Batting average is an objective metric. "Value" is a subjective analysis.
Jeter is not leading the league in hitting, but he still may have been more valuable than Mauer. Maybe not, but maybe so.
In fact, most of the time, the guy who leads the league in batting average does not win the MVP.
Is Lupica sincere in his belief that batting average is important?
Ummm, no:
"I keep wondering what reason the voters will have for not giving Ortiz the MVP this time."
David Ortiz hit .300 last season.
Alex Rodriguez hit .321 last season.
So Ortiz was more valuable even though his batting average was 21 points worse?
"I keep hearing, especially during Yankee games on the radio, that David Wright and A-Rod are having the 'same' season so far.
So now one guy is having the 'same' season as the next guy even if his batting average is 36 points higher."
We've been through this before. Wright is having a better season, but not too much better. In terms of production, they're basically even. The stark difference is that while Wright is being heralded as an MVP candidate, ARod is the subject of trade rumors and consistently mocked by the ignorant NY press.Even in this very article by Mike Lupica!
"If you use that kind of Yankee math, Jeter is already leading the league in hitting even though Joe Mauer's average is 17 points higher."
Well, not exactly. Batting average is an objective metric. "Value" is a subjective analysis.
Jeter is not leading the league in hitting, but he still may have been more valuable than Mauer. Maybe not, but maybe so.
In fact, most of the time, the guy who leads the league in batting average does not win the MVP.
Is Lupica sincere in his belief that batting average is important?
Ummm, no:
"I keep wondering what reason the voters will have for not giving Ortiz the MVP this time."
David Ortiz hit .300 last season.
Alex Rodriguez hit .321 last season.
So Ortiz was more valuable even though his batting average was 21 points worse?
Thursday, July 27, 2006
You need me.
You can look down on me, you can scorn me, but you need me.
You need me to say the things you're thinking.
First, this news that Joe Torre's arthritic knee is in bad shape:
"It doesn't hurt when I'm sitting here, just the walking aspect of it."
Oh, the walking aspect of the knee. That's kind of like saying the walking aspect of walking.
What's the injection that would tell Joe Torre to not bring in T.J. Beam during the 8th inning of a close game in Texas?
Hey, doc: Do you have any injections for the brain?
Speaking of injections, Jason Giambi explains his recent slump:
"I just didn't have that snap, I just didn't have that that extra little 'oomph.' "
You need me to say the things you're thinking.
First, this news that Joe Torre's arthritic knee is in bad shape:
"It doesn't hurt when I'm sitting here, just the walking aspect of it."
Oh, the walking aspect of the knee. That's kind of like saying the walking aspect of walking.
What's the injection that would tell Joe Torre to not bring in T.J. Beam during the 8th inning of a close game in Texas?
Hey, doc: Do you have any injections for the brain?
Speaking of injections, Jason Giambi explains his recent slump:
"I just didn't have that snap, I just didn't have that that extra little 'oomph.' "
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Some Yankee Fans Have Bad Memories.
Good Morning, Kids!
Let's play a game.
How many things can you find wrong in Joel Sherman's two paragraphs?:
"When the Yankees struck the deal in February 2004 to import reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez and his record $252 million contract from Texas in exchange for Alfonso Soriano, it seemed like a no-brainer.
But in recent months, public opinion has soured on under-performing A-Rod, inciting boobirds in the Bronx and leaving some Yankees fans ruing the day they relinquished Soriano, who continues to improve and mature, now with the Nationals."
1) The Yankees did not import all of Alex Rodriguez's $252 million contract.
2) In February 2004, I think most observers knew the Yankees gave up a lot to get a lot. How are you going to get the MVP without giving up a lot?
3) Having said that, I really don't think there are too many Yankee fans who rue the day they relinquished Soriano.
If these are the same people who are fixated on ARod's poor performance in the 2005 ALDS, let me remind these people of Soriano's benching in the 2003 World Series.
2003 ALCS: 4-for-30 (.133) with eleven strikeouts.
2003 WS: 5-for-22 (.227) with 1 hr and nine strikeouts.
Combined: 9-for-52 (.173), 1 hr, 5 rbis, 2 runs scored, and twenty strikeouts.
Overall playoffs: 34-for-146 (.233), 4 hrs, 18 rbis, 8 bb, 45 k, .287 ob%, .336 slugging%.
Don't make me come over there and compare these to Alex Rodriguez's playoffs stats, tough guy.
Oh, and if you think ARod is struggling in the field, well ... I don't know what to even say.
May I remind you of the play where Mike Mussina fielded a ground ball and threw to second base and Soriano forgot to cover the base?
May I remind you of the pop up near first base where Soriano ran all the way to the tarp near first base? He looked up, but the wind had blown the ball back towards the infield. The ball drifted back into fair territory, landed on the dirt near first base, and bounced into the stands for a ... ground rule "double."
The only person who should be ruing is Pedro Martinez.
Pedro rues no longer having the opportunity to strike out Soriano four times in one game.
Don't you remember? Tens of millions of people all across the country -- maybe even all across the world! -- pleading in unison, screaming at their televisions, imploring Soriano to not swing at the slider that is two feet outside.
It was the "What are you swinging at?" series.
Let's play a game.
How many things can you find wrong in Joel Sherman's two paragraphs?:
"When the Yankees struck the deal in February 2004 to import reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez and his record $252 million contract from Texas in exchange for Alfonso Soriano, it seemed like a no-brainer.
But in recent months, public opinion has soured on under-performing A-Rod, inciting boobirds in the Bronx and leaving some Yankees fans ruing the day they relinquished Soriano, who continues to improve and mature, now with the Nationals."
1) The Yankees did not import all of Alex Rodriguez's $252 million contract.
2) In February 2004, I think most observers knew the Yankees gave up a lot to get a lot. How are you going to get the MVP without giving up a lot?
3) Having said that, I really don't think there are too many Yankee fans who rue the day they relinquished Soriano.
If these are the same people who are fixated on ARod's poor performance in the 2005 ALDS, let me remind these people of Soriano's benching in the 2003 World Series.
2003 ALCS: 4-for-30 (.133) with eleven strikeouts.
2003 WS: 5-for-22 (.227) with 1 hr and nine strikeouts.
Combined: 9-for-52 (.173), 1 hr, 5 rbis, 2 runs scored, and twenty strikeouts.
Overall playoffs: 34-for-146 (.233), 4 hrs, 18 rbis, 8 bb, 45 k, .287 ob%, .336 slugging%.
Don't make me come over there and compare these to Alex Rodriguez's playoffs stats, tough guy.
Oh, and if you think ARod is struggling in the field, well ... I don't know what to even say.
May I remind you of the play where Mike Mussina fielded a ground ball and threw to second base and Soriano forgot to cover the base?
May I remind you of the pop up near first base where Soriano ran all the way to the tarp near first base? He looked up, but the wind had blown the ball back towards the infield. The ball drifted back into fair territory, landed on the dirt near first base, and bounced into the stands for a ... ground rule "double."
The only person who should be ruing is Pedro Martinez.
Pedro rues no longer having the opportunity to strike out Soriano four times in one game.
Don't you remember? Tens of millions of people all across the country -- maybe even all across the world! -- pleading in unison, screaming at their televisions, imploring Soriano to not swing at the slider that is two feet outside.
It was the "What are you swinging at?" series.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Trade Wright While He's Still Worth Something.
Trade David Wright. He had three errors in one game. David Wright can not handle the pressure of playing in New York.
The Daily Idiocy.
"The Yankees have less than a week to go before the MLB trade deadline, meaning they have less than a week to see if they can unload A-Rod, a prospect that once seemed ludicrous, but is now painfully legit."
Painfully illegitimate sports analysis.
It will be nice when Alex Rodriguez wins back-to-back World Series MVPs and everybody laughs at the notion that some observers really thought that the Yankees should trade him.
"A week that started badly and continued embarrassingly finished on an appropriate note: 0-4 with 4 Ks as a DH on Saturday, 0-4 on Sunday with 4 LOB."
Bad week for the reigning MVP.
However, he also did hit his 450th homerun. The youngest player in the history of baseball to hit his 450th homerun.
It was also his 2,000th hit.
He also turns just 31 years old this week.
Just for some perspective of the baseball player that Dan Shanoff wants to trade.
"Even Yankees coach Larry Bowa has said he thinks A-Rod's problems are in his head;"
Even Larry Bowa!!! Not Larry Bowa!!!
When Larry Bowa Talks, People Listen.
"while his trade value is still high, all but the most blinded Yankees loyalists can agree this is the time for the Yankees to unload him."
That means that almost every other person in the world is a blinded Yankees loyalist.
I also like that "while his trade value is still high." Like Alex Rodriguez is '05 Greg Maddux, or something like that. Like 31-year-old Alex Rodriguez, who's the reigning AL MVP, who's slumping to 40 hrs and 120 rbis, has fallen over the cliff and will never regain any value to a baseball team ever again. Like he's barely holding on to his job in the big leagues.
"How about my idea from last week to deal him straight-up (plus cash) back to his friendly hometown Miami for Miggy Cabrera? Not so crazy anymore."
Because Miguel Cabrera never had a bad week, either.
Crazy for a few more reasons:
1) ARod is a better baseball player than Miguel Cabrera.
2) ARod will not waive his no-trade clause.
3) The Yankees will not trade ARod.
Painfully illegitimate sports analysis.
It will be nice when Alex Rodriguez wins back-to-back World Series MVPs and everybody laughs at the notion that some observers really thought that the Yankees should trade him.
"A week that started badly and continued embarrassingly finished on an appropriate note: 0-4 with 4 Ks as a DH on Saturday, 0-4 on Sunday with 4 LOB."
Bad week for the reigning MVP.
However, he also did hit his 450th homerun. The youngest player in the history of baseball to hit his 450th homerun.
It was also his 2,000th hit.
He also turns just 31 years old this week.
Just for some perspective of the baseball player that Dan Shanoff wants to trade.
"Even Yankees coach Larry Bowa has said he thinks A-Rod's problems are in his head;"
Even Larry Bowa!!! Not Larry Bowa!!!
When Larry Bowa Talks, People Listen.
"while his trade value is still high, all but the most blinded Yankees loyalists can agree this is the time for the Yankees to unload him."
That means that almost every other person in the world is a blinded Yankees loyalist.
I also like that "while his trade value is still high." Like Alex Rodriguez is '05 Greg Maddux, or something like that. Like 31-year-old Alex Rodriguez, who's the reigning AL MVP, who's slumping to 40 hrs and 120 rbis, has fallen over the cliff and will never regain any value to a baseball team ever again. Like he's barely holding on to his job in the big leagues.
"How about my idea from last week to deal him straight-up (plus cash) back to his friendly hometown Miami for Miggy Cabrera? Not so crazy anymore."
Because Miguel Cabrera never had a bad week, either.
Crazy for a few more reasons:
1) ARod is a better baseball player than Miguel Cabrera.
2) ARod will not waive his no-trade clause.
3) The Yankees will not trade ARod.
Paging Clay Bellinger.
"Phillips gives you a lot. He gives you versatility, so there's a certain advantage that when you pinch-hit, you can do certain things."
Phillips certainly doesn't hit well enough to consistently play first base and, while I haven't seen Phillips too much at the other infield positions, I have to presume that he's not a particularly gifted infielder.
Because, if he was a gifted infielder, he'd have a lot more value and he'd be playing somewhere in the big leagues by now, rather than playing backup first base for the Yankees.
I mean, he's not the worst player in the world, but he's also not helping much offensively.
With the fact that it takes the Yankees a lot to score runs here, I think it's obvious that they have to put a premium on offense.
Isn't that right, Mr. Torre?:
"With the fact that it takes us a lot to score runs here, I think we have to put a premium on defense," the manger [sic] said.
Phillips certainly doesn't hit well enough to consistently play first base and, while I haven't seen Phillips too much at the other infield positions, I have to presume that he's not a particularly gifted infielder.
Because, if he was a gifted infielder, he'd have a lot more value and he'd be playing somewhere in the big leagues by now, rather than playing backup first base for the Yankees.
I mean, he's not the worst player in the world, but he's also not helping much offensively.
With the fact that it takes the Yankees a lot to score runs here, I think it's obvious that they have to put a premium on offense.
Isn't that right, Mr. Torre?:
"With the fact that it takes us a lot to score runs here, I think we have to put a premium on defense," the manger [sic] said.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Yankee Planet.
Why is Mike Lupica even paying attention to Randy Johnson? Randy Johnson is old and decrepit and sad.
Anyway, wasn't it nice to see the Yankee GM defend ARod?:
"Brian Cashman said the other day that A-Rod is having the same season as David Wright. On what planet?"
I know Wright is having a better year than ARod. How do I know? The statistics tell me. But the difference is probably closer than you think, given the respective treatment by the fans and the press:
Let's just say it would be unwise to doubt the baseball skills of Alex Rodriguez.
You probably can't go wrong with either player. It's kind of odd that we're constantly asked to choose between them in a pointless mental exercise. I choose both.
It's also clear that 11 rbis don't explain why one guy gets booed out of his own Stadium and one guy gets "MVP" chants at his.
It's not the small difference in production, it's the huge difference in salary. Cashman is absolutely right about that. This is clear as day.
I'll answer Lupica's rhetorical question.
On what planet is ARod having as good a year as Wright? Yankee Planet.
On Yankee Planet, ARod is having the same season as Wright. On Yankee Planet, Yankee players are praised and defended.
Is Mike Lupica seriously questioning the baseball acumen of the Yankee GM?
The same guy who thinks the Mets are better than the Yankees. On what planet?
The same guy who thinks the Mets are better than the Tigers. On what planet?
The same guy who thinks Jonathan Papelbon is the AL MVP. On what planet?
The same guy who thinks David Wright is more valuable than Albert Pujols. On what planet?
Just like in Seattle, the MVP is Raul Ibanez. It's Seattle Planet.
On Mets Planet, Steve Trachsel is more reliable than Chien-Ming Wang and El Duque is a proven veteran and Soler is a promising young arm and Floyd didn't celebrate too much after his grand slam in Chicago while ARod celebrated too much after his grand slam in the Bronx and the bullpen is going to get better instead of worse because Duaner Sanchez and Darren Oliver have done a terrific job this year. If you don't believe me, just ask Omar Minaya.
I hope it's easy to see the difference. Brian Cashman is an employee of the Yankees. Brian Cashman is expected to be biased. In fact, he's paid to be biased. He's a walking, talking Yankee sales pitch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It's amazing that Cashman is forced to defend the reigning AL MVP and it's pathetic that nobody else in the Yankee organization seems similarly inclined. (Yes, Mr. Torre, I'm looking at you.)
Mike Lupica -- I think -- is supposed to be a relatively unbiased supplier of in-depth and insider baseball information.
He's not supposed to be the President of the He-Mets Yankee-Haters Club.
Anyway, wasn't it nice to see the Yankee GM defend ARod?:
"Brian Cashman said the other day that A-Rod is having the same season as David Wright. On what planet?"
I know Wright is having a better year than ARod. How do I know? The statistics tell me. But the difference is probably closer than you think, given the respective treatment by the fans and the press:
- Wright .317/.391/.576/21/79/62.
- Rodriguez .284/.388/.504/20/68/65.
Let's just say it would be unwise to doubt the baseball skills of Alex Rodriguez.
You probably can't go wrong with either player. It's kind of odd that we're constantly asked to choose between them in a pointless mental exercise. I choose both.
It's also clear that 11 rbis don't explain why one guy gets booed out of his own Stadium and one guy gets "MVP" chants at his.
It's not the small difference in production, it's the huge difference in salary. Cashman is absolutely right about that. This is clear as day.
I'll answer Lupica's rhetorical question.
On what planet is ARod having as good a year as Wright? Yankee Planet.
On Yankee Planet, ARod is having the same season as Wright. On Yankee Planet, Yankee players are praised and defended.
Is Mike Lupica seriously questioning the baseball acumen of the Yankee GM?
The same guy who thinks the Mets are better than the Yankees. On what planet?
The same guy who thinks the Mets are better than the Tigers. On what planet?
The same guy who thinks Jonathan Papelbon is the AL MVP. On what planet?
The same guy who thinks David Wright is more valuable than Albert Pujols. On what planet?
- Pujols .327/.442/.715/31/83/69. (But Wright has more stolen bases.)
Speaking of Albert Pujols, I direct your attention to one stat in particular. The Runners In Scoring Position split.
You know how great David Wright is with Runners In Scoring Position? Well, he is.
Albert Pujols has 70 at-bats with RISP. He has walked 28 times, so I'm assuming 98 plate appearances, more or less, without investigating sac flies and that kind of stuff.
I'll go slow so you can digest this Truth of the Universe I'm about to reveal. I hope you are sitting down:
- 70 at-bats.
- 32 hits.
- .457 batting average.
- 28 walks.
- .600 on-base percentage.
- 5 doubles.
- 8 homeruns.
- .871 slugging percentage.
- 53 rbis.
Just like in Seattle, the MVP is Raul Ibanez. It's Seattle Planet.
On Mets Planet, Steve Trachsel is more reliable than Chien-Ming Wang and El Duque is a proven veteran and Soler is a promising young arm and Floyd didn't celebrate too much after his grand slam in Chicago while ARod celebrated too much after his grand slam in the Bronx and the bullpen is going to get better instead of worse because Duaner Sanchez and Darren Oliver have done a terrific job this year. If you don't believe me, just ask Omar Minaya.
I hope it's easy to see the difference. Brian Cashman is an employee of the Yankees. Brian Cashman is expected to be biased. In fact, he's paid to be biased. He's a walking, talking Yankee sales pitch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It's amazing that Cashman is forced to defend the reigning AL MVP and it's pathetic that nobody else in the Yankee organization seems similarly inclined. (Yes, Mr. Torre, I'm looking at you.)
Mike Lupica -- I think -- is supposed to be a relatively unbiased supplier of in-depth and insider baseball information.
He's not supposed to be the President of the He-Mets Yankee-Haters Club.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Out & About with Jay Greenberg.
Item! Alex Rodriguez, Yankee third baseman and all-around latino hunk, caught sunbathing in Central Park with the missus and the baby:
"Then, just like the well-heeled idiots in the beer commercial, Rodriguez' next bright idea was to sun himself on a blistering Monday in Central Park, winding up not only shirtless in yesterday's Post, but with three throwing errors and a bases-loaded seventh-inning strikeout."
Shirtless and oiled up. Yummy!
"Go to his private club would be one suggestion. We mean the one with the pool, not with poker tables or a writer with a tape recorder running while Rodriguez tells the world how much harder it is to be A-Rod than it is to be Derek Jeter."
Champagne wishes and caviar dreams.
"The Yankees pay Rodriguez $25 million a year to come to the park prepared as possible, including on nights hot enough for the trainers to post reminders about hydration, diet and 'limiting workouts.' Whatever additional heat tolerance a guy from Miami can claim, he still leaves the Yankees tolerating needless supposition that their underachieving superstar played a game fried."
Item! The Yankees don't actually pay Rodriguez $25 million per year. (But the more knowledgeable readers already knew that.)
Not that it really makes a difference. Preparation is expected from every player on the Yankees, whether they make $20 million or league minimum. Even if he took an afternoon to relax and sunbathe in Central Park, we all know ARod is one of the most prepared athletes in the world.
What did Alex Rodriguez do that offended Jay Greenberg so much?
Did he crash his motorcycle without wearing a helmet?
Did he beat his wife?
Did he get arrested for driving drunk?
Did he suddenly quit and become GM?
He sunbathed in Central Park.
That's it?
That's why he made three errors in a game? Because he sunbathed, shirtless, in Central Park? Flashing his delish pecs and hairless torso?
" '[Sunday] was an incredible game, and you [media] weren't telling me about all the great plays. I looked like Brooks Robinson, then like I did last night. I don't like it, but that's the lesson for Little Leaguers.'
Now that's some serious, self-important spin, turning three errors and an 0-for-4 after an unnecessary ultra-violet broil into a toast of himself as a lesson in perseverance. Obviously, if Alex Rodriguez knew how that sounded, he wouldn't have said it. But until he understands, how can he help himself?"
Jay Greenberg, do you even know who Brooks Robinson is? No, you don't. Brooks Robinson s not a fashion designer for the stars.
How does ARod sound, Jay Greenberg? I don't understand what you're getting at. It sounds perfectly okay to me.
It sounds like ARod said that some days you succeed in baseball and somedays you don't. It's actually not a bad lesson for Little Leaguers. Don't get too high and don't get too low. Say No to Drugs and Stay in School.
"Then, just like the well-heeled idiots in the beer commercial, Rodriguez' next bright idea was to sun himself on a blistering Monday in Central Park, winding up not only shirtless in yesterday's Post, but with three throwing errors and a bases-loaded seventh-inning strikeout."
Shirtless and oiled up. Yummy!
"Go to his private club would be one suggestion. We mean the one with the pool, not with poker tables or a writer with a tape recorder running while Rodriguez tells the world how much harder it is to be A-Rod than it is to be Derek Jeter."
Champagne wishes and caviar dreams.
"The Yankees pay Rodriguez $25 million a year to come to the park prepared as possible, including on nights hot enough for the trainers to post reminders about hydration, diet and 'limiting workouts.' Whatever additional heat tolerance a guy from Miami can claim, he still leaves the Yankees tolerating needless supposition that their underachieving superstar played a game fried."
Item! The Yankees don't actually pay Rodriguez $25 million per year. (But the more knowledgeable readers already knew that.)
Not that it really makes a difference. Preparation is expected from every player on the Yankees, whether they make $20 million or league minimum. Even if he took an afternoon to relax and sunbathe in Central Park, we all know ARod is one of the most prepared athletes in the world.
What did Alex Rodriguez do that offended Jay Greenberg so much?
Did he crash his motorcycle without wearing a helmet?
Did he beat his wife?
Did he get arrested for driving drunk?
Did he suddenly quit and become GM?
He sunbathed in Central Park.
That's it?
That's why he made three errors in a game? Because he sunbathed, shirtless, in Central Park? Flashing his delish pecs and hairless torso?
" '[Sunday] was an incredible game, and you [media] weren't telling me about all the great plays. I looked like Brooks Robinson, then like I did last night. I don't like it, but that's the lesson for Little Leaguers.'
Now that's some serious, self-important spin, turning three errors and an 0-for-4 after an unnecessary ultra-violet broil into a toast of himself as a lesson in perseverance. Obviously, if Alex Rodriguez knew how that sounded, he wouldn't have said it. But until he understands, how can he help himself?"
Jay Greenberg, do you even know who Brooks Robinson is? No, you don't. Brooks Robinson s not a fashion designer for the stars.
How does ARod sound, Jay Greenberg? I don't understand what you're getting at. It sounds perfectly okay to me.
It sounds like ARod said that some days you succeed in baseball and somedays you don't. It's actually not a bad lesson for Little Leaguers. Don't get too high and don't get too low. Say No to Drugs and Stay in School.
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