The bad luck Mets :-(

When I read something like this, I truly wonder if Lupica is on the Mets' payroll:

"Alderson was asked this question: Does he ever consider what the current Mets record would be if Santana were healthy and Ike Davis hadn’t turned into such a hopeless case that he is now playing baseball in Las Vegas.
'Honestly?' Alderson said. 'I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think we could be a .500 baseball team. A little above. A little below.' "

The Mets are 15 games under .500.  Approximately 40% of the season has been played.

So Alderson is saying that two players ... Johan Santana and Ike Davis ... would be worth 8 wins through 40% of the season.  Which translates to 20 wins for the full season.

Unless I'm misinterpreting ... but the column specifically says current Mets record.

If that's what Alderson truly thinks, then he's quite unreasonable, because the math defies reason.

"Then he was talking about the arrival of Zack Wheeler. And about Travis d’Arnaud, the catcher he got from the Blue Jays for R.A. Dickey, who is still hurt, but is expected to play for the Mets before the season is over; talking about the draft, stockpiling young talent, how slow that process can be."

Just for clarification, it's d'Arnaud who's still hurt, not R.A. Dickey.  I know when you read the words "R.A. Dickey, who is still hurt," you'd naturally assume R.A. Dickey is hurt.  

Then you'd give the 3rd-grader a grade of "check minus" and return the paper for proofreading.

Last time I checked, Wheeler had an ERA above 4.00 in AAA.  I guess he throws really fast, but lots of pitchers throw really fast.  I don't know if he's going to be Nolan Ryan or Todd van Poppel.  For every Tom Seaver, there's a thousand Matt Kinneys.

Same for d'Arnaud.  Maybe he's Gary Carter, maybe he's Josh Thole.  Maybe he's Buster Posey, maybe he's Dioner Navarro.

"All that. And how this is a time of the year when teams still aren’t ready to make any kind of trade for another few weeks at least, and how right now 'you are reduced to the waiver wire or released players.' "

Boo hoo.

If only the Mets had a bunch of good players who stayed healthy, they'd be in first place.  Just like every other bad team.

Alderson and Collins don't get enough blame.  

The Mets are underachievers who play stupidly and sloppily.  The Mets bullpen has been awful for three years in a row while Oliver Perez is lighting it up in Seattle as a lefty specialist (Alderson can't even take responsibility for that?).

If Ike Davis stinks, it's the GM's fault for failing to recognize this.  Fans and WFAN radio hosts similarly overrated Davis's talent, but it's not their job to properly evaluate Davis's talent.  

If your players go down with injury, you need to have depth.

The day the Yankees blame bad luck is the day I know they're a bunch of losers.

Somebody needs to tell him this joke isn't funny.

Mike Lupica on 2/6/2013:

"This is what Ryan Braun, who seems to be the most falsely accused guy since Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables,' says when his name turns up in the ledgers of a two-bit South Florida scammer and drug pusher named Anthony Bosch:"


Mike Lupica on 6/16/2013:

"It’s so heartwarming to see Ryan Braun reaching out to baseball writers these days, but only to talk about baseball matters.

Because it would be wrong, wrong, wrong for him to, say, talk about why once again he is the most wrongly accused man since Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables.' "


1) This unfunny joke didn't spontaneously become funny.  It wasn't funny in February and it still isn't funny in June.

2) When you use an unfunny joke twice, it suggests that you think it's really funny.  So funny, you had to use it again for the benefit of any readers who missed it the first time.

3) Never explain your joke.  If your audience doesn't know who Jean Valjean is, then they won't get the joke.  If your audience knows who Jean Valjean is, then there is no need to explain he's a character in "Les Miserables."

3a) Do you think "Les Miserables" is an impressive cultural reference?

3b) Are you too lazy to think of another example of a wrongly accused man?

Is this some kind of joke to you?

"The minutiae might dull the agony of the day’s events. The Yankees stranded 14 runners. They loaded the bases in the 11th and again in the 14th. A leadoff, 13th-inning double from Cano went nowhere. A familiar set of culprits deflated the offense time and again, the quartet of Mark Teixeira, Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis and Vernon Wells. As a group, they went 0-for-28 with 12 strikeouts.

'We’ve got to be better than that,' Teixeira said. 'That’s a no-hitter for all of us. That’s not good.'

'You probably won’t see that very often,' Girardi said. 'My guess is we won’t see that the rest of the year.' "

Useful reporting from Jeff Passan.

News that is actually something new:

"Under threat of suspension, the minor league players gave testimony that Major League Baseball plans to use to confirm the veracity of Bosch's story, the sources said. The league last week cut a deal with Bosch, the proprietor of the so-called wellness clinic, to drop a lawsuit against him, provide him with protection and try to sway the government from prosecuting him in exchange for his detailing players' involvement with Biogenesis. 

The revelation that multiple minor league players used Biogenesis products confirms a long-held belief that immunity could be an option for major leaguers and that the list of players who sought out Bosch exceeds the 20 or so publicly named from his logbook."

That is corroboration.

I can't believe what I just saw!

Robinson "Robbie Hustle" Cano just tagged up from first base to second base on a deep fly ball to CF.

I went to my first baseball game.

"Most people would think of the legacies of Joe Girardi and Terry Francona as scrappy players turned successful managers for two of the most influential franchises in baseball history."

That would be accurate.

"But the Biogensis bombshell this past week, where as many as 20 big leaguers could face suspension as a result of their link to the performance-enhancing-drug lab, has exposed the two skippers for what they truly are:
Frauds."

Not mutually exclusive things.  They may be frauds, but they're still scrappy players turned successful managers for two of the most influential franchises in baseball history.

"Case 1: On Wednesday, Girardi, when asked about Alex Rodriguez’s alleged PED use and looming 100-game ban, said he was only going to talk about baseball.

'This is in MLB’s hands. For me to speculate doesn’t make a lot of sense.' "

 "No comment" is the only proper answer in this situation.


"Really? What could be more about baseball than a guy taking illegal drugs to improve his performance to the point that he hits the fifth-most home runs (647) in history, drives in the seventh-most runs (1,950) and wins three MVP Awards?"

Betcha didn't know Alex Rodriguez was a productive baseball player.  Well, now you know.  Thanks for the minimal research.

"Hypocrisy oozes from Girardi’s dismissal of the discussion as a distraction, nothing more than a persistent gnat buzzing around the brim of his interlocking N and Y on an otherwise peachy spring day."

Metaphor Man is on a roll today.



"Here is a guy who, as a player, stood shoulder to shoulder with steroid cheats ranging from Sammy Sosa to Chuck Knoblauch, then went on to manage the likes of A-Rod and admitted HGH user Andy Pettitte."

You missed dozens of cheaters with whom Girardi stood shoulder to shoulder, but you don't seem to know much about this topic in the first place. It actually sounds like you entered a pro sports locker room for the first time ever and were shocked that the manager didn't answer your provocative questions.  That's not what happened, that's just what it sounds like.  An outsider who is just learning about PEDS, locker room etiquette, human's tendency towards self-preservation, etc.


You also don't seem to know the meaning of the world "hypocrisy."  If Girardi made a living chastising the teammates of PED users, and then he refused to rat out PED users himself, then he would be a hypocrite.
 

"So, let’s get this straight, Joe: while you were earning close to $30 million as a player and/or coach over the past 24 years, it was OK for you to benefit from all of those players’ pumped-up performances, but when someone wants your thoughts on how they went about executing and maintaining that level of play, you say it doesn’t make a lot of sense for you to speculate?
Stunning."
 
Girardi was a player and then he was a coach.  He earned that money as a player and a coach.  He was never a player "and/or" a coach ... what is that use of "and/or" supposed to do? Utilize pseudo-legal language to give a BS article a veneer of credibility?

You absolutely got it straight, by the way.  It does not make a lot of sense for Girardi to speculate, regardless of how much money has has earned in professional baseball.

"Case 2: Cleveland manager Terry Francona also said Wednesday 'as an industry we kind of buried our heads in the sand a little bit.'

While, on its surface, Francona’s indictment is refreshing, where was his searing self-assessment when busted steroid cheats Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were blasting a combined 289 home runs while leading Boston to two World Series over the eight years that Francona was manager?

Francona won an average of 93 games a season and made the playoffs five times on the inflated backs of Ramirez and Ortiz, but did you ever hear a word of suspicion from him as he was hoisting his World Series trophies and being lauded as one of the best managers in the game?"

I'm not quite understanding the logic here.  Francona deserved to be lauded as one of the best managers in the game.  His steroid cheats were defeating the steroid cheats on other teams.

"Francona and Girardi certainly have had plenty of company in allowing this fraud on the game and its fans to exist, but there have been very few who have basked more in its tainted glow."

Off the top of my head, I can list 500 people who have "basked more in the tainted glow" of this fraud.

Do frauds even glow?

I guess this particular fraud glowed.  A tainted glow, but, still ... a tainted, glowing fraud ... in which few people basked more than scrappy players Terry Francona and Joe Girardi.

I must admit, Mike Lupica doesn't know a lot about sports or the law, but he's probably an expert when it comes to lacking credibility.

When Cervelli comes back from the DL later this season, and Cheater Pettitte is pitching to Cheater Cervelli during the pennant race, Lupica will be silent and Yankee fans will cheer.

The issue is not whether or not ARod is a sympathetic character.

The issue is that, when you take so much delight in ARod's predicament, your biases are showing:

"Bosch tried to shake down poor Alex Rodriguez, officially the most misunderstood man in America, unless Ryan Braun eventually takes the title away from him. He likes to party. So he is supposed to be the Brian McNamee of this thing, we’re not supposed to trust Anthony Bosch anymore than we were supposed to trust McNamee, Roger Clemens’ former trainer."

As usual, Lupica attempts to score points by taking down a non-existent opponent.  Nobody is claiming ARod is "poor" or "misunderstood."  Most observers get that ARod is a stupid, arrogant man who lost credibility a long time ago.

However, if he's guilty of association with Bosch, it really makes one wonder why ARod has never failed a drug test, what is deficient in MLB's program, and why Selig isn't focused on fixing these deficiencies.

"You already hear from various experts in and out of the media — whose idea of investigative reporting involves reading actual investigative reporting in newspapers such as this one — that Major League Baseball will lose with Bosch and Biogenesis of America the way the feds lost with Clemens."

Is Mike Lupica seriously attacking his fellow sports commentators for speculating?  What is Mr. Gumshoe's idea of investigative reporting ... did he look up "biogenesis" on Wikipedia?  

"If we’re not supposed to believe Bosch, even before we know whether he has the goods or not, because he’s supposed to be some kind of pimp, why are we supposed to believe the alleged johns?

What about the credibility of Alex Rodriguez at this point, if the present story about Biogenesis goes absolutely nowhere?"

We're not supposed to believe ARod, nor do we need to believe ARod.

ARod has the presumption of innocence.

ARod does not shoulder the burden of proof.

ARod has never claimed innocence while under oath.

Since you asked.


"You now even see some of Bosch’s associates — you can also call them defendants — being given a platform to whine about being bullied by MLB.

I hope they did. Get bullied, I mean. It is a good thing that MLB has taken this fight to them and out into the open, even knowing it could lose in arbitration or in court in the end. It is a good thing and the right thing for the sport."

I hope MLB goons, in their zeal to to uncover sources at the Daily News, give a knock on the door of Mike Lupica.  Or maybe on the doors of Mike Lupica's family.

It's a good thing and the right thing for the sport.


"Alex Rodriguez talks about the 'process.' He and Braun and others better hope the 'process' doesn’t end with Bud Selig invoking the 'best interests of the game' clause if he feels a solid case has been made against them; these are the most sweeping powers for any commissioner in any sport, ones Selig has never used, not once. They all better watch out that the end of this 'process' isn’t just a suspension, but some of them being banned like Pete Rose."

I must say, I totally agree that Selig has not acted in the best interests of the game, not once.  Ba dum bum.


I suppose this process could result in lifetime bans for several players.  It's a possibility, but not very likely.  So Lupica will likely be wrong again -- and, make no mistake, Lupica is predicting a lifetime ban.

I also don't believe that's in the best interest of the sport in any way, shape, or form: 

• I'm a Phillies fan.  I say Matt Harvey took steroids.
• MLB files a scattershot lawsuit and subpoenas all Fed Ex deliveries and cell phone calls for all MLB trainers.
• I'm the Dodgers GM.  I want out of Zack Greinke's contract.  I found a guy who says Greinke took steroids.

This is what can easily occur once the goons feel comfortable bypassing the process.

The whole point of the process is to help avoid these biases and abuses.


Perhaps Selig can leverage this threat to improve the testing program or to elicit some confessions.  Perhaps, in the long run, this will help weigh down the "cost" side in the cost-benefit analysis.  But a lifetime ban of Ryan Braun is in the best interests of the game?  That is a very tough sell.

"Baseball goes after these guys the way Travis Tygart of the United States Anti-Doping Agency went after Lance Armstrong. How did that one come out?"

Armstrong was banned from racing after he had already retired.


Here's the other thing: Let's say the Accused MLB ballplayers are as lacking in credibility as the Accuser.

Are you familiar with MLB's bizarre lawsuit against Bosch?  The supposed leverage they have against this guy?

It seems to be that MLB is claiming that Bosch damaged the reputation of baseball by supplying its employees with steroids. 
 
Bosch couldn't possibly damage the reputation of MLB because MLB's reputation was already shot.  I mean, MLB hasn't even fired Mark McGwire.  Bosch wouldn't hire a high-profile criminal like Mark McGwire because Bosch has a reputation to maintain.  Bosch doesn't make MLB look bad -- MLB makes Bosch look bad.


Lupica is correct: MLB players are scoundrels.  Since MLB players are well-documented scoundrels with a long, disreputable history, Bosch could not have damaged the reputation of MLB players.  Since Bosch could not have damaged the reputation of MLB players, the lawsuit against Bosch has no merit.  Since the lawsuit against Bosch has no merit, Bosch has no reason to flip.  If Bosch doesn't flip, nobody gets suspended.

I want to talk about a baseball player named Melky Cabrera.

He used to be on youtube, shirtless in a hotel room, eating peanuts with a porn star.

He is on youtube eating something off his bat.

He created an infantile fake website to throw investigators off his trail.

He failed a PED test and was suspended 50 games.

After the suspension, the Blue Jays signed him to a $16 million contract.

He is batting .280 with 2 HRs so far this season.

Lots of players come back from suspensions. Also, lots of players are stupid. So, while Lupica can scarcely contain his glee at another chance to bury ARod, there is no reason to think ARod's career is over:

"But if he does confirm everybody’s worst suspicions about A-Rod, confirms that A-Rod was not just trolling for a way to make himself what he used to be but actually getting drugs from a two-bit scammer like Bosch — Biogenesis Bosch! — then he would be suspended for a long time; suspended for being a user all over again and lying to baseball about that. His career would be over. Nobody comes back from that."

Why not?


"A-Rod would have to fight to get the rest of his money from the Yankees."

Contract Law is on his side.


"And maybe, if he ever recovers from his latest hip surgery, he would become the kind of novelty act in Taiwan that Manny Ramirez has become."

He's expected to recover in July or August.

He'd likely be more productive than Brignac, Adams, and maybe even Youkilis.

 
"No wonder all these big guys from the Yankees have suddenly been liberated to talk about how 'disappointed' they are in him. They act as if they all knew that Bosch was in the chute this way."

Yes, they knew Bosch was ... ummm .. they knew Bosch was "in the chute."



"Or maybe he was doing some form of baseball drugs from the time he was a kid — was never the golden-boy, natural talent, home-run-king-in-waiting that we thought he was when he was a kid with the Seattle Mariners."

I agree, maybe ARod has been on steroids all along and his entire career is a fraud.

Which is why I can similarly speculate that the careers of Piazza, Pedro, Big Papi, and hundreds of others are fraudulent.

Which is why proof is so important.

Which is why ARod won't get suspended 100 games.

Which is why the Yankees won't be able to get out of his contract.

Which is why everyone is supposed to be equal under the Law.

Which is why a person's popularity with Mike Lupica is not a legal determinant of innocence or guilt.

The draft is working as it was designed.

Joel Sherman does the research:

"Consider this: Of the 74 players at last year’s All-Star Game, 57 were drafted and 31 of those (54.4 percent) went in the first round — and 22 were not available when it was the Yankees turn to pick."

Something-gate.

"In the case of Bountygate, the NFL’s zeal to protect its image resulted in an obsessive pursuit of a handful of players and coaches whom it never had the evidence to convict. Of course, this inconvenient fact didn’t stop the league from trying. And the harder NFL officials tried, the worse they looked. In the end, all they could come up with was an affidavit from a former assistant coach who had been indefinitely suspended from football after being caught on tape goading his team to intentionally target opponents’ heads. In other words, he had every reason to tell the NFL what it wanted to hear.

Which brings us to Biogenesis-gate. Given what we know right now, there’s not much reason to believe that Major League Baseball’s case against the players whom it’s seeking to suspend is much better. Already, the league has behaved in ways that have undermined its cause. It has sought to buy the clinic’s records from a former employee. In a new twist of biochemical McCarthyism, MLB has reportedly offered some players on the list immunity to testify against others. Finally, it sued Bosch to force his cooperation.

he ploy worked; Bosch is cooperating. But what, exactly, does baseball have here? Some sloppily kept records from a shady anti-aging clinic and a sketchy cooperator with every reason to tell league officials what they want to hear. Maybe there’s more compelling evidence to come. But before he goes any further down this path, Commissioner Bud Selig might want to remember how badly Bountygate worked out for his NFL counterpart, Roger Goodell."

Creepy.

"Tony Bosch, the fake doctor who ran the Biogenesis Clinic exposed by the Miami New Times earlier this year, merely has to tell MLB everything that went on at his defunct business. In return, the league will drop its lawsuit against him; 'indemnify him for any liability arising from his cooperation; provide personal security for him and even put in a good word with any law enforcement agency that may bring charges against him.' "

Provide personal security for Bosch?

"Put in a good word" with law enforcement agencies?

This is Bud Selig we're talking about. It sounds like Vito Corleone.



We will provide personal security for you, Mr. Bosch.

Why would I need personal security?

Just in case somebody would want to hurt you.

Who would want to hurt me?

Nobody would want to hurt you. But just in case somebody would want to hurt you, we will provide you with personal security. In exchange for your completely voluntary testimony.

I don't doubt they're guilty ...

... but some of this still doesn't add up.

1) You can't just skip the first-level suspension and go to the second-level suspension. These players have not even tested positive. So the players will certainly have a solid appeal.

2) What kind of immunity can MLB offer? MLB is not a Court of Law. MLB agreed to withdraw a potential lawsuit against Bosch ... but MLB can't order around the Florida Attorney General.

So we promise not to sue you, but we can't stop anyone else from suing you? That's it?

3) I think it's a bad move by MLB. Stick to your testing program and leave this other stuff up to the Courts. Attendance is down and I just don't think the majority of (potential) baseball fans are wringing their hands about PEDs.

Joe Girardi narrows down the problems with Phil Hughes.

"Hughes took a familiar beating from the Red Sox on Saturday night, allowing five runs and seven hits in just 4¤ innings. The right-hander struck out seven, but that hardly mattered. Hughes continues to be plagued by an inability to finish off hitters with two strikes. Incredibly, the Sox fouled off 29 of his 100 pitches, which Joe Girardi acknowledged as a problem early Sunday evening.

The manager mentioned the 'eight-pitch at-bats, 'which have a corrosive effect on Hughes over the course of a game. When asked what can be done to correct that – if anything – Girardi said Hughes still hasn’t mastered 'expanding the strike zone' or 'mixing [his] pitches a little better' and 'not making mistakes.' "

We don't have all day.

Easier question: Which aspects of pitching has Phil Hughes mastered?

Collin who?

I find it hard to give him credit.

What some people interpret as good pitching, I interpret as bad hitting:

"Many will say that Gee's performance was thanks to nothing more than a slumping Yankees team that has put together a magical run to start this season finally coming back down to Earth. And they may be partially correct, but these critics should also give credit where credit is due. It's not every night that the New York Yankees are limited to four hits, one run, no walks and are fanned 12 times by an opposing pitcher. In fact, Dillon Gee is only the second pitcher since 1916 with 12 or more strikeouts, no walks and four or fewer hits against the Yankees. Pedro Martinez being the other, in 1999."

The Yankees are 50 runs behind the Orioles and Red Sox. The Yankees are on pace for a mere 660 runs. The Yankees have scored around 12 more runs than the Mets, and the Yankees are in the DH league. The Yankees have a .307 on-base%.

I feel like it was the Yankees who fell back to Earth.

"Dillon Gee suffocated the Yankees over 7 1/3 innings en route to a 3-1 win for the Mets, which means that the Yankees have dropped all four games to the Mets, which means that the Yankees have now lost seven of their last nine.

While getting swept by an otherwise middling team like the Mets in a rivalry series is bad enough, the larger concern for the Yankees is that they may regressing to reasonable expectations. How long could they continue to thrive on the dubious backs of Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner and Lyle Overbay? Perhaps not beyond the month of May, as it turns out.

Presumably, the Yankees will get healthier, but the problem is that aging warhorses like Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez -- as great as their careers have been -- carry no guarantees. Actually, it's quite possible Jeter and Rodriguez will resume their declines, with both bat and glove. To boot, the schedule isn't going to get much easier (remaining opponents have an average winning percentage of .510), and the AL East is, of course, a tough loop."

The second wave of injuries -- Nunez, Cervelli, Youkilis, and Pettitte -- should not be overlooked. 

Wells, Overbay, and Hafner may very well regress to reasonable expectations. 

Jeter and ARod carry no guarantees -- no player carries guarantees.  But, in order to improve the team, the returning Yankees simply have to outperform Romine, the recently-departed Francisco, and Brignac.  These clowns have a combined batter average of around .100.

It was fun while it lasted.

Lots of articles about the sudden collapse of the Underdog Yankees, two from the same paper ...

But at least Ken Davidoff called it a week ago:

"They don’t hit too many home runs, don’t make too much money, and don’t fall short of ludicrously high expectations. Most pertinent, they don’t motivate the masses to say, 'We need Jeter, A-Rod, Teixeira, Youkilis, etc.!!!'

To the contrary, the latest working theory I’ve heard while stumbling through Yankee Universe is that some fans don’t want the injured guys to come back at all, that the Yankees are better off with the 'fun' current group.

There’s an easy response to those folks: Be careful what you wish for. The more players the Yankees can activate off the disabled list, the higher chance they will have at turning this special start into a special season.

There’s nothing fun in an undermanned team turning a fast start into a heartbreaking finish. Just ask the 2007 Mets."

Cano isn't much of a draw.

Yankees will remember it when it's time to negotiate a contract.

Team on-base% of .310.

"As long as the Bombers didn’t get buried in the AL East, they would get a big pick-me-up when Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez – OK, maybe not A-Rod – were finally healthy and ready to contribute.

That time has come. Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis – a late injury addition – will be back Friday after they finish their Double-A rehab assignments.

So why doesn’t anybody seem excited? Based on the past four days, perhaps they should be.

Teixeira and Youkilis’ return means the Yankees have 24 hours to figure out how to make room for them – and Yankees fans have the same amount of time to come to grips with the fact that Lyle Overbay and David Adams will no longer be regulars."

Yeah, the newfound fans of the Replacement Yankees aren't going to be yelling about clubhouse chemistry after a Mets sweep.

I agree with Mattingly. I see it with the Yankees.

"But Wednesday morning, Mattingly could no longer contain himself in a pregame briefing with reporters in Milwaukee.

'There has to be a mixture of competitiveness,' Mattingly said. 'It's not, "Let's put an All-Star team together and the All-Star team wins."

'It's finding that balance of a team that has a little bit of grit and will fight you. And also having the talent to go with it. All grit and no talent isn't going to make you successful. But all talent and no grit isn't going to get you there either.'

Mattingly wasn't just talking, and to prove his point, benched right fielder Andre Ethier for Van Slyke, offering this explanation:

'There's a touch difference between, "I'm giving you best effort," Mattingly said, 'and being willing to fight you for that prize, to do whatever it takes to win. It's almost something inside you that says, "You're not beating me today. You're not getting me out."

...

'I'm putting out my lineup that I feel is going to be the most competitive, and going to compete the hardest.' "

I take that to mean Mattingly would bench Cano once in a while, just to prove a point.

Why didn't he field the ball first and then let the umpire decide if it's fair or foul?

"Davis was holding a runner at first and shifting to cover the hole, believing it was unlikely that the right-hander at the plate, Brandon Phillips, would hit the ball down the line. He knew that the runner at third, Shin-Soo Choo, would be fast enough to beat his throw home on a softly hit ball.

When a grounder came his way, Davis ruled out throwing home to get Choo. He also decided against an aggressive attempt at a double play. On a ball like that, Davis said, stepping on first base would remove the force at second, meaning Choo’s run would count. Davis did not want to concede the run, because he knew the overpowering Reds closer Aroldis Chapman would come in for the bottom of the ninth.

As the ball skittered down the line, Davis said, it seemed to be bouncing foul. If it stayed on that course, the count would be 0-2 on Phillips. So, in far less time than it took to read about those options, Davis made the call: do nothing. Naturally, the ball stayed fair, skipping over the bag for the go-ahead hit. The Reds won, 7-4."

So the manager doesn't even matter.

The win-loss record also doesn't matter:

"Don Mattingly could not have done anything to keep Zack Greinke, Hanley Ramirez or Chad Billingsley healthy."

I am not completely sure that's accurate.


"He probably could not have done anything to get Matt Kemp out of his rut (though for what it’s worth Kemp did homer Monday night, only his second of the year after offseason shoulder surgery)."

I am not completely sure that's accurate, either.


"And Mattingly can’t make Brandon League pitch well… though arguably he could and should stop using him in key situations."

I am not completely sure any of this is accurate.

Maybe Mattingly is unable to motivate his players. Maybe they don't practice enough. Maybe they don't play intelligently. Maybe Mattingly doesn't optimize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.


"Like his mentor Joe Torre, Mattingly is a more or less competent tactician who really shines as a clubhouse leader. He treats his players well and, by all accounts, he has their respect. That can’t be measured, and clearly it is not helping the Dodgers win any games just at the moment, but it shouldn’t be written off entirely either. Like the vast majority of employees in all fields, baseball players will tell you that a good manager and a good workplace environment do matter."

Joe Torre is more or less a competent tactician?

I pick "less."


If the managers matter so little, I'll take the job at half the pay. Use the remaining money to shore up the bullpen.

Make room for Curtis.

Kevin Kernan notices the poor play of Gardner and Ichiro:

"Ichiro broke an 0-for-22 skid with a seventh-inning single and scored the Yankees second run, but struck out with the potential tying run on second to end the eighth. Gardner went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and has five hits over his last 28 at-bats. Gardner singled in the ninth with one out and stole second and third against closer Tom Wilhemsen but Jayson Nix struck out and Robinson Cano grounded to short to end the game."

An unusual idea in Yankee Universe is that Wells ought to keep playing and Granderson ought to ride the pine.


Gardner's stats: 158 AB, .253/.324/.380, 3 HR, 7 2B, 2 3B, 20 R, 14 RBI, 16 BB, 40 K, 9 SB

Ichiro's stats: 134 AB, .239/.280/.328, 2 HR, 4 2B, 1 3B, 13 R, 8 RBI, 8 BB, 18 K, 5 SB


It's not Wells or Granderson in the Yankee outfield. It's Wells and Granderson.

Quarter pole.

Yankees in first place, on pace for 100+ wins.

Most people have been proven wrong so far, few people are willing to admit it:

"When I walked into the Yankees clubhouse Tuesday afternoon, they were not last in the AL East. They were first, tied with Texas for the league’s best record.

On one level, I was baffled. No Derek Jeter. No Alex Rodriguez. No Mark Teixeira. Until Tuesday, no Curtis Granderson, either. According to research by STATS LLC, they have the second-oldest roster in the majors and the second-most days lost to the disabled list. That should portend disaster.

Nope. Despite the ad hoc lineups, the long-term questions hovering over Jeter and A-Rod, and the division’s perpetual competitiveness, the Yankees’ excellence remains unassailable."

I'm not sure if it's because the Pinstripes are transformative, I just think the players they lost were overrated and the players they got are underrated.

Sabathia is #1 and #10 on the same list.

Matt Harvey is #5 on the list of current players most likely to win 300 games.

Matt Harvey has 7 career wins.

Don Mattingly is a good manager because I said so.

"They've moved Matt Kemp's left foot back in the batter's box."

"They."


"It's just a few inches but still enough, they hope, to allow Kemp to clear quicker on the harder stuff inside."

Baseball is a game of inches.


"Over time he'd nudged that foot toward the plate, probably so he'd have a more reasonable shot at sliders on the far side of the strike zone, though it may have been unconscious."

OK, good to know.


"Either way, Kemp's setup had become closed, and now his stance is, while not open, at least sneaking up on neutral."

Sneaking up on neutral?


"The techies upstairs report the ball is coming off Kemp's bat well enough, presumably with the kind of velocity and trajectory that suggest better than one home run, eight extra-base hits and a .277 batting average through more than 150 plate appearances."

Who are the techies upstairs?

And who are they to conclude that the velocity and trajectory are better than .277 and 1 HR?


"This, anyway, is what Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said."

Anyway.


"It's small stuff – an inch or two of dirt or bat or ballpark that are the difference between an offensive anchor in the three-hole and a five-tool superstar in the National League West. Then, you take that inch or two, spread them over a roster, over a disabled list, over a stadium-full of expectations, and they amount to something.

Currently, they add up to the relative instability of Mattingly's employment, or at least the daily public referendum on his employment, because the Los Angeles Dodgers – as a result of all those misplaced inches – have been nothing like anyone figured they'd be."

Mattingly sounds like he'd make a heckuva batting coach.


"Generally, the conclusion to fire a manager is the call of the uninspired. The domain of the simple-minded. These are the same people who rail against the waiter when the fish of the day runs out."

Yes, the uninspired, simple-minded people who call for the firing of a baseball manager are ... the same people who rail against the waiters when the fish of the day runs out.

Not to rely upon simple-minded, nonsensical generalizations, or anything ...

I actually think the Heat are kind of boring. They play at half-speed until their backs are against the wall. Shoot a bunch of threes, wait for Lebron to save them in the 4th quarter.

"It doesn't matter whether you love the Miami Heat or hate them. You watch them. They are the team in professional sports, at least in this country, to talk the most about."

What if you don't care about the NBA? What then?


"People still call the Yankees the Evil Empire. They’re not, they don’t generate the emotion they used to one way or another, even when they're going good the way they are now. The Heat are the Yankees now."

I think Chris Nelson and Preston Claiborne are offended.


"LeBron James is the biggest star we have in sports and the Heat are the star team, more than the Yankees or any other baseball team, more than the Lakers and Celtics, more than any team in pro football.

They give off the most heat, in all ways."

The Heat give off the most heat. Brilliant.

Is Mike Lupica arguing with the voices in his head again?


For what it's worth, the dilapidated Yankees still lead the league in attendance and are still worth $2 billion.

Oh, and the dilapidated Yankees just happen to be in first place.

There's a pretty good story there. But it would require a writer to identify the Yankees as underdogs.


"The Orioles may not have a pure No. 1 starter, but I still think they’ve been the best all-around team in baseball this season.

And you better pay attention to the kid at third base, Manny Machado, because he is going to be a huge star for Buck Showalter for a long time."

The Yankees are in first place, by the way.


"By the way, do people still think that Mike Trout was the real MVP of the American League last season and not the guy who won the Triple Crown?"

Sure ... because last season was last season.

Do people still think R.A. Dickey was the real Cy Young of the NL last season?

That's "Mister Rivera" to you, pal.

When he returns from the DL, maybe Teixeira can add some depth to the bench.

Overbay is hitting .264 with 6 HRs and 20 RBIs.

Those sound like Teixeira stats at 1/20th the price.

Big Papi was on the list.

Sorry, but he loses the benefit of the doubt.

I don't see the connection.

"The signs are everywhere now. Panic on the sidewalks of New York, lumps in throats ... hope and faith and belief in miracles in Beantown. It can’t be happening again. But it is. Because if it can happen to Joe Torre and Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, it can sure happen to Carmelo Anthony.

Only this time, it isn’t the Boston Red Sox who are desperate to Reverse the Curse. It is the New York Knicks, champions last in 1973. And this time, the choke’s on them."

This is actually confusing.

This time, the choke's on the Knicks, instead of the Yankees ... and the team looking to reverse the curse is the Knicks, instead of the Red Sox.


So people are actually talking to Kevin Millar, Derek Jeter, and others in an attempt to force this comparison.


Basketball vs. Baseball.

First-round vs. ALCS.

Curse of the Bambino vs. No Curse at all for the Boston team trying to come back from a 3-0 deficit.


Let's listen to Brian Cashman for some common sense, who is a baseball GM inexplicably providing basketball commentary:

" 'I don’t see a comparison,' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told the Post’s Mark Hale. 'The Knicks will beat Boston if healthy. The Knicks are considerably better than Boston. The Knicks are supposed to win. They will win.' "


Serby gets the final word, proving just how tough it is to force this comparison:

"And the Celtics never sold Bill Russell to the Knicks. But could this be some Curse of the ... Jambino ... anyway?"

I don't know what that means.

Glad everybody got to see the no-hitter.

I'm surprised Collins shows this much candor:

"This afternoon in Miami, Terry Collins said he regrets allowing Johan Santana to throw 134 pitches during his no-hitter last June.

'It turned out not to be a very good idea,' Collins explained to reporters. 'A lot of people are happy they saw the no-hitter, but I wish he was starting today.' "

See, what had happened was ...

It's the dry air.

It's the slick baseballs.

It's the routine fly balls that keep carrying over the fence.

Math.

"All along, the New York Yankees have stated the effort to cut their 2014 payroll to $189 million is merely a goal. More and more, it's one major league sources don't believe they'll reach.

In recent months, the Yankees have become far less bullish on their publicly stated austerity plan, admitting to other executives and agents that staying beneath the $189 million threshold is unlikely and impractical."

"Major league sources" being a calculator.

Felz Stat of the Day

The Yankees lead the American League in home runs.

A lot of praise for a guy with 2 whole RBIs.

"Carl Crawford admits he began to have doubts — about ever hitting .300 again, ever smiling again, maybe even playing baseball much longer.

'I don't think I smiled in two years,' the Dodgers outfielder tells USA TODAY Sports of his time on a troubled team in Boston.

'I was just frowning, I started growing grey hairs on my face from the stress and everything for two years straight.' "

Tough life.

Also, a good time to rip on Boston, Mr. Informed Newsreader.


"Given all that, former teammate Clay Buchholz is not surprised Crawford has revived his career.

'Look what he's doing. It's unbelievable. I called it,' the Red Sox pitcher said. 'He's going to be in a better atmosphere. He's hitting .300 his whole career. He's going to hit .300. He's going to steal his bags. It's just the way it is.'

Yet somehow, it was just the opposite in Boston."

He won't hit .300 this year. He just had a decent couple of weeks. Still, it's kind of lame to admit you can't handle the pressure of Boston.


" 'If I had been hitting .210 the first two weeks, they'd be saying, "I told you he sucked," ' Crawford says. 'But since, it's a hot start, it's more like, "It's only two weeks of the season." We know who's saying that. It's definitely not L.A. fans.' "

It would be Felz saying that.


"But there's one thing he says he's been hearing often that helps:

'Everybody who comes to see me says, "It's nice to see you smiling again." '

It's more crucial to the Dodgers that he's producing again."

Two RBIs.

Surprising setback for the Iron Horse.

"When Teixeira went down with a wrist injury on March 5, he was given a recovery timetable of 8 to 10 weeks. Eight weeks will be April 30. Ten weeks will be May 14.

'There's no setbacks, it just hasn't loosened up yet,' Teixeira said. 'So I'm hoping that that's still the timetable.' "

About that $200 million contract ...

No offense to Harvey ... he lived up to the hype.

"Even the most ardent Mets fan would have to admit there have been precious few must-see games involving the Mets in recent years. But Friday night at Citi Field was different. It was electric, the way it was when Doc and Straw and Keith and The Kid played before raucous packed houses night in and night out at Shea."

Weird.

I briefly tuned in and the crowd seemed surprisingly sparse.


"Gooden had to like what he and the rest of the 26,675 on hand saw from Harvey as the he outdueled Strasburg as the Mets defeated him for the first time with a 7-1 victory."

26,675 is not a packed house.

Get well soon, ARod.

Francisco Cervelli is on the Biogenesis list.

Cervelli had one major-league at-bat last season. He batted .000 with 0 HRs and 0 RBIs.

In 2013, Cervelli is batting .348 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs in 23 at-bats.

The HR traveled about 450 feet in 40-degree weather. He really Mickey Mantled it and nobody even raised an eyebrow. Sterling said "the Cisco Kid rides again!" and Waldman probably reviewed the replay and said the pitch was in a bad location, up and over the plate.


ARod and Braun may be the arch-villains.

But all the people who pretend they'd never root for a team of cheaters?

You already do.

"Masterisk" is a combination of "Masters" and "asterisk." Get it?

Don't worry. Lupica doesn't totally ignore baseball for the sake of awesomely incredible golf portmanteaus:

"I had a feeling that all it was going to take was a good week or two for Vernon Wells to have him halfway to Monument Park."

Nobody is really paying attention to Vernon Wells. But it's nice to see Cashman's much-criticized veteran pickups performing well.


"I don’t know how long this lasts, but the main event right now in New York baseball has become a Matt Harvey start."

I had a feeling all it was going to take was a good week or two for Matt Harvey before hack columnists would put him in the HOF.



"When was the last time a veteran player hit town the way John Buck has for the Mets?"

I had a feeling all it was going to take was a good week or two for John Buck before hack columnists would put him in the HOF.


"How would Yankee fans feel about Carlos Quentin charging the mound if the guy he had injured was Andy Pettitte?

Or Mo Rivera?"

Yankes fans would be upset at Carlos Quentin if he charged the mount and injured Andy Pettitte.

Or Mo Rivera.

Kind of like how Dodger fans are angry at Carlos Quentin for charging the mound and injuring Zack Grienke.

So ... what's your point?

That fans root for specific teams and the players who play for those specific teams?

It's not so much that I believe ARod ...

... it's just that I don't understand what he was paying for.

What does it even mean to destroy a document? Hasn't anybody heard of a Xerox?

Joba?

You jinxed him.

Chemistry!

"Jason Giambi has been paid more than $20 million a season to hit baseballs and help teams win championships."

I can't think of one professional baseball championship that Jason Giambi was a part of.


"Now, he's making $750,000 as a 42-year-old part-time player and full-time mentor for a team trying to figure out how to win."

I tell all my proteges to take lots of steroids.


"If the Cleveland Indians are right — in fact, if a growing number of teams have calculated correctly something impossible to measure — this could be the most cost-effective use of Giambi in his 19-year career."

Well, he won a steroid-fueled MVP for the A's. So while it may have been fraudulent, it was quite cost-effective.


"In an era when advanced metrics ostensibly can determine a player's exact value, many teams — to the chagrin of statistical analysts — still seek the elusive and nebulous intangibles that go beyond measurable on-field contributions."

No person who has ever designed a metric has claimed the metric could determine a player's exact value.


"The code words for this quality can vary by clubhouse.

Indians manager Terry Francona uses 'atmosphere' to describe what he wants Giambi to help establish. The Arizona Diamondbacks re-made their roster this offseason and the buzzword around the team is 'grit.'

It also goes by 'chemistry' and 'culture.' "

If consuming tons of performance-enhancing chemicals can make one an expert in chemistry, then Giambi is your man.

Other than that, for $750k the Indians can expect a pinch-hitter who takes a lot of pitches. Probably not bad for $750k.


"So, it was a jolt to the numbers community when McCarthy chose an appearance at this spring's Society for American Baseball Research Analytics Conference to say that if you took Jonny Gomes and Brandon Inge away from the 2012 Athletics, they would have gone from 94 wins to 70-something wins on the basis of 'what happens behind closed doors.'

Gomes played in 99 games for the A's and hit .262. Inge batted just .226 in 74 games.

'I know it sounds really stupid, but it's kind of like being an artist where the more comfortable you feel, usually your better work comes out,' McCarthy says."

Actually, you are 100% correct: It sounds really stupid.

Small Sample Size Stat of the Day

In 2012, $20 million man Mark Teixeira had 56 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position. He hit .125 with 12 RBIs.

In 2013, much-maligned man Lyle Overbay has had 3 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position. He has hit .667 with 4 RBIs.

Grow up and get the DH.

Let's Go Yankees!

Mets win, Mike Lupica hobnobs with Chris Christie.

Opening Day isn't about baseball.

Opening Day isn't about politics.

Opening Day isn't about the intersection of baseball and politics.

What's really important about Opening Day baseball in New York is ... well, it's that Mike Lupica knows a lot of famous people and you don't.

It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Another national sports writer picks the Yankees for last place in their division.

The overall theme seems to be that the Yankees are old and therefore unproductive. "Out with the old, in with the new." This narrative is seemingly fulfilled when multiple players start the season on the DL (regardless of their age).

Girardi understands that the Yankees won 95 games last year without Gardner, ARod, Teixeira, Sabathia, Joba, and Mariano. They even won 95 games last year without Pedro Feliciano.


I'll be the first to admit that predictions are stupid. I am pretty sure I picked the Nationals for last place in 2012 and the Marlins for first place. So I could be way off with the 2013 Yankees. I'm not being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. I just think everyone is missing the boat:

"5. Yankees: Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez open on the disabled list. Vernon Wells opens in left field, Brett Gardner in center and Lyle Overbay at first. Joe Girardi's spring comment that the Yankees are a 95-win team is funnier than anything Craig Ferguson said this spring."

The Opening Day lineup is garbage, I will grant that.

However, I don't think that Granderson and Jeter are expected to be out long. ARod is due back around the All Star break. Teixeira, it's hard to say, especially given his well-known grittiness ... but I guess I'd be surprised if it was a season-ending injury.


May 1 lineup

Ichiro
Jeter
Cano
Youkilis
Granderson
Hafner
Nunez/Overbay
Catcher
Gardner



August 1 lineup

Ichiro
Jeter
Cano
Teixeira
Youkilis
Granderson
ARod/Hafner
Catcher
Gardner

Bench: Wells, Nix, Overbay, Nunez.

Is this really a terrible lineup?


If the injuries continue to pile up ... if ARod and Teixeira are still not healthy (or serving PED-related suspensions, as the case may be) ... then maybe the Yankees acquire Morneau and Mauer.

But he brought a winning culture.

"And as gallant as he was that night and as much as he fought back to get back on the mound in 2012, all he does now is go in with so many other bad contracts the Mets have given out, the money they wasted on guys like him and on Jason Bay and on Pedro Martinez, the insane contract they gave to Bobby Bonilla once, a contract that seems to have Bonilla somehow cashing Mets money from now until the end of time."

Funny how Lupica finally concedes, indirectly, that the Pedro Martinez contract was a bust.


"Maybe CC Sabathia will be an exception with the Yankees, maybe he won’t break down eventually even though he has already had his first elbow surgery in pinstripes. But if he had gotten hurt sooner, say in 2009, then maybe the Yankees are looking at him differently and maybe the Yankees are still looking for their first World Series since they beat the Mets in 2000."

Just a reminder that the 2009 World Series is the only Championship that doesn't really count.


"Maybe if Pedro had stayed strong, the Cardinals wouldn’t even have pushed the Mets to Game 7 in ’06, maybe they would have won that NLCS before the Mets and Cardinals got anywhere near that fat pitch that Aaron Heilman threw to Molina that night at old Shea. Before the game ended with the bat on Carlos Beltran’s shoulder in the bottom of the ninth."

Maybe CC, maybe Pedro, maybe Schilling, maybe anything.

If the things that happened had never happened, our memories of the events would be different. Far out, dude.


"There is so much conversation now about the Mets bringing Santana to town, especially now that there is the chance that he could set a world’s record and become the first pitcher to have anterior capsule surgery twice. It just makes this the capital of short memories all over again, because when the Mets made their play for Santana in the first place, it was treated like one of the best plays they had ever made."

Wrong.

In fact, Mike Lupica from Dec. 2007 disagrees with you:

"The Yankees have already spent $400 million the past few weeks and you know what that means, right?

They're ready to spend more!

They're ready to break the bank for Johan Santana and thereby go against all the data on signing starting pitchers to longterm deals.

Why?

Because they want him.

Why else?

Because the Red Sox do.

Why won't Santana break down sometime during the length of his contract?

Because he's going to be a Yankee, that's why.

...

Johan Santana is a great pitcher, no doubt.

He isn't the Bionic Man just because the Yankees want him, and the Red Sox might get him."

Yankees criticized for reacting calmly.

Juan Rivera was released today and Lyle Overbay made the team:

"There’s going to be platoon action somewhere in the lineup, so why can’t it be at first base? Overbay starts and plays there against RHP with Youkilis at third, and against lefties Youkilis can slide over to play first with someone like Ronnier Mustelier or Jayson Nix playing third.

Does that sound like a better scenario than any one that includes Rivera?"

It doesn't sound like a particularly better option because it involved "someone like Ronnier Mustelier or Jayson Nix."

No offense to people like Ronnier Mustelier or Jayson Nix.


"Maybe, maybe not. But that’s where the Yankees stand when it comes to filling out their bench this season; just trying to find the right mix of guys who can hopefully be league average. It’s not like Rivera or Overbay are going to put the lineup on their backs and carry them until Teix returns. Maybe the defensive skills are enough to give Overbay the nod and Rivera the ticket outta town."

That's just what happened.

If Teixeira's injury is severe, the Yankees make a (much-criticized) trade for Morneau.

Why not wait and see what happens with Teixeira's injury?

Even Accuscore doesn't like the Yankees.

Though, to be fair, 85 wins is more than most of the human predictions I've been seeing.

85 wins and barely missing the playoffs doesn't seem unreasonable to me. 70 wins and last place seems quite unreasonable to me.

Yankees are underdogs.

Yet another neutral party picking the Yankees for last place.

Perhaps I'm the delusional one. I just think this team is way underrated -- something you can't usually say about the Yankees.

Derek Jeter may never play shortstop again!

"So much for the notion that Jeter, at 38 going on 39, could come back from an injury as severe as this and defy all odds by picking up right where he left off as still one of the premier shortstops in baseball, with no discernible loss of range afield or speed on the basepaths."

That is quite a run-on sentence.


"I don’t know which was more painful Saturday at the Himes Ave. Yankee minor-league complex — Jeter loping and limping to first base on four infield groundouts, or watching him."

Most painful was reading your recap. Complete with the panicky conclusion that Derek Jeter will never play shortstop again!

I'm calling shenanigans.

First, the headline:

"Improved defense has Nunez ready to play shortstop."


Followed by Yankee propaganda:

"Nunez joked this week that he has not been throwing as many balls in the stands behind first base this spring, but that has not been by coincidence."

I'm not laughing.


"Nunez has been working with infield coach Mick Kelleher on his arm action, something he showed off on a fourth-inning play Sunday. Nunez whirled behind second base on Shelley Duncan's grounder up the middle, throwing accurately on a bounce to first baseman Juan Rivera, who did not scoop the infield hit."

So the evidence of his improved defense is an infield hit.


" 'He's bouncing it there on purpose,' Girardi said. 'It's on the money, and it's a good throw.' "

I'm quite sure Nunez meant to do it.

Take the Canseco challenge.

Vernon Wells to the Yankees?

I am not sure if this is a good trade for the Yankees.

It's difficult to assess because ... well ... because the article doesn't say who the Yankees are trading.

ESPN's Manny Acta is on record.

... and he might be right, but I sure don't see it.

He just said that the 2013 Blue Jays will have three starters compete for the Cy Young Award.


R.A. Dickey moved from the NL East to the AL East. He moved from CitiField to Rogers Centre.

Josh Johnson has a career record of 56-37. If the Yankees were paying him $14 million, he'd be known as "A.J. Burnett."

In 2005, when he was 26 years old, Mark Buehrle's record was 16-8/3.12. He came in 5th in Cy Young voting. He has never received another Cy Young vote in his career. (For what it's worth, Travis Hafner was 5th in MVP voting in 2005. So Hafner will probably compete for the AL MVP in 2012.)

Keeping score.

"The Yankees get increasingly touchy when asked about their farm system, but why aren’t Yankee fans allowed to ask how come they had to go get Kevin Youkilis to play third when A-Rod went down, and had to go sign scrubs from other teams to replace Curtis Granderson?

And when Teixeira goes down, the team known best for retired numbers had to start calling retired players."

"The Yankees get touchy." I suppose he is referring to Cashman?

Youkilis can play 1b and Nunez can play 3b, for what it's worth.

Youkilis wasn't signed to replace ARod. He was signed to get 600 at-bats and drive in 100 runs, playing 3b, 1b, and DH.


By the way, how many superstars are available ... short-term, mind you ... for CF and 1b?

Who is the superstar 1b who's going to replace Teixeira for a month? What are they going to do with Teixeira when he comes off the DL?

Bench players are just that. Nobody is questioning the low-risk/low-reward signings of Brennan Bosch and Dan Johnson.


"The farm system absolutely produced Robinson Cano, who has a chance to be one of the best pure hitters in all Yankee history.

There was Austin Jackson, whom they traded for Granderson.

And the suddenly irreplaceable — and much loved — Brett Gardner.

That’s it lately, if you’re keeping score at home."

Hughes, Nova, Phelps, Robertson, Nunez, Cervelli, Mesa.

If you're keeping score at home.

If you're keeping score at home about a meaningless measurement nobody cares about.

I miss you, Joe Torre.

" 'I grew up with three teams in New York, so you figure everybody watches somebody on TV every day. But two young players, and of course I think both of them ‑‑ which is not easy these days, because we’re so anxious to predict somebody is going to be a star — but these two guys have lived up to the advanced billing.

'The most impressive thing is the fact that they both play well under pressure.' "

He's talking about Robinson Cano and David Wright.

One of whom recently experienced an 0-for-29 streak in the playoffs. The other has a career playoff batting average of .216.

Sweat.

Joba would have to waive the no-trade clause in his contract that prohibits a trade to any area of the country that is not a part of Taco Bell's Cool Ranch Doritos tacos test market:

"Sensing the Yankees might have bullpen depth, the Rangers are following Joba Chamberlain."

Joba will definitely be able to handle the 100-degree heat in Texas.

Jog in from bullpen. Throw 8 warmup pitches. Pass out.

Sure, you can have the fruits of our labor.

"The Miami New Times announced on Tuesday that it will not release documents to MLB that possibly illustrate a relationship between some two dozen major leaguers and Biogenesis, a clinic that has since been shut down."

We only want two things in return:

1) A list of all players who have tested positive.

2) The financial records for all MLB teams.

Thanks for the scoop, fellas.

Toronto GM.

"In the recent past, the Yankees could count on their offense to do a fair amount of bludgeoning, especially at home, to inflate their win-loss record. But that strategy is gone for at least April while Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira convalesce, and perhaps all season due to the irreversible impact of injuries and offseason defections."

If Nick Swisher was worth this much, then he should have been named AL MVP in 2012.


"The loss of offense, combined with the roster’s advancing age and the belief the AL East is going to play stronger from top to bottom than at any time in history has created a sense these Yankees might not even contend this year. Except the general manager of the flavor-of-the-month team in the AL East doesn’t believe it."

The AL East has quite a history. I think the 2013 AL East is weak compared to recent years because the power has shifted a bit to the AL West and AL Central. While there may not be any pushovers, the power teams are no longer power teams.


" 'A few things about the Yankees,' said Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos. 'People want to count them out because of the injuries. Last year, Mariano Rivera, A-Rod, Joba [Chamberlain], [Brett] Gardner and [Andy] Pettitte were out for extended periods and they still won 95 games."

And Teixeira missed a month.


" 'Just look at their rotation. You might not want it in five years, but I think just about any team would take their rotation in 2013. Tampa has shown in this division what you can do with a strong rotation. Last year the Rays lost [Evan] Longoria for most of the season, their offense probably wasn’t as good as the Yanks have now even without Teixeira and Granderson — and they still won 90 games. I am not counting the Yanks out, no way.' "

What he said.

Sportswriter criticizes managerial prowess during the World Baseball Classic.

I'll start this blog entry with the following Jeff Passan punchline:

"One of Torre's greatest strengths is explaining the rationale behind certain decisions."

Oh, boy.

This is going to be good:

"Two shadows cast themselves over Team USA on Sunday afternoon. The first peeked through the open roof at Chase Field and bathed home plate in darkness, making the already-trying task of picking up a 95-mph pitch from 60 feet away that much more vexing."

That's vexing for the Team USA batters, but good for the Team USA pitchers.


"Even worse was the other, impossible to see but easy to sense: The United States, where baseball was invented, was about to bomb out of the World Baseball Classic, and the lasting pall would be far greater than anything the clouds and sun ever could muster."

Yeah, the lasting pall would have been far greater than anything the clouds and sun could ever muster.

Figuratively.


"Despite Joe Torre managing as though the analytical breakthroughs of the last 20 years never happened – bunting three times with a lineup of All-Stars, shrugging off matchup-relief situations, walking a career-long scrub to load the bases with a new reliever coming in and keeping the player who led the major leagues in slugging percentage last year on the bench all game despite struggling for runs over the first seven innings – Team USA turned into Team USA over the final two innings, dropping seven runs and joining Italy, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in Miami."

That is the longest sentence an American sportswriter has ever dedicated to the World Baseball Classic.


"By doing their duty, the players rescued Torre from a rightful filleting after turning a lineup of mashers into practitioners of small-ball tiddlywinks. With runners on first and second and no outs in the second inning, he bunted Jones – 2012 numbers: .287/.334/.505 – and didn't score. Same scenario in the fourth and once again, a bunt with Ben Zobrist – 2012 numbers: .270/.377/.471 – went for a hit only because Canada's third baseman, Taylor Green, isn't an altogether competent third baseman. And the worst was in the eighth, when, down a run, Torre called for Zobrist to bunt one more time – and he popped out to the catcher.

Jones, the next hitter, also saved Torre from having to explain how he can say this – 'We really don't have a soft spot in that lineup' – and then manage like he has a lineup of nine David Ecksteins." 

Torre's reputation would have been fine.  Because nobody cares about the WBC, that's why.

Sultan of saves.

It took a long time for Mike Lupica to acknowledge the greatness of Mariano Rivera.  So while Lupica comes up with a pun and explains the greatness of Mariano Rivera to New York area baseball fans by comparing Rivera to Babe Ruth, I'd like to remind everyone that it wasn't too long ago that Lupica was comparing Rivera unfavorably to Jonathan Papelbon.

I guess I'm way bullish on the Yankees.

Forget the World Series or even the playoffs. Rany Jazayerli doesn't think the Yankees will make it to .500.

Vegas odds put their Championship chances in the middle of the pack.


I think they will improve in on-base%, speed, defense, situational hitting, and clutch hitting.

I also think their starting rotation is quite good and their bullpen is excellent.

I can't predict injuries, but, like Jeter said, it's better to have injuries in March than in September.  The 2013 Yankees have been pre-disastered.

I don't know -- I kinda think they're going to be good.

Gritty.

Girardi thinks too much.

"Asked why Brett Gardner started in left field against Boston on Sunday in Fort Myers, with Melky Mesa in center, Girardi revealed Gardner likely will shift back from center to left once Curtis Granderson broken forearm) returns from the DL. The Yanks, Girardi said, don’t want Granderson to try learning a new position during regular-season games or for such a switch to affect his hitting."

At Yankee Stadium, May regular-season games are kinda like Spring Training games.


"Girardi added he’s considered various outfield permutations in Granderson’s absence — involving Gardner in either center or left — depending on who makes the team among Mesa, Juan Rivera, Matt Diaz, Zoilo Almonte and Ronnier Mustelier."

Golly, I hope the flip-flop doesn't affect Gardner's hitting.

I guess I am way bearish on the Blue Jays.

Everybody loves the Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey.

Kind of like how everybody loved the preseason 2012 Marlins and the preseason 2011 Red Sox.

Well, you didn't take them to inhibit your performance, right?

"KD: You’ve kind of become a spokesman for anti-steroids. You’re a good guy, you’re accessible and you’re quotable. At the end of your career, guys were probably using. You played into the ‘90s.

...

 KD: Do you feel the same way about guys who used greenies?

GG: Oh, You’re not even talking about the same. …I used greenies. I’ve done them. I didn’t have to get up unless I drank a case of beer and stayed up all night. I might take a greenie just to stay awake in the bullpen. But it wasn’t a performance-enhancing drug.

KD: It was illegal, though, right?

...
GG: Greenies is like me drinking 10 cups of coffee.

KD: Yeah. Except it’s illegal"

Mets' Prospect Gets Two Singles in Spring Training Game.

Travis D'Arnaud makes a splash in Spring Training:

"So he struck out four times in his first seven at-bats in games, including an intrasquad game, mostly because he was chasing pitches out of the strike zone. But then d’Arnaud turned on an inside fastball in his final at-bat Monday night, rocketing a single to left with a short, quick stroke.

He followed that up on Tuesday with a single and bases-loaded sacrifice fly in two at-bats and suddenly you could see what all the fuss is about."

This article does not explain why.

"Now, thanks to the fractured right forearm that will send Granderson to the sidelines for approximately 10 weeks, Gardner will be the Yankee center fielder until early May."

Of course.


"After that, the odds are Granderson will be given his old job back by default."

Why?


"The reason is simple: The Yankees already knew Gardner could play center, having seen him handle it quite well for two seasons before Granderson joined the club in 2010.

But they really didn't know if Granderson could play left. Now, they will never find out."

LF is easier than CF.

I'd personally prefer to see Granderson in CF and Gardner in LF ... there is not much of a difference and I don't understand the insistence on moving moving Gardner to CF in the first place ... but Granderson can play LF.


"That's what these 33 preseason games have always been for, to try out things you wouldn't dare try in a real game except in the case of dire emergency."

How much you wanna bet Nunez gets some regular season playing time in LF?

Remember when Knoblauch played LF?  That wasn't during the Girardi era, but Girardi has played the following list of Gold Glovers (among others) in LF in non-emergency situations: Raul Ibanez, Jayson Nix, Dewayne Wise, the aforementioned Eduardo Nunez, Randy Winn, Marcus Thames ...

He also played the statuesque Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.  Not statuesque in the sense that their bodies were sculpted, but statuesque in the sense that they were unable to move.

I'm kinda sure Granderson will be better at playing LF than all of them combined.


"The plan was for Gardner and Granderson to use the next six weeks of spring training to adjust to their new roles, to re-acquaint themselves with each other's tendencies -- not having played together save for a handful of games in 2012 -- and for each to carve out his own slice of the outfield."

Remember when Tony Womack was suddenly moved to CF?  That was Torre, but ... point being ... players move around and play different positions all the freakin' time.


"Why should you, as a Yankees fan, care?"

Wow!  How did he know I am a Yankee fan?  

I am!  I am a Yankee fan!

It's like Wallace Matthews can somehow see me through some kind of Internet Magic.



"This year's Yankees were going to be less reliant on the home run, anyway, and more reliant on run prevention.

That is what the swap of Gardner and Granderson was designed to accomplish.

No matter how Girardi publicy hedged his bets, or why -- probably, he wanted to see how Granderson would be affected by the switch before rubber-stamping it for good -- clearly, he and Cashman thought Gardner in center and Granderson in left gave them a better chance of preventing runs.

And certainly, the stats people, with their UZRs, TZLs and FSRs, would agree.

But now, the Yankees probably aren't going to be able to do that."

A few things:

1) It probably won't make much of a difference who plays CF and who plays LF.

2) The defensive setup should be optimized regardless of the expected offensive output.

3) Put Granderson in Spring Training for a few rehab games if it bothers you so much.

4) Learning to play LF isn't that hard.



"There's talk of trying to bring back Alfonso Soriano. And Vernon Wells, who's had two miserable seasons with the Angels, probably could be had along with his $21 million salary for the next two seasons. 

There is always every Yankees fan's pipe dream, that the Miami Marlins will see fit to part with Giancarlo Stanton, one of the most talented young hitters in the game who happens to have a bargain-basement pricetag, just to help the Yankees out.

And I fully expect to hear from some people suggesting the Yankees take a chance on Vladimir Guerrero or Gary Sheffield -- neither of whom has played in a big-league game in years. (You know who you are out there)."

Wallace Matthews is sourcing the voices in his head as "there's talk."


"The Yankees should be able to survive the first five weeks of the regular season without Curtis Granderson's bat in their lineup.

But can they survive the 20 weeks after that with his glove in center field"

Yup, they can.  Because he is a good CFer. Who could also easily make the transition to LF.

Or just use stubhub.

David Price has to play for the Mets.

"Taking note of his beard, I told Price he’d have to shave if the Yankees traded for him.

'I wouldn’t stay there very long then,' he responded. “'wouldn’t sign a long-term deal there. Those rules, that’s old-school baseball. I was born in ’85. That’s not for me. That’s not something I want to be a part of.' "

If David Price plays for the Mets, then David Price will be teammates with David Wright.

Then, sportswriters can say ... wait for it ... the Price is Wright!

It's so weird how great pro baseball players cost a lot of money. It is outrageous, in fact.

"The cost to re-sign Robinson Cano is going to be outrageous and the temptation at the moment, as the Alex Rodriguez contract turns more disastrous by the day, is to say the Yankees should keep the $200-plus million and let the best second baseman in baseball walk."

I have avoided such temptation. But I still think Cano should try running hard for 90 whole feet. Try it, Robinson, you might like it.


"But the truth is this franchise can’t afford to be so cavalier, not unless Hal Steinbrenner has the nerve and vision to conclude that the end of an era is at hand, and decides instead to rebuild for another long run at the top rather than pay what it takes to keep his aging ballclub in contention."

So letting Cano sign with another team is cavalier.


"Actually, that might be a tantalizing option, considering that a rather spoiled fan base doesn’t seem all that excited by this team anymore, if the empty seats for playoff games last October were any indication."

I am quite sure that Yankee management is not tantalized by the idea of an empty ballpark. The mean fans booed us, so let's spite them by putting a bad team on the field. That'll show 'em.


"But to do so the Yankees might face the prospect of being the Mets for a few years, while they reduced their payroll to re-set their luxury-tax rate and tried to develop a new Jeter-Rivera-Pettitte-Posada class of home-grown stars."

My goodness. Nobody ever gives Bernie any dap.


The Yankees are nothing like the Mets. The Yankees are making money hand over fist while the Mets are probably investing in Herbalife.


Which reminds me, the Mets just signed a 30-year-old infielder to a $140 million-or-so contract.

So that's the contract which deserves scrutiny. Because the Mets can't afford it.


"If the Yankees were to let him go, who fills that void? More specifically, who hits No. 3 in 2014?"

Cano will bat 3rd in 2014 unless he gets hurt or the Yankees are outbid.


"And then there’s the unavoidable PED factor. It’s not fair to suspect Cano just because Melky Cabrera and A-Rod are his friends and workout partners, but then again, ballclubs can’t be too careful these days, and to be safe the Yankees probably want this Biogenesis Clinic story to play out before they dig deep into their vault."

Where did that come from?

"It's not fair to suspect Cano, but you can't be too careful these days"?


"So there’s no rush on this. But there’s also no way around it: When the time comes, they’ll have to pay Cano and simply pray he turns out to be more like Derek Jeter than A-Rod."

Of course there's no rush on this.  That's actually what I was thinking the whole time I was reading your article.

So let me summarize for the audience in one sentence: Despite the inherent risks of a long-term contract, the Yankees will be compelled to sign future free agent Robinson Cano to a long-term contract because the Yankees are expected to maintain a high level of success.

Yahoo expert. That actually made me laugh out loud.

Regarding Yankee development of young pitching:

" 'I feel we're having a lot of success,' he said. 'We have produced pitching. Phil Hughes, a 16-to-18-game winner two of the last three years. Ivan Nova. David Robertson. Joba Chamberlain. Last year was David Phelps. This year is it Adam Warren?' "

Agreed.


"It might be. Warren made one start for the Yankees last season and returned to Triple-A with a 23.14 ERA. He is, these days, what passes for a Yankees pitching prospect."

That's why there a question mark next to his name.


"Over the last half-decade, the Yankees have developed pitching depth almost as poorly as any team in the major leagues."

Pettitte, Rivera, then a whole bunch of first-place finishes which hurt their draft position.

That's why it's nice to see the emergence of Hughes, Nova, Phelps, and Robertson.


"For this study, we tallied the pitchers who debuted between 2008 and 2012 and tied them to the team with which they arrived. Then we compiled their Wins Above Replacement, via Baseball-Reference, with that first team only. By this measure, actually, the Yankees actually are one of the better teams in baseball, with 16.4 WAR, more than three-quarters of which come from reliever David Robertson, since-jettisoned Alfredo Aceves and Nova, who will compete for the fifth-starter job with Phelps."

... one of the better teams in baseball ...

After you said almost as poorly as any team in the league.


"Still, it puts in perspective the Yankees' stated philosophy – develop pitching, especially starters – and the inability to do so that prompted them to pursue Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte for the last two seasons in free agency. The average starts from homegrown pitchers over the last five years among the 30 major league teams is 197.9. The Yankees have 82."

Right. The Yankees envy the teams that got 198 starts from a whole bunch of bad pitchers.

Also, Andy Pettitte is homegrown from a Yankee perspective.


"The draft handicapped them. The best chance at finding an impact pitcher comes at the top of the draft. Four of the top five pitchers who arrived in the last five years were top 10 picks. So landing an ace -- a pitcher who changes the climate of an organization -- from the bottom third of the first round is trying."

Exactly.

There simply aren't very many good pitchers.


"Kennedy, dealt in the Granderson trade, has 9.5 WAR for the Diamondbacks, while Coke has grown into a lockdown left-handed reliever for Detroit. Tyler Clippard, who also debuted in that '07 rookie class, was sent to Washington for Jonathan Albaladejo in one of the worst trades of Cashman's career. He has 6.5 WAR for the Nats."

Phil Coke was easily replaceable. Kennedy and Clippard probably couldn't do anything extraordinary in the AL East.


"The Yankees hit with Robertson. The rest are Whammies dancing across the screen, sticking their tongues out at Cashman and blowing raspberries.

'Even though our development gets overshadowed by the CC Sabathias and Andy Pettittes of the world, at the end of the day, I think it's something we're very good at,' Cashman said, and maybe it's true.

Just not the last five years."

Then there's a chart showing the Yankees as the 7th-best in baseball over the last five years.