Thursday, June 21, 2018
I'm right and everyone else is wrong.
"The New York Yankees are on pace for 111 wins as of Wednesday. The archrival Boston Red Sox are on pace for 107.
Even if they maintain that pace—an admittedly massive "if"—one of them will face a one-and-done wild-card playoff at best.
Is that justice?"
It's Sweet Injustice.
Besides, if the Wild Card team doesn't like it, there are a couple of things they can do:
1) Win the division.
2) Win the Wild Card game.
"On its face, the renewal of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is a great thing for the game. Two ancient foes with large, vocal fanbases crossing swords. What could be better?
Here's one thing that could be better: a club with triple-digit victories not being subjected to sudden death."
What would be even better is two ancient foes with large, vocal fanbases crossing swords all year with no safety net.
"The do-or-die wild-card play-in has undeniably provided drama. It's an instant Game 7; just heat and serve."
It's cheap thrills. I can't recall any of the Wild Card matchups except when the Yankees were involved.
"It's not all about the Yankees and Red Sox. Over in the AL West, the defending champion Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are also on pace for 100-plus victories. Two of the four best teams in baseball, at least by current record, could be shoved into the wild-card crucible where one costly error or errant pitch can tip the scales."
You make it sound kind of ... dramatic and great when you put it that way.
"The point, though, is that it was unjust then and unjust today. The playoffs should be about the best teams competing under the brightest lights, not a top World Series hopeful going home because it ran into an ace in the smallest possible sample of one game."
"Running into an ace" sounds like a perfectly great reason to topple a World Series hopeful ... who should have won the division.
If the teams stay on course, the September pennant race will be great.
It would be even better without the Wild Card.
It would be schoolkids at the beach checking the out-of-town scoreboard every evening.
It would be a real pennant race.
Even if they maintain that pace—an admittedly massive "if"—one of them will face a one-and-done wild-card playoff at best.
Is that justice?"
It's Sweet Injustice.
Besides, if the Wild Card team doesn't like it, there are a couple of things they can do:
1) Win the division.
2) Win the Wild Card game.
"On its face, the renewal of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is a great thing for the game. Two ancient foes with large, vocal fanbases crossing swords. What could be better?
Here's one thing that could be better: a club with triple-digit victories not being subjected to sudden death."
What would be even better is two ancient foes with large, vocal fanbases crossing swords all year with no safety net.
"The do-or-die wild-card play-in has undeniably provided drama. It's an instant Game 7; just heat and serve."
It's cheap thrills. I can't recall any of the Wild Card matchups except when the Yankees were involved.
"It's not all about the Yankees and Red Sox. Over in the AL West, the defending champion Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are also on pace for 100-plus victories. Two of the four best teams in baseball, at least by current record, could be shoved into the wild-card crucible where one costly error or errant pitch can tip the scales."
You make it sound kind of ... dramatic and great when you put it that way.
"The point, though, is that it was unjust then and unjust today. The playoffs should be about the best teams competing under the brightest lights, not a top World Series hopeful going home because it ran into an ace in the smallest possible sample of one game."
"Running into an ace" sounds like a perfectly great reason to topple a World Series hopeful ... who should have won the division.
If the teams stay on course, the September pennant race will be great.
It would be even better without the Wild Card.
It would be schoolkids at the beach checking the out-of-town scoreboard every evening.
It would be a real pennant race.
Monday, June 18, 2018
In the month of June, Stanton has played in 16 games and struck out in 15 of them.
"Stanton struck out twice in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Rays, both in crucial spots. He has a .608 OPS with runners in scoring position, and is 4-for-34 in “late & close” situations."
Yikes.
Yikes.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
The Dark Knight of Cincinnati.
Matt Harvey update.
With Cincinnati: 6 starts, 1 W, 2 L, 5.04 ERA, 30.1 IP, 30 H, 17 ER, 8 BB, 24 K, 7 HR.
Still stinks.
With Cincinnati: 6 starts, 1 W, 2 L, 5.04 ERA, 30.1 IP, 30 H, 17 ER, 8 BB, 24 K, 7 HR.
Still stinks.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Greg Bird looks like he should be a good hitter.
This is the only reason I can think of that he is batting third in this Yankee lineup.
Monday, June 11, 2018
Underachiever.
It's a tough label. Maybe he's just slumping. Gardner and Didi just slumped and they weren't called underachievers.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this situation is that Sanchez's backup is hitting .344.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this situation is that Sanchez's backup is hitting .344.
This probably won't go on much longer, but he brings up some good points.
He can't play and he's a bad guy:
"4. Those able to pardon both those things have a hard time — rightly so — forgetting the only reason Reyes was available for his encore as a Met is because he was a pariah in the sport following a domestic-abuse suspension handed out by MLB in 2016, the details of which remain chilling."
"4. Those able to pardon both those things have a hard time — rightly so — forgetting the only reason Reyes was available for his encore as a Met is because he was a pariah in the sport following a domestic-abuse suspension handed out by MLB in 2016, the details of which remain chilling."
Sunday, June 10, 2018
It doesn't ruin my day if the Yankees use five pitchers.
"Over the past 18 months, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has been all
but begging major league players for ideas and input on ways to make the
product better. He seems ready to discuss even radical ideas, whether
it’s some restrictions on defensive shifts, a pitch clock or maybe --
eventually -- an electronic strike zone.
Here’s a fundamental change that would improve the game on many levels: Limit managers to the use of four pitchers per nine innings, with exceptions built in for injuries and blowouts."
Define "injury" and "blowout" for me.
"Major league baseball desperately needs to get off the growing front-office addiction to relief pitchers, which is helping to destroy important components of the game."
Funny, I actually think it's a natural strategic evolution which makes the game better.
"Among those: the essential pre-eminence of starting pitchers, who need to be marquee-worthy not only for the teams and their marketing departments but also for the players’ union; the scoring of runs by means other than a home run; and batters making contact and putting the ball in play."
1. The "essential pre-eminence of starting pitchers" is diminished, I suppose. On the other hand, the few remaining studs are worth more than ever.
2. The scoring of runs by means other than a home run?
3. Batters making contact and putting the ball in play [sic]? As opposed to, of course, the recent explosion of players putting the ball in play ... without making contact.
Point #1 I largely disagree with. I agree that it's hard to market a middle reliever, but the top relief pitchers have been marketed as superstars for a long time. Sure, you might be disappointed if you show up in a Rivera tee shirt, but the odds of seeing your favorite players are still better than 1 in 5.
Points #2 and #3 both boil down to superior pitching overall. Superior due to specialization and the realization that it's better to go full throttle for a shorter period of time.
"None of this is meant to challenge the analytical wisdom behind the parade of relievers overrunning the sport. It's been demonstrated beyond any doubt that there are statistical advantages in the growing number of reliever/batter matchups and in the strategy of yanking the starting pitcher before he's exposed to the opposing lineup a third time. Smart people are making smart decisions to create effective seven- and eight-man bullpens."
Which side are you on?
"But this trend is affecting the game in ways that will never attract the young fans baseball wants and could also alienate longtime fans.
Few starting pitchers concern themselves with getting through five or six innings these days. Rather, they're increasingly trained to throw as hard as they can, and when their work is finished, they're followed by relay teams of relievers who also throw really, really hard. The number of pitches of 96-plus mph has more than tripled in a span of just four years, and quite frankly, a lot of hitters -- especially older hitters -- are getting crushed."
Oh, the ineffectiveness of older hitters is the problem. Maybe we can pitch underhanded to Adrian Gonzalez to make the game exciting for the youngsters.
I can see where this is headed, but it's a dumb solution to a non-problem.
The batters have to figure this out and adjust (or hit against the freaking shift once in a while). Did you know the total MLB batting average is just .246?
Yeah, the balls will surely be put in play by over-the-hill batters if the pitchers are all out of gas. Sounds like an over-correction and not lots of fun.
Here’s a fundamental change that would improve the game on many levels: Limit managers to the use of four pitchers per nine innings, with exceptions built in for injuries and blowouts."
Define "injury" and "blowout" for me.
"Major league baseball desperately needs to get off the growing front-office addiction to relief pitchers, which is helping to destroy important components of the game."
Funny, I actually think it's a natural strategic evolution which makes the game better.
"Among those: the essential pre-eminence of starting pitchers, who need to be marquee-worthy not only for the teams and their marketing departments but also for the players’ union; the scoring of runs by means other than a home run; and batters making contact and putting the ball in play."
1. The "essential pre-eminence of starting pitchers" is diminished, I suppose. On the other hand, the few remaining studs are worth more than ever.
2. The scoring of runs by means other than a home run?
3. Batters making contact and putting the ball in play [sic]? As opposed to, of course, the recent explosion of players putting the ball in play ... without making contact.
Point #1 I largely disagree with. I agree that it's hard to market a middle reliever, but the top relief pitchers have been marketed as superstars for a long time. Sure, you might be disappointed if you show up in a Rivera tee shirt, but the odds of seeing your favorite players are still better than 1 in 5.
Points #2 and #3 both boil down to superior pitching overall. Superior due to specialization and the realization that it's better to go full throttle for a shorter period of time.
"None of this is meant to challenge the analytical wisdom behind the parade of relievers overrunning the sport. It's been demonstrated beyond any doubt that there are statistical advantages in the growing number of reliever/batter matchups and in the strategy of yanking the starting pitcher before he's exposed to the opposing lineup a third time. Smart people are making smart decisions to create effective seven- and eight-man bullpens."
Which side are you on?
"But this trend is affecting the game in ways that will never attract the young fans baseball wants and could also alienate longtime fans.
Few starting pitchers concern themselves with getting through five or six innings these days. Rather, they're increasingly trained to throw as hard as they can, and when their work is finished, they're followed by relay teams of relievers who also throw really, really hard. The number of pitches of 96-plus mph has more than tripled in a span of just four years, and quite frankly, a lot of hitters -- especially older hitters -- are getting crushed."
Oh, the ineffectiveness of older hitters is the problem. Maybe we can pitch underhanded to Adrian Gonzalez to make the game exciting for the youngsters.
I can see where this is headed, but it's a dumb solution to a non-problem.
The batters have to figure this out and adjust (or hit against the freaking shift once in a while). Did you know the total MLB batting average is just .246?
Yeah, the balls will surely be put in play by over-the-hill batters if the pitchers are all out of gas. Sounds like an over-correction and not lots of fun.
Felz Stats of the Day
- Gary Sanchez is batting .194 this season.
- Greg Bird is batting .221 in his career.
Saturday, June 09, 2018
Pitcher's can't hit.
I'm surprised that Tanaka's injury is drawing so much attention. I doubt it will be a tipping point, and it shouldn't be. This argument should have been settled a long time ago:
"Sure, these are professional athletes and they should be able to run 90 feet once in a while without injuring themselves.
But why take the chance anymore? Why is MLB still putting players of such importance at any unnecessary risk if it’s at all avoidable?
It’s a simple answer. And it’s a common-sense change that’s long overdue."
"Sure, these are professional athletes and they should be able to run 90 feet once in a while without injuring themselves.
But why take the chance anymore? Why is MLB still putting players of such importance at any unnecessary risk if it’s at all avoidable?
The
Players’ Association for years has been in favor of an expanded
implementation of the DH to both leagues because it would translate into
several more high-paying jobs, but there hasn’t been much indication
recently from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred towards the NL finally making
the switch.
Please
spare me the baseball purists’ argument that such a move would
eliminate too much of the strategy from the game, or that Bartolo Colon
once leaned into one and ripped a home run for the Mets. Entering the
weekend, pitchers also were hitting a collective .113 this season. How
exciting.
Ask
any Yankees fan if they’d rather see Boone execute a double-switch or
have Tanaka available for every start the rest of the season, especially
with Jordan Montgomery already undergoing Tommy John surgery this week.
Tim Tebow has a future career in politics.
I have no idea what his actual opinion is regarding whatever he's talking about:
“I think when people believe in something and they
stand for that, I don’t knock them for that. Even if I agree
with some or disagree with some, I appreciate it when people have
convictions and they stand for that. I
think it’s important how we do that as well. So I think there’s a lot
of players that I’m friends with that have been on both sides and I
understand it and I think what’s more important is to know their heart
and where they’re coming from and where the conviction stands in their
heart and what they really want to share."
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
I think Bumgarner is my favorite player.
" 'You just gotta find a way to get a guy
in, bases loaded and no outs,’' said Bumgarner, who fouled
off a hittable 2-0 fastball. 'There’s no excuse for it,
pitcher or not. Or at least a better opportunity than
striking out.' "
I would honestly say that the only player
on the Yankees’ roster who understands this is, like, Ronald
Torreyes, and he’s in the minor leagues.
I think Gary Sanchez, for example, is
disappointed when he strikes out with RISP and less than two
outs, but it’s hard to tell the difference, because he’s
always disappointed when he strikes out and slowly trudges
back to the dugout.
I think nearly 100% of all major league
batters think of this situation as a chance to get 4 RBIs,
regardless of the score, regardless of the game situation.
The hitting coaches and managers can explain that you can
get 1 RBI the easy way … maybe even 2 easy RBIs with the
shifts … but it simply doesn’t register.
Four is better than one, coach. That’s
how I get paid.
Sunday, June 03, 2018
The Boston Daily News.
"By the way?
We
keep hearing about the Yankee starting pitching, and I happen to think
it’s better than what the Red Sox have, even though the Red Sox have
Sale, Price and Porcello at the top of their rotation.
Maybe one of these days Price will make you believe he could ever get a game off the Yankees in a big moment. He just hasn’t done it yet."
Mike Lupica writes about David Price more than he writes about any player on the Yankees or the Mets.
He also writes about the Red Sox as if he was writing for a Boston newspaper.
"After this season, Major League Baseball needs to take a look at the Wild Card system, as a way of making it more fair."
Get rid of it.
"There is great fun, for sure, in having do-or-die games in both leagues for the two Wild Card teams.
So often games like that have provided great drama."
Cheap thrills.
Cheap thrills.
"At
the end of it, if you have won 95 games or 100 or more than that, you
should earn the right to do more than go up against a hot starting
pitcher and lose to him the way you can lose to a hot goalie in hockey
in a one-game season."
Boo hoo. Sports aren't fair sometimes.
If you want real drama, imagine the 2018 season with no wild card.Every game would be precious and you'd check the out-of-town box scores for three months.
I think it's great when a 100-win team misses the playoffs.
When Lupica complains about this situation, I can't help but think he's just worried about his beloved Red Sox getting knocked out by Seattle in a one-game playoff.
Boo hoo. Sports aren't fair sometimes.
If you want real drama, imagine the 2018 season with no wild card.Every game would be precious and you'd check the out-of-town box scores for three months.
I think it's great when a 100-win team misses the playoffs.
When Lupica complains about this situation, I can't help but think he's just worried about his beloved Red Sox getting knocked out by Seattle in a one-game playoff.
Saturday, June 02, 2018
Mike Conforto missed a cutoff man.
Happens just about every game, but I guess it can't hurt to remind pro ballplayers that they're expected to execute the fundamentals. Conforto is maybe identified as a player who can shrug off the criticism, or whatever, but it sure seems like a misdemeanor in the scheme of things.
Friday, June 01, 2018
In order to have a career-defining moment, you need to have a career.
"Six years ago today, Johan Santana threw the first and only no-hitter in Mets franchise history. It took him 134 pitches, the most controversial foul ball Carlos Beltran had ever hit and a career-defining catch by Mike Baxter."
Just for kicks, I looked up the "career" of our favorite Archbishop Molloy product:
.228/.333/.331, 4 HR, 28 RBIs.
Career WAR of 0.4.
So, yes. That time he made a nice catch in a big spot was undoubtedly the highlight of a career full of lowlights.
Just for kicks, I looked up the "career" of our favorite Archbishop Molloy product:
.228/.333/.331, 4 HR, 28 RBIs.
Career WAR of 0.4.
So, yes. That time he made a nice catch in a big spot was undoubtedly the highlight of a career full of lowlights.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
This game proved the Yankees need better ... defense.
The Cy Young Award front-runner faces the Yankees' #5 starter (maybe #6 or #7, depending on how you look at it) and each of them allow one HR and that's about it. The other runs allowed by German were arguably not his fault.
But, yeah, even if he got bombed out of the park ... as mentioned in the article ... a better gauge would be Severino vs. Verlander.
The Yankees' rotation is not great. The Yankees should probably not be the favorites to win the World Series. But this particular game was not a great demonstration of the difference between the Astros' rotation and the Yankees' rotation.
But, yeah, even if he got bombed out of the park ... as mentioned in the article ... a better gauge would be Severino vs. Verlander.
The Yankees' rotation is not great. The Yankees should probably not be the favorites to win the World Series. But this particular game was not a great demonstration of the difference between the Astros' rotation and the Yankees' rotation.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Fast Forward to the Playoffs.
Other than #4, I wouldn't be surprised if all of these things are wrong:
"Even though the baseball season is barely two months old, it is not too early to draw some conclusions about this fun-to-watch (but otherwise possibly doomed) Yankee ballclub and they are these:
1. They will very likely win 100 games and, because of the extraordinary competitive imbalance in baseball, could even possibly surpass the team record of 114 set in 1998.
2. Presently leading the majors in homers, slugging and OPS, they are on pace for 272 homers, which would easily break the 1997 Seattle Mariners' all-time record of 264 homers in a season.
3. They are also on pace to become the first team in history with four players hitting 40 homers or more.
4. They are not going to the World Series with this starting rotation."
Let's see:
No one knows what will happen in the playoffs, even if one can semi-accurately predict what will happen in a longer stretch of games (June - September).
What bugs me about this subject matter is that it's not really a baseball analysis, it's a pointless search for a problem. Which is what many fans like to do.
The Yankee starters are not great, but it may not matter. Or they may pitch great in October while Chapman sits on his hands in the bullpen.
Let's see:
- The Yankees will probably not win 100 games, forget about 115.
- The imbalance of baseball is not extraordinary in any way. It's lame how everyone gets worried about this whenever the Yankees are good.
- They are not going to easily break the all-time homer record.
- At least one of the players on pace to hit 40 HRs will get hurt.
- Starting rotations may not even matter in the playoffs anymore ... and the other teams are worried about their lineups and bullpens.
No one knows what will happen in the playoffs, even if one can semi-accurately predict what will happen in a longer stretch of games (June - September).
What bugs me about this subject matter is that it's not really a baseball analysis, it's a pointless search for a problem. Which is what many fans like to do.
The Yankee starters are not great, but it may not matter. Or they may pitch great in October while Chapman sits on his hands in the bullpen.
"That means that I'm vey outspoken."
Teixeira just seems like one of those Hall Monitors who lack self-awareness. He rushed to dump on Girardi and Cano. I'm not sure what he's paid for, actually. He says he's paid to speak his mind, but I haven't heard say anything interesting or informative.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Brace yourself for this one ...
PED users are already in the baseball HOF. I am 100% sure of it. A lot of time is being spent discussing the potential future occurrence of something that has already happened.
Lupica tries to reconcile his hatred of the Yankees/ARod with his unwillingness to admit he was wrong:
"It
is not as if Robinson Cano is the first Yankee or former Yankee to end
up in a story, or even a suspension, about performance-enhancing drugs.
Fact is they could start to think about fielding a team on Old Timer's
Day for guys like Cano."
So could every team.
"He goes for 80 games now. Alex Rodriguez, who
gets treated like the mayor of baseball on television now, went for a
whole season once, after lying about his own use of baseball drugs from
here to Cooperstown and back. Roger Clemens was one of the stars of the
Mitchell Report. And Andy Pettitte says he used human growth hormone,
but only to get better and be an even better teammate. Jason Giambi was
one of the BALCO All-Stars back in the day."
I like how Cano is suddenly a "former Yankee" instead of a "current Mariner."
The Mariners gave this guy $240 million and hoped he would be the centerpiece of a resurgence of Seattle baseball. While he has played quite well in Seattle overall, they haven't even made the playoffs during Cano's tenure.
Aside from that, you can easily list all the Seattle Mariner offenders ... including ARod Himself, for cryin' out loud.
Remember when Bret Boone drove in 141 runs?
Remember when 37-year-old Edgar Martinez put up a .324/.423/.579 slash line and drove in 145 runs?
Jay Buhner had three straight 40-HR seasons which I don't consider legit, but which most holier-than-thou writers ignore as they gleefully pounce on the Yankees for the Ken Phelps trade.
Nelson Cruz?
Now he loses $12 million of that. You'd have to be a dope — literally, figuratively — not to make a deal like that for yourself."
Ha ha, right. Lupica is such a punk. Suddenly, out of nowhere, when the circumstances change, Mike Lupica is the Voice of Pragmatic Reason rather than the Hand-Wringing Keeper of Baseball's Soul.
The same goes ARod, Clemens, Giambi, Pettitte, McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro, Bonds and all the others ... at least they're not dopes.
Which also means Lupica has wasted column space on this topic for the past 20 years.
"[ARod] went to Bosch and Biogenesis for the same reason that Cano surely went to whomever he went, here or in the Dominican Republic: He went looking for something that would work for him. He ended up with a $270 million contract with the Yankees. Cano ended up with a $240 million contract from the Mariners after the Yankees wouldn't give him the years or the money he wanted. A-Rod lost a 10th of that money, or thereabouts. Cano loses a fifth of his contract with the Mariners. Again: You'd have to be a dope not to make a deal like that, in a game Cano now says he wouldn't cheat for anything"
12 divided by 240 is 5 percent, not a fifth, you squid. A fifth is 20 percent.
But it doesn't matter, anyway, does it?
Math isn't Lupica's strong suit. Neither is ethics. Neither is sportswriting.
Lupica got caught, simple as that.
He was wrong about Cano. The Yankees were smart to avoid signing Cano.
So that's the first thing that's impossible for Lupcia to admit. The Yankees were right, which means Lupica was wrong.
It's also impossible for Lupica to admit the obvious truth about his decades-long dismissal of the "BALCO All-Stars": He is not really upset about PED use at all.
He just picks and chooses based on his personal tastes and uses his column to hammer out personal grudges.
Lupica hates the Yankees.
In particular, Lupica enjoys ridiculing Yankee decision-makers.
So Cano was "supposed to" embarrass the Yankees by leading Seattle to the Promised Land while the Yankees descending into irrelevance in a Mets Town Renaissance.
It didn't work out that way and, to add insult to injury, now Cano is revealed as a PED fraud.
Lupica's only way out?
Immediately soften his stance on PED users.
The Red Sox are paying JD Martinez $24 million this season.
"Through the first quarter of the season, adding J.D. Martinez to the
middle of the Red Sox lineup has been way more important than adding
Giancarlo Stanton to the middle of the Yankees lineup."
J.D. Martinez is not an unknown entity.
He wasn't first in NL MVP voting 2017, and the expectations for his offensive output are certainly somewhat lower than Stanton's.
But Martinez was 14th in NL MVP voting, despite playing half the season in the AL
Perhaps that demonstrates typical boneheaded inconsistency by the voters ... I don't feel comfortable using MVP votes to support of reject any argument ... but it also demonstrates general awareness of Martinez's abilities.
Has Martinez been way more important than Stanton?
Probably a little more important.
Stanton has been kinda underwhelming, but also kinda productive in terms of HRs, RBIs, runs,
I think for $24 million, the Red Sox were expecting a great player.
J.D. Martinez is not an unknown entity.
He wasn't first in NL MVP voting 2017, and the expectations for his offensive output are certainly somewhat lower than Stanton's.
But Martinez was 14th in NL MVP voting, despite playing half the season in the AL
Perhaps that demonstrates typical boneheaded inconsistency by the voters ... I don't feel comfortable using MVP votes to support of reject any argument ... but it also demonstrates general awareness of Martinez's abilities.
Has Martinez been way more important than Stanton?
Probably a little more important.
Stanton has been kinda underwhelming, but also kinda productive in terms of HRs, RBIs, runs,
I think for $24 million, the Red Sox were expecting a great player.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
It's May and we're talking about the Yankees' playoff rotation.
Things must be going really well.
"Is this the kind of rotation you'd love in the playoffs? Against Boston? Or Houston? Or even Cleveland? The three starters with the American League's lowest ERA -- Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton -- all pitch for the Astros, with Dallas Keuchel (3.10) ranked 12th. The Indians also have three starters -- Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger, and Trevor Bauer -- in the AL's top 10 in ERA. (Severino is the only Yankee with at least 40 innings pitched who is in the top 30 in ERA.)"
Five months from now, we have no idea if the Yankees will make the playoffs or who will be in their rotation. Injuries or unexpected ineffectiveness could suddenly affect all five Yankee starters.
The best news, though, is that, if the Yankees make the playoffs, their opponent will be another professional baseball team in the American League.That team also has weaknesses in their starting rotation.
Verlander sure seems to have the Yankees' number. Last year, the hero was what's-his-name ... the guy whose father pitched for the Yankees ... Lance McCullers.
Verlander is intimidating, but maybe he has a bad game ... or maybe he's the one who's suddenly ineffective after too many innings.
"ERA on May 15th" is not much of a predictor of October performance.
"Is this the kind of rotation you'd love in the playoffs? Against Boston? Or Houston? Or even Cleveland? The three starters with the American League's lowest ERA -- Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton -- all pitch for the Astros, with Dallas Keuchel (3.10) ranked 12th. The Indians also have three starters -- Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger, and Trevor Bauer -- in the AL's top 10 in ERA. (Severino is the only Yankee with at least 40 innings pitched who is in the top 30 in ERA.)"
Five months from now, we have no idea if the Yankees will make the playoffs or who will be in their rotation. Injuries or unexpected ineffectiveness could suddenly affect all five Yankee starters.
The best news, though, is that, if the Yankees make the playoffs, their opponent will be another professional baseball team in the American League.That team also has weaknesses in their starting rotation.
Verlander sure seems to have the Yankees' number. Last year, the hero was what's-his-name ... the guy whose father pitched for the Yankees ... Lance McCullers.
Verlander is intimidating, but maybe he has a bad game ... or maybe he's the one who's suddenly ineffective after too many innings.
"ERA on May 15th" is not much of a predictor of October performance.
Giancarlo Stanton has made one error this season.
He has played eight games in the outfield.
That's because he's a DH.
Maybe all the sportswriters will remember this simple fact when Stanton loses a few balls in the Florida sun during next year's Spring Training.
That's because he's a DH.
Maybe all the sportswriters will remember this simple fact when Stanton loses a few balls in the Florida sun during next year's Spring Training.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
David Price.
Mike Lupica talks about David Price a lot. He has mentioned David Price is almost every Sunday column he has written since the baseball season started. I'm not sure why. I'm not even sure why Lupica is talking about the Red Sox so much in the New York Daily News. But Lupica has some sort of unusual infatuation with David Price.
Wednesday, May 09, 2018
The Reds have a .270 winning percentage, so you have to bring your A game when you play the Reds.
In related news, the Mets unveiled a new theme song.
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
Felz Stat of the Day.
Jason Vargas has an ERA of 13.86.
Maybe the Mets can take a chance on Matt Harvey after he clears waivers.
Maybe the Mets can take a chance on Matt Harvey after he clears waivers.
Saturday, May 05, 2018
Why not? Start with a 7.00 ERA.
Feinsand joins the parade of fools, explaining dubious rationale for the Yankees acquiring Matt Harvey:
"Jordan Montgomery could be out as long as two months with his left elbow strain, and while Domingo German might be an adequate fill-in, the idea of Harvey taking his act across town to the Bronx is too juicy to ignore. There's nothing Harvey would love more than to prove the Mets wrong by thriving with the Yankees -- and there's nothing the New York media would love more than the ex-Met and tabloid staple remaining in the Big Apple. Doc and Darryl did it; why not the Dark Knight?"
Robin Ventura did it, too. Mike Stanton. Shane Spencer. Rickey Henderson.
Lots of players played for the Yankees and the Mets. Probably 100+ players have played for the Yankees and the Mets.
I don't know why I randomly picked those four, they just popped into my head ... I also don't know why Feinsand randomly picked Doc and Strawberry or what they have to do with Matt Harvey -- just another NY sportswriter living in the past.
"There's nothing Harvey would love more than to prove the Mets wrong by thriving with the Yankees ..."
How about just thriving with the Mets?
That would have been easier.
"Jordan Montgomery could be out as long as two months with his left elbow strain, and while Domingo German might be an adequate fill-in, the idea of Harvey taking his act across town to the Bronx is too juicy to ignore. There's nothing Harvey would love more than to prove the Mets wrong by thriving with the Yankees -- and there's nothing the New York media would love more than the ex-Met and tabloid staple remaining in the Big Apple. Doc and Darryl did it; why not the Dark Knight?"
Robin Ventura did it, too. Mike Stanton. Shane Spencer. Rickey Henderson.
Lots of players played for the Yankees and the Mets. Probably 100+ players have played for the Yankees and the Mets.
I don't know why I randomly picked those four, they just popped into my head ... I also don't know why Feinsand randomly picked Doc and Strawberry or what they have to do with Matt Harvey -- just another NY sportswriter living in the past.
"There's nothing Harvey would love more than to prove the Mets wrong by thriving with the Yankees ..."
How about just thriving with the Mets?
That would have been easier.
Friday, May 04, 2018
Be better than this.
Peter Botte imagines a scenario where Matt Harvey signs with the Yankees, regains his pitching prowess, and helps the Yankees win the World Series ... this year.
I mean, I could conceivably imagine a team taking a chance on him, sending him to the minors, and then perhaps he figures something out and re-creates himself as a modern-day Scott Proctor or something like that.
No Dark Knight or $100 million contract, just a (dubious) "veteran presence" in the bullpen as he battles Brian Boehringer for a mop-up job.
Who knows? That could even be with a future playoff team, so he finds himself pitching in important October games ... and I suppose, at some point, it could even be with the Yankees. Strange things happen in the business of baseball.
But the New York Yankees in 2018?
So ridiculous, it's unprofessional to float the idea.
The Yankees have no reason to pursue Harvey. Cashman isn't focused on playing games with Mets fans.
I also think Botte is misinterpreting a fundamental point: "Harvey Day" is no longer a thing in Queens any more than "Joba Day" is a thing in the Bronx.
Most Mets fans have already disengaged emotionally from Harvey ... Harvey's DFA is not a nightmare ... the Yankees can have Harvey if they really want him,
I mean, I could conceivably imagine a team taking a chance on him, sending him to the minors, and then perhaps he figures something out and re-creates himself as a modern-day Scott Proctor or something like that.
No Dark Knight or $100 million contract, just a (dubious) "veteran presence" in the bullpen as he battles Brian Boehringer for a mop-up job.
Who knows? That could even be with a future playoff team, so he finds himself pitching in important October games ... and I suppose, at some point, it could even be with the Yankees. Strange things happen in the business of baseball.
But the New York Yankees in 2018?
So ridiculous, it's unprofessional to float the idea.
The Yankees have no reason to pursue Harvey. Cashman isn't focused on playing games with Mets fans.
I also think Botte is misinterpreting a fundamental point: "Harvey Day" is no longer a thing in Queens any more than "Joba Day" is a thing in the Bronx.
Most Mets fans have already disengaged emotionally from Harvey ... Harvey's DFA is not a nightmare ... the Yankees can have Harvey if they really want him,
Wednesday, May 02, 2018
Tim Tebow Update.
At AA, Tebow is batting .242 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs in 66 at-bats.
33 strikeouts in 66 at-bats.
My statistical analysis reveals that, when extrapolated to the major-league level, Tebow would strike out 175% of the time.
33 strikeouts in 66 at-bats.
My statistical analysis reveals that, when extrapolated to the major-league level, Tebow would strike out 175% of the time.
Tuesday, May 01, 2018
Gardner 2018.
I know it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. Ellsbury is paid too much, isn't well-liked, hasn't built up slack with the fan base, etc.
But imagine the outrage if Ellsbury had Gardner's stats on May 1st.
But imagine the outrage if Ellsbury had Gardner's stats on May 1st.
If I told you the Braves had 15 hits in a game ...
... how many runs would you think they scored?
They scored three runs.
They scored three runs.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Thought about Refsnyder while discussing the ascension of Didi.
Refsnyder has not driven in a run since 2016, at least 106 at-bats. I could probably investigate the game logs and figure out the last time he had an RBI. It seems almost impossible to go this long without driving in a run.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Saturday, April 21, 2018
More Tyler Clippard than Tom Seaver. A .500 pitcher who isn't getting any younger.
Three truths about New York Baseball 2018:
1. Harvey is learning "how to pitch."
2. Sonny Gray is making mechanical adjustments.
3. Gary Sanchez's defense is improving.
1. Harvey is learning "how to pitch."
2. Sonny Gray is making mechanical adjustments.
3. Gary Sanchez's defense is improving.
Friday, April 20, 2018
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
The kids will flock to baseball for sure if baseball has ties.
Some of the best things about baseball:
- No running out the clock.
- No ties.
- The tension that builds up between pitches.
- Exciting, bizarre, fun extra innings.
- No running out the clock.
- No ties.
- The tension that builds up between pitches.
- Exciting, bizarre, fun extra innings.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Monday, April 09, 2018
$252 million seems quaint.
I know somebody probably asked ARod and Duquette is responding to ARod's response ... but this happened 17 years ago and seems to have fascinated/traumatized a lot of people for a long time.
For what it's worth, ARod made some major salary concessions when he attempted to sign with Boston, but that contract was rejected by the Players' Union.
That was a few years after the time period being discussed, but it gives some credence to what he's saying.
For what it's worth, ARod made some major salary concessions when he attempted to sign with Boston, but that contract was rejected by the Players' Union.
That was a few years after the time period being discussed, but it gives some credence to what he's saying.
Sunday, April 08, 2018
Sunday afternoons were made for baseball.
Sunday nights? Not so much:
"The Mets are good."
Few would disagree. It's a bit of a subjective observation. I wish there was a way to objectively ascertain the quality of a professional sports team.
"Now they play the season to find out how good."
I think Lupica may be on to something here.
They ought to set up a system where different teams play one another, according to a schedule, and then keep track of the wins and losses. They could even split up the teams into leagues and divisions. Then, at the end of the season, the best teams could play each other in the playoffs.
"Do you make lasting judgments about anybody before 10 games have been played? Come on."
Seriously.
"In the process the Mets have reminded us that it was just three years ago, hardly a lifetime even though it feels that way sometimes, when they were seven games better than a wounded Washington team in the National League East."
The beginning of this column feels like a lifetime ago.
"Sunday night, the Mets look for the sweep against the Nationals on ESPN. Matt Harvey gets the ball, and tries to build on the five innings of one-hit, five-strikeout ball he pitched against the Phillies on what looked and surely must have felt to the players like it was the baseball version of that hockey Winter Classic they had not long ago at Citi Field. Now Harvey gets classic Bryce Harper and everybody else around Harper in the Nationals’ batting order. It will be something to see, on a night when the Mets will be the team to watch in town."
This afternoon, the Yankees will be the team to watch in town.
I think the dubious honor of a Sunday Night ESPN game is based more on the NY opponent than the NY team. The Nationals are a bigger draw than the Orioles.
" 'When pitchers pitch well,' Buck Showalter was telling me the other day, 'we all look smart.' "
Another gem.
What's your deal with Orioles manager Buck Showalter, anyway?
Is he, like, your last remaining MLB source?
"Callaway was telling me in February in Port St. Lucie about his formal job interview with Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson and J.P. Ricciardi and John Ricco.
'Going into that interview, my basic thought was this: "If I can get this job, we can win next year," ' the new Mets manager said.
It was good February talk about a regular season that really did begin in March this time and won’t end until a game against the Marlins on Sept. 30 at Citi Field. Callaway knows that the opponent in the East isn’t just going to be the Nationals. Nobody should go to sleep on the Atlanta Braves. They’re good, too. So are the Mets. New York team to watch on Sunday night."
ESPN. April. Sunday Night. I'm sure the worldwide audience will be, what? One billion viewers?
"The Mets are good."
Few would disagree. It's a bit of a subjective observation. I wish there was a way to objectively ascertain the quality of a professional sports team.
"Now they play the season to find out how good."
I think Lupica may be on to something here.
They ought to set up a system where different teams play one another, according to a schedule, and then keep track of the wins and losses. They could even split up the teams into leagues and divisions. Then, at the end of the season, the best teams could play each other in the playoffs.
"Do you make lasting judgments about anybody before 10 games have been played? Come on."
Seriously.
"In the process the Mets have reminded us that it was just three years ago, hardly a lifetime even though it feels that way sometimes, when they were seven games better than a wounded Washington team in the National League East."
The beginning of this column feels like a lifetime ago.
"Sunday night, the Mets look for the sweep against the Nationals on ESPN. Matt Harvey gets the ball, and tries to build on the five innings of one-hit, five-strikeout ball he pitched against the Phillies on what looked and surely must have felt to the players like it was the baseball version of that hockey Winter Classic they had not long ago at Citi Field. Now Harvey gets classic Bryce Harper and everybody else around Harper in the Nationals’ batting order. It will be something to see, on a night when the Mets will be the team to watch in town."
This afternoon, the Yankees will be the team to watch in town.
I think the dubious honor of a Sunday Night ESPN game is based more on the NY opponent than the NY team. The Nationals are a bigger draw than the Orioles.
" 'When pitchers pitch well,' Buck Showalter was telling me the other day, 'we all look smart.' "
Another gem.
What's your deal with Orioles manager Buck Showalter, anyway?
Is he, like, your last remaining MLB source?
"Callaway was telling me in February in Port St. Lucie about his formal job interview with Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson and J.P. Ricciardi and John Ricco.
'Going into that interview, my basic thought was this: "If I can get this job, we can win next year," ' the new Mets manager said.
It was good February talk about a regular season that really did begin in March this time and won’t end until a game against the Marlins on Sept. 30 at Citi Field. Callaway knows that the opponent in the East isn’t just going to be the Nationals. Nobody should go to sleep on the Atlanta Braves. They’re good, too. So are the Mets. New York team to watch on Sunday night."
ESPN. April. Sunday Night. I'm sure the worldwide audience will be, what? One billion viewers?
Friday, April 06, 2018
Thursday, April 05, 2018
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
Monday, April 02, 2018
I am sticking with "bust."
Because opinions are cool and maybe one day I will get to say, "I told ya so."
A few things:
A few things:
- "Look" of a future superstar sounds like the dumbest scout since Clint Eastwood in that movie.
- "See how Ohtani recovered from a three-run HR ..." I was thinking the same thing yesterday after Robertson gave up an 8th-inning Grand Slam. At least he rebounded and got the next guy out.
- No one cares about the radar gun anymore. It's not 1975. Everybody throws 95+. It may be a signal that he's a future MLB superstar or it may be a signal that he's a future Dr. James Andrews superstar.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Friday, March 23, 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Cashman's Worst Nightmare
As foreseen by Mike Lupica.
Now the Orioles will make a run for fourth place in the AL East.
Now the Orioles will make a run for fourth place in the AL East.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Don't pay the man. He just writes the same thing over and over.
For decades, Lupica has written the exact same thing about the Mets during Spring Training.
Change "Callaway" to "Randolph" or "Collins" or "Valentine" or "Howe."
Change "Conforto" to "Bay" or "Burnitz" or "Agbayani" or "Cuddyer."
It's not baseball analysis. It's Mets PR:
"Does a lot have to break right for the Mets? Yeah. A lot has to break right. Is it crazy to think the big things might break right? Somebody has to explain to me why, or how."
I can say this about any team, any year, any sport. "If a lot breaks right, it's not crazy that this team can compete."
That empty observation does not qualify as analysis or a prediction.
"There is a famous line out of the city’s baseball past, from a season 40 years ago exactly. It was after Bob Lemon replaced Billy Martin and the Yankees came back from being 14½ games behind the Red Sox and Lem was explaining, in his wry way, about the secret of the Yankees’ success after he took over for Billy.
'I just try to keep the pitching straightened out, and hope Reggie hits,' Lem said."
The 1977 Yankees. The 1986 Mets. The 2004 Red Sox. The 1980 US Olympic hockey team.
So, now that you've brought up a 40-year-old quote from a Yankee manager, what does that have to do with the 2018 Mets?
"Mickey Callaway is the one entrusted with getting the pitching straightened out, with Thor and deGrom and Harvey and Matz and everybody else. Then he hopes Cespedes hits. There are other things that need to happen, you bet. They need to get a solid year out of Todd Frazier at third. And it wouldn’t hurt if Adrian Gonzalez were even close to what he used to be on the other side of the infield. Nobody is suggesting they’re great. You don’t have to be to make a great baseball summer again in National League New York.
Mets fans just want a chance. I believe they might have one. New York Mights. Hope might not be the best possible business plan in baseball. What else are you supposed to do at this time of year?"
What a waste of time.
Once again, I truly wonder if Lupica is employed by the Mets and just conning the Daily News.
This entire article provides zero information to its readers. Lupica is just a pea-brain hyping up the Mets and slagging on the Yankees.
You wouldn't know that the Yankees won 21 more games than the Mets did last season. Oh, and the Yankees added the NL MVP.
"How come I keep thinking Stanton is going to do waaaay more DH-ing this season than he thought he was signing up for with our kids on 161st Street?"
Is this supposed to be a slag on Stanton's fielding abilities?
Yeah, no one cares.
Stanton is the Yankees' DH. Stanton is essentially replacing Matt Holliday. Hooray for the Yankees.
"You turn on these early-round games in March Madness and sometimes see so many empty seats, even close to the court, you think for a second you might be watching a Yankee home game."
Zing!
Lupica in mid-season form. Look out, Cashman.
For what it's worth, do you know what the attendance was at Yankee home games last season?
3,146,966.
Not the ARod heydays, but hardly an empty stadium.
"By the way?
You know what the Yankees might be sort of and kind of hoping?
That Alex Cobb doesn’t end up pitching for the Red Sox this season."
Well, it's like Bob "Lem" Lemon told me forty years ago, chomping on a cheap cigar and using a fungo bat to scratch his scrotum. Lem sez to me he sez, "I'm gonna put a lineup out there every day and hope they play good."
Because Hope is the currency of Spring Training.
Even if five-time Cy Young Award winner Alex Cobb ends up pitching at the Fens, Yankee fans still have Hope and Grit, and they can dream of the playoffs if a lot of things break right this year.
Change "Callaway" to "Randolph" or "Collins" or "Valentine" or "Howe."
Change "Conforto" to "Bay" or "Burnitz" or "Agbayani" or "Cuddyer."
It's not baseball analysis. It's Mets PR:
"Does a lot have to break right for the Mets? Yeah. A lot has to break right. Is it crazy to think the big things might break right? Somebody has to explain to me why, or how."
I can say this about any team, any year, any sport. "If a lot breaks right, it's not crazy that this team can compete."
That empty observation does not qualify as analysis or a prediction.
"There is a famous line out of the city’s baseball past, from a season 40 years ago exactly. It was after Bob Lemon replaced Billy Martin and the Yankees came back from being 14½ games behind the Red Sox and Lem was explaining, in his wry way, about the secret of the Yankees’ success after he took over for Billy.
'I just try to keep the pitching straightened out, and hope Reggie hits,' Lem said."
The 1977 Yankees. The 1986 Mets. The 2004 Red Sox. The 1980 US Olympic hockey team.
So, now that you've brought up a 40-year-old quote from a Yankee manager, what does that have to do with the 2018 Mets?
"Mickey Callaway is the one entrusted with getting the pitching straightened out, with Thor and deGrom and Harvey and Matz and everybody else. Then he hopes Cespedes hits. There are other things that need to happen, you bet. They need to get a solid year out of Todd Frazier at third. And it wouldn’t hurt if Adrian Gonzalez were even close to what he used to be on the other side of the infield. Nobody is suggesting they’re great. You don’t have to be to make a great baseball summer again in National League New York.
Mets fans just want a chance. I believe they might have one. New York Mights. Hope might not be the best possible business plan in baseball. What else are you supposed to do at this time of year?"
What a waste of time.
Once again, I truly wonder if Lupica is employed by the Mets and just conning the Daily News.
This entire article provides zero information to its readers. Lupica is just a pea-brain hyping up the Mets and slagging on the Yankees.
You wouldn't know that the Yankees won 21 more games than the Mets did last season. Oh, and the Yankees added the NL MVP.
"How come I keep thinking Stanton is going to do waaaay more DH-ing this season than he thought he was signing up for with our kids on 161st Street?"
Is this supposed to be a slag on Stanton's fielding abilities?
Yeah, no one cares.
Stanton is the Yankees' DH. Stanton is essentially replacing Matt Holliday. Hooray for the Yankees.
"You turn on these early-round games in March Madness and sometimes see so many empty seats, even close to the court, you think for a second you might be watching a Yankee home game."
Zing!
Lupica in mid-season form. Look out, Cashman.
For what it's worth, do you know what the attendance was at Yankee home games last season?
3,146,966.
Not the ARod heydays, but hardly an empty stadium.
"By the way?
You know what the Yankees might be sort of and kind of hoping?
That Alex Cobb doesn’t end up pitching for the Red Sox this season."
Well, it's like Bob "Lem" Lemon told me forty years ago, chomping on a cheap cigar and using a fungo bat to scratch his scrotum. Lem sez to me he sez, "I'm gonna put a lineup out there every day and hope they play good."
Because Hope is the currency of Spring Training.
Even if five-time Cy Young Award winner Alex Cobb ends up pitching at the Fens, Yankee fans still have Hope and Grit, and they can dream of the playoffs if a lot of things break right this year.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Start the inning with a runner on second base.
I would like to find a single baseball fan who endorses this idea.
I would also challenge anyone to read the following clarification without laughing:
"For purposes of calculating earned runs under Rule 9.16, the runner who begins an inning on second base pursuant to this rule shall be deemed to be a runner who has reached second base because of a fielding error, but no error shall be charged to the opposing team or to any player."
Thanks for clearing that up.
Since the minor leagues no longer take the game of baseball seriously, what are the precise rules for ghost runners, "Indian rubbing," and do-overs?
What "shall be charged" to the pitcher's ERA if the runner on second base has to abandon the base because the game is being played in the middle of the street and a car drives by and "time out" was called but "time in" was not called by the same person?
I would also challenge anyone to read the following clarification without laughing:
"For purposes of calculating earned runs under Rule 9.16, the runner who begins an inning on second base pursuant to this rule shall be deemed to be a runner who has reached second base because of a fielding error, but no error shall be charged to the opposing team or to any player."
Thanks for clearing that up.
Since the minor leagues no longer take the game of baseball seriously, what are the precise rules for ghost runners, "Indian rubbing," and do-overs?
What "shall be charged" to the pitcher's ERA if the runner on second base has to abandon the base because the game is being played in the middle of the street and a car drives by and "time out" was called but "time in" was not called by the same person?
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Not that I put too much stock in Spring Training performances ...
... but this is the Matt Harvey performance being described as "solid":
"Harvey allowed five runs on six hits. He hit a batter, walked one and struck out two in 4.2 innings work.
...
The top of the Yankees’ lineup -- Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge and Stanton -- had four of the hits against Harvey and he dominated the rest of the lineup, which admittedly were largely fringe players.
But, if Saturday is how a bad day is going to go for Harvey, then the Mets rotation is going to be fine."
If the Yankee lineup scores a run per inning, they're also going to be fine.
"Harvey allowed five runs on six hits. He hit a batter, walked one and struck out two in 4.2 innings work.
...
The top of the Yankees’ lineup -- Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge and Stanton -- had four of the hits against Harvey and he dominated the rest of the lineup, which admittedly were largely fringe players.
But, if Saturday is how a bad day is going to go for Harvey, then the Mets rotation is going to be fine."
If the Yankee lineup scores a run per inning, they're also going to be fine.
Thursday, March 08, 2018
Yes, the Mets are more "selective" when they retire player numbers.
Nice try, Mets.
I don't even know why the Mets spend so much energy comparing themselves to the Yankees.
Funny thing is, if you walk around Citi Field, half the alumni have a plaque or a banner. I like to take a stroll and add up the cocaine addicts and steroid cheats.
I don't even know why the Mets spend so much energy comparing themselves to the Yankees.
Funny thing is, if you walk around Citi Field, half the alumni have a plaque or a banner. I like to take a stroll and add up the cocaine addicts and steroid cheats.
Friday, March 02, 2018
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
If it's laughable, then laugh.
"Maybe Cashman was being cheeky, but it’s a bad look. Say what you
will about the Yankees — and everything possible has been — they are the
big boys on the block, in the Big Apple and in our pastime. The Yankees
are so bit that only a team from the NFL (the Dallas Cowboys) is worth
more, at $4 billion. Everything about the Yankees, from their history,
to the names burned in our collective history, to their opulent new
stadium and the prices to sit in said stadium is outsized.
The Yankees are so burned into the sports vernacular that Vince Lombardi’s first goal as head coach was to make his Green Bay Packers the New York Yankees of football. When tourists return from a trip to New York and either complain or marvel at the size and speed of everything, that’s what the Yankees represent, the mythology of money and skyscrapers and the House That Ruth Built."
Jeez, pal. He's just trying to take the pressure off.
Why? Because, in case you hadn't noticed, everyone wants to be the underdog.
The Yankees are so burned into the sports vernacular that Vince Lombardi’s first goal as head coach was to make his Green Bay Packers the New York Yankees of football. When tourists return from a trip to New York and either complain or marvel at the size and speed of everything, that’s what the Yankees represent, the mythology of money and skyscrapers and the House That Ruth Built."
Jeez, pal. He's just trying to take the pressure off.
Why? Because, in case you hadn't noticed, everyone wants to be the underdog.
There's a new sheriff in town.
The guts it takes to discipline a bench warmer in a spring training game.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
These writers hated Girardi the whole time.
All I ask is that I get a nickel every time Boone says "the process."
Sunday, February 11, 2018
"Hitting .300" is something people care about again?
Public free agent/contract disputes between pro sports players and pro sports ownership?
One time, I'd like to see a commenter take the side of the players:
"All you need to know about the current impasse with free agents in baseball is the headline I saw the other day about Eric Hosmer looking for an 8- or 9-year deal.
Well, OK, Hosmer can look for a contract like that.
But on what planet?"
The same planet where a 65-year-old man can tweet that Justin Timberlake's halftime show was the greatest halftime show ever.
"And on what planet is a $125 million, five-year deal something about which J.D. Martinez gets to act insulted, a glorified DH who had one really great home-run year splitting time between the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks?"
When the Mets sign J.D. Martinez, Lupica will compare Martinez to Roberto Clemente.
"But owners are supposed to be colluding because they’re not giving guys like Martinez the kind of seven-year deal that the Yankees gave Jacoby Ellsbury, somebody the Yankees now can’t give away."
Not sure if the owners are "supposed to be" colluding. The players and their agents are grumbling and that's what they always do.
"And if you want to look at a longer contract than that, look at where the Mariners are with Robinson Cano, four years into his 10-year and $240 million deal.
You know how many times Cano has hit .300 in Seattle so far?
Once."
Weird about-face.
I think the Mariners will regret a 10-year deal and I always have. Cano's first four years in Seattle have been good, but not MVP worthy.
But every NY writer, including Lupica, has spent four years ripping the Yankees for letting Cano go.
So Lupica just admitted the Yankees made a smart move. But he did it indirectly and probably unintentionally.
One time, I'd like to see a commenter take the side of the players:
"All you need to know about the current impasse with free agents in baseball is the headline I saw the other day about Eric Hosmer looking for an 8- or 9-year deal.
Well, OK, Hosmer can look for a contract like that.
But on what planet?"
The same planet where a 65-year-old man can tweet that Justin Timberlake's halftime show was the greatest halftime show ever.
"And on what planet is a $125 million, five-year deal something about which J.D. Martinez gets to act insulted, a glorified DH who had one really great home-run year splitting time between the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks?"
When the Mets sign J.D. Martinez, Lupica will compare Martinez to Roberto Clemente.
"But owners are supposed to be colluding because they’re not giving guys like Martinez the kind of seven-year deal that the Yankees gave Jacoby Ellsbury, somebody the Yankees now can’t give away."
Not sure if the owners are "supposed to be" colluding. The players and their agents are grumbling and that's what they always do.
"And if you want to look at a longer contract than that, look at where the Mariners are with Robinson Cano, four years into his 10-year and $240 million deal.
You know how many times Cano has hit .300 in Seattle so far?
Once."
Weird about-face.
I think the Mariners will regret a 10-year deal and I always have. Cano's first four years in Seattle have been good, but not MVP worthy.
But every NY writer, including Lupica, has spent four years ripping the Yankees for letting Cano go.
So Lupica just admitted the Yankees made a smart move. But he did it indirectly and probably unintentionally.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
In case you forgot or were unaware ...
... Mike Lupica is buddies with Buck Showalter.
The ostensible purpose of the article is to explain that Manny Machado's manager is aware of the fact that Manny Machado is an excellent baseball player.
The ostensible purpose of the article is to explain that Manny Machado's manager is aware of the fact that Manny Machado is an excellent baseball player.
Wednesday, February 07, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
He doesn't see it.
John Harper won't vote for the hardcore users whose late-career stats made a farce of the record books (his words):
"As I heard Ron Darling and Mike Lowell, two respected former players, say on MLB Network during a round-table discussion: basically, that even before testing, every player knew it was wrong, and if you took steroids you traded the numbers and the financial rewards for the Hall of Fame."
Next paragraph:
"I’m hoping this is the year Edgar Martinez makes it. I’ve voted for him for years, and DH or not, he’s a perfect example of the need to reward excellence. As a pure hitter he was one of the best ever, as pitchers who faced him are the first to tell you."
37-year-old Edgar Martinez:
.324/.423/.579, 37 HRs, 31 doubles, 145 RBIs.
"As I heard Ron Darling and Mike Lowell, two respected former players, say on MLB Network during a round-table discussion: basically, that even before testing, every player knew it was wrong, and if you took steroids you traded the numbers and the financial rewards for the Hall of Fame."
Next paragraph:
"I’m hoping this is the year Edgar Martinez makes it. I’ve voted for him for years, and DH or not, he’s a perfect example of the need to reward excellence. As a pure hitter he was one of the best ever, as pitchers who faced him are the first to tell you."
37-year-old Edgar Martinez:
.324/.423/.579, 37 HRs, 31 doubles, 145 RBIs.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Baseball is supposed to be fun and entertaining.
This is a cool story. Have a little fun with the fans.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Thank you.
"Last year we were the team that everybody loved, that feel-good story," Sabathia said on MLB Network's Hot Stove show. "But getting Giancarlo just brings us back to being that hated team."
Sabathia chuckled and added, "That's what we like, man, we want to go out there and put the best team on the field and, you know, crush everybody every game."
Saturday, January 13, 2018
My solutions to five Yankee "problems."
Not a bad discussion about the Yankees.
My solutions are as follows:
1. Second base: Jose Altuve.
2. Third base: Manny Machado,.
3. Starters: Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer.
4. Backup first baseman: Joey Votto.
5. Backup catcher: Buster Posey.
Make it happen.
My solutions are as follows:
1. Second base: Jose Altuve.
2. Third base: Manny Machado,.
3. Starters: Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer.
4. Backup first baseman: Joey Votto.
5. Backup catcher: Buster Posey.
Make it happen.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Sunday, December 31, 2017
A very large straw man. Like a straw man on steroids.
"For the last time:
Amphetamines were clearly performance enablers in baseball."
Why do I think this isn't the last time?
"But if they were performance enhancers, how come the record books never changed the way they did during the steroids era?"
Because they weren't as effective as steroids.
"If you want to vote for guys who juiced, have at it.
But you need more than greenies to help build your case for them.
A lot more."
Lupica is on a phony high horse. I don't speak for everyone who takes a more nuanced position, but that's generally the objection.
Cheater outrage is applied selectively. Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, Gaylord Perry and others are already in the Hall of Fame.
The reason I'm certain Mike Piazza took steroids is because I have a brain. Nobody before or since regularly hit 450-foot opposite field fly balls. Nobody drafted that low in the draft ever made the major leagues, much less regularly hit 450-foot opposite field fly balls.
The Guardians of the Game laid off Piazza because he's a nice guy who graciously granted post game interviews.
Luipca uses his column and his votes/influence to promote people who assist his career.
So when people call out the hypocrisy, his weak retort is that the cheaters of the 1970s weren't as good at cheating.
Amphetamines were clearly performance enablers in baseball."
Why do I think this isn't the last time?
"But if they were performance enhancers, how come the record books never changed the way they did during the steroids era?"
Because they weren't as effective as steroids.
"If you want to vote for guys who juiced, have at it.
But you need more than greenies to help build your case for them.
A lot more."
Lupica is on a phony high horse. I don't speak for everyone who takes a more nuanced position, but that's generally the objection.
Cheater outrage is applied selectively. Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, Gaylord Perry and others are already in the Hall of Fame.
The reason I'm certain Mike Piazza took steroids is because I have a brain. Nobody before or since regularly hit 450-foot opposite field fly balls. Nobody drafted that low in the draft ever made the major leagues, much less regularly hit 450-foot opposite field fly balls.
The Guardians of the Game laid off Piazza because he's a nice guy who graciously granted post game interviews.
Luipca uses his column and his votes/influence to promote people who assist his career.
So when people call out the hypocrisy, his weak retort is that the cheaters of the 1970s weren't as good at cheating.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
We wish you a Merry Christmas.
"We all know who the best player was in New York in 2017, in any sport."
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
"It was the big kid, Aaron Judge, All Rise Judge, around whom the rising of the Yankees was built in October, the kind of baseball October that was once as regular a pageant around here as the tree lighting at Rockefeller Plaza, or New Year’s Eve in Times Square."
As regular as a hack Lupica rehash column.
"And the best of it for me, the best moment, wasn’t the Yankees coming back after they were down 0-3 in the Wild Card game with the Twins before they ever came to bat; or the comeback against the Astros in Game 4, when the new Yankee Stadium finally sounded like the one across the street. No, the best of it was after Game 5, when the Yankees had gone ahead three games to two, and were as close to the World Series as they had been in eight years."
Lupica paid attention to about 15 baseball games in 2017.
Lupica couldn't name the Yankees' starting rotation.
"The best of it was walking out of the Stadium that night with Yankees fans flooding out of the place in this loud, exuberant wave, down the steps at Babe Ruth Plaza, everybody heading towards 161st St. and the parking lots and the subway station, yelling 'Let’s Go Yankees' and '---- Verlander,' "
I don't understand.
What is a Verlander?
" ...meaning Justin Verlander, whom they knew their team was going to be facing in Game 6."
Oh!
Justin Verlander.
Thank you for clarifying, Mr. Baseball.
"It all went wrong in Houston, of course. Verlander did to the Yankees what the chants said the Yankees were going to do to him."
Verlander ----'ed the Yankees.
"Now they regroup, in such an expensive and showy and front-page way. They go get Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Jeters, and pick up the kind of contract they once lavished on Alex Rodriguez, everybody’s All-America."
It's a new record, folks: 250,000 consecutive columns with an Alex Rodriguez reference.
Who even cares?
It's all the same observation.
The Yankees might win the World Series and they might not.
I fail to see how adding Giancarlo Stanton, the NL MVP, is a bad move.
The Yankees aren't as "cool" as they were last year, a designation coming from Mike Lupica, a man who had Coldplay as his intro music during his short-lived afternoon radio show and who lists "Love Actually" as his favorite Christmas movie.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
"It was the big kid, Aaron Judge, All Rise Judge, around whom the rising of the Yankees was built in October, the kind of baseball October that was once as regular a pageant around here as the tree lighting at Rockefeller Plaza, or New Year’s Eve in Times Square."
As regular as a hack Lupica rehash column.
"And the best of it for me, the best moment, wasn’t the Yankees coming back after they were down 0-3 in the Wild Card game with the Twins before they ever came to bat; or the comeback against the Astros in Game 4, when the new Yankee Stadium finally sounded like the one across the street. No, the best of it was after Game 5, when the Yankees had gone ahead three games to two, and were as close to the World Series as they had been in eight years."
Lupica paid attention to about 15 baseball games in 2017.
Lupica couldn't name the Yankees' starting rotation.
"The best of it was walking out of the Stadium that night with Yankees fans flooding out of the place in this loud, exuberant wave, down the steps at Babe Ruth Plaza, everybody heading towards 161st St. and the parking lots and the subway station, yelling 'Let’s Go Yankees' and '---- Verlander,' "
I don't understand.
What is a Verlander?
" ...meaning Justin Verlander, whom they knew their team was going to be facing in Game 6."
Oh!
Justin Verlander.
Thank you for clarifying, Mr. Baseball.
"It all went wrong in Houston, of course. Verlander did to the Yankees what the chants said the Yankees were going to do to him."
Verlander ----'ed the Yankees.
"Now they regroup, in such an expensive and showy and front-page way. They go get Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Jeters, and pick up the kind of contract they once lavished on Alex Rodriguez, everybody’s All-America."
It's a new record, folks: 250,000 consecutive columns with an Alex Rodriguez reference.
Who even cares?
It's all the same observation.
The Yankees might win the World Series and they might not.
I fail to see how adding Giancarlo Stanton, the NL MVP, is a bad move.
The Yankees aren't as "cool" as they were last year, a designation coming from Mike Lupica, a man who had Coldplay as his intro music during his short-lived afternoon radio show and who lists "Love Actually" as his favorite Christmas movie.
Monday, December 18, 2017
One man's stupid is another man's fun.
Bob Raissman criticizes ... well, I'm not sure what he's criticizing:
"Gee, now we have to look forward to hearing what Sterling’s Giancarlo HR call will be. This was actually a topic of fierce debate in the Valley of the Stupid, which is why it is called the Valley of the Stupid."
"Gee, now we have to look forward to hearing what Sterling’s Giancarlo HR call will be. This was actually a topic of fierce debate in the Valley of the Stupid, which is why it is called the Valley of the Stupid."
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
But can the Yankees get Alex Cobb?
"That’s all fine — since when did the Yankees ever care about money? — as
long as Stanton stays healthy and produces just reasonably consistent
to how he did last season."
Yes.
I must agree.
Injured players who don't produce are not valuable to a baseball team.
"Unfortunately history — both his own and these monster contracts in general — suggests he won’t. It’s a fact of baseball life that players after the age of 32, start breaking down and Stanton, before last year, already had a number of concerning injury issues."
Sold.
That's five years and hundreds of homers.
The big question is, what will be Sterling's customized HR call?
Whatever he decides, it will probably be used more often than "the Ben Francisco Treat." Which Sterling may not have used. But he should have.
"He missed the final 17 games of the season after being hit in the face with a pitch in 2014. He missed 88 games in 2015 with a broken hamate bone from swinging too hard on a pitch, 44 games in 2013 with a hamstring strain and shoulder soreness, 36 games in 2012 loose knee bodies and abdominal strain, and another 11 games in 2011 with a quad strain."
He missed 11 games in 2011 with a quad strain?
Oh, no.
Then he hit 59 HRs and won an MVP award in 2017.
So he must have recovered from the quad strain.
"All these while he was in his early-to-mid 20s. What’s going to be the case when he hits his 30s?"
I don't know.
What will be the case with Robinson Cano? Bryce Harper? Manny Machado? Gary Sanchez? Aaron Judge? Greg Bird? Rob Refsnyder?
Should the Yankees pay $29 million per year for Rob Refsnyder or should they go after starting pitching instead?
"At least, even keeping Ellsbury’s onerous $21 million salary, the Yankees could make this Stanton trade and stay under the $197 million luxury tax threshold — which is all Hal Steinbrenner cared about in approving the deal. There is still enough wiggle room money to re-sign CC Sabathia and add a bullpen piece, but as far as the Yankees’ No. 1 target, Alex Cobb, that’s very problematic now."
Nobody cares about Alex Cobb.
Who the heck is Alex Cobb?
"With Jeter over the barrel, this was their one best chance of finally ridding themselves of Ellsbury’s contract — or if nothing else make the Marlins take Chase Headley’s $13 million for ’18 as well — to have plenty of remaining money to go after Cobb. Instead, they let the Stanton stars get in their eyes."
Gee, but what if Alex Cobb gets a quad strain? Should the Yankees take that kind of risk?
Cobb is 29 years old, has 48 career wins, and has never been on the DL, because he is immortal and omnipotent. Not a baseball player, really. More like an indestructible character from a M. Night Shyamalan movie.
"Nor could Yankee fans care less about four years from now. For them, it’s already a Merry Christmas with giddy visions for a Happy New Year. No longer are the Yankees those lovable over-achieving kids. Overnight they’ve been transformed back to Beasts of the East. For everyone in Yankeeland’s sake, especially Aaron Boone, they better win next year. Because the euphoria over this trade is almost guaranteed to have a short shelf life."
Madden may be looking for a tiresome narrative to chug-a-lug his columns for the next ten years, but fans want their freaking team to win a lot of freaking games.
Madden's entire argument is a fake. If the Yankees don't win the World Series right away ... and if Stanton isn't pumping 50 HRs per year in his late 30s ... then this acquisition will be designated a failure.
You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until the Yankees add Machado and Harper ... and who knows? ... maybe even HOF candidate Alex Cobb.
Yes.
I must agree.
Injured players who don't produce are not valuable to a baseball team.
"Unfortunately history — both his own and these monster contracts in general — suggests he won’t. It’s a fact of baseball life that players after the age of 32, start breaking down and Stanton, before last year, already had a number of concerning injury issues."
Sold.
That's five years and hundreds of homers.
The big question is, what will be Sterling's customized HR call?
Whatever he decides, it will probably be used more often than "the Ben Francisco Treat." Which Sterling may not have used. But he should have.
"He missed the final 17 games of the season after being hit in the face with a pitch in 2014. He missed 88 games in 2015 with a broken hamate bone from swinging too hard on a pitch, 44 games in 2013 with a hamstring strain and shoulder soreness, 36 games in 2012 loose knee bodies and abdominal strain, and another 11 games in 2011 with a quad strain."
He missed 11 games in 2011 with a quad strain?
Oh, no.
Then he hit 59 HRs and won an MVP award in 2017.
So he must have recovered from the quad strain.
"All these while he was in his early-to-mid 20s. What’s going to be the case when he hits his 30s?"
I don't know.
What will be the case with Robinson Cano? Bryce Harper? Manny Machado? Gary Sanchez? Aaron Judge? Greg Bird? Rob Refsnyder?
Should the Yankees pay $29 million per year for Rob Refsnyder or should they go after starting pitching instead?
"At least, even keeping Ellsbury’s onerous $21 million salary, the Yankees could make this Stanton trade and stay under the $197 million luxury tax threshold — which is all Hal Steinbrenner cared about in approving the deal. There is still enough wiggle room money to re-sign CC Sabathia and add a bullpen piece, but as far as the Yankees’ No. 1 target, Alex Cobb, that’s very problematic now."
Nobody cares about Alex Cobb.
Who the heck is Alex Cobb?
"With Jeter over the barrel, this was their one best chance of finally ridding themselves of Ellsbury’s contract — or if nothing else make the Marlins take Chase Headley’s $13 million for ’18 as well — to have plenty of remaining money to go after Cobb. Instead, they let the Stanton stars get in their eyes."
Gee, but what if Alex Cobb gets a quad strain? Should the Yankees take that kind of risk?
Cobb is 29 years old, has 48 career wins, and has never been on the DL, because he is immortal and omnipotent. Not a baseball player, really. More like an indestructible character from a M. Night Shyamalan movie.
"Nor could Yankee fans care less about four years from now. For them, it’s already a Merry Christmas with giddy visions for a Happy New Year. No longer are the Yankees those lovable over-achieving kids. Overnight they’ve been transformed back to Beasts of the East. For everyone in Yankeeland’s sake, especially Aaron Boone, they better win next year. Because the euphoria over this trade is almost guaranteed to have a short shelf life."
Madden may be looking for a tiresome narrative to chug-a-lug his columns for the next ten years, but fans want their freaking team to win a lot of freaking games.
Madden's entire argument is a fake. If the Yankees don't win the World Series right away ... and if Stanton isn't pumping 50 HRs per year in his late 30s ... then this acquisition will be designated a failure.
You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until the Yankees add Machado and Harper ... and who knows? ... maybe even HOF candidate Alex Cobb.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Lupica blows the layup.
You know he waited his whole life to write this column and, I dunno. Maybe he was distracted:
"So the Yankees are back in the big business of being the Yankees again, bigger than ever, now that they are making this kind of big deal for Giancarlo Stanton."
"Bigger than ever."
"Once, almost a hundred years ago, they got Babe Ruth here from Boston, and Ruth would eventually hit 60 home runs in a season, and first make the Yankees the Yankees and put them on the top of the world."
Oh, yeah.
Ruth, Gehrig, Murderer's Row.
I forgot about those Yankees one sentence ago when I wrote that the 2018 Yankees are "bigger than ever."
"Stanton hit 59 for the Marlins last season, and chased 60 all the way to the last at-bat he will ever have for the Marlins. Now Stanton is supposed to put the Yankees back on top of the world."
"Supposed to."
Only if he can survive the barbs of Daily News columnists.
"Now we all wait to see if putting Stanton with Aaron Judge will work out better for the Yankees than putting Alex Rodriguez, and all of his home runs, with Jeter himself once did."
Framing ARod's Yankees career as a failure? Mike Lupica?
"They figure they can find enough pitching to make this work. Maybe Stanton can pitch and hit the way Shohei Ohtani is going to for the Angels. First the Yankees wanted Ohtani. He told the Yankees he didn’t want them. Ohtani ends up on one coast, Giancarlo Stanton ends up on 161st St."
Maybe Stanton can pitch and hit? Well, no, but it was a seamless segue into Ohtani.
"There really have only been three other star, home run plays like this in all of Yankee history:
Ruth.
Reggie.
Rodriguez."
And a dozen others off the top of my head.
"Only for all the hitting the Yankees did this season, they couldn’t hit once the ALCS went back to Minute Maid Park."
You win some, you lose some.
"They stopped hitting in the ’03 World Series a few months before they brought A-Rod, who had hit 50 home runs twice in Texas, to town."
"... who had hit 50 home runs twice in Texas, to town."
"Now they are bringing Giancarlo Stanton and his 59 to town."
Yes, we know.
"They are the Yankees. At the end of October they came up small. Now they go for a real big home run hitter."
Riiiight.
"And hope it works out better with him over the next 10 years than it did when the big deal in the big town was A-Rod."
Phfffft.
That's all you've got?
"So the Yankees are back in the big business of being the Yankees again, bigger than ever, now that they are making this kind of big deal for Giancarlo Stanton."
"Bigger than ever."
"Once, almost a hundred years ago, they got Babe Ruth here from Boston, and Ruth would eventually hit 60 home runs in a season, and first make the Yankees the Yankees and put them on the top of the world."
Oh, yeah.
Ruth, Gehrig, Murderer's Row.
I forgot about those Yankees one sentence ago when I wrote that the 2018 Yankees are "bigger than ever."
"Stanton hit 59 for the Marlins last season, and chased 60 all the way to the last at-bat he will ever have for the Marlins. Now Stanton is supposed to put the Yankees back on top of the world."
"Supposed to."
Only if he can survive the barbs of Daily News columnists.
"Now we all wait to see if putting Stanton with Aaron Judge will work out better for the Yankees than putting Alex Rodriguez, and all of his home runs, with Jeter himself once did."
Framing ARod's Yankees career as a failure? Mike Lupica?
"They figure they can find enough pitching to make this work. Maybe Stanton can pitch and hit the way Shohei Ohtani is going to for the Angels. First the Yankees wanted Ohtani. He told the Yankees he didn’t want them. Ohtani ends up on one coast, Giancarlo Stanton ends up on 161st St."
Maybe Stanton can pitch and hit? Well, no, but it was a seamless segue into Ohtani.
"There really have only been three other star, home run plays like this in all of Yankee history:
Ruth.
Reggie.
Rodriguez."
And a dozen others off the top of my head.
"Only for all the hitting the Yankees did this season, they couldn’t hit once the ALCS went back to Minute Maid Park."
You win some, you lose some.
"They stopped hitting in the ’03 World Series a few months before they brought A-Rod, who had hit 50 home runs twice in Texas, to town."
"... who had hit 50 home runs twice in Texas, to town."
"Now they are bringing Giancarlo Stanton and his 59 to town."
Yes, we know.
"They are the Yankees. At the end of October they came up small. Now they go for a real big home run hitter."
Riiiight.
"And hope it works out better with him over the next 10 years than it did when the big deal in the big town was A-Rod."
Phfffft.
That's all you've got?
Saturday, December 09, 2017
As far as I know, Stanton is not particularly unpopular or unlikable.
But I know for sure that "lovable losers" is a very overrated brand. Give me "unlovable winners" every time.
Friday, December 08, 2017
Maybe he's truly once-in-a-lifetime player ... I will believe it when I see it.
Surely an unusual and exciting player. I would be shocked if he's the Angels' ace or a .300 hitter. Go ahead and prove me wrong and it will be exciting for MLB.
Thursday, December 07, 2017
I can't follow the logic here.
I still think Girardi got a raw deal simply because Cashman didn't like him:
"Essentially the Yankees felt Sanchez performed better behind the plate when first called to the majors in 2016, in no small part because he had been drilled regularly in the minors by former organizational catching instructor Josh Paul, especially in blocking balls in the dirt.
Paul used a pitching machine to pump high-velocity fastballs, as well as breaking balls, in the dirt at Sanchez, and the Yankees believe it made a difference in what is the young catcher's biggest weakness.
However, sources say that Sanchez grew tired of doing the drills and expressed that to Girardi going into last season. The manager, perhaps wanting to keep his young catcher happy or simply avoid a conflict, told him he didn't have to do all the extra work.
That may that led to more problems with passed balls, as Sanchez's total of 16 was the highest the American League."
Sanchez's defense is a problem. Practice and effort would help. If Boone can get Sanchez to resume these drills, I'd be pleasantly surprised.
But ... this is seriously the reason why Girardi is no longer the Yankees' manager?
Practice?
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Lupica and Costas, a two-fer.
"And while we’re on the subject of false narratives, how about the one
that you hear at this time of year around baseball, equating
amphetamine use out of baseball’s past with steroids, as if both of them
are exactly the same.
Well, yeah, just not on this planet.
Here’s what Bob Costas said on this subject the other day:"
They're not exactly the same, but they're similar in the following way: Both are illegal performance-enhancing substances.
" 'Steroids are performance enhancers. Amphetamines are performance enablers…(Amphetamines) do not, and did not, transform them, as steroids did.' "
Correct.
Amphetamines are not as effective as steroids.
If you look up "enhance" in the thesaurus, you will see "enable." You're just letting guys off the hook because they played in the '70s and you like them.
" 'That doesn’t mean they should not have been banned. One effect has been that older players on the back end of lucrative long term deals, can’t play 150 games anymore, or be as generally effective as the season and seasons roll on. So, along with the ban on PEDS, and emphasis on analytics, it has changed contract calculations. All reasonable. But not at all reasonable to remotely equate amphetamines to steroids.' "
It’s not.
Costas is right."
If a baseball player took amphetamines without a prescription, then that baseball player was cheating.
Amphetamines "enable" superior baseball performance, just like steroids, only less effectively than steroids.
"You want to defend the right of steroid users to get into the Hall of Fame, have at it."
"The right" to get into the Hall of Fame, as if this was a matter for the Supreme Court.
Besides, we all know steroid users have already been voted into the Hall of Fame.
Unless you're intentionally burying your head in the sand. Why would a baseball fan, baseball journalist, or voting member of the BBWAA want to intentionally bury their heads in the sand?
"But if you want Bonds and Clemens in Cooperstown, you’ve got to bring a lot more to your side of the debate than greenies."
Easy.
Bonds and Clemens were among the greatest players in baseball history before they took steroids.
Well, yeah, just not on this planet.
Here’s what Bob Costas said on this subject the other day:"
They're not exactly the same, but they're similar in the following way: Both are illegal performance-enhancing substances.
" 'Steroids are performance enhancers. Amphetamines are performance enablers…(Amphetamines) do not, and did not, transform them, as steroids did.' "
Correct.
Amphetamines are not as effective as steroids.
If you look up "enhance" in the thesaurus, you will see "enable." You're just letting guys off the hook because they played in the '70s and you like them.
" 'That doesn’t mean they should not have been banned. One effect has been that older players on the back end of lucrative long term deals, can’t play 150 games anymore, or be as generally effective as the season and seasons roll on. So, along with the ban on PEDS, and emphasis on analytics, it has changed contract calculations. All reasonable. But not at all reasonable to remotely equate amphetamines to steroids.' "
It’s not.
Costas is right."
If a baseball player took amphetamines without a prescription, then that baseball player was cheating.
Amphetamines "enable" superior baseball performance, just like steroids, only less effectively than steroids.
"You want to defend the right of steroid users to get into the Hall of Fame, have at it."
"The right" to get into the Hall of Fame, as if this was a matter for the Supreme Court.
Besides, we all know steroid users have already been voted into the Hall of Fame.
Unless you're intentionally burying your head in the sand. Why would a baseball fan, baseball journalist, or voting member of the BBWAA want to intentionally bury their heads in the sand?
"But if you want Bonds and Clemens in Cooperstown, you’ve got to bring a lot more to your side of the debate than greenies."
Easy.
Bonds and Clemens were among the greatest players in baseball history before they took steroids.
Friday, November 24, 2017
Friday, November 17, 2017
2017 NL MVP
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 302 |
| Joey Votto | 300 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 239 |
| Nolan Arenado | 229 |
| Charlie Blackmon | 205 |
| Anthony Rendon | 141 |
| Kris Bryant | 132 |
| Justin Turner | 43 |
| Cody Bellinger | 38 |
| Max Scherzer | 34 |
| Tommy Pham | 24 |
| Bryce Harper | 21 |
| Anthony Rizzo | 17 |
| J.D. Martinez | 11 |
| Kenley Jansen | 8 |
| Marcell Ozuna | 8 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 6 |
| Corey Seager | 6 |
| Daniel Murphy | 3 |
| Archie Bradley | 1 |
| Zack Greinke | 1 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | 1 |
Felz
| Name | Points |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 4 |
| Nolan Arenado | 3 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 2 |
| Joey Votto | 1 |
2017 AL MVP
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Jose Altuve | 405 |
| Aaron Judge | 279 |
| Jose Ramirez | 237 |
| Mike Trout | 197 |
| Francisco Lindor | 143 |
| Mookie Betts | 110 |
| Corey Kluber | 101 |
| Andrelton Simmons | 60 |
| Chris Sale | 56 |
| Nelson Cruz | 44 |
| Brian Dozier | 25 |
| Jonathan Schoop | 19 |
| George Springer | 17 |
| Jose Abreu | 16 |
| Eric Hosmer | 16 |
| Justin Upton | 12 |
| Carlos Correa | 9 |
| Byron Buxton | 7 |
| Marwin Gonzalez | 6 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 4 |
| Didi Gregorius | 4 |
| Khris Davis | 1 |
| Josh Donaldson | 1 |
| Gary Sanchez | 1 |
Felz
| Name | Points |
| Jose Altuve | 4 |
| Aaron Judge | 3 |
| Mookie Betts | 2 |
| Nelson Cruz | 1 |
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
2017 NL Cy Young
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Max Scherzer | 201 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 126 |
| Stephen Strasburg | 81 |
| Zack Greinke | 52 |
| Kenley Jansen | 22 |
| Gio Gonzalez | 18 |
| Robbie Ray | 6 |
| Jacob deGrom | 2 |
| Jimmy Nelson | 1 |
| Alex Wood | 1 |
Felz
| Name | Points |
| Max Scherzer | 4 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 3 |
| Stephen Strasburg | 2 |
| Kenley Jansen | 1 |
2017 AL Cy Young
Due to diminishing interest in the MVP/Cy Young poll, I only polled myself. So here is the first of four awards comparing the BBWAA votes to my half-hearted, off-the-top-of-my-head votes.
BBWAA
| Name | Points |
| Corey Kluber | 204 |
| Chris Sale | 126 |
| Luis Severino | 73 |
| Carlos Carrasco | 43 |
| Justin Verlander | 32 |
| Craig Kimbrel | 27 |
| Ervin Santana | 3 |
| Marcus Stroman | 2 |
Felz
| Name | Points |
| Corey Kluber | 4 |
| Chris Sale | 3 |
| Carlos Carrasco | 2 |
| Luis Severino | 1 |
Girardi had to go?
I get the feeling they were rooting for the Yankees to lose Game Seven of the ALCS. Steinbrenner actually says that Girardi would have been fired (he was fired, for all intents and purposes) if the Yankees had won the World Series. I find this completely impossible to believe. Firing a manager while he still has ticker tape in his hair?:
“ 'You’ve got to consider the fact that you’ve got a young team, and that maybe a different type of leadership perhaps is needed for a younger team than it is for a veteran team,' Steinbrenner said. 'I think if you ask Cash, it’s important for the next manager to have an understanding of analytics because it’s such a big part of the game. If they don’t, at least a willingness to learn, right? We all need to learn, we all should learn. I think that’s going to be part of it, too. Everybody’s going to have their pros and cons. Nobody is going to have all positives. It’s just going to be a long process sifting through all the intel that he’s getting in these interviews and make the best decision we can.' ”
1. Girardi's 10-year record was 910-710.
2. Girardi just managed the AL Rookie of the Year. So whatever inability Girardi had communicating with young players, let's hope the next manager is similarly unable to communicate with young players.
3. It's just flat-out deplorable to see so many vultures picking at Girardi's skeleton.
“ 'You’ve got to consider the fact that you’ve got a young team, and that maybe a different type of leadership perhaps is needed for a younger team than it is for a veteran team,' Steinbrenner said. 'I think if you ask Cash, it’s important for the next manager to have an understanding of analytics because it’s such a big part of the game. If they don’t, at least a willingness to learn, right? We all need to learn, we all should learn. I think that’s going to be part of it, too. Everybody’s going to have their pros and cons. Nobody is going to have all positives. It’s just going to be a long process sifting through all the intel that he’s getting in these interviews and make the best decision we can.' ”
1. Girardi's 10-year record was 910-710.
2. Girardi just managed the AL Rookie of the Year. So whatever inability Girardi had communicating with young players, let's hope the next manager is similarly unable to communicate with young players.
3. It's just flat-out deplorable to see so many vultures picking at Girardi's skeleton.
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Saturday, November 04, 2017
Tanaka had a mediocre regular season.
Severino, Sabathia, Tanaka, Gray, and Montgomery.
I'd say it's good, but not great. Lots of "question marks," as they say.
Tanaka's 2017 playoffs were great, but didn't erase his entire mediocre 2017 season.
I'd say it's good, but not great. Lots of "question marks," as they say.
Tanaka's 2017 playoffs were great, but didn't erase his entire mediocre 2017 season.
Thursday, November 02, 2017
I can think of no logical reason for Tanaka to opt out.
"Prior to the season, the Yankees were inclined to let Tanaka walk if he opted for free agency. And their history with Sabathia could influence their decision-making process. Tanaka could be well worth it for three ears at $22-23 million a year, but would the Bombers give him more years? It could be a gamble."
If Tanaka opts out, the Yankees will let him walk for sure.
If Tanaka opts out, the Yankees will let him walk for sure.
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