The start of Game 1 is delayed due to rain (doubleheader tomorrow?), so welcome to the useless filler portion of the evening.
I touched on this last night, but I'd like to continue with the theme of the Yankees 1B/DH problem. Giambi is on the DL, and Doug Mientkiwicz is putting up numbers that can only be described as Mientkiwiczesque.
I already lambasted the Sexson proposal, but here are a few other options the Yankees could explore:
1. Fred McGriff
Sure, he hasn't played since '04, but he was a Yankees' farmhand two and a half decades ago, is achingly close to 500 HRs (shades of Sammy Sosa) and as I recall the Yankees actually signed him to a minor league contract a couple years back. I'm sure the Crime Dog would welcome a chance to make it back one more time over his current occupation - obsessively watching "Deal or No Deal" and downloading YouTube clips of horrific skateboard accidents.
2. Bernie Williams
I'm fuzzy on the details - I know Berniewhocky signed a minor league deal with the Yankees this offseason, didn't make the team, and gave the commencement address at Iona a few weeks ago. That must have been a thrill for those Iona kids - I mean, not Kelsey Grammer thrilling, but still. That said, did he actually announce his retirement? Teddy would know, but that's a mystery to me. Considering injuries and ineffectiveness, I imagine the Yankees are beginning to worry they were a little hasty in cutting him loose this winter.
3. Tino Martinez
...and playing 3rd base, Tim McCarver's man-crush, Scott Brosius. I haven't actually seen Tino on "Baseball Tonight" (not sure if he's even still there) but I've heard that he doesn't exactly make for compelling television. The Yankees' attempt to bring sexy back with Martinez and Brosius would set off a chain reaction - A-Rod would move to short and Jeter would move to second. The Yankees would then trade Robinson Cano to the Twins (in a perverse reversal of the Knoblauch trade) for Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau. Morneau would DH, and once Mauer came off the DL, Posada would be traded to the Devil Rays for Carl Crawford and Scott Kazmir. This would cause Matsui to be moved to right field, at which point Bobby Abreu would be traded to Milwaukee for the entire Brewers roster.
4. Kevin Millar
With both Millar and Johnny Damon facing down free agency in '05, Millar reportedly phoned his fellow Idiot and told them they should sign on the same team together and "turn another clubhouse upside down". This would be the equivalent of Ben Affleck calling Matt Damon up about collaborating on another project so that they could "totally rock Hollywood together". Millar loves being the center of attention (he was losing playing time to Jeff Conine in Baltimore last year) and it would add another cast member to the reality show, "Useful players on the '04 Red Sox who the Yankees felt the need to acquire", currently starring the aforementioned Mientkiwicz, Mike Myers, Mark Bellhorn, and Alan Embree.
5. Jose Canseco
Hey, the last time Yankees won the World Series, Canseco was on the roster - even though they only claimed him off waivers as a reflex, and were left holding the bag when the Devil Rays said, "Sure, take him and his contract - he's yours!" The fact that no one has even pondered bringing Canseco back to the bigs points to a lack of creativity and imagination that makes me yearn for a Veeck owning a big league team. I mean, think about it - Canseco hasn't actually been banned from baseball - what would Selig do if someone actually signed him? The implications are hysterical. Plus, he can add some depth as a knuckle-balling relief pitcher.
Boston Speculation
The game appears to have started - Mikey Lowell left 'em loaded to end the first, which does not bode well...
As the voice of the Red Sox fan here, I seem to be killing a lot of digital trees talking about the Yankees, so I would be remiss if I didn't address Boston's short-comings.
Teams can always use bullpen help, but with Kaji and Pap, the Sox are pretty strong at the end of games - and Snyder, Donelly, Lopez, and Romero certainly haven't embarassed themselves. If Tavarez's surprisingly effective start as a starter translates to the bullpen, and Mike Timlin can be modestly effective, I don't see the Sox needing to make a move. Historically, grabbing a set-up man for the stretch run (Bagwell for Anderson) has not worked out well for the Sox. Piniero is a lost cause, and Delcarmen and Hansen don't exactly resemble the cavalry right now, but I don't think that Theo needs to muck with the bullpen too much.
The issue at hand for the Red Sox is that their primary needs are locked up in big contracts. The team is set at the following positions: 1B (Youkilis), 2B (Pedroia/Cora), 3B (Lowell), LF (Man-Ram), and DH (Big Papi).
I don't know where the Sox will go for catching help with the steady decay of Jason Varitek, but it's not like there are options out there on the trade market, so I'll take a pass on that one.
SS Julio Lugo was signed to a 4-year contract this offseason, at a salary that makes him essentially untradable. Last year, when he went to the Dodgers (amidst tampering charges by the Devil Rays against the Red Sox, who were apparently gauging his long-term signability), Lugo was the best shortstop available. This year? Well, I imagine Jack Wilson will be available, but I don't see what that would accomplish. Since Hanley Ramirez went away (thankfully Lowell and Beckett have made that palatable) and Pedroia became a second baseman, the Sox don't have any prospects at short (insert Freddy Sanchez and David Eckstein joke here), so for the foreseeable future, Lugo will keep his job.
I've gone on and on about J.D. Drew in this space before (I think I'll be repeating myself in regards to both him and the next player I'm focusing on) - but the Red Sox are in the same boat with Drew as they are with Lugo. 5 years and $70 million is a big commitment, which leaves the Red Sox in a situation where they can neither trade nor bench the guy. I know there's a lot of Byzantine contract language whereby the Red Sox can void the contract if he injures his left index finger on the third day after a full moon in an away game played on turf in a month that begins with a vowel, but like Lugo, the Sox are pretty well stuck with J.D.
Which brings us, of course, to Covelli Loyce Crisp - a centerfielder desperately trying to have hit glove carry his bat, and without much success. Coco's locked up for a couple of years, anyway, and neither Torii Hunter nor Andruw Jones (a.k.a the Human K) are realistic options. Both have their issues (injury-prone, overrated) and both are free agents at the end of the year, which would make them summer rentals. There's also the fact that both Terry Ryan and John Schuerholz are more than capable of fleecing the Red Sox.
On top of that, there's Jacoby Ellsbury. Every 15 years or so, the Red Sox seem to develop a very-good-to-great center fielder - Dom Dimaggio, Tony Conigliaro/Reggie Smith, Fred Lynn, Ellis Burks - Ellsbury stands to be the latest in the line. That or the next Bob Zupcic. Either way, he currently represents the future in Center Field, so going out and picking up a contract someone else is looking to unload (again, do you think Gary Matthews, Jr. is available?), I'd rather see the Sox stick it out with Coco and let Ellsbury develop.
Last I checked it was 9-3 Yankees. Maybe a rainout wouldn't have been so bad after all...
Friday, June 1, 2007
What Can I Say??
This is it from me, I've posted a lot this week and yes, the Red Sox and Yankees meet this weekend. Having not commented on it and Doug pointing that out, I had to say something.
To me, I'm not sure what the significance of this next series will be if anything at all. As Doug mentioned, there's an over-saturation of the Rivalry in the media, the playing schedule--and what else is there to say about it that someone else hasn't said already? In my view, even if the Yankees win the series, it doesn't prove that they can come out of the crater they've already created for themselves. They can't beat the teams they need to be beating.
The best thing that could happen this weekend is that something happens that sparks the Yankees to come together as a team. And only this Rivalry could provide that sort of spark be it a fight, a comeback win, or just plain old grittiness. I think being the Yankees fan here that maybe I'm looking for a sign, some hope, and that could be the significance of the series if this spark does happen this weekend. But I had some hope when the Yankees took the last series which was squashed immediately afterward.
With the continued injury bug hitting up the Yankees, the team is shifting its lineup and player's roles again. The team can't adjust in time--once you get used to one thing the circumstances change again. Yes, excuses, excuses--this is the Yankees, there's no excuse for not winning. But nothing has gone "according to the script" this year in terms of the Yankees winning. And the more they lose, the more likely the Boss will change the entire direction of the team.
That could be the other significant outcome if the Yankees lose badly. The Boss may have a soft side at times, but he's low on patience when the W's aren't appearing in the standings. And in the past few years the Boss' decisions to bring about change didn't go his way. That includes giving Cashman more decision making power, which is what the Boss would say since "rebuilding", "prospects", and "farm system" are not in his vocabulary. Those are just things that put off a championship another year.
Criticism aside it's always fun to watch the Rivalry because anything can happen, emotions are high, and the competition is great. I'm just going to be looking for that spark though so I can have some upbeat posts next week.
To me, I'm not sure what the significance of this next series will be if anything at all. As Doug mentioned, there's an over-saturation of the Rivalry in the media, the playing schedule--and what else is there to say about it that someone else hasn't said already? In my view, even if the Yankees win the series, it doesn't prove that they can come out of the crater they've already created for themselves. They can't beat the teams they need to be beating.
The best thing that could happen this weekend is that something happens that sparks the Yankees to come together as a team. And only this Rivalry could provide that sort of spark be it a fight, a comeback win, or just plain old grittiness. I think being the Yankees fan here that maybe I'm looking for a sign, some hope, and that could be the significance of the series if this spark does happen this weekend. But I had some hope when the Yankees took the last series which was squashed immediately afterward.
With the continued injury bug hitting up the Yankees, the team is shifting its lineup and player's roles again. The team can't adjust in time--once you get used to one thing the circumstances change again. Yes, excuses, excuses--this is the Yankees, there's no excuse for not winning. But nothing has gone "according to the script" this year in terms of the Yankees winning. And the more they lose, the more likely the Boss will change the entire direction of the team.
That could be the other significant outcome if the Yankees lose badly. The Boss may have a soft side at times, but he's low on patience when the W's aren't appearing in the standings. And in the past few years the Boss' decisions to bring about change didn't go his way. That includes giving Cashman more decision making power, which is what the Boss would say since "rebuilding", "prospects", and "farm system" are not in his vocabulary. Those are just things that put off a championship another year.
Criticism aside it's always fun to watch the Rivalry because anything can happen, emotions are high, and the competition is great. I'm just going to be looking for that spark though so I can have some upbeat posts next week.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Posting Triumphant
Well, since Teddy's gone for the weekend and won't post (during a Sox/Yankees series - bad form!), I will begin shaping this blog in the image of my own baseball philosophy.
Mainly, I need to pick up on things that I left unmentioned in my last post, and that Teddy's latest jogged my memory on.
'Kay, the Rocket is coming back. And pitching against the White Sox.
The way the White Sox are hitting, what's the difference between this and another AA start?
Johnny Damon needs to go on the DL - perhaps the least revelatory revelation since "Lindsey Lohan needs to go into rehab". On top of this, the Yankees are apparently considering trading him. I guess they figured since that he and Derek Jeter are the only productive hitters the Yankees have this year, and Jeter is untradable, they have to trade Johnny.
Hey, ya think Gary Matthews, Jr. is available?
Hmmmm... so the Yankees wanted to trade Giambi, and now he's hurt. So they might trade for Richie Sexson. Sexson would essentially replace Doug "I'm taking my ball and going home" Mientkiwicz.
A comparison (BA/OBP/SLG):
Richie S.: .195/.298/.390
Dougie M.: .217/.286/.375
I guess that's a slight upgrade on the OPS-sensitive statistics, but Minky is a better defensive 1B (though with Giambi hurt I guess Sexson would DH) but is Sexson's level of production really worth $15.5 Million?
I'm just sayin's all...
'K, that's all I really have to think about - more posts will come over the weekend, even if Teddy is shirking his obligations.
Mainly, I need to pick up on things that I left unmentioned in my last post, and that Teddy's latest jogged my memory on.
'Kay, the Rocket is coming back. And pitching against the White Sox.
The way the White Sox are hitting, what's the difference between this and another AA start?
Johnny Damon needs to go on the DL - perhaps the least revelatory revelation since "Lindsey Lohan needs to go into rehab". On top of this, the Yankees are apparently considering trading him. I guess they figured since that he and Derek Jeter are the only productive hitters the Yankees have this year, and Jeter is untradable, they have to trade Johnny.
Hey, ya think Gary Matthews, Jr. is available?
Hmmmm... so the Yankees wanted to trade Giambi, and now he's hurt. So they might trade for Richie Sexson. Sexson would essentially replace Doug "I'm taking my ball and going home" Mientkiwicz.
A comparison (BA/OBP/SLG):
Richie S.: .195/.298/.390
Dougie M.: .217/.286/.375
I guess that's a slight upgrade on the OPS-sensitive statistics, but Minky is a better defensive 1B (though with Giambi hurt I guess Sexson would DH) but is Sexson's level of production really worth $15.5 Million?
I'm just sayin's all...
'K, that's all I really have to think about - more posts will come over the weekend, even if Teddy is shirking his obligations.
Final Thoughts for the Week
I'm headed out for the weekend tomorrow and won't have internet access, so I thought I'd share a few final thoughts on the Yankees this week since there's a lot to talk about since last night.
- First my last word on A-Rod, and it does look like he said "mine". A lots been said about it today and I blogged on it as it happened last night. Players and analysts seem split on their reaction to it. Right now Baseball Tonight the analysts are discussing if it was unsportsmanlike and Dusty Baker, Fernando Vina, and the other guy have basically confirmed that it happens a lot and isn't unsportsmanlike. So if it's part of the game and A-Rod even says it happens to him every week it must be okay to do. My opinion on it is that someone of A-Rod's caliber doesn't need to play that way. I'll throw a prediction in here, look for A-Rod to be beaned or brushed back next time the Yankees play Toronto.
- This didn't make big news, but Phil Hughes had a set back in his rehabbing. He tweaked his ankle and is expected to miss another 4-6 weeks. Starting Monday the Yankee rotation is Clemens, Mussina, Wang, Pettitte, and a swing man. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise that'll save Hughes' arm down the stretch. Perhaps it's a chance for Kei Igawa (yeah, remember him?) to come back. Anyone know how he's doing in the minors? I do. He needs more work. But however you look at it, the Yankees rotation just can't find any consistency this year other than Pavano being out.
- The last bit of news was another injury--Jason Giambi's foot is in bad shape. Reports vary saying at least three weeks to the rest of the season. Whatever the case, torn tissue in your foot sounds pretty significant. Significant enough to get another slugger through a trade (Richie Sexson). Giambi's April was great and his May the opposite, so it's hard to say where his season was going. But the Yankees lose a guy who still has some power and is one of their top OBP guys, so this puts a dent in the offenses armor.
I'll end this post by saying the Yankees need to put another player on the DL--Johnny Damon. Maybe Damon can DH now, but his calf and legs need a rest. Being a student of economics, a situation like Damon's is about tradeoffs. If you keep him in while he's hurt, he may produce but he's more likely to worsen the injury. If you take him out, there goes your leadoff man and some productivity. But if I played a drinking game this season where I did a shot of hard alcohol for every time Damon has winced in pain because his legs aren't good, I'd of been dead before this blog was even started.
Everything I can think of right now
Well, I promised earlier this week that I'd post something tonight regarding the Sox-Yankees series, and considering the fact that Teddy out-blogged the world this week, I'm definitely due to post.
I'd hoped that I'd have nothing more than a succinct summary-in-preview of this weekend's Yankees-Red Sox series, but right now there are a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of things going on in the old Duder's head.
So I'll just plunge right in.
Bush League
I'll admit to being a little disappointed that Teddy broke the latest A-Fraud bush league tactic story before I did. I only caught up with it this morning. The salient facts seem to be that Howie Clark heard "Mine!" and A-Rod claims to have yelled "Something like - 'Hah!' Whatever, I have to go see my therapist and reapply my purple lipstick."
What strikes me now is the same thing that struck me after the Bronson Arroyo karate chop in the 2004 ALCS - the complete and utter lack of support that A-Rod received from his teammates.
The most resounding endorsment, as recounted in an AP story, was this:
"I wasn't sure that was allowed," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If it is, maybe we'll keep on doing it."
I wonder if Johnny Damon would give the same answer about marrying a woman, having three kids with her, and then dumping her for a stripper...
This was a Bush League move - and Teddy was wandering dangerously close to Karl Rove territory trying to defend it.
A-Rod, in the same AP story:
"Honestly, I couldn't care less," he said. "They have their opinions. We're looking not to be swept."
OK, the baseball world lives under a cloud of steroid suspicion, and everyone bemoans that a jerk like Barry Bonds is going to break class act Henry Aaron's home run record.
Alex Rodriguez is the single most talented baseball player in the major leagues today. It's almost a crime against nature that he's playing third while Derek "Defensive Liability" Jeter is trotted out at shortstop every day. Ever since he signed that contract with the Rangers, A-Rod has had a target on his back.
So why doesn't he try to rise above it? Why doesn't he try to be a class act like Aaron, or his idol and close friend, Cal Ripken, Jr.? I grew up going to Orioles' games every other Sunday, and Cal Ripken pulling a move like that would have been the equivalent to a crab cake shortage in the Chesapeake State.
Maybe it isn't fair that A-Rod is held to a higher standard than other players. If a classically under-talented, over-achieving player like David Eckstein had pulled the same maneuver (actually, he's too classy - A.J. Pierzynski would be a better example), I might have smirked and privately applauded the move.
If you're the best player in a sport, you don't pull this. I don't see Tom Brady taking a snap, huddling with the other 10 players on the field, stuffing the ball up his shirt to hide it, and then sprinting for a touchdown. Of course, Brady (despite the whole children-out-of-wedlock-thing) has class.
A-Fraud is just... well, earning his nickname.
The Boss
Buster Onley, formerly of The New York Times, currently of espn.com, wrote an excellent book a few years ago - "The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty" - which essentially chronicled the team's ascent in the late '90s with homegrown players and carefully chosen free agents to its current state of demise as a rotisserie All-Star team.
Reading this book complicated my view of George Steinbrenner - a man I will soon denegrate again in an installment of "Scenes from the Yankees' Front Office".
Steinbrenner's single-minded pursuit of total success at any cost is both true and well-documented, but there are nuances to the man.
As a boy, he went to military school. When he came into his inheritance and bought the Yankees, his father called it "the first smart thing" he had ever done.
He has feuded with players and managers alike, and has done a lot of this through the press, which does not exactly lend a sheen of class to the proceedings.
But then...
In the '98-'99 offseason, Albert Belle was a free agent - as were Bernie Williams (NYY) and Mo Vaughn (BOS).
The Boss had apparently grown disenchanted with Berniewhocky, and wanted Belle at all costs. The Duke (Red Sox GM Dan Duquette) was ready to let the Hit Dawg walk and sign Bernie.
Everything was going according to plan.
And then, as has become frustatingly typical in Free Agent dealings, Scott Boras stepped in.
In a last ditch effort to keep Bernie in the Bronx, Boras arranged a meeting with the Steinbrenner and the rest of the Yankees' brain trust.
In this meeting, Bernie explained that although the Red Sox had put more money on the table, he wanted to be a Yankee.
Tears in his eyes, the Boss reportedly responded, "Son, you always will be."
And the deal was done.
Then the Red Sox signed Jose Offerman.
...
Excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth.
That is a response to the Awfulman signing, not Steinbrenner's sentiments toward Bernie Williams. In fact, that anecdote (from the aforementioned Olney book) makes me appreciate the Boss even more.
Also, he just donated $1 million to Virginia Tech after the recent massacre.
But that isn't the moment I appreciate about the Boss the most. That moment came at the conclusion of the '04 ALCS, after the Red Sox completed their improbable comeback and were celebrating on the field at Yankee Stadium.
Apparently, his Tampa flunkies came to the Owner's box - each of them eager to be the first to express their disgust and their desire to an end to the celebration on the field.
"Leave the lights on, boys," Steinbrenner said. He wanted to give the Red Sox have their moment.
I could rehash all of the horrible things that the Boss has said and done over the years, but I thought it was worthwhile to recognize his finer points before I went back to making fun of him.
Rivalry Reduxing
I was complaining about this earlier tonight - over the past few years there has been an oversaturation in the media regarding the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, and then an oversaturation of media members devoting entire pieces to said oversaturation.
And here I thought it was a good idea to participate a blog on just that subject.
Due to unbalanced division schedules, the Yankees and Red Sox are destined to play each other 18-19 times a season, spread over 6 series, for the foreseeable future.
I understand that there are travel schedules to consider, but in a 6-month season, couldn't we just have a series a month from April to September? How is that these two teams will have already played each other 12 times before the Ides of June?
The point of my Red Sox/Yankees Bench Player Smackdown post was the fact that we're already running out of things to write here.
The middle of the season will be more fun, when we can observe these Reduxed Rivals as independent entitites on parallel tracks, but for now I will address the matter soon at hand.
The Series
This time, neither team is screwing around.
This is a Cold-War-Soviet-Era arms race. Wakefield vs. Wang, Schilling vs. Mussina, Beckett vs. Pettite. Back-to-back-to-back marquee pitching matchups.
I said a lot of the same things before the last series (in which the Sox went 1-2), but if this comes down to the bullpen, the Sox are in a lot better shape than the Skanks.
What I'll focus on here is the Right Field position for both teams.
Bobby Abreu and J.D. Drew are both underperforming at horrific levels, particularly given what they're paid. Both of them hid their low power numbers by drawing a ton of walks at the beginning of the season, but lately neither of them is doing even that.
It would be exciting to see one, the other, or both, break out this week. In fact, I think it's going to happen for at least one of them. J.D. Drew has been hitting the ball hard (even if he's hitting into outs) lately, and is still desperate to shed the "Nancy Drew" label. As for Abreu... well, he seems to care about succeeding with the Yankees' about as much as he cared about succeeding in Philly, which is to say not all that much.
Therefore, I expect Abreu to post a 5.000 OPS this weekend.
There's not much I can say that isn't repeating myself - the Red Sox have the best record in baseball, despite the fact that key players (I'm looking at you, Julio Lugo, Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, and Coco Crisp) aren't performing up to expectations. These guys have nowhere to go but up.
The Yankees still have a juggernaut of an offense, and need to be bailed out by guys like Tyler Clippard.
I say this with great trepidation, but I'll say it...
Advantage, Red Sox.
I'd hoped that I'd have nothing more than a succinct summary-in-preview of this weekend's Yankees-Red Sox series, but right now there are a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of things going on in the old Duder's head.
So I'll just plunge right in.
Bush League
I'll admit to being a little disappointed that Teddy broke the latest A-Fraud bush league tactic story before I did. I only caught up with it this morning. The salient facts seem to be that Howie Clark heard "Mine!" and A-Rod claims to have yelled "Something like - 'Hah!' Whatever, I have to go see my therapist and reapply my purple lipstick."
What strikes me now is the same thing that struck me after the Bronson Arroyo karate chop in the 2004 ALCS - the complete and utter lack of support that A-Rod received from his teammates.
The most resounding endorsment, as recounted in an AP story, was this:
"I wasn't sure that was allowed," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If it is, maybe we'll keep on doing it."
I wonder if Johnny Damon would give the same answer about marrying a woman, having three kids with her, and then dumping her for a stripper...
This was a Bush League move - and Teddy was wandering dangerously close to Karl Rove territory trying to defend it.
A-Rod, in the same AP story:
"Honestly, I couldn't care less," he said. "They have their opinions. We're looking not to be swept."
OK, the baseball world lives under a cloud of steroid suspicion, and everyone bemoans that a jerk like Barry Bonds is going to break class act Henry Aaron's home run record.
Alex Rodriguez is the single most talented baseball player in the major leagues today. It's almost a crime against nature that he's playing third while Derek "Defensive Liability" Jeter is trotted out at shortstop every day. Ever since he signed that contract with the Rangers, A-Rod has had a target on his back.
So why doesn't he try to rise above it? Why doesn't he try to be a class act like Aaron, or his idol and close friend, Cal Ripken, Jr.? I grew up going to Orioles' games every other Sunday, and Cal Ripken pulling a move like that would have been the equivalent to a crab cake shortage in the Chesapeake State.
Maybe it isn't fair that A-Rod is held to a higher standard than other players. If a classically under-talented, over-achieving player like David Eckstein had pulled the same maneuver (actually, he's too classy - A.J. Pierzynski would be a better example), I might have smirked and privately applauded the move.
If you're the best player in a sport, you don't pull this. I don't see Tom Brady taking a snap, huddling with the other 10 players on the field, stuffing the ball up his shirt to hide it, and then sprinting for a touchdown. Of course, Brady (despite the whole children-out-of-wedlock-thing) has class.
A-Fraud is just... well, earning his nickname.
The Boss
Buster Onley, formerly of The New York Times, currently of espn.com, wrote an excellent book a few years ago - "The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty" - which essentially chronicled the team's ascent in the late '90s with homegrown players and carefully chosen free agents to its current state of demise as a rotisserie All-Star team.
Reading this book complicated my view of George Steinbrenner - a man I will soon denegrate again in an installment of "Scenes from the Yankees' Front Office".
Steinbrenner's single-minded pursuit of total success at any cost is both true and well-documented, but there are nuances to the man.
As a boy, he went to military school. When he came into his inheritance and bought the Yankees, his father called it "the first smart thing" he had ever done.
He has feuded with players and managers alike, and has done a lot of this through the press, which does not exactly lend a sheen of class to the proceedings.
But then...
In the '98-'99 offseason, Albert Belle was a free agent - as were Bernie Williams (NYY) and Mo Vaughn (BOS).
The Boss had apparently grown disenchanted with Berniewhocky, and wanted Belle at all costs. The Duke (Red Sox GM Dan Duquette) was ready to let the Hit Dawg walk and sign Bernie.
Everything was going according to plan.
And then, as has become frustatingly typical in Free Agent dealings, Scott Boras stepped in.
In a last ditch effort to keep Bernie in the Bronx, Boras arranged a meeting with the Steinbrenner and the rest of the Yankees' brain trust.
In this meeting, Bernie explained that although the Red Sox had put more money on the table, he wanted to be a Yankee.
Tears in his eyes, the Boss reportedly responded, "Son, you always will be."
And the deal was done.
Then the Red Sox signed Jose Offerman.
...
Excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth.
That is a response to the Awfulman signing, not Steinbrenner's sentiments toward Bernie Williams. In fact, that anecdote (from the aforementioned Olney book) makes me appreciate the Boss even more.
Also, he just donated $1 million to Virginia Tech after the recent massacre.
But that isn't the moment I appreciate about the Boss the most. That moment came at the conclusion of the '04 ALCS, after the Red Sox completed their improbable comeback and were celebrating on the field at Yankee Stadium.
Apparently, his Tampa flunkies came to the Owner's box - each of them eager to be the first to express their disgust and their desire to an end to the celebration on the field.
"Leave the lights on, boys," Steinbrenner said. He wanted to give the Red Sox have their moment.
I could rehash all of the horrible things that the Boss has said and done over the years, but I thought it was worthwhile to recognize his finer points before I went back to making fun of him.
Rivalry Reduxing
I was complaining about this earlier tonight - over the past few years there has been an oversaturation in the media regarding the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, and then an oversaturation of media members devoting entire pieces to said oversaturation.
And here I thought it was a good idea to participate a blog on just that subject.
Due to unbalanced division schedules, the Yankees and Red Sox are destined to play each other 18-19 times a season, spread over 6 series, for the foreseeable future.
I understand that there are travel schedules to consider, but in a 6-month season, couldn't we just have a series a month from April to September? How is that these two teams will have already played each other 12 times before the Ides of June?
The point of my Red Sox/Yankees Bench Player Smackdown post was the fact that we're already running out of things to write here.
The middle of the season will be more fun, when we can observe these Reduxed Rivals as independent entitites on parallel tracks, but for now I will address the matter soon at hand.
The Series
This time, neither team is screwing around.
This is a Cold-War-Soviet-Era arms race. Wakefield vs. Wang, Schilling vs. Mussina, Beckett vs. Pettite. Back-to-back-to-back marquee pitching matchups.
I said a lot of the same things before the last series (in which the Sox went 1-2), but if this comes down to the bullpen, the Sox are in a lot better shape than the Skanks.
What I'll focus on here is the Right Field position for both teams.
Bobby Abreu and J.D. Drew are both underperforming at horrific levels, particularly given what they're paid. Both of them hid their low power numbers by drawing a ton of walks at the beginning of the season, but lately neither of them is doing even that.
It would be exciting to see one, the other, or both, break out this week. In fact, I think it's going to happen for at least one of them. J.D. Drew has been hitting the ball hard (even if he's hitting into outs) lately, and is still desperate to shed the "Nancy Drew" label. As for Abreu... well, he seems to care about succeeding with the Yankees' about as much as he cared about succeeding in Philly, which is to say not all that much.
Therefore, I expect Abreu to post a 5.000 OPS this weekend.
There's not much I can say that isn't repeating myself - the Red Sox have the best record in baseball, despite the fact that key players (I'm looking at you, Julio Lugo, Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, and Coco Crisp) aren't performing up to expectations. These guys have nowhere to go but up.
The Yankees still have a juggernaut of an offense, and need to be bailed out by guys like Tyler Clippard.
I say this with great trepidation, but I'll say it...
Advantage, Red Sox.
If You're Reading this Read the Previous Post First
Okay well ESPN showed THE replay. A-Rod did not yell, "I got it", but rather looks like he just yelled, "Ahhh" or "HAAA" really quickly as he went by Toronto third baseman. It's kinda stupid that he would resort to doing that, but I have to argue that Clark, the guy attempting to make the catch, should have caught it still. It was a routine pop up. So you're telling me fans, who do the same thing from the stands, would distract Clark as well?
Either way, it distracted Clark and lead to two more runs and a Yankee win. Maybe A-Rod would have been great on the soccer field.
Either way, it distracted Clark and lead to two more runs and a Yankee win. Maybe A-Rod would have been great on the soccer field.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
This Sure Isn't Football
Catching the last bit of the Yankees game, Jorge Posada popped the ball up to third base with two outs in the top of ninth. As A-Rod ran by Howie Clark the third baseman, Clark at the last moment got his way out of the play and the ball dropped in for a single. Watching the reply it seemed as though Clark thought John MacDonald called off Clark for the catch and in fact, MacDonald almost went after A-Rod claiming A-Rod yelled, "I got it" as he ran by Clark.
But this isn't about whether A-Rod did something cheap because I really don't know. Why don't I know? Because the YES Network airing the game on MLB TV did something clever. They only showed two angles of the play from far away, so you couldn't even see A-Rod jawing as he went by if that even happened. But one of the angles they showed from the third base side was played with the recorded sound of the play. And of course you couldn't hear anything because it sounded like the mic was all the way back in the third base stands where the camera was. I kept waiting for the camera that would have followed A-Rod close up, but there was no such camera shot shown.
I'm a bit suspicious of this and waiting to see if anything more is shown on Baseball Tonight or ESPN, but the damn NBA is on right now (I'm not a NBA basketball fan FYI). If A-Rod did yell, "I got it" as he ran by and there was a camera shot showing that, I wouldn't be shocked if it's YES policy not to show something like that, especially now. First off it's A-Rod and we all remember the whole knock the ball out of Arroyo's glove in '04. So another cheap play = more A-Fraud comments. Also the Yankees were actually winning at the time, so it would have been considered a cheap win.
But like I said, I don't know if A-Rod yelled anything at all.
If anyone heard it, it would have been Clark or Larry Bowa or the third base umpire. Neither Clark nor the third base umpire got into it with A-Rod. Even so, I don't think it's a rule--there was no contact and I would think a player could yell anything at anytime on the field unless they have turrets or something.
Anyways, I've heard some broadcasters complain about missed calls and there's a small group in favor of instant replay like in football. I don't think that's a great idea for the game, can you imagine a manager throwing a flag out in the middle of a baseball game. How could Lou Pinella be Lou Pinella throwing a tantrum in the middle of the field? It just wouldn't be baseball anymore.
And on another note, the level of cheating and tom foolery on the ball field (steriods aside) isn't the way it used to be back in the day. It's much worse in other sports. Here's my list of sports
where I ranked by the level of cheapness and tom foolery from highest to lowest.
1. Soccer: I watched some World Cup games and some of those guys are big babies and do anything for a foul.
2. NBA: Another game where people fake fouls. But they need more acting lessons to be par with soccer players.
3. Hockey: It happens every once in a while and power plays are key, that's why it's done. Still not right though.
4. Football: Although there's instant replay, some players try to fake being interfered with or anything to get a flag thrown.
5. Baseball: You don't see it much, but when you do it's big news (ie: Kenny Rogers "smudge", Sammy Sosa corked bat, Bobby Valentine's dugout disguise).
I don't have a conclusion other than YES failed to inform me. A game like football, tends to show all the angles. If anyone has the video tape this play tonight I'd like to see/hear it.
But this isn't about whether A-Rod did something cheap because I really don't know. Why don't I know? Because the YES Network airing the game on MLB TV did something clever. They only showed two angles of the play from far away, so you couldn't even see A-Rod jawing as he went by if that even happened. But one of the angles they showed from the third base side was played with the recorded sound of the play. And of course you couldn't hear anything because it sounded like the mic was all the way back in the third base stands where the camera was. I kept waiting for the camera that would have followed A-Rod close up, but there was no such camera shot shown.
I'm a bit suspicious of this and waiting to see if anything more is shown on Baseball Tonight or ESPN, but the damn NBA is on right now (I'm not a NBA basketball fan FYI). If A-Rod did yell, "I got it" as he ran by and there was a camera shot showing that, I wouldn't be shocked if it's YES policy not to show something like that, especially now. First off it's A-Rod and we all remember the whole knock the ball out of Arroyo's glove in '04. So another cheap play = more A-Fraud comments. Also the Yankees were actually winning at the time, so it would have been considered a cheap win.
But like I said, I don't know if A-Rod yelled anything at all.
If anyone heard it, it would have been Clark or Larry Bowa or the third base umpire. Neither Clark nor the third base umpire got into it with A-Rod. Even so, I don't think it's a rule--there was no contact and I would think a player could yell anything at anytime on the field unless they have turrets or something.
Anyways, I've heard some broadcasters complain about missed calls and there's a small group in favor of instant replay like in football. I don't think that's a great idea for the game, can you imagine a manager throwing a flag out in the middle of a baseball game. How could Lou Pinella be Lou Pinella throwing a tantrum in the middle of the field? It just wouldn't be baseball anymore.
And on another note, the level of cheating and tom foolery on the ball field (steriods aside) isn't the way it used to be back in the day. It's much worse in other sports. Here's my list of sports
where I ranked by the level of cheapness and tom foolery from highest to lowest.
1. Soccer: I watched some World Cup games and some of those guys are big babies and do anything for a foul.
2. NBA: Another game where people fake fouls. But they need more acting lessons to be par with soccer players.
3. Hockey: It happens every once in a while and power plays are key, that's why it's done. Still not right though.
4. Football: Although there's instant replay, some players try to fake being interfered with or anything to get a flag thrown.
5. Baseball: You don't see it much, but when you do it's big news (ie: Kenny Rogers "smudge", Sammy Sosa corked bat, Bobby Valentine's dugout disguise).
I don't have a conclusion other than YES failed to inform me. A game like football, tends to show all the angles. If anyone has the video tape this play tonight I'd like to see/hear it.
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