Designated Blogger

Sosa enters 600 club

2007-06-21T09:38:00.000-04:00

Last night, Sammy Sosa became the fifth player in Major League history to reach the 600 homerun plateau, and the second to do so with the aid of steroids (the other being Barry Bonds, of course). Sosa had sat out the 2006 season in a prolonged sulk after no team offered to pay him the big bucks he was used to receiving (this was because of his paltry .221 average with Baltimore in 2005).

Break Up the Yankees!

2007-05-22T07:44:00.001-04:00

Yankees-Red Sox, Yankee Stadium. Photo by Karen Barletta, roving reporter.

After two consecutive 6-2 wins (Mets on Sunday, Red Sox on Monday), things suddenly look a little hopeful in Yankeeland. It's amazing what a win can do for the morale of a team and its fans. The Yanks took the first game of a 3-game series vs the Sox yesterday. Wang was tough, and made the pitches he needed to keep the big bats at bay. Bruney and Proctor were solid out of the bullpen, as usual, and even Farnsworth didn't give up his usual run.

Crazy moment of the night for me: a lumbering David Ortiz trying (and succeeding) to stretch a single into a double against the strong arm of Bobby Abreu. Wow! Do we have to worry about this guys legs now too?

Tonights matchup: Tavárez vs Mussina.

Homer Simpson's all-time baseball team

2007-05-19T15:35:00.001-04:00

Saw this on FoxSports:

Homer says: I first fell in love with baseball as a teenager. Like the players, I was always trying to get to second base in spite of the best efforts of the opposing team. Here's my all-time major league baseball roster.

Catcher: Yogi Berra
Hit home runs and stole picnic baskets. I like his life partner Boo Boo as well.

First Base: Bill Buckner
I've had a lot of things go through my legs too, so I can relate. Plus I know what it's like to be hated by a whole city.

Second Base: Billy Martin
Only major league player to get in more drunken bar brawls than me.

Third Base: Pete Rose
He's in my Hall of Fame for helping me place all those bets against the Reds

Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr.
We share a special kinship, because I've been late to work 2,632 consecutive days.

Outfield: Harmon Killebrew
His name is what I do every night at Moe's.

Outfield: Ty Cobb
A great hitter, and he invented an awesome salad full of bacon and cheese.

Outfield: Ted Williams
Greatest hitter who ever lived, and he was just a frozen head! Just think what he could've done with a whole body.

Designated Hitter: That guy from "The Natural"
It was so cool when he broke that light and then ran in slow motion.

Starting Pitcher: Vida Blue
Hell of an arm, and his last name reminds me of the color of my pants.

Starting Pitcher: Sandy Koufax
Like him, I refuse to work on all Jewish holidays. L'chaim!

Relief Pitcher: Goose Gossage
Mmm, goose at the end of the game.

Now play ball, everybody!

Giambi: "We made a mistake."

2007-05-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

As steroids-boy Barry Bonds closes in on Hank Aaron's all-time career homerun record of 755 dingers, Jason Giambi came clean to a USA Today reporter:

"I was wrong for doing that stuff. What we should have done a long time ago was stand up — players, ownership, everybody — and said: 'We made a mistake.'

"We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. … Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it."

Today MLB ordered Giambi to keep his yap shut. Seems like they still want to avoid the subject.

Meanwhile "in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, 8% of 469 baseball fans surveyed this month said they currently consider Bonds to be the greatest all-time home run hitter. And even if Bonds hits his 756th home run to pass Aaron — which is likely to happen soon; Bonds has 745 — only 34% of fans said they would acknowledge Bonds as the best."

Hank Aaron already has said he won't be in attendance when Bonds breaks the record. MLB commissioner Selig hasn't committed either. If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear, does it make a sound?

Mark McGwire reacts to HOF rejection

2007-01-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

From the "No Shit" Department

2007-01-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

Mark McGwire as a skinny rookie; the (juiced?) ball McGwire hit for #62 in '98.

This story was released by the AP today:

A company that uses computer imaging claims baseballs had a larger rubberized core and a synthetic rubber ring in 1998, including the ball Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homer.

Universal Medical Systems Inc. said Wednesday that with the assistance of Drs. Avrami S. Grader and Dr. Philip M. Halleck from The Center for Quantitative Imaging at Penn State, it took images of 1998 baseballs.

"Examining the CT images of Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball one can clearly see the synthetic ring around the core -- or 'pill' -- of the baseball," UMS president David Zavagno said. "While Mark McGwire may or may not have used illegal steroids, the evidence shows his ball -- under the governing body of the league -- was juiced."

UMS specifically examined the ball McGwire hit for No. 70 -- a record surpassed when Barry Bonds hit 73 homers in 2001. Zavagno said the company tested about 35 baseballs in all.

"The synthetic rubber ring of the modern-day baseball, in this case that of Mark McGwire's prized 70th home run ball, acts as both a spring and a `stop,"' Zavagno said. "Much like a sling shot pulled back 10 or 20 degrees farther than normal, the subsequent restitution or rebound allows an object to fly faster and farther."

It's cool that there is some sort of evidence to prove what everyone has already known. After the MLB players' strike of 1994, which ran into spring training of '05, baseball was in some serious shit. Attendance was down, sure, but it was the disrespect of the game that sticks with me. Fans chanting, booing, throwing money at the players, fans running onto the field to disrupt the game time and time again. Baseball was in a sad state.

MLB needed to win back the fans, and compete with football and basketball for the fans money. Balls were juiced. Players were juiced. MLB turned a blind eye. And you all know what happened: Baseballs began flying out of the parks in record numbers. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa thrilled America with their chase of Roger Maris' single-season HR record of 61. They BOTH broke his mark. Steroid use was suspected, but no one really cared. Balls were flying out of the park! Dingers are fun to watch! Sammy had his little homerun hop. McGwire was hugging Maris' family! McGwire was hugging Sammy Sosa!

Then the Darth Vader of baseball (Barry Bonds) surpassed the unsurpassable McGwire record of 70 when he finished the 2001 season with 73 HRs. If there was any lingering doubt of steroid abuse, it was dispelled with this new record so soon after McGwire's. It was like when the second plane hit the WTC. Any thoughts that the first plane was a freak accident were forgotten. The truth was there, visible to the naked eye.

The results of this year's Hall of Fame balloting will be announced on Tuesday. My guess is McGwire pays the price. He won't make it, at least not this year.

Bobby Murcer

2006-12-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

Let's send out good feelings toward Bobby Murcer. A brain tumor was discovered on Christmas Eve, after Murcer complained of recent headaches and loss of energy. He's due to have surgery today.

"I'm feeling OK and we're just going to have to see what this surgery will bring," Murcer told the New York Daily News. "I'm hopeful that everything will turn out OK and I'm thankful to have so many friends who are rooting for me."

Big Unit on trade block?

2006-12-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Word has leaked that the Yankees are looking to trade Randy Johnson and his Big Unit. Johnson's no-trade clause requires his approval of any deal, but after the recent death of his brother, Johnson may welcome a trade back home to Arizona, or nearby San Diego or Los Angeles.

Randy has one year left on his contract, and is owed $16 million. The Yanks won't get much for a 43 year-old starter just coming off back surgery. This would be more of a salary dump, and a chance to inject some youth into their rotation. Of course, 44 year-old Clemens is still a possibility, but I wonder if the Yanks may become sudden suitors of lefty Barry Zito, who would command a similar yearly salary as Johnson's, but is 15 years younger.

Although Randy has had his ups and downs in New York, and struggled a bit, he has made 67 starts the past two season for the Yanks, won 34 games, and pitched 430 innings. Even though his ERA was high, it's not so easy to replace those kind of numbers.

Sans Randy, the rotation looks like this:
Wang
Pettitte
Mussina
Pavano
Igawa or Karstens

I have to believe they'll pull someone else out of their hat. Zito? Clemens? Dontrelle Willis? We'll see.

UPDATE: Barry Zito has signed with the SF Giants. Arizona still seems to be where Randy will end up, but both sides are reportedly still haggling over the contract extension and financial structuring.

The Unnatural

2006-12-15T11:50:00.000-05:00

From Mad Magazine's new issue, that lists the 20 dumbest people/events of 2006. Bonds came in at #13. The whole issue is hysterical, the illustrations top-notch, and the humor very political/topical/adult.

D-Mat signs with Red Sox

2006-12-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

Matsuzaka will soon trade in his gore-tex for a Red Sox uniform

Japanese righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka, 26, is set to sign a 6-year $52 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, with bonuses that could push it to $60 million. The Sox won the bidding rights for him, paying the Seibu Lions $51.1 million. That's a total of $111 million for someone who has yet to throw a pitch in the Major Leagues.

This kid will have a lot of pressure on him to win, nevermind the adjustment he'll have to make living in a foreign country. But after last year's 3rd place finish, Boston is splurging, trying to fill their holes with free agents. (Which is ironic, since they've always accused the Yankees of being the Evil Empire, and having unlimited cash to lure players.) Anyway, even if DMat pitches great ball right from the get-go, shutout ball for seven innings in all his starts, you have to wonder, Who the hell is going to finish out the games? Boston has a weak bullpen, and as of right now no closer. I suspect Boston will scrounge up another starter and keep Papelbon in the bullpen.

In the Japanese league, Matsuzaka was 108-60 with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts. He also won the MVP of the World Baseball Classic last March, which was won by Japan. He joins a Boston rotation that includes 40 yr-old Curt Schilling, 40 yr-old Tim Wakefield, converted closer Jon Papelbon, and Josh Beckett (5.01 ERA in 2006).

Andy back with Yankees!

2006-12-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

Pettitte will soon be wearing the familiar pinstripes again.

Andy Pettitte has re-signed with the Yankees. They reached a preliminary agreement on a 1-year $16 million contract, with a player option for a second season, at the same dollar amount.

This is a great move for both parties. Though only 34, Pettitte toyed with the idea of an early retirement this off season. This short contract gives him the option of still retiring early. The Yankees needed to sure up their starting rotation, especially with Randy Johnson recovering from back surgery, and perhaps due to miss the first month of the 2007 season. The Yankees have some fine young arms coming up through the system, and the commitment of a long-term deal that Barry Zito, Ted Lilly, or Jason Schmidt were demanding wasn't very appealing.

One question: Will Pettitte resume wearing his old number 46, or stick with the number 21 that he wore with the Astros? My guess is 46. Though he's been retired for several years now, 21 is still Paul O'Neill's number.

The rotation now looks like this:
Chien-Ming Wang
Andy Pettitte
Mike Mussina
Randy Johnson
Carl Pavano or Kei Igawa

Welcome back, Andy!

A ball Pettitte signed before the '96 season, when I saw him at a card show at the Westchester County Center.

Yankees' shopping list

2006-12-04T10:32:00.000-05:00

MLB's winter meetings are under way in Orlando, Florida. Look for some players to change uniforms via trades and free agent signings this week. The biggest name free agents still available are starting pitchers Barry Zito and Ted Lilly, and steroid-abuser Barry Bonds, who wasn't offered abritration by the San Fransisco Giants.

Don't expect any blockbuster moves by the Yankees. This biggest move will probably be to sign Japanese lefty Kei Igawa, for whom they bid $26 mil for negotiating rights. His agent is also Hideki Matsui's agent, so I expect a deal to be finalized soon.

What the Yanks need is a backup catcher, a righty hitting firstbaseman, a utility infielder (probably just resign Miguel Cairo), and a lefty reliever (probably just resign Ron Villone).

Of course, sometimes crazy things happen in these meetings. Maybe someone will take ARod off of their hands...

MLB's impotent steroids probe

2006-12-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows players like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Sammy Sosa have taken performance-enhancing steroids. Jose Canseco admitted taking steroids in his book, Juiced. Giambi apologized for it, without saying exactly what he was apologizing for (but we all knew).

With Bonds on a crash course to break Hank Aaron's all-time career mark of 755 homeruns, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig tried to save some face by putting in a half-assed steroid testing policy (they still don't have a test for HGH—human growth hormone—the biggie that causes guys to swell up to gargantuan porportions and hit dingers almost at will). Selig also appointed former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to probe steroid use in baseball. But Mitchell has no real power.

"When I began, I was, of course, aware that I do not have the power to compel testimony or the production of documents," Mitchell said. "From the outset I believed that the absence of such power would significantly increase the amount of time necessary to complete the investigation, and it has. We are pressing forward diligently and will conclude our work as soon as possible," he said. "It's important to finish this job as soon as possible, but it's even more important to do it right."

Meanwhile, Selig is prepared to celebrate Bonds' new HR record as if it were an unblemished accomplishment. Good luck, Bud. No one outside SF will care (if Bonds is still even playing in SF, that is).

Hardball: A Season in the Projects

2006-11-28T13:41:00.000-05:00

Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle.

If you need a baseball fix this winter, I heartily recommend Hardball. I found this gem on the discard shelf of my library, and picked it up for ten cents!

It chronicles a Little League team in Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing projects during the summer of 1992. It's about more than just baseball, however. Author Daniel Coyle does an excellent job of weaving the personal lives with the baseball personas of the individual players. You get to know each player, his home life and personality, and how and why he came to join the team, the Kikuyus. The field is the players' escape from the reality of the projects' gang wars, murder, teen pregnancy, and broken families.

The book also discusses the politics that seep into the league, and the tension that arises between the original founder of the league (who is African-American and from Cabrini-Green), and the white coaches who volunteer their time to try and teach the kids baseball, as well as win their trust and friendship.

This is an old book, published in 1993. An excellent journalist, Coyle has since gone on to write a novel, and a book about Lance Armstrong, Lance Armstrong's War. You don't have to be a baseball fan to like Hardball. It's about society, and opportunity, and community. Pick it up.
----------------------------------
A side note to Mr. Coyle: It's been nearly 15 years since you wrote this book. I'd love to see a follow-up, even if it's an article and not a full-length book. Where are the kids now? What are they doing? Who succeeded? Who succumbed to the lure of gang life? What has happened to the residents—and gangs—of Cabrini-Green, now that a new urban renewal is happening, and the old projects of the neighborhood are coming down?

Jeter (the real) A.L. MVP

2006-11-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

We don't need the baseball writers to tell us who the MVP is. Derek Jeter is the MVP.

Jeter is the definition of Most Valuable Player. He showed up everyday (154 games played), led on the field as the Captain, and was the glue that held the team together when many other players went down. Sheffield and Matsui were out for most of the year; Cano missed six weeks; Giambi played in September (but the month was a wash for him due to a wrist injury); and ARod had an inconsistent year (to put it nicely). These players are All-Stars, and Jeter was the rock when they were gone.

There was nothing Jeter didn't do. He won his third straight gold glove at shortstop, hit .343, had 214 hits, 118 runs, 39 doubles, 14 HRs, 97 RBI, 34 stolen bases, hit .381 with RISP (to Morneau's .323), made the All-Star team, won the A.L. Hank Aaron Award, and dated Jessica Biel (pictured below). What else was there to do? Pitch?

This is not a knock on Justin Morneau, who had an excellent season. But, come on. Watching Jeter play every game is a pleasure; he's a manager's dream. Fundamental, clutch, a leader, always busting his butt down the line. A team player. The definition of MVP.

Jeter had 12 first place votes, 14 second, 1 fourth, and one clown (Joe Cowley* of the Chicago Sun-Times. What games was he watching?) had him sixth. Justin Morneau had 15 firsts, 8 seconds, 3 thirds, and 2 fourths. Final tally: Justin Morneau 320, Derek Jeter 306.

Classy as always, Jeter released a statement:
"While I know that voting for these awards is primarily based on differing opinions and statistical debates, it's also part of what makes baseball such a great sport.

Having said that, I'm flattered and honored to have been considered for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. I want to congratulate Justin Morneau on this well-deserved honor. He is a special player, and I suspect this won't be the last time you will hear his name mentioned when awards are being passed out.

"You've heard me say it a thousand times, but winning the World Series for the New York Yankees continues to be my main focus. There is no individual award that can compare with a championship trophy, and I look forward to working towards that challenge again in 2007."

It's funny that he even needed to release this statement. What does that tell you? That he was expected to be the MVP.

*Cowley has no clue. He had the responsibility of an MVP vote, and didn't even know what Jeter did in the big 5 game sweep over the Red Sox? Holy cow. Listen to the whole interview here, if you can stomach it.

Say it aint So(riano)

2006-11-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

Alfonso Soriano, in the uniform he should still be wearing

Alfonso Soriano is reportedly set to sign an 8-year $136 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. (That's $17 mil a year, folks.)

I always hoped he'd return to the Yankees. To me, he's like the girl who got away, and you always regret it. Sori is the real deal, as we all know. Not only did he join the exclusive 40-40 club this year, but he did it one better by making it 40-40-40 (homers, steals, doubles). Plus he threw in 95 RBI from mostly the lead-off spot, and 22 outfiled assists in his first season as an outfielder.

We traded this guy for ARod.

I just watched the YES Network DVD on the 100-year history of the Yankees, and was reminded how well Soriano hit in the clutch for the Yankees in 2001. In fact, his homerun in the 7th game of the World Series should have been the game winner, if not for those bloops and broken bat hits Arizona came up with in the bottom of the 9th. I believe he also got the game-winning hit in the 5th game to send the series back to Arizona.

So, yes, I'm still pining for Soriano. I'd love to see him in pinstripes again. Unfortunately, the Cubs are locking this guy up for a looong time.

Red Sox crack open wallet, dust flies out

2006-11-15T07:57:00.000-05:00

The Boston Red Sox have won the rights to talk to much-hyped Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka with a $51.1 million bid. This is the same team that couldn't/didn't want to afford resigning Johnny Damon last year. But after this year's 3rd place finish, drastic measures are necessary. They have 30 days to work out a deal with DMat, or they get the money back.

But even if they sign him for, say 3 years 39 mil, or 5 years 60 mil, is he worth it? Let's take the 3 year estimate. With the bid, that would total 90 million dollars for 3 years spent on DMat. That's 30 million a year. What kind of numbers would he have to put up for the Sox to justify spending that kind of money, especially when they have a lot of other holes to fill? What will this do to the free agent market? Everyone desperately needs pitching and there aren't many available this off-season. Barry Zito is the biggest name out there. Somewhere he's laughing, knowing his price just went up many millions of dollars.

But back to DMat. If he is the real deal, and can anchor the Sox' staff for the next decade (he's just 26), than it will look like a good deal. Especially with Curt Schilling on his last leg (or should I say ankle?). Boston went out and got Pedro years ago, after mistakenly writing off and dumping Roger Clemens. And he worked out great, helping them to the championship in 2004. But there are no guarantees. DMat still has to come here and face real hitting, especially the longball American League brand. And Fenway's a shoebox. Let's see if he can adjust. Yankees fans still have the bitter memory of Hideki Irabu arriving to much fanfare, only to turn out to be a "fat pussy toad."

One good thing at least will come from this. Boston can't complain about the Yanks spending money anymore, can no longer call us the evil empire. They're on the verge of laying 100 mil on an unproven commodity.

Girardi back with YES

2006-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

After a successful season managing the Florida Marlins, Joe Girardi will return to the YES Network. Girardi was fired by the Marlins after clashing with their crazy owner, Jeffrey Loria. (In one incident in 2006, Loria was relentlessly heckling an umpire from his seat behind homeplate. Girardi asked him to stop. Loria stormed from his seat and confronted Girardi in a 90-minute clubhouse meeting. "I preach to my players about not arguing with umpires, and this is not going to help us,"' Girardi said.)

Although there are other managerial openings in MLB (he was considered for the Washington Nationals spot), I'm sure Girardi wants to return to the Yankees to put himself in contention for Joe Torre's job. Torre's contract expires after the 2007 season.

Girardi was Torre's bench coach in 2005, the position Don Mattingly was recently promoted to after Lee Mazzilli's dismissal. Willie Randolph was also recently the bench coach, which is how the Yankees groom their coaches to be managers. If Torre does leave after this season, I have to believe Girardi would be on the short list of future managers.

Girardi will work 60 games as an analyst and team up with John Flaherty for a new show called "Behind the Plate."

Edit: Girardi was just named N.L. Manager of the Year for 2006. Congrats Joe!

Sheff of the Past

2006-11-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

The Yankees have traded Gary Sheffield to the Tigers for three prospects. With the addition of the younger Bobby Abreu mid-season to replace the injured Sheffield, the Yankees no longer needed Sheff's services in RF. It would have been nice if their firstbase experiment had worked out. Because now the Yankees need a right-handed hitting firstbaseman (since Jason Giambi is slotted to be the full time DH). The only righty power hitter in the lineup now is ARod, and we all know how great he hits in the clutch (wink, wink). So, we need another righty bopper and someone with a good glove to man 1B. Did someone say Nomar?

The Yanks received three young righthanders from the Tigers organization:
Humberto Sanchez, a big 23 year-old 6-foot-6 starter who throws 97MPH. He was a combined 10-6 last season with a 2.53 ERA in Triple-A and Double-A. GM Brian Cashman said, "Sanchez obviously has a lot of potential. He has a lot of ability and we're planning on him going to spring training and hopefully take a lot of steps forward. We look at him as a long-term asset that hopefully we can cash in as early as '07."

Kevin Whelan, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 27 saves in Class A ball last year.

Anthony Claggett, 22, was 7-2 with an 0.91 ERA and 14 saves also in Class A ball last year.

Sheffield signed a two year extension with Detroit through 2009 with an assurance he won't have to play 1B. After all the ripping of the Yanks Sheffield has done in the last week, he tried to go out on good terms: "I've always said I want to go out on my terms and they allowed me to do that, and I thank them for that."

The Big Bam Review

2006-11-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

The Big Bam by Leigh Montville.

How do you go about writing a biography of one of the most famous and beloved people in American history? How do you convey what he accomplished, the exalted status Ruth attained? It's a tall task for a biographer. Leigh Montville was up for the job.

Babe Ruth was—and still is—larger than life. And it wasn't just hype and good PR. He earned it with his bat, his personality, his full throttle attack on life. He lived like a rock star thirty years before rock n' roll was even born. Montville does the job of conveying this by placing the reader squarely in Ruth's time. And not by over-describing the settings, or the fashion of the day. But with the little things, like the Babe getting a speeding ticking for doing 27 MPH! Or showing what went on during the train rides the Yankees took when they traveled to other American League cities. Or describing news events of the day, like Charles Lindbergh's successful flight across the Atlantic, and the crash of the stock market in 1929.

All the familiar territory is also covered: the Babe's time at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys as a kid, coming up to the Red Sox as a pitcher at age 19, his trade to the Yankees, his homeruns, his called shot in the '32 World Series, his relationship with Lou Gehrig, his off-season barnstorming tours, his two marriages, his baseball tours around the world, his exit from baseball, his retirement, and eventually his death from cancer.

Ruth's personality, too, comes through, and not just the cartoon image many of us are familiar with: the over-eating, the over-drinking, the many women. His love of life, his sense of humor, his rebelliousness, and his heart also all come through. Ruth wasn't a phony. He was real. One classic moment in the book was a reprint of an interview with poet Carl Sandburg. Sandburg was out to knock Ruth down a peg, show how uneducated Ruth was. But it backfired. Ruth was a ballplayer—a great one—and never pretended to be anything more. He was a big kid who pulled himself up from nothing and conquered the world with his bat. That's why he was loved.

My only complaint (and this goes for many other baseball biographies): Why on earth wouldn't you print the career stats of the player at the end of the book? I had to keep looking on the internet when I wanted to see Ruth's stats. Hopefully they'll add it to the paperback version.

All-time Yankees Team By Position

2006-11-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

As voted by ME!

26-time World Champions

Reading the Babe Ruth bio got me considering what an all-time Yankees team would be. I've seen lists like this before, but was never satisfied because weird exceptions were made, like putting Mickey Mantle in leftfield, even though he played center. I'm going to keep it real. No Mantle in left. No Mantle as DH either. My DH has to have actually DH'd in his career. Here are my choices:

C Yogi Berra* [HOF, 3 MVPs]
1B Lou Gehrig [HOF, 2 MVPs, Triple Crown 1934]
2B Tony Lazzeri [HOF, 7 100 RBI seasons, 7 pennants, 5 WS wins]
3B Alex Rodriguez** [2 MVPs, 10-time All-Star]
SS Derek Jeter ['96 ROY, MVP 2000 WS and All-Star game, 7-time All-Star]
LF Dave Winfield [HOF, 7 gold gloves, 12-time All-Star, 1833 RBI]
CF Joe DiMaggio [HOF, 56-game hitting streak, 13-time All-Star, 3 MVPs]
RF Babe Ruth [HOF, 714 career homeruns]
DH Reggie Jackson [HOF, 14-time All-Star]

SP Ron Guidry L [3-time 20 game winner, '78 Cy Young, 4-time All-Star]
SP Whitey Ford L [HOF, 2-time 20 game winner, '61 Cy Young, .690 career winning pct., 8-time All-Star]
SP Herb Pennock L [HOF, 2-time 20 game winner]
SP Red Ruffing R [HOF, 4-time 20 game winner, 6-time All-Star]
SP Jack Chesbro R [HOF, 41-game winner in 1904, career 2.68 ERA]

Closer Mariano Rivera [8-time All-Star, '99 WS MVP, 413 SVs, post season-34 SVs, 0.80 ERA]

Manager Casey Stengel [HOF, 10 pennants, 7 World Championships]

*Tough choice. Bill Dickey had a great career, and was part of the '27 Murderers' Row Yankees, for which he hit .322. He was on 8 pennant winners and 7 WS winners. But Berra won 14 pennants, 10 World Series, and 3 MVPs.

**I originally had Graig Nettles pencilled in for thirdbase. ARod has only played three seasons for the Yanks, hasn't been too productive in the post season, and hasn't been consistent in the field. Nettles, on the other hand, could turn a game around with his glove (see Game 3 of '78 WS), led the A.L. in homers in '76, hit 390 career HRs, and was the captain of the team for a while. But ARod will challenge most career hitting records before he's through.

Sosa Eyes Return

2006-11-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

Sosa takes one off the helmet

Sammy Sosa, 12 homeruns shy of 600, has put the word out that he wants to play in 2007. He sat out all of 2006, after rejecting a $500,000 offer from the Washington Nationals. He felt he deserved more money, even though his 2005 season with the Baltimore Orioles was total crap: .221 with 14 homers. If he really wants to play again, he better be prepared to check his ego at the door and settle for a low base salary. He's got two things working against him: 1) he's 37 and a long way from his glory days of '98, 2) MLB has a steroid policy now.

Still, if he really wants to play, he'll find some club that'll take a chance on him. It's not unreasonable to think he can pop 20-25 homers as a DH/part-time OFer in a cozy ball park like Fenway.

McGwire, where are you? You only need 17 HRs to reach 600. Maybe you and Sammy can get a two-fer special on that HGH and re-live 1998.

N.L. Gold Glove Awards

2006-11-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

Greg Maddux won his record-tying 16th Gold Glove
(tying Jim Kaat and Brroks Robinson)

C - Brad Ausmus, Houston Astros (3rd overall)
1B - Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (1st)
2B - Orlando Hudson, Arizona Diamondbacks (2nd)
3B - Scott Rolen, St. Louis Cardinals (7th)
SS - Omar Vizquel, S.F. Giants (11th)
OF - Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves (9th)
OF - Carlos Beltran, N.Y. Mets (1st)
OF - Mike Cameron, San Diego Padres (3rd)
P - Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs/L.A. Dodgers (16th-ties all-time record)

Jeter Wins 3rd Consecutive Gold Glove

2006-11-02T21:43:00.000-05:00

The post-season awards have begun. The winners of the A.L. Gold Glove awards for fielding excellence were announced on Thursday. The winners:

C - Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (12th overall)
1B - Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers (2nd)
2B - Mark Grudzielanek, Kansas City Royals (1st)
3B - Eric Chavez, Oakland Athletics (6th)
SS - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (3rd)
OF - Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (6th)
OF - Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins (6th)
OF - Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays (3rd)
P - Kenny "Pine Tar" Rogers, Detroit Tigers (5th)

The N.L. will announce their winners on Friday.

More Babe

2006-11-01T08:24:00.000-05:00

We all know the Babe was the greatest hitter of all time. But you may have forgotten he was one of the best pitchers of his day when he first came up to the Red Sox. He even out-dueled the legendary fireballer Walter Johnson several times.

Check out some of these pitching stats:
1915 18-8, 2.44 ERA, 16 CG, 112K, 217 IN, 1 SHO
1916 23-12, 1.75 ERA, 23 CG, 170K, 323 IN, 9 SHO
1917 24-13, 2.01 ERA, 35 CG, 128K, 326 IN, 6 SHO
1918 13-7, 2.22 ERA, 18 CG, 40K, 166 IN, 1 SHO

For his career he was 94-46, with a 2.28 ERA!

The Big Bam

2006-10-30T21:25:00.000-05:00

I just picked up the recent Babe Ruth biography The Big Bam by Leigh Montville. I'm only 50 pages into it, but I'm loving it already. I'll report back with a full review when I'm done reading it. Meanwhile, enjoy this classic photo of the Babe:

Cards Win World Series

2006-10-28T16:44:00.000-04:00

Tony LaRussa's Cardinals took care of business and closed out their first world championship in 24 years last night. The predication I made before the Series (in my head, not on this blog) was the Tigers in 5 games. Well, I was right about the number of games, but not the winner.

The Cards went 83-79 in 2006. I don't think anyone believed they'd even be a factor this post season. But they accomplished what the big money teams (Yanks and Mets), and the low-budget, moneyball youngsters (Tigers, A's) failed to do: Bring home a World Championship. Overall it was the Cardinals' 10th World Series win, second only to you know who. The Yankees are first with 26.

Earlier in the week, the Mets Carlos Delgado said something along the lines of feeling cheated that the Mets weren't in the Series, that they were the best team in the NL. I know what he means. The Yanks should have been there. And Fox felt the same way, with the ratings lower than expected. If you were Fox, who would you want in the Series? A bunch of no-names from Detroit vs. a barely .500 team with one true superstar (Albert Pujols)? Or an All-Star team (Yanks) vs. a near All-Star team (Mets)? But the Yanks and Mets choked when it counted, and the Cards and Tigers played hard when it counted. Something has to be said about that.

Jeff Weaver pitched the game of his life, going 8 innings and giving up only 4 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 9. Why couldn't he do this in NY? Another guy who sucked for the Yanks and pitched well in the post season for another team.
--------------------------
One more thing. Jeannie Zelasko of Fox gave Joe Buck a run for his money last night in the Most Annoying category. While presenting the World Series trophy (with Bud Selig) to the St. Louis execs, she kept trying to get them to say "the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!" to get the crowd going. She kept repeating the phrase and when they weren't repeating it like parrots, she came right out and asked them to. They still didn't. Good for them.

No Strike till 2012!

2006-10-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

The owners and the players union did something very uncharacteristic this week. They came to a new labor agreement without the threat of a strike or lockout first. The last agreement was reached in August 2002, just hours before the players were set to strike. This new agreement runs through the 2011 season.

The last strike, of course, wiped out the last third of the 1994 season including the playoffs and World Series, and continued into the Spring of '95, when the owners trotted out their fat, old, and decrepit replacement players as some sort of threat to the players union. I vaguely remember a story of an obese replacement player sitting on and breaking a stool in the Yankees clubhouse.

It took a lot for MLB to recover from that fiasco. Steriods. Juiced balls. Smaller ballparks. Now that baseball is drawing more fans than ever before, both sides are finally wise enough to divvy up the millions and spread the wealth around without a work stoppage. It's good to see the millionaires play nice with each other.

"I think you always have a better relationship when both sides are making money," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said as he attempted to close his overstuffed wallet.

In other MLB news:
Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard won the Hank Aaron Award, as the best hitters in each league. These two guys most likely will be the MVPs, too.

Gary Sheffield was pissed all season that the Yankees didn't pick up his $13 million option for 2007. Now he's angry that they are. He was hoping to become a free agent, and land a 3-year deal with someone. He also doesn't want to play first base. "I don't want to play first base a year for them. I will not do that." Also, "I don't know what they're (Yankees) going to do," Sheffield said. "Maybe they picked it up just to trade me. If they do that, if I just (go) to a team for one year, there's going to be a problem. A big problem. I will not do this." Strong words from the Sheff.

Rain in St. Louis washed out Game 4 of the World Series. They try again tonight with Bonderman facing Suppan. Cards up 2 games to 1 over the Tigers.

World Series tied 1-1

2006-10-23T08:01:00.000-04:00

Kenny "Couldn't-Get-Anyone-Out-When-He-Pitched-In-NY" Rogers continued his 2006 post-season dominance by tossing a two-hitter through 8 innings against the Cardinals. How come when he pitched for the Yankees—and briefly the Mets—he sucked ass so badly he was run out of town—twice? Why is he so dominant all of a sudden? Does it have something to do with that blob of shit the umpires spotted on his pitching hand last night, and made him wash off? Was he cheating, applying something to the ball to give it an unnatural movement?

After the blob of shit was removed, though, the Cards still couldn't buy a hit. So maybe he finally has just learned how to pitch this season. Or maybe the Cards offense was spent after scoring 7 runs in the first game.

Kenny Rogers wipes his hand clean on the back of umpire Alfonso Marquez

Back From Hiatus!

2006-10-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

I know, it's been a while. After the Yankees stunning and unexpected quick exit from this year's post-season, I needed a break. Their loss and the death of Cory Lidle sent me into a deep depression that only got worse with the Mets' success in the NLDS. Talk about kicking a guy when he's down. But things are looking up: the Mets lost Game 7 to the St. Louis Cardinals. And as soon as we get this World Series out of the way, Fox will be able to broadcast the new Simpsons Halloween special.

Here a rundown of what went on in MLB, in case you, too, were on a sabbatical:
• Joe Torre did not get fired by the Yankees, and again will manage the team in 2007.
• A-Rod's plane went off the runway, but no one was injured. The fans blamed the incident on A-Rod.
• David Wright did his best A-Rod impersonation this post-season, hitting .216 with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 10 games
• The Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals will face off in this year's World Series.
• Jason Giambi (The Giambino) had successful wrist surgery to repair a torn tendon.
• Joe Girardi was fired by the Florida Marlins after an excellent job as a rookie manager.
• Lou Piniella was hired by the Chicago Cubs, which means George Steinbrenner will have to hire someone else after he fires Torre mid-season. Note to Girardi: keep your cell phone on and fully charged.
• Sal Fasano, who some believed was the heart and soul of the 2006 Yankees, became a free agent after refusing a demotion to AAA Scranton. He is currently growing back his fu manchu.

I'll be back soon, with updates on the World Series.

Yankees' Cory Lidle Dies in Plane Crash

2006-10-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

The news came this afternoon around 3 p.m. A small plane had hit a building in Manhattan. The news was eerily reminiscent of another event for New Yorkers. Exactly five years and one month ago 9/11 happened. When the news of that was first trickling out, all people knew was that a plane hit the World Trade Center. Most people first assumed it was a light aircraft. Of course, it wasn't. So when today's story broke, people followed it closely.

I was at work and read the sketchy early reports about it online. Then I found a TV and watched for a while. The building was on fire, the FDNY was putting it out, no other details. Right before I left work at 5:30, I saw the headline online that it was Cory Lidle's plane. Still nothing definite about who may have died. Reports at that time differed, some said 4 were dead, some said 2. No one was going on record that one of them was Lidle. By the time I left at 5:45, Newsday had reported that Lidle was indeed one of the dead, and that he had been piloting the plane. His flight instructor also perished.

Cory Lidle, dead at 34. R.I.P.

Fans observe a moment of silence before Game 2 of the ALCS in Oakland. Lidle pitched for Oakland in 2001 and 2002.

Lidle's final career stats:
82-72, 4.57 ERA, 1322.2 IP, 838 K, 11 CG, 5 SHO

Joe Stays; A-Rod Suicide Watch Continues

2006-10-11T08:33:00.000-04:00

The Will Joe Torre Get The Ax? Watch has come to an abrupt end. At a press conference at Yankee Stadium yesterday, Joe Torre announced that he would be back to manage the Yankees in 2007, the last year of his contract. Of course, a 12-20 start next season can change things quickly. Expect George Steinbrenner to keep his ax sharp and Lou Piniella in his speed dial.

Meanwhile, the A-Rod Suicide Watch is in full swing (pun intended). Booed relentlessly at the Stadium this year, and dropped to the 8th spot in the batting order for Game 4 of the ALDS, Rodriguez is no favorite of the fans nor the Yankee management. He is New York's current public enemy #1, and after a shitty season and even shittier post-season, fears abound that A-Rod made take his own life. If anyone has an A-Rod sighting—proof that he's still alive—please take a photo and post a link here. Thank you.

Letterman's Top Ten New York Yankees Excuses

2006-10-10T07:29:00.000-04:00

Pinch hitting for the Designated Blogger—David Letterman!

10. Wanted Columbus Day off to get to all the sales

9. Thought series was best 6 out of 11

8. We've already missed the first three episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" -- enough is enough

7. Thought Joe Torre told us to give 10 percent

6. Players distracted by erotic text messages from Mark Foley

5. Shouldn't have switched to the cheaper generic steroids

4. Clubhouse caterer replaced E. coli-tainted spinach with E. coli-tainted lettuce

3. Uh, global warming?

2. More focused on how they're going to get by on a lousy $16 million a year

1. What's the point? North Korea's gonna nuke us at any moment

Day 2 of the Torre/ARod Watch

2006-10-09T19:51:00.000-04:00

It's the second full day of the Will Joe Torre Get The Ax? Watch. After a stunning defeat in four games to the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is reportedly ready to fire his long-time manager. I'm sure George is sharpening the ax right now, as he tries to speed dial Lou Piniella with the other hand. The ax will fall, the only question is when. Maybe when the Mets win the pennant, to steal some of their back page thunder?

We're also concluding the second full day of the ARod Suicide Watch. His post-season numbers have been atrocious for two straight years. His regular season was half-assed. The fans hate him and want to run him out of town. His teammates hate him and want to run him out of town. The Yankee brass hate him and want to run him out of town. Will he take the hint and accept a trade? There are rumors Yankee GM Brian Cashman removed ARod's belts and shoelaces from his locker, for his own protection—and to preserve his trade value.

Stay tuned.

Yankees Fire Joe Torre, Name Billy Martin Manager

2006-10-08T11:52:00.000-04:00

Armed with a ouija board and a staff of psychics, NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is prepared to enter the 2007 season with the spirit of Billy Martin guiding the team.

"I've always thought Billy was the best man to manage the Yankees," Steinbrenner said from his Tampa mansion. "It's good to have him back."

This will be the sixth time Martin has managed the team. This reporter couldn't contact Martin for a comment, but when I asked for a sign on if the Yankees would win the World Series in '07, my framed autographed picture of Reggie Jackson fell off the wall.

I'm not sure if that means "yes" or "no."

It's Over

2006-10-08T09:08:00.000-04:00

Yanks discuss off-season plans during fifth inning

The worst part about the Yankees losing the ALDS to Detroit—aside from wasting an otherwise great season—was the way they rolled over and died without a fight. What happened to this team? Up until Game 1, this group displayed a hunger and fight that reminded me of the old Paul O'Neill-led teams. The chemistry was there this year. The bench was deep, deep, deep. Young players (Wang, Cano, Cabrera, Phillips) were blended into the team. A key veteran was brought over mid-season (Bobby Abreu). Where did it all go wrong?

I'm pissed. Losing is one thing, going down without a fight is another. Note to all the players besides Jeter: The Captain can't do it all. He needs your help. Remember when Steinbrenner called Dave Winfield "Mr. May" (in contrast to Reggie Jackson's clutch "Mr. October" moniker) after his horrible performance in the '81 World Series? Well, this team is full of Mr. Mays. And I'm not talking about Willie Mays.

The 2006 LVP (Least Valuable Player)

The Game 1 8-4 win was terrific. The team displayed everything that was right about the team this year. Game 2 they lost 4-3, but it was exciting. They were in it till the end. They fought, made some mistakes, but the fans were never out of the game because we still had a chance to win. In Games 3 and 4, the Yankees gave the fans absolutely zero to cheer about. They were never in the game, never had a chance to win. That's inexusable. The Yankees deserved to lose this series.

All the planning, the resting of players in September that an 11-game lead afforded the Yanks, the preparation, the setting up of the first-round rotation was all for naught. The Yanks had one good game in them this post season. I hope you enjoyed it.

Yankees on brink

2006-10-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

The face of futility

After last night's pathetic loss to the Tigers in Game 3 of the ALDS, the Yanks are on the brink of wasting their terrific 97-win 2006 campaign. My worst nightmare came true, when the pitcher formerly known as the Gutless Post-season Choke Artist (Kenny Rogers) shut down the "best lineup in baseball history" like they were a bunch of nerdy, myopic little leaguers. (And it's not just ARod's fault, folks.)

I actually shut the game off in the 6th inning and went to sleep. Why torture myself further? Now the whole season rides on the performance of number four starter Jaret Wright (11-7, 4.49) in Game 4. 23-year old Jeremy Bonderman (14-8, 4.08) goes for the Tigers.

Side note that has nothing to do with the Yanks being down 2 games to 1. I've said this before the series started, and I've said this in past seasons: The LDS should be seven games, just like the LCS and the World Series. Why should the whole 162-game season ride on a short series? What is the point of having a short series? Wouldn't MLB want the revenue from two extra games, anyway?

Yankees lose Game 2 of ALDS, 4-3

2006-10-05T19:05:00.000-04:00

KROD

Game 2 became a day game after the rain out Wednesday night. Since I have a full-time job, I couldn't watch the game. So I followed it the new-fangled way: the internet.

First I tried to listen through WCBS's web site. I registered, launched the player, and heard...the news! That's right, the news! Where was the game? Was I doing something wrong? So, I then went to Yahoo sports and loaded the in-game box score. This is great because the page refreshes automatically every 30 seconds. It tells you the score, who is at-bat and pitching, even the count.

Even watching it in this manner, I could still tell what a sloppy game the Yanks played. Missed bunts, errors, a passed ball, ARot (that's NOT a typo) striking out with the bases loaded. In fact, ARot went 0-4 and struck out 3 times. To be fair, Sheffield also took an 0-4 and whiffed twice. Overall the Yanks left 20 men on base. This is unacceptable. We should be stomping the Tigers, especially after the way Detroit played over the last six weeks or so.

Some random, bitter, emotional thoughts after a Yankees loss:
* The rain out halted the Yanks momentum from the big Game 1 victory.
* Torre should bench ARot in favor of Cairo for Game 3.
* Yanks should trade ARot after the season.
* At least Farnsworth and Mariano will have 2 days rest for tomorrow's game.
* No word from my roving reporter. Hope she's OK.

Game 2 of ALDS Rained Out

2006-10-05T09:52:00.000-04:00

The radar last night showed two storms moving in, and there was no way the game was going to be played. Yet 56,000 fans were allowed to sit around in a light rain for two hours until the game was officially called. Bet they didn't get the 26 bucks they paid for parking back.

My onsite reporter, Karen, gave me the lowdown: "...I have sat through entire games that it rained harder than it ever did last night during the delay...but my friend bought me an awesome Jeter rain poncho so im happy! Also, they played cool music 'who'll stop the rain' and things like that which was fun. I would say it was a heavy drizzle but never drenching rain."

Game 2 will be played today at 1PM. Mussina vs. Verlander. The weather is sunny and warm now, the storms moving through overnight.
(Photo by my roving reporter, Karen Barletta.)

Yankees win Game 1 of ALDS, 8-4

2006-10-04T00:10:00.000-04:00

The Yankees, led by Captain Derek Jeter, came out swinging and took the first game of the ALDS 8-4. Jeter continued his MVP season with a sick 5-5 performance, including a homerun to center in the 8th to give NY an important insurance run.

Overall the Yanks banged out 14 hits. Besides Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Jorge Posada, and Johnny Damon also had a multi-hit game.

Chien-Ming Wang held up into the 7th, and was replaced by a shaky Mike Myers, followed by a shakier Scott Proctor. Kyle Farnsworth came on for the 8th and immediately threw six straight balls. I wanted someone to run into the clubhouse and get Farnsworth's fancy new eyeglasses so he could see the plate. I was too nervous to watch, so I went outside to put my recyclables by the curb. I came back in to see him settle down and get out of the inning.

Mariano Rivera came on for the 9th, gave up his usual cheap flare hit, then locked up the win for Wang. He threw 12 pitches, 7 for strikes.
(Photo of Mariano pitching by my roving reporter, Karen Barletta.)

Yanks up 5-0 over Detroit, bottom of 3rd

2006-10-03T21:37:00.000-04:00

We're under way with Game 1 of the ALDS. Thanks to clutch hits from Jeter, Abreu, Sheffield, and a HR by Giambi, the Yanks have built a five run lead at the end of the third inning.
(Photo above thanks to my roving reporter, Karen Barletta.)

Yankees Lineup For Game 1 of ALDS

2006-10-02T19:09:00.000-04:00

Borrowed from Peter Abraham's blog.

Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Gary Sheffield 1B
Jason Giambi DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui LF
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B

What an incredibly deep lineup. 2005 A.L. MVP ARod hitting sixth! A .342 hitter batting ninth! Literally an All-Star at every position. The Yankees need to pour it on this post-season. No pussyfooting around. Bury their opponents from the get-go.

Final Stats

2006-10-02T07:47:00.000-04:00

Here are some final stats to chew on over your morning coffee.

Johnny Damon .285, 115 R, 24 HR, 80 RBI, 25 steals
Derek Jeter .344, 214 hits, 97 RBI, 118 R, 34 steals, .417 OBP
Robinson Cano .342, 78 RBI, 41 doubles
Jason Giambi 37 HR, 113 RBI, 110 BB, .413 OBP
ARod .290, 35 HR, 121 RBI, 113 R, 15 steals, 24 Errors
Bobby Abreu .297, 15 HR, 107 RBI, 98 R, 30 steals
Jorge Posada .277, 27 doubles, 23 HR, 93 RBI, 3 steals
Melky Cabrera .280, 26 doubles, 7 HR, 50 RBI, 12 steals
Bernie Williams .281, 29 doubles, 12 HR
Sal Fasano .217, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 0 steals

Chien-Ming Wang 19-6, 3.63, 218 innings, 1 Save
Mike Mussina 15-7, 3.51, 197 innings, 172 K
Randy Johnson 17-11, 5.00, 205 innings, 172 K
Jaret Wright 11-7, 4.49, 140 innings, 84 K
Carl Pavano 0-0, 0.00, 0 innings, 0 K

Mariano Rivera 5-5, 1.80, 75 innings, 55 K, 34 Saves
Scott Proctor 6-4, 1.80, 102 innings, 89 K, 1 Save
Kyle Farnsworth 3-6, 4.36, 66 innings, 75 K, 6 Saves
Brian Bruney 1-1, 0.87, 20.2 innings, 25 K
Mike Myers 1-2, 3.23, 30.2 innings, 22 K

The New York Yankees and the New York Mets finished in a tie for the best record in baseball: 97-65 .599. Some see this as a sign that the two teams are destined to meet in the World Series. Personally, the Mets still have some provin' to do for me. They have to face some hot N.L. teams (like first-round opponents the L.A. Dodgers) before they make it to the Series.

Finally, here are the A.L. batting race results:
Joe Mauer MIN .347
Derek Jeter NYY .344
Robinson Cano NYY .342

Running the Bases

2006-10-01T10:58:00.000-04:00

On this last day of the regular season, there is much to talk about.

• The A.L. and the N.L. still have two teams tied for first: The Tigers and Twins in the A. L. Central Divison are both 95-66. Loser faces the Yankees in the ALDS as the wild card. The Dodgers and Padres in the N.L. West are both 87-74. Winner plays the Cardinals, loser takes the wild card to New York to play the Mets. This whole wild card thing seems to be working out.

• The A.L. batting championship will be determined today. This is how it currently stands:
Joe Mauer MIN .346
Derek Jeter NYY .345
Robinson Cano NYY .341

Mauer will face righthander Javier Vázquez on Sunday, Cano and Jeter face righthander Dustin McGowan.

• On a day that the focus should be on an exciting finish to the season, the ugly steroids monster has resurfaced. The continuing investigation of cheater Jason Grimsley has yielded more suspects. Grimsley has fingered some name players and former teammates, including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, and Jay Gibbons. Are his accusations true? We'll see. It should be an interesting off season. Jose Canseco's book Juiced doesn't seem so far-fetched any more, does it? (I never thought it was.)

• Frank Robinson got the boot as manager of the Washington Nationals. The announcement came before the season ended so he'd have a chance to say goodbye to his players and coaches and fans.

• Pedro Martinez has bigger problems than a torn calf muscle. Turns out he will have right rotator cuff surgery next week, and is not expected back until after next year's All-Star break.

• Randy Johnson, the Yankees 17-game winner and expected starter for Game 3 of the ALDS has a herniated disk in his lower back. He was given an epidural, and the Yanks hold out hope that he can still make his scheduled start in first round of the playoffs.

This is a gamble for NY, and I hope it works out. Would it be wiser to not include him on the ALDS roster, and give his slot outright to Jaret Wright or Corey Lidle? If Johnson starts, lasts one inning and has to be replaced, his roster spot is wasted. It reminds me of David Wells start in Game 5 of the 2003 World Series. He left after the first inning due to back spasms (that he hadn't bothered to tell anyone about beforehand) and was replaced by Jose Contreras, who took the loss.

I'm a Randy fan. But we Yankees fans need to have faith in guys like Wright and Lidle. Without Johnson, the staff still looks good: Wang, Mussina, Wright, and Lidle (depending on which Lidle shows up that day, of course). The Yanks have a lot of firepower, and bats on the bench that would be starting on any other team. If it comes down to it, we'll have to out-slug the other teams. The Yanks bullpen is deep (Proctor, Farnsworth, Mariano, Bruney, Villone, Myers), and that might be the deciding factor.

• The New York Yankees are assured of finishing with the best record in MLB.

• Carl Pavano, still injured.

One Hit Wonders

2006-09-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

Chumbawumba Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down), 1997
The Knack My Sharona, 1979
Nena 99 Luftballons, 1984
New York Yankees Robinson Cano, 2006

The Yanks went from 16 runs on 18 hits on Wednesday night, to 1 run on 1 hit Thursday night. Thankfully for Yankees fans, Robinson Cano broke up Daniel Cabrera's no hit bid with one out in the ninth inning. But I guess you need to give Cabrera credit. He went into the game with an ERA over 5, yet tossed a complete game, one-hit, two walk game at the Yankees. He threw 106 pitches, 71 for strikes.

Here is a secret for any opposing managers who might find themselves facing the Yanks in the playoffs: Start your worst pitcher, or better yet, a green rookie who hasn't thrown one MLB pitch yet. The Yanks won't be able to hit him.

Mike Mussina vs. the Blue Jays' Gustavo Chacín (9-3, 4.90) tonight.

Wang chosen over Johnson, Moose

2006-09-28T09:42:00.000-04:00

Sophomore pitcher Chien-Ming Wang has been chosen by Yankees manager Joe Torre to start game 1 of the ALDS over veterans Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina. Wang has risen above the rest of the starting staff, and has laid claim to the title of ace. He won his 19th game Wednesday night, tied for the MLB lead with the Twins' Johan Santana. Wang shot to the top with his stamina, consistency, good head on his shoulders, and grace under pressure. He's the cream of the crop.

Wang has stood up in big series all season, has become the Yankees stopper, and there is no reason to feel he'll wilt under the pressure of the post-season. Wang gives the Yanks a lot of innings, goes deep into the game, and doesn't finish prematurely. If Wang gets in trouble, he usually wiggles out of it.

Wang in game 1 may be a surprise to some, but who would you rather have going for you, a young Wang, or an old Johnson?

Choosing Wang was not a hard decision, and by going in game 1, he'll be scheduled for the decisive game 5, if the series goes all the way. "I'm sure there will be some butterflies on Tuesday when they start introducing people," Torre said, "but this kid doesn't let you know how he's feeling." It's true. He's unflappable. Even if he serves up a dinger, you wouldn't know by his expression. Wang never gets bent out of shape. He's hard to beat.

My prediction: Wang will rise to the occasion and come up big in the playoffs. The competition will be stiff, but Wang will hold his own.

David Wells, Gout Sufferer

2006-09-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

I've always been a David Wells fan. The San Diego Padres picked him up from the floundering Red Sox last month for their stretch run against the LA Dodgers. It was a good move. Wells is a native of San Diego, pitched there in 2004, and is renowned for his big game and post-season success. Wells considers this his last season, so it was a good match. I'm happy that it looks like he'll go out with yet another playoff appearance.

But last night he was scratched from his scheduled start against the Cardinals due to a flare-up of his gout. Showing no empathy, Manager Bruce Bochy said, "He couldn't pick a worse time to come down with it." The San Diego Padres currently hold a two-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West with six left to play.

Gout is caused by accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints. Your diet can help, or contribute to, the disease. Some things you shouldn't eat if you're prone to gout: alcohol (especially beer), anchovies (which are sometimes found on large pizzas), offal meats (tongue, tripe [stomach], haggis [sheep stomach], kidney, liver, head cheese), and sweetbread—which isn't as innocent as it sounds. Sweetbread is a dish made of the thymus (neck/throat/gullet sweetbread) or the pancreas (belly/stomach/heart sweetbread) or genitalia of an animal younger than one year old. Yum! I'm not necessarily insinuating that Wells eats this stuff. Well, maybe the pizza and beer.

Get well soon, David! As it stands now, The Padres and the Mets would hook up in the first round of the playoffs. I'll be rooting for Wells.

Yankee Panky

2006-09-23T11:48:00.000-04:00

Here are some notes from Yankeeland:

* Last night, Captain Derek Jeter reached the 200 hit mark for the fifth time in his career. This is also the 10th time in eleven years that he's scored 100+ runs.

* Robinson Cano had two hits, including his 40th double of the season. He is now hitting .340, higher than Jeter's .338, and only four points behind Minnesota's Joe Mauer, who is at .344. He's still a handful of at-bats short of qualifying, but he'll make it before the season ends. He may be the surprise batting champion.

* Melky Cabrera hit his 25th double and drove in his 50th run. He's hitting .285 with 73 runs scored.

* Chien-Ming Wang improved to 18-6 with his win, and is now 26-11 in his short career.

* Jorge Posada took a broken bat to the side of his head in the 9th inning, but stayed in the game. Makes me feel better about my job.

* Mariano Riviera made his first appearance since August 31st, and struck out the side in the 9th to earn his 34th save. He threw 21 pitches, 14 for strikes.

* Garry Sheffield made his first appearance as a firstbaseman. Flashed some leather, too, making a few good grabs on some low throws.

* Carl Pavano is still injured. He's shooting to return by the Old-Timers Game in 2022, in which he plans to start.

Yankees Win A.L. East Championship!

2006-09-21T08:34:00.000-04:00

Manager Joe Torre and Captain Derek Jeter enjoy their annual champagne bath.

The New York Yankees wrapped up their 9th consecutive A.L. East division title Wednesday night, not with a win, but with a Red Sox loss to the Minnesota Twins. NY has gone to the post season every year under Torre's watch—11 straight, and the 12th consecutive when you add in Buck Showalter's wild card in 1995.

Even as a fan watching the clubhouse celebration on TV, I could tell what a different feel this year's version was. There is a looseness, a better sense of fun on the team. Some of this can be attributed to the addition of Johnny Damon's mischievous personality to the club, but also to all the young blood. New guys like Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano—seen below partying— are HUGE contributors to this year's success. Then you have the veterans like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Randy Johnson, who have been through it all—and are totally focused on winning the World Series—but appreciate the enthusiasm of the young players. It rubs off on them. That's what makes this team so great, the balance of experience with hungry youth. This is what separates the 2006 Yankees from the more staid 2004 and 2005 version.

In the upcoming Division Series, the Yanks will face the loser of the Central Division. Detroit is currently 1/2 game ahead of the hard-charging Minnesota Twins. The winner of the Central will play the Western Division Oakland A's, while the wild card will go to the second place team, with the series starting in New York.

The good news for the Yankees is that with the Tigers and Twins battling it out for the Central Division, they won't have the luxury to rest players, or set up their starting rotation in the order they would prefer for the Division Series. The Yanks do have that luxury, and have been resting guys like Mariano, Giambi, Damon, Jeter to let some of their nagging injuries heal. And Torre and Guidry can select the proper order for their starting pitchers for the ALDS.

Beating the Dead ARod Horse

2006-09-20T01:51:00.000-04:00

Honestly, I'm sick of hearing about ARod's slump. There are so many positive stories on this year's team to talk about instead: Robinson Cano's emergence as a true star, Derek Jeter's MVP play, Melky Cabrera's exciting ball playing, Chien-Ming Wang's chase of 20 wins, Johnny Damon's enthusiasm, Jorge Posada's big year, Bobby Abreu fitting the Yankees like a glove, the kid pitchers chipping in. So let's finish flogging this horse so we can bury it and move on already.

Sports Illustrated's new cover story by Tom Verducci, entitled "The Lonely Yankee," gives insights into the team's attempts to deal with Alex Rodriguez's storied Slump of '06. How do you go about helping someone in such a deep batting funk?

Well, first, the player has to admit that he's in a slump. If a tree falls in the woods but no one is around, does it make a sound? If a player strikes out 14 times in 20 at bats but he doesn't acknowledge that fact, is he really in a slump? Yes, ARod, you were deep in the throes of an extended, excruciating, seemingly endless slump. Jason Giambi even got in on the act, asking manager Joe Torre to "stop coddling him" and give ARod some tough love. According to Verducci's article, Torre said, "When the rest of the team starts noticing things, you have to get it fixed. That's my job. I like to give individuals what I believe is the room they need, but when I sense that other people are affected, teamwise, I have to find a solution to it."

Apparently, the solution was to keep ARod in the lineup and let him kill rally after rally until he broke out of the slump.

ARod's dead bat was smack in the middle of the Yanks lineup—a batting order that was already down two sluggers due to injury (Matsui and Sheffield)—and this didn't go unnoticed by his fellow teammates. What matters is what a player does in the clutch, and in the heat of a pennant race. While the Yanks and Red Sox were battling it out this summer for first place, "In the 80 games the Yankees played from June 1 to Aug. 30 -- almost half a season -- Rodriguez hit .257 with 81 strikeouts while committing 13 errors." Once the Yanks built a double-digit lead over Boston, ARod's bat came alive. I'm a Yankee fan; I'll take this current hot streak. I want him hot through the end of the year and into the post-season. I want the Yanks to win the World Series. But his failure in the clutch is what has tagged him with the choke artist label. A reputation is a hard thing to shake.

This leads me to believe that maybe the problem is mine, not ARod's. Because, really, what it comes down to, is that ARod isn't Derek Jeter, or Paul O'Neill, or Tino Martinez. Or even Jim Leyritz. But I want him to be. That's the problem. Expectations. It isn't the money—I'm not signing the checks. I just want him to get a hit when it counts. But I'm not the only one.

"We're all rooting for you and we're behind you 100 percent," Giambi told Rodriguez, "but you've got to get the big hit."

The post-season is looming. ARod's fate is in his own hands.

Jack Nicholson, Oscar® Winner, Yankee Fan

2006-09-18T07:22:00.000-04:00

You can only suffer for your art so much. There are limits. While filming the new gangster flick "The Departed" about the Boston mafia, New Yorker Jack Nicholson refused to wear a Red Sox cap in one scene. Legendary director Martin Scorcese, also a New Yorker, asked Jack to don the Sox cap. After Jack responded along the lines of, "Are you shitting me?," Scorcese backed down. Supposedly he wore a Yankees cap instead. Thank you, Jack.

I forgive you for that piece of crap Something's Gotta Give.

Carl Pavano, Living the Life

2006-09-16T13:15:00.000-04:00

The soap opera known as Carl Pavano continues, as more details of his car accident are revealed. The Daily News has reported that Yankees pitcher (I use that term loosely) Pavano had a passenger in the car with him when he plowed into a truck in Florida. Sexy model Gia Allemand (seen above) thankfully, was not hurt in the accident. The brittle Pavano broke two ribs, and finished off any hope he had of making it back to the Yankees rotation this year. But, hell, he's got two more years on his contract! He'll still get paid!

He signed a 4-year $39.9 million contract with the Yanks prior to the 2005 season. Seemed like a good move for NY at the time. They signed both Pavano and Jaret Wright, both 29-year old starters to add some youth to the rotation. But they've turned out to be less reliable that the old guys. Still, Wright has contributed his five-inning starts this year, and has chipped in with 10 wins. Pavano hasn't pitched since last July.

This guy is living the life. He earns 10 mil a year, is cruising around in a Porsche with a hot, young model, doesn't have to work, and is guaranteed great playoff/World Series seats! How do I sign up for this gig?!

As long as he's drawing a check, I suggest the Yankees insist he works for it. Can't pitch? How about working a concession stand, operating the Diamond Vision scoreboard, taking over for Cotton-eye Joe, unrolling the tarp during rain delays?

My prediction: Pavano will miss the entire 2007 campaign, too, with assorted injuries and mishaps. He'll return for the last two months of the 2008 season, just in time to rack up 5 or 6 straight wins, which will be enough to sucker some other team into signing him to a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract.

But at least GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees won't have to babysit him any more.

Running the Bases

2006-09-14T19:05:00.000-04:00

This is a new feature where I'll run down some events throughout MLB, not necessarily just from Yankeeland.

Barry Bonds hit his 24th homerun of the season, and 732nd of his career. Does anyone outside of San Francisco really care what steroid-boy is up to? 23 to tie Hank Aaron's record, 24 to break. What a shame. In other news, Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' personal trainer and alleged (ha, ha) steroid supplier, is still rotting in jail for refusing to testify to the grand jury investigating the tainted slugger. Why is this guy taking the fall for Bonds? I hope he's at least getting a good pay-off (but I doubt it).

Derek Jeter's hitting streak is still alive, and now stands at 23 games. Jeter is flat out having an MVP season. Average, OBP, RBI, defense, stolen bases, runs scored, leadership. About the only thing this guy isn't doing for the Yankees is mowing the infield grass (and for all I know, he very well may be).

Dr. Z. It's been at least a week since I've seen a Dr. Z. commercial. I want to thank Daimler-Chrysler for pulling these ads. I can just see the big-wigs at Chrysler being pitched this ad campaign and thinking it was just so clever, one of those campaigns that wins awards and has people standing by the water cooler (or the modern-day equivalent, the printer) talking about how funny it is. It isn't. It wasn't. I mean, what was Chrysler trying to sell me, a car or Dr. Z? Here's a question for Dr. Z.: Did you at least get a new car out of the deal before they axed you?

Francisco Liriano and the Twins got good news and bad news. The bad news is that the lefthander (12-3, 2.16) is out for the rest of the season and playoffs due to a strained ligament near his elbow. The good news is that an MRI showed no structural or ligament damage. He has already begun a rehab program with the hope of being ready for the start of next season.

Wild Card The wild card leaders going into today: San Diego by 2 games over Philadelphia in the N.L, and Minnesota by 2 games in the loss column over the defending World Champion Chicago White Sox.

That's all for now.

Godzilla spotted in New York!

2006-09-13T08:06:00.000-04:00

Hideki Matsui made his long-awaited, triumphant return to the Yankees line-up last night. Starting as the designated hitter—and batting in a very unfamiliar number eight slot—Matsui went 4 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. He even threw in a walk.

When leftfielder Matsui and rightfielder Gary Sheffield went down around the same time in May, it looked like it could be a devastating blow to the Yankees chances of winning the A.L. East, or even the wild card for that matter, with three good teams battling it out in the Central division. But the Yanks didn't panic—this is not their first time in the rodeo. GM Brian Cashman and the front office know it's a loooong season, and panic moves— trades for established stars—will screw you down the road and wipe out your farm system. Instead they brought up Melky Cabrera (see post below) to play left, and used a combination of Bernie Williams and Aaron Guiel in right until someone became available at a reasonable price. That someone was Bobby Abreu, who last night drove in seven runs and upped his combined RBI total for the year to 96.

Back to Matsui. The additions of Cabrera and Abreu solidified the Yankees, and added young blood and an experienced RBI bat to the lineup. The Yanks were complete, and ready to win a championship. But wait! Here comes Hideki! The Yanks offense is so insane now, it's almost unfair. Torre has so many options, he can mix and match, pinch hit, rest players, play the hot hand. And it's not over yet—Gary Sheffield is waiting in the wings, chomping at the bit to get in there and contribute.

Look who is Number 1 in the A.L.!

2006-09-11T07:51:00.000-04:00

New York Yankees
86-56 .606
Detroit Tigers
86-58 .597

The Central division Tigers were the toast of baseball through the first 2/3 of the season, playing .700 ball. Gee, what happened? Not only have they lost their hold on the best record in the league (which determines who has home-field advantage in the playoffs), but they are also on the verge of losing first place. The Minnesota Twins are 2 games back now, but only 1 in the loss column. Meanwhile, in the East, the Yankees continue to steamroll their way to their 9th consecutive division title.

The real story of the '06 Yankees (to be continued)

2006-09-09T22:12:00.000-04:00

To continue my train of thought from the ARod post below...Not only is the national media dropping the ball on the whole issue of why Stadium fans are booing Alex Rodriguez, but in the process (while they're beating the ARod horse to death) they're also missing out on a damn good baseball story. These '06 Yankees are one exciting, driven team.

I love the Yanks, but I have to admit the 2004 and 2005 versions were lacking something. Something intangible. Call it chemistry. Heart. Hunger. No need to recount the '04 disaster. Last season's ALDS loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California who play in Anaheim but are called the Los Angeles Angels in five games was an anti-climatic—but not totally surprising—abrupt end to the season. The '04 and '05 teams were so stacked with all-stars, I think they believed it was their right to play in the World Series without having to put in the work to get there. They were wrong. They were flat, lacked spirit, lacked drive, lacked personality.

Step one to fixing that was the signing of Johnny Damon. He has not only added the spark at the top of the line-up that was missing for so long, but he also added that spark in the clubhouse as well. His presence shouted, Hey, it's fun to play on a great team in front of the greatest fans in the country! Enjoy it!

Then came Melky.

The May injuries to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield forced the Yanks to quickly plug some holes. They called up 21-year old Melky Cabrera (who had a cup of coffee with them last year) to fill in for Matsui in leftfield. He's since become a spark, with his clutch hitting, aggressiveness on the bases, and sterling outfield defense. And who knew he had such a gun for an arm? He always seems to be in the middle of a big rally, or an important defensive play. This kid is good. One wonders what will become of Matsui once he returns from the DL. Could this be another Wally Pipp/Lou Gehrig scenario?

The other young bucks on the team are in their sophomore seasons: 26-year old Chien-Ming Wang who has become the ace of the staff and currently leads the team with 17 wins, and 23-year old Robinson Cano, who is currently batting .337 and has a legitimate shot at a batting title. The future is now.

Throw in newcomers like on-base machine Bobby Abreu, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Myers, and Ron Villone and you have a solid, well-rounded team hungry to bring a championship back to the Bronx. More than any recent team, this one really feels like the teams from the late 90s and '00-'01. You know, the Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius teams.

This is what the media should be talking about. We already know ARod is having an off-season. How about spotlighting some Melky, some Wang, some Cano? How about reporting that the so-called Evil Empire has rebuilt from within, that they are young, hungry, and bound to be a force to be reckoned with for a long time?

How about talking about anything but ARod's strikeouts? Or would that require actual work?

Yes to YES Network Announcers

2006-09-08T23:29:00.000-04:00

The baseball season is a long, 162-game marathon, and the announcers you have to listen to for 6+ months can really add to—or detract from—your enjoyment of the game. Imagine having to listen to a pompous, egomaniacal dolt like Joe Buck every day! Luckily for us Yankees fans, YES has done a good job of hiring their announcers:

Jim Kaat My favorite announcer on the YES Network. Intelligent, well-spoken, insightful, fair, and with a good old-fashioned sense of the game. An old veteran, his smooth style oozes confidence. Love his funny baseball anecdotes, too, especially the one involving Graig Nettles. Back in the day, Kaat was facing Nettles when Nettles stepped out of the box to swat at a butterfly fluttering by. Graig quipped to Kaat, "I thought that was one of your fastballs." Kaat immediately buzzed him with the next pitch.

Ken Singleton My second favorite annoucer on YES, and not just because he's from my hometown of Mt. Vernon, NY. Smooth, assured, and kick-ass knowledgeable about baseball. Ken has a nice, easy-going style that makes you feel like you're sitting in his living room with him, casually discussing the game in progress. A month or so ago, he was forced to announce a game solo, and did an incredible job. Singleton and Kaat could broadcast the phone book to me and I'd listen.

Michael Kay Kay knows his stuff. He can come off a bit arrogant, though, and with his own YES show, CenterStage, he has even more of a reason to have a swelled head and believe he is the star of the YES family. But you know what? I like this guy. He makes some really good points during a game, issues that I myself had been thinking, and he is not afraid to be critical of the Yankees on the air. He doesn't shy away from issues like steroids, and actively tries to engage the other announcers in debates.

Al Leiter Leiter is growing on me. He has a good voice, a strong vocabulary, and is still close enough to the game (having played with most of the guys just last year), that he can really explain what's going on on the field, and what's going through a player's head in a certain situation. Will continue to improve.

Paul O'Neill Paul is likeable, but doesn't work enough games to improve his style. He loves baseball, and that comes through, but sometimes I feel like he'd just rather be on the field. I wonder: If he has a bad game broadcasting, does he knock over the coffee pot?

Bobby Murcer Murcer seems to be the pinch-hitter of the broadcasters, filling in when someone else can't make a road trip. He also seems to be a bit of a failed experiment; YES was probably hoping he'd become the new Phil Rizzuto. A home-grown Yankee who moves into the booth and becomes a lovable personality—folksy, and an obvious rooter for the home team. But it didn't pan out. Sometimes it's painful to listen to the games he broadcasts. But his heart is in the right place.

John Flaherty John Flaherty has made a smooth transition from the field to the broadcast booth. I really like his matter-of-fact style, the catcher's intelligence that he brings to the booth, and the confidence he already displays. I can see him following in Joe Girardi's steps, however, and bring his knowledge of the game into the manager's office.

The Chambliss Tapes

2006-09-07T19:30:00.000-04:00

While the Yankees enjoy a day off as they travel to Baltimore for a four game set, I'll take this opportunity to plug a baseball story written by someone very close to me. The Chambliss Tapes is included in the anthology Rebellion: New Voices of Fiction, published by Rebel Press. It's a time travel story that revolves around Chris Chambliss' historic 1976 A.L. Championship Series pennant-winning walk-off homerun for the New York Yankees. To purchase the book, click on the book cover image to go directly to the Amazon page, or click on the image of Chambliss to visit the publisher's website, where you can buy the book directly.

The Big Unit on the Rise

2006-09-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

Back in the days when Randy Johnson was a hated opponent, I liked to refer to him as the "Big Eunuch." He was anything but impotent, however: the 2001 World Series solidified his Yankee-killer status (he was Co-MVP with another hated opponent, Curt Schilling). Johnson has won 5 Cy Young Awards in his career, including 4 in a row between 1999-2002. He is marching toward 300 wins and a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sometimes I still can't believe he is a Yankee.

Of course, Randy, soon to turn 42, is not the same pitcher he was when he was reeling off all those Cy Youngs. He's lost a mile or two off his fastball, he gives up more than his share of dingers, and his ERA has hovered near 5 all season (though it's been sinking steadily of late).

But this version of Randy Johnson is in some ways better than ever. That's because his early struggles in the first half of 2006 has finally convinced him that he isn't the young flamethrower he once was. He's accepted that fact and moved on, adjusted, become craftier, using his experience to get the outs he needs, without relying on the strikeout. But a funny thing has happened since he's made that adjustment. He's throwing shutout innings, and striking out batters again. Maybe it's just a case of his creaky back feeling good; I think it's mental. He's found his place in the rotation, feels comfortable on the mound, and has learned to trust his catcher, Jorge Posada.

It couldn't happen at a better time.

With the post-season fast approaching, Johnson may become what the Yankees hoped for when they acquired him: an ace to get them over the hump, and bring a World Championship back to the Bronx.

His record is now 16-10, with a 4.76 ERA, and 153 strikeouts. And believe it or not, he actually has a shot at 20 wins. Depending on health, and how Joe Torre sets up his rotation for the post-season, Johnson will have 4 or 5 remaining starts to reach that goal.

Here's hoping the Big Unit comes up big.

So, ARod is Hitting Again...

2006-09-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

He even won the A.L. Player of the Week Award for the period ending September 3! This is good news for Yankee fans, and not just for the obvious reason that he is contributing offensively. It's also good because now the Yankee fans can cheer him again, and we won't have to listen to the likes of Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, and anyone from ESPN's game of the week endlessly repeat their fairy tale of why the Stadium crowd is booing ARod.

They've repeated their theory so many times, it has almost become truth. They should get into politics. This is their belief: Yankee fans will never accept ARod until he wins a championship with the Yanks.

This is complete bullshit. Let me tell you why.

Most of this current team hasn't won a World Series. The core is still there: Jeter, Mariano, Posada, and Bernie. After that, all new blood since the last WS win in 2000. Have the Yank fans not accepted Matsui, Mussina, Giambi, Damon, Cano, Cabrera, Abreu, et al? Of course we have. It has nothing to do with winning a World Series. It has everything to do with performing in the clutch. This is what the fans want and expect. Think of Paul O'Neill fouling off ball after ball until he gets one he can drive. Think of Boggs working an important base on balls. Think Leyritz thrusting the team back into the '96 World Series with one huge swing of his bat. Think of Jeter inside-outing one into right. This is clutch.

Now think of ARod.

For the first half of the 2006 season, the Red Sox were in first place. The Yanks, despite injuries to Matsui, Sheffield, and Cano, made their move on the Sox. The two teams flip-flopped the top position for a while, then NY caught and surpassed Boston, finally putting some distance between them with the historic five game sweep up in Boston. During this whole stretch, ARod was committing throwing errors seemingly every day, and worse, popping up weakly or striking out when we needed him most, with runners in scoring position in a close game. Not even a measly sac fly, or an RBI groundout to push home a run. He (literally) dropped the ball.

Now the Yanks have a nine, ten game lead in the loss column over Boston. And ARod's bat has suddenly come alive. But according to Joe Buck and his ilk, the Yankees fans are booing because ARod hasn't won a World Series, or because Jeter hasn't stood up for ARod and asked the fans to support him. Try again, Buck. The Yanks built a lead despite ARod, not because of him. Now that we have a comfortable lead he has remembered how to hit. This is why we boo.

We want him to do well. We want to clap and whistle. We want to encourage him to come through. We cheer when he approaches the plate with men on. Because there's only one thing we want.

We want clutch.

Designated Blogger

2006-09-03T16:17:00.000-04:00

Now batting, the Designated Blogger...

Welcome to my blog. Here I'll talk mostly, but not exclusively, about my favorite team, the New York Yankees. I welcome comments from readers, and occasionally I'll have a surprise designated blogger pinch-hitting. But for now sit back, grab some peanuts, open a brew, and enjoy some baseball.