The Yankees won their 27th championship tonight, roughly three times as many as any other franchise. They won their second this decade, to go with 4 pennants and 8 division titles, making them once again the team of the decade. I say once again because the Yankees have been the team of the decade 7 times (20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 90's, 00's) out of the 10 full decades in which they have played. The Red Sox were TOTD once, in the 19-teens, the A's were once, in the 1970's, and the dodgers were once, in the 1980's. To beat Pedro not once but twice this Series, to wrest the Team of the Decade mantle out of the hands of the Red Sox, who looked to get it entering the season, is to banish the ghosts of 2004, and even to mitigate the more powerful ghosts of the 2001 desert.
Although this blog has long since been abandoned, I felt I had to mark this occasion if only for one reason. None of this would ever have come to pass had the Yankees stuck with the slow Joe. Giarardi had them playing better fundamental baseball, had them committing to situational hitting, had them running the bases and taking risks, had them playing small ball, had them fielding their postions, all of the things that Torre failed to do. We were right on this blog from day one and the WS championship just proved it. Start Spreading the News. Slow Joe Left Yesterday. And we made a brand new start of it, New York, New York.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Thursday, August 7, 2008
THE LAST POST
When I was two, my dad bought me a tiny wooden bat, a tiny glove and a little rubberish ball...oh yes and a tiny Yankees uniform. He instilled in me a passion for the Bombers that has lasted to this day, taking me from our home in Philadelphia to the Stadium to see Yankees' games. This passion was but a very small bit of the legacy I owe to my father, still the most principled individual I have ever known.
My father died a week ago. After a 15 month battle with stomach cancer, which he had fought to a draw, a bout with viral meningitis, which he won but at great cost, he succombed to yet another infection, of unknown origin, which unexpectedly shut down his organs over the course of 24 hours. I had the excruciating and terrifying experience of watching him go.
In the days immediately following, I resumed my habitual activities and thought I could get on with life more or less normally. But emotionally things have gone from awful to much worse and I find that outside of my family and my friends I have lost heart for everything: for work, for sport, and, yes, for this blog. The need to attend to my father's illnesses has been behind the hiatuses in the blog this summer and now, having caught up the few things I have been meaning to say lately, and with apologies for my truancy, I am going to pull down the curtain, as I probably should have done for good at the end of last season. Good-bye and be well.
I'll give my Dad the last word:
"The problem with mediocre people is not that they are themselves mediocre, but that they have a vested interest in preventing others from rising to excellence." http://williamdvalente.blogspot.com
My father died a week ago. After a 15 month battle with stomach cancer, which he had fought to a draw, a bout with viral meningitis, which he won but at great cost, he succombed to yet another infection, of unknown origin, which unexpectedly shut down his organs over the course of 24 hours. I had the excruciating and terrifying experience of watching him go.
In the days immediately following, I resumed my habitual activities and thought I could get on with life more or less normally. But emotionally things have gone from awful to much worse and I find that outside of my family and my friends I have lost heart for everything: for work, for sport, and, yes, for this blog. The need to attend to my father's illnesses has been behind the hiatuses in the blog this summer and now, having caught up the few things I have been meaning to say lately, and with apologies for my truancy, I am going to pull down the curtain, as I probably should have done for good at the end of last season. Good-bye and be well.
I'll give my Dad the last word:
"The problem with mediocre people is not that they are themselves mediocre, but that they have a vested interest in preventing others from rising to excellence." http://williamdvalente.blogspot.com
RETURN TO WHITENESS
Nomar. Pedro. Orlando Cabrera. Renterria. Soon Julio Lugo. The Red Sox were the last team to break the color line (Pumpsie Green, early sixties) and it was widely understood that the Yawkeys ran a less than racially friendly organization that mirrored the less than racially friendly nature of the city. Now we are seeing a return to the whiteness of the past in the make-up of the Red Sox. When they take the field, the only position player who is a minority is Jacoby Ellsbury, a American Indian. No African Americans, no Latins of color on the field. Outside of Dice-K, the rotation sounds like the board of a yacht club--not just all white but all wasp: Beckett, Bucholz, Lester, Wakefield. The bullpen has two Latins, Lopez and (for now) Del Carmen and of course there is Ortiz. But for comparisons sake look at the Yankees. In additon to an Ameican Indian (damon), they have Posada, Rodriguez and Molina at catcher (that's right they have as many Latins at catcher as the Sox have on their entire team), Cano, Betemit, Jeter, Cabrera, Abreu, Nady, AROD, Rivera, Veras, Marte, Ponson.
When Manny talked about the Sox arganization slandering great players when they wanted to get rid of them, it is worht noting that all of the players he mentioned (or meant) were players of color--which is why Boston currently has the pastiest team in baseball. Is this the way they folks in Boston like it?
When Manny talked about the Sox arganization slandering great players when they wanted to get rid of them, it is worht noting that all of the players he mentioned (or meant) were players of color--which is why Boston currently has the pastiest team in baseball. Is this the way they folks in Boston like it?
RED SOX (AND THE) NATION
When Hank Steinbrenner earlier this year doubted the existence of Red Sox nation, he was widely and perhaps justifiably ridiculed. Sure the existence of some virtual, unofficial community of sorry ass chowderheads can in fact be detected in the universe. But I think he was trying to say something else. I think he was trying to dispute the perception promulgated at ESPN aka Red Sox Network that the Sox had replaced the Yankees as America's team. In that I think he was both right and wrong. The Yankees had not been America's team before, in my view, and the Sox are not America's team now except in the minds of the Baseball Tonight crew who blithely dismiss the heartfelt and entirely correct charges of East coast bias hurled by baseball fans from Atlanta to Seattle. The truth is baseball is too regionalized, despite the existence of national networks, to sustain an" America's team." There are debates about who is the midwest's team (Cubs or Cardinals), California's team (LA or SF), and even Florida's team (the Marlins or the Rays, the latter having recently entered the specious America's team debate).
What the Sox have become, however, since the advent of John Henry's ownership, is an American team. Under the stewardship of the Yawkeys, the Sox remained at once an utterly provincial phenomenon, restricted to Boston, and a strangely international phenomenon, taking their ethos from the mother country of the great majority of the chowderheads, i.e. Ireland. As the great Irish literature of the modern period tells us, byt the end of the Victorian age, if not before, sanctified defeat had become the semi-official ideology of the Emerald Isle. There was seen to be something holy in failure and something correspondingly vulgar in success. The Irish saw their geo-political struggles as at once fated and improving, soemthin beyond their control but something that both contributed and testified to their moral superiority. Such was the attitude of the Red sox fan during the long drought from the sale of Ruth to, roughly, the acquisition of Ortiz. As the ever tiresome, Dan O'Shaughnessy would mander in that insufferable accent of his, The Red Sox were a team of dark destiny, condemned to lose in bizarre and painful ways. But far from accepting this fate as a mark of organizational, let alone cultural inferiority, Boston fans took it as the sign of their purity as supporters of their team and devotees of the game. Losing somehow made them holier than thou, particularly if the thou was a Yankee fan. I would submit that it was not the losing itself that produced this defence mechanism. I come from Philadelphia and our franchise is the losingest in history, and yet I have never heard anyone even suggest the possibility of some moral uplift in that sad state of affairs. No, it was the Irishness of Boston, its infusion with the historical outlook endemic to that land, that gave rise to the single greatest loser-superiority complex in the history of American sport.
But now it is all about winning in Boston, the effect of a certain organizational commitment, the series of near misses after the acquisition of Pedro and Manny and the ultimate breakthrough in 2004. Now when the chowderheads preen themselves on their collective superiority, they do so on the same grounds that Yankee fans always have: the winning quality of their team. The Boston Red Sox are not, Hank is right, America's team. But they are now, at long last, a properly American team. For if, as has been said, America is the one country built not on a bloodline but an idea, that idea is not freedom or equality but winning. The chowderheads have not just joined the party, they have joined the country.
What the Sox have become, however, since the advent of John Henry's ownership, is an American team. Under the stewardship of the Yawkeys, the Sox remained at once an utterly provincial phenomenon, restricted to Boston, and a strangely international phenomenon, taking their ethos from the mother country of the great majority of the chowderheads, i.e. Ireland. As the great Irish literature of the modern period tells us, byt the end of the Victorian age, if not before, sanctified defeat had become the semi-official ideology of the Emerald Isle. There was seen to be something holy in failure and something correspondingly vulgar in success. The Irish saw their geo-political struggles as at once fated and improving, soemthin beyond their control but something that both contributed and testified to their moral superiority. Such was the attitude of the Red sox fan during the long drought from the sale of Ruth to, roughly, the acquisition of Ortiz. As the ever tiresome, Dan O'Shaughnessy would mander in that insufferable accent of his, The Red Sox were a team of dark destiny, condemned to lose in bizarre and painful ways. But far from accepting this fate as a mark of organizational, let alone cultural inferiority, Boston fans took it as the sign of their purity as supporters of their team and devotees of the game. Losing somehow made them holier than thou, particularly if the thou was a Yankee fan. I would submit that it was not the losing itself that produced this defence mechanism. I come from Philadelphia and our franchise is the losingest in history, and yet I have never heard anyone even suggest the possibility of some moral uplift in that sad state of affairs. No, it was the Irishness of Boston, its infusion with the historical outlook endemic to that land, that gave rise to the single greatest loser-superiority complex in the history of American sport.
But now it is all about winning in Boston, the effect of a certain organizational commitment, the series of near misses after the acquisition of Pedro and Manny and the ultimate breakthrough in 2004. Now when the chowderheads preen themselves on their collective superiority, they do so on the same grounds that Yankee fans always have: the winning quality of their team. The Boston Red Sox are not, Hank is right, America's team. But they are now, at long last, a properly American team. For if, as has been said, America is the one country built not on a bloodline but an idea, that idea is not freedom or equality but winning. The chowderheads have not just joined the party, they have joined the country.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
THE LAST STRAW?
The injury to Joba will be widely seen as finishing off the Yankees this season. But the truth is their major problems have persisted even through the post All Star game surge, which ground to a dramatic halt over the last 11 games (4-7). They are still wildly inconsistent on offense, padding their statistics in routs only to surrender games without firing a shot. They still can't seem to beat the Baltimore Orioles. And of course they still leave too many men stranded, wasting chance after chance, even when they win.
In the absence of clueless Joe, two culprits have risen to the fore, Brian Cahsman for assembling this collection of losers and AROD for being the only man in recent baseball history that one could classify as both a superstar and a loser. ut I really have to give Cashboy props for his performance at the deadline. The Nady-Marte trade was brilliant. Whatever Karstens' success in Pittsburgh, he was never going to be given another chance to fail in New York and Nady is just the sort of hitter this lineup needs. As long as Giardi restricts Marte to the lefthanded specialist role--as he failed to do on Monday--he will be an unqualified boon. The Pudge trade wasn't bad either. An improved Farnsworth still wasn't all that dependable and with Bruney back he was also quite expendable. On the other side, the bill of indictments against AROD is getting longer all the time. His 3 homers since the break have all been meaningless; he has taken to hitting into rally killing double plays--one last night and one tonight (which could have been prevented had he bothered to run hard)--and he consistently founders in the late innings unless the Yanks are comfortably ahead. I saw where one wag noted that AROD should be lifted in the seventh for offensive purposes. One at bat really summed up AROD's chokiness for me. In the last game at Fenway the Yankees were down 7-0 in the middle innings, when suddenly they mounted a threat, loading the bases with noone out. Jeter got an infield hit, driving in one run and then a clearly laboring Jon Lester walked Abreu on four pitches. AROD strode to the plate and took the fifth and sixth straight balls from Lester, whose pitch count for the inning was now over 25. The situation clearly called for AROD to take a pitch, unless he got one in his zone. Lester threw a fasball borderline high and in, not the kind of pitch AROD typically drives for his meaningless roundtrippers, but he jumps at it here and hits a soft liner to third for the first out, advancing noone. It is the business of a Mays, a Williams, an Aaron, a Mantle, all the names that AROD is mentioned alongside of, to deliver in just that sort of a situation. It is the habit of AROD to fail, miserably, which makes one wonder why he is placed in their company. They had the nerves; he just has the nervousness.
Actually, AROD has been far worse in the clutch this year than last, when he was receiving such grief from the fans. While his woes have been remarked in print, they no longer prompt outrage at the park, where the faithful seems numbed into resignation or cowed by trhe pundits into accepting empty statistics as the genuine article. Either way the decision, be it Hank's or Cashman's, to sign this guy on for ten years at price that dwarfs the GDP of small nations is the single most destructive error committed by Yankee management in their storied history. Not the stupidest, but the most destructive. The decision may well condemn the Yankees to the longest and most expensive championship drought they have ever experienced. I said AROD did them a huge favor when he opted out and he has done nothing since to prove me wrong. If only they had accepted the gift he was offering them.
In the absence of clueless Joe, two culprits have risen to the fore, Brian Cahsman for assembling this collection of losers and AROD for being the only man in recent baseball history that one could classify as both a superstar and a loser. ut I really have to give Cashboy props for his performance at the deadline. The Nady-Marte trade was brilliant. Whatever Karstens' success in Pittsburgh, he was never going to be given another chance to fail in New York and Nady is just the sort of hitter this lineup needs. As long as Giardi restricts Marte to the lefthanded specialist role--as he failed to do on Monday--he will be an unqualified boon. The Pudge trade wasn't bad either. An improved Farnsworth still wasn't all that dependable and with Bruney back he was also quite expendable. On the other side, the bill of indictments against AROD is getting longer all the time. His 3 homers since the break have all been meaningless; he has taken to hitting into rally killing double plays--one last night and one tonight (which could have been prevented had he bothered to run hard)--and he consistently founders in the late innings unless the Yanks are comfortably ahead. I saw where one wag noted that AROD should be lifted in the seventh for offensive purposes. One at bat really summed up AROD's chokiness for me. In the last game at Fenway the Yankees were down 7-0 in the middle innings, when suddenly they mounted a threat, loading the bases with noone out. Jeter got an infield hit, driving in one run and then a clearly laboring Jon Lester walked Abreu on four pitches. AROD strode to the plate and took the fifth and sixth straight balls from Lester, whose pitch count for the inning was now over 25. The situation clearly called for AROD to take a pitch, unless he got one in his zone. Lester threw a fasball borderline high and in, not the kind of pitch AROD typically drives for his meaningless roundtrippers, but he jumps at it here and hits a soft liner to third for the first out, advancing noone. It is the business of a Mays, a Williams, an Aaron, a Mantle, all the names that AROD is mentioned alongside of, to deliver in just that sort of a situation. It is the habit of AROD to fail, miserably, which makes one wonder why he is placed in their company. They had the nerves; he just has the nervousness.
Actually, AROD has been far worse in the clutch this year than last, when he was receiving such grief from the fans. While his woes have been remarked in print, they no longer prompt outrage at the park, where the faithful seems numbed into resignation or cowed by trhe pundits into accepting empty statistics as the genuine article. Either way the decision, be it Hank's or Cashman's, to sign this guy on for ten years at price that dwarfs the GDP of small nations is the single most destructive error committed by Yankee management in their storied history. Not the stupidest, but the most destructive. The decision may well condemn the Yankees to the longest and most expensive championship drought they have ever experienced. I said AROD did them a huge favor when he opted out and he has done nothing since to prove me wrong. If only they had accepted the gift he was offering them.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
THIRTY TWO AND COUNTING
I know it's Roy Halladay and all, but he has lost 6 times this year, and the degree of Yankee futility on offense is just staggering--just two hits. What is more they wasted another good start (3 runs over 6.2 innings). The starting pitching over the last couple of weeks has been nothing short of stellar and somehow the Yankees have wasted a good deal of it. It won't last of course. Even though the Yanks' pitching is not as bad as advertised, it isn't this good either. By the time the bats wake up, if they wake up, the team will be finding another way to lose half their games.
The Rays are in collapse; the Red Sox aren't that great; the division is really there for the taking. but at this point, I'd say the Orioles are as likely an upstart candidate as the Yankees. Cashman's cure: Richie Sexton. Just what we need: another guy who can't make contact to save his life and sgtays in the league on the strength of the odd home run.
What we do need is a new GM.
The Rays are in collapse; the Red Sox aren't that great; the division is really there for the taking. but at this point, I'd say the Orioles are as likely an upstart candidate as the Yankees. Cashman's cure: Richie Sexton. Just what we need: another guy who can't make contact to save his life and sgtays in the league on the strength of the odd home run.
What we do need is a new GM.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
DO I HEAR THIRTY ONE?
Another game lost on offense--once more against a non-descript lefthander-- and to one of the sorriest teams in MLB. Actually the Yankees managed to lose the series to the Pirates this year--after sweeping them each of the last two. Only 2 runs scored, and you have to put part of this loss on Giardi. He seems to think that just putting nine players out there in pinstripes is sufficient to score and win. Given that you have neither Damon nor Matsui, can someone tell me why the single most productive bat in the lineup, Giambi, is sitting on the bench. I have in the past railed against the offensive futility of Jose Molina, complaingin that the crater sized hole in his bat disqualifies him as a viable back-up catcher. Can someone tell me when and why he became the Yan kees' number one catcher. Game after game Posada either DH's or plays first base, while Molina weakens the bottom of the order. Bad enough. But without the Dh, when playing no way Jose means sitting Giambi or Posada, when it means a bottom third that reads Christian, Molina, Mussina (who had one more hit than Molina by the way), then I don't see why Giardi dopesn't put Posada behind the plate. What's the worst that can happen? He commits a throwing error? Well Molina had one of those as well. Tonight the Yankees' failure to break the two run barrier (which should have a catchy name like the Mendoza line) was less about choking with RISP than fielding a really weak lineup.
Having said that, the weak line-up does put added pressure on the one superstar uniquely unable to handle it. I refer of course to AROD (Reggie had a candy bar named after him; I suggest Alex go with an ice cream treat: Mr. Softy. The last time I lambasted Mr. Softy, Anonymous complained that Abreu had failed just as badly in the same clutch situation. Since then, Abreu has hit a game winning double yesterday and driven in the only two runs tonight while AROD has done...nothing (Mussina had one more hit than he did too). In fact, once Abreu had tied the game in the seventh tonight, AROD cam up with two out and two on and a chance tto get the Yankees the lead or even bust the game open. He bounced out to raise his left on base number for the evening to four. He's just not the kind of superstar that lifts all boats, which is why you cannot surround him with a subpar line-up and expect him to deliver victories.
With the Rays losing again, the Yanks had a chance to get them selves right back in the East division race, and they blew it against a AAA level club. There are no real solutions here, easy or otherwise, but they really need right handed bats.
Last point: it didn't matter tonight, but when Giardi hhas noone to hit after the number six guy, he should bat Cano fifth and Posada sixth. Cano runs well enough to score on a Posada hit, Posada will still be out there on the bases after a Cano hit, waiting for the likes of Molina to push him home.
Having said that, the weak line-up does put added pressure on the one superstar uniquely unable to handle it. I refer of course to AROD (Reggie had a candy bar named after him; I suggest Alex go with an ice cream treat: Mr. Softy. The last time I lambasted Mr. Softy, Anonymous complained that Abreu had failed just as badly in the same clutch situation. Since then, Abreu has hit a game winning double yesterday and driven in the only two runs tonight while AROD has done...nothing (Mussina had one more hit than he did too). In fact, once Abreu had tied the game in the seventh tonight, AROD cam up with two out and two on and a chance tto get the Yankees the lead or even bust the game open. He bounced out to raise his left on base number for the evening to four. He's just not the kind of superstar that lifts all boats, which is why you cannot surround him with a subpar line-up and expect him to deliver victories.
With the Rays losing again, the Yanks had a chance to get them selves right back in the East division race, and they blew it against a AAA level club. There are no real solutions here, easy or otherwise, but they really need right handed bats.
Last point: it didn't matter tonight, but when Giardi hhas noone to hit after the number six guy, he should bat Cano fifth and Posada sixth. Cano runs well enough to score on a Posada hit, Posada will still be out there on the bases after a Cano hit, waiting for the likes of Molina to push him home.
THAT'S THIRTY GAMES
scoring 2 runs or less, while the pitching keeps getting better. The improvement points to the importance of Dave Eyland. We who complained about the incompetence of Mel Stottlemeyer may have been slow to recognize how much better the pitching coach is because Kennedy and Hughes started so slow and then injured themselves. But I think the manifest improvement in middle and set up relief, the salvaging of Moose and Sidney Ponson, the continued development of Joba all indicate that Eyland's promotion to the major league club is paying dividends. The hitting coach...not so much.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A PAIR OF SURPRISING STATS
While the pudits continue to wring their hands over the Yankees pitching, the staff has quietly compiled nine shutouts already this season, as compared with five all of last year. They are not as bad as people think, and the new Joe is clearly superior to the old in one respect, his handling of the bullpen. He even has the big F looking decent. On the other hand the Yankees have already gone 29 games scoring 2 or fewer, as compared with 33 all of last year, testimony to the weak-mindedness of the lineup with men on base. As the trade deadline approaches, maybe the Yankees could use a big righthanded bat==see Matt Holiday--even more than a starting pitcher.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
THAT'S TWO
late inning, game-winning RBI's for Gardner on successive days. Does anyone on the team have that many for the entire season. Maybe Giambi. Certainly not AROD.
LOL
A nice win yesterday, almost undone by Mike Lowell. His RBI liner against Mo in the ninth was an utterly representative at bat for him. He is at this moment one of the five most important bats, as far as winning games is concerned, in the entire American League. And we could have had him. Well at least we have Brett Gardner to produce the game winning Ribbies.
Friday, July 4, 2008
UNHEIMLICH
It was uncanny that the day after I called for Hank to fire somebody or send people down, he gave the team a tonguelashing and a warning that players would be sent down soon. It worked for exactly one game, before the Yankees turned in perhaps their worst performance all year on Thursday night. Once again the failure to field (big error by Jeter) and the failure to hit in big spots did them in. Thew same thing today. And as always the poster child for the category of superstar loser is AROD. With the Yankees up 12-7 Wednesday night, AROD launches one of his typically pointless 3 run homers to pull him within one of Mickey Mantle, one fo the greatest clutch players in the history of the game. Last night, with the Yanks having given up 2 in the first on the Jeter error, AROD comes up with runners on first and third, one out. It is the type of situation in which you have to produce a run--to close the gap, to put pressure on Lester, to make him throw more pitches. Instead, Mr. Overrated gets impatient and swings at a ball eight inches wide of the strike zone for a K. It sets off a contagion of impatience on the Yankees part--they start swinging at every first pitch. Today, AROD comes up with the bases loaded, 2 outs, bottom of the seventh. The Yankees have chased Beckett, but thanks to a mike Lowell home run they trail 6-3. AROD proceeds to bounce out, killing the rally and consolidating the Yankees spot as the worst hitting team with the bases loaded in all of baseball.
This is no coincedence. With AROD's lifetime contract in place, the Yankees are his team and they have increasingly taken on his personality, or I should say gag reflex. No sooner is he installed as the permanent "man" on the team than their RISP numbers, never great, go through the floor. He is Mr. Unheimlich--in the sense of Mr. Uncanny, a superstar who not only doesn't make the players around him better but actually makes them worse--and in the sense of Mr. Unheimlich Maneuver, the man who just can't stop choking.
When AROD tried to do the Yankees the same favor slow Joe did by opting out of his contract, I said right off let him go and then overpay significantly to get Mike Lowell--knowing of course that even an obscene overpayment would still be dwarfed by the AROD contract. Well, I was right. Not only is Lowell much cheaper, not only is he one of the great clubhouse presences in all of baseball, not only is he a proven winner to AROD's proven loser, he is a better all-around baseball player than AROD: a better glove at third, a better arm at third, a much better hitter in big situations with men on base.
For whatever reason, the fans at the stadium have stopped making AROD's life miserable. Have they bought into the pundit's excoriation of their lack of taste or baseball knowledge, have they just gotten tired, have they been discouraged by the 10 year contract? I wish they would start again, because it is only by tormenting him that we can ever get rid of him. I've given up on the idea that he will ever be a winner as well as a superstar.
And frankly I don't see how his recent move from common whores to celebrity skanks can help.
This is no coincedence. With AROD's lifetime contract in place, the Yankees are his team and they have increasingly taken on his personality, or I should say gag reflex. No sooner is he installed as the permanent "man" on the team than their RISP numbers, never great, go through the floor. He is Mr. Unheimlich--in the sense of Mr. Uncanny, a superstar who not only doesn't make the players around him better but actually makes them worse--and in the sense of Mr. Unheimlich Maneuver, the man who just can't stop choking.
When AROD tried to do the Yankees the same favor slow Joe did by opting out of his contract, I said right off let him go and then overpay significantly to get Mike Lowell--knowing of course that even an obscene overpayment would still be dwarfed by the AROD contract. Well, I was right. Not only is Lowell much cheaper, not only is he one of the great clubhouse presences in all of baseball, not only is he a proven winner to AROD's proven loser, he is a better all-around baseball player than AROD: a better glove at third, a better arm at third, a much better hitter in big situations with men on base.
For whatever reason, the fans at the stadium have stopped making AROD's life miserable. Have they bought into the pundit's excoriation of their lack of taste or baseball knowledge, have they just gotten tired, have they been discouraged by the 10 year contract? I wish they would start again, because it is only by tormenting him that we can ever get rid of him. I've given up on the idea that he will ever be a winner as well as a superstar.
And frankly I don't see how his recent move from common whores to celebrity skanks can help.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
IT'S TIME FOR HANK
rto fire somebody. Frankly, I don't care who it is. But somebody needs to go to show this team theis bair current level of play is not acceptable. And if the firing doesn't work, it's time to send some superstars down to double A and make them ride buses for awhile.
This is a team that supposedly has pitching problems holding down the best offense in baseball. And for the third consecutive game and the sixth time in recent memory, the Yanks offense wastes good to great pitching and loses a game that was there for the taking. Probably they'll wind up getting swept at home by a mediocre team, the second time that has happened this year. Why? Start with the familiar. They cannot hit with men on base. They left 15 this game. If you took the Yankees WHGP (walks and hits per game) and divided it by their RPG, I'm sure the number, the WQ or Wastage Quotient, would be higher than any team in the league. If you did the same division for just the 7th through 9th innings, it would be astronomically higher than any other team. Is this Giardi's fault? Not Really. But he can't be sitting important components--in this game Jeter and Matsui--when the team is misfiring this badly. Stop babying these guys. Let them play hurt once in a while, and let it be known, the more the team loses the less you give a damn about individual aches and pains.
I had really hoped that the hiring of Giardi would mean an end to the mollycoddling of Mama Joe. But in this, as in other areas discussed here, Giardi has been much less of a change agent than advertised. This team should be ashamed of itself, and the manager and owner, as well as the fans, should let them know it.
One more thing. Why doesn't Giardi understand at this point that you simply do not pitch Rivera in a tie game. Look at the stats: without a lead to protect, Rivera is not great, not good, not even average; he stinks, as his ERA, 4.oo, proves beyond doubt. In a tie game you are actually better off with Farnsworth.
This is a team that supposedly has pitching problems holding down the best offense in baseball. And for the third consecutive game and the sixth time in recent memory, the Yanks offense wastes good to great pitching and loses a game that was there for the taking. Probably they'll wind up getting swept at home by a mediocre team, the second time that has happened this year. Why? Start with the familiar. They cannot hit with men on base. They left 15 this game. If you took the Yankees WHGP (walks and hits per game) and divided it by their RPG, I'm sure the number, the WQ or Wastage Quotient, would be higher than any team in the league. If you did the same division for just the 7th through 9th innings, it would be astronomically higher than any other team. Is this Giardi's fault? Not Really. But he can't be sitting important components--in this game Jeter and Matsui--when the team is misfiring this badly. Stop babying these guys. Let them play hurt once in a while, and let it be known, the more the team loses the less you give a damn about individual aches and pains.
I had really hoped that the hiring of Giardi would mean an end to the mollycoddling of Mama Joe. But in this, as in other areas discussed here, Giardi has been much less of a change agent than advertised. This team should be ashamed of itself, and the manager and owner, as well as the fans, should let them know it.
One more thing. Why doesn't Giardi understand at this point that you simply do not pitch Rivera in a tie game. Look at the stats: without a lead to protect, Rivera is not great, not good, not even average; he stinks, as his ERA, 4.oo, proves beyond doubt. In a tie game you are actually better off with Farnsworth.
Monday, June 30, 2008
THE CURSE REVERSED
I don't believe in curses, Bamino or otherwise, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that those who do ought to at least respect the logic of the curse when speculating as to its origins.
There seems to be a view in Chowderville and its propaganda machine (ESPN) that the Red Sox reversed the curse of the Bambino in 2004, when they won 4 straight to take the ALCS. But if the curse were still in effect to that point, it stands to reason, then the feast itself would mhave been rendered impossible from the start. To suggest otherwise is to confuse cause and effect, the lifting of the curse with the proof of its having been lifted.
Others have pointed to the acquisition of AROD as the point of reversal and I think this is closer to the truth. AROD is after all as giant a disappointment ans the Babe was an unqualified boon. The Babe held the record for World series homers for 35 years until the Mick broke it in 1964 (interestingly, a Series that spelled the true end of the Yankees dynasty circa 1924-1964 (or Babe to Gehrig to Dimaggio to Berra to Mantle to Maris). AROD of course is the very reversal of that clutch proficiency--the incredible shrinking postseason performer. But still the logic isn't quite right. After all the curse started with the Yankees taking a star from the Sox; it should be reversed with the Sox taking one form the Yanks, or the Yanks not taking one from the Sox, i. e. failing to capitalize on the kind of opportunity that got the curse rolling.
And now we can see exactly where the curse got reversed. In 2002, the Red Sox grew fed up with the one modern day ballplayer who rivals Babe Ruth in hitting for average, hitting with power, hitting in the clutch combined with being a clown, being colorful, and being beloved for both. I refer of course to Manny Ramirez, whose signature epithet, it's Manny being Manny, could just as easily read it's Manny channeling the Babe. Now the Red Sox did something arguably as stupid as selling the Babe to finance No No Nanette. They put Manny on waivers with absolutely no intention of pulling him off if they could get someone to pick up his 18mil per year salary. It was widely understood at that point that only the Yankees would be willing to throw that kind of money around and Manny made his willingness to go to the Yankees no secret. For mere money, albeit a lot of money, the Yankees secured the Babe and became the most successful franchise in sports history. Fro mere money, albeit a lot of money, they could have secured Manny Ramirez and extended that 29th century success story into the new millenium. But they failed to secure the man who, more than Mantle or Dimaggio or Gehrig or Jackson is the heir to Babe Ruth as the premiere idiot savant hitter of his time, a man who doesn't know enough or care enough to feel pressure and so doesn't know enough or care enough to let his prodigious talents down. The Yankees let the Red Sox, no made the Red Sox keep the new Babe and made possible the reverse of the curse. As invincibly stupid as they had become, the Red Sox still looked to dump Manny for AROD and insead of letting them do it, the Yankees redoubled their error by swooping in and snatching up a man whose all around abilities as a ballplayers are exceeded only by his all around debilities as a loser. Of course had the Yankees taken the original gift, or rather the Ruthian sequel, the Red Sox would have had nothing to barter for AROD, the Yankees would have felt no need to pursue him, and he would still be putting up outrageous numbers in Arlington or some other backwater where nobody expects you to win or blames you for losing.
The Yankees reversed the curse themselves by failing to recognize in the Ranirez salary/attitude dump the second coming of the Ruth sale and all that went with it. Since then, it has been the Red Sox who get the decent players that just seem to fit in so well, the Orlando Cabreras, the Mike Lowells, the Bill Muellers. These are the modern day equivalents of a
Scott Brosius, Oscar Gamble, Bucky Dent, Mariano Duncan, the effects of a charmed baseball life.
Or they would be if curses really existed.
There seems to be a view in Chowderville and its propaganda machine (ESPN) that the Red Sox reversed the curse of the Bambino in 2004, when they won 4 straight to take the ALCS. But if the curse were still in effect to that point, it stands to reason, then the feast itself would mhave been rendered impossible from the start. To suggest otherwise is to confuse cause and effect, the lifting of the curse with the proof of its having been lifted.
Others have pointed to the acquisition of AROD as the point of reversal and I think this is closer to the truth. AROD is after all as giant a disappointment ans the Babe was an unqualified boon. The Babe held the record for World series homers for 35 years until the Mick broke it in 1964 (interestingly, a Series that spelled the true end of the Yankees dynasty circa 1924-1964 (or Babe to Gehrig to Dimaggio to Berra to Mantle to Maris). AROD of course is the very reversal of that clutch proficiency--the incredible shrinking postseason performer. But still the logic isn't quite right. After all the curse started with the Yankees taking a star from the Sox; it should be reversed with the Sox taking one form the Yanks, or the Yanks not taking one from the Sox, i. e. failing to capitalize on the kind of opportunity that got the curse rolling.
And now we can see exactly where the curse got reversed. In 2002, the Red Sox grew fed up with the one modern day ballplayer who rivals Babe Ruth in hitting for average, hitting with power, hitting in the clutch combined with being a clown, being colorful, and being beloved for both. I refer of course to Manny Ramirez, whose signature epithet, it's Manny being Manny, could just as easily read it's Manny channeling the Babe. Now the Red Sox did something arguably as stupid as selling the Babe to finance No No Nanette. They put Manny on waivers with absolutely no intention of pulling him off if they could get someone to pick up his 18mil per year salary. It was widely understood at that point that only the Yankees would be willing to throw that kind of money around and Manny made his willingness to go to the Yankees no secret. For mere money, albeit a lot of money, the Yankees secured the Babe and became the most successful franchise in sports history. Fro mere money, albeit a lot of money, they could have secured Manny Ramirez and extended that 29th century success story into the new millenium. But they failed to secure the man who, more than Mantle or Dimaggio or Gehrig or Jackson is the heir to Babe Ruth as the premiere idiot savant hitter of his time, a man who doesn't know enough or care enough to feel pressure and so doesn't know enough or care enough to let his prodigious talents down. The Yankees let the Red Sox, no made the Red Sox keep the new Babe and made possible the reverse of the curse. As invincibly stupid as they had become, the Red Sox still looked to dump Manny for AROD and insead of letting them do it, the Yankees redoubled their error by swooping in and snatching up a man whose all around abilities as a ballplayers are exceeded only by his all around debilities as a loser. Of course had the Yankees taken the original gift, or rather the Ruthian sequel, the Red Sox would have had nothing to barter for AROD, the Yankees would have felt no need to pursue him, and he would still be putting up outrageous numbers in Arlington or some other backwater where nobody expects you to win or blames you for losing.
The Yankees reversed the curse themselves by failing to recognize in the Ranirez salary/attitude dump the second coming of the Ruth sale and all that went with it. Since then, it has been the Red Sox who get the decent players that just seem to fit in so well, the Orlando Cabreras, the Mike Lowells, the Bill Muellers. These are the modern day equivalents of a
Scott Brosius, Oscar Gamble, Bucky Dent, Mariano Duncan, the effects of a charmed baseball life.
Or they would be if curses really existed.
WITH APOLOGIES TO ALANIS MORRISETTE
Everyone is still talking about the Yankees weakness in the starting rotation, which the huge injury to Wang has so magnified. but if you look at the times the bats let down the starters just this month, you are looking at the difference between a first place club, believe it or not, and what they are (i.e. bums). Giese should have won one he lost, Rasner two, and Mussina tonight. They are currently 5 games over 500. Switch those games and they are 13 over and tied with the Sox if not the Rays. In the game they lost for 'rasner in cincy, they put 18 men on base and brought not a single one home, thereby confirming themselves as world class gag-meisters. They just lost two games in a row, in which they only got 1 run and 4 hits in each against 2 of the crappiest pitchers in baseball. The Red sox are way overrated this year, but at least they eat guys like Feldman and Perez for breakfast, instead of choking on the opportunity. And once again you hear nothing from the new Joe but the same old. "well, we had our chances..." You know, I don't expect him to rip the likes of Geise or Ponson or even Moilina or Betemit. But when you let your stars let the team down in the clutch night after night, I expect him to light a fire under them, the burning sensation of shame. Right now, he's acting as torpid as the old Joe in his last days.
Here's the weird thing: if the Yankees' bats were as good as advertised, they could probably make it to the playoffs in a year when parity reigns in the AL. And if they made it to the playoffs, they'd be in a better position to win it all than at any time since at least 2004, maybe 2002. They would at last have a power number 1 (Joba), a battle tested and suddenly rejuvenated number 2 (Pettite) and a fully rested number 3 (Wang). On the other hand, as things currently stand, no improvement in their supposedly awful starting pitching would make much difference. Santana would probably be 7-7 just as he is with the Mets, and I don't think sabathia would fare all that much better. This is lppking more and more like the lost season it was always cracked up to be, but the names on the futility are Cano and Jeter, Posada and Abreu, Molina and, most of all AROD, who has quietly continued his penchant for getting the hits when they need them least and, as the reigning superstar, has cast the entire team in that mold.
Here's the weird thing: if the Yankees' bats were as good as advertised, they could probably make it to the playoffs in a year when parity reigns in the AL. And if they made it to the playoffs, they'd be in a better position to win it all than at any time since at least 2004, maybe 2002. They would at last have a power number 1 (Joba), a battle tested and suddenly rejuvenated number 2 (Pettite) and a fully rested number 3 (Wang). On the other hand, as things currently stand, no improvement in their supposedly awful starting pitching would make much difference. Santana would probably be 7-7 just as he is with the Mets, and I don't think sabathia would fare all that much better. This is lppking more and more like the lost season it was always cracked up to be, but the names on the futility are Cano and Jeter, Posada and Abreu, Molina and, most of all AROD, who has quietly continued his penchant for getting the hits when they need them least and, as the reigning superstar, has cast the entire team in that mold.
Monday, June 9, 2008
THIS IS JUST SICKENING
The Yankees split a 4 game series at home against the single worst road team in baseball. and once again, it came down to the fact that these are the anti-Yankees, a team that is at its worst when things are on the line. After another miraculous performance by a man with literally no stuff at all, the Yankees had a chance to win in the 8th and again in the 9th and failed to bring anyone home. Two lousy runs against mediocre Royal pitching is just plain unacceptable. And look Matsui is near the top of the baatting table, so is Damon, so is AROD, Giambi is on fire etc and still they don't score whe n they need to. And now a sad and intractable contradiction has become all too clear. I've been saying the Yankees need to play small ball for years, but now that they have a manager willing to do it--Giardi sacrificed at the perfect time in the eighth, they have a team so overtaken by therir own gag reflex that they can't cash the opportunites that brand of baseball survives. After the game, Giardi said, with a futility that recalled that other Joe, "We had our chances and we just kept battling." Translation: we just kept creating opportunites for ourselves to fail, and fail we did.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
UPON FURTHER REVIEW,
this team really is that bad. Despite Giambi improving his batting average by 100 points and Canoeimproving his by 65, despite Damon going from 250 to 320, and despite the return of AROD and Posada, this team still can't reach the 500 mark. Why is that? Two reasons.
1.There is no clutch in this team. The RISP number continues dreadful. They got 15 hits in a 6-5 loss to Minnesota and it took them 12 hits to get 5 runs the other night. No team does less with more than the Yankees offensively. A comparative sabremetric can pretty reliably tell you how clutch your team it is. It is the reverse of what we called the "differential" in past years. Take your BA, OBP and OPS with no RISP and with RISP and compare the numbers. This is the everday equivalent of hitting in May vs. hitting in September, or hitting in the regular season vs. hitting in the playoffs. When you look at how poorly the Yankees have fared in this comparison over the past three years, it is no wonder they can't advance in the playoffs. I used to think this was a function of having too few contact hitters. But at least 2/3 of this lineup would qualify. Tasking their cue, as teams usually do, from their reigning "MVP", they are simply awful clutch performers. It is interesting to note that the heart of this lineup has four stars and 2 sometime superstars (Abreu, Matsui, AROD, Giambi),who are all veterans past thirty, who have not a single ring among them, who are all likely to retire ringless in fact. That says something about the temper of this lineup. So when you hear the Yankee players interviewed after a loss, saying as they alway do, that they had their opportunities, please believe them. They did. And then do the necessary translation. "We choked--again."
Update proving my point. Last night the Yankees got 9 hits, three of them doubles and scored just one run, wasting a great outing from Rasner. They don't make productive outs, they don't move runners, they don't come through. Simple as that. They are talented, but they suck!
2. This team has perhaps the worst GM in baseball. The only time the Yanks look at all hopeful this year is when they are playing the Mariners at the Stadium, where the visitors are even more hapless than usual. the last time this happened the Yanks had a legitmate chance to build around that homestand and fashion a ten game winning streak, the kind of run that can't really kindle a season. They didn't, of course, and one man was the reason. That man was the latest addition to the Yankees bullpen, the latest free agent RP signing-disaster. I bring you, in the tradition of Felix Heredia, Kyle Farnsworth, Scott Proctor, the other guy from the Reds whose name I have repressed he was so fucking bad, Cris Britton, Luis Vizcaino, even Tom Gordon...yes its Latroy Hawkins. Rasner goes to the seventh giving up one run, Hawkins gives up three in one inning and they blow game one to the Orioles. The next night, Hawkins enters in the tenth with a one run lead, gives up to in a third of an inning, and they blow game 2 to the Orioles. Now allergic to Hawkins, Giardi leaves Pettite in an inng too long and he gives up the tying run to Minnesota, the 8th is now Farnsworth's and he gives up the winning run. This is the bullpen that the Cashboy built. This is his legacy.
Update proving my point. Giardi now has so little faith in his bullpen that in the 7th inning of a 6-6 game, with the bases loaded and Guillen, who has already homered at the plate, he leaves in Pettite, even though he's already thrown 110 pitches and hasn't been sharp at all. The 111th is a grand slam to make it a 10-6 game. The Yankees are about to lose their second in a row to the Royals at the Stadium--the Royals, mind you, who just finished losing 11 in a row on the road, including being swept at Fenway.
This team is fucking pathetic, and Giardi shouldn't wait for Hank to say so. He should rip them publically for the overproiced underachievers they are, he and do it now. He should make it clear we're not dealing with your father's Joe anymore.
And since Hank is making noise about re-signing Cashboy, Giardi should make it clear he won't stay on under the current General Managership. There's no reason he should have to fight his own pitching staff for the next three years. As a former catcher, I'm certain he recognizes just how inept Cashboy has always been in evaluating pitching talent.
1.There is no clutch in this team. The RISP number continues dreadful. They got 15 hits in a 6-5 loss to Minnesota and it took them 12 hits to get 5 runs the other night. No team does less with more than the Yankees offensively. A comparative sabremetric can pretty reliably tell you how clutch your team it is. It is the reverse of what we called the "differential" in past years. Take your BA, OBP and OPS with no RISP and with RISP and compare the numbers. This is the everday equivalent of hitting in May vs. hitting in September, or hitting in the regular season vs. hitting in the playoffs. When you look at how poorly the Yankees have fared in this comparison over the past three years, it is no wonder they can't advance in the playoffs. I used to think this was a function of having too few contact hitters. But at least 2/3 of this lineup would qualify. Tasking their cue, as teams usually do, from their reigning "MVP", they are simply awful clutch performers. It is interesting to note that the heart of this lineup has four stars and 2 sometime superstars (Abreu, Matsui, AROD, Giambi),who are all veterans past thirty, who have not a single ring among them, who are all likely to retire ringless in fact. That says something about the temper of this lineup. So when you hear the Yankee players interviewed after a loss, saying as they alway do, that they had their opportunities, please believe them. They did. And then do the necessary translation. "We choked--again."
Update proving my point. Last night the Yankees got 9 hits, three of them doubles and scored just one run, wasting a great outing from Rasner. They don't make productive outs, they don't move runners, they don't come through. Simple as that. They are talented, but they suck!
2. This team has perhaps the worst GM in baseball. The only time the Yanks look at all hopeful this year is when they are playing the Mariners at the Stadium, where the visitors are even more hapless than usual. the last time this happened the Yanks had a legitmate chance to build around that homestand and fashion a ten game winning streak, the kind of run that can't really kindle a season. They didn't, of course, and one man was the reason. That man was the latest addition to the Yankees bullpen, the latest free agent RP signing-disaster. I bring you, in the tradition of Felix Heredia, Kyle Farnsworth, Scott Proctor, the other guy from the Reds whose name I have repressed he was so fucking bad, Cris Britton, Luis Vizcaino, even Tom Gordon...yes its Latroy Hawkins. Rasner goes to the seventh giving up one run, Hawkins gives up three in one inning and they blow game one to the Orioles. The next night, Hawkins enters in the tenth with a one run lead, gives up to in a third of an inning, and they blow game 2 to the Orioles. Now allergic to Hawkins, Giardi leaves Pettite in an inng too long and he gives up the tying run to Minnesota, the 8th is now Farnsworth's and he gives up the winning run. This is the bullpen that the Cashboy built. This is his legacy.
Update proving my point. Giardi now has so little faith in his bullpen that in the 7th inning of a 6-6 game, with the bases loaded and Guillen, who has already homered at the plate, he leaves in Pettite, even though he's already thrown 110 pitches and hasn't been sharp at all. The 111th is a grand slam to make it a 10-6 game. The Yankees are about to lose their second in a row to the Royals at the Stadium--the Royals, mind you, who just finished losing 11 in a row on the road, including being swept at Fenway.
This team is fucking pathetic, and Giardi shouldn't wait for Hank to say so. He should rip them publically for the overproiced underachievers they are, he and do it now. He should make it clear we're not dealing with your father's Joe anymore.
And since Hank is making noise about re-signing Cashboy, Giardi should make it clear he won't stay on under the current General Managership. There's no reason he should have to fight his own pitching staff for the next three years. As a former catcher, I'm certain he recognizes just how inept Cashboy has always been in evaluating pitching talent.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
HANK SAID
he'd be the next Billy Martin, and tonight Joe looked the part, kicking dirt, his hat, and anything else in sight. And while he said he did not have firing up his listless troops, whose offensive had once again gone completely in the tank, the results say otherwise.
By the way, a classic AROD at bat in the ninth inning. Man on first, noone out, and a run wins the game. So many ways to help the team out in that situation, but all AROD can think is home run, so of course he strikes out. There out to be a statistic: in clutch situations what is your ratio of hits, walks, sacrifices, sac flies, or productive outs to your total at bats under those circumstances. Scary to think what a low average the half-billion dollar man puts up.
Well, at least Kennedy looked like last year for once. I wonder if knowing Joba was coming on board so he doesn't have to carry the youth corps burden alone helped take the pressure off.
By the way, a classic AROD at bat in the ninth inning. Man on first, noone out, and a run wins the game. So many ways to help the team out in that situation, but all AROD can think is home run, so of course he strikes out. There out to be a statistic: in clutch situations what is your ratio of hits, walks, sacrifices, sac flies, or productive outs to your total at bats under those circumstances. Scary to think what a low average the half-billion dollar man puts up.
Well, at least Kennedy looked like last year for once. I wonder if knowing Joba was coming on board so he doesn't have to carry the youth corps burden alone helped take the pressure off.
HANK SAYS
THERE IS NO USE KEEPING JOBA FOR THE 8TH IF YOU CAN NEVER USE HIM. WOULD THE RED SOX SAVE BECKETT FOR THE 8TH INNING?
For all the shit Hank takes, he actually knows something about baseball.
For all the shit Hank takes, he actually knows something about baseball.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
ONE STEP FORWARD AND
ONE STEP BACK.
Back on April 30, I suggested the Yanks might as well move Joba to the rotation since they didn't have enough chances to win by the eigth inning to make his presence there worthwhile. So I'm glad they've started the process. as a true power pitcher, he will be less dependent on their pathetic excuse for a defense than the other starters. He also might, if successful, take some of the pressure off hughes and Kennedy. Still, this will make things harder on the veterans. If the big F moves to the eighth, more games will undoubtedly be blown there, and what's more, Hawkins suddenly becomes the main man in middle relief, and I'm not certain he is good enough to be a mop up guy anymore. The problem I outlinewd in the last post will only be exacerbated. That is particularly true when you consider that pitch to contact guys like Pettite and particularly Mussina are very easy to foul off. Every defensive mistake forcing them to face an extra batter means 5-7 added pitches, driving up their counts, shortening their outings, making them more liable to error and even more dependent upon a non-existent middle relief corps. Maybe they should try bringing someone up from the minors and hoping he works out. How about that Patterson who pitched 23 scoreless innings in the spring. Desparate times.
Well, AROD has his last place swagger going doesn't he?
Last night I bemoaned the Yankees lack of an offensive philosophy. After further thought, I realized this is even more a product of bad team composition than I originally imagined. Last year, the Yanks had a clear identity: run up pitch counts, exhaust starters, score off of middle relievers; hold on with Mo. But last year they had a stronger veteran comoponent to the rotation. Baseball as we all know is not just an athletic competition, it is a strategic battle. But that strategic battle is not just cognitive: it is psychological warfare. When you have young pitchers, you need to get them run support early in the game. When Hughes and Kennedy have been left without runs into the fourth they press and then they collapse. But it is not just them. Look at the Red Sox. When the youngsters Lester and Bucholz get early run support, they pitch well; when they don't, they typically lose their composure and the game between the third and fifth inning. The patience of last year will not work as a strategy of support for these young pitchers. The Yankees need quick runs, which means they need not just to be more aggressive at the plate, but on the bases as well.
To this end, I think Jeter ought to be hitting lead-off, Abreu second, and Cano third, a position which will force him to stay back on the ball and go middle-left. Matsui could bat fourth since he's still your most reliable RBI guy, AROD can bat fifth, where he can swing for the fences all he wants, Posada can bat sixth when he returns (and they should bring him back as a DH as soon as his time on the DL is up), Cabera could bat seventh, and after that I really don't care. If there is someone in the minors who can actually play first base well, maybe they could bring him up. I'm certain he could hit the 180 or so that Giambi is hitting. Lastly, now that I have established in a perfectly respectable sabremetric way that Molina is even more hapless than previously believe, I notice that Moeller is hitting 262 or 80 points better than Giambi, 70 points better than Duncan, 62 points better than Molina and 50 or so points better than Cano. So let him play awhile. You can't do worse than the alternative.
Baseball is such a team game, all appearance to the contrary, that htere is even a hidden interactivity between offensive philosophy and pitching success. The Yankees have to start thinking the gestalt of baseball if they are to avoid disgacing themselves this year.
Back on April 30, I suggested the Yanks might as well move Joba to the rotation since they didn't have enough chances to win by the eigth inning to make his presence there worthwhile. So I'm glad they've started the process. as a true power pitcher, he will be less dependent on their pathetic excuse for a defense than the other starters. He also might, if successful, take some of the pressure off hughes and Kennedy. Still, this will make things harder on the veterans. If the big F moves to the eighth, more games will undoubtedly be blown there, and what's more, Hawkins suddenly becomes the main man in middle relief, and I'm not certain he is good enough to be a mop up guy anymore. The problem I outlinewd in the last post will only be exacerbated. That is particularly true when you consider that pitch to contact guys like Pettite and particularly Mussina are very easy to foul off. Every defensive mistake forcing them to face an extra batter means 5-7 added pitches, driving up their counts, shortening their outings, making them more liable to error and even more dependent upon a non-existent middle relief corps. Maybe they should try bringing someone up from the minors and hoping he works out. How about that Patterson who pitched 23 scoreless innings in the spring. Desparate times.
Well, AROD has his last place swagger going doesn't he?
Last night I bemoaned the Yankees lack of an offensive philosophy. After further thought, I realized this is even more a product of bad team composition than I originally imagined. Last year, the Yanks had a clear identity: run up pitch counts, exhaust starters, score off of middle relievers; hold on with Mo. But last year they had a stronger veteran comoponent to the rotation. Baseball as we all know is not just an athletic competition, it is a strategic battle. But that strategic battle is not just cognitive: it is psychological warfare. When you have young pitchers, you need to get them run support early in the game. When Hughes and Kennedy have been left without runs into the fourth they press and then they collapse. But it is not just them. Look at the Red Sox. When the youngsters Lester and Bucholz get early run support, they pitch well; when they don't, they typically lose their composure and the game between the third and fifth inning. The patience of last year will not work as a strategy of support for these young pitchers. The Yankees need quick runs, which means they need not just to be more aggressive at the plate, but on the bases as well.
To this end, I think Jeter ought to be hitting lead-off, Abreu second, and Cano third, a position which will force him to stay back on the ball and go middle-left. Matsui could bat fourth since he's still your most reliable RBI guy, AROD can bat fifth, where he can swing for the fences all he wants, Posada can bat sixth when he returns (and they should bring him back as a DH as soon as his time on the DL is up), Cabera could bat seventh, and after that I really don't care. If there is someone in the minors who can actually play first base well, maybe they could bring him up. I'm certain he could hit the 180 or so that Giambi is hitting. Lastly, now that I have established in a perfectly respectable sabremetric way that Molina is even more hapless than previously believe, I notice that Moeller is hitting 262 or 80 points better than Giambi, 70 points better than Duncan, 62 points better than Molina and 50 or so points better than Cano. So let him play awhile. You can't do worse than the alternative.
Baseball is such a team game, all appearance to the contrary, that htere is even a hidden interactivity between offensive philosophy and pitching success. The Yankees have to start thinking the gestalt of baseball if they are to avoid disgacing themselves this year.
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