So, the biggest question heading into the postseason will be how the starting rotation is going to stack up against the opponents'. With the inconsistency of AJ Burnett and the outright ineffectiveness of Joba Chamberlain, many pundits believe that this achilles heel will eventually undercut the team with the best record in MLB. Despite these alleged struggles, the Yankees easily have the best record in the majors over the last two months. When prognosticating the playoffs, you must analyze the game-to-game matchups. Let's assume Detroit holds on to the Central and face the Yanks in the ALDS. Next, we'll assume Boston takes the Wild Card and subsequently ousts the Angels, which happens in October about as frequently as the leaves changing. Looking at the potential head to head matchups, the Yankees rotation may not be in as bad shape as many think.
Game 1, CC Sabathia
CC's playoff struggles are well documented, although quite overblown. Sabathia has made only two playoff appearances, and they were six seasons apart. The small sample size leads me to believe he is better analyzed by the way he is pitching now, rather than as a 21 year old for the 2001 Indians. CC has been one of the best starters in the AL in the second half, leading the league with 17 wins on the season. The most encouraging part of his season is the way he's pitched against the better teams. Along with his memorable near perfect game against Boston, his two worst starts of the season have been against Seattle, a team that will be as far from the playoffs as their home city is from any other MLB team. If CC can take Game 1 of the ALDS against the Tigers, that series is essentially over. With the Kittie's light hitting lineup and porous bullpen, their only hope is for fireballing ace Justin Verlander to steal Game 1 in the Bronx and give his team a lead. After Verlander, this team is a joke (as you will see with their #2 and #3 starters). The ALCS against Boston is a horse of a different color. Depending on how long each of the ALDS series go, the second round may not begin with reset rotations. Assuming it falls in line, Boston will likely make the tragic mistake of annointing Josh Beckett as their Game 1 starter. Despite his past playoff success (save last season), Beckett is NOT Boston's best starter. That man is strikeout lefty John Lester. Beckett has been auditioning to pitch next season's Home Run Derby in the second half, and that does not bode well amidst the right field jetstream in the Bronx. If CC is on, again advantage New York.
Game 2, AJ Burnett
Burnett is the Yankees wild card in this rotation. I slot him in at #2 for a few reasons. As a righty, he can split up the lefties between Sabathia and Pettitte, and give the opposition a different look. The real question will be, which AJ will show up. On any given night, he can be lights out or balls out (of the ballpark that is). In Game 2 of the ALDS against Detroit, I think this game is advantage Yankees. The aforementioned light hitting Tigers will hopefully be shell shocked from a Game 1 loss, and not put up much of a fight against AJ while looking to head home to Detroit. Even more encouraging is that Detroit's #2 starter Edwin Jackson has gone from revelation to revulsion in the second half, getting absolutely rocked for the past month. Even with an inconsistent AJ, the Yankees vastly superior lineup gives them the edge in Game 2. The ALCS is a far different story. Matching up against John Lester is not easy. He has pitched really well all season, especially against the Yankees. Encouraging about this matchup, however, is that it will take place in the Bronx rather than Fenway. After getting knocked around in Boston, Burnett pitched a 1-hit gem against the Red Sox in the Bronx last time around. Depending on which AJ shows up, this game is likely a toss up.
It seems that in both series the Yankees will be favored in the first two games at home. Unless Verlander comes up with a masterpiece and the Yankees can't find the bats, the Tigers don't seem to be much of a threat to come to NY with any wins. As for Boston, the Yankees seem to be safe for a split, even with the tough matchups. If they were very unlucky, like any team, they could be looking at 0-2. The problems for the Yankees seem to arise at the back of the rotation, when the series shift to the road. But upon further inspection, the rotation problems may be even more glaring for the Yankees competition.
Game 3, Andy Pettitte
This is where the Yankees gain an advantage in any series; veteran stopper Andy Pettitte throwing Game 3 on the road. Pettitte has been a breath of fresh air in the second half of the season, including his trademark ace-like August. None of the playoff teams that the Yanks are going to face will have a counterpart as capable, or with the experience of Pettitte. It's looking like Detroit will turn to trade deadline acquisition Jarrod Washburn. To say Washburn has been bad since coming to the Tigers is like saying Detroit is not an ideal vacation destination. Unfortunately for the Tigers, this matchup will likely initiate their Winter vacation since an average to below average Pettitte performance should be enough to top Washburn. Not only is Washburn a poor pitcher facing the best lineup in baseball, but he also has a history of stinking up the joint against the Yankees. As for the ALCS, again, advantage Yankees. You think the Yankees have question marks after their top two, the Red Sox have more question marks than the Riddler's pajamas. Who's pitching game 3 for Boston? Young enigma Clay Buchholz? WBC burnout Daisuke Matsuzaka? Walking corpse Tim Wakefield? Kelsey Grammar look-alike Paul Byrd? Any of these options is a crap shoot (more like a crap sandwich) for Boston. At the worst, Pettitte keeps the Yankees in the game and lets the rejuvinized bullpen take over. At the best, Pettitte outpitches his inferior counterpart, and the series' momentum swings to New York. Pitching Game 3 also allows Pettitte to be in line to start a potential Game 7 at home. Another huge advantage for the Yankees.
Game 4, ??????
The potential fourth starter for the Yankees has been the main reason "experts" have been doubting their potential for a championship run. This is possibly the most overhyped storyline entering the playoffs in a long time. Regardless of how long either of the first two series go, this mystery starter will get one, yes one, start for the Yankees before the World Series. And this is supposed to end the Yankees season? HA! The Detroit series, if it even gets to a fourth game, will never see the Yankees fourth starter. Joe Girardi recognizes this potential achilles heel, and will undoubtively choose the ALDS with multiple off days, allowing the Yankees to skip their fourth starter. This means this player will likely pitch 1 game at Fenway park. Although it's not an ideal matchup, to concede this game to the Red Sox so early is a grave mistake. How many times in the past five years have we seen teams with no other options turn to inconsistent starters who come up big in the playoffs. Jeff Weaver. Oliver Perez. Anthony Reyes. Any of these names ring a bell? The Yankees will either turn to the high talent, low production kid Joba Chamberlain, or the virtually unknown Chad Gaudin. They will match up with one of the grab bag of back-of-the-rotation starters the Red Sox have been shuffling over the past month. The good news for Yankee fans is that both Chamberlain and Gaudin are strikeout pitchers that can power their way out of jams despite their erratic control. Even better news is that the Yankees long relief may be the best in the biz, and if Joe Girardi is smart (yes, he is), either Game 4 pitcher will be on a very short leash. Bullpen caddys Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes will be waiting to clean up the starters' potential messes. The Red Sox' middle men of Manny Delcarmen and Michael Bowden simply do not compare, should the Red Sox fourth starter similarly struggle.
Although I find my analysis disturbingly optimistic, I just can't be as skeptical about the Yankees rotation as many are. This team is playing .700 ball since April with all these "question marks" throwing everyday. With Pettitte serving as the Yankees stopper, the Bombers will have an advantage in the swing game, Game 3. And even if the fourth starter tanks in their one appearance prior to the World Series, that is not nearly enough to sabotage the Yankees season. Third and fourth starters routinely get pounded in the merciless American League, and the Yankees potential opponents share this problem. The reality is that teams around the league would love to have the rotation questions the Yankees allegedly have. They would also love to have the Yankees deep and powerful offense; a lineup that the Tigers and Red Sox pitchers have to deal with... not the Yankees starters.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
SHE SAID: (Nearly) Perfect Pettitte
At the beginning of the season, the majority of Yankee pitching buzz surrounded much needed acquisitions CC and Burnett. Comments were heard here and there over what role Joba would fill and how the Yankees refused to get rid of either Joba or Hughes. While most Yankee fans were excited to have veteran Pettitte resign, I don’t think he got the recognition, or the contract, he deserved. This season Pettitte has proven once again why the Yankees are lucky to have him, even if he isn’t the number 1 starter.
We all remember Pettitte’s bid for perfection a few weeks ago when he pitched 6 innings of perfect baseball, retiring the first 20 batters. I personally am still mad at Jerry. Sure, Pettitte hasn’t been perfect all season, but he has provided some consistency to the Yankee’s pitching rotation and given the Yankees 13 wins. He is also the most experienced starter in the rotation, having pitched more innings than any other lefty since 2005. While Burnett has never pitched in the post season and CC has struggled with other teams in the playoffs, Andy has also already proven effective in the post season, winning 14 post season games with an ERA of just under 4.00.
Most recently the buzz surrounding Andy has been about his shoulder pain and fatigue. With the playoffs just 3 weeks away, this has caused concern for some Yankee fans. On the other hand, I have also heard some say “Pettitte is fine and the Yankees are just trying to get other teams to doubt them,” while others say Pettitte is begging to pitch just to reach all his incentives. I certainly don’t think Pettitte is willing to hurt the team for a little extra money and I could care less about conspiracy theories. I do think Pettitte will be fine when he starts tomorrow and will wind up once again play a key role in the Yankees post season success. We love you Andy.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
HE SAID: Red Sox Redemption
"Momentum goes as far as today's starting pitcher."
One of those classic baseball cliches, of which there are many (if you don't know them all, just listen to a Derek Jeter interview). This particular sentiment was personified this past weekend in the Yankees' demoralizing four-game sweep of the rival Boston Red Sox. As expressed in an earlier entry, I didn't really believe that the 0-8 schneid against Boston would have much bearing when the teams met again in August. In reality, if any team was entering this series with momentum, it was the Yankees, who have been steamrolling opponents since the All-Star break, playing an especially dominant brand of baseball in their new home in the Bronx (15-2 since the Midsummer Classic). Nevertheless, the inconsistent Sox had plenty of personnel to compete with their rivals, but were unable to muster even one victory. The reason? Today's starting pitcher.
Thursday night matched up the sizzling hot Joba Chamberlain (4-0 since the break), against the corpse of legendary Atlanta Braves ace, John Smoltz. Although Chamberlain displayed erratic control (7 walks), he was able to get through five innings relatively unscathed due to some key strikeouts with men on base. Even though his line wasn't pretty, Chamberlain did exactly what the Yanks needed; hold the Sox at bay (not Jason Bay). Why such low standards for our young ace-in-the-making? Because the Sox were only as good as that day's starting pitcher. And on Thursday, they started the corpse of John Smoltz. Smoltz's corpse didn't pitch like one of those superpowered zombie corpses, a la Frankenstein. His performance more resembled that of a limp, lifeless, recently deceased corpse prior to any supernatural transformation (think "Weekend at Bernies"). Smoltz's corpse was sent back to the morgue early (and unceremoniously designated for assignment the next morning) by the inspired Yankees offense. After some tack on runs against former Yankee, and current Red Sox batting practice pitcher Billy Traber, the 0-8 streak was over. In game 1, the Red Sox were only as good as that day's starting pitcher.... meaning they sucked pretty hard.
The next three games, the story was the Yankees, who were only as good as that day's starting pitcher. Frankly speaking; really effin good. New York gave us fans an erection-inducing preview of what their starting staff might look like in a playoff series. Co-aces AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia pitched lights out baseball against a very good lineup. They each had no-hit stuff, and they brought it in a big game. Another encouraging sign for fans with dreams of baseball after September. Especially impressive was Burnett's performance, as he matched zeros with Sox ace Josh Beckett deep into the Bronx evening. Perhaps the biggest positive that came out of the pitching performances was that of Andy Pettitte. Andy continues pitch like an ace in the second halves of seasons, as he's done throughout his Yankees career, with the exception of 2008 (in which, as we've since learned, he was pitching with an injury). Pettitte has the highest August winning percentage in Major League history. For three straight days, the Yankees were as good as their starting pitching; they were the best team in baseball.
There were plenty of other storylines of note during Boston Massacre Part III (After the 1978 and 2006 Yankees series at Fenway Park). With the exception of Phil Coke's deflating hiccup against Victor Martinez on Sunday night, the bullpen looked as good as its been in years. I know I'm not the first person to say this, but Alfredo Aceves is a modern day Ramiro Mendoza (except that his numbers are way better). One thing aspect of the games stood out to me in particular; Yankee Stadium.
Whether the front office planned it or not, this current Yankees team is built to dominate opponents at the new House that Ruth Built. The Yankees improved to 41-18 at home with yesterday's win against Toronto. If the Yankees won at the same clip on the road, they would be on pace to win 113 games (slightly better than their current 101 win pace). In terms of the stadium's structure, the Yankees have assembled the perfect lineup of left handed power to take advantage of the theoretical jetstream that has been sending balls into the right field seats at a record pace. Their regular lineup includes 3 lefties (Damon, Matsui, Cano), and 4 switch hitters (Teixeira, Posada, Swisher, Cabrera) that all have 20+ HR potential this season. Also, the two right handed hitters (Jeter, A-Rod) have a natural HR stroke to the opposite field. The right field phenomenon has certainly been a quantifiable advantage. Twice this year (Posada on Tuesday, and A-Rod earlier on a Saturday against Philidelphia), have the Yankees won a game by a righty flipping a ball into the first row of the right field stands in the late innings. On the pitching side, the Yankees have assembled a staff in the best way to prevent the stadium from hurting them. Their starting rotation has three strikeout pitchers (Sabathia, Burnett, and Chamberlain) that have the stuff to avoid hard contact, and another (Pettitte) with the control to make hitters hit the ball to the bigger part of the ballpark. In the back of the bullpen are two other power arms that induce strikeouts and soft contact (Hughes and Rivera).
Even more encouraging is that beyond the technicalities of the new Stadium, this Yankees team has also demonstrated the late-inning mojo, reminiscent of the championship teams of the past. The Yankees have 11 walk-off wins already this season (most in almost 20 years), and are 8-0 when tied after eight innings. Chalk it up to player comfort, crowd noise, or simply talent, but any way you slice it the Yankees are the hardest team in the league to defeat in their house. The importance of that is amplified since the Yankees have the AL's best record, and combined with the league's All-Star Game vicory, the Yankees could be looking at home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And all that means is that if they don't lose at home, they're World Champions of baseball.
So, things are good in Yankeeland right now, perhaps the best they've been in two years. But a dreaded 10-game West Coast/Boston trip looms ahead; places that have not been friendly to the Yanks this year. It'll kick off tonight in the Emerald City of Seattle. With CC Sabathia on the bump, hopefully the Yanks will be as good as today's starting pitcher is.
One of those classic baseball cliches, of which there are many (if you don't know them all, just listen to a Derek Jeter interview). This particular sentiment was personified this past weekend in the Yankees' demoralizing four-game sweep of the rival Boston Red Sox. As expressed in an earlier entry, I didn't really believe that the 0-8 schneid against Boston would have much bearing when the teams met again in August. In reality, if any team was entering this series with momentum, it was the Yankees, who have been steamrolling opponents since the All-Star break, playing an especially dominant brand of baseball in their new home in the Bronx (15-2 since the Midsummer Classic). Nevertheless, the inconsistent Sox had plenty of personnel to compete with their rivals, but were unable to muster even one victory. The reason? Today's starting pitcher.
Thursday night matched up the sizzling hot Joba Chamberlain (4-0 since the break), against the corpse of legendary Atlanta Braves ace, John Smoltz. Although Chamberlain displayed erratic control (7 walks), he was able to get through five innings relatively unscathed due to some key strikeouts with men on base. Even though his line wasn't pretty, Chamberlain did exactly what the Yanks needed; hold the Sox at bay (not Jason Bay). Why such low standards for our young ace-in-the-making? Because the Sox were only as good as that day's starting pitcher. And on Thursday, they started the corpse of John Smoltz. Smoltz's corpse didn't pitch like one of those superpowered zombie corpses, a la Frankenstein. His performance more resembled that of a limp, lifeless, recently deceased corpse prior to any supernatural transformation (think "Weekend at Bernies"). Smoltz's corpse was sent back to the morgue early (and unceremoniously designated for assignment the next morning) by the inspired Yankees offense. After some tack on runs against former Yankee, and current Red Sox batting practice pitcher Billy Traber, the 0-8 streak was over. In game 1, the Red Sox were only as good as that day's starting pitcher.... meaning they sucked pretty hard.
The next three games, the story was the Yankees, who were only as good as that day's starting pitcher. Frankly speaking; really effin good. New York gave us fans an erection-inducing preview of what their starting staff might look like in a playoff series. Co-aces AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia pitched lights out baseball against a very good lineup. They each had no-hit stuff, and they brought it in a big game. Another encouraging sign for fans with dreams of baseball after September. Especially impressive was Burnett's performance, as he matched zeros with Sox ace Josh Beckett deep into the Bronx evening. Perhaps the biggest positive that came out of the pitching performances was that of Andy Pettitte. Andy continues pitch like an ace in the second halves of seasons, as he's done throughout his Yankees career, with the exception of 2008 (in which, as we've since learned, he was pitching with an injury). Pettitte has the highest August winning percentage in Major League history. For three straight days, the Yankees were as good as their starting pitching; they were the best team in baseball.
There were plenty of other storylines of note during Boston Massacre Part III (After the 1978 and 2006 Yankees series at Fenway Park). With the exception of Phil Coke's deflating hiccup against Victor Martinez on Sunday night, the bullpen looked as good as its been in years. I know I'm not the first person to say this, but Alfredo Aceves is a modern day Ramiro Mendoza (except that his numbers are way better). One thing aspect of the games stood out to me in particular; Yankee Stadium.
Whether the front office planned it or not, this current Yankees team is built to dominate opponents at the new House that Ruth Built. The Yankees improved to 41-18 at home with yesterday's win against Toronto. If the Yankees won at the same clip on the road, they would be on pace to win 113 games (slightly better than their current 101 win pace). In terms of the stadium's structure, the Yankees have assembled the perfect lineup of left handed power to take advantage of the theoretical jetstream that has been sending balls into the right field seats at a record pace. Their regular lineup includes 3 lefties (Damon, Matsui, Cano), and 4 switch hitters (Teixeira, Posada, Swisher, Cabrera) that all have 20+ HR potential this season. Also, the two right handed hitters (Jeter, A-Rod) have a natural HR stroke to the opposite field. The right field phenomenon has certainly been a quantifiable advantage. Twice this year (Posada on Tuesday, and A-Rod earlier on a Saturday against Philidelphia), have the Yankees won a game by a righty flipping a ball into the first row of the right field stands in the late innings. On the pitching side, the Yankees have assembled a staff in the best way to prevent the stadium from hurting them. Their starting rotation has three strikeout pitchers (Sabathia, Burnett, and Chamberlain) that have the stuff to avoid hard contact, and another (Pettitte) with the control to make hitters hit the ball to the bigger part of the ballpark. In the back of the bullpen are two other power arms that induce strikeouts and soft contact (Hughes and Rivera).
Even more encouraging is that beyond the technicalities of the new Stadium, this Yankees team has also demonstrated the late-inning mojo, reminiscent of the championship teams of the past. The Yankees have 11 walk-off wins already this season (most in almost 20 years), and are 8-0 when tied after eight innings. Chalk it up to player comfort, crowd noise, or simply talent, but any way you slice it the Yankees are the hardest team in the league to defeat in their house. The importance of that is amplified since the Yankees have the AL's best record, and combined with the league's All-Star Game vicory, the Yankees could be looking at home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And all that means is that if they don't lose at home, they're World Champions of baseball.
So, things are good in Yankeeland right now, perhaps the best they've been in two years. But a dreaded 10-game West Coast/Boston trip looms ahead; places that have not been friendly to the Yanks this year. It'll kick off tonight in the Emerald City of Seattle. With CC Sabathia on the bump, hopefully the Yanks will be as good as today's starting pitcher is.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
SHE SAID: Red Sox Redemption
We all know what happened the first 8 times the Yankees played Boston this season. They lost, all 8 times leaving some Yankee fans to wonder what happened to the Yankees? Has Boston gotten to them? Can the Yankees really compete this season? As an eternal optimist, I find it best to never doubt the Yankees. If you ask me if I think they will win, I will say yes 100% of the time. This weekend I was right and the Yankees got their redemption by sweeping Boston in a four game series, limiting them to only 2 runs in all four games.
The reason New York was finally able to beat the Red Sox is because they are finally playing as the team they should be. And truth be told, the Red Sox are hurting a little. This weekend may very well be remembered as the turning point in the Yankees 2009 season. A big piece of this puzzle is that the Yankees big off season investments have begun to pay off.
The pitching: In the off season, it was all about CC and Burnett. The Yankees desperately needed reliable pitching and Yankee fans alike rejoiced following these 2 acquisitions. This weekend both of these aces reminded fans just how valuable they can be and exactly what they can contribute to the team. While not as brilliant, both Andy and Joba were also strong. Joba proved he is fitting into the starting role and can get himself out of jams when he needs to, while Andy shut up those who have speculated the best of his days are behind him. We all know the value of Rivera and have recently seen what Hughes can do in the bullpen – but almost more impressive, at least in my opinion, was the contributions of Aceves. Not yet a household name, Aceves was critical in Friday’s 15 inning win – pitching 3 shout out innings when everyone was tired and a sloppy mistake could have cost either team the game.
The offense: Tex for AL MVP. As I've mentioned before, one of the key things that makes Tex so valuable is that he plays the every game hard until the last out is recorded. Tex has proven he has the numbers this season. Not only has he been impressive offensively, but also defensively, helping the Yankee infield to become one of the best in the league and limiting the number of infield errors to the lowest of any team. On Sunday night, he also delivered the type of performance that draws attention towards matters such as the MVP race with his game-winning home run that completed the weekend sweep.
Red Sox fans loves to claim “the curse” has been reversed and their beloved team has stopped letting them down season after season. How soon they forget how often the Sox have choked. This weekend was reminiscent of August 2006 when the Yankees came to Boston and swept the Red Sox in a five game series, increasing their lead from an uncomfortable 2 games to a comfortable 7. In 2006, the Red Sox were plagued with injuries and under performers, something they are again struggling with now.
Sure, Boston still leads the series, but what matters now is who’s in first. The Yankees may not be 100% safe in first yet and Boston isn't done for the season, but this weekend the boys from the Bronx proved they are ready to fight and show the AL who’s boss. Boston, bring it on.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
HE SAID: Trade Winds Blowin'
With each tick of the clock, the midnight Friday MLB (Non-Waiver) Trade Deadline gets menacingly closer to the present. As always, the Yankees will be buyers, looking to stock up for a postseason run. Every year in the Rivera Era, the Yankees have added pieces to their club at this point in the season. For the most part the additions, whether big (David Justice) or small (Shawn Chacon), have been a success. Despite sporting the AL’s best record, the 2009 Yanks could certainly use some reinforcements. I now lay out my pipe-dream trades for the Yankees to make before the deadline this Friday.
Trade #1
Yankees Receive: SP Roy Halladay
Blue Jays Receive: SP Joba Chamberlain, OF Austin Jackson, SP Ivan Nova, C Austin Romine
Comment: The ultimate blockbuster. The Yankees land the biggest fish on the trade market in Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. Red Sox execs lament and likely make a rash, ill-conceived trade. Halladay’s contract runs through the 2010 season, and he would likely accept an extension for half of CC Sabathia money (think 4 more years at $80 M). Meanwhile the Yankees proceed this season and beyond with a three-headed monster of starting pitching (Halladay, Sabathia, AJ Burnett) not seen since the Atlanta Braves of the 1990’s. The Blue Jays are looking to hold teams ransom for their staff ace and face of the franchise. However, teams such as the Phillies have been balking at the Jays asking price, and have been looking at deals for other starters (i.e. Cleveland’s Cliff Lee). Jays GM JP Richardi is looking for two things in any Halladay deal; a big time player to save face with one-step-away-from-Maple Leafs-season Toronto fans, and a group of at least four high upside players. In Chamberlain, the Blue Jays would get that Major League ready player with name recognition for their fickle fans. Chamberlain also looks a bit Canadian, so that may also work out. He would essentially take Halladay’s spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Jackson is the #1 position player prospect in the Yankees system and is almost Major League ready, hitting well over .300 in AAA. The Yankees, however, are not shy about using free agency to find position players, and have not been hesitant to trade position prospects at the deadline (such as Jose Tabata last season). Nova is a peculiarly fast-rising young pitcher, that the Yankees seem eager to shop. He did relatively well in AA this season, but received an atypical promotion to the AAA rotation of Scranton-Wilkes Barre, considering he’s only 21. It seems like the Yanks are showcasing this kid, and trying to convince other teams on the trade market to bite. Romine is a very well thought of catching prospect that can hit and is a plus defender. However he is only in A ball right now, and the Yanks have an uber prospect ahead of him on their depth chart in power-hitting catcher Jesus Montero. The four players the Yankees would have to part with are a good haul, but certainly worth it to land (possibly) the best pitcher in baseball, especially if they can extend his contract.
Trade #2
Yankees Receive: SP Jarrod Washburn
Mariners Receive: SP Dellin Betances, RP Mark Melancon
Comment: Since Washburn is a free agent at the end of the season, the Mariners would not require a package of top prospects for the two month rental. Unfortunately for the Yankees, Washburn is having a career year, meaning he will demand much better prospects than he would have at this time last season when they Yankees could have gotten him for a bag of doughnuts. Washburn could slot into the Yankees rotation as a quality #4, and potentially start a playoff game, assuming Chamberlain is in the bullpen (or gone) by then. He has playoff experience with his former team, the California Angels of Anaheim, via the Greater Los Angeles Region. The Yankees give up Betances, who is a hard throwing, high-ceiling pitching prospect from the Bronx, but is still a project and several years away from the big leagues. The Mariners also get a Major League ready relief prospect in Melancon, who they can add to the big club to take Washburn’s roster spot. As for the future, rumor has it that Washburn will be looking to re-sign with Seattle even if they trade him away. But even if he did walk, his contribution to a championship club would be well worth it, and you never know what may happen (Yankee money can easily sway a player away from the comforts of the Pacific Northwest).
Trade # 3
Yankees Receive: OF Randy Winn
Giants Receive: OF Nick Swisher, 1B Juan Miranda
Comment: Brett Gardner’s injury has left the Yankees with no viable center field option other than Melky Cabrera (who should not be playing every day). Since they refuse to promote center field prospect Austin Jackson, the Yankees are somewhat hamstrung when it comes to their outfield rotation. The defensive alignment they enjoyed when Gardner could slot in to center and Melky shift to one of the corners is something they will miss for however long Gardner is out. By flipping Swisher for Winn, the Yanks immediately improve their defense. Winn can play a very competent center field while Gardner is out; something Swisher can not do. Like Swisher, Winn is a switch-hitter, so they won’t lose him to same sided match ups. Winn is a much better average hitter than Swisher, with comparable on base numbers. Winn does have less power than Swisher, but can hit home runs, especially in the new Yankee Stadium. Winn could play either center or right for the Yanks for the rest of the season, and with Hinske occasionally spelling one of the outfielders, the Yankees regain their strong outfield rotation while Gardner is out. From San Francisco’s perspective, their team is pushing for an NL Wild Card berth, and is desperately in need of some power in their flaccid lineup. Swisher would provide just that. Also, his outgoing personality would work well in Granolaville, and lessen the sting of trading away fan favorite Winn. The Giants also get a young(ish) first base prospect to compete with the struggling Travis Ishikawa for at-bats. The biggest risk from a Yankees perspective may be giving away a well-liked player on a team that seems to be thriving on its new found chemistry.
Trade #4
Yankees Receive: RP John Grabow, RP Matt Capps
Pirates Receive: 1B/OF Shelley Duncan, SP Eric Hacker, SP Ian Kennedy
Comment: This may be a bit of a stretch as it looks like on paper the Yankees hold the Pirates for ransom (not Cody), but hear me out. The Yankees and Pirates already have a trading relationship, making a large deal last season, which landed the Yankees Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. In the present, the ’09 Yankees are looking for bullpen help while the ’09 Pirates are looking to become the first team ever to trade their entire roster in one season. The Yankees receive a much needed left-handed bullpen specialist in Grabow. The Yankees thought they got this from the Pirates last season when they traded for Marte, but that didn’t work out as well as planned (therefore, in my mind, the Pirates owe New York). As good as Phil Coke has been, he is more of a 7th inning guy than a lefty specialist (in fact, he has had much more success against right handed batters). The Yanks would also land burly right handed Pirates closer Matt Capps. OBVIOUSLY, he would not be closing for the Yankees, but he could slot in nicely as a late inning setup man, especially if the Yanks lose Phil Hughes from their bullpen via trade or conversion into a starter. The Pirates would take a flier on Duncan, who is in his physical prime but has no future with the big club in New York, but has been absolutely bashing at AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Since the Pirates have been trading away all their position players, Duncan could easily find at-bats with the big club in Pittsburgh. As for the pitchers, the Pirates have shown an affinity for periphery AAAA Yankee pitching prospects when they traded for Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens last season. Scranton pitcher Eric Hacker fits this mold to a T. Like the aforementioned Yankees prospects, it is unlikely that Hacker will ever do much for New York, but I could certainly see him in the black and gold of Pittsburgh. The Pirates may also be intrigued with former Yankees super-prospect Ian Kennedy, who is currently rehabbing from aneurysm surgery. He seems to have fallen out of favor with the Yankees brass, and I believe he will be traded at some point in the next year or so.
Stay tuned Yankees fans. As always, it should be a fun and active trade deadline.
Trade #1
Yankees Receive: SP Roy Halladay
Blue Jays Receive: SP Joba Chamberlain, OF Austin Jackson, SP Ivan Nova, C Austin Romine
Comment: The ultimate blockbuster. The Yankees land the biggest fish on the trade market in Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. Red Sox execs lament and likely make a rash, ill-conceived trade. Halladay’s contract runs through the 2010 season, and he would likely accept an extension for half of CC Sabathia money (think 4 more years at $80 M). Meanwhile the Yankees proceed this season and beyond with a three-headed monster of starting pitching (Halladay, Sabathia, AJ Burnett) not seen since the Atlanta Braves of the 1990’s. The Blue Jays are looking to hold teams ransom for their staff ace and face of the franchise. However, teams such as the Phillies have been balking at the Jays asking price, and have been looking at deals for other starters (i.e. Cleveland’s Cliff Lee). Jays GM JP Richardi is looking for two things in any Halladay deal; a big time player to save face with one-step-away-from-Maple Leafs-season Toronto fans, and a group of at least four high upside players. In Chamberlain, the Blue Jays would get that Major League ready player with name recognition for their fickle fans. Chamberlain also looks a bit Canadian, so that may also work out. He would essentially take Halladay’s spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Jackson is the #1 position player prospect in the Yankees system and is almost Major League ready, hitting well over .300 in AAA. The Yankees, however, are not shy about using free agency to find position players, and have not been hesitant to trade position prospects at the deadline (such as Jose Tabata last season). Nova is a peculiarly fast-rising young pitcher, that the Yankees seem eager to shop. He did relatively well in AA this season, but received an atypical promotion to the AAA rotation of Scranton-Wilkes Barre, considering he’s only 21. It seems like the Yanks are showcasing this kid, and trying to convince other teams on the trade market to bite. Romine is a very well thought of catching prospect that can hit and is a plus defender. However he is only in A ball right now, and the Yanks have an uber prospect ahead of him on their depth chart in power-hitting catcher Jesus Montero. The four players the Yankees would have to part with are a good haul, but certainly worth it to land (possibly) the best pitcher in baseball, especially if they can extend his contract.
Trade #2
Yankees Receive: SP Jarrod Washburn
Mariners Receive: SP Dellin Betances, RP Mark Melancon
Comment: Since Washburn is a free agent at the end of the season, the Mariners would not require a package of top prospects for the two month rental. Unfortunately for the Yankees, Washburn is having a career year, meaning he will demand much better prospects than he would have at this time last season when they Yankees could have gotten him for a bag of doughnuts. Washburn could slot into the Yankees rotation as a quality #4, and potentially start a playoff game, assuming Chamberlain is in the bullpen (or gone) by then. He has playoff experience with his former team, the California Angels of Anaheim, via the Greater Los Angeles Region. The Yankees give up Betances, who is a hard throwing, high-ceiling pitching prospect from the Bronx, but is still a project and several years away from the big leagues. The Mariners also get a Major League ready relief prospect in Melancon, who they can add to the big club to take Washburn’s roster spot. As for the future, rumor has it that Washburn will be looking to re-sign with Seattle even if they trade him away. But even if he did walk, his contribution to a championship club would be well worth it, and you never know what may happen (Yankee money can easily sway a player away from the comforts of the Pacific Northwest).
Trade # 3
Yankees Receive: OF Randy Winn
Giants Receive: OF Nick Swisher, 1B Juan Miranda
Comment: Brett Gardner’s injury has left the Yankees with no viable center field option other than Melky Cabrera (who should not be playing every day). Since they refuse to promote center field prospect Austin Jackson, the Yankees are somewhat hamstrung when it comes to their outfield rotation. The defensive alignment they enjoyed when Gardner could slot in to center and Melky shift to one of the corners is something they will miss for however long Gardner is out. By flipping Swisher for Winn, the Yanks immediately improve their defense. Winn can play a very competent center field while Gardner is out; something Swisher can not do. Like Swisher, Winn is a switch-hitter, so they won’t lose him to same sided match ups. Winn is a much better average hitter than Swisher, with comparable on base numbers. Winn does have less power than Swisher, but can hit home runs, especially in the new Yankee Stadium. Winn could play either center or right for the Yanks for the rest of the season, and with Hinske occasionally spelling one of the outfielders, the Yankees regain their strong outfield rotation while Gardner is out. From San Francisco’s perspective, their team is pushing for an NL Wild Card berth, and is desperately in need of some power in their flaccid lineup. Swisher would provide just that. Also, his outgoing personality would work well in Granolaville, and lessen the sting of trading away fan favorite Winn. The Giants also get a young(ish) first base prospect to compete with the struggling Travis Ishikawa for at-bats. The biggest risk from a Yankees perspective may be giving away a well-liked player on a team that seems to be thriving on its new found chemistry.
Trade #4
Yankees Receive: RP John Grabow, RP Matt Capps
Pirates Receive: 1B/OF Shelley Duncan, SP Eric Hacker, SP Ian Kennedy
Comment: This may be a bit of a stretch as it looks like on paper the Yankees hold the Pirates for ransom (not Cody), but hear me out. The Yankees and Pirates already have a trading relationship, making a large deal last season, which landed the Yankees Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. In the present, the ’09 Yankees are looking for bullpen help while the ’09 Pirates are looking to become the first team ever to trade their entire roster in one season. The Yankees receive a much needed left-handed bullpen specialist in Grabow. The Yankees thought they got this from the Pirates last season when they traded for Marte, but that didn’t work out as well as planned (therefore, in my mind, the Pirates owe New York). As good as Phil Coke has been, he is more of a 7th inning guy than a lefty specialist (in fact, he has had much more success against right handed batters). The Yanks would also land burly right handed Pirates closer Matt Capps. OBVIOUSLY, he would not be closing for the Yankees, but he could slot in nicely as a late inning setup man, especially if the Yanks lose Phil Hughes from their bullpen via trade or conversion into a starter. The Pirates would take a flier on Duncan, who is in his physical prime but has no future with the big club in New York, but has been absolutely bashing at AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Since the Pirates have been trading away all their position players, Duncan could easily find at-bats with the big club in Pittsburgh. As for the pitchers, the Pirates have shown an affinity for periphery AAAA Yankee pitching prospects when they traded for Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens last season. Scranton pitcher Eric Hacker fits this mold to a T. Like the aforementioned Yankees prospects, it is unlikely that Hacker will ever do much for New York, but I could certainly see him in the black and gold of Pittsburgh. The Pirates may also be intrigued with former Yankees super-prospect Ian Kennedy, who is currently rehabbing from aneurysm surgery. He seems to have fallen out of favor with the Yankees brass, and I believe he will be traded at some point in the next year or so.
Stay tuned Yankees fans. As always, it should be a fun and active trade deadline.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
HE SAID: The Phil/Joba Rules
Pull out those "Joba Rules" t-shirts from your 2007 time capsules. Just when you thought the Yanks had pulled the training wheels off their young stud duo of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, you thought wrong.
As the Yankees season progresses, it looks more and more likely that the boys from the Bronx have postseason baseball in the future. The main factor in the improvement of the 2009 Yankees has been the improved depth, balance, and performance of their pitching staff. Despite spending over $240 M on their top two starters, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, two of the other main contributors to the staff's renaissance have been two homegrown Yankees making less than $1 M combined in 2009. Joba Chamberlain has made the full transfer from ace reliever to the #3 starter on the staff. In an interesting reversal of roles, Phil Hughes had gone from the Yanks top starting pitching prospect, to a Joba-esque, lights-out set up man currently on a run of 24 consecutive scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Ideally the two youngsters, who are each excelling in their present roles, would continue to do so through what hopes to be a lengthy October run. Unfortunately, this had been deemed impossible by an organizational edict limiting the workload of the young pitchers. Yankees executives have stated that they will only allow their two prized pitchers to increase their innings by no more than 50 per season, in an attempt to avoid arm injuries in their future. This is based on an unconfirmed theory that some prized young pitchers who have acquired arm injuries in the past, did so because of overwork in their early years in the league. Yankees brass are scared to death of this prospect, and have decided they are willing to sacrifice present on-field production for the future.
Those lovable Joba Rules from 2007, may not be so cute when the Yankees are forced to remove a main cog from their rotation in the middle of the pennant race.
Some quick math can show us when this problem will reach its melting point. Chamberlain pitched about 100 innings last season, meaning the Yankees are hoping to cap him at 150 or so. He is currently at 102 innings for this season. Assuming he averages 6 innings pitch a start, Joba would only have 8 more starts left before he would have to be shut down. That would happen sometime in early September. Assuming they want to save some of those innings for the stretch run/playoffs in the bullpen, they would have to pull him out of the rotation in 3-4 weeks. Again, right in the middle of the pennant race.
Hughes' has a different issue. The Yankees have plans to make Hughes a starter again for the 2010 season. If they want him to be without limitations, they actually need to get his innings up since he will only be able to add 50 to his 2009 total. Presently, Phil is at just 60 innings this season. Ideally, he would finish the season with more than 125 innings, so he can shoulder a starters workload in 2010 under the current Phil/Joba Rules. It is practically impossible for Hughes to attain this number in his present role as set up man to Mariano Rivera.
There are a number of options the Yanks have with regards to Hughes and Chamberlain this season. However, only three scenarios would get each of them up to an adequate number of innings that would allow them each to be full starters next season, while keeping them contributors to the '09 Yankees. The following are the options available to the Yankees under these rules:
Scenario #1
Option: Swap Roles in Mid-August
Pros: In terms of accruing the target innings under the Phil/Joba Rules, this would be the most logical course for the Yankees to take. Chamberlain's innings pace would slow, while Hughes' innings pace would increase. Also, both would remain contributors to the big league club for the rest of the season. Then next season, both would have the required innings to become full starting pitchers for New York.
Cons: This would completely mess up what's working for the Yankees right now. Chamberlain had been stellar recently as a starter, and Hughes has been utterly brilliant out of the pen, conjuring up images of the love child of '96 Rivera and '07 Chamberlain. This move would turn two pluses into two question marks. Also, the Yanks would likely have to "transition" Hughes into becoming a starter by stretching his arm out. They could either send him to the minors for a few weeks or do it in the majors a-la '08 Chamberlain. Either way, the rotation will suffer in the present tense.
Scenario #2
Option: Skip Some of Joba's Starts, Use Hughes Multiple Innings
Pros: By skipping Joba's spot in the rotation a few times during the rest of the year, the Yanks can keep him pitching as a starter (under his innings limit) into the '09 playoffs. He has shown that he can be successful with extra rest after a great performance coming out of the All-Star Break. As for Hughes, Girardi has already begun using Hughes multiple innings out of the pen, similar to Rivera in '96. If they can continue to do so, pitching him 2-3 innings per outing serving as a hybrid long man/set up man, Hughes can at least get to over 110 innings this year. This would mean that Hughes may be unavailable in some 8th inning setup situations, and the Yankees would need to either get Brian Bruney straightened out, or seek late inning relief help on the trade market.
Cons: Starters don't always react well to extra rest, and therefore skipping Joba could seriously affect his rhythm and subsequent performance on the field. Also, without an abundance of off-days, the Yanks would have to plug in a spot starter from time to time when Joba is being rested (potentially Alfredo Aceves or GASP! Kei Igawa). As for Hughes, if he remains in the bullpen, he's not going to get up to 125+ innings regardless of how they use him. Hughes is no longer available every night in the 8th inning when needed, as he will have to have a night off after longer outings. Sometimes, the Yanks will have to turn to someone else to be their ace setup man in front of Mo. This could cost them some games in the regular season, but is less of a problem in the playoffs when Hughes can return to his present role.
Scenario #3
Option: Fuck the Rules
Pros: The Yankees get to keep doing what they are doing with both Hughes and Chamberlain. Presumably, both of them will continue to excel in their roles, and the Yankees can cruise into the playoffs with two invaluable assets on their pitching staffs.
Cons: The organization looks deceitful for abandoning the Phil/Joba Rules. Since they had determined the limitations were necessary to avoid injuring their young pitchers, it looks like a greedy, reckless attempt to win a championship at the expense of two young players' careers. Back in 2007, the Yankees slowly bent the Joba Rules to win certain games, but not to the point where they were endangering the player. Should one or both develop arm injuries at a later date, the Yankees are blamed for their handling of them, similar to the way Lou Piniella is blamed for retarding the career of former Cubs ace Mark Prior.
The Verdict:
Here's the thing. The "innings" limit the Yankees are imposing on these two is one of the most illogical gauges a team can use. Innings pitched come in so many different forms. Some innings take 5 pitches, others take 30 pitches, some are in the flow of a start, others are adrenaline-charged bullpen innings, some are against good hitters, others are against bad hitters, ect. Simply put, innings do not quantify how much work/strain a pitcher has put on their arm in any given season. I implore the Yankees to either ditch these artificial limitations that could potentially affect their World Series prospects, or at the very least, come up with a more accurate measure of arm wear, and impose limitations with that.
In the end, I say Fuck the Rules (or "Option #3" to be put less coarsely). Let Chamberlain and Hughes keep doing what they're doing as long as the Yanks keep winning games. Just be logical with them, as you would any other pitcher. Don't let Joba throw 125 pitches in a start. Don't let Hughes throw 35 pitches on back-to-back nights. It's not rocket science. Both of these players are 23 years old, at least 6'3", and at least 230 lbs. They do not have to be treated like babies. These are powerful athletes with bright futures. Am I to believe that neither of them can get their bodies prepared in a four month offseason to be ready to be starting pitchers next year, regardless of their innings totals this season? What could be better for their development then having them win games in October for a World Series Champion?
Look, I appreciate the assets young arms are for an organization. But we're not talking about some ignominious Major League organization. This is the New York Yankees, where it's either win the World Series or deem your season a failure. The organization and its fans don't want it any other way. No young players' future development should hinder that pursuit. This is not the Washington Nationals praying at the altar of Stephen Strasburg. The worst case scenario is that either Hughes or Chamberlain would hurt themselves down the road. Even if that were to happen, who can definitively say that it was due to overuse in 2009? Injuries happen, and the Yankees should never mortgage their present in fear of the future. The Yankees are bigger than any one player, and will always have the assets to bring in new players.
So fuck the rules, keep the pitching mojo going, and we'll see you in October.
As the Yankees season progresses, it looks more and more likely that the boys from the Bronx have postseason baseball in the future. The main factor in the improvement of the 2009 Yankees has been the improved depth, balance, and performance of their pitching staff. Despite spending over $240 M on their top two starters, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, two of the other main contributors to the staff's renaissance have been two homegrown Yankees making less than $1 M combined in 2009. Joba Chamberlain has made the full transfer from ace reliever to the #3 starter on the staff. In an interesting reversal of roles, Phil Hughes had gone from the Yanks top starting pitching prospect, to a Joba-esque, lights-out set up man currently on a run of 24 consecutive scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Ideally the two youngsters, who are each excelling in their present roles, would continue to do so through what hopes to be a lengthy October run. Unfortunately, this had been deemed impossible by an organizational edict limiting the workload of the young pitchers. Yankees executives have stated that they will only allow their two prized pitchers to increase their innings by no more than 50 per season, in an attempt to avoid arm injuries in their future. This is based on an unconfirmed theory that some prized young pitchers who have acquired arm injuries in the past, did so because of overwork in their early years in the league. Yankees brass are scared to death of this prospect, and have decided they are willing to sacrifice present on-field production for the future.
Those lovable Joba Rules from 2007, may not be so cute when the Yankees are forced to remove a main cog from their rotation in the middle of the pennant race.
Some quick math can show us when this problem will reach its melting point. Chamberlain pitched about 100 innings last season, meaning the Yankees are hoping to cap him at 150 or so. He is currently at 102 innings for this season. Assuming he averages 6 innings pitch a start, Joba would only have 8 more starts left before he would have to be shut down. That would happen sometime in early September. Assuming they want to save some of those innings for the stretch run/playoffs in the bullpen, they would have to pull him out of the rotation in 3-4 weeks. Again, right in the middle of the pennant race.
Hughes' has a different issue. The Yankees have plans to make Hughes a starter again for the 2010 season. If they want him to be without limitations, they actually need to get his innings up since he will only be able to add 50 to his 2009 total. Presently, Phil is at just 60 innings this season. Ideally, he would finish the season with more than 125 innings, so he can shoulder a starters workload in 2010 under the current Phil/Joba Rules. It is practically impossible for Hughes to attain this number in his present role as set up man to Mariano Rivera.
There are a number of options the Yanks have with regards to Hughes and Chamberlain this season. However, only three scenarios would get each of them up to an adequate number of innings that would allow them each to be full starters next season, while keeping them contributors to the '09 Yankees. The following are the options available to the Yankees under these rules:
Scenario #1
Option: Swap Roles in Mid-August
Pros: In terms of accruing the target innings under the Phil/Joba Rules, this would be the most logical course for the Yankees to take. Chamberlain's innings pace would slow, while Hughes' innings pace would increase. Also, both would remain contributors to the big league club for the rest of the season. Then next season, both would have the required innings to become full starting pitchers for New York.
Cons: This would completely mess up what's working for the Yankees right now. Chamberlain had been stellar recently as a starter, and Hughes has been utterly brilliant out of the pen, conjuring up images of the love child of '96 Rivera and '07 Chamberlain. This move would turn two pluses into two question marks. Also, the Yanks would likely have to "transition" Hughes into becoming a starter by stretching his arm out. They could either send him to the minors for a few weeks or do it in the majors a-la '08 Chamberlain. Either way, the rotation will suffer in the present tense.
Scenario #2
Option: Skip Some of Joba's Starts, Use Hughes Multiple Innings
Pros: By skipping Joba's spot in the rotation a few times during the rest of the year, the Yanks can keep him pitching as a starter (under his innings limit) into the '09 playoffs. He has shown that he can be successful with extra rest after a great performance coming out of the All-Star Break. As for Hughes, Girardi has already begun using Hughes multiple innings out of the pen, similar to Rivera in '96. If they can continue to do so, pitching him 2-3 innings per outing serving as a hybrid long man/set up man, Hughes can at least get to over 110 innings this year. This would mean that Hughes may be unavailable in some 8th inning setup situations, and the Yankees would need to either get Brian Bruney straightened out, or seek late inning relief help on the trade market.
Cons: Starters don't always react well to extra rest, and therefore skipping Joba could seriously affect his rhythm and subsequent performance on the field. Also, without an abundance of off-days, the Yanks would have to plug in a spot starter from time to time when Joba is being rested (potentially Alfredo Aceves or GASP! Kei Igawa). As for Hughes, if he remains in the bullpen, he's not going to get up to 125+ innings regardless of how they use him. Hughes is no longer available every night in the 8th inning when needed, as he will have to have a night off after longer outings. Sometimes, the Yanks will have to turn to someone else to be their ace setup man in front of Mo. This could cost them some games in the regular season, but is less of a problem in the playoffs when Hughes can return to his present role.
Scenario #3
Option: Fuck the Rules
Pros: The Yankees get to keep doing what they are doing with both Hughes and Chamberlain. Presumably, both of them will continue to excel in their roles, and the Yankees can cruise into the playoffs with two invaluable assets on their pitching staffs.
Cons: The organization looks deceitful for abandoning the Phil/Joba Rules. Since they had determined the limitations were necessary to avoid injuring their young pitchers, it looks like a greedy, reckless attempt to win a championship at the expense of two young players' careers. Back in 2007, the Yankees slowly bent the Joba Rules to win certain games, but not to the point where they were endangering the player. Should one or both develop arm injuries at a later date, the Yankees are blamed for their handling of them, similar to the way Lou Piniella is blamed for retarding the career of former Cubs ace Mark Prior.
The Verdict:
Here's the thing. The "innings" limit the Yankees are imposing on these two is one of the most illogical gauges a team can use. Innings pitched come in so many different forms. Some innings take 5 pitches, others take 30 pitches, some are in the flow of a start, others are adrenaline-charged bullpen innings, some are against good hitters, others are against bad hitters, ect. Simply put, innings do not quantify how much work/strain a pitcher has put on their arm in any given season. I implore the Yankees to either ditch these artificial limitations that could potentially affect their World Series prospects, or at the very least, come up with a more accurate measure of arm wear, and impose limitations with that.
In the end, I say Fuck the Rules (or "Option #3" to be put less coarsely). Let Chamberlain and Hughes keep doing what they're doing as long as the Yanks keep winning games. Just be logical with them, as you would any other pitcher. Don't let Joba throw 125 pitches in a start. Don't let Hughes throw 35 pitches on back-to-back nights. It's not rocket science. Both of these players are 23 years old, at least 6'3", and at least 230 lbs. They do not have to be treated like babies. These are powerful athletes with bright futures. Am I to believe that neither of them can get their bodies prepared in a four month offseason to be ready to be starting pitchers next year, regardless of their innings totals this season? What could be better for their development then having them win games in October for a World Series Champion?
Look, I appreciate the assets young arms are for an organization. But we're not talking about some ignominious Major League organization. This is the New York Yankees, where it's either win the World Series or deem your season a failure. The organization and its fans don't want it any other way. No young players' future development should hinder that pursuit. This is not the Washington Nationals praying at the altar of Stephen Strasburg. The worst case scenario is that either Hughes or Chamberlain would hurt themselves down the road. Even if that were to happen, who can definitively say that it was due to overuse in 2009? Injuries happen, and the Yankees should never mortgage their present in fear of the future. The Yankees are bigger than any one player, and will always have the assets to bring in new players.
So fuck the rules, keep the pitching mojo going, and we'll see you in October.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
SHE SAID: Phil on Fire
The 2007 playoffs. I remember them well. I had a ticket to both rounds and a ticket to the World Series. Sadly, we all know the Yankees did not make the World Series that year. But they did manage to win game 3 at home when Phil Hughes, the youngest player on the roster came in to relieve Roger Clemens. That was the only playoff game I made it to that season and after that game, I was convinced that Hughes deserved his spot on the Yankees.
Since that win, Phil has not been lucky and has been fighting a few injuries. He also has to hear his name brought up in every single trade talk involving the New York Yankees, which I am sure does nothing to improve his confidence. Recently, Phil has been showing fans he deserves his Yankee jersey, whether he’s starting or coming in from the bullpen to set up Mo. In Hughes’ last 17 relief outings, he has an ERA of only 1.06 and has only allowed seven hits in 17 innings.I would like to say the Yankee starters can consistently pitch 7 or 8 innings, but we all know that’s not the case, meaning the Yankees desperately need someone to bridge the gap between the starter and the great Rivera. If his recent performance is a solid indicator of what Hughes can do in relief, the Yankees may have finally found their man in Phil Hughes, alleviating the fear that Yankee fans have been feeling when the starter comes out early. If Hughes can keep this up, Yankee fans can feel confident in winning as early as the 7th inning. We all know the importance of a great set up man. Who can forget that thirteen years ago Rivera once set up John Wetteland. It may be too early to say this, but as he’s pitching now, Hughes looks much like Rivera did back then and can offer the Yankees a couple of innings in early relief.
I for one am tired of hearing Phil’s name come up in the trade talks and am glad he’s finally found a good fit on the team and showing Yankee fans just what he can do. He wasn’t the phenomenon that Joba was when he came up, but I don’t think Hughes’ talent should be underestimated. He is still just 23 years old, giving him time for a little growing pains. After all, he was the Yankees first round draft pick in 2004 and once pitched a perfect game in high school. Phil, keep up the good work.
Since that win, Phil has not been lucky and has been fighting a few injuries. He also has to hear his name brought up in every single trade talk involving the New York Yankees, which I am sure does nothing to improve his confidence. Recently, Phil has been showing fans he deserves his Yankee jersey, whether he’s starting or coming in from the bullpen to set up Mo. In Hughes’ last 17 relief outings, he has an ERA of only 1.06 and has only allowed seven hits in 17 innings.I would like to say the Yankee starters can consistently pitch 7 or 8 innings, but we all know that’s not the case, meaning the Yankees desperately need someone to bridge the gap between the starter and the great Rivera. If his recent performance is a solid indicator of what Hughes can do in relief, the Yankees may have finally found their man in Phil Hughes, alleviating the fear that Yankee fans have been feeling when the starter comes out early. If Hughes can keep this up, Yankee fans can feel confident in winning as early as the 7th inning. We all know the importance of a great set up man. Who can forget that thirteen years ago Rivera once set up John Wetteland. It may be too early to say this, but as he’s pitching now, Hughes looks much like Rivera did back then and can offer the Yankees a couple of innings in early relief.
I for one am tired of hearing Phil’s name come up in the trade talks and am glad he’s finally found a good fit on the team and showing Yankee fans just what he can do. He wasn’t the phenomenon that Joba was when he came up, but I don’t think Hughes’ talent should be underestimated. He is still just 23 years old, giving him time for a little growing pains. After all, he was the Yankees first round draft pick in 2004 and once pitched a perfect game in high school. Phil, keep up the good work.
Monday, July 13, 2009
HE SAID: Angels are Demons
Thanks to some unfriendly scheduling, the Yanks slither into the All-Star break with zero momentum a 3 game losing streak that cost them 3 full games in the AL East standings. The unfriendly scheduling was, of course, a trip to their perennial house of horrors, Anaheim, California. From the outside looking in, Anaheim seems like a lovely city with great weather, as well as a popular vacation destination. That is unless you are a fan of the New York Yankees. The Yanks are now 5-17 in their last 22 games in Anaheim, an unbelievable level of suckery for such a talented group of ballplayers. Their problems with the Angels date back over a decade, as Los Angeles/Anaheim remains the only franchise with a winning record against the Yankees during the Rivera Era (Since 1996, as previously discussed). During that period, the Angels have twice sent the Yanks home for good during the postseason, both in 2002 and 2005.
There are many theories out there about why the Yanks have problems with the Angels. Some say it’s because their fast pace, base-stealing, aggressive offense puts too much pressure on the oft-elderly Yankees defense. Sometimes that has been true, but that surely can not tell the whole story. The Angels were missing their three best offensive players this weekend (Vlad Guerrero, Torii Hunter, and Juan Rivera), and still lit up Yankee pitching during the three game onslaught. The explanation for the Yankee struggles with the Angels may be as elusive as their supernatural mascot, but I nonetheless put forth a mixed bag of theories.
1. Stealth Name Tricks
The Angels change their name more often than the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Since their inception, the Angels have gone from the Los Angeles Angels, to the California Angels, to the Anaheim Angels, to their current Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Owner Arte Moreno claims that the most current incarnation was intended to expand their fan base and better tap in to the larger Los Angeles media market. Perhaps. But could it be that his real goal is to confuse the rest of the American League, and make their opponents not know who they’re playing, and unable to do any advanced scouting or preparation?? That fiend!
2. Lieutenant Frank Dreben
Yankee fans prefer to remember their greats in their formative years with the Yankees, rather than the sad later years when their stars try to extend their careers with lesser franchises that are seeking publicity. This is why you wont find any posters of Babe Ruth of the Boston Braves, Yogi Berra of the New York Mets, nor Goose Gossage of the Seattle Mariners in my bedroom. Yankee fans may also forget that Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, left the Yanks in ‘82 for the (then) California Angels. If they were indeed successful in wiping this from their collective memories, then they were cruelly reminded during the 1988 slapstick spoof Naked Gun where Jackson was unflatteringly portrayed as a murderous Angels outfielder intent on assassinating the Queen of England (Ironically, OJ Simpson portrayed a lovable, dim-witted police officer). Personally, I prefer to remember his home run barrage in the 1977 World Series.
3. Karma for Spawning Our Own Angel
The Angels, appropriately, participated in the baptism of one of the greatest baseball players of all time. On May 17th, 1996 California Angels’ outfielder Garret Anderson grounded into a double play to concluded an 8-5 Yankees victory in the Bronx. That also was the first of 505 (and counting) career saves by the great Mariano Rivera. Rivera has spent over a decade of nearly flawless pitching with the Yankees, but has rarely seen save opportunities against his original victims, due to the Yankees continued futility.
4. Disneyland
Anaheim is also the home of Disneyland, and Disney even owned the Angels from 1999 to 2003. Disney also owns hockey’s Mighty Ducks. If they can turn a team from the misfits of Minneapolis District-5 into Stanley Cup champions, then their power can not be underestimated. The evil cartoon juggernauts must be involved in this conspiracy somehow, and I intend to find out. Perhaps Jorge Posada is actually Mickey Mouse in disguise, sabotaging games for the Yankees. That might be too obvious. Could it be that Disney cursed the Yankees to become Sleeping Beauties whenever they play the Angels? Did Aladdin make one of his three wishes for the Angels to perpetually embarrass the Yankees? Damn you, Disneyyyyyyy!
5. The Curse of Vladdy/Torii/Kendry
Three current Angels stars should be Yankees, but instead make a living laying the smackdown on the Yankees out of their Anaheim offices. The Yankees passed on the absurdly talented Vlad Guerrero during the 2004 free agency, instead opting for Gary Sheffield. They were concerned about investing in the 29 year-old future Hall-of-Famer because of back troubles the previous season. They instead chose the 35 year-old ticking time bomb in Sheffield. That same year Guerrero won American League MVP (in fairness, Sheff finished second), and has continued to play great ball while. Meanwhile Sheffield is currently a fragile DH masquerading as an outfielder with the crosstown Mets. Torii Hunter spells his name weird. He was also the perfect fit for the Yankees during 2008 free agency. He is one of the best defensive outfielders of the generation, and would have looked great patrolling the spacious outfield of Yankee Stadium. The boy can also rake and, thanks to his current 17 Hrs and 65 RBIs, is headed to his 3rd All-Star Game tomorrow. In ‘08, instead of signing Hunter, the Yanks handed the keys to centerfield to Melky Cabrera, who would be demoted to AAA later that season. Morales was an absolute phenom in his native Cuba before defecting in 2004. As a free agent, he signed with the Angels for a measly $3 M. Since Cuban National Team defectors are immediately free agents, I see no reason why the Yankees don’t sign every single one of them. They have the money. They got Orlando Hernandez, Jose Contreras, and Juan Miranda after they defected. How did they miss out on Kendry (and Alexei Ramirez, for that matter)??
6. No Doubt
The world famous ska/rock/pop band No Doubt and their lead babe Gwen Stefani hail from the mean streets of Anaheim. Their breakout album Tragic Kingdom was released right before the 1996 baseball season. Coincidence?? No chance. Since then Anaheim has been a tragic kingdom for the Yanks. If I were advising the Yankees, I would say; Hey Baby, Don’t Speak about the curse of No Doubt because you’re tangling yourself in Spiderwebs of excuses, and acting like Just a Girl.
7. The Rally Monkey
I hate this little bugger. If for no better reason than it makes no sense. What does a video of a monkey jumping up and down have to do with starting a rally? Nothing. Meanwhile, the Angels have forever sullied a great movie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (where the monkey came from), and a great song, House of Pain’s “Jump Around” (which they play while the monkey hops around), all in one silly promotion. On the flipside, in typical Disney fashion, it does sell a lot of stuffed animal monkeys at Angel Stadium. Any way to make a quick buck. For shame.
There are many theories out there about why the Yanks have problems with the Angels. Some say it’s because their fast pace, base-stealing, aggressive offense puts too much pressure on the oft-elderly Yankees defense. Sometimes that has been true, but that surely can not tell the whole story. The Angels were missing their three best offensive players this weekend (Vlad Guerrero, Torii Hunter, and Juan Rivera), and still lit up Yankee pitching during the three game onslaught. The explanation for the Yankee struggles with the Angels may be as elusive as their supernatural mascot, but I nonetheless put forth a mixed bag of theories.
1. Stealth Name Tricks
The Angels change their name more often than the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Since their inception, the Angels have gone from the Los Angeles Angels, to the California Angels, to the Anaheim Angels, to their current Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Owner Arte Moreno claims that the most current incarnation was intended to expand their fan base and better tap in to the larger Los Angeles media market. Perhaps. But could it be that his real goal is to confuse the rest of the American League, and make their opponents not know who they’re playing, and unable to do any advanced scouting or preparation?? That fiend!
2. Lieutenant Frank Dreben
Yankee fans prefer to remember their greats in their formative years with the Yankees, rather than the sad later years when their stars try to extend their careers with lesser franchises that are seeking publicity. This is why you wont find any posters of Babe Ruth of the Boston Braves, Yogi Berra of the New York Mets, nor Goose Gossage of the Seattle Mariners in my bedroom. Yankee fans may also forget that Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, left the Yanks in ‘82 for the (then) California Angels. If they were indeed successful in wiping this from their collective memories, then they were cruelly reminded during the 1988 slapstick spoof Naked Gun where Jackson was unflatteringly portrayed as a murderous Angels outfielder intent on assassinating the Queen of England (Ironically, OJ Simpson portrayed a lovable, dim-witted police officer). Personally, I prefer to remember his home run barrage in the 1977 World Series.
3. Karma for Spawning Our Own Angel
The Angels, appropriately, participated in the baptism of one of the greatest baseball players of all time. On May 17th, 1996 California Angels’ outfielder Garret Anderson grounded into a double play to concluded an 8-5 Yankees victory in the Bronx. That also was the first of 505 (and counting) career saves by the great Mariano Rivera. Rivera has spent over a decade of nearly flawless pitching with the Yankees, but has rarely seen save opportunities against his original victims, due to the Yankees continued futility.
4. Disneyland
Anaheim is also the home of Disneyland, and Disney even owned the Angels from 1999 to 2003. Disney also owns hockey’s Mighty Ducks. If they can turn a team from the misfits of Minneapolis District-5 into Stanley Cup champions, then their power can not be underestimated. The evil cartoon juggernauts must be involved in this conspiracy somehow, and I intend to find out. Perhaps Jorge Posada is actually Mickey Mouse in disguise, sabotaging games for the Yankees. That might be too obvious. Could it be that Disney cursed the Yankees to become Sleeping Beauties whenever they play the Angels? Did Aladdin make one of his three wishes for the Angels to perpetually embarrass the Yankees? Damn you, Disneyyyyyyy!
5. The Curse of Vladdy/Torii/Kendry
Three current Angels stars should be Yankees, but instead make a living laying the smackdown on the Yankees out of their Anaheim offices. The Yankees passed on the absurdly talented Vlad Guerrero during the 2004 free agency, instead opting for Gary Sheffield. They were concerned about investing in the 29 year-old future Hall-of-Famer because of back troubles the previous season. They instead chose the 35 year-old ticking time bomb in Sheffield. That same year Guerrero won American League MVP (in fairness, Sheff finished second), and has continued to play great ball while. Meanwhile Sheffield is currently a fragile DH masquerading as an outfielder with the crosstown Mets. Torii Hunter spells his name weird. He was also the perfect fit for the Yankees during 2008 free agency. He is one of the best defensive outfielders of the generation, and would have looked great patrolling the spacious outfield of Yankee Stadium. The boy can also rake and, thanks to his current 17 Hrs and 65 RBIs, is headed to his 3rd All-Star Game tomorrow. In ‘08, instead of signing Hunter, the Yanks handed the keys to centerfield to Melky Cabrera, who would be demoted to AAA later that season. Morales was an absolute phenom in his native Cuba before defecting in 2004. As a free agent, he signed with the Angels for a measly $3 M. Since Cuban National Team defectors are immediately free agents, I see no reason why the Yankees don’t sign every single one of them. They have the money. They got Orlando Hernandez, Jose Contreras, and Juan Miranda after they defected. How did they miss out on Kendry (and Alexei Ramirez, for that matter)??
6. No Doubt
The world famous ska/rock/pop band No Doubt and their lead babe Gwen Stefani hail from the mean streets of Anaheim. Their breakout album Tragic Kingdom was released right before the 1996 baseball season. Coincidence?? No chance. Since then Anaheim has been a tragic kingdom for the Yanks. If I were advising the Yankees, I would say; Hey Baby, Don’t Speak about the curse of No Doubt because you’re tangling yourself in Spiderwebs of excuses, and acting like Just a Girl.
7. The Rally Monkey
I hate this little bugger. If for no better reason than it makes no sense. What does a video of a monkey jumping up and down have to do with starting a rally? Nothing. Meanwhile, the Angels have forever sullied a great movie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (where the monkey came from), and a great song, House of Pain’s “Jump Around” (which they play while the monkey hops around), all in one silly promotion. On the flipside, in typical Disney fashion, it does sell a lot of stuffed animal monkeys at Angel Stadium. Any way to make a quick buck. For shame.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
SHE SAID: You're An All Star, get your game on, go play
Since 1933, the All Star game has been played, symbolically marking the halfway point of the MLB season. The day before and after the All Star are the only two calendar days all year in which no regular or preseason game in any of the major US sports leagues are scheduled. A lot people think the All Star game is pointless and many more have a huge problem with the selection process. I'm not saying the selection process is ideal, but I think the point of the game is simple and doesn’t need to be analyzed for more than it is. The game is just something fun for fans to watch, pure and simple; an exhibition giving fans the chance to see great players who may never be on the same team play together. And really, who didn’t love struggling to stay awake for all 4 hours and 50 minutes of last year’s All Star game? Love or hate the All Star game, it is an honor to be picked. Let’s get down to who made the cut and who didn’t, but should have.
Yankee All-Stars
Derek Jeter: The Yankee captain received the highest number of votes of any AL player and will be making his 10th All Star appearance. Disclaimer, I love Jeter and will never say anything bad about him following my opposition to his high fade. That being said, while the Rays Jason Barlett is also a strong contender to start, I think Jeter deserved to make the cut. As evidenced by the number of votes he received, fans see Jeter as a more sure thing than Barlett who lacks the history and name recognition. And yes, that is one of the reasons people are opposed to fan voting. But I never said the selection process was perfect. Jeter has been effective defensively this year, even more so than previous seasons, quieting critics talk of “ineffective fielding.” Jeter is also hitting well, stealing bases, and scoring runs. On top of this, Jeter has proven to be a valuable asset to the AL All Star roster, with a .474 career average in the midsummer classic, ranking him 5th of all time. And don’t forget 2000, when Jeter was named the All Star MVP, the first time a Yankee was awarded this honor. I’ll admit it; I will probably still be putting Jeter down as a write in long after he is retired.
Tex: Yankee fans nationwide rejoiced in the off season with the signing of CC, Burnett, and Tex. Tex made Yankee fans especially happy, as many thought he might go to the dark side (aka the Boston Red Sox). Well CC has been good and Burnett was strong in his first
few starts, I think Tex is the one addition that is consistently delivering what Yankee fans expected from him. And yes to be fair, he did get off to a slow start. Yankee fans expected Teixeira to get hits and score runs and that is just what he is doing. He has hit 20 home runs and driven in 62 runs so far this season. Another reason Tex deserves to make the cut, he plays the entire game as if it matters and remembers the fundamentals of the game. If you need proof of this, just remember that sloppy win over the Mets. Sorry to bring it up again Castillo. When A-Rod made contact, Tex did what young players are taught to do when there are 2 outs, he ran on contact and didn’t stop. There are many great players who would have simply jogged slowly towards second after seeing the ball pop up. Those players would have stayed safe at second and kept the game tied to bring up another batter. Not Tex, who plays the game full speed until the last out is recorded. It just makes it all that much sweeter than Tex beats out our least favorite bald Red Sox.
Mariano Rivera: This one is pretty non-debatable, so really no need for a long explanation. It wouldn’t be an All Star game without Rivera, also making his 10th All Star appearance. Rivera has earned three All Star saves, tying Eckersley for the most All Star saves. Mo, let’s make it 4 this year and set a new record. I am still trying to recover from Papelbon’s comments last season. I wonder if he has arranged for a bulletproof car in St. Louis for his safety...
As much as I do love watching the All Star game, clearly it has its flaws, which leave some deserving players to get snubbed. There are many snubs this year, but two of the worst go to the Texas Rangers. I love Josh Hamilton’s story as much as anyone; in fact, I get choked up just thinking about what he’s accomplished and overcame. But two of his teammates deserved an All Star spot more than this comeback kid. While Hamilton has been injured, two of his teammates have helped to make the Rangers a top contender in the AL West.
Ian Kinsler: Sure he still has a 1 in 5 chance of making the team, but the reality is, he deserves the starting spot. Kinsler’s stats are impressive; he ranks in the top ten in runs, home runs, and stolen bases. So even if he didn’t get the start over Dustin, his numbers are simply better than Aaron Hill’s, who I actually would have started over Dustin as well. I will acknowledge is average is a little low for someone who hits at the top of the order, but Hill and Pedroia’s higher averages are not enough to edge them ahead of Kinsler. Again, Pedroia overshadows Kinsler, something he’s been doing since Arizona State. I still love you Ian and hope the fans will keep voting to give you what you deserve.
Kevin Millwood: The Texas Rangers and dominating pitchers don’t usually go together in the same sentence. However, Kevin Millwood has been dominating this season. One must also remember some of the games he does lose; he would have easily won had he had adequate offensive help. Again, the numbers don’t lie. Millwood’s ERA is lower than Josh Beckett's and he has pitched more innings than Beckett, including pitching two complete games. Millwood’s ERA is also lower than Tim Wakefield’s by an even greater margin. In fact, Millwood’s ERA is in the top 5 of AL pitchers. I mean we all know that Tim is 42 and this may be his last chance to make the team, but if you are leaving sentiment out of it, he didn’t deserve it more than Millwood. And it can’t be overlooked that Millwood was also hurt by the rule that every team must be represented. How about just giving players from the teams that don’t have deserving All Stars some front row seats to make a nice cheering section?
Regardless of who did and didn’t get picked, let’s hope that no one pulls a Dan Uggla this year….
Yankee All-Stars
Derek Jeter: The Yankee captain received the highest number of votes of any AL player and will be making his 10th All Star appearance. Disclaimer, I love Jeter and will never say anything bad about him following my opposition to his high fade. That being said, while the Rays Jason Barlett is also a strong contender to start, I think Jeter deserved to make the cut. As evidenced by the number of votes he received, fans see Jeter as a more sure thing than Barlett who lacks the history and name recognition. And yes, that is one of the reasons people are opposed to fan voting. But I never said the selection process was perfect. Jeter has been effective defensively this year, even more so than previous seasons, quieting critics talk of “ineffective fielding.” Jeter is also hitting well, stealing bases, and scoring runs. On top of this, Jeter has proven to be a valuable asset to the AL All Star roster, with a .474 career average in the midsummer classic, ranking him 5th of all time. And don’t forget 2000, when Jeter was named the All Star MVP, the first time a Yankee was awarded this honor. I’ll admit it; I will probably still be putting Jeter down as a write in long after he is retired.
Tex: Yankee fans nationwide rejoiced in the off season with the signing of CC, Burnett, and Tex. Tex made Yankee fans especially happy, as many thought he might go to the dark side (aka the Boston Red Sox). Well CC has been good and Burnett was strong in his first
few starts, I think Tex is the one addition that is consistently delivering what Yankee fans expected from him. And yes to be fair, he did get off to a slow start. Yankee fans expected Teixeira to get hits and score runs and that is just what he is doing. He has hit 20 home runs and driven in 62 runs so far this season. Another reason Tex deserves to make the cut, he plays the entire game as if it matters and remembers the fundamentals of the game. If you need proof of this, just remember that sloppy win over the Mets. Sorry to bring it up again Castillo. When A-Rod made contact, Tex did what young players are taught to do when there are 2 outs, he ran on contact and didn’t stop. There are many great players who would have simply jogged slowly towards second after seeing the ball pop up. Those players would have stayed safe at second and kept the game tied to bring up another batter. Not Tex, who plays the game full speed until the last out is recorded. It just makes it all that much sweeter than Tex beats out our least favorite bald Red Sox.
Mariano Rivera: This one is pretty non-debatable, so really no need for a long explanation. It wouldn’t be an All Star game without Rivera, also making his 10th All Star appearance. Rivera has earned three All Star saves, tying Eckersley for the most All Star saves. Mo, let’s make it 4 this year and set a new record. I am still trying to recover from Papelbon’s comments last season. I wonder if he has arranged for a bulletproof car in St. Louis for his safety...
As much as I do love watching the All Star game, clearly it has its flaws, which leave some deserving players to get snubbed. There are many snubs this year, but two of the worst go to the Texas Rangers. I love Josh Hamilton’s story as much as anyone; in fact, I get choked up just thinking about what he’s accomplished and overcame. But two of his teammates deserved an All Star spot more than this comeback kid. While Hamilton has been injured, two of his teammates have helped to make the Rangers a top contender in the AL West.
Ian Kinsler: Sure he still has a 1 in 5 chance of making the team, but the reality is, he deserves the starting spot. Kinsler’s stats are impressive; he ranks in the top ten in runs, home runs, and stolen bases. So even if he didn’t get the start over Dustin, his numbers are simply better than Aaron Hill’s, who I actually would have started over Dustin as well. I will acknowledge is average is a little low for someone who hits at the top of the order, but Hill and Pedroia’s higher averages are not enough to edge them ahead of Kinsler. Again, Pedroia overshadows Kinsler, something he’s been doing since Arizona State. I still love you Ian and hope the fans will keep voting to give you what you deserve.
Kevin Millwood: The Texas Rangers and dominating pitchers don’t usually go together in the same sentence. However, Kevin Millwood has been dominating this season. One must also remember some of the games he does lose; he would have easily won had he had adequate offensive help. Again, the numbers don’t lie. Millwood’s ERA is lower than Josh Beckett's and he has pitched more innings than Beckett, including pitching two complete games. Millwood’s ERA is also lower than Tim Wakefield’s by an even greater margin. In fact, Millwood’s ERA is in the top 5 of AL pitchers. I mean we all know that Tim is 42 and this may be his last chance to make the team, but if you are leaving sentiment out of it, he didn’t deserve it more than Millwood. And it can’t be overlooked that Millwood was also hurt by the rule that every team must be represented. How about just giving players from the teams that don’t have deserving All Stars some front row seats to make a nice cheering section?
Regardless of who did and didn’t get picked, let’s hope that no one pulls a Dan Uggla this year….
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
HE SAID: Hey Now, You're an All-Star!
The All-Star game. Ahhhhh, the Mid-Summer Classic. Drink it in, it always goes down smooth (well, except for that 2002 tie in bark-twice-if-you’re-in-Milwaukee). The ever-expanding group of 66 stars have been anointed for the 2009 season. The Yankees are sending three fellows this season. The Mets are sending four, despite wallowing in fourth place of the abysmal NL East. But hey, that’s the National League for ya! Anyhooooo, here’s a rundown of the Yankees All-Star selections and possible omissions:
THE ALL-STARS:
Derek Jeter, starting SS: As ridiculously overstated as Jeter’s “fundamentals” and “intangibles” are year after year (see two atrocious base running blunders this past week alone), his on-field work this season is legitimately worthy of the All-Star start. The fact that he was the leading vote-getter in the American League is a mere product of his name recognition, and the lack of star power at the position in the AL. With 10 home runs, 17 stolen bases, and a .314 BA at the season’s midway point, Jeter has been the most offensively productive player at his position thus far. His defensive vectors have also shown a strange and frankly unexpected improvement this season. Some how Jeter’s range in the field has increased at the age of 35. Jeter says “he’s just healthy”, perhaps implying that he hasn’t been healthy in recent years, or perhaps just spewing another one of his trademark recycled media clichés. There is a case to be made for Tampa Bay SS Jason Bartlett being deserving of the start. He has almost the same power and speed output as Jeter while sporting a .358 BA. Bartlett was rewarded with a selection as a reserve shortstop for the AL. However since Bartlett has missed a number of games due to injury, and because he is playing WAY above his skis and will assuredly drop down to earth in the second half, plush he plays for the equally overrated Rays, Bartlett can suck it. Good call here, baseball fans.
Mark Teixeira, starting 1B: Teixeira beat out Boston supermodel/1B Kevin Youkilis in fan voting on the final day of the balloting. The announcement caused a rousing ovation at Yankee Stadium and a collective fist pump throughout Yankee Universe since they finally beat Boston at something this season (even though the 0-8 start is not Armageddon, see previous column). Whether or not Teixeira deserved this start is a better debate. As beloved as Youkilis has become in Bandwagon Nation, his offensive production has fallen remarkably since his scorching hot start to the season. His numbers no longer match up to Teixeira’s, although both bring Gold Glove caliber defense. Peace out Youk, you ugly mofo. The real debate is between Teixeira and Minnesota 1B Justin Morneau. Morneau is quite possibly the most under-the-radar superstar baseball has seen this decade, despite his newsworthy accomplishment of robbing Jeter of the 2006 American League MVP award. His production at the plate this year has been stellar, with a .323 BA, 21 HRs, and 69 RBIs. Though his numbers are slightly better than Teixeira’s, I’ll say Mark deserves the nod since his defense has brought a whole new dimension to the Yankees infield. The geriatric Yanks have already set a Major League record with 17 consecutive errorless games earlier this season, largely due to Teixeira’s soft hands around the first base bag. Also, Morneau is Canadian... gross. Once again, the fans got it right!
Mariano Rivera, reserve RP. No brainer (again, see previous column). Rivera is the best closer in the league and has been for well over a decade. Since “this time it counts!” (Like the last few All-Star games, the winner earns home field advantage for their World Series representative), manager Joe Maddon will need to call on Rivera to save the game, as he has done three times before for the American League. Besides the resumé, his 22/23 in saves and 2.60 ERA give Rivera the numbers to make the team. See you in St. Louis, Mo!
UP FOR DEBATE:
Johnny Damon, LF: Hard to get up in a tizzy about Damon being left off the team. All of the reserve AL outfielders are either deserving, or have to be on the team because their sucky clubs must send one representative by rule. Also Damon’s defense in left has made my eyes burn this year and would warrant the hyperbolic “worst I’ve ever seen”, had I not seen David Murphy play some games in the outfield for the Mets this season while doing his best 1998 Todd Hundley impersonation. Damon’s offensive numbers this year have been very good, and I thought he would get a nod on the “Final Ballot”, in which fans get to vote on the 33rd and final member of each squad. The new “Final Ballot” follows MLB’s logic of allowing fans to vote in undeserving starters to the game, and now an allows them to vote on equally undeserving reserve All-Stars. Damon has outperformed at least two final ballot candidates (which interestingly includes Blue Jays’ DH Adam Lind, despite the lack of use of the DH in the actual game), but there’s really no legitimate grounds to get upset about this alleged snub. Sorry Johnny.
AJ Burnett, SP: Burnett’s omission from the All-Star team brings up the continual debate about what it means to be an All-Star. In the past, the team was supposed to reward the players having the best season. With pitchers, the issue of “what’s a good season” would invariably come up. Often times, this is defined by wins, which is why shitbag 11-game winner Jason Marquis was named to the National League team. Frequently great pitchers that are victims of tough luck or sub-par offenses are omitted from the team, such as Giants starter and previously prolific loser Matt Cain. The problem now is the aforementioned credo “this time it counts!”. Essentially, we are telling the respective managers that the game is not a showcase exhibition, but rather a real game that has real consequences (again, home field advantage in the World Series). If that is the case, it behooves the managers to use their few selections on players that can contribute to winning a ballgame. With the way AJ has been pitching his previous four starts, there is no doubt that he is one of the best equipped pitchers in the game to get outs right now. By that logic, Maddon should have brought him along to St. Louis. Instead, selections were given to noticeably inferior pitchers such as Mark Buerle and Tim Wakefield due to their loftier win totals thus far. If I were Maddon, I would rather bring in a guy that can throw and inning of gas with a devastating breaking ball than a soft lefty and/or erratic knuckleballer. That’s just me.
All in all, the All-Stars were pretty well selected (besides Marquis, who blows regardless of how many wins he has). Josh Hamilton doesn’t deserve to start on the Texas Rangers, let alone the American League All-Stars, but I don’t have a problem with the fans wanting to see him in the game. What he did in Yankee Stadium during last year’s game was magical, and certainly left an impression on the fan voters. Unlike the Burnett hypothetical, I agree with Maddon selecting Michael Young over A-Rod as the backup at third base if he’s playing to with the game. Even though A-Rod is liable to pop-one out of the new Busch Stadium in any given at-bat, Young has been a perennial hero in recent All-Star games, including a game-tying 9th inning triple off of Trevor Hoffman in the 2006 game in Pittsburgh, and a game winning sac fly last year in the Bronx. A-Rod has been, well, “not as lucky” under pressure in recent years.
THE ALL-STARS:
Derek Jeter, starting SS: As ridiculously overstated as Jeter’s “fundamentals” and “intangibles” are year after year (see two atrocious base running blunders this past week alone), his on-field work this season is legitimately worthy of the All-Star start. The fact that he was the leading vote-getter in the American League is a mere product of his name recognition, and the lack of star power at the position in the AL. With 10 home runs, 17 stolen bases, and a .314 BA at the season’s midway point, Jeter has been the most offensively productive player at his position thus far. His defensive vectors have also shown a strange and frankly unexpected improvement this season. Some how Jeter’s range in the field has increased at the age of 35. Jeter says “he’s just healthy”, perhaps implying that he hasn’t been healthy in recent years, or perhaps just spewing another one of his trademark recycled media clichés. There is a case to be made for Tampa Bay SS Jason Bartlett being deserving of the start. He has almost the same power and speed output as Jeter while sporting a .358 BA. Bartlett was rewarded with a selection as a reserve shortstop for the AL. However since Bartlett has missed a number of games due to injury, and because he is playing WAY above his skis and will assuredly drop down to earth in the second half, plush he plays for the equally overrated Rays, Bartlett can suck it. Good call here, baseball fans.
Mark Teixeira, starting 1B: Teixeira beat out Boston supermodel/1B Kevin Youkilis in fan voting on the final day of the balloting. The announcement caused a rousing ovation at Yankee Stadium and a collective fist pump throughout Yankee Universe since they finally beat Boston at something this season (even though the 0-8 start is not Armageddon, see previous column). Whether or not Teixeira deserved this start is a better debate. As beloved as Youkilis has become in Bandwagon Nation, his offensive production has fallen remarkably since his scorching hot start to the season. His numbers no longer match up to Teixeira’s, although both bring Gold Glove caliber defense. Peace out Youk, you ugly mofo. The real debate is between Teixeira and Minnesota 1B Justin Morneau. Morneau is quite possibly the most under-the-radar superstar baseball has seen this decade, despite his newsworthy accomplishment of robbing Jeter of the 2006 American League MVP award. His production at the plate this year has been stellar, with a .323 BA, 21 HRs, and 69 RBIs. Though his numbers are slightly better than Teixeira’s, I’ll say Mark deserves the nod since his defense has brought a whole new dimension to the Yankees infield. The geriatric Yanks have already set a Major League record with 17 consecutive errorless games earlier this season, largely due to Teixeira’s soft hands around the first base bag. Also, Morneau is Canadian... gross. Once again, the fans got it right!
Mariano Rivera, reserve RP. No brainer (again, see previous column). Rivera is the best closer in the league and has been for well over a decade. Since “this time it counts!” (Like the last few All-Star games, the winner earns home field advantage for their World Series representative), manager Joe Maddon will need to call on Rivera to save the game, as he has done three times before for the American League. Besides the resumé, his 22/23 in saves and 2.60 ERA give Rivera the numbers to make the team. See you in St. Louis, Mo!
UP FOR DEBATE:
Johnny Damon, LF: Hard to get up in a tizzy about Damon being left off the team. All of the reserve AL outfielders are either deserving, or have to be on the team because their sucky clubs must send one representative by rule. Also Damon’s defense in left has made my eyes burn this year and would warrant the hyperbolic “worst I’ve ever seen”, had I not seen David Murphy play some games in the outfield for the Mets this season while doing his best 1998 Todd Hundley impersonation. Damon’s offensive numbers this year have been very good, and I thought he would get a nod on the “Final Ballot”, in which fans get to vote on the 33rd and final member of each squad. The new “Final Ballot” follows MLB’s logic of allowing fans to vote in undeserving starters to the game, and now an allows them to vote on equally undeserving reserve All-Stars. Damon has outperformed at least two final ballot candidates (which interestingly includes Blue Jays’ DH Adam Lind, despite the lack of use of the DH in the actual game), but there’s really no legitimate grounds to get upset about this alleged snub. Sorry Johnny.
AJ Burnett, SP: Burnett’s omission from the All-Star team brings up the continual debate about what it means to be an All-Star. In the past, the team was supposed to reward the players having the best season. With pitchers, the issue of “what’s a good season” would invariably come up. Often times, this is defined by wins, which is why shitbag 11-game winner Jason Marquis was named to the National League team. Frequently great pitchers that are victims of tough luck or sub-par offenses are omitted from the team, such as Giants starter and previously prolific loser Matt Cain. The problem now is the aforementioned credo “this time it counts!”. Essentially, we are telling the respective managers that the game is not a showcase exhibition, but rather a real game that has real consequences (again, home field advantage in the World Series). If that is the case, it behooves the managers to use their few selections on players that can contribute to winning a ballgame. With the way AJ has been pitching his previous four starts, there is no doubt that he is one of the best equipped pitchers in the game to get outs right now. By that logic, Maddon should have brought him along to St. Louis. Instead, selections were given to noticeably inferior pitchers such as Mark Buerle and Tim Wakefield due to their loftier win totals thus far. If I were Maddon, I would rather bring in a guy that can throw and inning of gas with a devastating breaking ball than a soft lefty and/or erratic knuckleballer. That’s just me.
All in all, the All-Stars were pretty well selected (besides Marquis, who blows regardless of how many wins he has). Josh Hamilton doesn’t deserve to start on the Texas Rangers, let alone the American League All-Stars, but I don’t have a problem with the fans wanting to see him in the game. What he did in Yankee Stadium during last year’s game was magical, and certainly left an impression on the fan voters. Unlike the Burnett hypothetical, I agree with Maddon selecting Michael Young over A-Rod as the backup at third base if he’s playing to with the game. Even though A-Rod is liable to pop-one out of the new Busch Stadium in any given at-bat, Young has been a perennial hero in recent All-Star games, including a game-tying 9th inning triple off of Trevor Hoffman in the 2006 game in Pittsburgh, and a game winning sac fly last year in the Bronx. A-Rod has been, well, “not as lucky” under pressure in recent years.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
SHE SAID: Mariano's 500th Save
Love or hate the Yankees, there is no denying that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all time and one of sports only sure things. This season anytime Wang takes the mound, anxiety sets in. Remember Kyle Farnsworth? As much as I would like to forget he was ever a Yankee, I used to cringe when he came in to pitch. The exact opposite can be said when you here “Enter Sandman” come on and see Mo jogging onto the field. When Mo enters the game, calm sets in. What makes Mo so great is his consistency. Where A-Rod falters in the postseason, Mo is brilliant. In the postseason alone, Rivera has 34 saves and an ERA of only 0.77. As Mo and Yankee fans alike celebrate 500, I’d like to remember two of my favorite postseason Mo moments.
The 1999 World Series: The 1999 World Series was not a particularly dramatic one for the Yankees, as they swept the Braves in 4 games. It did however put the icing on the cake of Rivera’s spectacular 1999 season. In 1999, Rivera lead the Majors with 45 saves in 49 opportunities, recorded an ERA of only 1.83, and was selected as an All Star. And then came the World Series, where Mo picked up two saves and a win. By the end of the 1999 season, Rivera had pitched 43 consecutive scoreless innings on top of winning the World Series MVP.
And now to my favorite….
Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS: Yankee fans all remember how this game started. After only 4 innings, the Red Sox had already scored 4 runs while the Yankees had yet to score a run, knocking the then dependable Clemens out of the game way too early. You remember, this was back in the days of the pre-Roger scandal. I remember wanting to cry, thinking this cannot be happening. I know many a Yankee fan who had to leave to watch the game in seclusion. It was two Yankees who have since moved on, Mussina and Giambi who helped to keep the Yankees alive. As Yankee fans held their breath, Boston pitching began to
unravel in the 8th, bringing the game to the 9th inning and paving the way for Mo with the game tied 5-5. We all know what happened next, Mo did what he does best and pitched 3 shutout innings. Not only did Mo keep the Yankees alive, he brought back hope to Yankee fans whose worst nightmare is to lose to Boston in game 7 of the ALCS. Many people will remember Aaron Boone’s home run that gave the Yankees the 6-5 win – but had Rivera not gotten the Yankees through the 11th, who knows what might have happened. Best to not even think of that...
And to think, it all began with Mo making his debut in 1995 as a starter; in a game his team lost 10-0. The Yankees even once considered trading Rivera in 1995, a thought that sends shutters down Yankee fans spines, who could never even begin to imagine a Rivera-less Yankee team. But hey, we all remember Michael Jordan who was cut from his high school basketball team. We should all considered ourselves lucky enough to have gotten the chance to watch Mo pitch in all his glory.
The 1999 World Series: The 1999 World Series was not a particularly dramatic one for the Yankees, as they swept the Braves in 4 games. It did however put the icing on the cake of Rivera’s spectacular 1999 season. In 1999, Rivera lead the Majors with 45 saves in 49 opportunities, recorded an ERA of only 1.83, and was selected as an All Star. And then came the World Series, where Mo picked up two saves and a win. By the end of the 1999 season, Rivera had pitched 43 consecutive scoreless innings on top of winning the World Series MVP.
And now to my favorite….
Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS: Yankee fans all remember how this game started. After only 4 innings, the Red Sox had already scored 4 runs while the Yankees had yet to score a run, knocking the then dependable Clemens out of the game way too early. You remember, this was back in the days of the pre-Roger scandal. I remember wanting to cry, thinking this cannot be happening. I know many a Yankee fan who had to leave to watch the game in seclusion. It was two Yankees who have since moved on, Mussina and Giambi who helped to keep the Yankees alive. As Yankee fans held their breath, Boston pitching began to
unravel in the 8th, bringing the game to the 9th inning and paving the way for Mo with the game tied 5-5. We all know what happened next, Mo did what he does best and pitched 3 shutout innings. Not only did Mo keep the Yankees alive, he brought back hope to Yankee fans whose worst nightmare is to lose to Boston in game 7 of the ALCS. Many people will remember Aaron Boone’s home run that gave the Yankees the 6-5 win – but had Rivera not gotten the Yankees through the 11th, who knows what might have happened. Best to not even think of that...
And to think, it all began with Mo making his debut in 1995 as a starter; in a game his team lost 10-0. The Yankees even once considered trading Rivera in 1995, a thought that sends shutters down Yankee fans spines, who could never even begin to imagine a Rivera-less Yankee team. But hey, we all remember Michael Jordan who was cut from his high school basketball team. We should all considered ourselves lucky enough to have gotten the chance to watch Mo pitch in all his glory.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
HE SAID: Mariano's 500th Save
Since I reckon that a decent percentage of this blog’s readership knows me personally, it is no surprising revelation that Mariano Rivera is my all-time favorite athlete (with all due respect to the Babe whose legend is unmatched, but my infatuation is tempered since I never got to see him play). Rivera joined the Yankees in the summer of 1995. This coincided with the early stages of what would become my lifelong connection with Yankees baseball. Naturally, he was not my favorite player immediately, since it takes some time to win my affection, and there were some very likable, established Yanks such as Mike Stanley about. Also, his legendary resume didn’t really begin building until the following season. After initially struggling with his stamina as a Yankees starting pitcher in 1995, the Yankees sent him to the bullpen for the remainder of the year. He never left that ‘pen, since compiling the credentials to be deemed the greatest player ever to spend their career sitting on those elevated benches beyond the walls of Major League stadiums.
In the ‘95 ALDS vs. the Mariners, manager Buck Showalter brought in a rookie Rivera in 3 of the 5 games, all in high-leverage, late game situations. Rivera first showed his trademark heart in facing the immense pressure of the playoffs by throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings, while recording the win in Game 2. That type of poise has allowed Mo to become the most clutch postseason pitching performer the game has ever seen.
That summer I also had to choose my uniform number for my travel baseball team. I chose #42 merely for its aesthetic beauty. (As some of you also know, I have various feelings/theories about what constitutes a good or bad looking uniform number, i.e. 42, 18, 7, 21 = good, while 26, 37, 41 are NOT). For its continued aesthetic form, and it’s later association with the Great Mariano, I would wear this number for the remainder of my athletic career.
In 1996, new Yankees manager Joe Torre turned to Mariano to be his ace reliever to pitch in front of All-Star closer John Wetteland. Rivera’s dominance in middle relief that year is unparalleled since. He posted an ERA just over 2, a WHIP just under 1, and struck out 130 batters in 107 innings, a total that is simply no longer reached by today’s middle relievers. As a witness to almost every game of the 1996 Yankees season, I have never seen anything like what the Yankees had at the end of ballgames. Night after night after night, if the starter could get through six innings with a lead, the game was OVER. Not “over”, like we say today. Not “closer comes in to dance around to his entrance music and 88% of the time finish the game successfully” over. The Yankees opponents were helpless. Two from Mo, one from Wetteland; that was the Yanks winning formula. That formula eventually took the Yanks all the way to their first World Series title in 18 seasons. Mo’s dominance in ‘96 prompted a famous quote by Twins manager Tom Kelly, a two-time World Series champ himself. After a series with the Twins in which Rivera pitched six hitless innings of relief while recording two wins, Kelly proclaimed, “We don't need to face him any more.. He needs to pitch in a higher league, if there is one. Ban him from baseball. He should be illegal.” The usually quiet Kelly caused quite a stir with his words. What seemed like hyperbole at the time, would sound somewhat prophetic in the subsequent years of Rivera dominance. Rivera was named closer for the ’97 season and the rest was history.
I need not spend a whole post gushing over Rivera’s statistical accomplishments. His resumé and slew of Major League records speak for themselves. To me, Mariano is the face of the Yankees; both in the dynastic years of the late 90's, and the current group today. His role on the team can be easily minimized by critics. He doesn’t play everyday, he pitches 1/3 of the innings a starting pitcher does, etc. But if you have followed this team during the Rivera Era (as I choose to call it), then you know what Mo means to the Yankees. He is their security blanket, their fire extinguisher, their steel lock on the front door, their spokesman, their priest, and their guidance counselor all wrapped into one. He is the constant in a game of ups and downs. Their guarantee in a world where nothing’s guaranteed. To me, Mariano is the Yankees’ MVP every year. He is their competitive advantage.
Mariano is such a special talent, that he dominates hitters with one pitch: his legendary cutter. While every other pitcher in the league spends their time tinkering with gimmicks to trick hitters, Mariano simply knows that his best is better than the hitters’ best and works accordingly. He need not work on quirky arm angles, varied motions, tilted caps, knuckleballs, slurves, splitties, nor any other gobbity goop. Mariano tells you the cutter is coming and that there’s nothing you can do about it. With his smooth, slow delivery, the ball jumps out of his hand like a thunderbolt. One pitch. The cutter can sneak backdoor you for an outside strike, get into your kitchen and jam you, or blow past you high. It’s just a matter of where Mo wants to put it, and wherever that is, he usually gets it there with sniper-like precision. He is a technician, a surgeon, an artist with the baseball. He has been an absolute joy to watch for the past 15 seasons.
Sunday Mariano recorded his 500th career save, capping a sweep of the Mets at Citi Field. I was lucky enough to be right on top of the Yankees dugout to witness it. It was somewhat poetic that Mo also got to show-off his overall baseball abilities by working an RBI walk against Mets All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez. His at-bat included an impressive swing to foul back a 2-2, 93 MPH fastball against Rodriguez, along with an extraordinary batting eye to work the crucial walk that gave the Yankees a 2-run lead in the 9th. Make no mistake; Mariano is a great all-around baseball player. His fielding ability over the years has been Gold Glove worthy, though never has a relief pitcher been awarded that honor. Yankee coaches have said in the past that Mo would be their best defensive option in center field. When approached with this fact, Mariano replied very matter-of-fact, “of course I can play centerfield, I am an athlete.” Having watched him shag balls in the outfield during batting practice, I believe him. In fact, evidence that Rivera can impose his will on a baseball field date back 20 years to his amateur days in Panama. While playing shortstop for an amateur team called Panamá Oeste, Rivera volunteered to pitch after a rough outing by their starter. Yankees scout Chico Heron liked his smooth motion and signed the young Panamanian as a pitcher. One year later, pitching in relief for the Gulf Coast League Yankees, he allowed an amazing 17 hits in 52 innings and held opponents to a 0.17 ERA. The transition to pitcher was not too hard, you see, Rivera was an athlete.
Mo’s 500th is an amazing feat. He is the second player ever to record 500 saves, and the first in American League history. What’s even more amazing is that at 39 years old, Mo is still going strong as ever. He has converted 95% of his saves (19/20) so far this year, while striking out more than a batter an inning, and allowing less than 1 base runner per inning. History tells us that some year soon Mariano will not be able to maintain his stellar pitching production. Everything we know says that his skills will fade and he’ll need to be replaced. I hope this never happens. I can’t imagine the Yankees without the Great Mariano, and I never want to. So here’s to hoping that Mo can keep his dominant form for another 500 saves. Longshot? Well, once a skinny boy from Panama that grew up using a milk carton for a baseball glove ended up becoming the King of New York; Mo’s defied the odds before.
In the ‘95 ALDS vs. the Mariners, manager Buck Showalter brought in a rookie Rivera in 3 of the 5 games, all in high-leverage, late game situations. Rivera first showed his trademark heart in facing the immense pressure of the playoffs by throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings, while recording the win in Game 2. That type of poise has allowed Mo to become the most clutch postseason pitching performer the game has ever seen.
That summer I also had to choose my uniform number for my travel baseball team. I chose #42 merely for its aesthetic beauty. (As some of you also know, I have various feelings/theories about what constitutes a good or bad looking uniform number, i.e. 42, 18, 7, 21 = good, while 26, 37, 41 are NOT). For its continued aesthetic form, and it’s later association with the Great Mariano, I would wear this number for the remainder of my athletic career.
In 1996, new Yankees manager Joe Torre turned to Mariano to be his ace reliever to pitch in front of All-Star closer John Wetteland. Rivera’s dominance in middle relief that year is unparalleled since. He posted an ERA just over 2, a WHIP just under 1, and struck out 130 batters in 107 innings, a total that is simply no longer reached by today’s middle relievers. As a witness to almost every game of the 1996 Yankees season, I have never seen anything like what the Yankees had at the end of ballgames. Night after night after night, if the starter could get through six innings with a lead, the game was OVER. Not “over”, like we say today. Not “closer comes in to dance around to his entrance music and 88% of the time finish the game successfully” over. The Yankees opponents were helpless. Two from Mo, one from Wetteland; that was the Yanks winning formula. That formula eventually took the Yanks all the way to their first World Series title in 18 seasons. Mo’s dominance in ‘96 prompted a famous quote by Twins manager Tom Kelly, a two-time World Series champ himself. After a series with the Twins in which Rivera pitched six hitless innings of relief while recording two wins, Kelly proclaimed, “We don't need to face him any more.. He needs to pitch in a higher league, if there is one. Ban him from baseball. He should be illegal.” The usually quiet Kelly caused quite a stir with his words. What seemed like hyperbole at the time, would sound somewhat prophetic in the subsequent years of Rivera dominance. Rivera was named closer for the ’97 season and the rest was history.
I need not spend a whole post gushing over Rivera’s statistical accomplishments. His resumé and slew of Major League records speak for themselves. To me, Mariano is the face of the Yankees; both in the dynastic years of the late 90's, and the current group today. His role on the team can be easily minimized by critics. He doesn’t play everyday, he pitches 1/3 of the innings a starting pitcher does, etc. But if you have followed this team during the Rivera Era (as I choose to call it), then you know what Mo means to the Yankees. He is their security blanket, their fire extinguisher, their steel lock on the front door, their spokesman, their priest, and their guidance counselor all wrapped into one. He is the constant in a game of ups and downs. Their guarantee in a world where nothing’s guaranteed. To me, Mariano is the Yankees’ MVP every year. He is their competitive advantage.
Mariano is such a special talent, that he dominates hitters with one pitch: his legendary cutter. While every other pitcher in the league spends their time tinkering with gimmicks to trick hitters, Mariano simply knows that his best is better than the hitters’ best and works accordingly. He need not work on quirky arm angles, varied motions, tilted caps, knuckleballs, slurves, splitties, nor any other gobbity goop. Mariano tells you the cutter is coming and that there’s nothing you can do about it. With his smooth, slow delivery, the ball jumps out of his hand like a thunderbolt. One pitch. The cutter can sneak backdoor you for an outside strike, get into your kitchen and jam you, or blow past you high. It’s just a matter of where Mo wants to put it, and wherever that is, he usually gets it there with sniper-like precision. He is a technician, a surgeon, an artist with the baseball. He has been an absolute joy to watch for the past 15 seasons.
Sunday Mariano recorded his 500th career save, capping a sweep of the Mets at Citi Field. I was lucky enough to be right on top of the Yankees dugout to witness it. It was somewhat poetic that Mo also got to show-off his overall baseball abilities by working an RBI walk against Mets All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez. His at-bat included an impressive swing to foul back a 2-2, 93 MPH fastball against Rodriguez, along with an extraordinary batting eye to work the crucial walk that gave the Yankees a 2-run lead in the 9th. Make no mistake; Mariano is a great all-around baseball player. His fielding ability over the years has been Gold Glove worthy, though never has a relief pitcher been awarded that honor. Yankee coaches have said in the past that Mo would be their best defensive option in center field. When approached with this fact, Mariano replied very matter-of-fact, “of course I can play centerfield, I am an athlete.” Having watched him shag balls in the outfield during batting practice, I believe him. In fact, evidence that Rivera can impose his will on a baseball field date back 20 years to his amateur days in Panama. While playing shortstop for an amateur team called Panamá Oeste, Rivera volunteered to pitch after a rough outing by their starter. Yankees scout Chico Heron liked his smooth motion and signed the young Panamanian as a pitcher. One year later, pitching in relief for the Gulf Coast League Yankees, he allowed an amazing 17 hits in 52 innings and held opponents to a 0.17 ERA. The transition to pitcher was not too hard, you see, Rivera was an athlete.
Mo’s 500th is an amazing feat. He is the second player ever to record 500 saves, and the first in American League history. What’s even more amazing is that at 39 years old, Mo is still going strong as ever. He has converted 95% of his saves (19/20) so far this year, while striking out more than a batter an inning, and allowing less than 1 base runner per inning. History tells us that some year soon Mariano will not be able to maintain his stellar pitching production. Everything we know says that his skills will fade and he’ll need to be replaced. I hope this never happens. I can’t imagine the Yankees without the Great Mariano, and I never want to. So here’s to hoping that Mo can keep his dominant form for another 500 saves. Longshot? Well, once a skinny boy from Panama that grew up using a milk carton for a baseball glove ended up becoming the King of New York; Mo’s defied the odds before.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
SHE SAID: Wang Problems
Ok, I am going to keep this short and sweet and leave the Wang problems to the fellas. As for Chien-Ming’s pitching problems, something must be done to eliminate the extreme anxiety I have been getting every 5th start, waiting to see him get lit up again and again.
Aside from his glory days when Wang was effective and struck out batters, the best part of watching Wang start was undoubtedly his fan club that holds up signs for him and cheers loudly in a different language. Sadly, I have not seen them at all this season since they are probably in hiding and embarrassed. So what to do with Wang, whose ERA is still over 10? To put it simply, Joe has two choices: let him ride it out or replace him with Hughes and send him back down to Scranton with an "injury" until he looks more promising. I have zero patience and am tired of watching Wang go out there and ruin games in a few short innings, so I am going to vote for sending him back down and giving Phil a go. I mean, at this rate, Phil can’t do much worse.
Even though after watching him get beaten again and again I say he should be traded, Wang is 29 and can still throw the ball over 90 miles per hour. I don’t think he needs to be traded. Clearly something is off, either physically, mentally or both and until that’s resolved, he hasn’t really earned his spot in the rotation this season. The burden does rest on Wang, however, the coach staff needs to also take some responsibility. After all, many feel that Wang is in this position because he was brought back before he was really ready from the DL. Where to start? It has been speculated that pitching coach Dave Eiland and Wang for whatever reason don’t have a great relationship, with Eiland implying that Wang isn’t mentally tough enough to get the job done in NY anymore. So I say give Guidry a shot at working with Wang. Guidry was the coach during Wang’s best two seasons and at this point what more harm can really be done? Who knows, tonight could finally be the night Wang turns it around….
Aside from his glory days when Wang was effective and struck out batters, the best part of watching Wang start was undoubtedly his fan club that holds up signs for him and cheers loudly in a different language. Sadly, I have not seen them at all this season since they are probably in hiding and embarrassed. So what to do with Wang, whose ERA is still over 10? To put it simply, Joe has two choices: let him ride it out or replace him with Hughes and send him back down to Scranton with an "injury" until he looks more promising. I have zero patience and am tired of watching Wang go out there and ruin games in a few short innings, so I am going to vote for sending him back down and giving Phil a go. I mean, at this rate, Phil can’t do much worse.
Even though after watching him get beaten again and again I say he should be traded, Wang is 29 and can still throw the ball over 90 miles per hour. I don’t think he needs to be traded. Clearly something is off, either physically, mentally or both and until that’s resolved, he hasn’t really earned his spot in the rotation this season. The burden does rest on Wang, however, the coach staff needs to also take some responsibility. After all, many feel that Wang is in this position because he was brought back before he was really ready from the DL. Where to start? It has been speculated that pitching coach Dave Eiland and Wang for whatever reason don’t have a great relationship, with Eiland implying that Wang isn’t mentally tough enough to get the job done in NY anymore. So I say give Guidry a shot at working with Wang. Guidry was the coach during Wang’s best two seasons and at this point what more harm can really be done? Who knows, tonight could finally be the night Wang turns it around….
Friday, June 26, 2009
HE SAID: Wang Problems
Based on a tough beginning of the season, there has been much debate over what the Yankees should do about Chien-Ming Wang. When anyone’s having Wang problems, they must be taken seriously. Wang needs to be treated delicately to assure no one, Wang especially, gets hurt. Let’s get in there and find some answers for our flaccid Wang.
To say Wang’s performance thus far has been disappointing would be an understatement. Yankee fans hark back a few years back when Wang was young, strong, and plowing through the rest of the American League. At the beginning of this season, Yankees coaches were forced to pull Wang out early before he could finish. This was not a choice, but a necessity. Wang was being spanked hard. They couldn’t leave Wang in there and risk him blowing up all over the infield grass.
Forced to make a decision on Wang, the team didn’t know whether to reinsert Wang or send him down. They didn’t want Wang dangling back and forth, that would satisfy no one. The staff looked to see if Wang’s problems were mechanical. Wang’s balls weren’t as low as we were used to. His balls were flying all over the place. Maybe Wang was just too big to be mechanically effective? Undoubtedly, it was a hairy situation.
If you saw Wang, you would have seen something was wrong. Wang wasn’t going to the bag when there were moisture problems. Wang’s motion was way too fast, and you could tell he wasn’t going to last until the end. There was no point in putting Wang back on the rubber if they weren’t going to use him effectively.
Unfortunately, the Yanks couldn’t simply send Wang down. If they did, Wang would have to pass through waivers. Surely another team would take a chance on Wang, and the Yanks did not want to risk Wang coming back around and biting them in the ass. What they chose to do is make up a fake Wang injury, and hope Wang could get quietly fixed.
Now Wang is back in the rotation, but I ask you; is this for the best? Will Wang simply hurt us again? Will Wang make it uncomfortable for us to walk to the ballpark? Has Wang fallen so far that Wang has become a stereotypical unsatisfying Asian pitcher, in the mold of a Hideki Irabu? Maybe Wang will surprise us this weekend. The adrenaline from the Subway Series will cause the blood to flow, and Wang will perform like he used to. Yankees fans all over hope that Wang will get straightened out. If this season is going to end with a bang, we’re going to need our Wang.
To say Wang’s performance thus far has been disappointing would be an understatement. Yankee fans hark back a few years back when Wang was young, strong, and plowing through the rest of the American League. At the beginning of this season, Yankees coaches were forced to pull Wang out early before he could finish. This was not a choice, but a necessity. Wang was being spanked hard. They couldn’t leave Wang in there and risk him blowing up all over the infield grass.
Forced to make a decision on Wang, the team didn’t know whether to reinsert Wang or send him down. They didn’t want Wang dangling back and forth, that would satisfy no one. The staff looked to see if Wang’s problems were mechanical. Wang’s balls weren’t as low as we were used to. His balls were flying all over the place. Maybe Wang was just too big to be mechanically effective? Undoubtedly, it was a hairy situation.
If you saw Wang, you would have seen something was wrong. Wang wasn’t going to the bag when there were moisture problems. Wang’s motion was way too fast, and you could tell he wasn’t going to last until the end. There was no point in putting Wang back on the rubber if they weren’t going to use him effectively.
Unfortunately, the Yanks couldn’t simply send Wang down. If they did, Wang would have to pass through waivers. Surely another team would take a chance on Wang, and the Yanks did not want to risk Wang coming back around and biting them in the ass. What they chose to do is make up a fake Wang injury, and hope Wang could get quietly fixed.
Now Wang is back in the rotation, but I ask you; is this for the best? Will Wang simply hurt us again? Will Wang make it uncomfortable for us to walk to the ballpark? Has Wang fallen so far that Wang has become a stereotypical unsatisfying Asian pitcher, in the mold of a Hideki Irabu? Maybe Wang will surprise us this weekend. The adrenaline from the Subway Series will cause the blood to flow, and Wang will perform like he used to. Yankees fans all over hope that Wang will get straightened out. If this season is going to end with a bang, we’re going to need our Wang.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
SHE SAID: Pitchers at the Bat
Ok, I am just going to come right out and say it and this may be a post many don’t agree with, because come on, who can argue that frosted tips are out of style? I am a Yankee fan, have always been a Yankee fan, and grew up watching and cheering for the American League. I also wasn't alive prior to 1973 and never saw a game played in the AL prior to the introduction of the Designated Hitter. However, I don’t agree with the Designated Hitter and I think pitchers should still have to bat, whether or not it has become painful to watch. I guess I am what some people refer to as a "Purist." Here is goes.....
The essence of the game of baseball for just over a hundred years from 1871-1973 was that a baseball player was a complete baseball player. If you were a pitcher, you pitched and if you were a fielder, you fielded. Regardless of what position you played, if you were a baseball player, you also batted. Players back then were not specialists, they were complete players. The important thing to remember about what it means to be a complete player is that it doesn’t always mean you can do it; it means that you do it. Sure, playing left field is different than shortstop and being a pitcher is certainly different and most arguably the hardest position in baseball since it once required you to field, pitch, and bat. We all know pitchers can still pitch and the great ones can still field; after all, Greg Maddux won the Golden Glove a record 17 times. However, most pitchers today cannot bat, or at least not well and this is an argument for the DH. However, that wasn’t always the case. Great hitting pitchers were long woven into the history of the game of baseball, starting with a fellow called Babe Ruth, who we all know started out as a pitcher. As a pitcher, Ruth had a record of 94-46 and many argue he would have gone into the Hall without ever hitting a home run. On top of this, Ruth was averaging .300 while he was pitching. Pre 1973, there was also Don Newcombe, who hit .359 in 1955. Even more recently, since the introduction of the DH in 1973, which ironically coincides with the introduction of metal bats, there have been over a dozen pitchers who have hit over .300, including Orel Hershiser and Mike Hampton. There are many, many reasons why we don’t see great hitting pitchers today, one of which is they simply don’t get any practice and are no longer looked at be both a great pitcher and a great hitter. But, bottom line; there is nothing physically about pitchers that makes them unable to hit.
Another argument for the DH, the rationale behind its introduction, is that it would put more offense into the game at a time when pitchers were seen to have the upper hand, while also many felt, making the game more exciting to watch. The first part was solved by lowering the pitching mound and restoring the strike zone to pre-1963 dimensions. In terms of making the game more exciting for fans, I guess it depends on who you are asking. I know some people who love to watch 10-9 games filled with home runs. I mean, who doesn’t love a home run? I grew up hearing my dad talk about watching Sandy Koufax and the excitement of a 1-0 game where the pitcher threw a solid 9 innings (shocking, I know). In the 5 years before the DH was introduced, the average number of runs scored in a game was 3.9. Now, AL teams have scored
5.0 runs since 1999. Not a huge increase, but notable just the same. I would much prefer to see a close game where the pitchers battle than a home run derby between 2 designated hitters where the pitcher barely lasts 6 innings. And yes, I am exaggerating here.
Finally, just to touch on the argument that the DH extends the life of a player’s career. In essence, this is true. In the AL, when a player can no longer field like they used to but are still an
effective hitter, they may have the option of becoming the DH where they can concentrate solely on hitting and ignore the stress of playing in the field. In my opinion, if a player can no longer field, should his career be extended? He is lacking one of the fundamental skills needed to be a major league player. I am all about going down in style instead of playing out a few extra years just because you can. I would not want to play the final years of my career knowing that I was
no longer the great player I used to be.
Regardless of my opinions, I may be the eternal optimist, but I am realistic enough to know the DH is here to stay. I make no apologies for being a baseball purist. I only wish I could have been alive to see the game played when it was played the way it was intended, before the rules were changed and the AL and NL played by different rules. And that's just what adding the DH does, it changes the fundamental rules of the game of baseball. You don't see someone suggesting we add a position between 1st and 2nd do you? I prefer the game that was played when the grass was green. (Yes, I had to thrown in the knock on Astroturf.)
The essence of the game of baseball for just over a hundred years from 1871-1973 was that a baseball player was a complete baseball player. If you were a pitcher, you pitched and if you were a fielder, you fielded. Regardless of what position you played, if you were a baseball player, you also batted. Players back then were not specialists, they were complete players. The important thing to remember about what it means to be a complete player is that it doesn’t always mean you can do it; it means that you do it. Sure, playing left field is different than shortstop and being a pitcher is certainly different and most arguably the hardest position in baseball since it once required you to field, pitch, and bat. We all know pitchers can still pitch and the great ones can still field; after all, Greg Maddux won the Golden Glove a record 17 times. However, most pitchers today cannot bat, or at least not well and this is an argument for the DH. However, that wasn’t always the case. Great hitting pitchers were long woven into the history of the game of baseball, starting with a fellow called Babe Ruth, who we all know started out as a pitcher. As a pitcher, Ruth had a record of 94-46 and many argue he would have gone into the Hall without ever hitting a home run. On top of this, Ruth was averaging .300 while he was pitching. Pre 1973, there was also Don Newcombe, who hit .359 in 1955. Even more recently, since the introduction of the DH in 1973, which ironically coincides with the introduction of metal bats, there have been over a dozen pitchers who have hit over .300, including Orel Hershiser and Mike Hampton. There are many, many reasons why we don’t see great hitting pitchers today, one of which is they simply don’t get any practice and are no longer looked at be both a great pitcher and a great hitter. But, bottom line; there is nothing physically about pitchers that makes them unable to hit.
Another argument for the DH, the rationale behind its introduction, is that it would put more offense into the game at a time when pitchers were seen to have the upper hand, while also many felt, making the game more exciting to watch. The first part was solved by lowering the pitching mound and restoring the strike zone to pre-1963 dimensions. In terms of making the game more exciting for fans, I guess it depends on who you are asking. I know some people who love to watch 10-9 games filled with home runs. I mean, who doesn’t love a home run? I grew up hearing my dad talk about watching Sandy Koufax and the excitement of a 1-0 game where the pitcher threw a solid 9 innings (shocking, I know). In the 5 years before the DH was introduced, the average number of runs scored in a game was 3.9. Now, AL teams have scored
5.0 runs since 1999. Not a huge increase, but notable just the same. I would much prefer to see a close game where the pitchers battle than a home run derby between 2 designated hitters where the pitcher barely lasts 6 innings. And yes, I am exaggerating here.
Finally, just to touch on the argument that the DH extends the life of a player’s career. In essence, this is true. In the AL, when a player can no longer field like they used to but are still an
effective hitter, they may have the option of becoming the DH where they can concentrate solely on hitting and ignore the stress of playing in the field. In my opinion, if a player can no longer field, should his career be extended? He is lacking one of the fundamental skills needed to be a major league player. I am all about going down in style instead of playing out a few extra years just because you can. I would not want to play the final years of my career knowing that I was
no longer the great player I used to be.
Regardless of my opinions, I may be the eternal optimist, but I am realistic enough to know the DH is here to stay. I make no apologies for being a baseball purist. I only wish I could have been alive to see the game played when it was played the way it was intended, before the rules were changed and the AL and NL played by different rules. And that's just what adding the DH does, it changes the fundamental rules of the game of baseball. You don't see someone suggesting we add a position between 1st and 2nd do you? I prefer the game that was played when the grass was green. (Yes, I had to thrown in the knock on Astroturf.)
Monday, June 22, 2009
HE SAID: Pitchers at the Bat
This past weekend, the Yanks interleague slate moved to the road for trips to Flo-Rida’s Miami Gardens, Ludacris’ ATL, and the legendary Yak Ballz’ Flushing, Queens. This means Yankee fans get a taste of “real”, “pure” baseball; National League baseball. You see, in the National League, lineups only have 8 hitters, and fans get to sit on the edge of their seats watching an orgy of benched power-hitting DH’s, sacrifice bunts, and yes; even double switches! Sarcasm aside for a moment, plainly put, pitcher’s still hitting in the modern game is unbelievably stupid. I am reminded of this each time the Yanks travel to the National League, and I have to endure a cringe-worthy week of sub par baseball.
Major League Baseball has always championed the differences between the National League and the American League. This dates back over 100 years to the early 1900’s. It was the Senior Circuit vs. the Junior Circuit. Each season the debate raged on about which league was superior. Half of the big league’s cities had teams in each league, allowing local baseball fans to choose sides. In New York, it was the AL’s Yankees vs. the NL’s Giants and Dodgers. In Boston, it was the AL’s Red Sox vs. the NL’s Braves. In Chicago, it was the AL’s White Sox vs. the NL’s Cubs. In St. Louis, it was the AL’s Browns vs. the NL’s Cardinals. Each league was unique in its own right, and the debate was settled on the field when each season culminated in the World Series between leagues. Once a year: the AL vs. the NL. In 1973 the divide between the leagues was exacerbated when the American League progressively realized that pitchers were not hitters like other position players, and instituted the Designated Hitter rule. Since 1997 when MLB sullied the beauty of the AL/NL confrontation in the World Series by instituting interleague play (which I will save for another rant), the problem of the DH rule became more frequent. Now several games during the regular season require American League pitchers to not only be pitchers, but to also take on another job description. This provided a competitive disadvantage for the AL teams who were forced to drop a potent DH bat from their lineups, for a pitcher who spent only a few days a year trying to figure out how to hit a baseball. (Note: The AL still holds a winning record in Interleague Play due to superior talent despite this built-in disadvantage).
The logic behind the institution of the designated hitter is not difficult to understand. Throughout all team sports, there are positions that are special, and require a set of skills different from the other positions on the field. For example hockey goalies, football kickers and punters, shot-putters on a track squad, ect. These athletes’ skills fit niches on a team, and contribute to a team’s collective successes and failures, while other positions do the same. Pitchers are as, if not more, unique to a skill set from any of the aforementioned positions. Pitchers are required to throw a ball with velocity, movement, and location to overpower or fool hitters into making outs. Assuming defensive differences are relatively negligible, pitchers represent the vast majority of a team’s run prevention, which is half of the formula to win games. Only in the rarest and most dyer situations are players from other positions asked to perform this task. Although a team sport, baseball games are essentially decided by the individual confrontation of pitcher vs. hitter several dozen times a game. The collection of hitters that win more of these confrontations will allow their teams to win the games. By 1973, American League administrators recognized the absurdity of allowing 1 of every 9 at-bats to be pitcher vs. pitcher, which is an unnecessary aberration from the essence of the game.
The National League has continued to lag behind, embracing the numbing tediousness of pitchers batting. To ask pitchers to hit on a game-by-game basis is as silly as requiring a hockey center to play goalie for 1/9th of the game, or to require a football kicker to line up at quarterback once every series.
Simply put, it doesn’t make sense, and its results are not pretty to watch.
The strongest argument put forth by DH haters is that the rule eliminates manager strategy as an important element in deciding games. Give me a break. The player moves that come with pitchers in the lineup are mostly made for a manager by the situations themselves. It’s pretty clear when a situation calls for a pinch hitter for a pitcher or to have a pitcher bunt, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out when the batting order requires a double switch to save a position player during a pitching change. To categorize these moves as the essence of managerial acumen is to downplay the importance of lineups, pitching changes, hit-and-runs, defensive alignments, motivational techniques, and all the other tasks performed by managers in both leagues. The idea that it takes a special mind to manage in the National League is as farcical a myth as there is in sports. Tony LaRussa took the AL’s Oakland Athletics to a World Series title before he was hired by the NL’s St. Louis Cardinals. He spent the next decade taking his team to the playoffs year after year and winning a World Series in 2006, not stumbling around the dugout trying to figure out how to win without a DH. Joe Torre captained an AL Dynasty for 12 years, and then took an NL team to the League Championship Series the next season. I think he figured it out OK.
Arguments for the DH are numerous and convincing. The most simple is that watching talented offensive players take hacks is fun, and watching feeble non-hitters trying to lay down sacrifice bunts is not. The DH can extend the careers of skilled hitters that have become albatrosses in the field. Paul Molitor would not be in the Hall of Fame if pitchers had to hit. It can also save us from the charade of having non-fielders like David Ortiz sabotage a team’s defense to keep a great (formerly great in the case of Ortiz) bat in the lineup. Remember, it’s OK to have specialists. They’re everywhere in sports.
I agree that it’s pretty cool when the occasional pitcher is able to swing the lumber. Cincinnati Pitcher Micah Owings, for example, is easily a better hitter than 20% of NL position players. Unfortunately, this occurrence is too infrequent to justify the “they’re athletes that should be able to hold their own at the plate” argument. There is a place for an exceptional talent like Owings that can swing the bat. He is eligible to pinch hit or to DH in the AL. His skills don’t have to go to waste.
Ironically (meaning I should have posted this Friday as planned), Yankees pitchers have held their own so far. Both Andy Pettitte and AJ Burnett picked up base hits in their starts. Unfortunately CC Sabathia, who is known to be a decent hitter for a pitcher and even hit a 440 foot blast last season during interleague play, got injured before he could take a hack. Yankee fans got to see National League ball in all of its glory with two unwatchable at-bats by reliever Alfredo Aceves. Meanwhile DH Hideki Matsui is relegated to the bench for 9 strait games, making it hard to keep sharp. Let’s not forget that this idiotic, antiquated practice may have ruined Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang’s career. His foot injury while running the bases last season in Houston kept him out the rest of the season, costing the Yankees a legitimate shot of making the playoffs once again. This season, he has still not recovered and had pitched with historic ineffectiveness.
Only six more games in NL parks for the Yanks, and we no longer have to watch this abomination of a practice until, hopefully, the World Series.
Major League Baseball has always championed the differences between the National League and the American League. This dates back over 100 years to the early 1900’s. It was the Senior Circuit vs. the Junior Circuit. Each season the debate raged on about which league was superior. Half of the big league’s cities had teams in each league, allowing local baseball fans to choose sides. In New York, it was the AL’s Yankees vs. the NL’s Giants and Dodgers. In Boston, it was the AL’s Red Sox vs. the NL’s Braves. In Chicago, it was the AL’s White Sox vs. the NL’s Cubs. In St. Louis, it was the AL’s Browns vs. the NL’s Cardinals. Each league was unique in its own right, and the debate was settled on the field when each season culminated in the World Series between leagues. Once a year: the AL vs. the NL. In 1973 the divide between the leagues was exacerbated when the American League progressively realized that pitchers were not hitters like other position players, and instituted the Designated Hitter rule. Since 1997 when MLB sullied the beauty of the AL/NL confrontation in the World Series by instituting interleague play (which I will save for another rant), the problem of the DH rule became more frequent. Now several games during the regular season require American League pitchers to not only be pitchers, but to also take on another job description. This provided a competitive disadvantage for the AL teams who were forced to drop a potent DH bat from their lineups, for a pitcher who spent only a few days a year trying to figure out how to hit a baseball. (Note: The AL still holds a winning record in Interleague Play due to superior talent despite this built-in disadvantage).
The logic behind the institution of the designated hitter is not difficult to understand. Throughout all team sports, there are positions that are special, and require a set of skills different from the other positions on the field. For example hockey goalies, football kickers and punters, shot-putters on a track squad, ect. These athletes’ skills fit niches on a team, and contribute to a team’s collective successes and failures, while other positions do the same. Pitchers are as, if not more, unique to a skill set from any of the aforementioned positions. Pitchers are required to throw a ball with velocity, movement, and location to overpower or fool hitters into making outs. Assuming defensive differences are relatively negligible, pitchers represent the vast majority of a team’s run prevention, which is half of the formula to win games. Only in the rarest and most dyer situations are players from other positions asked to perform this task. Although a team sport, baseball games are essentially decided by the individual confrontation of pitcher vs. hitter several dozen times a game. The collection of hitters that win more of these confrontations will allow their teams to win the games. By 1973, American League administrators recognized the absurdity of allowing 1 of every 9 at-bats to be pitcher vs. pitcher, which is an unnecessary aberration from the essence of the game.
The National League has continued to lag behind, embracing the numbing tediousness of pitchers batting. To ask pitchers to hit on a game-by-game basis is as silly as requiring a hockey center to play goalie for 1/9th of the game, or to require a football kicker to line up at quarterback once every series.
Simply put, it doesn’t make sense, and its results are not pretty to watch.
The strongest argument put forth by DH haters is that the rule eliminates manager strategy as an important element in deciding games. Give me a break. The player moves that come with pitchers in the lineup are mostly made for a manager by the situations themselves. It’s pretty clear when a situation calls for a pinch hitter for a pitcher or to have a pitcher bunt, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out when the batting order requires a double switch to save a position player during a pitching change. To categorize these moves as the essence of managerial acumen is to downplay the importance of lineups, pitching changes, hit-and-runs, defensive alignments, motivational techniques, and all the other tasks performed by managers in both leagues. The idea that it takes a special mind to manage in the National League is as farcical a myth as there is in sports. Tony LaRussa took the AL’s Oakland Athletics to a World Series title before he was hired by the NL’s St. Louis Cardinals. He spent the next decade taking his team to the playoffs year after year and winning a World Series in 2006, not stumbling around the dugout trying to figure out how to win without a DH. Joe Torre captained an AL Dynasty for 12 years, and then took an NL team to the League Championship Series the next season. I think he figured it out OK.
Arguments for the DH are numerous and convincing. The most simple is that watching talented offensive players take hacks is fun, and watching feeble non-hitters trying to lay down sacrifice bunts is not. The DH can extend the careers of skilled hitters that have become albatrosses in the field. Paul Molitor would not be in the Hall of Fame if pitchers had to hit. It can also save us from the charade of having non-fielders like David Ortiz sabotage a team’s defense to keep a great (formerly great in the case of Ortiz) bat in the lineup. Remember, it’s OK to have specialists. They’re everywhere in sports.
I agree that it’s pretty cool when the occasional pitcher is able to swing the lumber. Cincinnati Pitcher Micah Owings, for example, is easily a better hitter than 20% of NL position players. Unfortunately, this occurrence is too infrequent to justify the “they’re athletes that should be able to hold their own at the plate” argument. There is a place for an exceptional talent like Owings that can swing the bat. He is eligible to pinch hit or to DH in the AL. His skills don’t have to go to waste.
Ironically (meaning I should have posted this Friday as planned), Yankees pitchers have held their own so far. Both Andy Pettitte and AJ Burnett picked up base hits in their starts. Unfortunately CC Sabathia, who is known to be a decent hitter for a pitcher and even hit a 440 foot blast last season during interleague play, got injured before he could take a hack. Yankee fans got to see National League ball in all of its glory with two unwatchable at-bats by reliever Alfredo Aceves. Meanwhile DH Hideki Matsui is relegated to the bench for 9 strait games, making it hard to keep sharp. Let’s not forget that this idiotic, antiquated practice may have ruined Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang’s career. His foot injury while running the bases last season in Houston kept him out the rest of the season, costing the Yankees a legitimate shot of making the playoffs once again. This season, he has still not recovered and had pitched with historic ineffectiveness.
Only six more games in NL parks for the Yanks, and we no longer have to watch this abomination of a practice until, hopefully, the World Series.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
SHE SAID: Yankee Haircuts
The best Yankees are remembered for their play on the field. A select
few became notorious for things they did off the field. And another
select group will be remembered for something else – their hair
styles. Say what you want, guy or girl, you want your hair to look
good. If that wasn’t true for men, why would so many buy Rogaine?
That being said, let’s revisit some of my personal favorites…..
Flashbacks: As much as you want to deny it, at one point in time all
the cool kids had these styles
1. A-Rod’s Frosted Tips: Boys, please do not even try to deny it –
frosted tips were cool. Think back to the early days of the boy band
resurgence if you need to jog your memory, or better yet – get out your
middle school yearbook. In the 1990s, boys and men alike flocked to
salons to get the look – tips whiter than the rest of your hair gelled
to perfection with Deep Extreme Hold. As much as one may want to deny
it, this was cool. But back to the case in point: A-Rod. According
to a New York Post Article (I know, it’s not the Times – but there is
pictorial evidence to prove these claims), A-Rod was seen in a New
York saloon getting his tips frosted for the 2008 farewell to the old
stadium. Yes, you read that right, I said 2008, not 1988, or even
1998. Less than 1 year ago, long after this trend went down in
flames. Sometimes, just when I want to try to embrace A-Rod, I am
reminded of things such as these. For the rest of you, just a
reminder, this trend is definitely no longer in style, no matter what
A-Rod is doing. Frosted tips today screams I am extremely feminine,
have a terrible sense of style, and may be trying to relive my glory
days.
2. The Fade, As Worn by my favorite, Derek Jeter: First of all, I
would like to state for the record, I love, love, love Derek Jeter.
Even if Derek Jeter got frosted tips, I would still love Derek Jeter.
And if anyone can rock the fade and still look good, that would be you
Derek. That being said….Derek; you could use a new hairstyle. Jeter
sports what is popularly referred to as “The Fade.” If you haven't seen Derek without a hat recently, let me refresh your memory. The fade is a haircut
in which the sides are kept very short and the top is somewhat longer
and flat to the head (for those of you who would like to know more, a
hi-top fade is when the hair on top is longer vs. a low-top fade in
which the hair is cropped closer to the head). The fade is similar to
its brother haircut, the flat top. I am told that this style was also
once popular circa Doug E. Fresh and Public Enemy. Seeing as I was
approximately 3 at the time this style was gaining popularity, I am
going to take people’s word for it. However, I think it is a safe
bet to say this style, like the frosted tips, should be retired.
Derek, no hard feelings, call me. I would like to also add in Derek’s
defense, this style is extremely practical for an athlete, which by
default, makes it more acceptable than frosted tips. I would also
like to give an honorable mention to Moose Skowron who wore a style I
feel may well have pre-dated the flat top, which helped to popularize
the fade. I am not sure how to best refer to Moose’s style, so I will
keep pondering that and get back to you.
3. Boys with long hair, aka pre-Yankee Johnny D: Boys with long hair
was another style I remember well from my middle school days. This
style does not need nearly as much explanation as the previous 2, nor
does it required nearly as much work to style and maintain. In fact,
it is quite the opposite, which may be why this style had so much
appeal to boys and men alike. While, I prefer men to have shorter
hair than mine, scratch that, much shorter hair than mine, I do not
find this trend particularly offensive and I feel it is here to stay,
going in and out of style. We all remember caveman Johnny, as I like
to reference him. Come on you remember, we probably all hated him
because he played for the most repulsive team in baseball, the Boston
Red Sox. And we all know why the hair had to say good bye when he
game to our glorious team. While I do not like long hair, Johnny is a
good looking guy and still looked good with his long hair. I also
hate to admit, it looked very shiny and thick making girls nationwide
envious.
While, the list goes on and on, I would like to conclude by calling
attention to two more Yankees who lead the Facial Hair category in my
opinion. I will keep this short and sweet. Disclaimer: I am not so
much a fan of facial hair, but will give credit where credit is due.
1. Goose Gossage – This needs no explanation, has anyone ever seen
such a beautiful moustache? If so, I would love to see pictures.
He is 58 years old and it still looks marvelous.
2. Donnie Baseball – If you do not remember Donnie’s ‘stache, please
do not even call yourself a Yankee fan. Donnie wore what is now
referred to as a creepy porn ‘stache, but remember, he wore it in the
80s when it was cool, not creepy.
few became notorious for things they did off the field. And another
select group will be remembered for something else – their hair
styles. Say what you want, guy or girl, you want your hair to look
good. If that wasn’t true for men, why would so many buy Rogaine?
That being said, let’s revisit some of my personal favorites…..
Flashbacks: As much as you want to deny it, at one point in time all
the cool kids had these styles
1. A-Rod’s Frosted Tips: Boys, please do not even try to deny it –
frosted tips were cool. Think back to the early days of the boy band
resurgence if you need to jog your memory, or better yet – get out your
middle school yearbook. In the 1990s, boys and men alike flocked to
salons to get the look – tips whiter than the rest of your hair gelled
to perfection with Deep Extreme Hold. As much as one may want to deny
it, this was cool. But back to the case in point: A-Rod. According
to a New York Post Article (I know, it’s not the Times – but there is
pictorial evidence to prove these claims), A-Rod was seen in a New
York saloon getting his tips frosted for the 2008 farewell to the old
stadium. Yes, you read that right, I said 2008, not 1988, or even
1998. Less than 1 year ago, long after this trend went down in
flames. Sometimes, just when I want to try to embrace A-Rod, I am
reminded of things such as these. For the rest of you, just a
reminder, this trend is definitely no longer in style, no matter what
A-Rod is doing. Frosted tips today screams I am extremely feminine,
have a terrible sense of style, and may be trying to relive my glory
days.
2. The Fade, As Worn by my favorite, Derek Jeter: First of all, I
would like to state for the record, I love, love, love Derek Jeter.
Even if Derek Jeter got frosted tips, I would still love Derek Jeter.
And if anyone can rock the fade and still look good, that would be you
Derek. That being said….Derek; you could use a new hairstyle. Jeter
sports what is popularly referred to as “The Fade.” If you haven't seen Derek without a hat recently, let me refresh your memory. The fade is a haircut
in which the sides are kept very short and the top is somewhat longer
and flat to the head (for those of you who would like to know more, a
hi-top fade is when the hair on top is longer vs. a low-top fade in
which the hair is cropped closer to the head). The fade is similar to
its brother haircut, the flat top. I am told that this style was also
once popular circa Doug E. Fresh and Public Enemy. Seeing as I was
approximately 3 at the time this style was gaining popularity, I am
going to take people’s word for it. However, I think it is a safe
bet to say this style, like the frosted tips, should be retired.
Derek, no hard feelings, call me. I would like to also add in Derek’s
defense, this style is extremely practical for an athlete, which by
default, makes it more acceptable than frosted tips. I would also
like to give an honorable mention to Moose Skowron who wore a style I
feel may well have pre-dated the flat top, which helped to popularize
the fade. I am not sure how to best refer to Moose’s style, so I will
keep pondering that and get back to you.
3. Boys with long hair, aka pre-Yankee Johnny D: Boys with long hair
was another style I remember well from my middle school days. This
style does not need nearly as much explanation as the previous 2, nor
does it required nearly as much work to style and maintain. In fact,
it is quite the opposite, which may be why this style had so much
appeal to boys and men alike. While, I prefer men to have shorter
hair than mine, scratch that, much shorter hair than mine, I do not
find this trend particularly offensive and I feel it is here to stay,
going in and out of style. We all remember caveman Johnny, as I like
to reference him. Come on you remember, we probably all hated him
because he played for the most repulsive team in baseball, the Boston
Red Sox. And we all know why the hair had to say good bye when he
game to our glorious team. While I do not like long hair, Johnny is a
good looking guy and still looked good with his long hair. I also
hate to admit, it looked very shiny and thick making girls nationwide
envious.
While, the list goes on and on, I would like to conclude by calling
attention to two more Yankees who lead the Facial Hair category in my
opinion. I will keep this short and sweet. Disclaimer: I am not so
much a fan of facial hair, but will give credit where credit is due.
1. Goose Gossage – This needs no explanation, has anyone ever seen
such a beautiful moustache? If so, I would love to see pictures.
He is 58 years old and it still looks marvelous.
2. Donnie Baseball – If you do not remember Donnie’s ‘stache, please
do not even call yourself a Yankee fan. Donnie wore what is now
referred to as a creepy porn ‘stache, but remember, he wore it in the
80s when it was cool, not creepy.
HE SAID: Yankees Haircuts
So the Yankees have had some, well, interesting quaffs throughout the years. Much is made about the team’s policy under the Steinbrenner regime to control hair styles. For those who don’t know, that means no facial hair besides moustaches, and no long hair. Although it does project a nice corporate image, it has deprived Yankee fans of CC Sabathia’s gangsta chin strap, Randy Johnson’s gnarly mullet, and Jason Giambi’s gingerfied goatee from his Oakland days. Nonetheless, the Yankees have had their share of cool cuts, past and present. Here are some personal faves.
Current Yankees:
3. Girardi’s Clooney Look- Remember the sweet buzz cut Joe used to sport back in his playing days? That was great. It also matched his role on the team perfectly, as the catcher is a de facto Army General of the pitching staff. It seems that the skipper’s doo morphs with his position, as watching Girardi’s head is like watching Benjamin Button in rewind (or Jack in fast forward). As we stand today, Joe has the Clooney salt-and-pepper look going pretty well, but we all see where this is going. Basically he’s morphing from strong jawed player, into a grizzled manager right before our eyes. It’s been interesting to watch.
2. Gardner’s Bulbous Cranium- Those who have had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Gardner with his hat/helmet off can see why his hair is the anti-Girardi. It couldn’t be any less fitting that the rookie speedster is balder than the love child of Sinead O’Connor and George Bluth Sr. To exacerbate the problem, Gardner’s head is reminiscent of that of the cartoon character Brain from Pinky and the Brain. Lucky for him, it’s not too detrimental to his pursuit of the ladies since he is married, and even if he wasn’t, he plays center field for the New York Yankees (see Mickey Mantle’s sexual résumé).
1. Matsui’s Black Arches-Very few things make me smile more than watching Hideki Matsui futz with his hair. This man loves his locks. Matsui’s hair is stereotypically Japanese in that it’s strait and black. The kicker, however, is that he parts it in the middle, and wears symmetrical arches of hair in the front that conjures up images of the bowl-cut I had when I was six. The mere fact that he wears it this way is enough, but what makes it greater is that he shows it off at every opportunity, as if he is auditioning for the revival tour of his favorite group, the Beatles. When he puts his helmet on, he’ll kick his neck back to get his gorgeous locks out of the way like Ed Furlong did when he played John Connor in Terminator. When he used to play the outfield, he would frequently lose his cap chasing fly balls. Coincidence? Accident? I think not. Matsui tried to show his doo to the fans at the drop of a hat; literally.
Honorable Mention: Jeter’s High Fade
Past Yankees:
3. Sweet Lou’s Helmet-on-Helmet- Mr. Piniella is probably best known for his hot temper as a manager. As a player for the 70’s Yankees, he and Bucky Dent were known for their hot and sexy helmet-shaped hairdos that framed their heads into walking works of art. Although it fit the time period, Piniella’s hair put both Donny Osmond and Luke Skywalker’s to shame. And because I am somewhat terrified by both Lou, and the prospect of being beaten up by a man in his 60’s, I hope he is not reading this.
2. Maris’ Missing Chunks- Roger Maris famously began losing his hair in chunks while chasing Babe Ruth’s single season home run record back in 1961. Yikes. Talk about stress induced hair loss. Maris did break the record by hitting 61* jacks, and was awarded his second consecutive MVP. Unfortunately his Yankees career going forward fell faster than portions of his buzz cut did that September.
1. Rickey Henderson’s Jerry Curl- Oh baby. Just let your Soullllllllllll Glowwwww, let it shine through, let it shineeeeeee! Rumors that Henderson was asked to be Eriq LaSalle’s stunt double in Coming to America have never been confirmed, but he certainly had the mop to do so. Nobody loves Rickey like Rickey (rumors of him taking practice swings in front of a mirror while nude HAVE been confirmed). Rickey takes care of himself. He is a physical specimen, and the All-Time MLB leader in several categories. But the late 80’s while sporting the pinstripes, he seemed to take care of his hair more than anything.
Honorable Mention: Giambi’s Porn ‘Stache
EDITOR'S NOTE: I purposely omitted Oscar Gamble’s famous afro as its gloriousness has been well documented.
Fictional Yankees:
3. Steve Nebraska’s Long Locks- In the film The Scout, Brandon Fraser played a Yankees pitcher that curiously had long hair. Curious because it easily exceeded the length quota mandated by Mr. Steinbrenner at the time the movie was made. Additionally curious because Steinbrenner himself appeared in this film. If you’re already sharing my issues with the authenticity of this movie, you may want to skip the scene in the end where Nebraska throws an 81 pitch, 27 strikeout perfect game in the World Series, while belting two home runs that travel a combined 1200 feet long.
2. Jack Elliott’s Lip Caterpillar- In Mr. Baseball, the epic Tom Selleck gets traded from the Yankees to Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League. What filmmakers don’t trade in was Selleck’s trademark moustache. Elliott uses his robust lip fur to lure a sexy Japanese minx into a bathtub with him. At this point we get to see Elliott’s full mane of chest hair, which is equally as seductive. Grrrr baby, very grrrr.
1. Clu Haywood’s Fu Manchu- The villain from Major League, Clu Haywood is rocking a mean, dirty fu Manchu. Played by statuesque former big leaguer Pete Vuckovich, Haywood spews both tobacco and hilarious insults such as “Taylor? They aint cut you yet? How’s your wife and my kids?”
Honorable Mention: George Costanza’s Baldie
And there you have it folks. Certainly a lot of great hairstyles from Yankees past, present and fake. Feel free to comment on those that didn’t make my list, as my compadre compiles a list of her own.
Current Yankees:
3. Girardi’s Clooney Look- Remember the sweet buzz cut Joe used to sport back in his playing days? That was great. It also matched his role on the team perfectly, as the catcher is a de facto Army General of the pitching staff. It seems that the skipper’s doo morphs with his position, as watching Girardi’s head is like watching Benjamin Button in rewind (or Jack in fast forward). As we stand today, Joe has the Clooney salt-and-pepper look going pretty well, but we all see where this is going. Basically he’s morphing from strong jawed player, into a grizzled manager right before our eyes. It’s been interesting to watch.
2. Gardner’s Bulbous Cranium- Those who have had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Gardner with his hat/helmet off can see why his hair is the anti-Girardi. It couldn’t be any less fitting that the rookie speedster is balder than the love child of Sinead O’Connor and George Bluth Sr. To exacerbate the problem, Gardner’s head is reminiscent of that of the cartoon character Brain from Pinky and the Brain. Lucky for him, it’s not too detrimental to his pursuit of the ladies since he is married, and even if he wasn’t, he plays center field for the New York Yankees (see Mickey Mantle’s sexual résumé).
1. Matsui’s Black Arches-Very few things make me smile more than watching Hideki Matsui futz with his hair. This man loves his locks. Matsui’s hair is stereotypically Japanese in that it’s strait and black. The kicker, however, is that he parts it in the middle, and wears symmetrical arches of hair in the front that conjures up images of the bowl-cut I had when I was six. The mere fact that he wears it this way is enough, but what makes it greater is that he shows it off at every opportunity, as if he is auditioning for the revival tour of his favorite group, the Beatles. When he puts his helmet on, he’ll kick his neck back to get his gorgeous locks out of the way like Ed Furlong did when he played John Connor in Terminator. When he used to play the outfield, he would frequently lose his cap chasing fly balls. Coincidence? Accident? I think not. Matsui tried to show his doo to the fans at the drop of a hat; literally.
Honorable Mention: Jeter’s High Fade
Past Yankees:
3. Sweet Lou’s Helmet-on-Helmet- Mr. Piniella is probably best known for his hot temper as a manager. As a player for the 70’s Yankees, he and Bucky Dent were known for their hot and sexy helmet-shaped hairdos that framed their heads into walking works of art. Although it fit the time period, Piniella’s hair put both Donny Osmond and Luke Skywalker’s to shame. And because I am somewhat terrified by both Lou, and the prospect of being beaten up by a man in his 60’s, I hope he is not reading this.
2. Maris’ Missing Chunks- Roger Maris famously began losing his hair in chunks while chasing Babe Ruth’s single season home run record back in 1961. Yikes. Talk about stress induced hair loss. Maris did break the record by hitting 61* jacks, and was awarded his second consecutive MVP. Unfortunately his Yankees career going forward fell faster than portions of his buzz cut did that September.
1. Rickey Henderson’s Jerry Curl- Oh baby. Just let your Soullllllllllll Glowwwww, let it shine through, let it shineeeeeee! Rumors that Henderson was asked to be Eriq LaSalle’s stunt double in Coming to America have never been confirmed, but he certainly had the mop to do so. Nobody loves Rickey like Rickey (rumors of him taking practice swings in front of a mirror while nude HAVE been confirmed). Rickey takes care of himself. He is a physical specimen, and the All-Time MLB leader in several categories. But the late 80’s while sporting the pinstripes, he seemed to take care of his hair more than anything.
Honorable Mention: Giambi’s Porn ‘Stache
EDITOR'S NOTE: I purposely omitted Oscar Gamble’s famous afro as its gloriousness has been well documented.
Fictional Yankees:
3. Steve Nebraska’s Long Locks- In the film The Scout, Brandon Fraser played a Yankees pitcher that curiously had long hair. Curious because it easily exceeded the length quota mandated by Mr. Steinbrenner at the time the movie was made. Additionally curious because Steinbrenner himself appeared in this film. If you’re already sharing my issues with the authenticity of this movie, you may want to skip the scene in the end where Nebraska throws an 81 pitch, 27 strikeout perfect game in the World Series, while belting two home runs that travel a combined 1200 feet long.
2. Jack Elliott’s Lip Caterpillar- In Mr. Baseball, the epic Tom Selleck gets traded from the Yankees to Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League. What filmmakers don’t trade in was Selleck’s trademark moustache. Elliott uses his robust lip fur to lure a sexy Japanese minx into a bathtub with him. At this point we get to see Elliott’s full mane of chest hair, which is equally as seductive. Grrrr baby, very grrrr.
1. Clu Haywood’s Fu Manchu- The villain from Major League, Clu Haywood is rocking a mean, dirty fu Manchu. Played by statuesque former big leaguer Pete Vuckovich, Haywood spews both tobacco and hilarious insults such as “Taylor? They aint cut you yet? How’s your wife and my kids?”
Honorable Mention: George Costanza’s Baldie
And there you have it folks. Certainly a lot of great hairstyles from Yankees past, present and fake. Feel free to comment on those that didn’t make my list, as my compadre compiles a list of her own.
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