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….
Sunday, June 28, 2009
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.
Monday, June 15, 2009
SHE SAID: Bruney vs. K-Rod
First off, I have to comment on Friday’s “victory.” As much as I love
winning, that was not pretty, nor was it a win I would brag about.
Secondly, I can’t help it; it was painful to watch Castillo talk after
the game. Do you really need to interview him to see how he feels?
How would you feel if you just lost the game for your team in the 9th
inning? Give the guy a break – he just missed a catch I could have
made in the 5th grade (I hope at least). You know how he feels, leave
him alone.
Now onto the important questions – does K-Rod deserve the criticism
and was Bruney out of line? My answer to both these questions is yes.
K-Rod’s celebrations: I am the first to admit I love seeing players
show emotion. I still get choked up thinking about Dave Cone dropping
to his knees after his perfect game. That being said, throwing a
perfect game is not the same as pitching a few shutout innings here
and there throughout the season. Not to sound harsh, but I am pretty
sure if you are a closer, that is your job. You are being paid
millions to save games for your team. If anything, I would rather see
you display extreme emotion after blowing a game you should have won –
now there is something to get excited over. I think the important
question is do you want to be talked about for the game you play or
the dance you do after throwing a strike or hitting a home run? Let
your performance speak for you. After all, everyone knows who the
greatest closer of our time is and it’s not because Rivera does a
little dance after each inning he saves.
Will Brian Bruney ever come off the disabled list? I spend a
large majority of my free time defending Yankees for various actions
and really don’t have a problem with Bruney (which may be because it
sometimes slips my mind he is still on the team). However, Bruney’s
comments were stupid and just served to make him look even more
stupid. I have to agree – I am still unclear on why exactly he was
interviewed following the game. I am even more unclear on why he
decided to comment on K-Rod, who, while he did take the loss,
certainly did not lose the game for the Mets. To sum it up in as
little words as possible, Bruney’s comments were irrelevant and out of
line. Someone should have taught you, if you can’t say something
nice, don’t say anything at all (especially about a far superior
pitcher). If K-Rod’s celebrations are really and truly distracting
your game, which is the only circumstance I see that you really need
to draw national attention to them, I suggest you act like an adult
and bring it up to him in private – or at the very least, face to
face. Maybe Bruney was worried people were forgetting about him, so
he decided to get his name out there again?
Lastly, I only want to comment very briefly on brawls in baseball.
Really? You are a bunch of grown men – act like it, or at least fight
over something important, off the field. Must I remind everyone of
the Don Zimmer incident…..? I am still traumatized by that one.
winning, that was not pretty, nor was it a win I would brag about.
Secondly, I can’t help it; it was painful to watch Castillo talk after
the game. Do you really need to interview him to see how he feels?
How would you feel if you just lost the game for your team in the 9th
inning? Give the guy a break – he just missed a catch I could have
made in the 5th grade (I hope at least). You know how he feels, leave
him alone.
Now onto the important questions – does K-Rod deserve the criticism
and was Bruney out of line? My answer to both these questions is yes.
K-Rod’s celebrations: I am the first to admit I love seeing players
show emotion. I still get choked up thinking about Dave Cone dropping
to his knees after his perfect game. That being said, throwing a
perfect game is not the same as pitching a few shutout innings here
and there throughout the season. Not to sound harsh, but I am pretty
sure if you are a closer, that is your job. You are being paid
millions to save games for your team. If anything, I would rather see
you display extreme emotion after blowing a game you should have won –
now there is something to get excited over. I think the important
question is do you want to be talked about for the game you play or
the dance you do after throwing a strike or hitting a home run? Let
your performance speak for you. After all, everyone knows who the
greatest closer of our time is and it’s not because Rivera does a
little dance after each inning he saves.
Will Brian Bruney ever come off the disabled list? I spend a
large majority of my free time defending Yankees for various actions
and really don’t have a problem with Bruney (which may be because it
sometimes slips my mind he is still on the team). However, Bruney’s
comments were stupid and just served to make him look even more
stupid. I have to agree – I am still unclear on why exactly he was
interviewed following the game. I am even more unclear on why he
decided to comment on K-Rod, who, while he did take the loss,
certainly did not lose the game for the Mets. To sum it up in as
little words as possible, Bruney’s comments were irrelevant and out of
line. Someone should have taught you, if you can’t say something
nice, don’t say anything at all (especially about a far superior
pitcher). If K-Rod’s celebrations are really and truly distracting
your game, which is the only circumstance I see that you really need
to draw national attention to them, I suggest you act like an adult
and bring it up to him in private – or at the very least, face to
face. Maybe Bruney was worried people were forgetting about him, so
he decided to get his name out there again?
Lastly, I only want to comment very briefly on brawls in baseball.
Really? You are a bunch of grown men – act like it, or at least fight
over something important, off the field. Must I remind everyone of
the Don Zimmer incident…..? I am still traumatized by that one.
HE SAID: Bruney vs. K-Rod
For those who may not have seen this, just a quick recap before I give my take... Following Luis Castillo's brain fart on Friday night that cost the Mets the game in Yankee Stadium, the ever-so inquisitive New York media decided to get a take from none other than Brian Bruney. The formerly burly Yankees reliever who has shed a small person in the past 2 years is an interesting person to seek a quote from. Bruney remains on the disabled list, which at this point he may want to claim as his permanent place of residence and begin filing his taxes there. Anyway, Bruney expressed his elation that Castillo's gaffe put the loss on Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, who he found to be an "embarrassment" due to the fact that he performs the macarena when he saves games against the Nationals on a Tuesday night. Rodriguez, known as "K-Rod" fired back claiming that Bruney was "some guy that I don't even know" despite the fact that he called him by name and was easily able to find him during batting practice the next day. K-Rod confronted Bruney in the Yankee Stadium outfield before Sunday's game, pulling the ole "hold me back" gag when he realized that even a svelte Bruney towered over him. Bruney seemed to remain stoic, likely indicating that he doesn't know any witty insults in either Spanish nor English.
This poses the following questions; first, does K-Rod deserve the criticism, and second did Bruney speak out of turn.
K-Rod's Celebrations- First I must comment on the relative ridiculousness of K-Rod's post-save celebrations. In my opinion, celebrations on the field have to be for a specific reason, and not just be a contrived routine that a player is performing like a jester. Some players make gestures to pay tribute to past loved ones, and I am more than OK with that. This came up earlier this year when Dodgers 3B Casey Blake mocked an arm-crossing gesture that Giants closer Brian Wilson does after a save. Wilson was upset as the gesture is meant to pay tribute to a lost family member, while it seems that Blake didn't know that. Personally I find Blake's bushy beard far more offensive than his mocking of Wilson. Another type of celebration that I think is appropriate is when it is reflexive out of an adrenaline filled moment. The prime example of this is the Joba Chamberlain fist pump. This always poses the question of whether or not it is staged or truly from the moment. If you watch him enough, it seems clear to me that he does it when the situations are more pressure packed. To see a staged example, see Aubrey Huff's retort after homering off Chamberlain. Truly goofy. Huff did the fist pump both when rounding first as well as when crossing home plate, as to say "in case you missed it the first time, yeah, I am mocking you. Take that, silly pants!" The last appropriate category of celebration is for something momentous, such as a no-hitter, a pennant, or a championship. You do something special, you have carte blanche to go nuts in my book. Anything short of Kenny Powers flipping the bird at the batter proclaiming "you're fucking out!" is OK with me.
Now K-Rod's celebrations I have decided are not OK for a few reasons. First, they rarely fit the situation. I recall watching a Monday night game earlier this season when he completed a sleepy save against a downtrodden Washington Nationals squad in front of a sleepy, case-of-the-Monday's crowd at City Wok, I mean Citi Field. (Editors note: K-Rod is on my fantasy team and has been beastly this season, so secretly I love him because saves is a category and humbleness is not). Secondly, they last wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too long. K-Rod always pounds his chest, then points violently into the sky. He then walks around for a few seconds thinking about what else he can do, then he'll either pump a fist, crab walk to second base, or pull out a sharpie and sign a baby. Frankly, he is not subtle. Lastly, his celebrations are just self promoting. It's not like a cool handshake with teammates, it's all about look at me.
Look, I am not old school in any way when it comes to sports. I like the hip-hop generation of the NBA, and the cool personalities throughout sports. But when I see K-Rod save a game that's not against a rival or in the playoffs, his celebrations just look so out of place, I cringe.
Who is Brian Bruney?- Like Pedro Martinez did to Karim Garcia during the 2003 ALCS, K-Rod's confrontation with Bruney gave him temporary amnesia causing him to forget who he was feuding with. Joking aside, the question here is whether the Yankees reliever was above his skis in calling out the Mets reliever. The answer folks is yes. K-Rod is a premier pitcher that has won a World Series (with the Angels, not with the Mets), and holds a notable major league record (single season saves, 62). Brian Bruney is not only ignominious to most of the baseball world, but he is not even on the active roster. Before this, Brian Bruney was perhaps best known for being released by the Diamondbacks when their GM curiously claimed that the organization simply had "too many guys that throw hard". Part of the blame here goes to the reporters who were so caught up in the preposterousness of Friday's game's ending that they were ready to interview the clubhouse attendants, but Bruney did make it a point to call out K-Rod when asked about an error that was 100% on Castillo. He was out of line. I must, however, give Bruney some credit. He later apologized for saying anything, and recognized that he shouldn't have brought it up. It took him 2 days, but props for the introspection.
The Confrontation- One of the funniest aspects of this "feud" was the big "climax" yesterday in the Yankee Stadium outfield. Relief pitcher's fighting skills are well known around baseball. When a bench clearing brawl ensues during an MLB game, the bullpens clear, and comes the classic scene of relievers gingerly jogging towards the diamond in full knowledge that the fight will be over by the time they get there. Then they mill around for a while, maybe shout a tough word or two, then retreat to their homes behind the outfield wall. I've always wondered, if the bullpens are so heated by the fight that they have to run in and join the fracas, why don't they just run at each other in the deep outfield and start throwing down. That would be so cool. Watch a couple of petite situational lefties slap each other, pull each other's hair. The knuckleballing long-man breaks a nail and has to go on the DL because he can't dig his fingers into the baseball. Sadly, this never happens. Hilariously, this is exactly what happened in the outfield before the game yesterday. K-Rod "confronted" Bruney to the point where he was no closer than 10 feet from his face, allowing other relievers in the area (such as the heroic Jose Veras), to "break it up". As irrelevant as the NHL has become, you have to give their players props. Even though the players lack brains, they never lack the cohones to throw down in fisticuffs over the most minor of disagreements. Those are men, not the he-she's that make up the majority of MLB bullpens.
THE VERDICT: K-Rod should continue to rack up saves and take my fantasy team to glory. I agree with Bruney that his celebrations are an embarrassment, but only to himself really. It's not the worst thing I've seen in sports, but it does look silly. As for Bruney, he needs to come off the DL tomorrow and pitch lights out in the 8th inning for the rest of eternity, and win 200 championships with the Yankees. Then he can say whatever he wants. As for fighting, leave it to toothless Canadians in helmets.
This poses the following questions; first, does K-Rod deserve the criticism, and second did Bruney speak out of turn.
K-Rod's Celebrations- First I must comment on the relative ridiculousness of K-Rod's post-save celebrations. In my opinion, celebrations on the field have to be for a specific reason, and not just be a contrived routine that a player is performing like a jester. Some players make gestures to pay tribute to past loved ones, and I am more than OK with that. This came up earlier this year when Dodgers 3B Casey Blake mocked an arm-crossing gesture that Giants closer Brian Wilson does after a save. Wilson was upset as the gesture is meant to pay tribute to a lost family member, while it seems that Blake didn't know that. Personally I find Blake's bushy beard far more offensive than his mocking of Wilson. Another type of celebration that I think is appropriate is when it is reflexive out of an adrenaline filled moment. The prime example of this is the Joba Chamberlain fist pump. This always poses the question of whether or not it is staged or truly from the moment. If you watch him enough, it seems clear to me that he does it when the situations are more pressure packed. To see a staged example, see Aubrey Huff's retort after homering off Chamberlain. Truly goofy. Huff did the fist pump both when rounding first as well as when crossing home plate, as to say "in case you missed it the first time, yeah, I am mocking you. Take that, silly pants!" The last appropriate category of celebration is for something momentous, such as a no-hitter, a pennant, or a championship. You do something special, you have carte blanche to go nuts in my book. Anything short of Kenny Powers flipping the bird at the batter proclaiming "you're fucking out!" is OK with me.
Now K-Rod's celebrations I have decided are not OK for a few reasons. First, they rarely fit the situation. I recall watching a Monday night game earlier this season when he completed a sleepy save against a downtrodden Washington Nationals squad in front of a sleepy, case-of-the-Monday's crowd at City Wok, I mean Citi Field. (Editors note: K-Rod is on my fantasy team and has been beastly this season, so secretly I love him because saves is a category and humbleness is not). Secondly, they last wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too long. K-Rod always pounds his chest, then points violently into the sky. He then walks around for a few seconds thinking about what else he can do, then he'll either pump a fist, crab walk to second base, or pull out a sharpie and sign a baby. Frankly, he is not subtle. Lastly, his celebrations are just self promoting. It's not like a cool handshake with teammates, it's all about look at me.
Look, I am not old school in any way when it comes to sports. I like the hip-hop generation of the NBA, and the cool personalities throughout sports. But when I see K-Rod save a game that's not against a rival or in the playoffs, his celebrations just look so out of place, I cringe.
Who is Brian Bruney?- Like Pedro Martinez did to Karim Garcia during the 2003 ALCS, K-Rod's confrontation with Bruney gave him temporary amnesia causing him to forget who he was feuding with. Joking aside, the question here is whether the Yankees reliever was above his skis in calling out the Mets reliever. The answer folks is yes. K-Rod is a premier pitcher that has won a World Series (with the Angels, not with the Mets), and holds a notable major league record (single season saves, 62). Brian Bruney is not only ignominious to most of the baseball world, but he is not even on the active roster. Before this, Brian Bruney was perhaps best known for being released by the Diamondbacks when their GM curiously claimed that the organization simply had "too many guys that throw hard". Part of the blame here goes to the reporters who were so caught up in the preposterousness of Friday's game's ending that they were ready to interview the clubhouse attendants, but Bruney did make it a point to call out K-Rod when asked about an error that was 100% on Castillo. He was out of line. I must, however, give Bruney some credit. He later apologized for saying anything, and recognized that he shouldn't have brought it up. It took him 2 days, but props for the introspection.
The Confrontation- One of the funniest aspects of this "feud" was the big "climax" yesterday in the Yankee Stadium outfield. Relief pitcher's fighting skills are well known around baseball. When a bench clearing brawl ensues during an MLB game, the bullpens clear, and comes the classic scene of relievers gingerly jogging towards the diamond in full knowledge that the fight will be over by the time they get there. Then they mill around for a while, maybe shout a tough word or two, then retreat to their homes behind the outfield wall. I've always wondered, if the bullpens are so heated by the fight that they have to run in and join the fracas, why don't they just run at each other in the deep outfield and start throwing down. That would be so cool. Watch a couple of petite situational lefties slap each other, pull each other's hair. The knuckleballing long-man breaks a nail and has to go on the DL because he can't dig his fingers into the baseball. Sadly, this never happens. Hilariously, this is exactly what happened in the outfield before the game yesterday. K-Rod "confronted" Bruney to the point where he was no closer than 10 feet from his face, allowing other relievers in the area (such as the heroic Jose Veras), to "break it up". As irrelevant as the NHL has become, you have to give their players props. Even though the players lack brains, they never lack the cohones to throw down in fisticuffs over the most minor of disagreements. Those are men, not the he-she's that make up the majority of MLB bullpens.
THE VERDICT: K-Rod should continue to rack up saves and take my fantasy team to glory. I agree with Bruney that his celebrations are an embarrassment, but only to himself really. It's not the worst thing I've seen in sports, but it does look silly. As for Bruney, he needs to come off the DL tomorrow and pitch lights out in the 8th inning for the rest of eternity, and win 200 championships with the Yankees. Then he can say whatever he wants. As for fighting, leave it to toothless Canadians in helmets.
Friday, June 12, 2009
SHE SAID: 0-8 vs. Boston
Watching Boston beat the Yankees is sort of like watching your ex-boyfriend make out with your rival. Watching it happen 8 times in a row is them getting married. That being said….
Yes, the Yankees have lost 8 games this season to their biggest rival. Yes, it is disappointing and almost painful to watch. Regardless, they have won 34 games this season and stand only 2 games out of first. Which means the Yankees could be back in first by Sunday night and all those Boston fans would be saying was “Whatever, we beat you 8 times in a row.”
So the question remains, has Boston gotten to the Yankees psyche? The answer is yes and no. The 8 straight has certainly gotten to the fans – who seem to be more affected than the players. Has it gotten to the players, I think not. I am the first to admit there are some players on every team, even the Yankees, who may let things get to them and affect their game more than it should. However, most of these players either don’t play in New York or don’t last long. These are professional athletes who see each game as a new opportunity to win rather than thinking about yesterday’s loss. If anything, I think the 8 has gotten more to the Red Sox and John Henry’s “MT Curse.” Really, you are glad you didn’t get Teixeira and the 20 home runs he’s hit already this season? New stadium or not, that’s a lot of home runs. All I have to say to Boston is don’t get too cocky.
With over 3 months left of the season, everyone should stop crying over 8 losses and look forward to wins. As any Yankee fan would agree, beating Boston in the ALCS is better than 19 straight losses to Boston in a row. Boston, see you in the ALCS – I’ll be marrying your ex.
HE SAID: 0-8 vs. Boston
Much talk today about what exactly the season's 0-fer against the Red Sox means for the Yankees psyche. I've gone a little back and forth on this, but here's how it shakes out.
1. The Zero- Listening to the game's preview yesterday, all I kept hearing was that the Red Sox were not in the Yankees heads yet, but if they finished the sweep and made it 8-0, then they would be. This struck me as idiotic. Is there a huge difference between 0-8 and 1-7, some say yes, I say no. The zero is not some ominous ring hanging over the Yankees head (although many heavily accented Yankees fans on talk radio seem to feel that ring around their necks today). No one with a brain really thinks they will go 0 for 19 against Boston this season. Clearly either record shows that they're not doing something right against this team.
2. Moving Forward- Are the Yankees feeling "down" going forward. I really think not. The old "momentum is as good as tomorrow's starting pitcher" is far too cliche for me to ever mention. (Woopsy daisy). In reality, momentum is the most overrated thing in baseball (though it is not nearly as overrated as "clutchness" nor Roy Oswalt). The Yanks now play 12 strait against NL teams, and then various AL teams that don't rhyme with "Dead Cocks" for a whole month. Will they be thinking (do baseball players think?) or talking about Boston during this stretch? Absolutely not.
3. August vs. Boston- The Yanks don't play Boston again until August. This is a GREAT thing for Yankees nation. Sure, the 0 for 8 will be a story next time those tampons come to town, but so much will change for both teams between now and then, and a lot of what happened this week will become irrelevant. There will be new lineups, new players, and new roles for other players. The Yanks will have 11 fresh and so clean-clean chances to make it right against their hated rivals. It's just a matter of seizing that opportunity.
4. Psyche- There is one area where I can imagine these losses affecting future performance. I call this the "Here We Go Again" problem. The Yanks have had golden chances to win a number of these games. Look no further than last night. Going forward, should the Yanks get a bad break here and there and start to see a lead dissipate, I can imagine them tensing up some while the Boston schneid is on their minds. This is a natural human reaction, even though it shouldn't really happen since each game is its own unique set of scenarios. Conversely, in this setting Boston's confidence can only empower them, as they probably feel like they can and will win any close game with the boys from the Bronx. Nonetheless, baseball, like any sport is about executing physical performance. The psychology of the 0-fer is present but overstated.
5. Redemption?- Is there any way that the one-sidedness of this series can be accepted by Yankees fans? Barring some unforseen domination by the Yankees, Boston will win the 19-game season series handily. This is unacceptable in Yankees land, especially considering the extreme parity between these two teams since 2003. The only way to make it right would be to take out Boston in the ALCS. I see this as a very likely matchup the way these teams have played this season, and frankly, I'm hoping it happens. Otherwise, we'll be confronted with the nonsensical, logically-fallatious caviat "sure you won, but we were better than you this year" from those clam breath's in New England.
1. The Zero- Listening to the game's preview yesterday, all I kept hearing was that the Red Sox were not in the Yankees heads yet, but if they finished the sweep and made it 8-0, then they would be. This struck me as idiotic. Is there a huge difference between 0-8 and 1-7, some say yes, I say no. The zero is not some ominous ring hanging over the Yankees head (although many heavily accented Yankees fans on talk radio seem to feel that ring around their necks today). No one with a brain really thinks they will go 0 for 19 against Boston this season. Clearly either record shows that they're not doing something right against this team.
2. Moving Forward- Are the Yankees feeling "down" going forward. I really think not. The old "momentum is as good as tomorrow's starting pitcher" is far too cliche for me to ever mention. (Woopsy daisy). In reality, momentum is the most overrated thing in baseball (though it is not nearly as overrated as "clutchness" nor Roy Oswalt). The Yanks now play 12 strait against NL teams, and then various AL teams that don't rhyme with "Dead Cocks" for a whole month. Will they be thinking (do baseball players think?) or talking about Boston during this stretch? Absolutely not.
3. August vs. Boston- The Yanks don't play Boston again until August. This is a GREAT thing for Yankees nation. Sure, the 0 for 8 will be a story next time those tampons come to town, but so much will change for both teams between now and then, and a lot of what happened this week will become irrelevant. There will be new lineups, new players, and new roles for other players. The Yanks will have 11 fresh and so clean-clean chances to make it right against their hated rivals. It's just a matter of seizing that opportunity.
4. Psyche- There is one area where I can imagine these losses affecting future performance. I call this the "Here We Go Again" problem. The Yanks have had golden chances to win a number of these games. Look no further than last night. Going forward, should the Yanks get a bad break here and there and start to see a lead dissipate, I can imagine them tensing up some while the Boston schneid is on their minds. This is a natural human reaction, even though it shouldn't really happen since each game is its own unique set of scenarios. Conversely, in this setting Boston's confidence can only empower them, as they probably feel like they can and will win any close game with the boys from the Bronx. Nonetheless, baseball, like any sport is about executing physical performance. The psychology of the 0-fer is present but overstated.
5. Redemption?- Is there any way that the one-sidedness of this series can be accepted by Yankees fans? Barring some unforseen domination by the Yankees, Boston will win the 19-game season series handily. This is unacceptable in Yankees land, especially considering the extreme parity between these two teams since 2003. The only way to make it right would be to take out Boston in the ALCS. I see this as a very likely matchup the way these teams have played this season, and frankly, I'm hoping it happens. Otherwise, we'll be confronted with the nonsensical, logically-fallatious caviat "sure you won, but we were better than you this year" from those clam breath's in New England.
MISSION STATEMENT
This blog was started by two friends who have long loved the New York Yankees. As you can ascertain from the title, the bloggers represent both sexes and therefore two distinct and unique viewpoints on the Yankees comings and goings. We have grown tired of venting about the Yankees via text messages, status updates, away messages, and the like. We decided to consolidate our expertise into a forum for the world to see. We will be commenting on everything from game analysis, to player evaluation, to rumors, to extraneous topics such as CC's giant pants. Each topic will be breached by both the male (He Said) and female (She Said) point of view. Since we are each blogging newcomers, we may have some kinks to work out, but I think it should be entertaining nonetheless. Feel free to make comments and suggestions, or express your opinions in the "Comments" section of each post. Also any suggestions for stories and content you'd like us to touch upon. Thank you and Go Yankees.
HE SAID: Yankee Credentials
My Yankee fandom dates back to the early 1990's when Danny Tartabull was secretly shtooping Suzan Waldman, and Paul O'Neill's jerry curl was in it's fullest glory. My Yankee knowledge, however, spans the entire glorious 107 year history, from the rotten gopher holes of Hilltop Park to the ostentatious luxuries of New Yankee Stadium. Growing up in Metro NY, I got to experience the 1996-2000 Dynasty first hand. It culminated with celebrating the 2000 World Series championship at Shea Stadium and having Roger Clemens throw me his championship T-shirt, soaked with sweat, champagne, and presumably HGH. I have equally been witness to the miserable championship lull of the 2000's. I have rebunked several drought theories including the Curse of the YES Network, the Bush-Steinbrenner Paradox, and the more conventional "Law of Averages". My goal is to put forth detailed expert Yankees analysis from the male perspective, while interjecting joy, despair, irony, testosterone and humor.
SHE SAID: Yankees Credentials
My Yankee fandom dates back to 1949 when a little boy was born into a pre-Mets Queens three days before the Yankees started the season (my dad, not me). Thirty five years later, I was born destined to be a life long Yankee fan. To my dad, it was unacceptable to like any team that was not the New York Yankees. We had a sports room instead of a play room. Every day I would wake up early to catch the morning Sportscenter and check the box scores. Over breakfast, I was quizzed on players, teams, and standings. Opening day meant 14 total hours in the car, worth every minute. Growing up in New England, it what is disgustingly referred to as "Red Sox Nation," I learned to constantly defend my team and myself against mean boys who tried to make me cry, something I still try very hard to do. Luckily, I smartened up and moved to New York to be with my fellow fans. My goal is provide the witty female perspective while proving girls can talk sports with the best of them. I also promise to keep mentions of players who look good in their tight pants to a minimum. While I have given up my dream to play for the Yankees, I will never give on my quest to marry one.
HE SAID: Yankee Credentials
My Yankee fandom dates back to the early 1990's when Danny Tartabull was secretly shtooping Suzan Waldman, and Paul O'Neill's jerry curl was in it's fullest glory. My Yankee knowledge, however, spans the entire glorious 107 year history, from the rotten gopher holes of Hilltop Park to the ostentatious luxuries of New Yankee Stadium. Growing up in Metro NY, I got to experience the 1996-2000 Dynasty first hand. It culminated with celebrating the 2000 World Series championship at Shea Stadium and having Roger Clemens throw me his championship T-shirt, soaked with sweat, champagne, and presumably HGH. I have equally been witness to the miserable championship lull of the 2000's. I have rebunked several drought theories including the Curse of the YES Network, the Bush-Steinbrenner Paradox, and the more conventional "Law of Averages". My goal is to put forth detailed expert Yankees analysis from the male perspective, while interjecting joy, despair, irony, testosterone and humor.
SHE SAID: Yankees Credentials
My Yankee fandom dates back to 1949 when a little boy was born into a pre-Mets Queens three days before the Yankees started the season (my dad, not me). Thirty five years later, I was born destined to be a life long Yankee fan. To my dad, it was unacceptable to like any team that was not the New York Yankees. We had a sports room instead of a play room. Every day I would wake up early to catch the morning Sportscenter and check the box scores. Over breakfast, I was quizzed on players, teams, and standings. Opening day meant 14 total hours in the car, worth every minute. Growing up in New England, it what is disgustingly referred to as "Red Sox Nation," I learned to constantly defend my team and myself against mean boys who tried to make me cry, something I still try very hard to do. Luckily, I smartened up and moved to New York to be with my fellow fans. My goal is provide the witty female perspective while proving girls can talk sports with the best of them. I also promise to keep mentions of players who look good in their tight pants to a minimum. While I have given up my dream to play for the Yankees, I will never give on my quest to marry one.
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