The Sporting Brews

Matsuzaka Posted!

2006-11-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Seibu Lions said Matsuzaka's rights will be "posted," meaning that all 30 major league teams can bid on the 26-year-old right-hander. The team with the highest bid gains the right to attempt to sign the pitcher.

The Lions reportedly plan to seek $30 million from a major league team just for rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka. That's not including the $13-15 million annual salary he'll likely earn.

Translation: If we don't get $30 million, we pull back the posting and he plays another year. It's obviously a price-inflating ploy. If Seibu doesn't accept a top bid of, say, $25 million, they can pull Matsuzaka back, but I don't see them taking that path. He becomes a free agent following 2007, at which time the Lions would receive no compensation for his departure. And something tells me that the extra revenue he draws minus his salary is over $25 million (for clarification, since I suck at verbalizing math: Total Revenue Solely Generated by Matsuzaka - Matsuzaka's Salary ≠ $25 million).

Then again, a $30 million bid may be required to top the field. Based on nothing but anecdotes I've read over the past two months, no team plans to bid that $30 million. The Red Sox may go between $20 and $25 mil just to compete with the Yanks. But I think that if Cashman plops down $30 mil, Matsuzaka will be wearing pinstripes in 2007.

So Just Chill, 'Till the Next Episode

2006-10-30T16:21:00.000-05:00

As you've been able to glean over the past month and a half, the new job has taken a considerable amount of my writing time. I have ideas ready to put into column form, but it's difficult to sit in front of a computer for 10 hours a day, and then go home to spend more hours with one. I'm acclimating myself well, though, and should have more time to write in the coming weeks.

Going through a similar situation is Benjamin Kabak of Off the Facade. He's a fine writer, and is hampered by a busy schedule with a new job. We've been familiar with one another's situation for quite some time, and are now prepared to do something about it.

Yes, I'm joining Ben at Off the Facade, where we hope that by combining our limited schedules, we can still provide the very best in Yankees coverage.

However, this in no way is the demise of the Sporting Brews. The decision to join Ben was largely influenced by the time of year: I may not have come to the same decision had this been in April. For now, though, I'll be writing and promoting myself at OtF, while simulcasting my material here. I'll also try for a Friday roundup of significant Yankees storylines.

But, for now, Off the Facade

Why Am I Routing For the Cardinals?

2006-10-27T09:52:00.001-04:00

I hate Preston Wilson: he's not good at baseball.
I hate Juan Encarnacion: he's inconsistent and also not very good at baseball.
I hate David Eckstein: the media paints him a darling when he's just an average player.
I hate Jeff Weaver: you all know why.
I hate Ronnie Belliard: that he lets his tongue flap in the wind while batting makes me want to take hedge clippers to it.
I hate Scott Spiezio: hey, I dyed my goatee, too...when I was 17 years old. You're 34, therefore ridiculous.

Despite these despicable characters, I sit in front of my TV every night and cheer when they succeed. I get especially heated when Pujols, Rolen, Edmonds, Molina, or Miles comes to the plate. And I get really amped up when Chris Carpenter takes the mound.

The only question that remains: do I go get a Cardinals shirt to wear to the bar tonight? I'm vehemently against sports polygamy, but I'm just so excited about the prospect of the World Series ending tonight at the new Busch Stadium.

Many people call this Tigers team "likeable," but I just don't see that. Yes, I like Bondo and Verlander because they're young and exciting pitchers; same goes for Zumaya and, to an extent, Fernando Rodney. But what about the rest of the team?

Pudge: notice how he's not so pudgy or muscular anymore. Also notice when this transformation occurred and what rule began being enforced. Hmmm...
Casey: he used to be good, and he has come through big in the playoffs. I'm indifferent, leaning towards "don't like."
Polanco: loved him because he helped my fantasy team; hate him because he forced me to piecemeal an infield for the last month and a half of the season.
Guillen: he's quite good, so I can't hate him. But I don't like him by any means. Hideously indifferent
Inge: other than his 27 homers, he's not that good.
Monroe: I guess I kind of like him because he was a platooning God on my team in MVP Baseball 2004.
Granderson: young, slick leadoff hitter. Leaning towards liking him.
Magglio: fuckin jerk.
Thames: it's tough to like former Yankees who weren't with the big league team for any significant time.
Rogers: you know.
Robertson: $50 says his ERA clocks in at over 4.20 next year.

Why Am I Routing For the Cardinals?

2006-10-27T09:52:00.000-04:00

Where do Honeydews Go For the Summer?

2006-10-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

John Cougar Mellencamp! Badum-CHING!

I contend that his appearance before Game Two last night was the most uninteresting moment in World Series history. Who cares about John Mellencamp, anyway? Yeah, he had some hit songs back in the day, but the more I listen to them, the more boring they are. He's on my iPod, and I can't remember a time in the last year when I haven't immediately hit "next song" when he came up on Random.

But what was the point? No one wanted to hear his crappy song; we hear it two dozen times every Sunday during football. Not to mention, it's a shitty song. It's generic, contrived, and a last-ditch effort to make some money before everyone realizes he's completely washed up. Plus, didn't he cover that base with "Ain't That America"?

So John tops the "Fuck you" list of Game Two. The rest:

Kenny Rogers: Of course he's up there. I still want to see him start on the road, but that's not going to happen.
Jeff Weaver: For looking like the Weaver of old after looking like his younger self in the Mets series.
Albert Pujols: Dude, we're depending on you for the upset of the year. You're killin' us here.

I Swear, I'm Not Dead

2006-10-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

Long week at work this week (55 hours, plus an hour and 15 minute commute each way), so that's the reason I haven't moved to the off-season landscape.

I'll have something on Monday. Promise.

State of the Yankees

2006-10-16T09:39:00.000-04:00

The past week has been filled with various (mostly retarded) off-season plans that will (supposedly) enable the team to get over the LDS hump and return to glory. However, there is no surefire off-season plan that will right the Yankees ship; there are simply too many obstacles in the way to makeover the team in one off-season. So instead of writing a fantasy column spewing unreasonable ideas (i.e., the departure of Jason Giambi—sorry, there’s just no justifiable way to make that happen), this will be a series of logical maneuvers that would indicate a new direction. It’s obviously not the only solution, nor is it a certainty to work. But it will fall within the realm of possibility. And no, it won’t involve overpaying for the top veteran free agents.

Before I broach the subject of transactions, the State of the Yankees must be addressed. Not only will it give an idea of where the team stands heading into the off-season, but it will help make clearer the areas in which they can change. And honestly, if there’s an area where change is possible, it probably should be enacted; they didn’t drop right out of the playoffs without reason.

Seven of the eight position players are playing with multi-year contracts, and of those at least six will be back next year: Jorge Poasda, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Bobby Abreu. There is either no reason to move these guys (Matsui, Damon, Jeter, Posada) or they are unmovable (Giambi, Abreu [no trade clause]). In addition, Robinson Cano will remain property of the Yankees, guaranteed to be back for at least c.$400k. However, the Yanks should try to lock him down through his arbitration years; allowing the 23-year-old who finished third in the AL batting race to go to arbitration next year would be rather foolish.

This leaves little flexibility in the starting nine. One area in which the Yankees can bend is first base/DH. Giambi can be moved to permanent DH, both for defensive and health reasons, which allows the Yanks to slide a new body onto the first base bag—and Andy Phillips is not the answer. Hindering their flexibility, however, is the lefty situation. Of the seven players mentioned above, five are lefties and one is a switch, leaving Jeter as the lone righty. The problem therein is transparent: Derek Jeter will not suffice as the lineup’s power righty.

Alex Rodriguez was left off the certain-to-come-back list because of the probability that Cashman is listening to offers. This isn’t to say that he’s on his way out the door, but if we’re focusing on roster flexibility, he’s the most expendable. He is a great player, better—in theory—than anyone on the list of returning players is, but he’s the only commodity that will yield a return of starting pitching. Then again, as we can see, they’d need another righty with some pop to replace him. One look at the third base market shows that the team isn’t likely to find that in the vacated position. This is why the A-Rod conundrum needs its own column.

People talk about the team’s chemistry and how it dwindled over the season’s final month, spurred by the returns of Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield. While those two heavy hitters may have altered the shape of the team, the chemistry banter is nonsense. If you want to pin the blame on those two, you can point to the flexibility issues they created (and that I noted above). In addition to flexibility, the other main issue hindering the 2006 Yankees was the pitching staff. It is exceedingly difficult to win a playoff series with just one reliable pitcher (not to say that it can’t be done).

Only a few of the Yanks pitchers are guaranteed contracts for next season: Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Mariano Rivera, Mike Myers, and Kyle Farnsworth. However, there are an additional few that are property of the Yankees due to lack of service time: Chien-Ming Wang, Darrell Rasner, Jeff Karstens, Scott Proctor (likely arbitration-eligible), and Sean Henn—not to mention the guys on the brink in the minors. The positive spin to the few returning arms is that the Yankees can begin their pitching overhaul. The negative is that these guys would not comprise an intimidating pitching staff.

Before I begin to address the issues at hand, here is a breakdown of where each 2006 Yankee stands:

Contractual obligations

C	Jorge Posada	$12m
1B	Jason Giambi	$21m
2B	Robinson Cano	$400K
3B	Alex Rodriguez	$16m
SS	Derek Jeter	$20m
LF	Hideki Matsui	$13m
CF	Johnny Damon	$13m
RF	Bobby Abreu	$16m

SP	Randy Johnson	$16m
SP	Carl Pavano	$10m
RP	Mariano Rivera	$10.5m
RP	Kyle Farnsworth	$5.25m
RP	Mike Myers	$1.25m

Team Options (buyout in parenthesis)
Jaret Wright—$7m ($4m)
Gary Sheffield—$13m ($0)
Mike Mussina—$17m ($1.5m)

Arbitration EligibleThree full years MLB service
Sal Fasano
Aaron Guiel (not quite sure, but he’ll be close)

Protected PlayersLess than three years MLB service
Robinson Cano (he won’t have two full years service time, so it’s unlikely he’ll be a “Super Two,” therefore ineligible for arbitration)
Chien-Ming Wang (same deal as Cano)
Scott Proctor (probable Super Two)
Nick Green
Andy Phillips
Wil Nieves
T.J. Beam
Brian Bruney
Melky Cabrera
Sean Henn
Jeff Karstens
Darrell Rasner
Kevin Reese
Kevin Thompson
Jose Veras

Unrestricted Free Agents
Octavio Dotel
Tanyon Sturtze
Ron Villone
Bernie Williams
Miguel Cairo
Craig Wilson

Don't Fire This Man

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

Since no soul lacks an opinion on this matter, I’ll keep it succinct: the Yankees would be remiss to fire Joe Torre as manager. I spent the entire day yesterday trawling through various views on the subject, and after all the, “if he got all the credit, he deserves all the blame,” and, “he makes terrible managerial decisions like his bullpen usage and batting A-Rod 8th” arguments, I’ve realized that one point is absent. Who would manage the team?

The mainstream media wants you to believe Lou Piniella is the man for the job, but I don’t see how this would work at all. He knows plenty of baseball and has had success as a manger, but does anyone honestly thing he’s better than Joe Torre is? Other than A-Rod, who would welcome Lou with open arms? How would he get through to all of the egos in the clubhouse, before the start of the season? Remember that this isn’t Little League, where tossing a chair will get you the team’s attention. Lou would have to enter a clubhouse filled with egos the likes of which he’s never seen, and I don’t think he’d be able to handle the situation.

In fact, I don’t think many, if any, managers could handle that kind of situation. Except, of course, for Joe Torre. Not only would a newcomer need to learn the team and earn their respect, but he’d also have to learn the ropes of the New York media, which would be frenzied upon his hiring. Maybe Joe Girardi could fill these shoes, but it would be tough even for him. And much as I admire Don Mattingly, this wouldn’t be the proper circumstance for his promotion.

This all leads back to one point: why fire him with just one year left on his deal? It’s not like the base of this organization is going to change. Cashman will still be the GM, Jeter will still be the Captain, and for the most part, due to contractual obligations, most of the team will remain the same over the off-season. What’s the harm in allowing Torre to finish out his contract and work with these players who are so familiar to him? Or, more accurately, does Steinbrenner honestly think that a new manager will be the solution to his team’s (relative) woes?

The best solution, as I see it, is to allow Torre to manage in 2007 and hand the reins to Mattingly in 2008. I sense some more roster shaking this off-season, but not enough to really makeover the team. In 2008, however, there should be plenty of new faces in the crowd, the proud result of Damon Oppenheimer’s scouting regime. That is when you’ll begin seeing the guys currently playing in Trenton, Tampa, Charleston, and Staten Island. And, since there should be an influx of talent from the minor leagues, why not promote the manager from within as well?

Most of all, I don’t think Steinbrenner truly wants to fire Torre. It was a knee-jerk reaction perpetuated by the New York media for lack of anything better to write. Yeah, there was the whole A-Rod story, but after Games One through Three, there was little left to say on the matter. The whole team stunk (apologies to Jeter, Matsui, and Posada) in the final two games, and it’s tough to lay blame on nine All-Stars. So the next natural step is the manager, and look, Torre’s been at the helm far longer than any manager has in the Steinbrenner era. The Boss had a bout with his old self after the game, ready to fire Torre on the spot. Of course, logic, reason, and old age kicked in later on, and I’m sure George realizes that firing Torre accomplishes absolutely nothing.

It would be far more productive to simply bring on a bench coach who is strategically savvy. Forget Lee Mazilli, who ostensibly did very little this season (you heard praise heaped on the entire coaching staff, but not a word on Maz). Find Torre a recently retired catcher to sit next to him on the bench, and I think you’ve found a much better solution than firing the man.

It’s easy to make someone the scapegoat. The loss wasn’t Torre’s fault, but as they say, you can’t fire the players. Let’s hope Steinbrenner decides not to taint Torre’s legacy with an unnecessary firing. There are, after all, plenty of more important issues at hand.

It's just a report, but the word on the street now is that Torre will keep his job. I'll wait for his press conference at 1 p.m. to see if how he addresses the issue.

Final Update: He stays. I am happy.

Taking A Break

2006-10-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

Not a long one, though. In fact, I've already written 4,500 words on what the Yankees can reasonably do to right the ship next year. However, pursuant to the direction this site will take, I'm going to take the ideas within those 4,500 words and craft five, maybe six shorter but more pointed pieces. I'll start posting them next week. It's just too soon to begin commentary, because most everything you see for the next week is going to be ridiculous.

What I will do, and hopefully this will be ready for tomorrow, is comment on the media's dealing with the Torre situation. It's sad, really. The arguments are rarely reasonable, mostly sensational. And that, my friends, leads to irrational discourse and the misleading of the general public. Mainstream sports media is a freakin' joke.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy the rest of the playoffs. I'm in the A's corner right now. If the Yanks can't win it, I'd love to see Billy Beane stick it to all of his detractors. I need to go over the game logs soon so I can put together a list of the "little things" Oakland does to win. I watched most of the series, and I'm pretty certain the A's weren't stealing, or first-to-thirding, or bunting (sacrificing), or hit-and-running, or any other stupid cliche Joe Morgan puts in your head.

Hate...You...Guys

2006-10-07T00:38:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? Kenny Rogers pitched more scoreless postseason innings tonight than he had in his career to this point.

Kenny Rogers' Postseason History

2006-10-06T09:34:00.000-04:00


Year Round Tm  Opp WLser  G GS  ERA    W-L  SV CG SHO  IP   H   ER  BB  SO
+------------------+-----+--+--+------+-----+--+--+---+-----+---+---+---+---+
1996 ALDS  NYY TEX   W    2  1   9.00  0-0   0  0   0   2.0   5   2   2   1
     ALCS  NYY BAL   W    1  1  12.00  0-0   0  0   0   3.0   5   4   2   3
     WS    NYY ATL   W    1  1  22.50  0-0   0  0   0   2.0   5   5   2   0
1999 NLDS  NYM ARI   W    1  1   8.31  0-1   0  0   0   4.3   5   4   2   6
     NLCS  NYM ATL   L    3  1   5.87  0-2   0  0   0   7.7  11   5   7   2
2003 ALDS  MIN NYY   L    1  0   0.00  0-0   0  0   0   1.3   1   0   1   3
+------------------+-----+--+--+------+-----+--+--+---+-----+---+---+---+---+
 3 Lg Div Series    2-1   4  2   7.04  0-1   0  0   0   7.7  11   6   5  10
 2 Lg Champ Series  1-1   4  2   7.59  0-2   0  0   0  10.7  16   9   9   5
 6 Postseason Ser   4-2   9  5   8.85  0-3   0  0   0  20.3  32  20  16  15
+------------------+-----+--+--+------+-----+--+--+---+-----+---+---+---+---+

Only five runs over seven and two-thirds innings in his last postseason start! It's a marked improvement. The best part of this table is the very first line: two games, one of which was a start in the 1996 ALDS, pitching a total of two innings. Muy ridiculoso. How is Jim Leyland allowing him to start tonight? Isn't there a guy named Jeremy Bonderman on this team? I'd much rather throw the dice with an inexperienced playoff pitcher (hey, it worked for Verlander) than trot out Kenny Rogers. His last postseason start:


New York Mets         IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
Rogers L(0-1)          5.1   9   4   4   3   1   2

Though, the worst of the worst:


New York Yankees      IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
Rogers                 2     5   5   5   2   0   1

You can take one guess as to what game that was. I'll give you a hint: a pitcher's career was ruined that night, but unfortunately, it wasn't Rogers'.

Just to take up space, here's our guy:


Year Round Tm  Opp WLser  G GS  ERA    W-L  SV CG SHO  IP   H   ER  BB  SO
+------------------+-----+--+--+------+-----+--+--+---+-----+---+---+---+---+
1995 ALDS  SEA NYY   W    2  1   2.70  2-0   0  0   0  10.0   5   3   6  16
     ALCS  SEA CLE   L    2  2   2.35  0-1   0  0   0  15.3  12   4   2  13
1997 ALDS  SEA BAL   L    2  2   5.54  0-2   0  1   0  13.0  14   8   6  16
1998 NLDS  HOU SDP   L    2  2   1.93  0-2   0  0   0  14.0  12   3   2  17
1999 NLDS  ARI NYM   L    1  1   7.56  0-1   0  0   0   8.3   8   7   3  11
2001 NLDS  ARI STL   W    1  1   3.38  0-1   0  0   0   8.0   6   3   2   9
     NLCS  ARI ATL   W    2  2   1.12  2-0   0  1   1  16.0  10   2   3  19
     WS    ARI NYY   W    3  2   1.04  3-0   0  1   1  17.3   9   2   3  19
2002 NLDS  ARI STL   L    1  1   7.50  0-1   0  0   0   6.0  10   5   2   4
2005 ALDS  NYY LAA   L    2  1   6.14  0-0   0  0       7.3  12   5   1   4
+------------------+-----+--+--+------+-----+--+--+---+-----+---+---+---+---+
 7 Lg Div Series    2-5  11  9   4.59  2-7   0  1   0  66.7  67  34  22  77
 2 Lg Champ Series  1-1   4  4   1.72  2-1   0  1   1  31.3  22   6   5  32
10 Postseason Ser   4-6  18 15   3.28  7-8   0  3   2 115.3  98  42  30 128
+------------------+-----+--+--+------+-----+--+--+---+-----+---+---+---+---+

But, more importantly:


IP   H  R ER BB SO HR PC-ST  ERA
6.0  2  0 0  3  4  0  91-59  5.37
8.0  4  4 4  1  8  3  106-76 4.94

And you all remember that two of the runs in the second game came in the ninth. All things considered, I don't think there's a chance Randy Johnson pitches the ninth today, barring a no-no.

So how confident are you about tonight?

Amped Up for Some Day Baseball

2006-10-05T11:25:00.000-04:00

Maybe the Tigers are bitter about losing home-field advantage. It seemed that way yesterday, as the newspaper stories this morning mentioned how the Tigers were miffed that they were not informed of the “certainty” of a postponement. Maybe if they had won a single game against the Royals, they wouldn’t have been in this predicament. It’s home-field advantage, guys, and it’s not just advantageous because the crowd is screaming for you.

So we move the game to 1:00 today, which miffs me a bit because, like most of you, I’m at work and in front of a desk all day. Thankfully, MLB.tv will have the archive waiting for me when I get home. The question, though, is if I can avoid any baseball banter at work.

Here’s the thing with today’s game: both pitchers have to mentally prepare for the game again, which is probably detrimental to the fragile psyche of a pitcher. Gotta give the advantage to the Yanks here for two reasons. First, Mussina supposedly knew about the impending postponement, meaning he was able to relax earlier than Verlander, who was throwing warm-ups during the delay. Compounding this issue is Verlander’s inexperience. The second advantage is that if pitchers are truly bruised by having to mentally prepare for a game twice (and we don’t know how true that is), the Yankees lineup can surely outslug the Tigers. That is, the Yankees would likely score more runs off a loopy Verlander than the Tigers would against a loopy Mussina.

In other LDS news:

The A’s took a swift 2-0 series lead against the home-field Twins, with the series headed back to Oakland. I’ve seen Oakland take 2-0 series leads on the road in the past, and I have one bit of advice for them: SLIDE, YOU STUPID FUCKING RUNNER, SLIDE!

The Mets, despite Billy Wagner’s efforts to blow the game, took a 1-0 lead over the Dodgers. The worst part of it all: the commentators began comparing Carlos Delgado to Derek Jeter. Do I even need to begin telling them how far off-base and sensationalist they’re being? Or would a thwap to the head with a frying pan serve them better?

Is there really anything to say about the Cards/Pads series beyond the obvious? The winner is rewarded by a pounding by the Mets or Dodgers.

In other, non-sports news:

I got both the new Killers and new Beck albums. I’ve listened to them once each, and have the following assessments:

Killers—I, uh, really don’t dig this. Maybe it’s because they set the bar so high with the first album. Then again, I wasn’t a big fan of “One Way Ticket to Hell and Back” by the Darkness when it came out, ostensibly for the same reason. So, while “Sam’s Town” gets a negative from me in the beginning, it surely will get another listen or two before I banish it to the land of CDs I no longer listen to.

Beck—It’s Beck, through and through. If you liked “Mellow Gold,” “Odelay,” and “Guero,” this one is right up your alley (though, my favorite album by him remains “Midnite Vultures”). The only difference I see among these albums is that “The Information” is a bit more upbeat. Not that the other albums aren’t; but there are less mellow tracks strewn throughout his latest offering.

Yankees Lead Series, 1-0

2006-10-04T09:55:00.000-04:00

We all watched last night—or have read the newspaper recap—so I’ll spare you the play-by-play. There isn’t too much to say for the game because it went exactly as expected. The Yanks mashed Robertson, benefited from a solid starting pitching performance, and labored through the bullpen to get to Rivera. All in all, a productive if not predictable Game One. I have a gripe, however, and I’m sure many of you share it.

In the top of the seventh, with two outs recorded and no base runners allowed that inning, Joe Torre decided to make a pitching change. Jigga-what? It’s not like Wang had thrown a ton of pitches (it was 96) or was showing signs of wearing down. The Tigers leadoff hitter, Curtis Granderson, was due up, and apparently Torre though this was the perfect time for a lefty-lefty match-up. Nevermind that Wang had settled down since allowing three runs in the fifth, recording two strikeouts and four groundouts since Sean Casey’s run-scoring double. This is exactly what I was thinking when this happened:

Strawberry: You're pinch-hitting for me?
Burns: Yes. You see, you're a left-hander and so is the pitcher. If I send up a right-handed batter it's called playing the percentages. It's what smart managers do to win ballgames.
Strawberry: But I hit nine home runs today.
Burns: You should be very proud of yourself.

This was a classic case of overmanagement. Some may call it hindsight and second-guessing the manager, but this hardly the case. My girlfriend (who routinely asks questions about the rules of the game) was aghast when Wang left the game (her: “You know what he’s thinking now, right? ‘Stupid Americans, won’t let me finish my game. You’re ruining it for me! Ruining it!!!’”).

What I least understand is the necessity to bring in a lefty specialist for Curtis Granderson. Yes, he’s a good player who poses multiple threats. But he’s no David Ortiz, Travis Hafner, Justin Morneau, or Jim Thome. Those are the guys for whom you bring in a lefty specialist. The Tigers, sadly, lack an overly threatening lefty. In fact, it may have been the smart move to leave Myers off the ALDS roster for that reason. And should the Yanks face the Athletics in the ALCS, he should be left off there as well. I hear a lot of complaints about his taking up a roster spot in general, and that’s magnified when his services aren’t really needed.

So yeah, anyway, the plan totally backfired on Torre, who was forced to go to Proctor to finish the frame. It took him a while to settle in, but he didn’t seem overly nervous, even after he had allowed two baserunners. With Farnsworth’s “I’m a pussy” treatment, Proctor will likely be the eighth inning guy tonight, should a setup man be necessary in that spot. I’m not overly confident in him at this point, but the Yanks have trotted out lesser arms in that spot in the recent past.

And what can we say about the Farns? The leadoff walk inspired my ire like none other, since that’s the first sign of an ineffective Farnsworth. When Pudge popped out to left, I thought he got all of it. Thankfully, he juuuuuust missed, and Farnsworth was able to fend off the next two hitters dutifully. My biggest gripe with Farns is that he’s had the same problems all year, and he seemingly refuses to correct them. The first is the overuse of his slider. His fastball is devastating and sliders hang. If the other team is going to beat you, have it be on a 98 m.p.h. heater rather than a hanging slider—unless your idol is Mark Wohlers.

On a closing note, here’s a big FUCK YOU to Chris Russo. I distinctly remember an exchange between he and Francessa back in late May or early June regarding Bobby Abreu. He said something to the effect of Bobby never coming up in a big spot—failing to note that Abreu had never been to the playoffs in a major capacity (yeah yeah, Houston in 1997). They may not have been the biggest of spots last night, but his four RBI kinda won the Yanks the game. Also take note that yesterday, Mr. Russo called Alex a weakness in the Yankees lineup. I’m hoping to shove that down his throat as well.

Some Infrequently Used Data

2006-10-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

Just for fun, let’s play with one of my favorite stats, Pitcher’s Quality of Batters Faced. It’s quite simple: you take the averages of every better a pitcher has faced, just like the name indicates. The question remains how we should interpret this data, but for now I’m going with the most basic use: comparing this to the hitters said pitcher will be facing.

Note: I’m going to use some more advanced pitching stats. For definitions, see The Hardball Times Stats Glossary.

ERA: 3.84
FIP: 4.81
xFIP: 4.63
DER: .723
LOB%: 76.1

What we can glean from this information is that Robertson pitched considerably above his head this year. The defensive efficiency behind him is quality, which aids his cause. But it seems to me that he puts guys on base at a decent clip and works out of jams. His left on base percentage somewhat justifies that claim. Both of these qualities work against him when facing the Yankees.

Quality of Batters Faced:
Avg: .272
OBP: .340
Slg: .432
OPS: .772

As we move forward, we’re keeping in mind that he put up the first set of numbers against a hitter that averages .272/.340/.432. Let’s look at the Yankees lineup:

Johnny Damon: .285/.359/.482
Derek Jeter: .343/.417/.483
Bobby Abreu: .330/.419/.507
Gary Sheffield: .298/.355/.450
Jason Giambi: .253/.413/.558
Alex Rodriguez: .290/.392/.523
Hideki Matsui: .302/.393/.494
Jorge Posada: .277/.374/.492
Robinson Cano: .342/.365/.525

(Aside: they say you can’t hit your way to a title, but have “they” ever seen a lineup quite like this? I have to go with the negative, since I don’t believe such a lineup ever existed.)

And there you have it. Only one Yankee came in below any of Robertson’s QBF categories, and that’s Jason Giambi’s average. However, I think that his .073 advantage in OBP and .126 advantage in Slugging negate Robertson’s .019 advantage in batting average.

So what are we to conclude from this? Well, since I haven’t really seen studies performed as to a pitcher’s performance against a lineup that is far better than the average he’s faced this year, I would say the results are inconclusive at best, misleading at worst. I’m just trying to put this match up in the best possible perspective, and these “Quality of” stats are rarely used.

Originally, I intended to post each Yankee’s Quality of Pitchers faced, until I realized that the numbers are more or less the same. The idea here is just the same as batters: the higher the numbers, the worse the pitcher. For the Yankees, this bodes well:

.260/.340/.415

Over the course of the year, the average pitcher they faced had a .260 BAA, .340 OBPA, and a .415 SLGA. Those are pretty decent numbers for a pitcher. Robertson’s line against:

.259/.320/.424

Once again, we run into an issue of interpretation. Against guys hitting .272/.340/.432, Robertson posted a line of .259/.320/.424, meaning he outpitched his opponents. On the other hand, the every Yankee (except Giambi in the batting average department) outhit the pitchers they faced.

What does all this mean? To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I’m trying to process the data, but since it’s relatively new and not frequently analyzed, I’m a bit stuck. Anecdotally, I fully expect the Yanks to light up Robertson tonight. He’s an average pitcher who ostensibly pitched above his head this year, and is facing hands down the best lineup in baseball. Statistically, though, it appears that Robertson may have just enough to keep the Yanks in check. Lucky for the Yanks, the undisciplined Tigers are facing ground ball machine Chien-Ming Wang. They might not even need more than two runs.

But I think I’m getting ahead of myself…

Your 2006 Yanksblog.com Fantasy Baseball Champs

2006-10-02T14:31:00.000-04:00

I stole Big Papi with the eighth overall pick (seriously, are there eight better hitters in the league, fantasy-wise, than Ortiz????), nabbed Roy Oswalt on the way back, and took Joe Mauer with my third pick. From there, it was all pitching that won me the 2006 Yanksblog.com fantasy baseball league. Thanks to all who participated, especially Mike from In George We Trust/Baby Bombers/Pending Pinstripes, who wrote me off at the beginning of August.

Not that anyone cares, but this is how I won the league:

1) PITCHING! I drafted Oswalt and Zito, but beyond them, my pitching was just okay. Jeremy Bonderman was a sleeper, skyrocketing my strikeout totals. My bullpen was in shambles all season, with Huston Street and Derrick Turnbow anchoring the crew. Turnbow worked out for half the season, but nearly killed my playoff chances in July. Scot Shields and Clay Hensley were decent stopgaps, though. I believe Joe Blanton was my only remaining starter from the draft.

Over the course of the season, I was able to expose the lack of knee-jerk reactions by the rest of the league by picking up Bronson Arroyo, Jered Weaver, and Cole Hamels. Combined with Zito, Oswalt, Bonderman, and Blanton, this was probably the best staff in the league, closers be damned.

2) Hitting where it counts. Ortiz was always solid, and Mauer was great from June on. How I got away with Lance Berkman is beyond me, but his 48 homers certainly had something to do with my winning. Another thanks goes to Nick Swisher for rocking, and yet another to David DeJesus for vindicating my decision to keep him through his injury.

Bill Hall and Placido Polanco were great at the beginning, though slipped a bit at the end. Jorge Cantu was a monumental disappointment, as was Jhonny Peralta, who didn't last more than two months. My biggest thanks go to the teams who dropped Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. With an infield of Mauer, Ortiz, Uggla, Ramirez, and Hall, I was pretty set there. The outfield of Swisher, DeJesus, and Berkman worked well, too. I just wish I had a decent utility guy -- Trot Nixon and Kevin Youkilis were worthless in September, and by that time I had already given up on Milton Bradley.

So yeah, this is the first time I've ever won a fantasy baseball league. And, for the record, 1) I didn't make ANY roster moves in April. I didn't even switch out my starting pitchers or sub for off-days. 2) I didn't know the championship went for two weeks, and as such didn't make any roster moves last week. On Monday, I was down 9-1.

Let the Season Begin

2006-10-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

What a dang surprise. Just about everyone was preparing for a Yanks-Twins ALDS, what with the Tigers leading by a game and holding the tiebreaker with four to play. And although the Twins won just one of their last three, they managed to overcome the Tigers, currently embroiled in a five-game losing streak, including the final three to the Royals.

I have to say that this bodes considerably well for the Yankees. All the hoopla this week was about how the Yanks stood the worst chance in a short series against the Twins, who have the only truly dominant starter of 2006. This scenario works out even better if the Yanks can knock off the Tigers in three (completely feasible, considering the only two losses to the Tigers this season came in the ninth inning while Mariano Rivera was unavailable—and that whole messy business of them being swept by the 100-loss Royals). The A’s and the Twins look to have at least a four-gamer on their hands, and for them to go to a fifth game would mean Johan Santana would only be available for one game in the ALCS, unless they’re willing to start him twice on three days rest.

When facing the Tigers, let’s make sure not to make the mistake of thinking they’re the Tigers from season’s beginning. Those Tigers are not these Tigers. On July 1, they were at 55-26; on August 1 they were 71-35 and 7.5 games up on the second-place White Sox. And on October 2, they finished the season 95-67. Yes, that means they went 24-22 over the last two months, and 40-41 over the last three. To reiterate: 55-26 in the first 81 games, 40-41 in the final 81 games. In contrast, the Yankees were at 46-35 on July 4th, when they hit 81 games. They finished the season 97-65, meaning they went 51-30 in the second half.

For my opinion of the Tigers, I’ll refer to the bit I wrote for Was Watching:

Justin Verlander is a rookie and already in uncharted innings pitched territory. Kenny Rogers is Kenny Rogers, which means he folds at even the slightest hint of pressure. Nate Robertson is largely unproven. That leaves Jeremy Bonderman, whose near 4.00 ERA doesn't really put him at a dominating level.

That isn’t to say that the Tigers pitching staff will flop. Rather, it’s to highlight their shortcoming and prove that they’re not going to run through the playoffs with the same pitching effectiveness as they did the regular season. That problem becomes compounded when you look at their offense.

Now, their total run production wasn’t bad, but in the all-important stat, on-base percentage, the Tigers ranked 12th in the AL with a .329 mark. Translation: the Tigers make outs at an extraordinary rate, which is detrimental in the playoffs, when the impetus of each game is to make outs as infrequently as possible. When you have a finite number of outs, they become much more valuable. In a battle to avoid making the 81st out of the series, the team with the .363 OBP should outlast the team with the .329 OBP.

The only strike against the Yankees at this point is the questionable nature of the pitching staff. Chien-Ming Wang isn’t exactly playoff-proven, and he’s the ace going in. Following him is Mike Mussina, who should be reliable, but is always susceptible to a mid-game meltdown. Randy Johnson is far from a certainty. His balky back (a great term, if not overused) has his Game Three start in question, but the indication now is that he’ll start. Even then, we can gander back to the 2005 ALDS, when Randy’s abysmal performance really killed the Yanks. And then comes Jaret Wright, who, if there is a God, won’t start in the ALDS. Though, when you get to the LCS, the need for a fourth starter will certainly arise, and it looks like (to paraphrase Randy Quaid) Torre will be Old Mother Hubbard, with only Wright in the cupboard.

Still, the Yankees are the team to beat this year. The LDS, while obviously not a shoe-in, shouldn’t pose a huge problem, barring a pitching meltdown. The LCS, however, could be troublesome, with the pitching-heavy A’s or the Santana-ful (I made that up) Twins at hand. But, we’ll worry about that in a week.

Wright in Game Four? You're Kidding, Right?

2006-09-26T17:56:00.000-04:00

We’re being set up for a monumental disappointment. No, not the playoffs in general—you guys know I’m not one for doomsday predictions. But should the American League Division Series go to four games, the Yankees could be knee deep in dog shit.

Actually, allow me to rephrase. Wading in dog shit would imply that someone else left the load, and the Yanks are forced to trudge through it. However, this is not the case here, as the Yankees will be dealing with their own steaming pile of shit. His name is Jaret Wright, and he’s giving the coaching staff false hope for the playoffs.

Like most people with irrepressible opinions on the Yanks, I’ve been back and forth on Wright all year. After a shaky April, it appeared he had settled in. He was going five and six innings and only allowing a few runs, which is acceptable when your pitching staff is in shambles. But that type of performance in the playoffs is not only unacceptable, it’s potentially damning.

Imagine Wright pitching Game Four in the Metrodome with the Yanks down two games to one. How can this be justified? Where is the logic in trotting out a pitcher who hasn’t finished seven innings once this year? Up two games to one, this may be doable; if the bullpen needs to work a bit of overtime to lock down the series, so be it. Finishing in four games means two extra days off, anyway, so the extra tax on the pen can be compensated there.

I understand the lack of options Torre perceives. It will take more than one good start for Cory Lidle to regain his good graces, and it will take another year or so of pitching for Jeff Karstens or, more notably, Darrell Rasner to receive consideration. So, by process of elimination, Wright is the guy. And I suppose that announcing him as the Game Four starter may positively influence his confidence. But, by that token, how will his confidence be affected if he’s removed from his Game Four appearance before it even starts?

Let’s revisit the aforementioned scenario, in which Minnesota leads two games to one. Game Four would be played in the Metrodome, and the possible Game Six would be at Yankee Stadium. Given the circumstances of that scenario, I feel with 100 percent certainty that Johan Santana would start Game Four for the Twins. Three days rest is far from unheard of in the playoffs, and Ron Gardenhire undoubtedly would want to put the series away and avoid a return trip to the Bronx.

I now pose the question to you, the reader: would you start Jaret Wright opposite Johan Santana in an elimination situation? Excuse me, when reading that back it actually sounds rhetorical. If you have a valid reason for saying yes, I am open to hearing it. Otherwise, we’re going on the idea that it’s borderline insane. The Game One starter—ostensibly Wang at this point—would come back for a return match with Santana. Should the Yankees prevail there, Mike Mussina would start the decisive Game Five, especially so since they would get the extra travel day.

So, if you’re of the opinion that announcing J-Wright’s Game Four start will positively affect his confidence, then you have to recognize the possibility of that start not happening out of necessity, thusly negating all confidence gained and possibly killing it. Now what do you do?

Under the same scenario, let’s say that Moose has his act together and shuts down the Twins in Game Five. Now we’re onto the ALCS against Detroit. Randy Johnson would be in line to start Game One, and there surely wouldn’t be enough games in between to provide Wang adequate rest to start Game Two. That would now be Wright’s job. Think about the rollercoaster he’s been through over the course of roughly two weeks.

Pitches decently in Tampa Bay (though he still can’t finish seven innings, even with a ginormous lead), is announced as Game Four starter. Confidence is gained.

Yanks drop two of first three games; are forced to start Wang in Game Four out of the necessity of winning. Confidence gain is negated, possible detrimental confidence losses.

Yankees win series, less confident Wright is scheduled to pitch Game Two of ALCS at home.

Randy Johnson bombs, Yanks in 0-1 hole at home.

Now, once again, you run into the issue of necessity. You can’t lose Game Two at home in the ALCS; lightning rarely strikes twice, and the Yankees used up that opportunity 10 years ago in the World Series. How can you consciously send Wright out in such a pivotal game? You can’t trust him in a deciding game, so why should you trust him in a game that is all but deciding?

As you can see, announcing Wright as the Game Four starter is pointless at best, and detrimental at worst. No, I don’t honestly believe that the confidence factor will be as exaggerated as I set forth here. I do have to ask, however: what does Torre gain by making this announcement? For a guy who made his mark in the league by managing egos that wouldn’t fit in most locker rooms, I have a serious inquiry as to his reasoning here. Obviously, at this point in his career he does not need to explain himself to a jerkoff like me.

Bogged

2006-09-25T13:54:00.000-04:00

Anyone who is familiar with this site knows that my daily recaps are normally posted somewhere around 9:00 a.m., Eastern time. The procedure was to show up early for work, type until 9, and post. It worked very well, considering it was the most productive period of the day at my old job.

The new one, however, is a bit more taxing; that’s a good thing, trust me. I don’t have time to type a full recap in one sitting, and certainly don’t have time to get it done before I dive into my daily workload. In fact, my posts over the last few weeks have been written a paragraph at a time, with up to an hour between writings. As Kurt Vonnegut (my favorite author) would say, “busy, busy, busy.”

Now, down to business:

I didn’t get to watch much baseball this weekend. Friday night was dedicated to a special someone. So special, in fact, that she didn’t mind me wrenching my neck to see the score on the restaurant TV. Rocco Baldelli hit his leadoff homer just as we arrived, and seeing Delmon Young slam an impressive follow-up double didn’t help matters. Thankfully, a vodka tonic was beginning to seep through the walls of my empty stomach, easing the situation—at least in my mind.

But Wang was spot-on from that point on. I missed Cano’s homer live, but was almost giddy when I saw it later that night on the highlight reel. What a freakin’ rocket. It’s just a hunch, but I feel he has a few more like that in him. We left the restaurant with the score tied at one, and it wasn’t 10 seconds after turning on the car that Guiel hit his go-ahead homer. It appears that the Baseball Gods were repaying me for the atrocity that was witnessing a leadoff homer.

Mo looked strong, particularly after hitting Wiggington. I haven’t read anything negative about his health since, so I’m remaining cautiously optimistic. Plea with my readers: with my new job, it is difficult to keep up on news about the health of players; I’m not even able to read Will Carroll’s “Under the Knife” column, which I used to read daily. If there is any injury news coming across the wire, please e-mail it to me.

After leaving a bar at around 8:00 on Saturday night, I turned on the radio to find out Randy was down 3-0 early. Disgusted, I flipped the radio off. Our next destination had five TVs, and two were playing the same college football game. Instead of asking the bartender to flip one to the Yankees game, I decided that watching college football would make me forget about Randy. Unfortunately, Notre Dame’s comeback further ruined the mood among my friends (note: I’m indifferent when it comes to the Fighting Irish, but was with a crew of ‘Dame haters).

On Sunday, I caught the bit of the game where Matsui hit a sac fly to score A-Rod, but that was it. Come on: the Jets were on and winning. My attention had to be focused on them. The Yankees were the first backup plan for commercials, but after flipping back and seeing the score at 8-3 D-Rays, we quickly moved plans to Chicago-Minnesota, which was a great game for those of us who kind of dig Da Bears this year.

I have to admit that it will be difficult to focus on baseball this week. The Yankees have clinched, and will likely end up playing Minnesota in the first round whether they secure the league’s best record or not. The only games that remain are against Tampa Bay tonight (which I’ll undoubtedly watch), followed by three each against Baltimore and Toronto, both of whom we’ve seen very recently. The situations are nearly equally meaningless, so the urge to watch isn’t as compelling. Just as the Yankees are resting their starters for the playoffs, I’m resting my baseball-filled mind for the same.

Next Tuesday, everything changes.

Tangenital Musings

2006-09-22T14:50:00.000-04:00

Just for an update, I’m very busy at work, hence the lack of a post yesterday. However, I’d be remiss to skip two days in a row, especially as we hit the home stretch. It’s hard to believe that the season started nearly six months ago, and even harder to believe that we’re about to enter playoff season.

There is nothing more pleasing than a cold October night in the Bronx. Poems, books and essays have been written about the Yankees playoff experience, but very few come close to accurately describing the animosity among the fans. Yes, we’re spoiled and get these nights every year, but that doesn’t at all diminish the inherent value of seeing our team play for the world’s greatest prize. Each year brings its own unique blend of heroism, failure and drama.

But along with the glory felt annually by Yankees fans comes contempt from around the league. If you’re not a Yanks fan, you certainly hate them; there is no indifference when it comes to America’s richest team. Since there are fans of 29 other teams, they certainly outnumber us Yankees faithful, and they all carry one message: the Yankees are what is wrong with baseball. To the haters, the Yankees free-spending ways disables competitive balance, thus ruining baseball in small-market cities like Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

Remember, though, that the free-spending Yankees really didn’t come into play until after the 2001 season, when Jason Giambi left Oakland for the big house in the Bronx. Sure, the Yankees led the league in payroll in 2001, but not nearly to the degree they do now. $112 million may have been a lot, but there were two other teams with payrolls over $100 million, and a total of eight teams with a payroll over $85 million.

You know who started the Yankees free-spending ways? Alex Rodriguez, or, more accurately, Scott Boras. Market value for star players grew exponentially (obviously an exaggeration, for those of you who would pedantically point this out) when Alex signed his 10-year, $250 million deal with the Rangers. Everyone wanted a piece while the market was up, which explains the monstrous contracts of Giambi and Jeter, as well as guys like Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Miguel Tejada and anyone else who was deemed a “star.”

Now that the market price has fallen to a more sane level—though to describe the current salary market as sane might not be accurate in itself—payrolls are normalizing. Well, except for that of the Yankees. Most people blame this on their splurges in free-agency, as they can afford to take on risks that other teams simply cannot. While that’s true to a degree, it’s not completely accurate.

The Tigers feared that Jeff Weaver wouldn’t be worth his expensive contract; the Yankees took him off their hands. The Dodgers wanted Kevin Brown off the books; the Yankees took on his inflated contract. The Blue Jays loathed Raul Mondesi; the Yankees, in search of a right fielder, took him off their hands. The Diamondbacks, realizing that a change of personnel was crucial to return to winning, needed to rid themselves of Randy Johnson; the Yankees, needing a dominant starter, took a risk and traded then-valuable commodities for the 40-year-old Johnson and his prickish attitude. And, most recently, when Pat Gillick realized that he needed to clean house to return the Phillies to contention, he looked immediately to dumping off Abreu or Burrell; Cashman swooped in and took Abreu’s $16 million for 2007 off his hands.

So, while the Yankees do have a payroll that triples or quadruples that of many clubs, they have lent valuable fiscal assistance to these clubs by taking on their unmanageable and, to an extent, albatross contracts (or at least relatively). They’ve helped grant a reprieve to teams who made terrible personnel decisions. And, in the process, they’ve gained themselves. It’s almost a win-win situation, though the outcome does more greatly benefit the Yankees; they have the players and the better team, while the smaller market clubs are still susceptible to bad management decisions.

This idea warrants a full column itself, but I truly think the competitive balance in baseball can be restored without a salary cap. More than limits on spending, baseball needs an influx of more competent front office personnel. The game has change a lot since the 60s (and hell, since the 70s, 80s and 90s, too, for that matter), and to continue employing these old school thinkers in a decision-making capacity is counter productive. Businesses need to employ progressive thinkers to get ahead; baseball teams are businesses. Yet, they continue to employ people who refuse to acknowledge advances in information processing and insist on doing things they way they were. If Smith Barney employed economists and traders who insist on using techniques and philosophies from the 1970s, they’d be underwater almost instantly.

I know I sound like an apologist of gargantuan proportions, but this needs to be said. The Yankees shouldn’t be the model of how to run a baseball team, but to say that they are what is wrong with baseball is preposterous and one-sided. Hate if you will, but hate with emotion. Hate the mystique and aura of the Yankees. Hate their arrogant players. But please, don’t hate the way they do business. Not only do they pay money to help fund small market teams, but they unburden them of past mistakes.

Waiting for a Sheff

2006-09-20T10:36:00.000-04:00

I’ll admit it: I can’t wait for Gary Sheffield to get back on the field. Hearing that he was activated from the DL before last night’s game has me kind of giddy. Despite his mood being comparable to a snobby teenage girl, he freakin’ produces, and is one of the most intimidating players in the league. You just can’t quantify the fear he strikes in the heart of pitchers as he violently wags his bat.

So, when Jason Giambi was removed from the game, I was pretty psyched to see Sheffield. Unfortunately, Joe went with the increasingly uninspiring Craig Wilson. It’s understandable to a degree, but I don’t understand why Joe is reluctant to use Sheffield at this point. He says he wants to wait until the Yankees clinch, but at one game away, there is no reason to hold him back right now. Especially after an injury to Giambi.

Accordingly, I expect Sheff to start at first base tonight. He may be rusty from missing a few months, but as we saw with Matsui, that doesn’t take the expected toll on a true competitor. Sheffield, at this point, seems hungry to play, and sitting him on the bench while active is only going to upset him. The regular first baseman is injured; it’s time to give him his shot. And really, with a few games of experience, will he be that much worse than Giambi defensively?

The only question is of his slot in the lineup. As we’ve witnessed over the first two years of Sheffield’s tenure in New York, he doesn’t take kindly to hitting anywhere but third. But that’s Abreu’s spot, and rightfully so; he’s a prototypical No. 3 hitter. A-Rod is entrenched in the fourth slot, so the fifth spot may be logical. However, with the lefty-heavy Yankees, it wouldn’t be advisable to hit two righties in a row, as that sets up the rest of the lineup to be lefty-heavy. My proposal, considering Giambi is out for the next few games:

Damon – CF
Jeter – SS
Abreu – RF
Alex – 3B
Cano – 2B
Sheffield – 1B
Matsui – DH
Posada – C
Cabrera – LF

Normally, I’d swap Matsui and Cano, but Cano is a machine, while Matsui is still in the reacclimation process. Even without Giambi, that is one scary freakin’ lineup. Just imagine how it’s going to look in the playoffs, when the ever-capable Cabrera is relegated to substitution and pinch-hitting duties. Lord, the opposing pitchers are in for a fit.

As for last night: Bobby Abreu is my hero, Jeff Karstens is better than Jaret Wright and Cory Lidle, and Matsui just might be breaking through another level of his recovery. In other words, it may have looked like just another 6-3 win on paper, but to me it was a sign that the Yanks are really progressing towards the postseason as THE dominant force.

In case you don’t read other Internet sites, I cannot endorse Tom Verducci’s piece on A-Rod’s struggles enough. It answers the question we fans were asking all summer: what is the team doing to address Alex’s newfound shortcomings? It’s the cover story for this week’s Sports Illustrated, though I’m glad I read it online first; I can now read the “Inside Baseball” section and file the issue away for safekeeping. I like to save all the Yankees covers, and not only is this one Yankee-centric, but it’s beautifully designed (much like most of SI’s covers).

P.S. Still lazy, still no standings update. Magic Number is 1. You all know this.

Just Three More

2006-09-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

Just minutes into the bottom of the first inning, Darrell Rasner was poised to make me look like a fool. After a set of impressive performances, Rasner immediately found himself in a struggle, loading the bases without recording an out. Say what you will about the Blue Jays (and I have), but they are no slouches on the offensive side. To escape that inning with only two runs would have been a relief for the Yankees.

But that Rasner; oh, that Rasner. I don’t know how directly responsible a pitcher is for inducing a weak pop-up, but the two next guys did just that, negating the run-scoring sac fly or grounder to the infield. A strikeout later, and he had escaped a monumental jam. Unfortunately, he met a similar fate in the second inning, but this time wasn’t able to exit so gracefully. It was only one run, but it didn’t bode well for the 25-year-old Nationals castoff.

Things went kind of smoothly from there. Rasner threw nearly 60 pitches through three innings of work, but finished the sixth inning at just 104. After a rocky start, he settled in nicely, left with the leader after six, and looked certain for a victory after the Yankees tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the ninth. However, Ron Villone and Octavio Dotel had other plans.

Forced into action because of Farnsworth’s unavailability, Villone promptly put two men on base. Obviously frustrated, Torre yanked him before he could do any more damage, opting for Dotel to face Troy Glaus. The result is what you’d expect from a pitcher who doesn’t, you know, pitch often. It was some low gas, but right over the plate, and Glaus rapped it into right-center for a three-run shot, bringing the Jays to within one. Not even trusting Dotel with the bases empty at this point, Torre called on Mike Myers.

With men on first and second and two outs, the Yankees were still looking for a savior to descend from the heavens and finish this goddamn game. Unfortunately, Mo is still sidelined, so they had to settle for Jose Veras. I nearly had to cover my eyes, completely unconvinced that Veras could retire the final batter. But he accomplished what three others could not and retired the final batter of the inning.

This situation is not going to get any prettier. Bruney is going to need a day off – preferably today – and Villone and Proctor likely won’t be available, as they’ve been working a lot lately. Then again, that’s never stopped Torre before. Tonight’s bullpen is going to consist of Beam, Farnsworth and Veras, though Bruney will likely be available for an inning. This is exactly where the Yankees could have been utilizing the skills of J.B. Cox.

We’re just three away, folks. I’m just begging the Yanks to tally off three straight, because I don’t want to be reliant on the Red Sox to win this thing. It’s always a hollow feeling when you clinch the division during a game you lose.

Additional apologies for not updating the standings in a while. Tonight.

Reasons for the Lack of an Update

2006-09-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

Greetings from a computer that faces the wall rather than one facing anyone who walks by.

Today is the first day at the new job, hence no posting. It appears, however, that this job will afford me the opportunity to keep this blog up to date. But you know how it is with the first week and all, so posting might be light. I'll try to get something cooked up tonight for tomorrow.

Also, I'm in the finals of the Yanksblog.com fantasy baseball league. Sweet deal.

Beckett Tonight

2006-09-15T11:53:00.000-04:00

Josh Beckett's ERA vs. the Yankees this year: 12.21. It's shitty AND palindromic.

Thanks to Baseball Musings for the heads up.

The Rasner Bandwagon

2006-09-15T11:43:00.000-04:00

Everyone, gather ‘round. We have a new student in class today, and I’d like to introduce him. He goes by the name Darrell Rasner, and no, we haven’t thought of an appropriate nickname yet. But when we do, you’ll certainly be the first to know.

See, Rasner was picked up as a castoff from the Nationals over the off-season. Jim Bowden apparently thought that he had no use for a promising 25-year-old pitcher, and cut bait. Cashman, being the astute executive he is, quickly nabbed Rasner, knowing that at age 25, he’s quite young for a pitcher. Additionally, the Yankees now own his services for at least four more years, and it could be five depending on his exact MLB service time.

The main question we should all be asking now is, “why? Why did Bowden let Rasner go?” It must have been his minor-league track record, right? He was a second round pick, after all, so a decidedly subpar minor league performance could get him the pink slip. His numbers from AA Harrisburg, a National’s affiliate, in 2005:


IP           ERA    K/9    BB/9    HR/9    K/BB    WHIP
150.1      3.59    5.75    1.74     0.60      3.31      1.19

Are you kidding me? That’s the kid Bowden let go? How did this one slip under the radar? He’s only 25, and those are, by all means, very impressive numbers for a youngster. He may not blow people away, but he has control (1.74 BB/9? Freakin’ excellent, my friend) and, most importantly, keeps the ball in the park. His 0.60 HR/9 is no aberration; he’s kept a similarly low rate throughout his minor league career.

He’s ours now, and Joe would be wise to give him a few starts down the stretch. He’s relatively unknown, unscouted, and unseen by the AL playoff hopefuls, giving him the K-Rod and Jenks edge (an edge also in Bruney’s favor). But most importantly, he throws strikes, which can’t be said of Cory Lidle or Jaret Wright. Why would you trot out either of them when you know that the game hinges on their suspect control? Wouldn’t you rather have a guy who 1) your opponent hasn’t seen and 2) actually puts the ball over the plate and won’t “clog the basepaths” via walks? And, as it is integral in the playoffs, keep the ball in the park (though in Wright’s defense, he does a stellar job of this)?

The only way to see if he’s capable is to give him more starts. I know Chien-Ming Wang is going for 20 wins this season, but what’s more important, attaining 20 wins, or being well rested come playoff time? If the Yanks are close or have home field advantage locked up by the last week and a half of the season, I see no reason to not give Rasner two starts. He’s got the tools, he’s got an edge, and he has a potential void to fill.

This all comes on the hells of his lights out performance last night, allowing just one hit over four innings of relief work. You can discount it all you want, considering it was the Devil Rays, but they sure didn’t look like a crappy team against Jeff Karstens over the first five innings. Some other highlights of Rasner’s evening: he tossed a mere 45 pitches over those four innings (a stellar 11.25 per inning), 36 of which were strikes. Eighty percent. That’s downright sick. He also posted five strikeouts, mostly courtesy of his honed hook, and added to that an impressive 5-2 ground ball to fly ball ratio.

I know it’s early to be jumping on the bandwagon, but seriously, what Yankees starting pitcher not named Wang, Johnson, or Mussina is better than Rasner right now? With him and Bruney on the postseason roster, the Yanks will be that much stronger. Now it’s just a matter of convincing Torre that his “Reliable Veterans” aren’t quite as reliable as a 25-year-old Nationals castoff.

Yank 8, Rays 4

2006-09-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

It looks like the initial rush of adrenaline has worn off and Cory Lidle has reverted to the below average pitcher we knew for so many years in Toronto and Philadelphia – though Oakland did squeeze a couple good years out of him. Even just a week ago, it was pretty much assumed that Lidle would be the fourth starter in the playoffs, taking the place of the largely ineffective Jaret Wright. Now, though, it will take at least two more strong performances from Lidle for his name to come back into the conversation.

Right from the get-go, things looked ugly. Not only did Rocco Baldelli (honestly, is there a tougher sounding name than Rocco?) hit a leadoff home run, but, uh, I guess I'll let the image do the talking.

Rocco fall down, go boom

Seeing an egregiously fat pitch, Baldelli swung so hard that he lost balance and fell over. He wouldn't be able to do that on a sharp breaking pitch; he surely would have swung right through it. But he recognized “hanging curveball” right from the get-go, reached back, and swung with all his might. John Sterling had me believing there was a shot it would stay in the yard, but once I got home and watched the MLB.tv archive, yeah, that was a sure thing the second it hit the bat.

I ran into a 7-11 immediately afterwards, and upon my return was greeted by Sterling saying something about Carl Crawford and the short porch in right. Wonderful. I wondered if he would make it out of the first inning.

The Yanks answered and took the lead in the first, which left me at least a little at ease. Sure, Lidle was still coming out for the second, but he's not THAT bad, is he? The short answer is no, since he did pitch into the fifth. But you surely have to expect more from your No. 4 starter than 80 pitches over 4-plus innings. Hell, Jaret Wright has done better than that plenty of times this season. Though, it's usually just slightly better.

Let's check in with the rest of the pitching staff:

Bruney, 2.0 IP, 26 pitches, 0 ER
Myers, 0.2 IP, 7 pitches, 0 ER
Proctor, 1.1 IP, 15 pitches, 0 ER
Farnsworth, 1.0 IP, 11 pitches, 0 ER

It appears that we saw the full crew of Mo's setup men last night, and they all gave us reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, everything that happens over the course of this series has to be taken in perspective. These are, after all, the freakin' Devil Rays. They may not be a good barometer, but these are still Major League games, and to see this crew emphatically slam the door eases some of the concern I have about the playoffs.

In essence, except for Lidle, the Yanks looked like a team ready to mow down some playoff opponents. Can we just end the season now and begin postseason play? Is anyone as ready as I am?

If I find video of this segment, I'll surely post it, but today I'll leave you with a quote from Jeff Brantley from last night's edition of Baseball Tonight. Please note that inconsequential words like “a” and “the” may not be 100 percent accurate, but the important words are all there.

“I'll tell you what, though. The only way to beat the Yankees is to outscore them.”
Jeff Brantley, commenting on the Yankees playoff status.