XM MLB Chat

Todd Beamer's father is shaken after a day with the Obama group

2009-11-21T03:34:00.005-05:00

Wall St. Journal by David Beamer: "On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee met to question Attorney General Eric Holder about his decision to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in criminal courts rather than military tribunals. As the father of Todd Beamer, who died on United Airlines Flight 93, I was able to attend that hearing.

What transpired caused me great concern and shook my confidence in our current administration.

The committee, chaired by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), displayed the division in our country not only visually—the Democrats were seated on the left and the Republicans on the right—but in every aspect of the proceedings. I expected that some members would agree with Mr. Holder and that others would have challenging questions about his decision.

What I did not anticipate was the level of partisanship showed by the majority party. It seemed clear to me and other family members of victims that party loyalty is trumping concern for America's security interests.

In his opening remarks, Attorney General Holder acknowledged that these defendants could have been brought to trial in civilian court or before military tribunals.

But he made the argument that trying them in our criminal courts would restore the integrity of our judicial system.

He assured us that the trials would be quick, that the safety of New Yorkers would be paramount, that classified information would not be revealed, that the evidence was overwhelming, and that justice would be served.

Then he said that the USS Cole attackers would be tried in military courts since they attacked our military.

So how does Mr. Holder categorize the Pentagon? Inexplicably, he offered up the body count of 9/11, the fact that civilian deaths outnumbered military ones, as a rationale for his decision.

Then the Republican members proceeded to ask Mr. Holder thoughtful questions. Some examples:

How can we be assured that these enemies will be found guilty? Given that criminal courts are now the presumed venue for those captured on the battlefield,

will soldiers need to read them their rights at the time of capture?

Since you wish to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis to the presumed civil venue, don't all those captured need to be read their rights and have the opportunity to remain silent? Won't this venue expose intelligence to our enemies? Can our classified information really be secured? Can we in fact predict how the judge will rule?

If these people are brought into the country will they get additional rights under immigration law?
What if they claim asylum?

The attorney general seemed bewildered in the face of these inquiries. Recurring themes in his

responses included "I think," and "I can't imagine," and "I am not an expert in immigration."

Has our attorney general not considered these issues, or imagined the possible unintended consequences that will arise from his historic decision? It certainly seemed that way. If he had, he would have had better answers."...via Lucianne.com

UN IPCC relied on Climate-Gate unit for key data--BBC

2009-11-21T02:34:00.008-05:00

BBC: "Researchers at CRU (Climatic Research Unit), one of the world's leading research bodies on natural and human-induced climate change,

played a key role in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC)* Fourth Assessment Report,

which is considered to be the
most authoritative report of its kind."...

"Hackers Target Leading Climate Research Unit," BBC News, 11/20/09. (That's one way of putting it when you get caught, I guess). framus

*The IPCC is the United Nations group whose alleged authority has been central to passing off the great global warming scam.

MLB promotes global warming and carbon trading.

***UPDATE: MASS MEDIA OUTLETS present the GREATEST SCANDAL IN MODERN SCIENCE

as merely a data theft issue involving hackers and the internet...

per the Telegraph, via Gateway Pundit.

Woman throws brick through WGN radio window

2009-11-21T02:17:00.003-05:00

"WGN-TV reports a woman screaming about Chicago school board president Michael Scott took a brick out of a bright red gift bag and threw it through the window of the WGN-AM studio on the first floor of the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue, according to police and witnesses. No one was injured.

The woman, wearing a shirt and a piece of fabric around her waist, then walked out onto Michigan Avenue and sat down as Tribune security guards directed traffic around her...

"She sat there and screamed about Michael Scott. Just Michael Scott's name over and over," Bates said. As she was carried into an ambulance, Bates said the woman yelled that "the police killed him."...

Taylor said the woman was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for an evaluation.

WGN AM host John Williams was on the air when the brick crashed through the window at about 11 a.m on 11/20.

"I thought it was like a foam...it went right through," Williams joked during a commercial break to about half a dozen passersby outside the studio.

After throwing the brick, the woman claimed she knew who killed Scott, the Chicago Board of Education president who the medical examiner's office has determined committed suicide earlier this week, security personnel said."

by Radio Business Report, 11/20/09. photo WLS TV, via Radio Daily News

Oakland A's sign 10 year radio deal with KTRB

2009-11-19T22:05:00.005-05:00

A's radio voices return in 2010.

"One of the oldest radio stations on the West Coast, KTRB-AM 860 served Modesto and the surrounding area for 73 years before “signing-on” as a new radio station licensed to the city of San Francisco on Feb. 1, 2007. The station is owned and operated by Pappas Radio of California, LP, an affiliate of Pappas Telecasting Companies, Inc.

The Athletics’ radio broadcast team returns intact for the 2010 season, featuring play-by-play announcers Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo, as well as Ray Fosse, who joins the booth as an expert analyst for non-televised games.

Korach enters his 15th season in the A’s radio booth, his fifth as the club’s lead play-by-play voice, while Cotroneo begins his fifth year as an Oakland A’s play-by-play announcer.

Fosse, former major league all-star catcher and dean of A’s broadcasters, celebrates his 25th season with the Athletics’ radio team, providing in-game analysis and a daily interview segment during pre-game programming."

"KTRB 'Extra Sports 860' Enters New Long-term Contract," from Rich Lieberman Report, via Radio Daily News

coverage map from radio-locater

If you're going on Imus, have your 5 favorite songs lined up

2009-11-18T21:36:00.006-05:00

"WABC (770 AM) morning man Imus has been asking his guests to tell him their five favorite songs. It's a great idea, and a good addition to their five favorite books. Imus suggests, accurately,

that people are sometimes more truthful about songs they like than books they've read." ...

"Karith Foster, formerly of the Imus show, is on the standup bill Friday at 7 p.m. at Otto's, 538 E. 14th St. "

from David Hinkley, "On the Radio," NY Daily News, 11/17/09, via Radio Daily News

Imus moves to better radio station in South Florida, per poster on NY Radio message board:

"For those transplanted nyc'ers looking for Imus on seaview 960 in palm beach county, the show has moved to 1420 am, a delray beach station. much better signal in the south county."

Imus knows Media Matters is fit to be tied. They have the Senate, the House, and the White House, but 99% is never good enough for the deranged hard left. (99% is my estimate based on observation that those without a D after their name are still spineless wimps who can be easily persuaded by Obama).

Memo to all: Define discourse that Yankees bought series. Sincerely, Bud and pals

2009-11-17T22:45:00.008-05:00

Somehow the 'discourse' materialized. Magically it appeared 24/7 across mass media platforms...I heard XM MLB hosts selling it like hotcakes for days after the series, such as "people across the country hate the Yankees more and more, how does it make you feel, give us a call" and the like.

Another in Bud Selig's arsenal to build hatred and resentment against Yankee players while deflecting attention from himself and MLB owners.

Howard Bryant: "The post-World Series narrative...has been that the Yankees finally bought the right hardware for their $206 million investment in player payroll. ...A little more than a week earlier, during the American League Championship Series, Los Angeles Angels center fielder

Torii Hunter mentioned the Yankees' massive offseason spending spree in
seemingly every third interview..."

If the landscape is overwhelmed with talk of Yankee this or that, there is no room for topics like how teams are being run. For example, why not require an accounting of how teams spend the $150 million in revenue sharing they get from the Yankees this year, or the money they each receive from MLB.com?

Or the fact that baseball is a legal monopoly with no oversight of its books?

Thanks for the call, good point. Now a word from our sponsor.

Howard Bryant: "So before baseball tries to restrict the earning power of the players to address whatever financial woes it has -- and a salary cap surely would come couched in terms of player greed --

the game's central office needs to place more

scrutiny on how its franchises are actually run."...

It won't happen. Mr. Bryant quotes Curt Flood in 1971 about problems in the game. Nothing has changed:

(Howard Bryant): "Here's what former MLB player Curt Flood, addressing how profit rather than the quality of the game is all that concerns ownership, wrote in "The Way It Is" in 1971:

Their protestations notwithstanding, the owners measure the Good of the Game in terms of the profits that remain after expenses are subtracted from receipts.

Everything else is subordinated, including the quality of what takes place on the playing field.

The proprietors of baseball have never hesitated to adulterate the game to make an extra dollar.

Exhibit A is the profitably extended season of 162 games, plus pre-season exhibitions, plus in-season exhibitions, plus intraleague championship playoffs,

plus a World Series that has become a travesty because

the men are utterly exhausted before it starts.""...

They've even added the World Baseball Classic to the load. Including bullying of players by Gene Orza and others and pressuring players who are injured. Sanctimonious media types dripping with authority say "players and teams must sacrifice for the greater good," enraged if an owner has the 'selfishness' to want to protect a player.

It's evident MLB could not have kept this scam up all these years without the help of its partners in the media to influence one way or the other. They know Selig can confer immortality on them and perhaps a future job, so why make waves? And who needs the nasty phone calls anyway.

Reference, Howard Bryant article from ESPN.com, ""Money Talks, but Baseball Won't Listen," 11/17/09

Torii Hunter is making $90 million over 5 years and received a $2.5 million signing bonus.

Cops raid NYC newspaper circ. offices in union probe

2009-11-17T18:01:00.005-05:00

NEW YORK — "Investigators in New York City raided circulation offices at some of the nation's largest newspapers Tuesday as part of a union corruption probe, a law enforcement official said.

Police officers working with the Manhattan district attorney's office
searched circulation offices of The New York Times in Queens, the New York Post and the Daily News in Manhattan, and El Diario in Brooklyn, the official said, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Investigators were seeking paperwork related to the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers Union, which packages and delivers newspapers across the region."...(AP)

"It's part of an investigation into corruption at the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers,
a Teamsters-affiliated union that packages and delivers newspapers throughout the New York City region.

Affected are circulation offices for the New York Times (Queens), the New York Daily News (Manhattan), the New York Post and El Diario (Brooklyn). It's not the first time this union has been the subject of a mob probe.

The Newspaper and Mail Deliverers, with some 1,600 members, has real power over the newspaper industry in the New York area.

Their packagers and drivers make possible the delivery of hundreds of thousands of daily newspapers. Without union cooperation, management might find delivery of its papers

suddenly difficult.

Union enforcers stand ready to make sure of this.

Back in 1992, police raided circulation offices at the Post and the Daily News. A probe by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office led to criminal charges against several union members, including

then-President Douglas LaChance, a suspected member of the Lucchese crime family.

Though acquitted in 1995 of extorting Post management into switching delivery companies, the union has remained tainted.

Today's raid justifies the reputation."...from NationalLegalandPolicy Center.org, "Police raid circulation offices of NYC newspapers"

photo from PostChronicle.com

20 of baseball's 30 teams made playoffs since 2004-Zimbalist

2009-11-15T21:31:00.004-05:00

Zimbalist: "Judging from the media coverage, it seems that the only thing the Yankees didn't do on their way to buying the 2009 World Series

is ask the federal government for a bailout....

Are the championship rings the players will take home simply a byproduct of the largest payroll in Major League Baseball? And if so, how come the Yankees haven't won the fall classic since 2000, even though the franchise led the way in payroll each year and actually spent more last year (when it missed the playoffs) than it did this year?

It's a little surprising, but the statistical relationship between a team's winning percentage and its payroll is not very high....

In other words, knowing a team's payroll does not enable one to know a team's win percentage.

More precisely, depending on the year, I find somewhere between 15% and 30% of the variance in team win percentage can be explained by the variance in team payroll. That means between 70% and 85% of a team's on-field success is explained by factors other than payroll.

Those factors can include front office smarts, good team chemistry, player health, effective drafting and player development, intelligent trades, a manager's in-game decision-making, luck, and more.

Wealthy teams do have an advantage, but it is not true that they can buy championships. Further, although the cries for parity among teams are loud, MLB has a good deal of competitive balance.

Since 2004, 20 of baseball's 30 teams have made the playoffs.

Since 1996, MLB has had a growing revenue-sharing plan and a luxury tax on teams with very high payrolls.

In 2009, the Yankees will pay around $150 million into baseball's revenue-sharing and luxury-tax systems. The next biggest payor into these systems will contribute less than $90 million.

These payments are shared with teams in smaller markets, such as the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies. One might as well argue that the Yankees bought these teams their playoff opportunities in 2008 and 2009."...

"The Yankees Didn't Buy the World Series," by Andrew Zimbalist, WSJ.com, 11/15/09

A-rod takes $5 million off price of Florida waterfront home

2009-11-14T22:41:00.009-05:00

If BillionaireXchange is accurate, this is the home. via Realestalker

nbcmiami.com: "The spoils of the New York Yankee's 27th world title have finally made it to the MIA in the form of Alex Rodriguez's discounted home price.

The slugger and Miami native has slashed nearly $5 million off the price of his six-bedroom waterfront mansion in Coral Gables, according to realastalker.com. Hurry up! Someone get him some more championship champagne.

The house was on the market for over $14.8 million, but now you can live like a baller for only $10 million. Several Miami stars have had to drop their asking price and it helped to get the job done. Shaq slashed the price of his Star Island palace and found a buyer in no time.

Maybe A-Rod will throw in a pair of batting gloves or a playoff bat, preferably one from previous post seasons because those don't have a lot of wear on them since Rodriguez didn't get many hits.

In 2004, A-Rod spent about $12 million for the crib, but in this market dropping a couple million is almost like drawing a walk or being hit by a pitch. It's better than striking out.

The fire sale could mean A-Rod and K-Hud may be getting even more snuggly and becoming roomies. Or it might just mean Rodriguez is sick of Miami."

nbcmiami.com, 11/13/09, "Yankee Clipper: A-rod Offering $5 million Home Discount," by Todd Wright

On John Wetteland by Joel Sherman

2009-11-14T17:50:00.005-05:00

Sherman wrote the book on the 1996 Yankees, "Birth of a Dynasty," which of course included John Wetteland:

"He drank coffee obsessively, roller-bladed maniacally in the bowels of the old Yankee Stadium-- much to the chagrin of Joe Torre -- and at a time when computers were rare in the clubhouse, Wetteland often would flip open a laptop to read inspirational scripture.

Wetteland admitted to drug use as part of a wild youth that included few rules set down by his musician father. But no Yankee of the mid-1990s wore his religion more openly than Wetteland.

His Bible was always handy, and he would shoo away reporters (particularly female reporters) as he tried to dress, barking that his body was only for his wife, Michelle, to see.

He claimed a clean life free of illegal substances and booze, but would hover over the coffee machine in spring training, pouring a completed pot of coffee over fresh beans two or three times to intensify the caffeine kick.

He could be introspective and thoughtful or dismissive and biting, often within the same conversation. He had a job that demanded confidence,

yet often fretted in 1996 that Mariano Rivera was going to take his job.

However, he was known as a good teammate who taught Rivera a lesson that the all-time great closer still says is the foundation of his success: When you pitch late with the game on the line,

never get beat on your second-best pitch.

Wetteland was a goat of the Yankees' 1995 Division Series loss to the Mariners, pitching so poorly by the end that then-manager Buck Showalter did not even use him in the decisive Game 5, despite obvious moments to do so. But he was a hero of the 1996 championship for Torre, earning the MVP award for the World Series by saving all four victories over the Braves.

He was a hothead who had broken his toe in 1992 kicking a protective screen for, of all things, giving up a hard-hit ball in batting practice in spring training.

It was that hot-headed nature that convinced the Expos to turn him from a wild starter to a wild-man closer. He thrived for the Expos, became too expensive and was traded to the Yankees just before spring training 1995.

Though 1996 ended successfully, it was not a happy year for Wetteland.

He fought with the Yanks over pay and claimed they reneged on a multi-year contract.

He was quoted in a Toronto paper saying he did not particularly like New York. When initially confronted, he said it was untrue before being told there was a tape, at which point he recanted and said he no longer felt that way.

Wetteland played roller hockey in the offseason and stayed on skates during the year to keep his oak-tree legs in shape. However, he would ball up socks and fire shots at clubhouse kids, a practice Torre stopped.

But that did not stop Wetteland from whipping back and forth in the corridor beneath the Stadium, buzzing by teammates at high speeds.

Torre recognized Wetteland was not happy with the manager or New York, and met with him and implored him to think of the team.

That resonated. Even people who were not overly fond of Wetteland saw he badly wanted to win. He took responsibility when the ball was in his hand, and out in the bullpen

he would turn a hose on relievers who did not cheer when a teammate got a hit or made a good play.

He bonded during the year with the also very devout Joe Girardi, trusting the catcher who convinced him to use his slider a little more at times when Wetteland was overthrowing his fastball.

The championship-winning pile in '96 landed on Wetteland, and he was sure an ankle was going to snap under the weight. He had utter joy. It did not last. The Yanks decided to go with Rivera, and Wetteland signed with the Rangers after the season.

His time with the Yankees was like him, down and up. He had navigated from living hard to throwing hard. But the wars within the man persisted. He was both fiery and peaceful, often in the same five-minute interval."

"One-time Wild Child Became One Tightly Wound Yankee," NY Post by Joel Sherman, 11/13/09 , via Ken Davidoff

(Sherman at his best in his book and articles like this. Also good on radio.) ed.

10 Commandments for umpires in the Dominican

2009-11-13T22:03:00.005-05:00

"10 Commandments for Umpires in the Dominican

1 - Keep an eye on the ball.

2 - Leaving your way of being off the court. Forget and forgive.

3 - Avoid sarcasm. Do not insist on having the last word.

4- Never tackle a player and especially not point the finger or yell.

5 - Play only thing to be deaf to hear "the rest.

6 - Keeping temperament. A decision made in anger is never successful.

7 - Taking care of the language.

8 - Be proud of your work all the time, remember, respect is created by an arbitrator on and off the court.

9 - Check your work. You'll find that if you are honest, 90% of problems are due to laziness.

10 - No matter what opinion you have of another referee, never make an adverse comment against him. This is unworthy and unkind."

From Listin Diario 11/13/09 by Freddy Tapia, "An Arbitrator 1800 Native earns 2000 per game," (google translation) photo of umpire Santo Silvestre from Listin Diario

Navy color guard at World Series game changed to make it politically correct for brainwashed masses

2009-11-13T14:09:00.013-05:00

I don't care how the Navy looks. That's not what I pay them for. I care how they fight. (ed.)

Washington Post: "Leaders of the U.S. Naval Academy tinkered with the composition of the color guard that appeared at a World Series game last month

so the group would not be exclusively white and male.

Accounts differ as to who was added to or removed from the Oct. 29 color guard. But the net result was that one of the six who marched on Yankee Stadium's field, Midshipman 2nd Class

Hannah Allaire, was selected because her presence would make the service academy look more diverse

before a national audience.

The incident has captured the attention of the Annapolis campus and stirred up the broader community of alumni and military observers, who see it as part of a campaign to bring more racial and sexual diversity to the academy. ...

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, elevated diversity to a "strategic imperative" during his tenure as chief of naval operations. Academy leaders, on their official Web site, call
diversity "our highest personnel priority."

That thinking reflects "a sea change, in that this initiative was generated from within the military, rather than imposed from without by civilian overseers," said retired Marine Maj. Gen. Thomas Wilkerson, an academy alumnus and chief executive of the U.S. Naval Institute, an independent think tank. Some alumni, he said, "

have voiced concerns that it will happen at the expense of quality
and combat readiness."

A military-oriented blog, CDR Salamander, reported last week that two white men had been pulled from the

color guard that went to Yankee Stadium and replaced with an Asian American man and a white woman

to make the group more diverse.

Academy leadership disputed that account.

"No midshipman was ever given approval to attend this event and then later told they could not," said Capt. Matthew Klunder, commandant of midshipmen, in a statement Monday. He said he considered replacing two white men

but chose to expand the color guard from six to eight to make it more representative of the Naval Academy.

Two of the eight could not perform because Zishan Hameed, one of the midshipmen added to the color guard, had forgotten parts of his uniform, Klunder said. The color guard marches in pairs.

A report in the Navy Times, citing unnamed sources, stated that

two white men were replaced by Allaire and Hameed. The report noted that a pregame news release named a six-person color guard, including Allaire and Hameed.

Two members of the color guard contacted by The Washington Post referred interview requests to the school's public affairs office. Another declined to comment Monday. Two others could not be reached for comment.

According to an academy spokesman, Cmdr. Joe Carpenter, the color guard was invited to present the flag during the national anthem at the World Series game. Senior staff members reviewed the names of those who wanted to go, all white males, and

decided that the group should better reflect the academy's diversity. Of the 4,400 midshipmen,

20 percent are female, and about one-quarter are members of minority groups.

"The color guard that was going to the World Series, which by all accounts is an event on a national stage, with a national audience, needed to be representative of the Naval Academy," Carpenter said....

Klunder said he met afterward with the two midshipmen who could not participate because of the forgotten garments "to discuss the sequence of events and improve on any communication breakdowns or misperceptions that were experienced."

About the ensuing controversy, Klunder said: "It is regretful that assumptions were made" by the six midshipmen who asked to march at Yankee Stadium, "but it has been and will remain the Naval Academy leadership's prerogative" to decide who carries the flag."

Washington Post, 11/11/09, by Daniel de Vise, "Naval Academy Defends Move to Adjust Image on National TV", via MichaelSavage.com

A-rod and Ryan Howard to play in David Ortiz Golf Classic

2009-11-13T03:03:00.006-05:00

Santo Domingo, 11/13/09: "The sluggers Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard have confirmed their participation in the Celebrity Golf Classic David Ortiz to be held in Cap Cana on the weekend of 3 to 6 December.

Both majors have confirmed their participation during the recently concluded World Series that pitted the powerful coincidence hitters.

"It gives me great pride and pleasure to participate again with my new friend David Ortiz in a pro event fundraising for a cause as noble as the opportunity to restore health to children in need," said Rodriguez, who has just impose a new mark in RBIs in the postseason for a Yankee with 18 trailers.

For his part Howard said "I have a busy schedule in the offseason, but I have a space to be there. If definitely going to be accompanying the Big Papi again. I had a good time there last year, I had fun and help for children and will do again. "

Also been invited to participate in the activity are Pedro Martínez, Moisés Alou, Robinson Canó, Melky Cabrera, Manuel Mota, Albert Pujols, George Bell, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ramon Ramirez, Francisco Cordero, Neifi Perez, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Jonathan Papelbon , Tim Wakefield, Jimmy Rollins, Torii Hunter, Mariano Rivera, Jose Lima, Stanley Javier, Javier López, Carlos Delgado, among others.

The press conference to give details of the project has been scheduled to be held on Monday, November 23rd at the Hard Rock Cafe Santo Domingo in the street opposite the park Count Columbus." google translation from Spanish

Listin Diario, 11/13/09, "The Sluggers Alex and Howard are Confirmed Golf Classic"

Citadel may file for bankruptcy in January, cites loss of Hannity

2009-11-13T02:29:00.006-05:00

RBR: "For the first time, Citadel Broadcasting has stated in an SEC filing that it may have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors as soon as January 2010. ... The big drop came in the radio network business, now called Citadel Media. Net revenues plunged 31.5% to $29.4 million.

The loss of Paul Harvey, who died, and Sean Hannity, who took his show elsewhere, accounted for $8 million of the $13.5 million decline....

RBR-TVBR observation:

Our fear is that a bankruptcy filing may further entrench Farid Suleman as CEO.

The creditors may be just as clueless about radio as Ted Forstmann was when he hired Suleman

and leave him in place as captain until he runs this ship aground a second time."...Radio Business Report, 11/7/09

From Radio Equalizer, 11/10:

"As we'd reported in 2008, a fed-up Hannity dumped the firm's syndication arm, then called ABC Radio Networks, for Clear Channel's Premiere Radio

after disturbing incidents behind the scenes, including

the refusal of one Citadel exec to board a plane with the longtime conservative talker."...

story via Radio Equalizer Blog

(Word had long been around that Citadel found conservative politics revolting and despised right wing talk hosts. But I hadn't heard the item about the plane before). framus

Yankee Series not won with traditional dominance--Reina

2009-11-12T02:18:00.011-05:00

A diminished OPS meant they would not win without pitching and outlasting. As in the dynasty years, Bronx Pitchers did more of the heavy lifting than Bronx Bombers.

"Over the course of their 15 games in the 2009 playoffs, the Yankees had an OPS of .772 and an ERA of 3.26.

With a three-man rotation and 16 innings manned by Mariano Rivera, the Yankees shaved a full run off their regular season ERA of 4.26,

but they lost 67 points on their OPS, most notably from Mark Teixeira (-.355) and Robinson Cano (-.325).

In terms of the Opsera, a simple formula I created that involves

OPS and ERA, the Yankees trailed each of the previous four champions

and clearly did not have a painlessly dominant path.

Recent Opseras of World Series Champs

2009 Yankees: 4.46, .772 OPS, 3.26 ERA

2008 Phillies: 4.91, .798 OPS, 3.07 ERA

2007 Red Sox: 4.77, .806 OPS, 3.29 ERA

2006 Cardinals: 4.59, .727 OPS, 2.68 ERA

2005 White Sox: 5.66,.821 OPS, 2.55 ERA

2004 Red Sox: 3.80,.827 OPS, 4.47 ERA

2003 Marlins: 2.68 .698 OPS, 4.30 ERA

2002 Angels: 3.97 .879 OPS, 4.82 ERA

We've become accustomed to watching a whole handful of players from the winning almost magically play above their heads with impeccable timing,

but the Yankees seemed to win in spite of not possessing that due to their Xanadu-style depth.

Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter outperformed their typical selves and Johnny Damon setup the 3-1 World Series lead almost single-handedly with his Game 4 double steal, while CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte had quality starts in 11 of the 15 games. I think quality starts tends to be an overused measure, particularly because it sets the bar so low for front of the rotation pitchers, but comparing a 73% rate to the regular season in which they had a
40% quality start rate is a significant jump and was the single biggest factor for why the Yankees had a winning percentage of .789 compared to .636 during the regular season. ...

More than imposing their superiority on opponents, the Yankees demonstrably showed that

they would not be outlasted under any circumstance. ...

To the Brian Cashman's credit, however, the Yankees did spend less in relation to everybody else in comparison to New York payrolls of 2008 and 2005, being merely $52 million over the team with the second highest payroll. His free agency decisions

last winter avoided half measures, the main cause of failure in that seven year drought (2)."...

"Notes

(1) Under no circumstances can their 2001 season be cited as underachieving. They were up against the best postseason pitcher combination in recent history, playing in a post-9/11 New York and still a Mariano save away from winning the World Series.

(2) Jaret Wright has become the picture definition of free agency's version of 'half measure.'

(3) The Chicago school of economics favors a form of free market economics and libertarianism with very little regulation."

by Christopher Reina, RealGMBaseball.com, " 11/10/09, "New York World Series Win brings old arguments back to life"

Heath Bell on XM 175 doesn't take Seth Everett's bait

2009-11-11T22:55:00.010-05:00

Wednesday, 11/11/09, Heath Bell on XM 175 interviewed by Seth Everett. Following are portions I heard approximately:

Seth: Do you think the Yankees bought a championship?

Heath: No, teams must gel. For example, after Arod came back from his (hip) injury the team backed him (which helped him and the team). Team chemistry is important, this Yankee team reminded me of those of the late 90's in that regard.

Seth: Regarding Yankees' Mariano Rivera, "are you jealous or amazed?"

Heath: I'm jealous. (Bell offers new context, ie how it is unlikely coaches today would allow a pitcher coming up to be a 'one-pitch' pitcher, which is how some describe Rivera's repertoire):
Coaches today would see guys come up and if they had only one pitch would force them to learn other pitches.*** Today they want you to have 2-3 pitches. I was worried that Mariano was being used so much. I watched his "cutter or whatever it is," it goes all over the place.

Seth: The talk in game 6 was even that Rivera would have to get a 3 inning 'save.' What do you think of this use of a closer who usually goes 1 or 2 innings?

Heath: It's fine. You might be sore after, but you have to go for it.

Seth: What's the difference between pitching the 8th and the 9th inning?

Heath: There's a BIG difference. You need confidence, thick skin later in the game. Even if you blew a game the day before, you must come in eager to face the same guys who hit off you. You need an attitude like that was just a "fluke."

Heard on XM 175 around 12:20-12:30 pm 11/11/09

***I recall hearing years ago (1998 or after) that Mel Stottlemyre was working with Rivera on developing another pitch. People eagerly awaited the new pitch but it never panned out. (framus)

Reference: On 11/2/09 Seth Everett mentioned that Bob DuPuy is a longtime friend. Everett also described himself as 'a Bud guy.' Not that there's anything wrong with that. (framus)

Scott Boras chats rich MLB owners and poor payrolls on XM 175

2009-11-11T22:25:00.008-05:00

Tuesday, 11/10 I heard Scott Boras speaking with Kevin Kennedy. Boras had a different slant than the one relentlessly pursued by an array of XM 175 hosts recently:

Host: Lots of people hate the Yankees.

More and more people around the country hate the Yankee team more and more. People feel it's unfair that the Yankees have more money than other teams and that they bought the championship. So it isn't real.
Do you agree?

People all over the country feel their team will never have a chance against the Yankees. Give us a call and let us know your take.

Boras' remarks approximated the following:

You may have a billionaire owner the value of whose team has increased by several hundred million dollars, yet he won't spend more on payroll.

Every team is getting $80 to $90 million from a combination of revenue sharing and MLB.com distributions. A portion of teams mainly use the money to pay down debt (instead of investing in players).

Heard around 1:45 pm 11/10/09.

Veterans Day, World War II pilot and his Stearman

2009-11-11T03:17:00.005-05:00

Ed Mullen, World War II, US Air Force, surviving. Fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Mets. Dad tells me this plane is a Stearman, a well known plane to this day. Also, his father was a World War I veteran and a Brooklyn Dodger fan.

MLB.com hiring for next season-resumes due 12/11

2009-11-10T18:32:00.003-05:00

30 openings for reporter interns from ranks of college and grad students:

"Applicants should submit a resume, 5 to 10 published articles, a list of references and a 750-word essay on why MLB.com should select you? Your clips ideally will show a variety of work, including game stories, previews and features."...

Application deadline 12/11/09, results announced by end of January. Send applications to:

Bill Hill Assistant Managing Editor/MLB.com
Attn: Internship Application
14825 N. 97th Place
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Job posted on Poynter.org. via Poynter.org

For those who've dreamed of working for Bud Selig, becoming a member of the BBWAA for life, and voting for baseball awards.

Denver Post bans predictions by beat writers

2009-11-09T01:16:00.006-05:00

Rosenthal, Chicago Trib, 11/8/09: "There was an awkward radio moment the other day out West when guest Mike Klis, who covers pro football's Broncos for the Denver Post, was asked how he thought that week's game would go and

Klis said he couldn't say. Really. He couldn't.

Klis told the hosts, according to Denver's Westword, that the Post had decided that allowing its news and sports beat writers to prognosticate might lead readers to question their objectivity, so

the paper was banning their predictions....

Now, one can argue whether a prediction of who will win a football game is analysis, which is allowed, or opinion, which is verboten. The distinction (Post Editor Greg) Moore makes is:

"Analysis is an informed and reported explanation of an event or development.

A prediction is almost like placing a bet on the outcome. It's having a dog in the race, and you have to cover the race."

But assuming all that's being gambled is the writer's reputation for knowing what he or she is talking about, the only real risk is of looking like a dunderhead when wrong. There's an old saying:

He who lives by the crystal ball learns to eat broken glass."...

from Phil Rosenthal column, "Predictions Policy Quiets Denver Post Writers," Chicago Tribune, via Radio Daily News

Minnesota Twins Garage Sale draws thousands

2009-11-08T18:12:00.004-05:00

Fans search for bobbleheads and other souvenirs, Saturday, 11/7/09, ap

The Fab Four-Newsday back cover

2009-11-08T03:07:00.003-05:00

Newsday back cover, Jeter, Posada, Mariano, Pettitte, 11/08/09

Yankees on Letterman Thursday night

2009-11-06T03:35:00.004-05:00

Letterman hosts Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, and Hideki Matsui, 11/05/09. photo from nyyfans.com

Hideki and Pedro 2nd inning

2009-11-05T01:08:00.005-05:00

World Series game 6, reuters photo

Congratulations and thank you to New Jersey voters

2009-11-04T00:50:00.008-05:00

Listening to baseball games on the Jersey Shore will be better for some time to come. Thanks tonight to New Jersey voters.
Above photo Exit 98 on the Garden State Parkway to some of New Jersey's best beaches.

Update: Mike Lupica says radio host Don Imus may have helped Chris Christie across the finish line. So thanks to the I-man as well:

"Even as my friend Mr. Imus was dragging Chris Christie across the finish line in Jersey - no small job, let's face it - he was telling a great truth about the Garden State:

If Christie does clean up corruption in Jersey politics, where do we go for our entertainment?"
11/8/09 from Mike Lupica NY Daily News column, end of p. 2, "After World Series Victory, NY Yankees will now deal with 'budget' concerns"