Brothers at Arms

Original Phil Hughes Returns

2011-07-17T20:43:00.005-04:00

Back when Phil Hughes was a top five prospect in all of baseball, he had everyone raved that he hard outstanding fastball control, and a knockout curveball. Here is even a snippet from Baseball America when they rated Hughes the Yankees top prospect prior to the 2007 season:

"Hughes' greatest accomplishment as a pro has been to forsake his slider in favor of a knockout curveball, which is more of a strikeout pitch and produces less stress on his arm. It's a true power breaking ball that sits in the low 80s with 1-to-7 break. Club officials call it the best in the system because Hughes can throw it for quality strikes or bury it out of the zone, and because he uses the same arm slot and release point he uses for his fastball."

High praise indeed, but after Hughes reached the majors and following his long DL stint after he pulled a hamstring mid-no-hitter in Texas, he forsook his conventional curveball grip for the grip of a knucklecurve a la Mike Mussina. Since then it has seemed that he has always had trouble with putting hitter away, and if you ever saw one of them take his curveball, you would know he wasn't following anyone with it.

It seems the biggest difference with the curveball is the velocity he throws it with. Now his curveball sits in the upper 70s rather that the 72-73 he threw with the knucklecurve. That seem to keep the Jays hitters off balance more and didn't allow them to foul of the pitch when they were fooled.

Since 2008 Hughes has had to rely primarily on his fastball and cut fastball to get hitters out, and as the second half of last year showed, he cannot survive an entire season with just fastballs. Forever it was thought that Hughes needed to add a change up in order to move to an elite level as a starter. The reality might be that he needs to return to his roots with his curveball and, of course, a change would be nice too.

Now I'll actually be able to look forward to his Friday start against the light hitting Oakland A's.

Ortiz Suspended

2011-07-14T16:52:00.004-04:00

For the altercation with Baltimore pitcher Kevin Gregg, in which Gregg was the instigator, David Ortiz received a four game suspension. Ortiz should not have responded physically. Gregg had already been tossed for jawing at Big Papi as Papi trotted to first. Four games is probably about right, although I think there's a fair chance Ortiz will get the penalty reduced on appeal. Gregg seemed to be operating with some kind of a chip on his shoulder for an imagined disrespect from the Sox based on his post game comments. I guess you have to get yourself riled up and motivated somehow when your team is destined for the basement, and you have 70 or so games to play.

In other news, one of my favorite shows, Curb Your Enthusiasm, will be featuring Bill Buckner in a future episode. God knows how Larry David, a die hard Yankee fan, will use Buckner in the episode. It's good to know that Buckner has developed a sense of humor about his place in history after all of the grief the city of Boston put him through.

Mr. 3000... Derek Jeter

2011-07-09T13:40:00.002-04:00

Well I would be extremely remiss in my Yankee blogging duties if I didn't post something about my all-time favorite player getting his 3,000 hit in the big leagues.

With a home run in the 3rd inning off of David Price, Jeter joined an elusive club that only has 27 other members before him. That is crazy when you think about it. Baseball has been a national institution in America since 1876. That's 135 years of baseball and Jeter will only be number 28 to get 3,000.

I have been watching Jeter from almost the beginning of his big league career. His rise to stardom coincided with my own interest in the baseball and the Yankees. Like millions of other little league ball players past and present I always tried to emulate Jeter.

Even with Jeter's recent struggles it is hard for Yankee fans not to love him and hard for any opponent not to respect him for the class and dignity he provided baseball with through one of its darkest eras.

Congratulations Derek and hopefully there are a few more left in your bat.

And to make matters worse...

2011-07-07T07:43:00.002-04:00

Jon Lester has been placed on the DL with a strain in his latissimus. With John Lackey pitching like he's throwing batting practice and Clay Buchholz already on the DL, the All-Star break cannot come soon enough. It's really unfortunate because Buchholz, Lester and Josh Beckett had formed an intimidating three-headed monster in the rotation. However, I think Boston is right to err on the side of caution. If they hope to make a run at a title they will need both of their ailing star pitchers. I guess we'll have to deal with the Kevin Millwood era for a couple of weeks.

Lackey Lacking Again

2011-07-05T18:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, after another short outing in which he gave up seven runs, John Lackey is starting to become a real liability. I have more confidence in Tim Wakefield at this stage. It's enough to make you long for the days of Dice-K. Last season, while not spectacular, was what I would call productive for Lackey. He was 14-11 with a 4.40 ERA. These stats are nothing to write home about, but they're not terrible, and he made 33 starts and pitched 215 innings. At least he gave the Sox a chance to win every night and ate up some innings.

Now, with an ERA well over 7.00, Boston has some tough decisions to make about using Lackey. I don't see how they can trot him out there every fifth day with the way he's performing. On the other hand I don't know what other choices they have.

Sox Victims of Cliff Lee's 3rd Straight Shut Out

2011-06-29T07:29:00.003-04:00

I don't know what to say here. Josh Beckett had an off night. Cliff Lee was world class. It was a very boring game from a Sox fan perspective. I just sat there waiting for something to happen, and it never did. The Sox had a total of four base runners, and they were scattered around here and there. You can't really point to any instance in the game and say, that's where Boston lost it's chance to make something happen.

Boston is now 6-7 in interleague play. It's hard to complain about the system since it's given the Red Sox huge opportunities in the past several years with double digit win totals each year in interleague play. This stretch of poor performances is starting to get frustrating, especially after the successful run it follows. Can't we just be normal, win two of every three and call it a day? I hate these huge inexplicable swings of the pendulum.

Sox Sputtering

2011-06-25T22:07:00.004-04:00

After a remarkable month long run, the Red Sox have lost their grip on the AL East with a 6-4 loss to the Pirates today. A four game losing streak, while always frustrating and detrimental, is not a reason to panic at this stage. But their losses to the likes of San Diego and Pittsburgh just always brings the bile to the back of my throat. These are games that the Sox should be handling with relative ease. I'm not asking for a sweep, but you would like to see Boston split these games at least with three games in Philly on the horizon. Who knows. The way things go in baseball I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox swept the Phillies after playing like crud this past week.

Beckett Tosses One Hitter

2011-06-16T06:11:00.003-04:00

After Kevin Youkilis failed to make a tough throw to first on a grounder to third in the third inning last night, Josh Beckett didn't allow another base runner for the rest of the night. Beckett went the full nine, earning the third shutout of his Sox career. Youkilis would make up for his play in the field later by providing the margin of victory with a three run homer in the seventh. The fact that it came against the Rays, for whom I have the most contempt, makes it all the more sweet.

Beckett is emerging as a Cy Young front runner. These things are always debatable of course, but he is leading the AL in ERA (1.86), batting average against (.174), and is tied for the lead in WHIP (0.92). Now if he can keep from getting a blister or some slight indigestion that puts him on the DL...

Derek Jeter's Injury

2011-06-15T16:41:00.003-04:00

As we all know Derek Jeter is out of the Yankee line up for an as yet to be determined amount of time with a calf strain. New York is still debating whether to put him on the DL. What I am posting about is an interesting conversation I heard on ESPN radio last night regarding this injury and injuries in general. It's funny when they put the intelligent stuff on at 8pm when practically no one will be listening to the radio.

The host had a physical therapist specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine call into the show. They discussed the nature of Jeter's injury, possible treatment plans, and the issue of athletes' non-disclosure of injuries in order to stay on the field. The PT (of course I can't remember her name) successfully gave medical explanations in layman's terms, and I left with a clear understanding of the situation. My point is that I wish sports media gave more time to this type of in depth analysis regarding injuries, training, and self-care issues that modern athletes face.

Big Shots Considering Realignment

2011-06-11T20:07:00.003-04:00

I could write about the Yankees because they have actually won two straight, but the injury to Bartolo Colon has me slightly depressed. Anyway, it looks as though and age of ignorance might be coming to an end for Major League Baseball. Welhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifl... at least sort of.

Buster Olney that MLB and the players union are talking about realignment to balance the leagues out to 15 teams a piece. Of course this would never have been a problem if Selig didn't insist on adding four new franchises to the game during the 1990s.

There is talk of reverting to a singular division that would allow the top five teams to make the playoffs (because they absolutely need that second wild card so fewer people's feelings are hurt). That would make the situation better and allow the AL East to represent the AL in the playoffs every season.

The one point I don't like about the proposed realignment, would be that interleague play would constantly be going on. That means some teams would be playing interleague games that would decide the pennant in September. But at least this is a step in the right direction.

Good News for Hughes Tainted By Joba's Injury

2011-06-09T18:18:00.002-04:00

Word has come out of the Yankee camp that Joba Chamberlain will most likely have to undergo Tommy John surgery which will end his season and knock him out for most of 2012 as well.

The Chamberlain injury is perplexing. Joba hit the DL two days ago with discomfort in his arm that was diagnosed as a strained, then torn flexor muscle. Both of those would have laid him up for a month or more, but news that it is actually a torn elbow ligament is devastating to an already shorthanded bullpen.

For right now the burden of setting up Mariano Rivera will fall to Dave Robertson, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Robertson has excelled in higher leverage situations this season and while his walk numbers are still worrisome, his strike out rate is more than impressive. However, this now means that relievers in the class of Luis Ayala and Boone Logan... Yikes.

The Yankees can be somewhat optimistic about another young hurler, as Phil Hughes seems to be progressing well in his rehab. Today he throw 30 pitches in extended spring training where he touched 90-92 on the radar gun. It will be important to see how he bounces back tomorrow and the next time out. Hopefully he will get into a minor league game soon and then into the rotation by the Fourth of July.

Things look bad right now, but not as bad as the media may make it out to be. The Yankees just need to survive until the return of Hughes and they need to start testing some of their young arms to see if they are ready to compete in a big league bullpen. Jeff Marquez is not the answer and neither is Ayala or Logan. Time to perhaps expand the role of Hector Noesi or give Kevin Whelan and George Kontos a shot. Both are having exceptional years as relievers at Scranton so why not give them a shot. Hell, even Tim Norton would be a good option at this point.

Hopefully once the rain subsides CC Sabathia decides to go into beast mode and allay the fears of Yankee fans for one night.

Sox Take Fourth Straight from Yanks

2011-06-08T06:23:00.002-04:00

Last night Boston didn't waste anytime as they scored three runs before New York's Freddy Garcia even recorded an out. I haven't watched a whole bunch of Freddy Garcia in my life, but he looked bewildered. He tried to stick with his soft stuff, presumably because he had no faith in his fastball that was topping out at 85 mph. In the end, spurred on by a David Ortiz two run homer in the fifth, the Sox held on for a 6-4 victory, their fourth in a row against the Yanks, all at the Stadium.

Lost in the story of the big free agent signings and the slow start followed by resurgence, is the excellent play of David Ortiz. He is now hitting .324/.390/.602 for the year. He has 14 HR's and 16 doubles. The biggest difference is that he's finally remembered how to take the ball the opposite way. The past two seasons or so he was constantly looking to turn on an inside pitch. That kind of pitch proved so irresistible that he was literally swinging at pitches up around his eyes and striking out with great frequency (he had a career high 145 last year in the same amount of games). This year he's hitting to all fields therefore nullifying the absurd shift most teams play against him. Perhaps he's learned a thing or two from his new teammate, Adrian Gonzalez.

Dice-Done

2011-06-03T19:23:00.002-04:00

Our long national nightmare is over. The report is that Daisuke Matsuzaka will undergo Tommy John surgery thereby ending his Red Sox career. And what did we get for a quadrillion dollars and our first born child, two halfway decent seasons and a prescription for Zantac for all of the indigestion. Good riddance.

Now, what happens with the back end of the rotation? Clearly, Aceves, while great to have in the pen can't keep starting every fifth day. John Lackey is still on the DL and was ineffective when he pitched anyway. It's not like the back end needs to pitch like Bob Gibson. They just need to be .500 or so. It also doesn't instill me with a lot of confidence when the Sox start their home stand by getting swept and are now down 4-0 to the A's with Buchholz, a supposed top line guy, pitching. The Sox are working very hard to undo the progress they made in May.

Yanks Sweep/Sox Swept

2011-06-02T06:31:00.003-04:00

Clearly this is no good. I don't know what it is about the White Sox. At first I thought it was just my imagination that Chicago always beats Boston. However, I learned today that Chicago has won six straight in Boston.

Now the Red Sox have lost four in a row, three at home. I suppose the pace Boston was on wouldn't keep up for ever. After going an AL best 19-10 in May they were bound to cool off a bit. I won't start to get too concerned unless they continue to falter over the weekend.

Yankee fans and the rest of the media are making it sound as if they're playing horribly and the season is doomed. I don't know what team they are watching. Although they've been inconsistent and not all the parts are working at the same level all the time, I would not expect the Yankees to go quietly... not by a long shot.

In the year 2013...

2011-05-19T18:51:00.003-04:00

...assuming the world hasn't ended in 2012 per the Mayan calendar, we will finally have flying cars, food will come in pill form, and this will happen to the Yankees.

Sox Sweep Stanks

2011-05-16T20:38:00.003-04:00

As I write this Boston is losing to Baltimore 3-0 but nevertheless, the Red Sox swept a three game series against the Yankees over the weekend. I can't remember the last time I saw the Red Sox sweep a series in the Bronx. Fortunately, I have every sports media outlet on Earth to tell me that is was in 2004. The Sox won it all in '04 in case you forgot. Am I drawing any parallels? What do you think I am? A stunad? I wouldn't dare.

In fact, I think it's probably a really bad omen. Boston will probably go 5-20 from here. I will say this though. The Yankees look old. That's what happens in sports. One day you're an invaluable, wily veteran. The next, you're dead weight, ready for Shady Pines. That's where Posada is now. Jeter and A-Rod aren't quite there yet. I think they will still show flashes of former brilliance this season. But how stupid do people look who said that Rodriguez would hit 800 HR's? All I can say is, I told you so.

All that aside, if the Sox keep getting gutty starting pitching they will be fine. Lester didn't look great last night for a while, but he settled in and kept the Sox in the game. He gave them a chance, and the bats finally came through. No matter who you sign and how much money you spend, sometimes it just comes down to guts.

Things Begin to Unravel

2011-05-15T11:30:00.003-04:00

Things are pretty bad in the Yankee Universe right now. The team is losing. Competitive games are few and far between and now Jorge Posada is upset at the Yankees lack of faith in his .165 batting average and .621 OPS.

We'll start with Jorge first. It's easy to understand why Posada would have trouble adjusting from catching every game to just taking his four hacks a day, it's hard to understand why he would think the Yankees are in the wrong for handling his situation as they have.

It must be difficult for every aging veteran to look at young players doing what they used to be able to do and thinking that they still have the ability, but the fact of the matter is Jorge never had the defensive ability that Russell Martin has and the Yankees are clearly a better team with Martin as a receiver than Posada. And the fact of the matter is that Jorge can't hit then Jesus Montero is sitting in Scranton. Montero is unlikely to complain about batting ninth either.

It's a shame that things are going poorly for Posada. But when you hold out for the money and the years that he did after his fantastic 2007 season, you run the risk of embarrassing yourself at the tail end of the contract and your career. Posada will be 40 in August. New York is unlikely to bring him back after the year. Young cheaper players are waiting in the wings and older slower players are waiting for the DH spot in the Yankee lineup. It is tough to watch someone who was great for so long struggle at the end, but it's worse to watch him whining about the unfairness of the situation.

I'm sick of players and the media whining about teams owing players things. All the team owes them are the ridiculous salaries they get paid, especially in the case of aging Yankees. The deal is the get paid and then they play. That's what the two sides owe each other.

As for the rest of the Yankees, things don't look good and it's not for the reasons everyone was anticipating at the beginning of the season. The pitching has been good. Except for Rafael Soriano, the bullpen has been as strong as anticipated. The starting rotation has been far better than anyone could have reasonable expected. It is the hitting that has been a grand disappointment.

While the home runs have come as expected, the Yankees seem to lack the ability to hit with runners in scoring position. For a team that has the scored on average more runs than any other in baseball, they haven't done so lately. It has been almost a week since they have cracked the 5+ run barrier. And if you eliminate that Sunday affair in Texas, they haven't put up more than five runs in a game since April 29.

This extended dry spell has made me feel like I'm back in 2008 when the Yankees also had major inconsistencies at the plate. Maybe the whole Posada affair will give the Yankees an open door to make a tough decision and bring up Jesus Montero. It definitely feels like the Yankees will need some kind of spark to get this ship moving in the right direction. Right now it doesn't seem like that catalyst is on the Yankee roster.

Buchholz Beats Yanks

2011-05-14T11:37:00.003-04:00

So far this season, Clay Buchholz has pitched just a'ight for me dog. Moments of efficiency have been overshadowed by notable lapses. The 4.00+ ERA and the 1.500+ WHIP have been nothing to write home about. But last night in an important game for the Sox against the Yankees, Buchholz went 7 innings for the first time allowing two runs along the way. Buchholz showed great control and made only one big mistake, a two run homer to Russell Martin.

Though Buchholz left with a 5-2 lead, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon tried their best to give the game away. Bard was all over the place. He looked like Daniel Osterbrock from the AA New Britain Rockcats game I went to on Thursday. Papelbon uneventfully retired the first two batters he faced then allowed hits to Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson, which closed the game to within a run.

The Sox need Clay to have more games like this especially with the back end of the rotation floundering. Dice-K is Dice-K, Wakefield is too old, and who knows what to make of John Lackey. Lackey's wife's battle with breast cancer was recently revealed. Who can blame the guy for pitching poorly? Far be it for me to suggest how person should deal with a major illness in his family, but Lackey seems totally miserable. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a leave of absence soon.

Fulham v. Liverpool

2011-05-13T16:44:00.003-04:00

It seemed about time for a blog post and considering I have been out of the country for the past week and not keeping up with the Red Sox, I have decided to shift gears. Liverpool Football Club is the newest acquisition of the Fenway Sports Group, so this is somewhat related to the Red Sox. On Monday, I was fortunate to be in London watching my team, Fulham, get absolutely embarrassed by the North England club. The final score was 5-2 and Liverpool (Maxi Rodriguez) scored twice in the first seven minutes and once in the first 30 seconds. The Reds came screaming down the field and showed why Simon Davies spent most of the season on the bench. Here are some more observations from my first EPL game.

· Craven Cottage is a great place to watch a game. Ironically, it is similar to Fenway as it feels like you are on the field. I was so close to the field I could hear Clint Dempsey tell the ref to “fuck off” more than once.

· The Liverpool fans are fanatical. Their chants started before the first whistle and didn’t stop for 90 minutes. This was a regular season game of no real consequence and the atmosphere was electric. I don’t think we have a U.S. equivalent. Even Sox v. Yanks regular season games can be slow and pedestrian. The only potential equal might be college football or basketball, but their fan bases are built into the student body.

· Luis Suarez is the real deal and everyone knows it. Not selling Torres is what got Roy Hodgson sacked and Suarez is more than comparable as his replacement.

· The speed and accuracy of the game is incredible.

· Dirk Kuyt is a lot bigger than you think. Dude must be a gym rat.

· If Liverpool’s right back, Glen Johnson, was American he would probably lead the NFL in rushing. He is compact and explosive.

· 18 year old left back John Flanagan was impressive. He was very composed on the back line and fit right in next Jaime Carragher.

· I am calling it now; Liverpool will be at the top of the Top at the end of 2012. Steven Gerrard will be back and Kenny Daglish seems poised to lead the lads to another title.

Gonzalez Going the Other Way

2011-05-10T22:27:00.003-04:00

One of the finest sights during the first six weeks of the season has to be watching Adrian Gonzalez smash home runs to the opposite field. When the Sox got Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, I knew much more about Crawford as I've seen him wear out the Sox year after year. Therefore I was more excited about his acquisition than Gonzalez just because of familiarity. But Adrian is a big time hitter. It's just awesome to see a guy with no weaknesses in the middle of the order.

Most of the time pitchers try to stay away from left handed hitters (ie: David Ortiz). You can't do that against Gonzalez. And when he hits one out the other way, it just looks so effortless. I bring this up because I'm watching the Sox now. Down a run against the Jays, Gonzalez leads off the top of the ninth with an opposite field bomb on a pitch you didn't think he could reach never mind hit out. I think I have a jersey to purchase.

Sox Return to Fenway

2011-04-29T20:10:00.004-04:00

Before the Sox went on the road I wrote that I was worried that the small amount of momentum the Sox had going before the left would be sapped once they flew to the left coast. The Sox have got to be pleased that they finished 6-3 on the trip. Now they face off against the Mariners this evening. That's nice way to get re-acclimated after a long journey.

As I write the Red Sox have taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 3rd on two RBI singles by Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz. The pitcher must have been blinded by gleam from Big Papi's Run-D-MC style chain around his neck. That thing looks like it weighs more than my cat.

Colon Relives Past Glories; Puts Yanks On Track

2011-04-27T21:30:00.005-04:00

It has been a long time since Bartolo Colon was mentioned among the top echelon of starters in baseball. It has been almost equally as long since Colon pitched eight complete innings.

Colon was masterful tonight, using his two-seamer to freeze hitters while pounding away with his four-seamer that hummed through the strike zone at an average of 93 mph and even touched 96. It doesn't seem likely that Colon will hold up for a full season at age 38, but right now he is giving the Yankees quality and length and doing far more than eating innings out there.

Using a steady stream of fastballs Colon doesn't mess around. He pounded the zone and rarely threw anything off-speed, throwing just nine off-speed pitches out of 99. He never really needed the change up or slider he recorded 17 outs on the ground or via strike out, and all but one of those came from a fastball.

Right now the Yankees need all the pitching they can get. With Rafael Soriano struggling and the bats falling silent the length the starters give the Yankees will become that much more important. Right now they are doing they doing that. The past four games New York starters have thrown quality starts and at least pitched into the seventh (or in Freddy Garcia's case they should have). It is a reassuring trend, but Brian Cashman is sure to continue to keep his ear to the ground in search of another top end starter. There will always be doubt as to whether Colon's or Garcia's shoulder breaks down again or even both.

With the recent disheartening news that Phil Hughes might have thoracic outlet syndrome, every quality start until the tradeline will be that much more vaulable.

CC Sabathia should continue the trend tomorrow night since the White Sox still haven't come close to pulling out of their own hitting funk.

Dice-Konquerer

2011-04-24T12:16:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I think I post on Dice-K just to see what kind of play on words in the title of the post. Anyhow... I don't think I have ever seen him this dominant after two awesome starts in a row. Last night he pitched eight shutout innings and gave up just a single hit as Boston has now taken the first three games of this four game series. Usually I'm happy if he can get through four with less that three runs. I'm trying not to get used to it, but if this continues with Jon Lester and Josh Beckett on the rolls that they're on, the Sox will be a force to be reckoned with.

Red Sox: Road Warriors

2011-04-22T07:04:00.003-04:00

Usually this west coast road swing is the kiss of death for the Sox. In spite of the team's improved play recently I still had some trepidation as they headed for the bay area to start this trip. So far, so good. The Sox have won three in a row and are getting ever closer to .500.

Josh Beckett continues to be masterful, and I for one am going to enjoy it until he gets a hangnail or goes on the DL after a paper cut disaster. He pitched eight innings allowing only two runs last night against the Angels. The Sox certainly needed him as they stranded 13 runners. Hitting with RISP continues to be an issue, but Boston was able to push runners across when it mattered most in the top of the 11th. Adrian Gonzalez got it done with two run double.

Another thing that is tempering my enthusiasm is the injury to Kevin Youkilis. He fouled a pitch off his shin early in the game and was forced to leave. The severity of the injury has yet to be released, but TV cameras showed an egg plant colored welt.

The Sox still have a long way to go on this trip. They have three more game in Anaheim then they fly back east to the Charm City for a series with the Orioles. I will hold on to my optimism for now, especially with Jon Lester toeing the rubber tonight.

We want a pitcher, not a belly-itcher.

2011-04-16T12:04:00.002-04:00

When Bobby Jenks came into the game last night and Don Orcillo pointed out that he had not surrendered a run or even a hit yet this season, I knew the Sox were toast. Clay Buchholz labored through 5+ and left with a one run lead. Alfredo Aceves allowed an inherited runner to score, but that's not where the trouble started. It was Bobby Jenks and his absurd goatee that ruined the Sox this time giving up four runs in the seventh. The Sox rallied within a run to no avail. They went quietly in the ninth, even with the top of the order coming up.

Speaking of the the Sox failed rally, Carl Crawford led off the ninth and I have to say, in the time that I've watched him, he looks utterly clueless at the plate. Adrian Gonzalez hasn't lived up to his billing either, but a least he's put solid wood on the ball. Crawford is swinging like a broken screen door.

Dice-Katastrophe

2011-04-12T19:52:00.003-04:00

As good as Beckett was on Sunday. That's how bad Dice-K was yesterday. We'll never be able to trade his ass now. I was amazed at Beckett two nights ago. The curve ball looked filthy. When he's can locate the cutter and fast ball and can snap of the curve ball with regularity, he's one of the best. There's just been no consistency in a couple seasons.

I really have no more words about Dice-K. What a waste. They should just cut him. Beckett gives up two hits, Dice-K meanwhile pitches two innings.

At least we still have Lester. After 2 1/3 tonight he's looking pretty strong and just dealt a nasty fastball over the outside corner to get a backward K. Let's see if he can strike out Johnny Damon.

Yanks Show Desperation; Sign Carlos Silva

2011-04-09T16:00:00.008-04:00

Word comes from Jon Heyman that the Yankees have continued collecting washed up pitchers by signing Carlos Silva who was released by the Cubs before the season started. Now it surely says something about Silva's abilities that the Cubs chose to eat $11.5 million for the 2011 season rather than carry the 9-year vet.

It also says something about how worried the Yankees are with Phil Hughes's velocity and performance that they would go out and sign a pitcher that they expressed no interest in two weeks ago.

It will be a bad sign Silva sees anytime in the majors this year. It will mean that Phil Hughes has a serious problem, Ivan Nova couldn't handle the four spot and two of the trio of veterans the Yankees have already couldn't hack it.

I don't like the the signing. It's good for depth, but it's bad if he ever sees New York. Anyway this commercial perked me up after I heard the news so enjoy.

Yanks and Sox Game 1

2011-04-08T18:23:00.002-04:00

So it begins...

This will just be my quick thoughts on the first rivalry game of the year and if you watched the game you will now why I want to keep them brief. The Red Sox took the first of the season series and I'm not that surprised. Phil Hughes looked bad in his first start of the season and downright atrocious today. I wasn't expecting the implosion John Lackey was lucky enough in that regard to pick up the win.

I think that both teams have somewhat identified who they will be this season. Both will hit a ton, but they each lack rotation depth. This is likely to be one ugly summer of baseball if neither team makes moves for stronger starters.

In other news it seems Manny Ramirez is throwing in the towel. I can only go by what I've heard on the radio waves, but it seems he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs for the second time and rather than face a 100 game suspension he said screw you and walked away. He probably did the Rays a favor anyway since he was hitting a minuscule .056 in a super small sample size of just 17 plate appearances and he hasn't looked good since his first half year with the Dodgers.

It's an inauspicious end to a brilliant career. Manny will go down as one of the greatest righ-handed hitters of all time, but I doubt he hoped to go out like this. Though, part of me thinks Manny being Manny doesn't give a crap.

Sox Slow Out of the Gate

2011-04-04T19:46:00.003-04:00

The Sox are off to a poor start getting swept by the Rangers in Arlington. Though it's early, they need a much better showing against the hapless Indians before heading home for a slate of divisional games, the first six against the hated Yankees and Rays.

On a side note, I don't know when the hell I'm going to watch any games. I'm busy and I'm fried. I've got school and I'm in a play. This blog isn't about that I guess. But it is frustrating. I haven't seen a single pitch yet. Once my semester is over I WILL sit with a beer and watch a game from beginning to end. Sounds easy, but sometimes it just ain't.

The Sox are Doomed

2011-03-30T22:21:00.002-04:00

Well, that's the end of that. Tom Verducci is predicting that the Sox will win 100 games and win the World Series. Therefore, they will win 82 and miss the post season. Double check, but I don't think he has another team in the majors winning even 95 in this prediction. That doesn't make sense.

Yankee Season Preview

2011-03-30T20:48:00.006-04:00

I was planning on responding to a comment on my previous post, but decided to just write another post because the answer was simply too long and I haven't really previewed the upcoming Yankee season as a whole.

The Rotation
We'll start with the rotation and off the bat I think we can all agree that it's not good, but this is far from the worst rotation they have trotted out there in the past five years... Anyone recall 2008? That's the year that Darrell Rasner, Sidney Ponson and Carl Pavano started a combined 42 games while posting an ERA of 5.61. That Yankee team still won 89 games and I would say this team has a better rotation and a better defense. That will help cover some of the pitching deficiencies, something the '08 team and no ability to do.

The Yankees still have a bona fide ace in CC Sabathia. The big lefty is unlikely to slow down right now, especially when he has an opt-out for the end of the season which could earn another $60 million. A.J. Burnett will again fellow Sabathia. Now that is a big question mark. It's hard to speak with optimism about Burnett's upcoming season, but Burnett debuted new mechanics this spring and the results showed. He didn't walk a batter and struck out 11 in 13 innings. Yea those numbers don't really mean anything, but it's better than him blowing up. He could be better this year and it's unlikely he'll be worse.

Beyond Burnett there are even more question marks with Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova. Both are young pitchers with potential to be solid or, in Phil Hughes's case, better than average. Of course both could also regress and be league average or worse. Hughes is more likely to take a step forward than Nova who might not be long for the rotation if he doesn't start well.

Now we come to the fifth starter. There isn't much to say about these guys. All three are retreads and would be better suited in a 2003 old-timers game. Still New York will be able to get about 100 league average innings out of Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and Kevin Millwood. They won't be good or pretty, but the job will get done.

The rotation isn't a finished product either. The Yankees have the monetary ability (obviously) and prospects to acquire a top end pitcher before July 31st. I think its safe to say that these five starters will not be the same five starters who pitch in September.

The Lineup
Here is the Yankee bread and butter. The lineup is as good as it has been for the past ten years. They will score runs and lots of them. They will be in the top three for runs scored and will also be at the top of the leader board for OBP too. This is probably as close to a complete lineup you can create in a non-video game world. Every bat can hurt you in some shape or form. The toughest choice for Joe Girardi will be whether or not to have Brett Gardner lead off or Derek Jeter. Other than that this offense can just be set on cruise control for most of the season and you can sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Bullpen
On paper this is by far the best bullpen New York has put together in years. This will help to cover some of the rotation blemishes that the Yankees will have early on.

Mariano Rivera is Mariano Rivera and backing him up with Rafael Soriano is filthy if Soriano can stay healthy. Beyond that Joba Chamberlain looked good this spring and if he keeps up the pace he set in the second half of last year, the Yankees won't loss many games when they have the lead beyond the sixth inning.

The back end is just the beginning of the depth that Cashman has assembled in the pen. Dave Robertson will return to the middle innings where his 10.4 K/9 will be very useful. Boone Logan will be fine for use against lefties, and if Pedro Feliciano heals up, Girardi will have two quality lefties to deploy in the late innings.

Bartolo Colon will be fine as a long reliever, although his past injury troubles don't seem to bode well for the physical demands placed on relievers who's use is as sporadic as a long reliever's.

Prediction
It's fun to hate on the Yankees and this off-season made it easy when two players rejected the Yankees money for the preferences of their families. Many will be looking for New York to falter and slip beyond a Red Sox team that improved over the winter.

While the Sox have plenty of weapons on offense, I don't trust their bullpen at all and I think everyone is overlooking Boston's rotation question marks. The neutral baseball analyst in me would choose the Red Sox to win the division, just slipping by New York for the best record in baseball. But the homer in me will choose the Yankees. I have faith in Cashman to add another pitcher and I think the Yankee lineup is still better than Boston's and the Yankee bullpen has a solid advantage. The slight advantage that the Sox have in the rotation won't be enough to edge the Yankees over a full season.

Rotation is Set - Yankee Style

2011-03-26T10:43:00.006-04:00

Which to me means with little intelligence applied. The Yankees announced how the rotation will begin the season. Well really they have announced how the way the last two spots will shake out since they named CC as the Opening Day starter (obviously) and Burnett the number two starter with Phil Hughes the number three.

Girardi has made the obvious choice of inserting Ivan Nova into the four spot in the rotation. Its hard to argue with that since Nova has pitched exceptionally well this spring and is the one candidate of the group who can still become a decent starter in the near future. Not only that, but unlike the last few Yankee starting prospects, he is actually stretched out to pitch an entire big league season.

The last spot was a little tougher to decide. The Yankees were running out two retreads in Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. Colon hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009 and hadn't pitched a full season since 2005, but he was exceptionally strong this spring. The rotund right-hander had good velocity and movement all spring and it seemed like he would come out of left field and surprise everyone to grab that fifth spot.

His competition was Fraddy Garcia and while it had been a long time since Garcia was an above-average pitcher, it wasn't absurd to think of him lasting most of the year in the rotation and providing serviceable production. Hell, he had just thrown 160 innings last season with the White Sox with decent numbers.

The Yankee logic seems to be that Colon would be more versatile than Garcia. It's something that doesn't seem to mesh with either players history or physical profile. Based on their recent injury history it would seem wiser to have Colon in the rotation. Being overweight with a history of shoulder issues doesn't scream flexibility.

Either way the addition of Kevin Millwood will make Garcia or Colon expendable if they fail within their first three or four starts.

The Rotation is Set

2011-03-25T14:27:00.002-04:00

Some people may have been surprised when Terry Francona announced the 2011 Red Sox starting rotation. I case you missed it: Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, and the corpse of Dice-K. (AKA Daisuke Matsuzaka). Some were surprised that Beckett was dropped into the 4 spot. Frankly, it really doesn’t matter. Hopefully, Beckett and Lackey and be effective and make solid contributions every 5^th day.( I don’t expect any Cy Young type performances) I don’t think Dice-K will last the year. He may turn into an innings eater in the bullpen or just fake an “injury” all season. Either way you will definitely see Tim Wakefield and Alfredo Aceves make a more to be the 5^th starter.

Though the Sox haven’t been playing great lately, everything in Florida seems to have gone well. There haven’t been any major injuries and Adrian Gonzalez should be fit for opening day. (He will also be signed, sealed , and delivered with a fat contract extension.) Questions still remain in the bullpen, but I think Francona will sort out each pitcher’s role by June. Jonathan Papelbon has struggled, but if he wants to get paid next year (the Red Sox have all but said they will let him walk after 2011) he will have to perform. There is also the added incentive that Daniel Bard and Bobby Jenks are breathing down his neck for the closer job. The offensive should carry the team (I mean JD Drew is batting 7^th) and hopefully the pitching will be good enough to get them to the World Series, if not everyone will call all of Theo’s moves a failure. So without further ado, Play Ball!

Yanks v. Sox 2004: Game 4

2011-03-12T13:40:00.003-05:00

I am watching MLB network revisit this classic match up on my new HD service. I remember that night well. My brother Pete and I went to a 10pm movie that evening thinking that the game would be over by then. (This was pre-kid for me. I will never see a 10pm movie again.) Also, keep in mind, no one knew or expected the Sox to come back down 0-3. At the time, I felt like the Sox were just taking the piss. They made the Yanks play another game, burn some more pitchers and maybe fail in the series again as a result. Pete, what was your recollection? I don't suppose you remember the movie we watched.

Insights into Strasburg Injury

2011-03-08T19:53:00.003-05:00

Here's an interesting article on the Stephen Strasburg injury written by Tom Verducci. Seems there's a hitch in his giddy up that portended his current elbow issues. It's a very technical article and some of the descriptions are hard to envision without video of Strasburg's delivery, but it's interesting nevertheless. It helps to illustrate the reasons for other pitchers' arm problems as well. You'll recognize the names, Mark Prior, Joe Nathan and others.

Lackey Looking Good

2011-03-07T18:10:00.004-05:00

John Lackey has now looked sharp in two straight starts this spring. Everyone knows that the Sox line up looks formidable heading into April, but the key this year will be for starters Josh Beckett and John Lackey to bounce back from bad seasons. Dice-K needs to bounce back too, but I think you have to actually have been something to bounce back. (Can we just call Dice-K a bust already? I don't think I'm jumping the gun here.)

Having a healthy productive Dice-K would be nice, but really Lackey and Beckett need to be their old selves for the Sox to get back in the post season. Both were inconsistent and got banged around a lot last year. With Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester becoming the underpaid aces of the staff, they don't need to do much. I would take 14-8 with a 3.80 ERA from each of them. I don't think Beckett needs to get back to 2007 form. He just needs to stay healthy and learn to pitch with less velocity. Lackey needs to get back his confidence and be the gamer he's always been.

Yanks Fall to Sox; Banuelos Impresses

2011-03-05T10:19:00.005-05:00

Yesterday the Yankees took on the Red Sox for the first time this year. Well they didn't actually take on the Red Sox since the only real Boston player to make the trip was starter Clay Buchholz, still they fell 5-3 on the strength of a Boone Logan seventh inning implosion.

Despite that, the Yankees did see some stellar pitching. Bartolo Colon threw three scoreless innings while striking out five Red Sox scrubs. More on him in a minute.

To me the real stellar pitching came from 19-year-old Manny Banuelos. Banuelos was impressive. Not just because he threw his second scoreless appearance this spring but becaus eof how he did it. Unlike Colon, ManBan hit his spots with a crisp 93-96 MPH fastball, and had exception movement on his breaking pitches, which he also threw for quality strikes. Russell Martin even raved about how polished the youngster is, comparing him to another hard throwing young lefty.

The young lefty's mechanics were also something to marvel at. He possesses a very easy delivery and it surprises you how hard his fastball comes out of his small frame. Banuelos didn't pitch the last time Trenton was in New Britain, but you better believe I am eyeing their return in mid-June. Though, I wont count on ManBan still being there come June. The way he pitches, he may force a promotion before then.

Colon is a bit of a different story. While the numbers looked good, Colon was all over the place, especially in his third inning of work. He was bailed out by some bad swings from the Red Sox. Colon may be pitching better than the Yankees expected, but Girardi and Cashman will take note of his lack of command within the strike zone. The big guy always seemed to be trailing in the race for the fifth starter spot and he hasn't done enough to change that perception yet.

Some the pitching has been decent, but the bats have continued to struggle. The only hitter who has looked ready for the start of the season is Alex Rodriguez. He hit the ball hard again on Friday night. A bullet single through the right side and then a double off the wall in left-center. A-Rod looks like he may still have some elite level production left in his bones. I'm always an optomist at this point in the season, but I really think he's going to put himself back in the discussion as one of the best hitters in baseball.

Today's action features CC Sabathia on the mound and Jesus Montero behind the plate. Unfortunately the game isn't on YES today, so we'll have to wait till next week to see the Yanks in action again.

Links!

2011-03-05T09:58:00.003-05:00

I know it's a little late, but leave it to Joe Posnanski to write an insightful post on the passing of Duke Snider. There's also one on the 1955 season, when he barely missed out on the MVP. Also Tom Verducci echos the sentiments that have been on this blog since it's inception. As Peter points it out on an almost a weekly basis, starters are more valuable than closers.

Beckett Scratched from Scheduled Start

2011-03-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

Josh Beckett will continue to take it easy this week after being hit in the noggin on Monday while throwing batting practice. Beckett suffered a concussion. He has started to resume team activities today, but will not start on Thursday. Obviously, you play it super-safe during spring training and hopefully there won’t be any residual effects from this injury. This is not how Red Sox wanted Josh Beckett to start 2011.

Hughes Makes First Start; Pitching Rumors Abound

2011-03-01T18:02:00.004-05:00

Phil Hughes made his first start of the spring this afternoon and was solid through two innings of work. The young righty walked one, but thanks to a double play, faced the minimum six batters. The talk of the day seemed to be the lack of his use of the change up during his short stint, as he threw only three to the six batters he faced.

Hughes needs to get his change working this year. The cutter is a devastating pitch and his fastball can be sneaky good. Still, he needs another off-speed pitch besides his curve to keep hitters honest. If that fourth pitch can be developed into something at least average then 18 wins will be just the beginning for him.

There were two other pitchers in the news today that could effect the Yankees rotation of the future. Speculation has run rampant since New York lost out on Cliff Lee that the Yanks would make a play for the Cardinals Chris Carpenter. The odds of that happening took a couple of hits, first when Albert Pujols failed to sign an extension, and then when Adam Wainwright went down for the year. Now Carpenter is out with a strained hamstring. Though it may not be really severe, Carpenter's health has never really been more than a house of cards. Any little breeze will threaten to send him to the DL. It will definitely be something the Yankees will have to monitor.

Rumors have also spread that the Yankees are pursuing the Twins Fransisco Liriano. It has also been said that the Yankees would only need to offer a package headlined by either Ivan Nova or Joba Chamberlain. I'd have to believe Brian Cashman wouldn't hesitate to send either if not both of those players if that is what Minnesota GM Bill Smith requested. Sadly though Yankee fans dreams of Liriano in pinstripes will have to wait. Buster Olney reported earlier today that the Twins aren't thinking of moving Liriano... yet.

As always, the Yankees will show patience and let the market develop. Tomorrow's starter may have a big impact on that discussion. If A.J. Burnett can bounce back to his 2008 form, or at least his 2009 form, then the Yankees may not be desperate for pitching help come July 31st. That doesn't mean the wont be looking to improve, but a solid Burnett could keep teams from trying to play on Yankee desperation to raise their prices.

Duke Snider Dies

2011-02-28T18:29:00.003-05:00

Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider died yesterday. I always found his role in baseball history kind of interesting. As good as he was, he was probably the third best player in his own city. He lacked both the titles of the Mick and the signature moment of Willie Mays. Playing the same position as Mantle and Mays also contributed to him being overshadowed. It's hard to believe it took him 11 tries to get into the Hall of Fame. Just the same, I will raise a Brooklyn Lager, to you today Duke. For those of you who haven't tried it, the '55 Pennant Ale is pretty damn good.

Baseball is Back!

2011-02-27T09:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we got our first taste of baseball since last November, and boy was it awesome. Some people ignore Spring Training and will only tune in once the real season starts, but to for me those games in February and March are what keep me going through the clean up from another wet and nasty winter thaw.

The Yankees fell to the Phillies 5-4 yesterday in a game that didn't see a ton of runs until the later innings. Early on the Yankee pitchers seemed solid. Joba Chamberlain threw a crisp clean inning where he displayed slightly new mechanics. Joba now starts his hands closer to his waist which gets his hands over the rubber sooner. The adjustment seemed to really change his approach and hopefully it leads to more consistent appearances throughout the season.

The young righty was plagued by massive late-inning blow ups during the first half of regular season last year, leading to a bloated ERA. If Joba can be what he was as a reliever in early 2008 or even the second half last season when he posted an ERA of 2.88 and a BB/K ratio of 4.63 then the Yankee bullpen has the potential to be a force of nature.

The other pitcher I was impressed with was Bartolo Colon. Crazy right? I should say I wasn't impressed so much as I was surprised his shins didn't give out under his ample frame. Also that he was able to touch the mid-90s with his fast ball in his second inning of work. That's really all Colon ever had, a power fastball, an average slider and an average change up. But if the Yankees can get 10 starts out of him, with him pitching to roughly his career numbers, then Brian Cashman's gamble will have reaped a decent reward.

The position players all did ok, A-Rod hit the ball with authority, everyone got excited because Mark Teixeira got a hit before May. Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson looked like they need a couple dozen more at bats before they will find their strokes, and honestly, Derek Jeter's 2011 swing didn't look a whole lot better than last year's version. Time will tell on that and I'm going to hold out hope that he can at least have a mild rebound from last year.

Today's game will give us a taste of the prospects. Ivan Nova will start for New York, and he will be throwing to the #3 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America: Jesus Montero. I was robbed of the chance to see him pitch when he was at Trenton back in 2009 and broke his wrist a week before the Thunder rolled through my backyard to play the New Britain Rock Cats.

Everyone will be critiquing his receiving skills, and I will be paying attention to that as well, but I can't wait to see him swing the stick. It should be fun to watch. BA's #43 prospect Dellin Betances will also be taking the mound today. He is one massive individual with a big fastball and a hammer curve. It should be fun.

2 players I am excited to see in red socks (I don’t mean Adrian Gonzalez or Carl Crawford)

2011-02-25T11:04:00.003-05:00

The Red Sox made a lot of big moves this off-season as to be expected from a large market team that missed the playoffs last year. As a fan, I am happy to see Theo Epstein spend the money on quality players who can be expected to make significant contributions for the next 7-10 years. I really like Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, but the two Red Sox I am most excited about are two players who were with the Red Sox in 2010, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jose Iglesias.

Salty (I can’t be bothered to type out his whole name) is huge. Physically, he has all the tools to be successful. Injuries have been an issue, but because Varitek is the back-up Salty will get at least one day off a week, if not two. I think he could thrive in Boston as a manager of the pitching staff and a complimentary offensive player. (Most of the time he will be batting 8^th). Varitek has already started to mentor Salty, encouraging him to grab a locker on the pitcher’s side of the locker room. Varitek is the only other position player on that side. Salty is still young and Francona won’t expect an MVP year from him, I think Tito would be happy if he was a solid contributor on a daily basis that grew into a more substantial role with the Sox.

I may be getting ahead of myself, as projections don’t expect Iglesias in Boston until 2012, but all reports are the kid has the potential to be a legitimate super-star. I have heard him described a cross between Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez. I always thought that giving up Ramirez for Beckett was a necessary and fair move, but it would have been nice to have Ramirez. Scutaro looks healthy and should be solid at shortstop, but if he struggles or gets hurt look for Igelsias to get the call up.

I'm Back!

2011-02-18T20:54:00.002-05:00

It's been a long hiatus, I know. What can I say? I wish my job was to be a blogger, but it's not. It's something far, far, far less interesting. I can honestly say that I am excited for the Red Sox this year. Not like last year, when every night I would say, who the crap is that? Then watch the Sox go down 4-0 to the Orioles or someone like that before going to bed. I'm still not sure how the Red Sox ended up as one of the highest scoring teams in the AL.

Right now I am totally fascinated with this Miguel Cabrera story. I find it exceedingly sad when people have addictions. Particularly people who are doing a job any one of us would give just about anything to do. You just wonder why. His denial is just astounding. Luckily this did not turn out to be a Donte Stallworth type of situation. Makes you wonder what would happen if MLB had a personal conduct policy like the NFL does.

Greinke on the Move

2010-12-19T11:25:00.003-05:00

Well that will put an end to any speculation before it begins. Just two days after we hear that Zack Greinke demanded a trade to get out of Kansas City he is on the move to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Good for Greinke to finally be out of that baseball hell-hole that is KC. I wish he had gone to a larger market, preferably New York, so he could silence his critics who say he can't hack it in a larger market. Nobody knows how Greinke would respond to that type of media environment, but if you take a quick read at Joe Posnanski's blog he gives a good idea that Greinke might respond more to big games and big pressure than many would think.

Either way its a shame the Yankees never really got in on it. Good luck to Greinke and here's hoping him and Yovani Gallardo lead the Brewers to some playoff runs.

Lee Shuns Yankees for Ex

2010-12-14T19:50:00.000-05:00

I suppose its an old story. Guy falls in love with team, team dumps him for flashier player, guy can't get over team and comes crawling back.

At least that's how the story reads to me. The Phillies and their "genius" GM Ruben Amaro decided to trade Cliff Lee during the offseason after he pitched them to the NL pennant and won the only two games Philadelphia would win in the 2009 World Series.

The move was stupid and Amaro admitted as much when he made the deal to acquire Roy Oswalt from the Astros in July. Luckily for him Lee and his family held no ill will toward the Phillies for bouncing them to the Pacific Northwest. Lee inked a very lucrative deal with Philadelphia (Don't let anyone tell you he took less money, if you maxed out the value of both the Yanks and Phillies offers, the Yanks only come out ahead by about half a million) and will become part of the most touted rotation this side of the Braves circa 1996-2000.

One last thing about Philadelphia, don't let anyone tell you the Phillies are a World Series lock. Sure their rotation has now reached a historic level, their once vaunted hitting has regressed quite a bit. Raul Ibanez has begun showing his age dramatically, the loss of Jason Werth leaves them depending on rookie Dominic Brown and platoon player Ben Francisco to replace elite level production and defense and their middle infield is rapidly aging. Oh and Ryan Howard still strikes out a ton.

But Ii digress to the Yankees who will feel the hurt from this rejection in the short term. The Yankees will need help for the rotation next year and they will be in a world of trouble if they can't convince Andy Pettitte to come back for one final season. Even if you are being generous, there are only two solid pitchers for New York in CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes. A.J. Burnett is a huge question mark and beyond that is the great unknown.

Brian Cashman probably has some kind of back-up plan that he was hoping to avoid should Lee go elsewhere, but clearly it wont replace what Lee would have brought to New York next season.

The Yankees wont deal for Zack Greinke or Felix Hernandez or Josh Johnson. In the case of Greinke it would deplete the farm system too much right now for Cashman to justify the move. Hernandez and Johnson are just pipe dreams Yankee fans will spout over the next few months.

As a Yankee fan though I can take away some kind of a silver lining. The Yankees struck out on Cliff Lee twice. The first time they were able to hold on to Jesus Montero which will be a huge plus when it comes to rejuvenating the Yankee lineup with a youthful bat. This second strike out will save them millions of dollars. If the Yankees had signed Lee their payroll would have sky rocketed and if you believe the Yankees have some semblance of a budget, it would have severely impaired their ability to field a competent team. In 2014 the Yankees would have had close to $100 committed to just four players and that doesn't count arbitration eligible players either.

The long and short of it is the Yankees will suffer next season. They may still make the playoffs and compete, but Cashman will have to pay in prospects at some point this offseason or before July 31st to get that other front-line pitcher the Yankees desperately need. Three or four years from now though, the Yankees may be happy that this one got away... I doubt it though.

Lee Surprises Everyone

2010-12-14T18:16:00.004-05:00

Everyone expected Cliff Lee to go to the Yankees. It probably wouldn't have been much of a shock if he went back to Texas, but Philly? Now the Phillies have what we all thought they should have had two years ago, Halladay and Cliff Lee at the front of the rotation.

Lee signed for five years $120 million spurning the Yanks and an additional two years and $34 million. But before we celebrate Lee as a martyr there is a clause in the contract that triggers an option year for $27.5 million if he pitches at least 400 innings aggregate over the final two years of the deal. That's hardly guaranteed money, but it's not impossible.

In the end he had to choose where he felt comfortable pitching. I have often wondered how much money does a person need to make where it just doesn't matter anymore? What is the real difference in someone's lifestyle between $120 million and $154 million? Either way you look at it, Cliff Lee is set for life and so are his kids. He just liked Philadelphia better.

Spending the Money

2010-12-10T09:24:00.004-05:00

Theo Epstein has sent a clear message to the yankees and all of baseball this week. That message is we are not afraid to invest in the right players. The Red Sox added All-stars Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford this week, at the tune of almost $300 million combined. These two additions have made their line-up, though primarily left-handed, the best in baseball. I liked both moves.

Casey Kelly was a very good prospect, but to get a player like Gonzalez the Sox had to give up some of their own talent. People have been speculating about this deal for the past 3 years and some high-profile names have been linked with a trade with San Diego. I was happy the Sox were able to keep all of the young talent already in the Major Leagues. (Buchholz, Bard, Ellsbury, Kalish, etc.)

Coming into the off-season there were two big name corner outfielders available: Carl Crawford and Jason Werth. I always thought Crawford was a better fit for Boston. Crawford is athletic, can hit and steal bases. (Think of the Sox outfield in the final innings of games, they would have 3 centerfielders-Ellsbury, Crawford, Kalish.) Also, remember the Sox passed on re-signing Jason Bay last winter which saved them cash that was now available for Crawford.

I don't think the Sox are finished making additions. They still need help in the bullpen and I think Theo will be able to add someone like Scott Downs to add some depth behind Papelbon and Bard. Also, there are rumors the Sox might bring in Russell Martin as insurance for Salty. We will see how it plays out in the coming days. I will leave you with the pleasant sight of the 2011 Opening Day line-up of the Boston Redsox; it is a thing of beauty.

Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Crawford LF
Gonzalez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Scutaro SS
Saltalamacchia C

Gonzalez Deal on Hold

2010-12-05T18:35:00.002-05:00

Finally, I thought. The Red Sox had themselves a legitimate power bat and a quintessential first baseman in the likes of Adrian Gonzalez. But a contract extension was a sticking point and the two sides ran out of time. The deal could still get done however.

Can Texas Run With the Big Boys

2010-11-10T20:54:00.003-05:00

I saw an interesting little tidbit in Jayson Starks Rumblings and Grumblings column today. Much has been made of Texas's new TV deal that will pay them roughly $1.6 billion over a 20 year period. Many believe that the deal will give the Rangers the financial clout to stick with the Yankees in a bidding war for the services of Mr. Lee.

Now no one really expects the Rangers to match a deal that New York throws at Lee dollar-for-dollar, but the logic for the Rangers is that they just need to keep it close and Texas's locale and tax laws will make up the difference.

But as Stark explains in the article, is that the Rangers really wont be able to use that money in negotiations with Lee. The TV deal money won't be available to the Rangers until the deal kicks in around 2015, which would be year five of any deal Lee signs this off season. Stark also explains that the deal likely sent a good portion of money to the auction block to pay for the purchase of the team. It will also result in the Rangers losing their revenue sharing money.

Stack that on top of the fact that the Lee would only get tax breaks on games played in Texas and suddenly it seems that if the Rangers pony up the money to sign Lee they would find themselves in a similar position as what Tom Hicks ended up in after giving A-Rod his record setting $252 million deal.

The Yankees signing Lee isn't a lock, but it does seem that the Rangers are in as strong a positions as they seemed to be a month ago.

There is a God

2010-11-08T19:25:00.002-05:00

Our long national nightmare is over. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are out of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Finally. Now we only need to force out Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Somehow I feel that will be the true challenge.

I'm Not Saying... Just saying.

2010-10-29T18:03:00.004-04:00

I don't want to rain on Josh Hamilton's parade, believe me. His story is inspirational. Overcoming addiction and staying clean is one of the most difficult things a person can do. I applaud him for his efforts and his MVP caliber season this year. His teammates' ginger ale showers after the divisional round and LCS got me a little farklempt to be honest. But methinks he is being treated differently than some other famous athletes who have overcome similar personal demons.

Take Ricky Williams for example. After his suspension for pot and subsequent temporary retirement due to social anxiety, the jokes on talk radio etc. came by the dump truck full. Every Joe Lunchpail in America called him a disgrace and said he should be banned for life. He was a be-dredded, ganja smoking, Rasta punch line. Pause for a moment. Take a breath. Try to imagine a world where Josh Hamiliton is likened to Barney Gumble from the Simpsons in some ham-fisted radio parody. "Throw his drunk ass out the league!" Hard to imagine, right? Why is that? Before you answer, let's look at another comparison.

Ben Roethlisberger rapes two women... ok so they can't prove it and those bitches were probably just looking for money (insert symbol for sarcasm here in case the reader in a nitwit). Perhaps there wasn't enough evidence, but the court of public opinion has convicted celebs for much less. At the very least it reeks of impropriety. As I write he's back after a month long suspension and basically no one gives a crap. Michael Vick comes back from his suspension (if I have to tell you why I don't know why you're reading a sports blog) and every move is scrutinized, every word dissected as if the media were looking for a code word that tells you where the dog fight is going to be.

Now I'm going to just get right to it and if I were Peter King or someone who actually had readers other than my friends I might get crucified. Roethlisberger and Hamiliton are white. Williams and Vick are black. Let's just admit that this type of veiled racism still exists. Perhaps people are doing it subconsciously. Maybe they don't realize why they think the way they think. Personally I hope all four of the athletes I mentioned have learned from their mistakes. As for the media, I don't think they will learn from theirs.

Moving On...

2010-10-24T10:47:00.001-04:00

I might linger more on 2010 if I thought this Yankee squad was truly good enough to win the World Series, but honestly they haven't played like a World Series contender for the better parts of three months. They had the talent, but they just never seemed to have the same pitching as last year.

A.J. Burnett was a shell of his 2009 self and despite the arrival of Phil Hughes, the rotation was never as stable as it was last year.

Changes will be coming to the Yankees this off season as they do for every team. With the regime they have though, New York will avoid any kind of over reaction to six games in October. Really there is no need for drastic changes anyway, also, you really couldn't even if you wanted to.

With that in mind and a lack of desire from myself to rehash everything Cliff Lee, let's look at the Yankees position players for next season.

The starting eight are pretty much locked in. Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira are locked up for the foreseeable future in the infield. And you know that Derek Jeter will be back as well.

The outfield is also locked up and, unlike the infield, all three are locked into affordable contracts for the next few seasons. Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher all provide valuable offensive production and above-average defense at two of three positions.

The biggest questions for the Yankees and their position players is catcher and DH. Nick Johnson will be given his pay check and told to move along and Lance Berkman was never intended to be a solution beyond this season. Marcus Thames will return and rightly so considering he wont get much of a pay bump and he will remain in a limited roll as a right-handed power bat off the bench.

Catcher is really where the debate begins. Jorge Posada has one year left on his deal and the Yanks will also have the option of bringing back Fransisco Cervelli as the back up. Posada's defense continued to regress and Cervelli received way more at bats than he had a right to. There is a solution to the Posada/Cervelli problem waiting in the minors in the form of man-child Jesus Montero. The 20-year-old destroyed Triple-A pitching in the second half of the season and will rank as a top five prospect in all of baseball.

While Montero's bat will pair well within the frame of a Posada-Montero DH/Catcher platoon, his defense will not remind anyone of a young Johnny Bench, but the Yankees have survived a long time without a good defensive catcher and it stands to reason they wont mind Montero back there if they can put up with Posada.

We could see a Yankee squad with three catchers for a period of time if the Yankees desire to keep someone on hand for the occasional bumps and bruises that might force a catcher from the game and result in the loss of the DH.

Of course everyone knows the Yankees will hit and with the arrival of Montero they may even hit more. The lineup will again be a tremendous strength for the Yankees in 2011.

End of the Road

2010-10-23T00:22:00.002-04:00

Substandard starting pitching. A lack of pop in the bats and no timely hitting. That will do you in just about every time. The Yankees 2010 season ended with a whimper on Friday night as the defending champs were dethroned by Texas.

The Yankees were never really in the series. The lack their normal hitting prowess and fell prey to hunger young pitchers from the Lone Star state. They were outplayed in just about every aspect of the game in five out of six games.

There isn't much to complain about. Anything can happen in a seven game series and while the Yankees had the superior team on paper, the Rangers showed why the games are played and how they should be played.

Yankee fans will make a swift transition to the hot stove now and will ogle Cliff Lee in his Game 1 start of the World Series.

Aside from a poor ALCS the Yankees were thoroughly entertaining this season and they'll be back at it again come February and March.

Is the End Near?

2010-10-20T15:41:00.003-04:00

Since it is my constitutional right as a Red Sox fan to rub salt into Yankee wounds, I think it is fair to say that the Evil Empire is worried. The tension in Manhattan is palatable today and things could become tragic tonight.

Though many pundits have been praising Cliff Lee (who was terrific in Game 3) as the savior who has single-handedly beaten the Yankees; the reality is that the Chuck Norris All-Stars (Walker Texas Rangers) have outplayed the Yanks for four games. I know I may be tempting fate, but I don't see the Yankees pulling a Red Soxeque comeback circa 2007. Cliff Lee will make at least one more appearance, Mark Teixiera is out for the rest of the series if not the remainder of the playoffs, and two of the final three games are back in Arlington. The Yankee bats have become dormant and the bullpen has imploded.

Though it would be nice for the bombers to win the World Series in Memoriam of "The Boss" it doesn't seem likely. I, personally, am pulling for the Giants.

Yanks Snatch Game 1 in Texas

2010-10-16T00:12:00.003-04:00

I heard commentators talking earlier in the season about how the Yankees didn't have as many walk-off wins as last year. While that is true, the general attitude of that statement was to imply that the Yankees didn't come back on teams like they had the year before.

If anything this one thoroughly proves that the Yankees are never out of a game. The Rangers blew a 5-0 lead and New York survived a CC Sabathia implosion to take Game 1 of the ALCS 6-5.

The Rangers really have to be hurting in the locker room after this one. They had beat on the Yankee ace and had forced the Yankees into using Dustin Moseley. Yet they failed to tack on runs against the mop up man and when Brett Gardner sparked a rally with a huge hustle play to start the eighth, you could see things start to slide downhill for the Rangers and their bullpen.

Ron Washington brought in Darren Oliver and the veteran walked two straight Yankees to load the bases. That forced the Texas manager to go to his second Darren, Darren O'Day. O'Day fluttered one of his side arm offerings down the inner third of the plate and Alex Rodriguez destroyed the ball past Michael Young at third to score tow more and pull the Yanks to within 5-4.

So, after one pitch Washington decided to bring in another lefty, this one being Clay Rapada. Rapada only threw nine innings in the majors this year and really Washington should have taken his chances with a hard thrower like Alexi Ogando, because Cano doesn't care who is throwing the ball, he will destroy it.

Cano led the AL with 13 homer against lefty pitching this season and had just homered off of C.J. Wilson who hadn't allowed a dinger to a same-sided batter all year. Rapada stood no chance and Cano tied the game with a hard single up the middle on the first pitch he saw.

After another pitching change Marcus Thames continued to be an unsung hero for New York this year and gave the Yanks the lead with a broken bat single.

The win is big for New York. Strike that, it's HUGE. They could have found themselves in a bad spot if they didn't rally to save Sabathia's bacon. Texas would have been rolling and licking their chops at the prospect of being up 1-0 in the series with Phil Hughes on the mound versus Colby Lewis and Cliff Lee still lurking in the shadows of Game 3. Now the Yankees have to be feeling like they are never out of the game, even on e where their ace is inept and teh opposing pitch is dealing deep into the game.

Tomorrow brings the previously mentioned match up of Phil Hughes vs. Colby Lewis. Hughes has been great in Texas for his career, throwing 15.1 scoreless innings over four seasons, including his aborted no-hitter in 2007. Plus Hughes has been better on the road in general this season.

Lewis has been solid since returning to the Majors from Japan. Lewis strikes out a lot of guys, but can also have bouts of wildness. The Yankees haven't seen Lewis this year, which usually is a bad omen for them. In this case though, they can probably at least elevate Lewis's pitch count and get into that Rangers bullpen early, much like the Rays did in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Back at it tomorrow at 4 p.m.

The 32 Greatest Sports Calls of All Time

2010-10-14T20:39:00.001-04:00

This is pretty cool to just poke through when you have some time. If you only watch one, watch Maradona in Argentina vs. England 1986.

Rays Get Hosed

2010-10-08T18:19:00.004-04:00

I'm back baby. The playoffs started and now I'm completely enthralled again. I have to admit (and I know it sounds like sour grapes) but I really enjoy the fact that the Rays are down 2-0. The fact that they got jobbed on Michael Young's check swing is making even more fun for me.

I hope the Rays fans (all 10 of them) have enjoyed this little run. Crawford is gone after this year and perhaps after this next game as well as punk ass B.J. Upton for whatever that's worth. All that will be left in three years will be a 70-win team with Evan Longoria demanding a trade because he was dumb enough to sign a long term deal with this putrid organization.

I feel bad for the players. Upton and Matt Garza aside I kind of like the Rays. Crawford is one of the most exciting players in the game and Joe Maddon's persona and hipster glasses amuse me. As I've said before, it's their fans that I find so lame. It's just bad for the game when a team like the Rays, a novelty to the Tampa area, can't even sell out ALCS games while traditional baseball cities like Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and up until now, Cincinnati, who have suffered so long, would give anything to be in the playoffs. Those people would pack the stands, make a ton of noise and make you feel like it was 1979 again.

Yanks Beat Pavano; Take 2-0 Lead

2010-10-07T21:16:00.003-04:00

For Yankee fans Thursday night couldn't have been much better. Sure they might have been able to score a few more runs and Pettitte was shaky early, but they won and they did it by slapping around Carl Pavano a little bit and that's all New York needed.

There were several questions about Pettitte coming into this game and his seven inning two-run performance was impressive, especially after the second inning when he really settled in and mowed down Twins. After Danny Valencia's second inning sac fly, the veteran lefty set down the next 11 batters before surrendering a solo homer to Orlando Hudson.

By that point the Yankees had started to figure out Pavano and although they only had two runs, they were scorching balls of the Twins starter.

But the story of the game will be the non-strike call on Lance Berkman in the seventh. The pitch was strike on the inside corner, but really home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt wasn't giving that pitch most of the night and was giving a generous amount on the outside part of the plate. It shouldn't be a big issue, but like the non-call against Michael Young in Tampa Bay earlier in the day, it will stand out as the next pitch in each at bat cost the home team.

The Yankees will focus on what they did though and not the calls the umpires made. Tonight two players stand out besides Pettitte and those two are Lance Berkman and Curtis Granderson.

Berkman finally showed some of that power that the Yankees were hoping to get when they traded for him at the Deadline in July. Since his days in Houston Berkman has always shown huge power to the opposite field from the left side of the plate, and that finally came out tonight. Both his home run and his double were absolutely scorched to left-center.

Joining Berkman in the on hot-hitters club, is Curtis Granderson who is in full-on beast mode right now. Granderson banged out three more hits tonight including one that drove in an insurance run in the night. Granderson is really playing to his potential since Kevin Long adjusted his stance and swing in Texas back in August and now the Yankees are reaping the benefits of the patience they've had with him.

Granderson has four hits in the first two games of the series and he has the biggest one of the series so far with his two-run triple off of Fransisco Liriano in Game 1. If there was an MVP for the LDS, Granderson would be the front runner so far.

Now it's a day off and then back to New York with two chances to close out the series for the Yanks.

Some End of Season News

2010-10-06T13:49:00.005-04:00

The Sox aren't in the playoffs, so I will leave the playoff preview to a yankee fan. I watched the ESPN 30 for 30 Series documentary on the 2004 ALCS and needless to say it will be saved on the DVR and watched repeatedly throughout the winter.

With that being said, the news of the day out of Red Sox Nation is that New England Sports Ventures (NESV), the group (John Henry, Larry Luccino, Tom Werner) that owns the Sox, Fenway, and NESN, is making a bid to buy English Premiere League club Liverpool. Liverpool has been struggling financially and in the standings for the past 2 years and are ripe for a takeover. The bid is rumored to be in the neighborhood of $477 million. The current owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, are hated in Liverpool and the fans are eager for a change as Liverpool is currently in danger being relegated out of the Premiere League. If this means Liverpool on NESN every weekend and choruses of "You'll Never Walk Alone" count me in.

End of the Road

2010-10-03T10:02:00.002-04:00

It is somewhat fitting that the marathon baseball season will end on the same day that one of our bloggers will be hitting the road for his first marathon. Yea that's right our own bro Joey is running his first marathon in New York today and while we wish him well, today will be the last day his Sox take the field in 2010.

The Yankees will be looking for where their next destination is based on today's results. But I'm not too concerned with that. There are pluses and minuses for both opponents the Yankees might face and the reality is they could beat either of them if they decide they want to hit with runners in scoring position and pitch halfway decent they will beat anybody.

Aside from that today is a day to enjoy the game. There isn'y anything of consequence riding on the game so treat it like the last game of spring training when all the starters are finally playing together. Well except for Dustin Moseley.

Sox and... Eh Who Cares?

2010-10-01T18:56:00.003-04:00

I can't remember a Sox and Yanks series that has begun with so little anticipation as this one has. For me at least. The Sox are out of it and have been for quite some time. The Yanks will probably rest up their stars and try to get their rotation set up for the playoffs. The Sox can't even play spoiler. At this point there's virtually no difference to the Yankees whether they sweep or get swept or something in the middle. I suppose I'll tune in to watch the Sox one last time before they pack it in for the year. Maybe Daniel Nava will jack one out for me.

Yanks Finally Clinch

2010-09-28T21:01:00.003-04:00

Well at least they didn't totally back into the playoffs. CC Sabathia has been what the Yankees have needed all season long and tonight was no different. Sure it was a panic move to start Sabathia against the Jays rather than letting him get his long rest and taking the ball on Friday to put him on schedule, but at least Joe Girardi can finally have a good night's sleep for the first time in about a month.

Sabathia was dominant for 8.1 innings to pick up his 21st win of the season. Once the Yankees pushed across their second run of the night with a Mark Teixeira sacrifice fly in the third, you had the feeling that the game was over. That Sabathia just wouldn't let the Jays get anything going.

But this has been the case for a while now. The Yankees have been playing atrocious baseball for about a month and a half. The only time they look good is when Sabathia is on the mound. Hopefully they get back into a groove before the postseason starts. I hope they don't think they can just turn it on when they roll into Texas or, more likely, Minnesota.

Now the wonder is how the Yankees get set for the playoffs since. I'm imagining that Phil Hughes is done for the regular season and so is Sabathia. Andy needs his start tomorrow to make sure that he gets as close to ready as he can for the Division Series. A.J. Burnett will have to pitch and pitch exceptionally well to garner any consideration for a start in the first round.

The division is probably out of reach with the Rays having a virtual game and a half lead with the tiebreaker they own over the Yankees, so it looks like the Twins are up next.

Slacking

2010-09-22T20:32:00.004-04:00

I must apologize. I've been MIA for most of September. Like I said before, it's hard to maintain interest when the Sox are totally mailing it in and Pedroia and Youk are at home playing Madden 11. It's hard to get excited about Daniel Nava, Bill Hall, and Josh Reddick. (Although truthfully like Reddick and as I type this he destroyed Kevin Milwood's first offering. I think if gets more playing time he can develop some consistency and be a decent player.)

Now we play a game of who the hell is this guy? Yamaico Navarro? Someone help me. I'm too lazy to do the research. and he's to lazy to take the bat off his shoulder. Backward K. Oh good Ryan Kalish is next up.

Perhaps I'm just going to have to start NFL Hyperbolic Statements early this season. Washington is looking interesting. Perhaps not good or playoff bound, but interesting.

Brackman Shuts Down Rock Cats in Regular Season Finale

2010-09-06T16:44:00.004-04:00

So rather than spend the day frustrated by a Yankee defeat at the hands of the rejuvenated Baltimore Orioles, I traveled again to New Britain Stadium to see Andrew Brackman take on the Rock Cats in the season finale for both teams.

Brackman didn't disappoint. He had good stuff all day, firing fastball's that sat at 93-94 and touching 95 on several occasions. He snapped off some good curves that made a few New Britain batters look silly and even threw several quality change ups. He was fairly consistant through out his start. The only time he seemed to lose his command was in the fourth. He didn't walk anybody, but it was the first time he fell behind hitters all day.

Brackman battled back and struck out the first to hitters in the inning before allowing a hard hit single through the left side of the infield.

Brackman's line for the game says it all. Though he didn't strike out a ton of guys, none of the Rock Cats had comfortable at bats against him. He induced a bunch of ground balls and only a couple of balls were hit hard.

As for the bats, Austin Romine showed what he could do with the bat today, launching a homer that easily cleared the left-centerfield wall. He also ripped an opposite-field RBI-double down the right field line to score Dan Brewer in the fourth.

Yankees Hold Off Jays

2010-09-04T15:21:00.004-04:00

Javy Vazquez was shaky in his return to the rotation, but the Yankee bats picked him up and New York pushed its winning streak to a season high eight games.

Vazquez seemed to have carried over his excellent work out of the bullpen in the first three innings of tonight's game, but it all fell apart in the third when he gave up a pair of home runs. The first to Lyle Overbay was a legit shot into the right field seats. Javy had some bad luck on the second one when John McDonald dented the left field pole two batters after Vazquez walked John Buck.

The Yankees got the runs back in the third and Vazquez pitched out of a little trouble in the fourth. Giving the Yankees a chance to take a two-run lead without the benefit of a hit in the bottom half.

That's when we come to the point in the game when Joe Girardi nearly booted it away. With two outs and no one on base Vazquez walked Jose Bautista on a full count and then surrendered a single to Vernon Wells that pushed Bautista to third. Girardi decided that was enough and went to the pen. Much to the dismay of Javy.

Girardi believed that Dustin Moseley would somehow be a shut down reliever in this instance, and predictably the righthander gave up a double to Lyle Overbay to tie the game. There is a time and a place to use a pitcher like Moseley, and this afternoon was not one of them.

He is an innings eater, and anything you get out of him beyond that is icing on the cake. Really the Yanks should cut ties with him while they are still in the black. Moseley has had good luck in his few outings so far, but now the cracks are showing. New York already have two of him in the bullpen with Sergio Mitre and Chad Guadin out there, there is no need for a third of the same.

The Yanks managed to pull back in front when Marcus Thames found his stroke versus Jason Frasor and deposited his 11 homer of the year into the Blue Jay bullpen. The Yankee bullpen continued its dominant run with four scoreless innings.

It was a good win for the Yanks and they have a decent shot at the sweep with Phil Hughes taking on Brett Cecil in the fourth of five straight daytime affairs in the Bronx.

Night in New Britain with the Baby Bombers Part II

2010-09-04T00:28:00.001-04:00

Here are a few more photos from last night's game. The first two are of Corban Joseph and the last two are of Austin Romine. Sandwiched in between the two of them is a shot of the night sky at the start of the game courtesy of the remnants of Hurricane Earl.

Joseph has a sweet swing and seemed to hit the ball hard every time up. He may not be the all-around player that David Adams was before the ankle injury, but he has some skill with the bat. I think that if he was given more time in Tampa his bat wouldn't have seemed so diminished at the Double-A level.

Romine looked tired at the plate. Even his first double was more a result of poor defense on his ball in the gap.

It is to be expected that he would tire toward the end of his first full season as a catcher. After having his OPS north of .850 in April and May Romine has been in a steady decline over the last three-plus months of the season. His swing was still solid. He just lacked some life in behind it and it was slow through the zone.

Check back over the weekend. Hopefully I'll have some photos for tomorrow night's game and then Monday afternoon when Andrew Brackman takes the mound for the regular season finale.

Night in New Britain With the Baby Bombers

2010-09-03T22:28:00.011-04:00

There usually isn't a ton of stuff to do in New Britain, but the Rock Cats are one of the few things that consistently draw people to NB. Every once and a while we are blessed enough to have the Baby Bombers roll through town. Tonight was one of those nights and along with the Trenton Thunder came Dellin Betances. I've always been a fan of his and I'm glad he finally made it to the Thunder and his turn came up while Trenton was in town.

Now the big righty had a big lead to work with early and he was effective in the first two innings, but in the third the rain started to creep in and it took some of his command with it.

Betances seemed to lose his fastball command and fell behind in a few counts. His velocity was ok, he hit 95 in the first inning, but he never seemed to ramp it up. He was sitting at 93 early and 91 late. I'm guessing that the cool night had something to do with that.

His curveball had some bite. He got the Cats short stop Estarlin De Los Santos to swing and miss on three filthy ones to end the fourth. The Thunder played it safe and pulled him after the fourth.

Anyway below are some photos for the night. Not the best of quality, but they get the job done for a lowly blogger. I'll have a few more later on of Corban Joseph and Austin Romine.

Sox Swan Song

2010-08-31T07:57:00.004-04:00

The term "swan song" comes from an ancient belief that a swan, which otherwise doesn't sing a song the way many birds do, sings one beautiful song before it dies. Basically it's come to mean a prelude to an ending. Anyway, I think the Sox had their swan song when they lost two out of three to the Rays over the weekend. And it was one god-awful song, like John Cage meets Celine Dion or something.

So how does a Sox fan keep interest? I feel like I represent the Sox fan who would watch every game if he didn't have a family, full time job, other interests and a life. It wouldn't matter to me that the Sox were out of the race and didn't have much to play for if my time weren't so precious to me. Then I could just watch and observe and try to make predictions for next year. I could dissect the minutiae of what went wrong during the season and think of all sorts of ways that Theo and the front office could fix it. But honestly, I have very little time for that. Call me when the playoffs start.

Pettitte Feeling Strong

2010-08-29T12:16:00.003-04:00

Good news coming out of Yankee camp for the first time in a while. The word coming from Chad Jennings is that Pettitte felt strong after his bullpen and even dialed it up for the last 20 pitches with no adverse effects.

A healthy Pettitte would be huge for the Yankees. Like Sabathia, Pettitte knows how to battle through starts and give his team a chance to win. Having him in the fold would stabilize the front end of the rotation and eliminate some of the uncertainty that follows around either Dustin Moseley or Ivan Nova.

Plus Teixeira is back in the lineup after being pulled with a a bruised right thumb. That makes sense against the right-hander. It problem only bothers him when he hits from the right side.

Rotation Struggling As Burnett Gets Rocked

2010-08-28T10:53:00.005-04:00

Start the doomsday whistles in the Bronx, A.J. Burnett go roughed up yet again as the Yanks fell to the White Sox 9-4. I'm sure many will start to freak out a little bit, especially considering how the Red Sox beat the Rays in Tampa and are now within five games in the loss column to both New York and Tampa.

Really though, this is A.J. Burnett and I'm pretty sure the Yankees knew that when they signed him. Hell, I'm sure every Yankee fan knew it when they signed him. He is incredible streaky and is inherently unreliable at the top of a rotation. But I think that Brian Cashman understood that and knew CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte as that reliable horses who would make sure the Yankees got through the regular season and he knew that A.J. could be a dominant playoff force if the timing was right.

Last year that happened and the Yankees won a World Series title. That same scenerio could be playing out again. The only difference is that this season the Rays are markedly improved and are hanging with the Yanks, and Pettitte is still serving time on the disabled list.

August is the second month this season when Burnett has failed to win a game. I think that is what has weighed on the Yankees. Also Burnett has not had a signature game or hot streak to bouy the doubts of fans and management like he did last year.

The problem is that the Yankees have already used their one insurance policy in Triple-A when they called up Ivan Nova to replace Javier Vazquez. They had a back-up for the back-up plan with Zach McAllister, but he pitched his way out of that role and then into a trade as a player-to-be-named-later deal for Austin Kearns. Nova will likely stay in teh rotation for a couple of turns, but the Yankees need to get Pettitte back and get Hughes back on track for the stretch run.

Even Nova is unreliable. Not that he couldn't provide the Yanks with a spark, but he is approaching an innings limit similar to Hughes and just like Hughes he is young and you just don't know whether or not he will be solid on a start by start basis.

Right now only Sabathia and sometimes Dustin Moseley (with a lot of luck) have provided the Yankees with anything resembling stability in the rotation. That's a scary thought when you say it aloud. And it means certain doom if the Yanks can't get Pettitte healthy and Burnett back on track before the playoffs.

Damon to Stay in the Motor City

2010-08-25T12:04:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week there was speculation that Johnny Damon was headed back to Boston after the Red Sox claimed him off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Though he was claimed many things had to happen before Damon would switch the D to B on his cap. Damon would have to waive his no-trade clause to Boston and the Sox and Tigers would have had to work out a deal with players or dollars or both. Many thought the move was to merely prevent Damon from going to the Rays. In the end, Johnny decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to go back to Boston and I don’t blame him.

When Damon left Boston it was for one reason: $$$. Anyone would take a higher salary (about $5 million more) to do the same job at a different company and anyone who says they wouldn’t is lying. Red Sox fans crucified Damon on his return to Fenway in pinstripes. (Mick and Sully do not take well to traitors.) Damon proved he was a gamer during his 4 years in Boston and was obviously a center piece in their ’04 run. Every Sox fan should be thankful for his contributions in 2004 and buy any Red Sox of the 2004 squad a beer if they ever meet in a bar. (even Mark Bellhorn my least favorite red sox EVER.) When he left, it was a business decision and I respect that.

Damon would have been a nice addition to a 2010 Sox team hurt by injuries, but they have players (Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish) who can fill in and be productive. The last hope of the Sox making the playoffs isn't Johnny Damon, but another Red Sox, Josh Beckett.

From The Story of One Ailing Yankee to Another

2010-08-19T09:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I posted an interesting story about Lou Gehrig and the possibility that the disease that killed him wasn't really ALS but the result of numerous concussions that he suffered throughout his life. While that story has some relevance to the modern world and today's athlete, this story is purely nostalgic, yet still heartbreaking.

Time Magazine recently released color photos taken on the day of Babe Ruth's final appearance at the house that he built. Ruth made his final appearance at the Old Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948 and passed away soon after on August 16. The photos do an amazing job at conveying how cancer had destroyed one of the finest athletes of the day and the snippets from the photographer Ralph Morse, who at 93 can still recall the details of that day, make it feel like you understand the emotion of the locker room and the stadium.

Lou Gehrig May Not Have had Lou Gehrig's Disease

2010-08-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Caught this article today and obviously it piqued my interests for many reasons. The first and most relevant to this forum is that Lou Gehrig is a huge part of the Yankee heritage and the idea that his streak might have actually led to his demise would change a lot in the way that the legend that is Gehrig is understood.

Another reason that this drew my attention and should draw the attention of just about every sports fan, is that concussions have a huge impact on the human brain and maybe this study and the facts it brings forth will change the standard male axiom of sucking it up. Perhaps athletes - football players in particular, I'm looking at you Hines Ward - will start to realize the impact that these injuries can have on themselves and their teammates and how they can ruin your life in a number of ways if not properly addressed.

Though it can never be proven that Gehrig didn't have ALS, hopefully any doubt that arises from this study doesn't negatively impact the awareness that Gehrig's name lends to those who fight the disease. And maybe now the NFL and other sports organizations at every level of athletics will begin to take head injuries more seriously.

Buchholz Is Lights Out Again

2010-08-17T20:53:00.001-04:00

As I write, Clay Buchholz is helping the Sox school the Angels yet again with six shutout innings. In what will likely end up as a disappointing season for the Sox, Buchholz has been a major bright spot. Not including the present game he is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in his first three starts of August. On the season he is 13-5 and has an AL best 2.49 ERA. (By the way, this drives me crazy every time I look at pitching stats. This: 7.1, does not mean seven and one third. It means seven and one tenth. It should look like this: 7 1/3. I know it's not easy to represent 7 1/3 with a decimal since 1/3 is a repeating non-terminating decimal, but 7.1 is not correct.)

I'm pleased to see Buchholz develop and flourish in his first full season in the majors. He seemed to hit a snag after his no hitter in 2007. But now in my mind he has leap frogged Josh Beckett and joined Jon Lester as one of the Sox top two starters. Hopefully this a clear sign that the Sox will have excellent starting pitching for years to come.

A short football digression: I am selling the Jets right now. I just want go on record as saying that New York football's second class citizens will win not more than 10 games. If the sports media is high on your team, especially in the NFL, run for the hills. Also if Brett Favre comes back I'm setting the over/under on ints this year at 18.5. Which one are you taking?

A-Rod Jacks Up KC; Ellsbury Back to DL

2010-08-15T12:04:00.004-04:00

Last night we got a glimpse at the A-Rod circa 2005 as the Yankee third baseman demolished the Royals pitching with three home runs and propelled the Yankees to a 8-3 victory.

Everyone has been discussing Rodriguez's down year and he suffered through more criticism for his diminished slugging ability when he took longer than any other player to transition from 599 home runs to 600. And it is all true. Rodriguez is posting some of the worst numbers of his career in almost every offensive category. Still last night showed that A-Rod can still crush the ball every once in a while.

And while the Red Sox won last night, they lost Jacoby Ellsbury yet again. I gotta say, while I love the idea of the Red Sox trying to make up ground without their leadoff hitter - or their two best hitters in Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis - I feel bad for Ellsbury. The guy can't catch a break, well bad choice of words considering it's his broken ribs that have constantly plagued him this season.

Ellsbury has played only 18 games this season and never more than nine games before hitting the DL. Hopfully he gets healthy soon. Just not soon enough to try and save the Red Sox season.

Pitching Fails Sox Again

2010-08-14T08:06:00.003-04:00

The last two outings have seen the Sox lose games because of their three pitching disappointments on the year. Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon, and Tim Wakefield all contributed to the Sox late inning collapses. I think the Red Sox need to think long and hard about the future of each of those pitchers (except for Beckett who just signed that big extension. How nice for him).

Wakefield has clearly had it. He's been serviceable the past two or three years and has made some positive contributions. But his performance this year has shown that he is absolutely and irrevocably over the hill. Witness his 2003 ALCS reenactment last night.

I'm beginning to think that the Sox need to trade Paps while he still has some value. The fact is that a guy like Mariano Rivera or even Trevor Hoffman are very rare. Most closers are only dominant for a handful of years. Papelbon has two years left on his contract and Daniel Bard is showing legitimate closer ability this season. The Sox could keep both pitchers next year then trade Paps in the final year of the contract. I said trade him this off season before his value plummets. I'm sure they can get some idiot to trade them the farm for Paps. Closers like him are always over valued on the trade market and in free agency.

NESN Daily

2010-08-11T18:28:00.003-04:00

After about 15 seconds I was able to come to this conclusion about NESN's new nightly sports news program featuring comely blonde Jade (can't possibly be the real first name of a 40-year-old woman) McCarthy and Uri Berenguer. It's horrifying. I think the goal is for Uri to identify with the commonwealth's broham demographic. "No one's pawsibly gonna compete wit da Pats, brah!" And Jade's purpose is ... I'm not sure. Do we need more sports news of any kind? I think we've reached critical mass. (Oops. Guess I just gave you some sports news right there.)

ANYHOO... does anyone think that Carlos Degado's arrival means anything. If he hits over .230 I'll eat my hat. I guess the Sox just need bodies at this point. I'm actually feeling like they're going to make a run pretty soon, but I'm certain it will fall short.

Why Joe Buck Should Stay Away From Baseball...

2010-08-07T16:22:00.004-04:00

There are many, many....many reasons why Joe Buck should never be allowed to call a baseball game. Today marks reason #243 or so. During batting practice Alex Rodriguez was fielding his position. Lance Berkman was up at the plate. Meanwhile Joe Buck was dicking around on the field and distracted A-Rod by saying "Hi" Simultaneously Berkman hit a hot shot ground ball toward third base. A-Rod who had just got his head around was struck in the shin by the ball and therefore missed today's game. He is day to day. Be careful starting your car tonight, Joe.

Yanks and Sox at it Again

2010-08-06T17:06:00.008-04:00

Ok so here we are again. Yankees vs the Red Sox. It's been a while and both teams are a lot different than the last time they met. The Red Sox have lost the whole right side of their infield and the Yankees have a new DH and the outfield is healthy again and we will not be seeing Winn-Gardner-Thames out there.

These games will be close and at least in a few instances pretty ugly. The pitching tends to regress in these series. I will say this though, Mike Lowell will be the MVP for the Sox this series. That's just how it will be. They lose Youkilis and people wont be expecting Lowell to step up and be quite as good as him, but he'll surpass him this series because the Yankees always get hurt by the guy they think is the smallest threat.

Anyway the Red Sox will face the Yanks A- lineup tonight with the only downgrade coming at the expense of Jorge Posada. Here it is along with the Sox:

Derek Jeter SS ---------- Jacoby Ellsbury cf
Nick Swisher RF ---------- Marco Scutaro ss
Mark Teixeira 1B ---------- David Ortiz dh
Alex Rodriguez 3B ---------- Victor Martinez c
Robinson Cano 2B ---------- Adrian Beltre 3b
Lance Berkman DH ---------- J.D. Drew rf
Curtis Granderson CF ---------- Mike Lowell 1b
Francisco Cervelli C ---------- Ryan Kalish lf
Brett Gardner LF ---------- Jed Lowrie 2b

The New York lineup will have to level the playing field this series since the Sox hold an advantage in most of the pitching match ups, especially Monday's afternoon affair between Dustin Moseley and Jon Lester.

This series is big for both teams. The Yanks could make it a two-team race and the Sox could make up some big ground in the division/Wild Card race.

So let's do this thing.

A-Rod Hits 600; Yanks Back in First

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

So yea I'm a bit late on the whole A-Rod hitting his 600th home run and the Main Stream Media have spent the entire day beating it to death, especially since the week plus leading up to the home run we were bombarded by MSM pundits saying that people weren't making a big deal about A-Rod's 600th homer.

Anyway like many other people I am incredible bored with the whole steroid issue. Right now we really can't understand how the era will be viewed by history. It will take a while for us to have enough hindsight to make accurate judgements about the milestones players have and will achieve.

I will say that I have softened my stance about some players, particularly Barry Bonds. Clearly PEDs allowed him to extend his prime well beyond what it should have been, but his talent was evident before the steriod use probably began. A similar statement can be made about A-Rod and his ridiculous seasons in Texas. BOth probably belong in the Hall of Fame. However, I still say that Mark McGwire has no business being in the Hall of Fame. I get the 583 home runs, but that's really all that he has on his resume and I don't think he's an all-time great.

Anyway back to the baseball at hand, the Rays dropped their series finale to the Twins thanks to the catwalk over the infield. The loss puts the Yanks a half-game ahead of the Rays and puts them one game ahead in the loss column. All this with the Sox roll into the Big Apple for a four game set. If the Yanks take advantage of the games at hand, they could put the Red Sox out of their misery and make the AL East a two-team race.

NOOOOOO!

2010-08-05T20:31:00.005-04:00

Well that's the end of that. Kevin Youkilis is out for the year with a torn muscle in his thumb. Apparently this injury is extremely rare in baseball, but there is nothing that can be done. He needs surgery. This is very disheartening as Youk was on his way to another great year statistically (.307/.411/.564). Fortunately, another Mike Lowell trade didn't happen, and he will be able to play some first base. As long as he gets scheduled rest Lowell can be an effective player offensively and defensively.

It's amazing that the Sox have been able to win as many games as they have with all of the injuries. They're going to win 90+ games this season even with a roster of no names and prospects. Unfortunately sometimes that's not good enough in baseball's toughest division.

Sox Do Squat at Deadline

2010-08-01T16:33:00.003-04:00

Well, they got rid of some dead weight in Jeremy Hermida and Ramon Ramirez and got Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Texas. But these moves are hardly Earth shattering. Jarrod (not typing the surname again) is a decent addition. Clearly either Jason Varitek or Victor Martinez will not be back after this season. I would like to see Jarrod move to catcher. Let Martinez play first every day, and have Youkilis move to third. I feel a little bad for Hermida. He played well in spot duty very early in the year before he got hurt.

Nice walk off wins the past two days. Papi's base clearing double to win the game yesterday was pretty awesome. I don't think I've ever seen a game end that way before. When it's a home run, you know your team won. When it's a double like that there's more drama. Are all three runs going to score?! Today's win was a little less sweet. Crapelbon promptly allowed two inherited runners score before giving up the tying run. Then they needed an error to get the win. The good news, Clay Buchholz pitched very well for eight innings, a great sign after coming back from the injury.

Berkman Deal Official; Yanks In On Kerry Wood Too

2010-07-31T15:21:00.005-04:00

So Lance Berkman is officially in the fold. The Bombers made the announcement early this afternoon once Berkman's 24-hour window to veto the trade expired. The Yankees will get four million to offset the seven million remaining on Berkman's deal this season.

That cash means the Yankees had to give Houston something of value and that piece is Mark Melancon. Melancon was a candidate to follow the path of Dave Robertson in the big leagues this season, but the control that had made him so dominant during the 2008 and 2009 seasons eluded him at the big league level and in the minors this year. The 25-year-old righty may benefit from a change in scenery plus the change in league and division.

The Yankees also sent Jimmy Paredes a 21-year-old infielder in Low-A ball. He has a good arm and can hit a little, but he wasn't anything the Yankees had to think twice about giving up.

It also appears that Yanks are bringing in Kerry Wood. Obviously Wood would be a bridge to Mo in the late innings. He has been a disappointment as Cleveland's closer, posting a 4.80 ERA in 80 innings for the Tribe. He has hit the DL twice this year, most recently with a blister problem.

It probably wont cost the Yankees much in terms of prospects so really its a no lose situation for the Yankees as Wood can still light up a radar gun and drop that hammer curve.

The Deadline Approaches

2010-07-30T21:20:00.004-04:00

So as I watch Phil Hughes die-by-the-fastball yet again, I also have some thoughts as to the Yankees acquisition of Lance Berkman.

If the deal goes down as some have speculated, then this is a steal for the Yankees. The way it sounds, the Yankees will take on the whole of Berkman's contract, releasing the Astro's from about six million that is still owed to Berkman for the remainder of the year. New York will not have to give up any prospects of significance in the deal. The Yankees will be using the commodity the have the most of (cash) while protecting what they have few of (prospects). Sure Berkman is having a down year, but he is a better option as a DH than Juan Miranda and I would prefer him to Nick Johnson even if Johnson was healthy.

Berkman is only hitting .245 for the season, but his slugging percentage has been on the rise since his terrible May. In July he has slugged .521 and reached base at an exceptional rate of .404. Berkman would lengthen the lineup of the Yankees to 2006 standards when the Yankees were Murderers' Row and Cano.

As for Hughes I will just say this: I'm glad he lost tonight. Perhaps if he continues to lose games when he insists on throwing only fastballs, he will learn to read swings better and use his entire repertoire of off-speed pitches.

UPDATE: Well it looks like the Yankees will also be addressing the bench prior to the deadline. They have acquired Austin Kearns from the Indians for a player to be named later. Kearns will be a the fourth outfield option for Girardi. I suppose Kearns will be this season's Eric Hinske, providing decent power of the bench and can play an adequate corner outfield. There was some speculation that the Yankees might address the bench and the bullpen post deadline when the waiver wire heats up, but it appears that Brian Cashman has already addressed one of two Yankee needs plus he upgraded at DH.

The Sox are Teasing Me

2010-07-29T18:13:00.002-04:00

The Sox finished up their west coast swing by sweeping the Angels. Over the ten game trip they were 6-4. Naturally the baseball gods only did this to prove my "kiss of death" prediction wrong, to show that this road trip was not a harbinger of doom. They did it to coax me into writing an optimistic post in which I write something like, "Hey this is great. 5 1/2 games out of the wild card isn't terrible. Now we have the middling Tigers and pathetic Indians next at home. This will be a chance to pad the record before heading to the hostile confines of Yankee stadium. Then... who knows?!" Then of course the Sox will lay down like a cheap whore and irrevocably take themselves out of all contention. That's what the baseball gods want me to do. I shake my fist at you and spit in your eyes oh you gods! I shall not be your patsy!

Link Dump to Keep You Busy

2010-07-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

So I might be a little late on some of these stories. Most of them I read over the weekend, but I find them so interesting I feel like they should be read. So just in case you didn't see them here they are again.

The Steinbrenner's must want to spend their money before the government can retroactively hit them with a massive 55 percent inheritance tax because there are suggestions that the brothers might purchase the Tottenham Hotspurs of the English Premier League. There are some reports that the Yanks wont do it, but I would love to join the Tottenham bandwagon if they became a sister team to the Yankees.

Now I hate Tim McCarver already so when he tries to compare the Yankees to the Nazis and Stalin-era Soviets, it's just more fuel for the fire. But if you happened to like McCarver then I hope this changes your feelings about him. The guy is a hack and it's pathetic that he is allowed to call Saturday afternoon games, nevermind World Series contests.

Ah and another reason why the Mets are a joke. Seriously don't they have anyone there who know how to do simply math? I mean how do you let Bobby Bonilla come back and screw you for $23 million over the next 25 years? I just don't understand the logic of New York's second-class team, but I guess that's why the will always be a second-class team.

Steinbrenner

2010-07-18T09:03:00.002-04:00

Sorry. I just couldn't resist. But somehow I think George would have found this funny.

Ominous Signs for Red Sox

2010-07-17T07:36:00.003-04:00

The Red Sox, refreshed and rejuvenated after the All-Star break, just showed how good they're feeling by getting blown out two games in a row at home by the Rangers. This is a series the Sox really needed because after this comes the kiss of death, the ten game west coast road trip (cue the foreboding organ music). I don't see how the Red Sox can survive this trip and still remain a viable contender with the Rays and Yanks. They're just too banged up.

In other cheerful news, is Jacoby Ellsbury going to be a factor this year? Apparently he's going to be back soon, but I've heard that one before. In any case, I'm really sick of these rotating scrubs in the outfield. Josh Beckett is finishing up his rehab too. I don't have high hopes for him and his 7.00 ERA either. Someone needs to give these guys some V a la True Blood.

Abolish the All-Star Game

2010-07-14T18:49:00.004-04:00

Every All-Star game is useless: The Pro Bowl, MLB and NBA All-Star games, all of them. Some people pine for the days when Pete Rose might end your career in a completely meaningless contest just because he's a jerk like that. Not me.

There is just far too much money and too much at stake in the standings for any of these players to play very hard or very long. I for one can't blame any of them. I think those who do are just asking way too much. I know they get paid millions. I would literally have to work over 500 years at my present salary to make what Amar'e Stoudamire makes in one. But if you were a pro player in any sport, and you were making that kind of scratch would you really risk your present and future earnings or a shot a championships to play in an exhibition game? Or if you were an owner or coach would you want your best player putting his $20 million neck on the line in one of these farces? Thought not.

So why does everyone belly ache so much when the MLB All-Star game is "poorly managed" or Kyle Boller is starting the Pro Bowl because Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are smart enough to stay out of it? In spite of last night's MLB "midsummer classic" counting for home field in the World Series, it was clear that even they don't give a damn. It's really not that important to them and also doesn't seem to make much of a difference when you get to the World Series anyway. In the past seven World Series, since the absurd "this time it counts" started, the NL is 3-4; I would hardly call that a clear home field advantage for the AL. No wonder they don't give a crap. Neither do I.

That is why there should be a break, but no game. Just name the all-star teams at the end of the season along with all the other post season awards.

The All-Star Game and the Boss

2010-07-14T09:10:00.000-04:00

The All-Star game was played last night, but it was overshadowed, at least in Yankeeland, by the passing of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. I'm sure that by now everyone has heard about how the Boss died and I am sure that most have peruse the thousands of tribute articles that chronicled the highs and lows of Steinbrenner's time at the helm of baseball's most prominent team.

I wont really bother with most of that. We all know what he did for the Yankees, baseball and American sports in general. Fans of opposing teams usually despised him, but the reality is anyy fan of any team would love to have him as an owner. Steinbrenner ran a team like a fan would. He didn't care about the bottom line, to him all that mattered was winning and any financial endeavor he undertook as the owner of the Yankees had the ultimate objective of helping the Yankees to their next pennant.

Really it is fitting that he pass on the day of the All-Star game because his impact on the game is most personified by the competition between the American League and the National League. The reason the AL has so dominated the Midsummer Classic is because every team in the AL has to compete with the Yankees and therefore must play at a higher level than the Senior Circuit.

Steinbrenner drove the Yankees to greatness, but he also drove baseball to new heights at the same time. There was no one quite like him before and there will probably never be anyone like him again. The Yanks will miss you George.

My Two Cents on the World Cup

2010-07-12T18:05:00.004-04:00

U.S. sports media, you're kind of pissing me off. I will explain, but first let's get a couple things straight. Soccer is not the Americans thing. Can we just admit that it will never be anywhere near as popular here as it is in the rest of the world? Can we agree that we have inferior talent on the field (or pitch if you prefer. Why the hell to they call it a pitch anyway? My guess is the origins of the great divide start there somewhere.) and that the Libertarians have a better chance of fielding a legit presidential nominee than the Americans have at winning the World Cup? Agreed. Good. It's cultural and that's okay.

My issue with the sports media is that it has been using every available chance it gets to bitch about soccer and the World Cup. All the talk centers around how boring it is and that nobody cares and no one ever will. You think it's boring? Baseball is freakin' boring. That is unless you understand the nuances of the game. And there in lies my beef.

Instead of the ESPN etc. talking heads defecating at the mouth like frat boy ignoramuses, they could have shown us some programing that could teach the casual observers the finer points of the game. Not everyone needs to be converted into a rabid football hooligan, but I think some education, history and X's and O's would have been nice. But then again, that might not have worked for the nacho scarfing masses.

Soccer is a game not easily encapsulated in a box score. You actually have to *gasp* watch the entire game to fully understand what went on. There's no passer rating, VORP or ERA+ to just tell you who the best players are. The action on the field tells you. Spain won each match on the way to the championship 1-0. Yet their play was so dominant the outcome of each contest was hardly in doubt. Soccer requires a devotion and attention to detail from the fan that the American ADD culture has no patience for. I am no Soccer fanatic or expert but I've watched enough to know that I love the World Cup. It's a great event and a great game.

Sox Hurtin' at the Break

2010-07-08T17:43:00.003-04:00

I was optimistic a week or so ago when the Sox pulled within two games of the Yanks and were a game ahead of the Rays. It was the perfect time for the Sox to assert themselves especially with three games against said Rays right before the All-Star break. Well, all that mojo is gone. They lost three in a row to the Rays and four in a row overall. In addition the roster looks like a MASH unit. I don't even recognize half of these fill-in guys. Now the Sox lie mired 4.5 games out of first behind both the Yanks and Rays.

4.5 games out is certainly not insurmountable, not in the least at this point. The Sox will get their cracks at both division rivals down the stretch with 17 games against them combined. It's important not to panic. Fortunately, other than Pedroia's broken foot the injuries are not that serious. My questions for the second half include: Josh Beckett, are you going to be a factor at all this year? What moves are the Sox going to make to make their playoff push? Can Lester and Buchholz keep up their Cy Young level pitching? Will the Sox win 95+ games and miss the playoffs?

But first... can we please just sweep the Jays on the way to the break?!

Cano Joining the Home Run Derby

2010-07-06T20:07:00.007-04:00

It looks like Robinson Cano is going to be the first Yankee to participate in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby. Cano is the first Yankee in the Derby since Jason Giambi failed to defend his crown in 2003.

The Home run Derby is pretty pointless and most of the time it disappoints, but Cano in the derby will be pretty entertaining. The guy has a great swing and the clips the YES Network shows of his batting practice bombs are pretty impressive.

I actually hope that this starts a trend and perhaps MLB will stop asking just sluggers to participate. They should try thinking outside the box for once. I think a player like Ichiro would be great to watch in the Derby as well since he is also known for hitting bombs in batting practice whenever he feels like it.

Sure he might so no in order to protect his swing, but what's the harm in asking?

Update: Oh and by the way, who else saw that sick goal by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst for the Dutch against Uruguay in the World Cup semis? Are you kidding me?!?! That was just plain ridiculous. I can't even do that in FIFA '10.

Here's hoping Germany vs. Spain is just as exciting.

The Lack of Evolution from Phil Hughes

2010-06-29T20:34:00.004-04:00

As I watch the Yankees and Phil Hughes take on the Mariners in Yankee Stadium I can't ignore the one thought that continually screams through my head with Hughes on the mound: THROW A DAMN CURVEBALL!!!

I have intently watched Hughes since his arrival in the big leagues and when he came up I often complained that the Yankees called far too many fastballs for him to be effective. Now I long for those days.

It seems that Hughes fell in love with his fastball last year when he came out of the bullpen firing darts past hitters and he began racking up Ks at an impressive rate. Now however, as a starter he seems to think that he only has two pitches in his repertoire. The first is his fastball, which has been a good pitch and the second has been his cutter, which has been great for him. The only problem is you can't go through an order three-plus times with only two pitches.

Hughes fails to use his curveball or his changeup. While I understand that Hughes would be wary of using his changeup in high leverage situations, I can only wonder why he refuses to throw the curveball.

Over the course of his first six starts Hughes overwhelmed the opposition, winning five games to the tune of a 1.38 ERA with 39 strike outs in 39 innings. Over his next eight, including tonight versus the Mariners, Hughes has a 5.33 ERA and has struck out 42 in 49 innings.

Now the problem with Hughes isn't stuff or location, it's that the opposition has now seen Hughes, and those that haven't have plenty of tape to work off of. Hitters have been fouling off Hughes' best pitches and hammering his cutter when they are looking for it. Take for instance this start against the Mariners, the second worst offensive team in baseball. Hughes threw 85 pitches during his start with 62 of those being cutters and fastballs for 73 percent of his pitches. That is simply too frequent to keep hitters from getting their timing and squaring him up.

Maybe now that Dave Eiland is back somebody can smack Hughes upside the head and tell him to throw a damn curveball or, God forbid, a changeup. But I wont be holding my breath. Maybe when he gets jacked up a few more times he will finally learn his lesson that the name of the game is locating you pitches and changing speeds (See Jamie Moyer).

Pedroia Out for Six Weeks

2010-06-29T19:31:00.002-04:00

Just as the Sox start playing well and put themselves in a position to increase their lead on the Rays with the mini series that starts tonight, Dustin Pedroia breaks his foot. Make no mistake about it, this is not good. I can see the Sox rallying around this injury and doing well in the next couple of weeks, but six weeks without their catalyst is going to be tough to weather.

At least Clay Buchholz and Victor Martinez won't be out long. Martinez is on the 15-day DL, while Buchholz was scheduled to miss his next start anyway.

Lester Outlasts Lincecum

2010-06-28T08:57:00.003-04:00

Much to the chagrin of our friend Dennis, Jon Lester pitched a gem yesterday and the normally nasty Tim Lincecum managed just three innings against the Red Sox. Still I was surprised the Giants yanked him when they did. Even though Lincecum needed 78 pitches to get through his three innings of work he only gave up four runs. That's not great, especially if you're a two time Cy Young winner, but the Giants weren't out of the game by any means.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lester was dominant again. He pitched his second complete game of the season while striking out nine. He even helped his own cause giving a Lincecum fast ball a long ride to the 420 sign and driving in a run with a sac fly.

Lester is emerging as a legit Cy Young candidate. Since his first couple of starts when he was pretty poor he is 9-1. His ERA on the season is 2.86 and he has turned into an overpowering strikeout machine. It's enough to make you forget about the oft injured and lately ineffectual Josh Beckett.

This road trip hasn't been all sunshine and blueberry lollipops for the Sox, however. It has produced some key injuries that they must weather if they are going to keep pace in the division. Dustin Pedroia has a broken foot after fouling a ball off himself Friday. He is now on the 15 day DL. Most maddening of all is Clay Buchholz hyperextending his knee while running the bases on Saturday. Every year in stupid interleague play some AL pitcher sustains a significant injury while running the bases. A professional athlete should be able to run 90 feet without hurting himself, but there's always this thought, this never would have happened if... Now the big fat cherry on top of this this crap sundae happened yesterday when Victor Martinez broke his thumb. Fortunately the All-Star Break is around the corner.

Yankees Take 2 From D-Backs; Head to LA

2010-06-25T10:08:00.001-04:00

So yea it has been quite some time since I have been able to post something about the Yankees. That tends to happen when you start a new job and the World Cup starts at the same time.

My attention has been drawn away from the Bombers a bit, but during my absence they have done me proud and taken a tenuous hold of first place. Well I shouldn't say they have done me proud. That entire series against the Diamondbacks was a joke, especially last night when the Yankees decided to hand three outs to Dontrelle Willis with boneheaded plays on the basepaths and a moronic bunt attempt from Fransisco Cervelli.

Sure Willis is slow to the plate, and perhaps Nick Swisher was antsy to get his first stolen base since 2008. Mark Teixeira however, has no business ever running unless it's a full-count with two outs.

Willis clearly was not going to throw strikes and they Yankees needed to exploit that by drawing ever walk they could and getting into the D-Back's bullpen as soon as possible, but by running and bunting, they essentially gave Willis one inning where he did not have to record an out.

Luckily enough the Yankee bats came alive enough to save Javier Vasquez who pitched fine, except when he faced Adam LaRoche, who went 2 for 4 while driving in all five of the Arizona runs.

Now the Yankees will travel to LA for a three game set that will be overblown because of the Joe Torre factor. Really though, New York should take this series too. Vincente Padilla and Hiroki Kuroda are very beatable pitchers for the Yankees, while Clayton Kershaw presents the biggest challenge for the Yankee bats.

The Yanks will be throwing two of their best as well, but they will also be throwing their worst when Burnett takes the ball for the second game of the series.

Really my biggest problem with this series is that afterwards the Yankees will fly home to face the Mariners and the Blue Jays, before the fly back across the country to play the Mariners again. Seriously who is making this schedule? It's just plan ridiculous.

AL East Tightens Up

2010-06-22T18:13:00.005-04:00

All of a sudden, with the All-Star Break on the horizon, the division is in a virtual tie. The Red Sox have used the inferior NL to gain ground and pile on the runs. They are 8-1 against the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Dodgers and averaged 6.9 runs per game while doing it. However, runs may be at a premium in the next couple of series. They have the Rockies and Giants up next. I wonder if they will manage to avoid Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Cain, and Tim Lincecum... not bloody likely. Hopefully they will take it to the Rays like last time in their last two contests before the All-Fart game. After the break, it will be back to bludgeoning the O's.

The Rays on the other hand are getting handled by the likes of the Marlins while going 3-7 in their last ten. The Yankees have pretty much held their own, but the Sox blistering pace has closed the gap; although, the Yanks will have a cushy schedule coming up once they finish their interleague play. They face the Mariners, Blue Jays, A's, and Mariners again before finally having to face the Rays at home.

With any luck we'll have an entertaining three team race in the division that goes down to the last week in the season. It's what was anticipated. Let's see if it delivers.

Why?

2010-06-17T20:44:00.002-04:00

Why am I watching the Sox play the Diamondbacks right now? My lack of posts is related directly to my disinterest in interleague play. I am realizing this just now. There are just far more compelling sports events happening during this travesty.

The NBA Finals are one. I know I've expressed my disinterest in basketball before, but this is Celtics v. Lakers. It takes me back to my childhood when Larry Bird was the hero, Magic Johnson the villain. Perhaps the game is a little sloppier, but with so much at stake, I can't look away. (These behemoths playing on the confines of a basketball court is like if my brothers and me tried to play in my kitchen.) In about 10 minutes, I'm switching stations.

Hell, I'm even more interested in the World Cup. Now, I'm always interested in the World Cup, even if I don't follow Soccer any other time. But this time I can't even watch the games, and I care more. Favorite, Spain, goes down to Switzerland! Where's my vuvuzela?!