Pointless
Pre-preseason baseball is an interesting time. Nothing has happened. Players are just reporting to their teams. The baseball media doesn't really know what to do with itself. They kind of mosey around the workouts, asking asinine questions about the upcoming season to guys who probably won't see Opening Day, and just generally being a nuisance. To pass the time, they make up stories. Not necessarily fabricating fake truths, but just making something that is very small and insignificant into something enormous.
Take for example, the "story" that would have been on the back page of today's NY Post had Carmelo Anthony not signed with the Knicks. The "story" of how Hank Steinbrenner, the co-chairman of the New York Yankees, said that the 2010 Yankees weren't concentrated enough on the season because they were too busy "building mansions" and celebrating the previous year's World Series Championship.
What to do with this quote? Any normal person would have just tossed it aside. Hank Steinbrenner seems to come out from the cloud of smoke that surrounds him every so often to yell, cause a minor controversy, then go back to the OTB. His role in the Yankees Universe has been reduced down to a title on their letterhead. To give any legitimacy to whatever he says is laughable. But, being the story-hungry lot that they are, the media immediately rush over to Derek Jeter for his reaction.
Why Derek Jeter? Because he has just completed construction on his new mansion in St. Petersburg, Florida. Oh, scandalous! There's a story a-brewin'!
Obviously Jeter laughed it off, dismissing it completely and went on with his day. What exactly were the media expecting him to say? To curse out Steinbrenner? Demand a trade? Take a shit on his desk? He's Derek Jeter. He hasn't said anything interesting since the day he was drafted. For a guy who is basically the most covered sports figure in the history of New York, he could be the most boring. There wasn't a story here. And the media still headed to Jeter for a reaction. Derek incorporates the words "teamwork", "effort", and "bunt" into every quote. Even if it's in regards to his love life. Bor-ing.
Want a story? Follow Joba around for a few days. See exactly what he eats. If he makes consecutive stops to two different Cinnabons within the span of an hour, then I'll be interested. Until then media, hang low for a while. Real stories will be here soon enough.
Me personally, I’d take my time
Take a second to read this...
WALL STREET JOURNAL-In case New Yorkers needed another way to compare Derek Jeter to Alex Rodriguez, we've found something new. When Mr. Jeter hits a home run, it takes him 20.19 seconds to round the bases, the second-fastest time among Yankees starters. Mr. Rodriguez needs 24.94 seconds, the slowest mark on the team.
To determine which Yankees are the slowest to circle the bases during their home-run trots, Take a Number clocked how long every 2009 home run took. The average for current Yankee starters with at least 10 home runs last year is 22.1 seconds—all of Mr. Rodriguez's home-run trots were slower than that.
The average home-run time in the majors is 21.89 seconds, according to Marquette University data coordinator Larry Granillo. As a team, the Yankees are the 12th-fastest, edging the Mets by two-tenths of a second.
Outfielder Curtis Granderson is the fastest Yankee at 18.81 seconds, but that's partly because many of his home runs barely leave the yard—he runs quickly because he doesn't know where the ball will end up.
Most of Mr. Rodriguez's home runs are sure things. Maybe that's why he pauses for a second to admire them.
First things first. Should The Wall Street Journal even have a "SPORTS" section? Last time I checked, there were no sports being played on Wall Street. Must be a slow news day I guess. Wait, no, there's actually a lot going on in the world of sports. NHL Playoffs, NBA Playoffs, NFL Draft analysis, World Cup storylines, impending NBA free agency, Tiger Woods, among thousands of other relatively important stories.
However, David Binderman felt the need to ignore those and stick to what matters: The average time it takes individual Yankees to round the bases following a home run. And what do the times prove? Nothing. It's meaningless information. It's meant to imply and insinuate. Jeter rounds the bases quicker than most Yankees because he's an all-go-no-quit kind of guy. Rodriguez takes a little longer to round the bases, ergo, he's an arrogant sack of shit.
He even gave us a handy-dandy chart:
How handy!
And even if A-rod takes 2 seconds longer to go from home to home, who cares? Does it have an effect on the outcome of the game? Do pitchers really resent waiting an extra few seconds? No, they're too busy cursing themselves for letting a meatball float towards the fat part of the plate.
I don't care if you're a major leaguer. Do you know how hard it is to hit a 90-MPH fastball 380 feet away from you? Please, if I was blessed with the ability to do so, I would moon-walk around the bases every time I did so. Screw the unwritten rules of the game. It's a game remember?
In fact, I would pull a "Hulk Hogan" each time I walked to the plate. Putting my hand to my ear egging on the cheers. My at-bat music would be "I Made It" (see previous post) and I would LOVE the attention. Too many players go to great lengths to avoid the appearance of having any fun. Stone face, rigid personality, business-like all the time. Dude, have some fun. You're being paid thousands of dollars per plate appearance to FAIL 70% of the time. Lighten up.
12 games in…
This sucks. For the last 25 minutes I've wracked my brain trying to find something I should be worried about with the Yankees.
Nothing.
Well, that's not necessarily true. There are a few things. But it's nothing that cannot be worked on throughout the course on the season.
For example: Javier Vasquez. When the Yankees made the trade for Vazquez, I felt like I was the only one who backed it. I heard a lot of "But Melky was super-clutch for us" and "Do you remember what Javy did for us back in '04?" Yes, I remember. But if you also remember, he was asked to carry a heavier burden into that year. With the likes of an always hurt Kevin Brown, Jon "Who?" Lieber, Mike Mussina, and Lord-knows-their-real-ages Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras, obviously a lot was put on Vazquez.
And who really cares about the grand slam he gave up against Johnny Damon in Game 7 of the ALCS? The Yankees were down 2-0 and Brown loaded the bases before Vazquez eve got a chance to throw one pitch. New York was destined to lose that game. Javy just happened to become the scapegoat.
He's their fourth starter now. A guy who's going to get matched up against the Tim Wakefields, Scott Bakers, and Scott Kazmirs of the world. He can afford to make mistakes. And he won't make many. Granted, the National League is far inferior to the American League, but leading the league in strikeouts was no mistake. The man misses bats. His 0-2 start is merely a detoxification of his exodus from the National League. It's about him readapting to the AL. Which he will. I'm not worried. You shouldn't be either.
Worry No. 2: Mark Teixeira. 44 at-bats in: .114 AVG, .291 OBP, .205 SLG. Yikes. Big yikes. The man has 9 total bases. 9! Even Brett Gardner has 10. Sure he's bad right now. But this is eerily similar to last year. And the year before. And the year before. He's just a slow starter. Maybe he doesn't like the cool weather. Maybe he needs to get his reps in. Or maybe his steroid cycle doesn't kick in until mid-May (kidding). But who knows. I'm pretty sure by the end of the season, his numbers will be close if not better than his yearly averages.
This 9-3 start has been nice. I'd be surprised if they keep up this pace for long. Having 3 of your pitchers with sub-3.00 ERA's doesn't normally last. Having 5 everyday players with .400+ OBP doesn't normally last.
I'll be sure to panic as soon as they lose two in a row.
Yup
Today I have to write an essay, take a test, do the dishes, take out the garbage, and probably get stuck in traffic.
Thoughts on the 2009 World Series/2010 Season
-Finally, I can enjoy my winter for the first time since 2000. I usually rate years of my life based on how the Yankees did. So, for me, 2009 will forever be known as "a good year".
-Sure I'm spoiled. I turn 22 on the 30th and have been lucky to experience five World Series championships. But don't assume that I have appreciated them any less. I'll never take them for granted. If I live to be a 100 and never watch the Yankees win another championship, I'll always have these five.
-It's going to be really interesting how the Yankees approach the whole resigning of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. There are so many questions that need to be addressed. Do they want to stay in New York? How many years are they looking for? Does Matsui want to play left field? Do the Yankees want to employ a full-time DH? Aren't they looking to get younger? Obviously, all of these concerns will be ironed out over the next few months.
-The game was fun last night, but what was probably even more fun was watching the agents of Damon and Matsui as the night progressed. I'm sure after every Matsui RBI-hit, his agent was lighting cigars with 8,000,000 yen and yelling the Japanese equivalent of "Cha-Ching!" The same could be said for Damon's agent. That is until the third inning when Damon pulled his calf while scoring on Hideki's hit. My guess is general managers aren't necessarily salivating over Damon's impending free agency. "OOOOOO, an aging left-fielder with no arm and a penchant for straining vital muscles!" Don't get me wrong though, I want Damon back. He was too valuable to THIS team. Which brings me to my next point:
-Damon's at-bat in the ninth inning of Game 4 will forever be known as "the most unheralded important at-bat in World Series history". Two outs and no one on base. In the previous inning, Joba Chamberlain surrendered a game-tying home run off the bat of Pedro Feliz. The series had shifted in the Phillies favor. If Lidge gets out of the ninth, there's a very good chance Philadelphia wins it in the bottom of the ninth and the series is tied 2-2. But up steps Johnny Damon. After looking silly swinging at two sliders in the dirt, Damon fouls off pitch after pitch until Lidge leaves a fastball up. Johnny knocks it into left and passes the proverbial baton to Teixeira. Surprisingly, Damon takes off for second. Since the Phillies had the shift on for Teixeira, no one was covering third. Knowing this, Johnny sprints towards third and makes it. Cue Teixeira hit-by-pitch and Arod double. Game, Blouses. Yankees take a commanding 3-1 series lead. That's why I want him back (for the right length and price).
-I'll say this once, if the Yankees don't put Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen next season, I'll lose it. Whatever "IT" is, I'll lose it. This post-season was clearly a glaring reason why they should do so. And if they didn't see it, they're either blind, stubborn, insane, or epically stupid. Both his velocity and location improved. Plus his slider was actually sliding, which it wasn't during the season. The man was born to relieve. He doesn't have the intelligence nor the attention span to start.
-Since the Yankees WILL be doing the above, this means its a perfect opportunity for Phil Hughes to start. Look, I lovedwhat he did for us in the bullpen this season. It was terrific. But unlike Joba, his pitching repertoire and overall mental makeup screams "STARTING PITCHER!!!!". He's calm, cool, calculated and smart. Once again, unlike Joba.
-Can we officially call the period between 2001 and 2008, "The Curse of Mike Mussina". Mussina arrived in New York in 2001, a year after they had won their third straight World Series championship. And retired in 2008, a year before they won their 27th world title. Bad luck? Coincidence? Was he as much of a douche as everyone said he was? I'll put my money on the latter. He was a terrific pitcher and a great Yankee, but from what I heard, he was a word that starts with a "pr" and ends with a "ick". And I'm sure his "winning personality" had some effect on team chemistry.
-Throwing aside blatant homerism, I think we can all agree that Mariano Rivera is not human. On his Baseball Reference page it says he turns 40 on November 29th. Does that mean anything really? Really? Every time he strikes out a batter, I'm reminded of a C.S. Lewis quote:
"I find in myself desires which nothing in this earth can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world"
John Sterling: The Highest, Farest, Gone’est Announcer Ever!
Survey a hundred New York Yankees fans: What do you think of John Sterling? Odds are, there will be fifty positive responses and fifty negative responses. The "Legendary Voice of the Yankees" (Sorry Michael Kay) has been calling games since 1989. And in that time, he has been the personification of hyperbole and exaggeration. Ironically, such qualities have split the New York Yankees supporters into those who love him and those who can't stand him. There are actually those who enjoy his self-serving, over-the-top homerun calls. They think that it is campy and cute. Maybe they are, but somewhere a line needs to be drawn. There are times when a ball is well hit into the outfield and there is a need for the play to be described and analyzed. However, he has already gone into "Homerun Voice Mode". So while the ball is bouncing in the corner and runners are rounding the bases, Sterling is describing a majestic drive off the bat of whoever. He is too preoccupied with getting his "call" in, that he sacrifices actually doing his job. I would excuse his behavior if his "calls" were interesting and worth the effort. But if you were ever to listen to a game where a Yankee hit a homerun, you would think Sterling had five year-old writers.
The simplicity of the late Harry Kalas' home run call, "Outta here", is what made him great. Sterling, on the other hand, in addition to "It is high! It is far! It is gone!" adds a unique different call for each player hitting the homerun. They are so cring-worthy, that the sound of Suzyn Waldman's voice would be welcome over it. Let's go through them, shall we?
Melky Cabrera: "The Melkman delivers!" "It's the Melky Way" "The Melkman always knocks twice"
(Ed Note: That third one doesn't even make sense.)
Robinson Cano: "Cano! Don't you know?" "Cano can do!" "A Ribbie for Robbie!"
(Ed Note: With a name like Cano, I'm sure there are an infinite amount of others.)
Johnny Damon: "Positively Damonic!" "Johnny's on the spot!" "It's a Johnny's Rocket!"
(Ed Note: "Johnny" provides too much for him. It's time he be referred to as "John Damon".)
Derek Jeter: "El Capitan!" "A Jeterian swing!" "A Jeter Jolt!" "Oh Captain, My Captain!"
(Ed Note: His Jeter calls are done with his pants around his ankles.)
Hideki Matsui: "A Thrilla by Godzilla!" "An Upper-Decki by Hideki!"
(Ed Note: I see what he did there.)
Xavier Nady: "X marks the spot!"
(Ed Note: Looks like this one will be put away for a while.)
Jorge Posada: "Jorgie juiced one!" "Jorgie jacks one!"
(Ed Note: I guess he thought "juiced" implied too much.)
Alex Rodriguez: "An A-Bomb from A-Rod!" "Alexander the Great Conquers Again!"
(Ed Note: He pulled out the second one during Rodriguez's 54 homerun year. "A-Bomb" was running dry.)
Nick Swisher: "Jolly 'Ol St. Nick!" "Nick at Night!"
(Ed Note: Google was obviously used for these ones.)
Jose Molina: "Jose, can you see that?!"
(Ed Note: Thought of seven minutes before the first pitch)
And the best...
Mark Teixeira: "A Tex Message!" "You're on the Mark, Teixeira!"
(Ed Note: No response)
My A-Rod Stance, among other things
Alex Rodriguez will miss some time this season
I wanted to write a lot about this, but I feel I just would have wasted my time trying to convince everyone that I think this is the best thing that could happen for the Yankees. I can not really explain why I feel this way. Every single tangible statistic and number points to the contrary. They'll have less power, they'll hit for a lower average, lower on base percentage, and a lower slugging percentage. But the man has been a constant distraction for the past three years. He says the wrong things, he does the wrong things, and the Yankee players are the ones who have to answer for him. I believe without him, they will perform even better. Let us not forget who the Yankees still have in their lineup:
Johnny Damon: Two words: Contract. Year. He stated earlier in the offseason that he wants to stay in New York. That's also not to mention that he did bat .303 with a .375 on base percentage in 2008. I would pencil him in for at least the same, if not better numbers.
Derek Jeter: Sure, he can't field. But what he lacks at shortstop, he'll make up for in hitting, and ladies. He had a bad year in 2008, and still batted .300.
Robinson Cano: Okay, we ALL know what he is capable of, right? Rod Carew comparisons. Perennial batting champion. It's about time the man lives up to his billing. There's not much to hang your hat on with him coming off last season, but he did bat .307 after the All Star Break and ended up with a .271 batting average for the year. My guess is that he finally brings it all together.
Jorge Posada: There should be a constant "?" next to his name for at least until June. If his shoulder holds up, they will have the fourth best hitting catcher in the league (McCann, Mauer, Martin). I say that because he will only catch about 90-100 games this year. With that kind of rest, a healthy Posada could tear the cover off the ball for a better part of the season. But the question remains, IF that shoulder holds up.
Mark Teixiera: There are a few numbers we can already give Teixiera for the 2009 season: .290+ average, .370+ OBP, .570+ SLG, 30+ HRs, 110+ RBIs. Those numbers should be set in stone. What matter is WHEN he will start compiling those numbers on a regular basis. He is known as an awful first half player. My hope is that he will step it up while Arod is out for the first couple months and carry the load until he returns. They are paying him $20+ million a year for the next eight years, it's the least he could do.
Hideki Matsui: Is anyone expecting anything from him? I'm not. So basically, if he hits one single this season, he will have surpassed my expectations. I can't be upset with his performance since he has joined the Yankees though. For four of the six years he has had 100+ RBIs, which he actually rather good for a player coming over from Japan.
Xavier Nady: Did you know that Nady went straight to the majors after being drafted? Not even a token trip to the minors. Something to hang your hat on for the 2009 season.
Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner: Six of one, half dozen of the other. Flip a coin. At least that is what I think. However, if you were to look at Gardner's Wikipedia page, you would think he is the greatest prospect in the history of the Yankee farm system:
"Gardner's legs are his strength. He's the fastest baserunner in the organization, has 80 speed on a 20-80 scale, and has solid baserunning instincts. He's adept at picking spots, knowing when it's more valuable to the team for him to use the threat of a stolen base to get the pitcher to throw fastballs to the heart of the order. He has outstanding plate discipline, draws a good number of walks, and uses the whole field while making consistent, hard contact. Baseball America rated him as having the best strike zone discipline in the Yankees minor league system after the close of the 2006 season."
Sounds like a real find! He should start based solely on that assessment. Meanwhile, Cabrera's Wikipedia page states the following:
"On July 7, 2007, Cabrera tied a Yankees record by striking out 5 times in a single 13-inning game, a feat known as the platinum sombrero."
Now remember, Cabrera is still two years younger with MORE experience. I say, it doesn't matter. These are inconsequential pieces to the proverbial puzzle. Cabrera may hit for a better average while Gardner may steal more bases. There is enough talent around them to cancel out their inability. Regardless of how they perform this year, they will just be a stop-gap until Austin Jackson realizes his talent and is patrolling centerfield at Yankee Stadium.
Who knew Randy Johnson had a sense of humor?
Headlines…
And so it begins. Greg Oden out 2-4 weeks after spraining his right foot in the season opener against the Lakers. One game in. Two career injuries. He really is an old man. What's next for him? Rhumetoid Arthritis? Demetia? Erectile Dysfunction? He'll be marketing orthepedic shoes in no time.
The Phillies did it. Finally, the city of Philadelphia has a championship to call their own. 1980 is a distant memory. Now, in the city of Brotherly Love, children are being born with the names Chase, Cole, Brad, or Flyin' Hawaiian.
Jeter does an interview. Acts suave. Says nothing.
You got to feel for this kid. One of the worst looking injuries I've seen. If you get the chance, DON'T watch it. Suffice is to say that is could of been avoided. Hopefully, things work out for him and he has a fast recovery.
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