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May 31, 2005

May 31st @ The Royals

I can do this one with seven sentences.

There are pages of baseball stats that can be used to show how bad the Kansas City Royals are this season. But, rather than show you them, just trust me when I say they are so bad that they should have Chico's Bail Bonds printed on the back of their jerseys.

Tonight, the non-striving New York Yankees were defeated by these aforementioned Royals.

By the close of the 1st of June, the Yankees could be in fourth place in the American League East.

As crazy as this might sound, the Yankees next game is "must win." I hope the Big Unit realizes this as well.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:30 PM | Comments (10)

Freakonomics For Yankees

I just started reading the book Freakonomics. It's been interesting so far. And, this AM, a passage that I read made the Yankee light bulb go on over my head.

Without going into too much detail and giving anything away from the book, this section was regarding the prevention of a postwar revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the North, where the book talks about the "raw power of information" and how sometimes that power is "derived in large part" from groups hoarding information and that "once that information falls into the wrong hands" the hoarding group loses it's advantage.

Right away, I began to think of the baseball book Moneyball - in which, A's G.M. Billy Beane allowed the telling of many of the ways the A's run their team. Hmmmmm, and, how exactly have the A's been doing since Moneyball came out?

But, then, just as quick, I thought about a Baseball Digest article that I read as a kid following the 1976 World Series. This piece talked about how hard that the Reds scouted the Yankees for that series. It was very interesting to read after-the-fact.

The scout that did the work said that he told the Reds that a Rivers bunt was an automatic hit. So, what did the Reds do? Rose played in at third right down Mickey's throat. And, Rivers was neutralized. Next, the scout told Cincy that they should not let Munson hurt them with extra base hits - and, that if you gave Thurman the outside pitch, he would be willing to take it for a single to RF. So, what happened? Munson had a ton of hits in that series - but did not harm the Reds with any extra base hits.

It was not all perfect. The scout told the Reds that you could "knock the bat out of the hands" of SS Jim Mason. And, Mason homered in his only AB in the series - the Yankees only long ball in the '76 series.

Nonetheless, information does have raw power. So, since the Yankees know that they have to beat the Red Sox to win in the A.L. East, why not try and get as much information on them as possible? If I were Big Stein, I would have a good scout assigned to the Red Sox 24/7. Get him a MLB.TV package. Make him watch every pitch of every Sox game. Somebody is getting Ortiz and Manny out sometime, right? There has to be something to learn there, no? And, some teams are able to beat Tim Wakefield, right? Why not try and see how they do it?

And, while the scout is at it, he can look at the Sox-Yankees games and figure out what the Yankees are doing wrong when they play Boston.

How much could it cost to cover a full-time Boston scout? Fifty-grand? Seventy-five maybe? Isn't that worth it? How many Ortiz homeruns do you have to watch before you sign off on the idea? I think it's time. Beats doing whatever they are doing now - because that is not working.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:16 PM | Comments (8)

May 29, 2005

May 29th vs. The Red Sox

Looks like I called it yesterday.

Funny thing happened tonight. Well, I say funny because it's the most polite thing I can think of now. At 9 pm EST, I tuned away from the game to watch the second half of HBO's Empire Falls (since I watched the first half last night and wanted to see how it ended.) At that point, the score was 2-2 in the 2nd. When I got back to the game at 10:30, it was in the 7th and the Yankees were down 6-2 (with Obi Wang on the mound). And, I thought to myself "Why did I change the channel to Empire Falls when I could have just stayed on ESPN and seen the Empire Fall?

Actually, I think I can sum up the difference in the Yankees and the Red Sox over the last couple of years in two names: Jason Giambi and David Ortiz. Yankees have the former and the Sox have the latter. And, it's worse that New York paid gazillions for Jason and Boston found David on the scrap heap. Go figure.

And, if that's not bad enough, seeing this man (below) pitch into the 9th inning to get the "W" tonight is another kick in the pants.

I wonder how the Yankees will rebound (if they do) from this series?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:58 PM | Comments (20)

May 28, 2005

May 28th vs. The Red Sox

Different year.

Same story.

Once again, New York had the Red Sox flat on the ground with their pinstriped boot lodged tightly on the Bostonian's neck. But, instead of maintaining pressure until the Sox' life-force faded to black, the Yankees knelt down, pressed their lips on that of their foe, and administrated the kiss of life.

Will this repeated failure to go for the jugular again lead to great despair? Tune in tomorrow.

Then again, maybe I just take this stuff too seriously?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:45 PM | Comments (8)

May 27, 2005

May 27th vs. The Red Sox

Hey baby, I hear the blues a-callin',
tossed salad and scrambled eggs.
Oh my,
mercy.

What's with the theme to Frasier? Here goes: I'm watching the game tonight, and it's the Cano Show, ya know? And, I'm thinking "This guy is so smooth, he could be the Silver Surfer" and then I thought "He might be the smoothest dude to play in New York since Clyde Frazier." And, just then Frazier Cano came into my head and right away I realized how close that sounds to "Frasier Crane".........and, then, well, the music started.

Just earlier this week, I heard A-Rod doing an interview on WFAN and Mike Francesa asked Alex about Cano. And, Rodriguez noted that he brings energy to the game, had a great smile, and was very confident. Francesa noted that Cano looked confident at the plate and Alex added that he (Cano) thinks he can hit anyone (and then laughed). Well, tonight, Robinson showed he can hit anyone and hit them in a big game too.

Speaking of hitting, congrats to Gary Sheffield for reaching WARP 7 on that homerun blast tonight. Holy Zefram Cochrane Batman!

Now, time for a true confession. My eyes blurred a little in the beginning of the game, and, I swear, for a moment, when this happened and I was watching the Big Unit pitch, all I could see was Lee Guetterman. But, I'll give Randy a pass since he said he had extra MPH tonight for the first time in a while and Posada said in the post-game that tonight was the "best I've seen him" this season.

And, speaking of Posada, he deserves a tip of the cap for blocking the plate twice in the 6th. There was a time when he would never do this. On the throw from Womack to nail Bellhorn, I think I even saw Jorgie throw his left elbow out there a little too, just for extra measure. Nice.

Anyone else out there say it and then almost do it when they saw Mueller come up to face Mo in the 9th? And, speaking of Mo - boy, the segues are flying tonight - Torre said in the post-game that perhaps both Rivera and Gordon are not available tomorrow. This could be interesting.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:13 PM | Comments (4)

Newspaper Coverage On Bernie To Left

Same story, two headlines/spins. First, from the NY POST:

BERNIE'S ALL RIGHT WITH LEFT

The project of turning Bernie Williams into a part-time left fielder picked up more steam yesterday as No. 51 spent the better part of batting practice by the fence in left watching the way the ball comes off the bat from a new vantage point.

"I'll just deal with it when it comes," Williams said before the Yankees' 4-3 win against the Tigers, downplaying the position change.

Williams last started a game in left early in 1992 before emerging as the Yankees' everyday center fielder for over a decade.

"It's just a matter of what's familiar," manager Joe Torre said, not committing to when we can expect to see Williams in left. "When you get a little more familiar, you get a little more comfortable. But I like his overall demeanor right now."

Williams doesn't anticipate much trouble in adjusting to the new position, but seemed less than anxious about the move before last night's game.

Next, from NEWSDAY:

LEFT DOESN'T STRIKE BERNIE RIGHT

It is rare that Bernie Williams doesn't accept managerial decisions with a gracious smile. So before last night's game, it was telling when Williams answered a question about Joe Torre's recent suggestion that he prepare himself to play leftfield by saying: "I'll deal with it when it happens."

That's not exactly the same way Williams embraced being moved up and down in the batting order in recent years or even the way he handled being more of a DH than a centerfielder after the Yankees' season-saving blueprint that moved Hideki Matsui to center, Tony Womack to left and rookie Robinson Cano to second.

Last night, Williams' body language suggested he'd like to remain the regular centerfielder.

Pretty interesting in how "I'll deal with it when it happens" can be taken so many ways........meanwhile, Matsui has played LF, CF, and RF this season, without any fuss.

Just imagine what the NY rags would have to do if everyone on the team was not from the US and didn't speak English? They'd probably be forced to report on the games.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:56 PM | Comments (3)

Possible Baseball History For A-Rod

We've been hearing a lot lately that Alex Rodriguez has a chance to become the 1st player in baseball history to hit 400 HRs before his 30th birthday. That would be an incredible feat.

But, there's another record that A-Rod has a shot at this year - one that has stood for 67 years.

In 1938, Hank Greenberg hit 58 HRs for the Tigers. To date, no right-handed batter in American League history has matched that mark.

To date, A-Rod has 17 HR in 47 games for the Yankees this season. This is a rate of 0.3617 HR per game. If Alex keeps up this pace, and plays 162 games this season (which is something he's been able to do twice in his career) then he would have the record for most homers in a season by a RH-batter in the AL.

And, I guess I should note that Rodriguez played in 162 games in 2002 and hit 57 HRs - just missing the Greenberg mark by one. So, it's not like Alex has never knocked on this door before.

Granted, there's many things that have to happen for this to come true in 2005. So, it's all uphill at this point. But, at the least, what this does tell us is something about the rate at which Alex is currently pumping the long ball. Folks, we're seeing something special right now.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:40 AM | Comments (1)

Tanyon Sturtze, Cinco De Mayo Gift?

I saw an interview with Jorge Posada recently where he was asked about the Yankees present great turnaround and the bullpen's contribution towards it.

Right away, Posada said that the key to the bullpen's contribution was getting Tanyon Sturtze back from the DL. So, I thought, what do the numbers say towards this?

Sturtze's first game back was on May 5th. To date, since then, he's appeared in 8 games, logging 10.1 IP, allowing 6 hits and 1 walk - and yielding just 1 earned run. In addition, he's fanned 7 of the 39 batters that he has faced. Most importantly, he's been credited with 5 holds and his only "bad" stat in this run was a blown save on May 18th. However, that was the game where Posada could not snag the Tanyon's third strike on Miguel Olivo that would have ended an inning and changed that "BS" into another hold.

Clearly, the stats back up Posada's statement.

When the Yankees acquired Sturtze on May 15, 2004 from the L.A. Dodgers off their AAA (Las Vegas) roster, on another website, I wrote: "For guys his age or older, over the last three years, he's been one of the worst pitchers in the AL (his league). He's Jeff Juden like." The next day, on the same site, I wrote: "You know, I keep looking and looking for a reason why maybe Sturtze could provide something positive to the Yankees this year. I cannot find anything close to a positive sign. Nada."

However, things changed and on October 6th of last year, on that same site, I referred back to my initial reaction to the trade and followed up with:

I was not alone [with this type of reaction]. Others were more harsh. One night, on the Wally and The Keeg show on 1050 AM in NYC (ESPN Radio), the drive time jocks were ripping his name - - - - "It's bad enough that your last name is Sturtze; but, then, your parents have to go out and name you Tanyon?"

Various message boards on the 'net in some parts referred to his "deer in the headlights" look while pitching - and, his stat lines were not much prettier.

But, then, something happened. Reportedly, Mariano Rivera taught him the cutter. Down the stretch of the last month of the season, Sturtze began to dominate batters. Yankees manager Joe Torre began to trust him in pressure spots.

And, less than a year after the Yankees traded for Sturtze, he's now one of the main keys to the Yankees bullpen success. This is truly an amazing story.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:28 AM | Comments (5)

May 26, 2005

May 26th vs. The Tigers

Check this out: 20 days ago, when the bad start to this season hit its low-mark, I wrote in an entry to WasWatching.com:

If the Yankees losses equal the new number (22) on Cano's back before they win their 12th game, at least two members of the Yankees braintrust will be fired. Maybe more than two.

Since that time, when New York's record stood at 11-19, the Yankees have gone 15-2 - - and they still have not registered their 22nd loss of the season. And, with the win this evening, the Yanks now share 2nd place in the AL East (with the Toronto Blue Jays). And, for the cherry on top, the Red Sox (with a loss this evening) presently reside under Team Stein in the standings.

With Boston coming to the Stadium to play three this weekend, it's always better to be up on them (and use these games as a chance to drive them further away) rather than having to use these games to try and catch up to them.

It's absolutely incredible how this team has turned it around in less than three weeks.

Speaking of turnarounds, it was also 20 days ago when an entry made here said that it was time for Kevin Brown to pitch better or hit the road.

Since that time, Brown has won four starts in a row, allowing just 6 earned runs in 25 innings pitched. While I still never want to see Kevin starting a Game 7 in the post-season again for New York, if he's going to pitch like this in the regular season, by all means, he can stick around.

And, how 'bout poor A-Rod? He hits a homerun tonight deep into the Yankees bullpen to give the team the eventual winning lead in the game. The ball was crushed. Nah, it was more than crushed. Today, for us, Mr. Rodriguez served up a very special super-sized dish of piping hot Pureed Rawlings this evening. And, as much as that seems like it should be the lead story here, the bigger picture items in terms of the rebound of Brown and the team in general deserve to have the position here of being in the spotlight, on showcase.

Here's hoping the next three days brings numerous other positive stories that will have to jockey for top billing in their respective WasWatching.com entries.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:23 PM | Comments (4)

Damon: Cannot Let The Yankees Overtake Us

From an AP report:

"We're a really bad team right now," [Red Sox] center field Johnny Damon said Wednesday night after a 6-1 loss to Toronto, the Red Sox's sixth in nine games. "We need to win tomorrow. It's a must win. We need to get back to that stage where every game is a must win instead of just saying 'Oh, we'll be OK.' It's a different year."

"We were in trouble on that West Coast swing, and we were in trouble these first two games here," Damon said. "New York's climbing. We have to start doing something or it could be a long summer. ... We have a big series this weekend. Whether or not the Yankees are going to overtake us or not, we can't let that happen."

I guess Damon missed it 5 months ago when I predicted that it was going to be a long summer for the Red Sox in 2005.

Of course, Johnny, your team is always welcome to try......but, basically, it's like trying to ice skate uphill. Then again, idiot is as idiot does, I guess?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:38 PM | Comments (4)

May 25, 2005

May 25th vs. The Tigers

I have to submit that we should start calling Chien-Ming Wang "Obi Wang" from now on - because he is a Jedi Master of the Mound. I was floored during the 8th inning tonight when Kitty Kaat on YES shared that only 2 pitchers in the big leagues, so far this season, have more 1-2-3 innings pitched than Wang: Rocket and Pedro. Throw in that Chien-Ming joined the Yankees after the season started and this is even more amazing.

Obi Wang, indeed.

Speaking of amazing, what can you say about that Jeter play on Marcus Thames' pop-up in the 7th? Throw a black jersey on Jeter, put a helmet on Cano with a star on it, and it's Super Bowl X all over again - with Derek being Lynn Swann pulling in a 53-yarder in the 2nd Quarter (on Mark Washington). Luckily, no one was hurt there.

But, for me, what was most amazing tonight was Torre pulling Jason Albatross, er, I mean Giambi for a pinch-hitter in the 8th with a 2-run led. That, ladies and germs, was an eye-opener. Message to Jason: First they start pinch-hitting for you, and then next you're a piney. Tick, tick, tick.......

I noticed a lot of smiles on the Yankees today early during the game. This is good. It would be even better if they can keep smiling after the next series too. Fingers crossed.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:16 PM | Comments (8)

DerekJeter.com

MLB.com just released the news.

Jeter goes cyber.

I dunno, a journal entry every two weeks? I hope the pace picks up.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:12 PM | Comments (7)

Bill Dickey

Bill Dickey sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle of all-time Yankees greats. Yes, for sure, he was a batter who took advantage of Yankee Stadium - as 135 of is 202 lifetime homeruns were hit in the Bronx. But, Dickey was also durable and one of the best hitting catchers in the modern era (post-1900) of baseball - and remains there today.

First, the proof of his stability: How many catchers in the history of baseball have caught 100+ games in a season for 13 years in a row? The answer is just two: Bill Dickey and Johnny Bench. Very impressive.

Secondly, regarding Dickey's standing among modern catchers with the bat. When Bill retired in 1946, it was basically him, Mickey Cochrane, and Gabby Hartnett at the top of the list in terms of great offensive catchers. In the 20 years that passed after his retirement, this fact was only changed by the addition of Yogi Berra to the list. In the 50 years that passed after Dickey's retirement, the only other catcher to warrant inclusion to this group was Johnny Bench. And, as of today, you would have to include Mike Piazza as well.

Therefore, at the worst, today, Bill Dickey has a claim towards being the 6th best batting catcher in the history of modern era baseball. And, by many sabermetric measures, Dickey would rank as the 2nd or 3rd greatest of all-time.

Most Yankee fans know that Bill Dickey was a great player - as he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Yankees retired his number (8) in 1972 along with honoring Yogi Berra (who also wore #8). At the time, this was just the 6th number ever retired by the Yankees.

But, there are probably just as many Yankee fans who would list catchers like Fisk, Carter, Campanella, I-Rod, on their list of great hitting catchers before getting to Dickey, and this would be wrong. Bill Dickey, as an offensive catcher, has very few peers.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:07 PM | Comments (3)

Not Exactly Piniella Slamming Into Fisk

From SI:

[Red] Sox righty Bronson Arroyo played Yanks counterpart Carl Pavano in 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K5, on Xbox Live.

"Take a look at this [Yankees] roster! This is sick!" said Pavano, who's 4-2 in his first year as a Yankee. He batted Tony Womack at leadoff, Alex Rodriguez at cleanup and tabbed Randy Johnson to pitch. ("I'll take Randy any day over me.") The Big Unit struck out the side in the first. "A 91-mph slider," Arroyo marveled. "Does he have that in his repertoire?" (He does.) Arroyo's pitcher, Sox ace Schilling, allowed a Hideki Matsui RBI triple in the first inning and a two-run triple to Womack in the second. "What do you play at home, Bronson?" Pavano asked into the two-way speaker. "Atari?"

The Sox closed to 3-2, but Arroyo killed a rally trying to stretch a Jay Payton double into a triple. Pavano's Yanks got nailed on the base paths, too. "If our managers were watching, they'd be mad," Pavano said. For the Yankees the running gaffes hardly hurt. Johnson pitched a complete game, and a late offensive outburst left Arroyo out for revenge. "I'll get another shot at him," he said, "on the real field."

YANKEES 9, RED SOX 3.

Be careful what you wish for Bronson. Pavano's been looking good lately.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:09 PM | Comments (0)

It's Beats Letting The Apple Make You Go Whitson

In the Daily News today, there's a story where Alex Rodriguez discloses that he's receiving therapy sessions as "a maintenance thing."

In the feature, A-Rod's wife is quoted as saying: "It's because of therapeutic intervention that he's been able to discover and flourish as a person."

This makes perfect sense to me as Mrs. A-Rod has a psychology degree. Why would/should anyone be surprised that Alex is now seeing a therapist? If his wife was a vegan and Alex said he was giving up meat, would you be shocked? If she was into Kabbalah and Rodriguez said he was going to convert, would that seem like something very strange for a new husband to do? This type of stuff happens all the time once people get married.

Actually, this whole story reminds me of a thought that I think is a Tony Robbins pitch. If I recall correctly, it's about John Belushi. The point being: Here was a guy who had it all - fame, money, millions followed his career with interest, etc. - and it was not enough to make him happy and he turned to drugs which led to his death. The things that many of us think bring happiness (dough, adoration, etc.) are not always something that makes you a lock to be happy. So, if therapy helps A-Rod deal with all the baggage that fame, money, etc., brings....then, good for him. It can't hurt. And, if he helps someone else by him being a role model of sorts with this, then it's even better.

Rodriguez has been a pin cushion for many on a number of things for a while now. I know that I've stuck a few in there at various times in sundry outlets. Some of those jabs are deserved and others were probably not - depending on your scoring system. But, clearly, this news does not warrant any additional poking at Alex. This is a good thing.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:51 AM | Comments (1)

May 24, 2005

May 24th vs. The Tigers

Tonight: Mussina = chain saw, and, Tigers = butta.
Game = Th-uh-uh-uh-uh Yank-eeeees Win!

Boom, Boom, Boom,
Yankees bats were in tune.
They were raking tonight,
and it led to a fight.

Well, sort of - that is. On that stuff in the 7th and 8th, I must say, while three weeks ago I was on Quantrill, I'm now doing the 180 on "Q". This evening, he won me over. I want him on my team. Good job Paul. Attaboy.

Related, in a roundabout way, this might just be the year that Joe D's record of most big flies by a RH batter in the 'stripes (46 in 1937) bites the dust. A-Rod is throwing some serious lumber these days. As long as Alex keeps pumping, we're going to need someone to protect him from teams playing the old "Hit Slugger, Avoid HR, Win Cupie Doll" game.

OK, now, on to one gripe and one less serious comment.

The moan: Giambi comes out of this game in the 5th inning - the first "regular" to be lifted? Huh? Excuse me, but, doesn't he need ABs? Or, is he already back to form and can use the rest? Yikes.

The happy ending: I finally figured out who Russ Johnson reminds me of - - it's Bobby Hill. No, not the ballplayer with the Cubs and Pirates. Bobby Hill, the son from King of the Hill - assuming he grew up to be a baseball player. Same body type. Kinda like if Ron Cey and Greg Luzinski had a baby.

PS - anyone notice that the Yankees are 13-6 since Robinson Cano was called up?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:53 PM | Comments (17)

No Retractable Dome On The New Stadium

On cool, damp, rainy days like today - and the ones that are forecasted to happen over the next 5 days or so, I cannot help but get a little ticked over the new Yankee Stadium plans.

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with the concept of a new Stadium. I'm a big believer that the current Stadium is 30-years-old and not this great old ballpark that some make it out to be, and therefore do not want to lose it. Heck, I actually have baseball gloves that I used in a game that are older than anything in the current Yankee Stadium.

In any event, the thing that ticks me is the Yankees' reported call not to have a retractable dome on the new facility. The logic that I have heard on this decision was (something like): 'The roof would cost about an extra $350 million and since studies showed that not many games are rained out anyway, and the Yankees are paying for just about everything, they decided that the roof wasn't worth it.'

Yeah, they're right. There are not a lot of rainouts. But, there are many, many, games where fans have to sit through constant cold drizzle or steady periods of rain, etc. Think about the Giambi slam in extras to beat the Twins. Think about Clemens 400/3000 game. There are tons more like this. What about those times? Do you not care about the fans?

I have season tickets in the Loge that I would never give up just for the reason of the fact that they offer protection from the elements. And, when you're taking your wife to the game, or your 69-year-old Dad, there's something to be said for not making them sit out there in the cold rain for three-hours to watch a baseball game.

I guess it's important to state that I'm as anti-dome as anyone and would tear down the parks in Minny and Tampa Bay if I had the power. However, if you've seen parks like the one in Seattle and Houston, there is a way to have a retractable dome and not take away from the beauty of the ballpark.

Just throwing this option out there as we probably watch baseball in the rain more often than not over the next few days.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:27 AM | Comments (9)

Fightin' Words?

From the Daily Star Online:

First baseman Kevin Millar offered this: "I’m not worried about the Yankees, to tell you the truth. I think we’re a better team right now, so that’s all that’s really important to us."

Who would have thunk it that Millar can think?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:11 AM | Comments (3)

May 23, 2005

The A-Rod Dealio With Most Yankees Fans

Tonight, driving home from work, I was tuned to The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio (1050 AM in NYC). It was sometime near 5:30 pm EST and Kay was doing something he's been doing often now (for at least the past month or so): Questioning why Yankees fans are on A-Rod so much and then slamming people who call into the show to explain why they're not Alex fans.

Michael was really bringing it tonight - with rants such as "He's not just a great player, he's the best player in the game, and he's one of the best players of all-time!" (Or something close to that.) You could just hear the spit coming out of his mouth as he was shouting it. In some ways, it was one of those moments in time where paid professional radio host and Jerome from Manhattan become indistinguishable from each other. You kind of expect this from Mad Dog Russo (who probably can't kiss his wife hello without spitting). It's just a tad on the sad side when Kay pulls this routine.

Anyway, I'm not sure why Kay has taken on this A-Rod crusade. But, if you listen to the likes of a Bob Raissman (and why would you?) he would tell you about the Kay-Rodriguez relationship. Who knows? Maybe Michael has ticked off enough guys in the Yankees clubhouse that he needs someone to be his friend in there? Or, perhaps Kay sees the Red Light beast in Alex and he wants to feed it - knowing that's a good thing for both of them down the line?

In any event, the question I would love to ask Michael Kay during times like these - but cannot because I don't have a cell headset and, regardless of that, I would never burn cell minutes to wait on hold for about a half-hour - is this:

Michael, say the Yankees are losing 1-0 and it's the bottom of the 9th. They have a runner on 3rd with less than two outs. Based on play that you've seen since April 2004, if you could pick one Yankee to be up for you, who would you pick?

Honestly, I think most Yankees fans who watch a lot of games would pick either Sheffield, Matsui, or Jeter in this spot before they would say A-Rod. And, I would not be shocked if some Yankees fans said "Cairo last year or Womack this year" before picking Rodriguez for this At Bat.

And, that's the issue. Many Yankee fans will not embrace A-Rod until they feel comfortable with him at the plate in a spot where he can/will save the game for them. Yankees fans love that "clutch" quality/security in a player. That's why (in the last 30 years) they loved Munson, Piniella, O'Neill, Donnie and the like in the past and that's why they don't moan about Matsui, Sheffield and Jeter today (even if they do fail in a game sometimes).

That's the dealio my friends. Once A-Rod is able to win the fans over, by gaining that "the man" trust, then all this debate will end. Is this fair? Too subjective? Whatever - it does not matter. It's just the way it is. I just wish that folks like Kay would learn it, accept it, and move on to something new. I do a lot of driving and it's boring to keep hearing the same thing every week.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:46 PM | Comments (10)

The Power Of Mo?

This one from CNN is a hoot:

CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves has an unexpected scapegoat for the network's expected No. 2 finish behind rival network Fox in a key ratings fight: New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera.

The New York Times reports that Moonves, when talking to advertisers last week, said that the competition for viewers age 18 to 49 was so close that if you subtract the ratings of some key sports events from Fox's ratings last year, CBS would have been able to beat Fox.

Rivera uncharacteristically blew a ninth-inning lead in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and when the Red Sox later won that game, they avoided a four-game sweep. Rivera also lost an eighth-inning lead in Game 5 of that playoff, eventually won by the Red Sox in seven games on their way to their first World Series championship in more than 80 years.

"Mariano Rivera cost us more money than the Yankees," Moonves told the advertisers, according to the Times.

I dunno. I'm thinking that Yes, Dear, Clubhouse, Listen Up! and Dr. Vegas might have more to do with this than Rivera.

Then again, it's much easier to blame the Yankees for everyting that's bad in the world, I guess.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:36 PM | Comments (3)

On CenterStage

Sometimes, when it comes to working with the VCR, I'm about just as good as A-Rod is with balls hit between him and the line (this year). And, I pulled a rock yesterday when it came to judging how much time I had left on the tape, and recording the Big Stein edition of CenterStage on YES. I did manage to get the first 30 minutes or so - but, that's it.

It looks like it's going to be on again at 11 pm EST on 5/27. I'll have to try and catch the full thing that night.

But, based on what I saw yesterday, I did not come away feeling very good. I did not see The Boss. Instead, I saw a man who looked very much the role of being extremely elderly.

It seemed like G.S. needed to be led with some of the questions so that he could answer them "yes" or "no" or "sure" and the like. And, I noticed traces of tremoring in both his voice and mannerisms (at times).

George really was working his eye-glasses during what I saw - playing with them excessively in his hands while fielding questions and speaking.

And, it seemed that, on a few occasions, Steinbrenner was working hard at choking back an emotional reaction - when there was no need to be emotional at the moment. I hate to say this, but, it was a semi-borderline-kinda-like-visting-someone-in-a-nursing-home-type-thing. I know just the other day there was an entry here about Life After The Big Stein. Gosh, I was thinking maybe 10 years from now.

After just 30 minutes of that interview on YES, now I'm wondering if we have very much time left at all? This is very sad. I wish someone would get to him soon and start working on an autobiography before it's too late.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:56 AM | Comments (4)

May 22, 2005

May 22nd @ The Mets

I missed the game today. So, I cannot offer too many comments - other than I enjoyed seeing Mango being denied a "W" yet again thanks to the Boys from the Bronx.

Instead of watching the game, I went to see Sparky Lyle's Somerset Patriots play (with the family of course!). You just cannot beat an experience where you walk up to the ballpark 45 minutes before the first pitch, and can buy four seats that are four rows behind the dugout, for a combined price that is less than the cost of one seat in the Loge at the Stadium. And, just to show support for the boys, our kids were dressed appropriately today:

Could a three and one-year old be dressed any better on a Sunday?

You know, Nettles' kid plays for the Patriots. Maybe on an off-day, he can come up to the Bronx and give A-Rod a refresher course on manning the hot corner? He seems to need it this year. (No complaints on his batting this season though. This is what I expected.)

On A-Rod, I saw that he called today the biggest regular-season win in his 1½ seasons with the Yankees (according to ESPN.com). Hey, Alex, I still have the stubs and parking lot ticket from 7/1/04. Should I send them to you to make you remember?

Nice to see Pavano get the win today. And, is the Giambi thing over yet? His last 10 ABs have not been impressive - have they? And, you can't blame them on rust - right? He played 5 days in a row (FT) coming into them.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:39 PM | Comments (6)

May 21, 2005

May 21st @ The Mets

I got nothing.
Sorry.
But, when you're Brazilian waxed by Mr. Anna Benson in public, during broad daylight, that just leaves me with a loss of freakin' words.
I'm going to do exactly what the Yankees did today - and mail this one in.

In closing, I remain, in disrespect of the Mets who behave like Little Leaguers when they're winning, yours truly,
The laconic commenting Yankeeland zealot

Consider this entry an open mike for anyone who wants to chime in......

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:38 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

May 20, 2005

May 20th @ The Mets

Back during the early evening of April 7th, I heard a caller to the Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio (1050 AM in NYC) say "Kaz Matsui has more balls pass through his legs than Paris Hilton." I now see what he meant. I'm glad he decided to let some more pass through tonight.

For 8 innings tonight, it looked like the Yankees were going to need some luck to stay with them to win this game. What were they, something like, 1 for 15 with RISP through eight (and they still had a lead)? And, the only word to describe Jeter's all-around play tonight is horrific. (I wonder if his left knee, which he did something to in Seattle while batting, is bothering him?)

But, thanks to a little 9th inning action and a sharp Mo, it's a "W." Whew.

Speaking of "Whew!" - am I the only one who was holding his breath to make sure A-Rod was OK after that ugly dive back into 1B in the 9th to avoid being doubled-up? He's a big man to be throwing his body around like that. That was too close for me.

Lastly, back in Spring Training, I thought that Ruben Sierra looked about 6 months PG. Looking at him tonight, I'd say he's at least 30 pounds overweight. I'm calling it now - he'll be back on the DL at least once before the All-Star break. The Yankees better think about getting another back-up OF on the team who is capable with the bat - just in case.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:02 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Which Yankees Were On PARR Last Year?

I've always been interested in a player's BPA (Bases per Plate Appearance) in terms of measuring his offensive worth. The formula for BPA is (TB+BB+HBP+SB-CS-GIDP)/(AB+BB+HBP+SF).

And, just today, while thinking about Gross Production Average (GPA) and the value that it yields and the ease on the eyes that the final numbers provide, I thought

Well, if you take BPA and cut it in half, you get numbers very close to what you see with GPA. In fact, the numbers you get are probably closer to the "great/good/bad/terrible" numbers that "Batting Average" has trained our eyes to accept.

For example, below are the 2004 BPA/2 results for Yankees batters:

Alex Rodriguez	.290
Gary Sheffield	.287
Hideki Matsui	.286
Jorge Posada	.263
Derek Jeter	.258
Andy Phillips	.250
Tony Clark	.244
Ruben Sierra	.238
Bernie Williams	.237
Jason Giambi	.232
Miguel Cairo	.231
Kenny Lofton	.226
John Olerud	.221
John Flaherty	.218
Bubba Crosby	.188
Enrique Wilson	.168
Dioner Navarro	.143
Homer Bush	.063
Felix Escalona	.056
Travis Lee	.050

I'm going to continue to play around with this for a while. Shoot, for all I know, someone has already done this with BPA? Or, I'm just expressing something else already done in a more complicated manner? It's more than likely. However, just in case it is not the truth, I need to stick a flag on this puppy and claim it in the name of WasWatching.com, right?

Therefore, for me (and hopefully the world) BPA/2 will henceforth be known as Plate Appearances Results Ratio, or "PARR."

If any of the more learned sabermetricians out there would be willing to comment on this, it would be appreciated. I know just enough to be dangerous. And, rather than have the guys over at Primer accuse me of sabermasturbation or something worse, it is better to ask for help on this before having it tattooed on my forehead. (By the way, what ever happened to Gary Myrick? He was awesome).

PARR........good, bad, ugly? Been done before? I'd love to hear from you. Thanks in advance.

Update, 5/20/05, 11:55 pm EST: I've been playing around with PAAR for some time tonight. I think I have something interesting. A lot of times, when you have a guy with good OWP, OPS, and/or RCAA - and, if he has a low PAAR, the next year, he bombs. It's still early - I want to look at this more. But, it's kinda cool. Stay tuned.

Update, 5/21/05, 9:16 am EST: I just took 22 major league batters at random who qualified for the batting title during the seasons of 2000 through 2003 and who had a PARR of <= .270 and an OPS >=.800 in a season. Of those 22, one was terrible the next year, one had his career end, 9 saw a drop in their numbers the next season, 4 had poor seasons next - and 3 were about the same the next year and 4 improved the following season. So, on this very small sample, two-thirds of these batters did not do as well the next year with the bat. That's enough for me to keep playing with this for a while - to see if I can find more good stuff. Stay tuned.

Update, 5/27/05, 11:49 am EST: I just looked at the 643 major league batters who qualified for the batting title during the seasons of 2000 through 2003.

From that group, 134 had a PARR of <= .270 and an OPS >=.800 in a season. Of this group, 64% saw their numbers go down the next year, 5% stayed about the same and 31% saw an increase the following year. (Note, this includes guys who were injured or out of MLB, etc., the next year as being "down.")

Seems like this cut is a good flag for possible stat reduction the next year - but, it would be nice to know the overall 'natural' average of "down" next years to see if the 64% is high, low, or normal.

Also, while I was at it, I looked at those within the 270/800 cut with 20+ RCAA and 25+ RCAA in the season. For the 20+ RCAA group, which ws 32 batter/seasons, 75% were down the next year. And, for the 25+ RCAA group, which was 26 batter/seasons, 84% were down the next year.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:51 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

R.I.P. Emanuel Gluck

Sounds like he had ten times more fun than most people - but, 65 is too young to go. This is sad.

Here's the meat of his story:

Emanuel Gluck, a retired middle-school principal who had a rich alternate life as Yankee Stadium's longest-working vendor, signified by his No. 1 badge, died of a heart attack last Thursday at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital in Manhattan. He was 65.

Gluck, 6 feet 6 inches tall, was the guy with the booming bass voice at Gate 4. He was there for every opening day for 50 years, saw every perfect game pitched at Yankee Stadium and was on hand for 19 World Series, 10 of which the Yankees won.

......

Gluck was born March 4, 1940, in the Bronx, and grew up about a block from Yankee Stadium. When he was 14, he went to work for the Harry M. Stevens Co., which handled Yankee concessions from the stadium's opening in 1923.

He stayed after the concession passed in 1963 to the Automatic Canteen Co. of America, and then through various name and ownership changes. The company now managing Yankee concessions is called Centerplay. An employee of Centerplay confirmed Tuesday that Gluck had hawked one thing or another in Yankee Stadium since 1964, which is as far back as records go.

The young Gluck began by selling popcorn, peanuts and hot dogs in the upper decks, worked his way up to soda and beer, and graduated to programs and souvenirs, the prestige assignment. For 20 years, until about seven years ago, he manned the souvenir stand at Gate C at Shea Stadium as well.

One of the best things about being the senior man at these souvenir posts was that he could often leave after two innings and watch the game.

Gluck also worked when New York professional football teams played at Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds and Shea.

Somebody should have gotten him to write a book. I would have read it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:54 PM | Comments (8)

Life After The Big Stein

Stephan Clark of the Lake County (CA) Record-Bee recently wrote:

Imagine if you will that day when George Steinbrenner is called to the Big Bambino in the Sky. I'm not wishing him there, at least no sooner than God would will it. I'm only saying: Imagine.

Because when Steinbrenner's gone, who will take over?

The 75-year-old's sons (Hank, 47, and Hal, 36) have recently taken an increased role in the club, as has Steinbrenner's son-in-law, the 50-year-old Steve Swindall. So while I can't say who will assume the throne, I can say there are no shortage of candidates.

But what if there's a struggle, and one son wants to cash out when another doesn't? The team could be put up for sale and sold to the highest bidder.

A few years ago, a group of highrollers led by John Henry bought the Boston Red Sox for a record $660 million.

With the YES Network included in Steinbrenner's holdings, the Yankees could easily go for twice that.

We've all seen in the recent NY/NJ sports scene how co-owners just don't work - even when they're family. I think about this sometimes. The state of the Yankees in about 10 years from now could be quite a mess. We should enjoy what we have now - because it could be a long time before we see it again, if ever.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)

1970's Rain Delay Soundtrack

This morning is one of those........

It's raining. It's pouring.
The old man is snoring.
He went to bed
and he covered his head.
And he didn't wake up
till the morning.

..........types of mornings here right now. And, when this happens on days of 'you'd like to see' games, Hot Butter's "Popcorn" instrumental hit starts cueing up in my head - as it seemed to be a WPIX mid-'70's staple for the musical backdrop to the rain delay wallpaper that they used to throw up on the screen (when scrambling to decide what else to put on).

Anyone out there feel like humming along on this one with me today?

Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop.
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop.
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop.......

Man, that and when they used "Raindrops keep falling of my head" - it was just maddening, I say! (In a good Yankee zealot kind of way.)

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:51 AM | Comments (2)

May 19, 2005

The Baseball Same Game

FYI, a review of the book is now available over at TigerBlog.net.

Click here for the review.

Many thanks to Brian Borawski at TigerBlog for taking the time to check out the book!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)

Robinson Cano's Historical Perspective

The recent play of Robinson Cano made me wonder "How many men have played 2B for the Yankees, for a minimum of 100 Plate Appearance in a season, at age 22 or younger"?

I was surprised to see the answer is just six - before Cano:

Willie Randolph - 1976 & 1977
Tony Lazzeri - 1926
Leo Durocher - 1928
Bobby Richardson - 1957 & 1958
Jerry Priddy - 1941
Joe Gedeon - 1916

We know that Willie and Richardson went on to have long Yankee careers. And, Lazzeri was a Hall of Famer. They're the top end of this half-dozen.

Durocher, reportedly, got himself in hot water with Babe Ruth - who thought that Leo stole his watch. And, that, combined with some other questions about his character, had Durocher out of Yankeeland in a hurry. Besides, Leo was more of a SS than a 2B anyway.

Gerry Priddy, who was the DP partner of some guy named "Fiero Francis Rizzuto" in the minors, was a bit of a loud mouth (like Leo) and he was sent packing after a couple of seasons in the Bronx. After his playing days, he put a bomb on a boat and tried to extort a quarter-million dollars from the company that owned it. That usually tells you something about a person.

Joe Gedeon was later traded to the White Sox (in 1918) and got himself tied up in the Black Sox Scandal and was eventually banned from the game.

So, as far as Robinson Cano, as long as he doesn't steal A-Rod's Rolex, or pop-off too much, or start getting plugged in to other bad things, he's in pretty nice company.......with Lazzeri, Randolph, and Richardson.

Not too shabby.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:55 AM | Comments (2)

May 18th @ The Mariners

It had to end sometime.

You just cannot win everyday. And, after winning 10 in a row, you knew it was coming soon. Actually, earlier on Wednesday, I thought to myself "If they lose today, it won't be the worst thing. You don't want to go into the Mets series being due for a loss. Maybe it's better to get it out of your system and then be hungry for another win when you start up at Shea?"

But, when I saw the last 3 starts stats on YES for Mussina and Moyer at the beginning of the game last night - where Moose was lights-out and Moyer had an Opp BA over .500 and an ERA over 16 - I thought "OK, 11 in a row is good too." And, then, it happened.

I went to bed last night 'round midnight after five with the Yankees winning 6-4 and thinking good thoughts. Then, this AM, I woke up, flipped on ESPN News on the box, and saw that Seattle won the game, and "L: Gordon (0-3)" scrolled by and I thought "Oh, great." Then, I got on-line and read the recap on ESPN.com.

I'm glad I missed the 6th where Posada and Sheffield decided to sample some of the greatest hits from the days Tin Glove Alley - after two outs! - to allow the M's to score two and then tie the game.

And, I'm really glad I missed where Gordon later gives up the two out hit in the 8th to Miguel Olivo (thanks a lot Kevin Millar) to break the tie.

Even after this, the Yankees managed to load the bases with two outs in the 9th.....but Giambi Ks looking on an 0-2 pitch to end the game. And, if that's not bad enough, we see this quote from the MVP-turned-human-version-of-the-last-shot-out-of-a-roman-candle: "I got caught looking slider and he threw a fastball."

Jason, it was an 0-2 pitch with two outs and the bags full and the game on the line........and you're pitch guessing? My stars, are you that bad of a ballplayer? Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your brain, and, this is your brain on steroids. Scary.

At least I didn't say up to watch it live.

So, now, instead of riding the high of an 11-game winning streak, the Yankees have to make a long plane ride home from the west coast thinking about the win they gave away in ugly fashion, and then sit on that all-day today as they return to New York, trying to bounce back from the time-difference. And, then they get to strap it on for the Mets on Friday. And, who's on the mound for the Yanks?

Kevin Brown.

I have to stop now before I break the keyboard.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:10 AM | Comments (10)

May 18, 2005

He Knows Us! He Really, Really, Knows Us!

Newsday just published a piece on Big Stein's upcoming appearance on Michael Kay's CenterStage (that will air on YES on 5/22). This line in it from The Boss hit home:

"There are people that get up in the morning and have their good day or bad day depending on how the Yankees did the night before."

True.

Actually, sometimes I also have a good or bad "rest of the evening" too - depending on the game that day. And, then that carries over to the next morning.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:03 PM | Comments (2)

Bernie Williams and the HOF

The topic came up today in a comment made to a WasWatching.com entry regarding Bernie Williams chances for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Let us look at the numbers a bit. If you just look at OFers, and hitting, the best match (to date) for Bernie Williams (in my opinion) is Indian Bob Johnson. Note the stats for each (with the numbers for Williams through 2004):

Now, this is interesting - because there are many that feel Bob Johnson should be in the HOF and his omission all these years is a VC oversight. But, the issue for me here is that Johnson was a LF whereas Bernie was a CF. So, what CFers from baseball history best line up with Bernie to date as a hitter? See the following - which, again, is in my opinion:

This is interesting as well - because both Roush and Ashburn are in the HOF and Bernie was a better batter than they were, in terms of relative career batting results (through 2004 for Williams). But, both Rousch and Ashburn were excellent fielding CFers - whereas Bernie, on the whole, was not in their class.

On the other hand, compare Bernie to another recent CF that was granted HOF entry:

The Plate Appearance totals are about the same and clearly Bernie was a more effective batter, career-wise, than Puckett. But, Kirby also was reportedly a good fielding CF - albeit not in the Ashburn-class.

In any event, in terms of CFers with the bat, there's something to be said for making a claim for Bernie Williams being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Is he a Mantle, Speaker, Mays or DiMaggio? No. But, Bernie is clearly at the top of the next level.

So, will Bernie Williams be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame? The answer here is: Probably not. Any time that you need to think about whether or not a guy deserves to be in, and then have look at the numbers to see where he stacks up, that usually means the voters will not put him on their ballot.

The only thing that might change this is if the media really starts pounding the comparisons of Bernie to other centerfielders who are in/not in the Hall and the facts become very obvious by the time he's on the ballot.

What are the odds of that?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:50 PM | Comments (11)

May 17th @ The Mariners

First off, a great win last night. Yankees keep pace with the O's and Sox who also won. And, as West Coast trips can go, this one could not be any better. Also, Pavano was sharp. But, here's the scary part from last night:

In an ESPN.com report, I read that "Torre believes Giambi has been showing good signs and will continue to play this weekend in the interleague series at the Mets."

Why, because Giambi had three hits last night? This is a joke. I saw the three hits. The first one was a pop-up that fell in, the second one was a ground ball, and the third one (the HR) was a breaking pitch that didn't do much, and, in the words of Kenny Singleton, was in Giambi's "happy zone." I'll add that it was hit off a guy with an ERA on 6.27 who already had allowed 6 HRs in 18 IP so far this season.

So, for this output, the Yankees are willing to pull one of their hottest hitters (Tino) out of the lineup, and put one of their worst defenders (Giambi) in the field, for a series in (of all places!) Shea Stadium? Is that enough reward for a bloop, a bleeder, and a BP HR? Why not throw the guy a parade too?

Do the Yankees realize that I have to go to work on Monday and that the Mets fans will be lined up waiting for me to talk about Pedro vs. Giambi, and how many runs Minky saved this weekend vs. how many Giambi let in while in the field?

Joe Torre, why me? What did I ever do to you? Unless, of course, the Yankees want Giambi to embarrass himself this weekend to build a case? Nah, can't be - right? After all, winning ball games is the important thing, no?

Then, why sit Tino to play Giambi? Based on what? There's nothing to support this - zip, zilch, zero, nada.

Unless, of course, if by "continue to play" Joe means that he'll use Giambi as a PH at not leave him on the bench completely. Maybe this is the case? I hope so.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:13 AM | Comments (15)

May 17, 2005

Thinking Three Days Ahead

Just before 9 pm EST tonight, I was channel surfing a bit (waiting for House M.D. to come on). On my cable provider, Channel 55 is YES, 56 is MSG, 57 is ESPN, 58 is ESPN2, and 60 is ESPN Classic. So, as I typically do when I start flicking around, I started on Channel 55 and began moving forward.

And, just as I hit Channel 56, I saw Stick Michael sitting at Shea Stadium watching the Reds and Mets play. Gene had all his scouting stuff with him - stop watch, notebook, etc.

My first reaction was "What's Stick doing there? There's no way the Yankees are working a deal with the Mets? Oh, no, please don't tell me they're checking out Griffey Jr.!" And, then I remembered - Subways Series 2005 starts this Friday.

Geez, having Stick Michael do the advance scouting for an interleague series in May? You know Big Stein still wants to always beat the Mets. Worth noting - and then seeing what happens if the Yankees have a letdown of some sort this weekend.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:37 PM | Comments (2)

Avoiding The "Inefficient" Inning

A recent Star-Ledger piece entitled "Striking out in the majors now is considered no worse than any other out" contained the following:

The Moneyball theorists consider a strikeout no worse than any other kind of out -- better, in fact, than a double-play grounder. But there are still talent evaluators who can't stand the idea of a high strikeout total.

"Ultimately, the strikeout, you get no value from it," Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. "There's no moving of the runner, no way for the defense to feel pressured. It's worthless. To me, it's the biggest offense you can commit on offense."

Cashman's belief is that a fair ball creates a chance of something good happening for the hitter -- be it an error, a ground ball that moves a runner -- while a strikeout offers no such opportunity. As for players like Dunn or Sexson, who manage to be productive in spite of their high strikeout totals, Cashman's answer is that they're not as productive as they could be.

"The guys who can hit home runs and still be productive despite being big whiffers, I still term those guys as inefficient," Cashman said. "I'll look at that and say, 'Look how much better this person can be.'"

Looking at the stats from 2002 through 2004, there were 20 men in the American League to whiff 300+ times during this period. In terms of K/AB ratio (of these 20) the leaders were:

Mike Cameron 0.290083411
Carlos Pena 0.285714286
Corey Koskie 0.248370746
Jose Valentin 0.246671338
Carlos Delgado 0.246575342
Jorge Posada 0.239417071
Jason Varitek 0.236784938
Jason Giambi 0.231052244
Eric Hinske 0.221451104
Jacque Jones 0.212856277
David Ortiz 0.210124827
Alex Rodriguez 0.206877729
Alfonso Soriano 0.205438066
Bret Boone 0.198573779
Torii Hunter 0.195547533

Memo to Joe Torre: Please do not bat Posada, Giambi, and A-Rod, back-to-back-to-back in the line-up........ever. Ask Cash for more details on why.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:28 PM | Comments (7)

The Broadcast Power Trio

The YES Network has many announcers covering games this year (as they did last season): Jim Kaat, Bobby Murcer, Michael Kay, Ken Singleton, David Justice and Paul O'Neill. And, they mix and match them in numerous combinations to cover various series, home-stands, road-trips, etc.

Personally, having grown up with Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer covering the Yankees on TV, I'm in favor of having the same three-man booth, game-after-game, doing every game.

And, I think three men in the current YES stable might be the prefect combo to match the days of Scooter, White and Messer.

If it were up to me, I would go with Ken Singleton, Jim Kaat and Paul O'Neill for every game. Singleton is like Messer - a gentleman with great class who is full of grace. Kaat can play the role of Bill White, a semi-curmudgeon who knows his baseball and who is not afraid to be frank and candid. And, O'Neill can be this generation's Rizzuto - substituting his "Holy Smokes!" for "Holy Cow!" and talking about food and his wife during the dull games. Plus, I think he has no issue with being a homer.

Granted, Kenny, Kitty, and Paul are all ex-players and it's always nice to have a "pro" play-by-play (PBP) man in the booth. But, Singleton and Kaat have been around long enough to handle PBP.

When you have the same guys, game-in and game-out, it builds something between them and the audience. Much like how the characters on a hit TV show come together and then become something that you have an interest in tuning into, on a regular basis. It's a homey feeling, in a way.

What to do with Kay, Murcer, and Justice, you might ask? Murcer and Justice can handle the pre- and post-game analysis in the studio. They've done it at times and are very good at it. Kay can go back to radio and work with Sterling and allow us to be spared hearing Suzyn Waldman's nails on a blackboard voice. Michael might not like this. But, Kay has to remember that Michael Kay without the Yankees is no one and he should be happy to do whatever the Yankees ask him to do.

Suzyn Waldman can go back to doing the locker room interviews for YES and Kim Jones can be sent back to whatever hole they found her in when YES made the mistake of hiring her.

Then again, no one at YES is asking me. I wish they would.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:34 PM | Comments (12)

May 16th @ The Mariners

Anytime you leave 23 runners on base in a game and still win, you know the baseball gods are smiling on you.

And, the funny thing is: One of the heroes of this game, Bernie Big Slam Williams left 6 runners on himself.

Think someday we'll say "That Wright signing was a good thing - it allowed us to discover Wang. Had the Yankees signed an able-bodied pitcher, poor Wang would have been stuck in Columbus all year in 2005"?

I missed the 9th inning last night. But, per the boxscore, Mo looked shaky - a walk, a hit, and almost half of his pitches were balls. Something to keep an eye on......maybe?

Yankees are now 6 back in the loss column. Can't wait until that gets closer to three.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:51 AM | Comments (9)

May 16, 2005

The Baseball Same Game

FYI, my book can now be purchased at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.

To see it at Amazon, follow THIS LINK.

To see it at Barnes & Noble, follow THIS LINK.

Don't forget to tell your friends about the book!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)

The Difference Today

This morning, the Red Sox are in 2nd place, 2 games back of the O's. The Yankees are in 4th place, 5 1/2 back.

Both teams, to date this season, have had batters do very well combined with some that are stinking up the joint. For Boston, Bellhorn, Mueller, Millar, and Renteria have been nothing to brag about. In New York, Giambi and Williams have been ugly at the dish. Posada struggled in April and Matsui struggled somewhat after a hot start as well. Tony Womack has been Tony Womack.

For the Red Sox, Nixon, Ortiz, Varitek, Damon and Manny have been swinging the hot sticks to date. And, for the Yanks, it's been Tino, A-Rod, Sheffield, and Jeter.

This all said, in terms of starters at the plate, it's been a wash of sorts between the two teams.

On the mound, the Red Sox have been without Schilling and Wells and the Yankees had bad starts by Wright and Brown. Boston's Wakefield has been OK so far this year and New York's Pavano has been so-so. This, all said, is a push (like the batters), to an extent.

However, for the Sox, Arroyo and Clement have been stellar this year - and are a combined 8-0. And, for the Yanks, Mussina and Randy Johnson have been good, but not great every time.

If you took that 8-0 out of the Red Sox record, they would be much like the Yankees to date - playing around .500 ball.

It will be interesting to see where both of these teams take it from here.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:55 AM | Comments (3)

Javy Vazquez - Now You Tell Us?

From just about August last year forward, we heard theories about what was wrong with Javier Vazquez. He can't stomach pitching in New York. Or, he's tipping his pitches. Or, he's not 100% healthy.

And, that last point was denied - over and over again. Yet, now, according to a TSN report we hear:

As Vazquez began throwing more crisply and consistently in spring training, he realized how much he was affected by the pain and weakness he had experienced behind his right shoulder blade in the second half of last season. "It altered his release point, impacted his velocity and ultimately crushed his confidence," a friend of Vazquez says. Vazquez was an All-Star before struggling in the final two months. His velocity, which had dropped to 89 to 90 mph, is back at 93 to 94. . . .

"Pain and weakness.......behind his right shoulder blade"? Did anyone hear any complaint about that last year - ever? I'm sorry, but, if Yankees fans want to string up Kevin Brown for punching a wall last season and costing the team....then, you have to also make room on that tree for another and give Vazquez some rope time too.

If he knew that he was injured and it was obviously adversely impacting his ability to pitch, then he was doing a disservice to the team by continuing to go out there and blow games.

An attempt at nobility by Javy? Perhaps, I guess? But, there comes a time to put your shield down and allow an able bodied warrior to take your place (when you know that you cannot function).

Especially when it's Game 7 of the ALCS.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:28 AM | Comments (3)

May 15, 2005

May 15th @ The A's

If you would have told me last March that, after 38 games, the Yankees would be a .500 team on the morning of May 16th, I would have said that would be a major disappointment. Yet, given the fact that the Yankees needed to string together a very impressive winning streak to get to .500 at this point, I'm actually feeling pretty good about this team right now.

In some ways, losing 19 of their first 30 games this season may have been a blessing to this team - if there is such a thing. I believe, that maybe, just maybe, it gave this team a hard slap in the face and taught them (the hard way) that you cannot just throw your gloves on the field and expect to win. Hopefully, if this is a lesson learned, it will be one that says with the team right through their 4th win in the World Series.

I'm half-and-half on the big Giambi hit today in the 7th. Half of me says "Big deal. The pitch was centered on the plate. Might as well have been on a Tee." But, the other half of me says "To his credit, he did exactly what you're supposed to do with a cookie like that - hit the snot out of it." Deep down inside, I still find myself rooting against him.......because I know total and absolute failure is the only way to get him off the roster (albeit a pricey measure).

So, Unit fails to strike out a batter for the first time in nearly five years. And, in fact, it was the longest appearance of Johnson's career without a strikeout. Still, he gets his 250th career win. Baseball is a hoot with stuff like this - time and time again.

I'm starting to see some Robby Alomar is Cano's swing. And, he just looks like a ballplayer in the field. I hope they keep him.

Tino Martinez = Best.insurance.policy.ever.
He makes the Aflac duck look like Huey, Dewey and Louie's baby sister.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:43 PM | Comments (3)

May 14th @ The A's

Just one more win until .500! Poor Unit - going tomorrow, day game after a night game where the Yanks scored fifteen. You know they're going to only score 2 runs tomorrow, uh, I mean later today. That's the way it always goes.

Kudos to the A's fan for fingering the buffoon who threw the beer at Giambi (who now has his BA up to an even .200!) in the top of the 8th. Imagine having seats that great - right on the dugout - and doing something that stupid. Dude, just enjoy being that close to a major league baseball game. (Whoops, I forgot. Make that half-a-major-league-game. The way the A's are playing these days is not exactly big league.) There really ought to be a way to make sure someone like this brew-tossing bozo never gets to go to a game again - - but, I know that's not possible.

I wish I could bottle a film clip of that shot YES had in the 5th when Posada homered - the reaction of Jeter and A-Rod in the dugout. And, then I could show that to the next person who wants to make the claim that the relationship between Derek and Alex is chilled and forced. Yeah, right.

Lastly, I laughed out loud when David Justice said "Thank God!" to the mention of how quickly he was traded away from the Mets before ever playing for them. I really wish Kay and Kenny had asked to expand on that. But, they did the right thing by not allowing their partner to get himself in a bad spot.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:17 AM | Comments (6)

May 14, 2005

May 13th @ The A's

This is now three games in a row for Moose where he's won, and, more importantly, it's the 3rd time that he's been able to give the team 7+ innings. That's big.

Please, please, please, let this be a Giambi showcase that we're seeing. A loud fly to the track and one base knock was good. Good enough to get Billy Beane hot and bothered? Let's hope so........

I know this requires planning, and foresight, etc., but, it would have been cool if YES, on Womack's 2-run triple in the 3rd, had a split screen going with Jeter scoring from 1st isolated in one half and Womack going home to 3rd in the other. Talk about a day at the races!

And, while this has probably happened and maybe I just (heaven forbid) wasn't watching, it would be nice to see - at least once, for me - where A-Rod makes a play going to his right.......either snaring a liner in the air or snuffing out a grounder-double that's skipping down the line. Maybe it's just me, but, I swear, this year, I've yet to see him make a play to his right that required any type of range at all. Maybe he's playing off the line too much? I dunno.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2005

The Baseball Same Game

My first baseball book has just been released. Anyone who enjoys baseball statistics and/or the history of the game should enjoy the book.

The title of the book is: The Baseball Same Game: Finding Comparable Players From The National Pastime

More on the book can be found at BaseballSameGame.com

The book can be purchased directly from the publisher - or, you can get it at Amazon.com

If you know someone who may be interested in the book, please do pass along this news to them. Thanks in advance!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)

Rocket Stay Home

Jon Heyman has a piece out today on the possible return of Roger Clemens to the Yankees this season.

This is not the first time this theory has come up in the past month or so. For certain, if it were to happen, it would be costly. Clemens makes $3 mill per month. And, if he's traded, he gets a $3 mill 'pain and suffering' bonus. Furthermore, on the Yankee-side, there would be the Steinbrenner, er, I mean, Luxury Tax impact. That's a lotta cheddar for a rental.

And, there's the issue here of what prospect do you offer back to the Astros for Rent-A-Rocket? Cano? Wang? Duncan? Melky C? I've never had an issue with giving up kids for a player - because, unless you can hit the ground running in NYC like a Jeter, Mo, or Donnie, chances are the Yankees cannot tolerate the typical rookie-to-player learning curve. But, that's OK if you get someone who's going to be around for a few years. Not OK if it's someone who's going to be here just for a few months.

Personally, the whole "I'm retiring/I'm coming back" thing in 2003 totally turned me off Clemens and allowed me to remove my Yankees-blinders when looking at him. Thus, I see him now for what he is: An all-about-me player. Because of this, I'd rather lose without him than win with him.

Lastly, who says Clemens would be any good for the Yankees? Look, behind the numbers and honestly, at what he did when he was here.

In 1999, he was a below average pitcher. He did rebound in 2000 and 2001 to pitch very effectively. However, in 2002, he was just a league average pitcher. And, in 2003 (his 'going into retirement' season) he was slightly above average - but, nowhere near where he was in 2000 or 2001.

Some might say "Whoa there pard! He won 77 games in da'stripes over 5 years. That's some'tin." But, to that, I would say "Based on the quality of his pitching performance metrics, Clemens should have won about 63 games in his 5 years in New York - which is around 13 wins per year and a lot less than the 77 games he was credited with winning."

Clemens was good when he was in New York. But, he was not the head-and-shoulders above everyone else pitching god of the Yankees team. He was just about the same as Mussina and Pettitte.

At this stage of the game, in terms of pitching behind Unit, and all things considered, I'll take my chances with Moose, Pavano, Wang, and pray for rain.

Let Roger stay home this summer, watch his kids games, drive his Hummer, and rub his puppy Pettitte's belly when he rolls over for him. We'll just figure out a way to win without him - if it's up to me.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:16 AM | Comments (9)

May 12, 2005

In A Time, Not So Farr, Farr Away

Runs Saved Above Average (RSAA) is a Lee Sinins creation. It is the amount of runs that a pitcher saved versus what an average pitcher would have allowed. It is similar to the statistic Pitching Runs detailed in the book Total Baseball - except (1) both have different ways of park adjustments and (2) Total Baseball added a procedure to take into account the amount of decisions the pitcher had while Runs Saved Above Average does not.

Just now, I was wondering for a moment, who were the top 5 Yankee pitchers in the 1990's, in terms of RSAA? Thanks to my handy-dandy sabermetric baseball encyclopedia, I was able to run the following quick list:

NEW YORK YANKEES 1990-1999
Top 5 RSAA Leaders

1 David Cone 103
2 Mariano Rivera 86
3 Andy Pettitte 78
4 Jimmy Key 52
T5 Steve Farr 29
T5 John Wetteland 29

You'd expect Mo to be on this list. Pettitte too. Cone and Key shouldn't shock anyone. And, Wetteland was a good pitcher.

But, the name that few would expect, and who is on the list, is Steve Farr.

Top Five. Farr, yes. David Wells, Mike Stanton, El Duque, and Jeff Nelson, no. Go figure.

I think this says a little something about Steve Farr (in that he was one of the Yankees better pitchers when he was in NY) and a lot about the state of Yankees pitching in the early 1990's.

I wonder if Steve Farr showed up at a Yankees Old Timer's Day, would the fans give him the proper appreciation? There's no reason not to - he was fine when he was here.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)

Homer Happy Old-Timers

Tino Martinez is 37-years-old. As of this AM, Tino has hit 9 homeruns this season. This is pretty much a 40-HR season pace.

How many Yankees have hit 40+ homeruns in a season while being 37-years-old, or older? Just one. Some guy by the name of George Herman Ruth did it in 1932.

Say Tino slows a tad on the big fly pace. What if he posts 30 long balls for the year? How many Yankees have hit 30+ homeruns in a season while being 37-years-old, or older? Again, just one - that Ruth fella again. Following that 1932 season where he hit forty-one, he hit 34 out of the park in 1933.

OK, while we're on it. How many Yankees have hit 20+ homeruns in a season while being 37-years-old, or older?

Well, ol' G.H. Ruth did also have 22 HRs in 1934 when he was 39-years-old. (I'm starting to think he was a pretty good hitter.) So, he's on the Old-Timer 20+ HR list three times. And, besides him........we have just three:

Johnny Mize in 1950 (with 25), Paul O'Neill in 2001 (with 21) and Graig Nettles in 1983 (with 20 on the nose).

What does this all tell us? It says if "Bamtino" can keep it up this year going yard, we're seeing something pinstripily special.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:31 AM | Comments (5)

May 11, 2005

May 11th vs. The Mariners

Clams on the half shell and roller-skates.
These are good times.

This time last week, this is the type of game that the Yankees would have lost. However, instead of an ugly loss, we saw an ugly win. No matter, there are no style points in baseball. A win, baby, is a win, albeit of the Angelina Jolie class or something that looks like an orangutan's butt after he just guzzled a gallon of caster oil.

Today, the pen was mightier than the sword. And, that helped a lot.

.500, here we come.

On a side note, I was surprised to see that Russ Johnson was added to the team when F'ed-Rod went down. In 2002, Johnson missed two months due to anxiety and depression. I hope he's over that now. New York can be a tough place to play. Then again, if you've seen the Columbus roster, there's not many other options to pick from down there. It's not a basket full of prizes.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:15 PM | Comments (2)

May 10, 2005

May 10th vs. The Mariners

Tonight's victory is a big one. Whenever you have a winning streak and then have Brown or Wang pitching, and they can win and keep it going - so that one of the Cash Money Brothers in the rotation can get a turn at keeping it going, that's a clutch win.

Wang is starting to remind me of Ramiro Mendoza, if 'Doza had been a good starting pitcher. Keeping it down, moving it, pitching to contact.

Think Tino is locked in?

I've read some Internet reports tonight that said Giambi could be headed to the minors. But, in the YES post-game, Joe said he's taking Giambi on the road trip and that Jason thinks he's close to coming out if it. I'm sticking with my June 15th deadline mentioned earlier today.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:26 PM | Comments (2)

Drawing The Line For Jason Giambi

In the YES post-game coverage last night, David Justice said that Jason Giambi is not able to catch up with fastballs. This is not new. It's been a year since Giambi was an effective hitter. Since June 1st of last year, he's been a bust. Therefore, Giambi's lack of performance during the first 6 weeks of this season should be not a total shock.

Right now, Giambi is a scarecrow in the batter's box and he's running the bases like Mr. Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. And, to complete the total package, a blindfolded Venus de Milo would be a better first baseman at this point than Jason.

The Yankees should designate June 15th as "Deadwood Decision Day" (D3, for short) for Jason Giambi. If, after another 5 weeks from today, Giambi is still playing like he was been to date this season, then make a call on him and roll with it.

Call Billy Beane and see if he would take him - assuming the Yankees pay most of his salary - in exchange for a bag of batting practice balls and an autographed copy of Moneyball. Or, find out if Howie Spira has any dirt on Giambi. Or, hire a Jeff Gillooly type and see if Giambi can be put on the DL for the rest of the year. Or, just cut the bum and eat the salary. Whatever - but, do something.

To take no action on Giambi by mid-June, if he continues to under-perform, is a disservice to the team and an insult to Yankees fans.

I'm sure Jason is a really nice guy. But, this is about winning, not making friends. And, Giambi is hurting the Yankees now in numerous more ways than he is helping them.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:27 PM | Comments (7)

May 09, 2005

May 9th vs. The Mariners

I had a business commitment this evening and could not pick up the game until the 7th inning when I tuned into the radio coverage from my car. I thought they were nuts to have Jeter bunt over Sanchez for Womack in the bottom of the 8th.

Just goes to show what I know.

I got home just in time to see the post-game on YES. Randy certainly looked pumped coming off the mound in the 8th (per the highlights that I saw). Even after all these years, the Unit lives to compete. That's good. This team needs that kind of heart.

As exciting as it is to finally win three in a row this year, it's depressing as heck to think the Yankees are still so far below .500.

I know, I know.........you have to crawl before you can walk - and you have to walk before you can run. I'm just looking forward to when this team not only runs - but, also runs over some teams too.

I was also going to rant some on Giambi today. But, I'll save that for another day soon. Why ruin an otherwise nice Yankee win by bringing up the Yankee's version of Star Trek Deep Space Nine's "Morn"?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)

Mike Mussina's Game On 9/01/01

From Opening Day 1998 through the final out of the 2000 World Series, things pretty much went the Yankees way.

The start of the 2001 regular season was a positive for the Yankees as well. In fact, at the close of 8/31/01, New York was in 1st place with a record of 79-56 (leading the Red Sox by 7 games).

Then, on September 1, 2001, Mike Mussina came within one strike of throwing the first perfect game in the history of Fenway Park. The Sox' Carl Everett, as a pinch-hitter, broke it up.

Since that hit, things started going against the Yankees. There was the Mo meltdown in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. Then, in 2002, the Yanks were tarred and feathered by the Angels in the ALDS. The next year, New York had the huge letdown in the 2003 World Series against the Marlins. And, by now, everyone knows the story of the 2004 ALCS.

You know, it was Carl Everett who gave Dan Shaughnessy (who wrote The Curse of the Bambino) the less-than-affectionate nickname "CHB" that Red Sox Nation loves to use for Shaughnessy. Could the curse have been transferred to the Yankees with that Everett hit somehow?

OK, I know that's a reach. But, whenever I think about Mussina's game on 9/1/01, it always seems as if that game is a marker for where the good-luck road started to turn for the recent Yankees champions.

And, I have to wonder, what if Moose had gotten that last strike?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:02 AM | Comments (10)

May 08, 2005

May 8th vs. The A's

For a while now, I've been calling Kevin Brown a mother. But, today was mother's day! Sweet fancy Moses - KB was not toying around out there this afternoon.

This makes it back-to-back victories for the Bronx Bombers. As you need to win two consecutive games at some point to start a winning streak, the "W" today is a beautiful thing.

This all said, prior to this series, I saw the following on the A's in a report somewhere on the 'net:

The A's are batting just .241 as a team, with 19 home runs in 28 games. They have scored three runs or fewer 16 times.

Therefore, we have to wonder - at least a wee bit - was it us, or them, these past few games?

In any event, BTB wins will make going to work tomorrow AM somewhat easier and takes some of the sting out of the "I wanna shoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ot the whole day down" Monday blues.

And, of course, Happy Mother's Day! to all the moms out there. Holy cow! Where would we be without you?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:11 PM | Comments (6)

May 07, 2005

May 7th vs. The A's

Today, ladies and gentlemen, Mike Mussina stepped up.
Not as big as Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS or Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS. But, in terms of stepping up for a game on May 7th, Moose came through with a game today as big as one could hope for - and then some.

Granted, these are the 2005 Oakland A's - and they're not exactly an offensive to make you want to cry "Mommy!" But, Mussina did something today that we do not see a lot of in Yankeeland: A complete game shutout victory.

When you factor in the losing streak, the way the team has been playing, and who is pitching tomorrow for New York - oh, and the facts that the Yankees have several slumping hitters, a bullpen full of arsonists, and a closer that was not available today - then coming through with a shutout this afternoon is a huge, huge, effort.

Attaboy Moose. You don't step up all the time. But, when you do, it's memorable!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:57 PM | Comments (13)

May 06, 2005

May 6th vs. The A's

This is starting to take depressing to another level. I'm surprised that one of those YES Ultimate Road Trip people hasn't checked themselves into the loony bin by now.

Before the first pitch tonight, I thought I saw something. With the start slightly delayed, the TV cameras focused on the Yankees dugout. Guys were slapping each other, doing the fist, etc., and I thought I saw some energy and upbeat players.

Then, through the first seven innings of the game, that optimism disappeared. But, it made a comeback in the 8th, albeit short-lived.

By the 10th inning, well, there just aren't words. Kaat said it best when he said (something like) "Just when you thought you had hit the lowest of lows, it gets lower." I guess that's why they pay Kitty and not me - he's able to find the words.

So many of the "old guard" had a hand in this one - Mo (walking the 9th place hitter to start the 10th?), Jeter with a muff, Tino with a boot and a bad throw, and, Posada........Oh, my stars and garters, will someone please put a leash on Jorge when he's on 2nd base? Watching tonight was like watching an old, past his prime, fighter get slugged around in a ring he had no business being in.

And, while it was not a factor in this game, having two players on the active roster who cannot play the field is going to cost the Yankees a game very soon. When Phillips moved to LF, what would have happened if he, Matsui, or Sheff got tossed from the game or injured? Rey Sanchez to the OF? That's about all that was left.

Prediction: If the Yankees losses equal the new number (22) on Cano's back before they win their 12th game, at least two members of the Yankees braintrust will be fired. Maybe more than two.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:32 PM | Comments (4)

And Then There Was Brown

Coming into tonight's game, the Yankees team ERA is 5.23 (according to dougstats.com). This mark is next to dead last in the AL. And, it's not that far from rock bottom, which is Tampa Bay @ 5.86.

Needless to say, this is not good.

However, if you take the Yankees current team pitching totals, and subtract the "contributions" of (to date) Sean Henn, Jaret Wright, Kevin Brown, Steve Karsay, and Felix Rodriguez, then the team ERA would be closer to 4.23.

An ERA of 4.23 would place the Yankees around 7th in the current AL team ERA rankings. This is not great. But, it's still means being in the top half of the league in ERA - which is much, much, better than being next to (and almost) last in ERA.

Therefore, when people say "the Yankees pitching stinks" - they are not correct. To date, five Yankee pitchers have "stunk" and they are: Sean Henn, Jaret Wright, Kevin Brown, Steve Karsay, and Felix Rodriguez.

Now, Henn is back in the minors. And, Wright is on the DL until who knows when(?). In addition, Karsay has been designated for assignment. These three pitchers can do no more harm to the Yankees, at least presently.

There's some rumors out there today that Felix Rodriguez might be traded to the Cubs. For Yankees fans, this is good news - based on the way F'ed-Rod has thrown this season so far. Who does that leave?

Just Kevin Brown.

If you want to say that the Yankees problem is pitching, there's just one part of that problem left: Kevin Brown.

And, pretty soon, if he doesn't turn it around, well......

Fe-fe, fi-fi, fo-fo, fum
I smell smoke at the big Stadium.

Ol' Kevin Brown, Ol' Kevin Brown
He's a clown,
that Kevin Brown.
He's gonna get caught
Just you wait and see.
Pretty soon he'll be another ex-Yankee

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:33 PM | Comments (3)

WasWatching.com Stuff

Want to make my day sometime?

Let me meet you somewhere, sometime, and see that you're wearing an official WasWatching.com Shirt or using the official WasWatching.com Tote Bag.

It's the perfect shirt for the Stadium!

And, the small profits from the sales of these items help support this site.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:17 AM | Comments (2)

Pitching Is My Main Concern

The Big Stein speaks! From a USA Today report:

"I am concerned because time is getting shorter as each day goes by," he told USA TODAY on Thursday. "We've got to get better, that's for sure. It's never too early. Pitching is my main concern."

..........

"We're just not getting the pitching," he said. "I don't know whether we have to think of some changes there or what."

..........

"Joe Torre doesn't attach much importance to spring training, but now this is in his lap, his lap and (general manager) Brian Cashman's lap. They've got to perform, and the coaches have to perform."

...........

"I think we have a great team, and they'll start pulling together once the pitching goes, then they'll all go. As Joe Torre says, pitching wins it. Pitching is important. We've got to have it."

The two most important lines in there:

1. "We're just not getting the pitching," he said. "I don't know whether we have to think of some changes there or what."

2. "the coaches have to perform."

Bye-bye Mel.

This is at least two years overdue. The question is: Who will replace him? Reportedly, Neil Allen is a Stein guy. And, Gil Patterson is in Columbus. But, the Yankees need someone like Ray Miller - and what he did for the O's last and this year, turning around the staff. Like what Orel has done in Texas too. Tom House? Dave Stewart? I dunno? I'm just pulling names out of the air. Johnny Sain is 87. Count him out. Is Joe Kerrigan working somewhere?

Who would you like to see replace Mel? Kaat? Gooden? Gator? Tommy John?

If it were possible, I would love to see them pull Jimmy Key into this. I think he would be perfect.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:04 AM | Comments (5)

May 05, 2005

May 5th @ The Devil Rays

We Play Today, We Lose Today, Dassit.

Is there someone out there who can explain this new math to me? I'm having a very hard time understanding how 29,893,567 is better than 205,938,439, three times out of four.

As of this moment, I am convinced that this team had the life sucked out of them in the 2004 ALCS and until they receive a spark to reanimate them, we're not going to see anything different from what we've been seeing this year.

From 1989 to 1992, the Yankees averaged 90 losses per season. Since that time, they've never lost more than 74 in a given year.

Their magic number is now 57. If the Yankees lose 57 more games, that would give them an all-time high loss mark since 1992. In order to not lose 57 more games, they must win 4 out of every 7, from now until the end of the year. It's possible. But, first, we need that spark.

Quick, everyone start cutting out pictures from old Yankee yearbooks, put on a rally cap, and sing with me........

From my heart and from my hand
Why don't people understand
My intentions . . . . Oooh, weird . . . .

Weird science!!

(Weird science)
Magic and technology
Voodoo dolls and chants
Electricity We're makin'

(Weird science)
Fantasy and microchips
Shooting from the hip
Something different
We're makin'

(Weird science)
Pictures from a magazine
Diagrams and charts
Mending broken hearts (and makin')

(Weird science) Something like a recipe
Bits and pieces . . . . Bits and pieces . . . .

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:55 PM | Comments (4)

Ozzie Guillen - The Mouse That Roars

From the Daily Southtown today:

With Sox starters entering Wednesday night's game with a combined 14-3 record, 2.82 ERA and 17 quality starts this season, Guillen was asked where his rotation stacked up against others in the major leagues.

How about in comparison to the Yankees?

"They're not a comparative team,'' Guillen said. "They're in last place."

This is the same Ozzie Guillen who was quoted about two weeks ago (speaking to White Sox beat writers) after learning of Magglio Ordonez' contempt for him after he steered Magglio away from the Sox and to Detroit, as saying (about Ordonez):

"He's a piece of [bleep]. He's a [bleep], that's what he is. He's another Venezuelan [bleep]. [Bleep] him. He has an enemy. Now he has a big one. He knows I can [bleep] him a lot of different ways. He better shut the [bleep] up and play for the Detroit Tigers."

Ozzie has a lot to learn about taking the high road and having an ounce of class. Oh, and, he should probably win something before shooting off his mouth too.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:47 PM | Comments (6)

May 04, 2005

May 4th @ The Devil Rays

The difference between pitching in Triple-A and the majors is huge. Therefore, the difference between Double-A and the bigs is even greater. Sean Henn can't be blamed for tonight. Whoever made the choice to start him should be blamed. Henn still has a good shot at a future as a major league starter. He just needs more time in the minors - especially at Triple-A.

Yankees are now 11-17 on the year. In order for NY to win 100 games this year, they would have to win 2 out of every 3 games for the rest of the season. In order to win 90 games this season, they would have to win 3 out of every 5 games for the rest of the year.

This squad is starting to look like an 85-win team, at best.

But, to get to that point, they're going to need an exorcism or enema first - or perhaps both - because they way they're going now, they'll be lucky to win 75 games this season.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:33 PM | Comments (3)