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March 31, 2008

Looking For A House In The Red Light District?

Here's one for you. Via the Medfield Press:

Sure, he can mow down Yankee batters on a surgically-repaired ankle on the way to the Red Sox's first World Series win in nearly a century, but can Curt Schilling pull off a real miracle - selling a multi-million dollar home in a depressed real estate market?

The Red Sox ace and playoff hero this week put his 11,000-square-foot Medfield home, complete with pool, elegant spiral staircase, batting cage and nearly 26 acres of property, on sale with an asking price of $8 million.

Looks like ol' Schill figures there's no need to stick around Beantown now.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)

That Crazy New Math

Bruce Bukiet, "NJIT's indefatigable math professor," is predicting that the Yankees will win 98 games this season. Then again, last season, he predicted that the Yanks would win 110 games.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

No Go On The Joba Show

Via Neil Best:

Joba Chamberlain found that out when he came within a midge's whisker of signing up for a weekly spot on Michael Kay's ESPN 1050 show, which recently added controversy-in-waiting Billy Wagner.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman nixed the idea. Turns out such gigs are a Yankees no-no.

"It's a policy I've had in place for a long time now," he said before Monday's mist-out. "We should speak with one voice, whether it is the manager or general manager. They can speak postgame or pregame or in their normal interview process but not have a regular schedule."

...We should speak with one voice, whether it is the manager or general manager...

Unless, of course, it's Hank's voice. Then, all bets are off.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)

Getting Jiggy With Cash

Via Ken Davidoff:

The conditions were brisk but beautiful, the 2008 Yankees took their first hacks at this cathedral in the Bronx and a relaxed-looking Brian Cashman held court in the home dugout. You can't see the new Yankee Stadium from the old Yankee Stadium, yet Cashman's mind-set - at reporters' prompting - veered in that direction.

"We're hoping to rock the house for one more season before it's done," a smiling Cashman said yesterday. "Or someone's going to rock my house."

[Tom Jones with some help from Art Of Noise] Think I'd better dance now... [/TJwshfAON] To that end...

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:48 PM | Comments (0)

Pinstriped MacArthur Parking Ticket

Like the members of the team, fans get pretty excited about Opening Day as well. Those on the team talk about getting "butterflies." I can understand that - as you do feel the excitement in your stomach on Opening Day, even as a fan. (At least, I do.)

The weather today was a true wet blanket on that, again, at least for me. It's like the relief pitcher who gets the call to warm up in the pen and then is told to sit down (rather than come into the game). The players have an expression for that. The first word is "dry" and the second word starts with an "H" and rhymes with "lump."

Once those butterflies are stirred, it's hard to recapture that feeling again. I'm going to be thrilled to watch Yankees baseball tomorrow - in a game where it counts - but, it's not going to be amped up to the level of a "true" Opening Day. It's just not the same.

Plus, with so many other teams having now already enjoyed their opener, it feels like the holiday has passed and the Yankees fans were left off the party list.

If you never understood what was meant by the phrase "Someone left the cake out in the rain," well, baby, this is it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)

LaTroy Hawkins Wants To Wear #21

Bryan Hoch has the story.

You know, Tony Kubek, Dick Howser, Frank Fernandez, Danny Cater, Celerino Sanchez, Chris Chambliss and Rick Cerone all wore #10 after the Scooter...and Rizzuto's number still got retired.

For the Paul O'Neill fans, I offer that this evening.

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

I Just Heard The Groans Of 57,545 People

Via the Yankees site:

The final Opening Day at Yankee Stadium will have to wait. Rain postponed Monday's game with Toronto, which will be played on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Betcha less than 40,000 return for the game tomorrow. That retractable dome would have come in handy today.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:33 PM | Comments (4)

Gotta Go To...Macy's?

From the Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Macy's has gathered a collection of 15 MLB stars, including Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine, and is pairing them with baseball team deals for a Father's Day promo.

While athletes are often used to tout licensed apparel, using them to endorse a specific retailer is unusual, especially with a group that includes so many likely hall of famers. A star-packed group gathered recently in Florida for a photo shoot, including Glavine, New York Mets manager Willie Randolph, Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Joe Torre, New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson, Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez, San Francisco Giants center fielder Dave Roberts, Seattle Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez, Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren, and Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt.

The players and managers will appear on the cover of a multimillion circulation Father's Day Gift Guide that Macy's will distribute during the next few months. In addition, many of the players will appear in local print ads.

I wonder if some of his Yankees teammates will now call Mo Rivera "Zoolander" - just to give him a hard time on this one?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)

Today's Game

Is it just me, or, is this weather today a total bummer?

There's no way in the world, at this point, that the game will be called. So, get ready for a sloppy mess and the possibility a few rain delays too.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:15 PM | Comments (1)

Yikes, I Never Thought Of It That Way

Via Ed Price -

The new stadium opens in a year. But the Yankees' new era begins today.

Owner George Steinbrenner has ceded control of the team to his two sons. Joe Girardi takes over as manager after Joe Torre guided the team to the playoffs 12 straight years. And there is a commitment to young players -- such as Phil Hughes, who was 9 years old the last time someone other than Torre managed a Yankees game.

Think about that for a minute. When Jim Leyritz hit that homer in the rain, Phil Hughes was almost 9 years and 4 months old.

Makes you wonder what 9-year olds out there now will be in the Yankees starting rotation in the year 2020?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:20 AM | Comments (1)

Ehrke: Are Players Better After Joining Yanks?

Don Ehrke of Dugout Central looks at the question "Does putting on a Yankee uniform still make a man a better player?

Looking at "at every significant performer (minimum 200 at bats or 60 innings pitched) who joined the Yankees from another team between 1997 and 2007," Don concludes:

Overall, 45 significant players joined the New York Yankees between 1997 and 2007, and surprisingly, 25 didn’t play as well in the Bronx as they had with their previous team.

And, who was the G.M. of the Yankees during almost all of this time period?

The biggest problem found in the study was pitching. As Don wrote:

Twenty-four pitchers joined the Yankee staff from a different club and pitched 60 innings or more. Nine pitchers improved their ERA plus while 15 declined. Among pitchers who performed better in New York the average improvement in ERA plus was 24 points, while the average decrease among those who performed worse was 56 points (excluding Chris Hammond – an extreme statistical outlier).

And, that didn't include Kei Igawa. Ouch.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:49 AM | Comments (2)

Will RSN Move Allow Yanks To Ignore StubHub Deal?

According to The Biz of Baseball, the Red Sox have broken ranks with MLB on their agreement to use StubHub as a secondary ticket market of choice.

If MLB allows the Sox to get away with this move, will the Yankees be far behind?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:21 AM | Comments (1)

What Scouts Think Of Yankees Chances This Season

Via John Harper today -

The Yankees could well win multiple championships over the next 10 or so years, thanks largely to a pitching staff built around young guns Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy. But this year? Forget it. It's more likely their streak of 13 straight playoff seasons will come to a crashing halt.

Each of the six [major league scouts and executives who saw the Yankees multiple times this spring] polled made a point of saying they were impressed by the way the young trio performed in spring training, yet four of the six said they believe the Yankees indeed will miss the playoffs in 2008, citing the inevitable growing pains as well as questions about the rest of the pitching staff.

"I love their future," was the way one scout put it. "But if you think those young guys aren't going to take their lumps at times this season against American League lineups, you're dreaming."

Against this backdrop, then, consider some of the observations the scouts and executives raised about the Yankees as the new season begins:

They wonder if Wang's horrible ALDS has caused a confidence crisis. The sinkerballer threw a lot more sliders and changeups in spring training, trying to give hitters different looks, but his 8.02 ERA was largely the result of the same thigh-high sinkers he was throwing in that playoff series against the Indians.

They don't see how the 38-year-old Mussina can have anything more than occasional success this season with a fastball mostly clocked at 85-86 mph this spring.

They suggest the relief tandem of Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins won't be reliable enough to allow the Yankees to move Chamberlain from the bullpen this season.

So, some scouts and members of the media agree that the Yankees pitching this season is a potential concern.

Me, I still think the Yankees will win 92 games this season - even with the pitching concerns. Will that be enough in 2008? Well, six months from now, we'll know...

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:33 AM | Comments (1)

March 30, 2008

Roy Halladay & Worm Killer Wang @ The Bronx

The last time that Roy Halladay pitched a game against the Yankees, in the Bronx, where he got the loss, was September 21, 2004. Since 2001, Halladay has made 11 starts at the Stadium and Toronto has won 8 of those 11 games.

In his career, Chien-Ming Wang has made 5 starts against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. He's never gone less than 7 innings in any of those games - and he's never allowed more than 3 earned runs in any of those outings. The Yankees have won 3 of those 5 games - and each of the two losses were by just one run.

So, what are the odds of tomorrow's home opener being just like the one from 1998? Yeah, I doubt it too.

It will probably be more like the Yanks home opener from 1992 or from 1986.

It's interesting, there have not been a lot of Yankees home openers where the starting pitchers from both teams were really on their game. You probably have to go back to 1968 or to 1966 to find one.

Actually, since this current Yankee Stadium opened in 1973, there have been probably just two games where the Yankees starting pitcher was lights-out in the home opener: Rick Rhoden in 1988 and Catfish Hunter in 1977.

Maybe Wang can make it three guys before they shut the door on this Stadium?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)

Mussina: Torre Would Close Barn Door After The Horses Got Out

Via The Globe and Mail -

"Joe [Girardi] does a little more talking to the players as the game goes along," Mussina said on Friday. "Joe [Torre] kind of sat back and let the guys make the mistakes and then gave the instructions. Joe [Girardi] may not let it go that far. He might make sure he reminds people of stuff before it ever happens.

"I know he's talked to me a lot more than Torre did," Mussina added. "It can be good or bad, you know? There are certain situations where you want to let the guy work out of it.

"But there's also time to remind guys what to do in different situations because this is a game of different situations, where you can experience something suddenly that you haven't experienced for two or three years."

...[Torre] kind of sat back and let the guys make the mistakes and then gave the instructions...

Just another feather in the cap of the theory that once Don Zimmer left New York any hope for Yankees in-game strategizing went with him.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:08 PM | Comments (2)

Hey, Over Here!

Andrew Ratner, in the Baltimore Sun, has a nice feature today on Orioles bloggers.

It would be nice if the New York media did such a story on Yankees-bloggers someday. [Just a hint in case someone from the New York papers is reading this!]

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:49 AM | Comments (1)

Rob Neyer's Big Book Of Baseball Legends

Three years ago, in March of 2005, in the 24 hours that passed after the first report of [former Red Sox pitcher] Dick Radatz' death, there were many stories published about Radatz' match-ups with Mickey Mantle and how often Radatz whiffed Mickey. In those 24 hours, I saw the following claims published in various outlets:

54 K's in 67 attempts.
47 in 63.
44 in 66.
44 in 67.
44 in 63.
And, 12 in 16.

And, it was that last one which was true. What's the old saying about when the legend is better than the truth, print the legend? Related, so often, when it comes to baseball stories, facts are stretched, or commingled with ones from other stories, on just they are just flat-out fabricated. And, the older the story, the worse it seems to get.

If you're like me, and you're interested in knowing the truth when it comes to baseball history, rather than the fish stories, then you're going to love "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else" (which goes on sale this week on April 1st).

With this new book, Rob Neyer goes through both well-known and obscure baseball stories found in books, news reports, game broadcasts, and the like, and turns them inside out to determine the truth.

In the lyrics of an ol' Romeo Void song ("Your Life Is A Lie") there's a part that goes "You're a great silhouette. You cast a shadow. But you don't stand up to the light." And, in so many (but not all) of these baseball tall tales, Neyer finds out that they do not stand up to the light.

As a Yankees fan, I'm sure you've heard the story about how Thurman Munson, after hearing that Carlton Fisk was leading him in catcher's assists, went out and dropped a bunch of third-strikes to pad his assist total and pass Fisk. I know that I've heard it about a hundred times. Guess what? It never happened - as Rob proves in his book.

There are around 100 great stories looked at by Neyer in "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends" - such as the Munson/Fisk story. Rather than spoil too many of them for you, I'll just share that they include (but are not limited to) people like Rube Waddell, Ty Cobb, George Steinbrenner, Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, Fred Lynn, Jackie Robinson, Harvey Haddix, Bob Feller, Don Drysdale, Willie Mays, Bill Mazeroski, Honus Wagner, Hal Chase, Leo Durocher, Pete Alexander, Casey Stengel, Dizzy Dean, Yogi Berra, Bob Gibson, Dwight Gooden, Joe Morgan and some guy named Babe Ruth.

As a Yankees fan, you'll be interested in two items in this book where Ken Singleton tells a story about Ron Guidry and Willie Wilson and where Michael Kay tells a story about Derek Jeter and Joe Torre - both debunked by Neyer. It's proof that you can't believe everything that you hear during a YES broadcast. (It's O.K. Kenny - you're still a pleasure to listen too - even if you are loose with the facts some times.)

You can read "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends" from the first page to the last page, or, you can just attack at it and cherry pick the stories that attract your attention first. With either approach, it's an entertaining and informing read. Along with his other two "Big Books" - "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders" and "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups" - "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else" is a must have for the serious baseball library and just a fun read for the thinking baseball history fan. I highly recommend it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

Time Of Last Dance TBD?

Tomorrow is Opening Day for the Yankees. Currently, on the Yankees schedule, September 21st - the last regular season game scheduled for Yankee Stadium - is listed as "TBD" for the time of the game.

As I have said before, if ESPN turns this game into a 8:05 PM start, that will be a crime. Imagine if the last out of such a game is at 11:00 PM? What cermonies are you going to start then? How long could they last? It's crazy. So, what are you going to do, have the ceremonies before the game? That could be a huge distraction to a game that could be important to the standings. The whole thing is starting to smell.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:06 AM | Comments (2)

Serby Q&A With Murcer

Steve Serby has a nice Q&A posted today with Bobby Murcer - some highlights:

Q: Being in the booth with Scooter (the late Phil Rizzuto)?

A: One of the greatest times in my whole life. I became the cannoli expert of the world for Oklahoma. We had more cannolis and salamis and cheeses. ... I never gained so much weight in my life. I learned a lot from Scooter. You had to be on your toes because he was liable to throw you a curveball or a spitter at any time.

Q: You were in the booth for the George Brett pine-tar game.

A: I've never seen such a crazed man in my life. It's a good thing somebody intercepted him. He was ready to choke somebody, wasn't he? Good thing he was in shape, otherwise he might have had a stroke! I was doing the color with Frank Messer. I actually got it right, what they were doing when they were measuring with the pine tar being too far up the label.

Q: You didn't appreciate Gaylord Perry's spitball, so you sent him a gallon of lard.

A: I think I got the clubhouse kid to get it. I just asked him to get me some pure, old grease.

You'll never find a nicer guy than Bobby Murcer.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

Hawkins Is A Good Teammate

Via George King -

When the Yankees signed La Troy Hawkins as a free agent, they heard he was a wonderful presence in the clubhouse. Friday night he proved it.

Seeing that Scott Patterson was upset about being sent out, Hawkins headed for Patterson's locker. Hawkins knew Patterson was almost perfect in eight games (one hit, no runs in 71/3 innings) and figured he needed some encouragement.

"I told him to go to his room and have some drinks and charge it to my room, 901," Hawkins said.

Patterson didn't run up Hawkins' room service bill but appreciated the support.

"That was awesome, I probably needed that at that point," said Patterson, who will open the season at Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Hawkins also gave Patterson advice he received from Kirby Puckett, Rick Aguilera and Kevin Tapani when he was with the Twins.

"I told him I have been there before and they know what you can do," Hawkins said. "He isn't that far away. They put him in every situation they could and he came out smelling like a rose. He got big-league hitters out. It was OK to be upset."

Love to see this stuff. Great move by La Troy.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:41 AM | Comments (0)

Abraham Q&A With Cashman

In case you're one of the few to miss it, you should check out Peter Abraham's fan Q&A with Brian Cashman. I loved what Cash said about Brett Gardner.

For the record, I sent Pete a question as a suggestion. It was not used. Here's the question from me:

Brian, last season you elected to feature two question-marks in the starting rotation, Pavano and Igawa, and it backfired. Luckily, you were able to go out on the market to pick up Roger Clemens as a band-aid last year - albeit an expensive one. This season, you've elected to feature two question-marks in the rotation again, Hughes and Kennedy, along with a quasi-question mark in Mussina. If some of these question-marks in the rotation fail this season, what's your contingency plan for this year - without having a Clemens type out there to fall back on?

Shame, I really would have liked to have heard what Brian's plan was for this season on this matter.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:25 AM | Comments (4)

March 29, 2008

And, That's A Wrap On Spring Training...

With their win tonight, the Yankees go 14-12-2 for the spring. Considering that, coming into tonight's contest, New York had lost 5 of their last 6 games, 14-12-2 is pretty good.

An interesting game by Phil Hughes tonight.

The great news: He threw 64% of his pitches for strikes, used only 3.45 pitches per batter, and retired 75% of the batters that he faced. Plus, his fastball was clocked at 94 to 95 MPH in the fifth inning. If he does all that every time out, he'll be a 20-game winner.

The only concerning news: 73% of Hughes' non-strikeout outs came on fly balls - on a night playing in a big ballpark with wind at 11 MPH coming in from center. Ideally, you want to see Phil keep the ball on the ground more. (Paul Hoover gave one shot off Hughes a pretty good ride in the fourth. Had that one been a little deeper, it changes the look to Phil's outing tonight.) But, at the end of the day, it all worked out for Hughes this evening in terms of the bottom line.

So, now, we wait until Monday afternoon...it's going to seem like forever.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:38 PM | Comments (10)

Phil Hughes = Not An Innings Eater In '08

Last night, I made the following comment at this blog:

Heck, you may never see Mussina or Hughes go late into a game this year.

And, already, I'm catching some heat from the "Friends of Hughes" throng for that statement. So, I thought I would add this to show why I made that statement.

Last season, Hughes made 13 big league starts. In 6 of those 13 starts, he did not pitch 6 innings. And, in fact, in only one of those 13 starts did he pitch 7 innings.

Based on Phil Hughes' P/BF mark of 4.04 last season, and the fact that the Yankees will probably keep him to about 100 pitches per start this season, you can only expect Hughes to face around 24 batters per game this year. So, for Hughes to pitch 7 innings in a game this season, with that P/BF rate of 4.04, he's going to have to pitch a three-hitter with no walks allowed, each time out. And, that's not going to happen.

You see, when I say "go late into a game" I mean pitch 7 innings in the contest.

Andy Pettitte had 7+ innings in a start last year 17 times. Chien-Ming Wang did it 14 times in 2007. It can be done.

I just don't see Hughes pitching 7 innings or more (in a start) too many times in 2008. If he does it more than seven times all season, I'll be shocked.

If you think Phil Hughes will pitch 7+ innings in a start, and meet my definition of "go late into a game," more times than not this season, then that's great for you. Me? I've yet to see anything to suggest that's a reasonable expectation to have for this season.

Sure, maybe Hughes can improve on his 4.04 P/BF rate this season? Maybe that will allow him to go deeper in games? But, we have not seen that this spring. So, again, I stand by my prediction: You may never see Hughes go late into a game this year.

O.K. never is a strong word. Make that "hardly ever." Yeah, that's better. "You may hardly ever see Hughes go late into a game this year."

Let's all promise to look back at this come October, OK?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:39 AM | Comments (6)

Wild, Wild, East?

Ken Davidoff is predicting the Yankees to finish in third this season - behind Boston and Toronto.

Bob Nightengale and Mel Antonen of USA Today both also have the Yankees finishing in third this season - with the Blue Jays finishing in first followed by the Red Sox.

You don't see too many predicting the Yankees to finish in third place this season.

What do you think? What are the odds that the Yankees finish third in 2008?

Me? I suppose that it's possible. But, for me, it would mean that both Toronto and Boston have more than 92 wins this season. I think Boston should be right around 92 wins. But, Toronto? Well, I could see them winning about 87-88 games. So, with some luck, they could push that to close to 92 wins.

And, as crazy as this sounds, I saw a projection somewhere (I forget where) that had the Rays getting close to 90 wins this season. When you factor in that the Red Sox, Yanks, Jays and Rays all play each other 19 times this season, each, well, it could just be a Wild, Wild, East in the A.L. this season.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:49 AM | Comments (5)

Thank You Colorado

Gerry Fraley looks at the chain of events that led General Joe to the Bronx:

After another consuming spring training day in the crucible that is managing the New York Yankees, Joe Girardi pondered a what-if question.

What if the Rockies had not selected Girardi in the 1992 expansion draft?

"Without Colorado," Girardi said, "I'm probably not sitting here."

Without Colorado's foresight, Girardi would have sunk deeper into the role of backup catcher with the Chicago Cubs.

Without Colorado's opportunity, Girardi would not have made himself into an attractive player during three seasons as the Rockies' starter.

Without Colorado's payroll squeeze, Girardi would not have been traded to the Yankees after the 1995 season.

The deal started a relationship that will enter a new chapter Monday, when Girardi is scheduled to make his regular-season debut as manager in the final Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.

For a moment, Girardi might flash back to the Rockies' first home opener, when a crowd of 80,227 at Mile High Stadium saw him catch Bryn Smith in an 11-4 win against Montreal.

"I've been fortunate everywhere I played," Girardi said. "But Colorado was a special experience."

"We knew there were so many positives that Joe could contribute to a first-year club," said Arizona vice president Bob Gebhard, who was the Rockies' first general manager. "He was not only a good defensive catcher. He was smart, a leader, a very respectable young man. He was the right type of guy for us."

At the same time, Girardi grew in stature. His ability to work with and protect a pitching staff, which the Cubs had discounted, caught everyone's attention.

"Joe was the leader," said Yankees bullpen coach Mike Harkey, a Girardi teammate with the Cubs (1990-92) and the Rockies (1994). "He was the most prepared guy I'd ever been around. It wasn't going to work with him. You learned."

The run ended after the 1995 season, when the Rockies sent Girardi to the Yankees for right-hander Mike DeJean and a minor league pitcher. The trade was surprising because Girardi had played such a vital internal role on a club that reached the playoffs as a wild card.

Girardi, who had a prominent role with the Major League Baseball Players Association, had a run-in with Rockies management during the 1994-95 strike regarding its efforts to use minor leaguers in spring training replacement games. Girardi does not believe his stance caused the trade.

"I believe things happen for a reason," Girardi said. "You're always sad when you leave a team, because you've developed relationships with the guys there. But it works out."

Gebhard said payroll concerns influenced the decision. The Rockies had re-signed shortstop Walt Weiss and were pursuing free-agent second baseman Craig Biggio. They could not afford to keep Girardi.

"I did not want to lose Joe, and Don did not want to lose Joe," Gebhard said. "He was vital to our success. But it was a dollars-and-cents decision."

A great story of one door closing and another one opening.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2008

Yanks Pen Will Be Tested Early

At this moment, the weather forecast for the Yankees home opener is as follows: Cloudy and breezy with a chance of rain - High: 47 °F RealFeel®: 38 °F. Just a chance of rain is pretty good. Not as good as "sunny" - but, better than a high chance of rain. The current forecast for later that same day is: Periods of rain in the evening; otherwise, cloudy - Low: 45 °F RealFeel®: 36 °F.

Let's hope that rain on Monday night does not show up early and bring cause for the Yankees to push the opener to Tuesday. Granted, it's supposed to be in the 60's on Tuesday with sun. But, if the Yankees play on Tuesday, and not Monday, then it means they will open their season with 20 games in 20 days. (Sure, it may not seem that much different than 20 games in 21 days - but, every bit helps.)

In any event, given that it's the start of the season, I don't think you'll see many Yankees starting pitchers going deep into games over the first two weeks or so. (Heck, you may never see Mussina or Hughes go late into a game this year.) So, the Yanks' bullpen will be called upon - and often - during the first 20 games of the season. Let's hope they're up for the task right out of the chute.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:40 PM | Comments (4)

2008 Opening Day Roster

According to Peter Abraham, the Yankees have now cut down to 25 players on their active big league roster.

The pitchers:

Jonathan Albaladejo
Brian Bruney
Joba Chamberlain
Kyle Farnsworth
LaTroy Hawkins
Phil Hughes
Ian Kennedy
Mike Mussina
Ross Ohlendorf
Mariano Rivera
Billy Traber
Chien-Ming Wang

The position players:

Bobby Abreu
Wilson Betemit
Melky Cabrera
Robinson Cano
Johnny Damon
Shelley Duncan
Morgan Ensberg
Jason Giambi
Derek Jeter
Hideki Matsui
Jose Molina
Jorge Posada
Alex Rodriguez

When Andy Pettitte comes off the D.L. next weekend, either Albaladejo, Bruney or Ohlendorf will come off the roster. My money is on Albaladejo.

The Yankees are covered when it comes to having nine sticks to put in the line-up.

It will be interesting to see how Girardi handles the infield if something happens to Jeter and Cano in the same game. Granted, the odds are against something happening to both in the same contest - but, it's not impossible. Either Betemit plays SS and Ensberg will be pressed into duty at second, or, Betemit plays second, A-Rod moves over to short, and Ensberg plays third. So, there's some coverage there - albeit just unconventional.

It will also be interesting to see what happens with Posada and Giambi if they're on base late in a close game. Do you pinch run for them? If so, do you use Betemit? For Giambi, probably - sure - as Betemit can then play first and you don't lose him. But, if you run Betemit for Posada and then Molina comes in to catch, you're without that true back-up middle infielder for the rest of the game. So, look for Duncan or Ensberg to run for Posada in those spots.

On the whole, the Yankees took most of the players that one would expect. Albaladejo, Bruney and Ohlendorf will need to pitch well, from day one, and keep it up, to stick around - after we know which of the two survive Pettitte's return. In any event, the bullpen does not look terrible.

The big trick is the starting rotation - as, for the most part, they did not have the greatest spring training in history (as a group). It's old news, but, as the starters go, so will this team.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:03 PM | Comments (10)

What's The Best Way To Peel Baseball?

Ken Rosenthal threw down an interesting glove in his column today predicting who will win it all in 2008. Here is what he said:

Bloggers, it's your lucky day.

Not that you ever need prompting to rip apart the latest ill-informed splattering from the mainstream media, but here's an invitation on a gold-engraved, all-but-autographed platter:

Embarrassing as it is to admit, my annual column predicting which team will win the World Series often defies sabermetric orthodoxy, not to mention conventional logic. Sort of like baseball itself.

Statistical analysis is an invaluable tool; that discussion is over. But we've gotten to the point where everyone from the casual fantasy player to the shrewdest GM wants to know the end of the story before Chapter One is written.

Mercifully, that's not how the game works.

Phil Allard, for one, is already on Rosenthal for this statement.

It's an interesting debate. When it comes to making declarations like these, do you go with your head or your heart? Or, do you combine the two and use the "Part Art, Part Science" approach?

I have to confess, for me, it's the combination thing. But, it's not a 50-50 deal. Actually, most times, I'll go with my feelings and then see if the numbers back it up.

Truly, there were many things that I intended on publishing here, at one time or another - but, once I looked at the numbers behind what I felt, and realized that I was wrong, I ditched them.

Sure, that makes it sound like I live and die by the stats. But, it's not true. I don't let the stats drive me towards my thoughts - I only use them to prove them out (after my gut gets me there).

Well, at least, that's most times. There are still some things out there where I cannot turn my back on what my sixth-sense tells me. So, I somewhat understand Rosenthal here in that, at times, you have to let the force be your guide...

Speaking of space, there's a line from the very first episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine entitled "Emissary" where the character Benjamin Sisko uses the game of baseball to explain the concept of linear time and essentially how humans experience life:

"The rules aren't important. . . .what's important is - it's linear. Every time I throw this ball a hundred different things can happen in a game. . . . He might swing and miss, he might hit it. . . .The point is you never know. . . . You try to anticipate, set a strategy for all the possibilities as best you can. . . . but in the end it come down to throwing one pitch after another. . . . and seeing what happens. With each new consequence, the game begins to take shape. . . ."

It's that "you never know" thing that made me fall in love with baseball. And, since "you never know," why not follow your gut once in a while instead of letting the math dictate your moves?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 06:24 PM | Comments (2)

To PSL Or Not To PSL At New Stadium?

Via Crains -

Tribune Co. is considering personal seat licenses at Wrigley Field as part of a plan to sell the ballpark to the Illinois Sports Facility Authority, Alderman Tom Tunney (44th) said in an interview Friday.

But Cubs management denied that seat licenses were on the table.

Personal seat licenses, or PSLs, are typically one-time fees for the right to buy season tickets, on top of the annual charge for the tickets themselves. PSLs are common among National Football League franchises, including the Chicago Bears, which implemented PSLs to help fund a $606-million revamping of Soldier Field earlier this decade. The Bears’ PSLs currently range from $2,400 to $10,000 per seat.

PSLs are rare for the 30 teams in Major League Baseball, though the New York Yankees recently added them for a new stadium expected to open in 2009.

The Yankees are going PSL? That's not what I last heard. So, I looked now and found this at The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel:

However, the use of PSL's is somewhat controversial, since long-time season ticket holders may resent having to pay an additional one-time "user fee" to have the right to renew their seats. Also, government officials may not react favorably where a team owner seeks to introduce PSL's at a new facility that has also received substantial public funding. These are two key reasons why neither the New York Mets nor Yankees plan to require the purchase of PSL's for their new stadia, even though it is conservatively estimated that by doing so each team could raise more than the Cardinals' $40 million.

Well, for whatever the reason, and to whomever deserves the credit, here's a big THANK YOU for making sure the Yankees don't go the PSL route.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:31 PM | Comments (2)

New Feature On YES Network Site

The YES Network has a fun little feature up now with some historical Yankees stats. Click here to see it.

At least I think it's new. Happy clicking!

Posted by WW Staff at 12:48 PM | Comments (2)

THT: Five Questions: New York Yankees

Click here to check out SG's Five Questions: New York Yankees feature at The Hardball Times. It's extremely well done and recommended reading. Here's his summary:

The Yankees project to have the top offense in baseball again in 2008, even with the expected declines by Rodriguez and Posada. I've got them projected to score around 930 runs this season.

Their defense won't be particularly great with Jeter and Giambi out there, but Damon replacing Matsui should help a bit. I figure them to be about 15 runs below average defensively in total.

On the pitching side, Pettitte and Wang should be good for 400 innings of 4.00-4.25 ERA, so the Yankees will sink or swim on the backs of their young pitching. If they get an overall average performance out of them and an average performance out of the bullpen, they are probably a 95-win team. If they get a 5.00 ERA out of the non-Wang/Pettitte part of the pitching staff, they would be closer to an 88-win team.

This all makes sense, if you ask me.

Posted by WW Staff at 12:22 PM | Comments (5)

No, I'm Not Ignoring You [Update]

I'm now in Day 4 of my situation, FYI - and, I'm still trying to fix it. Just wanted to share this so you know why I've been quiet. Hopefully, I'll have an answer soon.

PS - if anyone has some experience in converting from Movable Type to WordPress and is willing to share on that, please drop me an e-mail.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

Steinbrothers: Yanks Not For Sale

Via Mark Feinsand:

Despite rumors to the contrary, Hal Steinbrenner reiterated his stance that he and his brother, Hank, won't be looking to sell the Yankees any time soon.

"That's the plan," Hal Steinbrenner said. "There are no plans to sell, though I know there's been speculation. This has been in our family a long time - longer than we've been in Tampa, even. That's not going to change."

This reminds me of a scene from "Heaven Can Wait" -

Former owner: He got my team. The son of a bitch got my team.

Advisor to former owner: What kind of pressure did he use, Milt?

Former owner: All I asked was sixty-seven million, and he said "O.K."

Advisor to former owner: Ruthless bastard.

Let's hope someone like Donald Trump doesn't make the Steinbrothers an offer that they can't refuse.

Posted by WW Staff at 10:18 AM | Comments (5)

March 27, 2008

2008 Yankees Win Total Prediction

Always best to make a prediction before the season starts, right? O.K., here goes...

I've looked at many of the various "scientific" projection models performed to date for this season. And, I've done some 'back of the envelope' calculations on my own. Between what I've seen and how I feel...

[insert drum roll]

I'm predicting that the Yankees will win 92 games this season.

Of course, they could win a few more than that - if some things break their way. But, even if things are just close to "normal" for them, in terms of reasonable expectations, they should win at least 92 games (in 2008).

Now, I expect 37% of those wins to be credited to the pitching records of Andy Pettitte and Worm Killer Wang. So, if something should happen to one or both of them, well, then all bets are off.

If one of the two goes down for half the season, then the Yankees only win about 87 games this season. (If they both miss about 7 starts each, then the team probably wins about 87 games this season too.)

If one of the two goes down for most of the season, then the Yankees only win about 83 to 85 games this season. (And, if they both miss half of the season, then the team wins about 83 to 85 games too.)

If both Pettitte and Wang miss most of the season, then it gets real ugly in Yankeeland. In that case, I could see the team struggling to finish at .500 in 2008.

But, for now, I'm assuming that Pettitte and Wang can make 60 starts combined and the Yankees (as a team) will win around 92 games this season.

Will 92 wins be enough to get into the post-season? Man, that's a close call. There are probably a half-dozen teams in the A.L. this season capable of winning 90 games (including New York). And, 92 is so close to 90...

I feel pretty comfortable predicting the Yankees to win 92 games in 2008. But, I don't feel comfortable at all predicting them to reach the post-season this year - because 92 wins just may not be enough.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:01 PM | Comments (6)

Lucchino: Sox Got Bill James To Offset Yanks 'Intense Scrutiny Of Statistics'

Via CBS News:

"[Bill James'] reputation had preceded him," says Larry Lucchino, a partner in the Red Sox. "So we knew we were getting a guy who was unusual and I thought it was a giant step forward," he says. His partner in the Sox, Tom Werner, believes James' brand of analysis is crucial now. "The truth is, Morley, this is a very sophisticated business these days….When Larry and I first came into the business, the general manager relied fairly much on gut instincts…we’ve taken a much more systematic approach, which really comes from Bill," he tells Safer.

But everybody's getting into this act, says Lucchino, especially the New York Yankees, known in Boston as the "Evil Empire." "[The Yankees] are [utilizing an intense scrutiny of statistics] but there are several teams in baseball that are doing it," Lucchino says. "But the Yankees always tend to spend a little more money at whatever it is they’re doing. So, we're concerned about our competition," he tells Safer.

You hear that Michael Fishman? Red Sox Nation is afraid of you!

Posted by WW Staff at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)

Survey Says! [Ding!]

The WasWatching.com Reader Survey 2008 is now closed.

Are you a guy, Yankees fan, between the ages of 26 to 30, living in the tri-state area, who has been reading this blog more than once a day for the last 2 to 3 years?

Then, you are not alone. What follows below are the percentage breakdowns for the answers to some of the questions in our survey. The answers in bold are the majority percentages.

How long have you been reading WasWatching.com?

Less than one month = 4.1%
More than one month but less than six months = 6.2%
More than six months but less than one year = 11.0%
For the past year = 13.1%
More than a year but less than 2 years = 26.2%
More than two years but less than 3 years = 31.0%
Since April 2005 = 8.3%

On a monthly basis, how often do you read WasWatching.com?

More than once per day = 63.4%
Just once a day = 22.1%
A few times per week = 12.4%
Just once a week = 0.7%
A few times per month = 0.7%
Just once a month = 0.0%
Less than once a month = 0.7%

What best describes where you are located?

NY/NJ/CT Tri-State Area = 49.0%
Northeast US = 19.3%
Southeast US = 12.4%
US West Coast = 5.5%
United States = 9.0%
Outside the United States = 4.8%

What's your gender?

Male = 89.7%
Female = 10.3%

What's your age group?

Younger than 18 years old = 3.4%
18 to 21 years old = 8.3%
22 to 25 years old = 16.6%
26 to 30 years old = 20.0%
31 to 35 years old = 15.9%
36 to 40 years old = 11.0%
41 to 45 years old = 8.3%
46 to 50 years old = 6.9%
Over 50 years old = 9.7%

Which is your favorite baseball team?

Yankees = 98.6%
Mets = 0.0%
Red Sox = 1.4%
Other = 0.0%

Yes, there were more questions on the survey than these. And, I'll share some of that data soon. In the interim, I thought that some of you may be interested in the "Who are you?" [I really want to know!] survey results.

And, thanks to all of you who took the survey!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)

YankeeZzzzzzzzz Baseball?

The Yankees had 5 hits in their exhibition game today. And, yesterday, they only had 4 hits in their game. Both contests were losses.

In fact, the Yankees have now lost 4 of their last 5 spring training games.

Whatever happened to turning up the intensity a notch during the last week of spring training?

Posted by WW Staff at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)

BA's Callis: Yanks Funding Other Team's Farms

Baseball America Executive Editor Jim Callis just made Hank Stein's day.

Via Forbes.com:

While seven-figure bonuses have become the norm for top baseball picks, the league has actually done a pretty good job of taming the inflation that was so rampant in the 1990s, according to Baseball America Executive Editor Jim Callis.

During that decade, bonuses increased by double-digit percentages in every year but one, including three jumps of 40% or more.

The catalyst was infamous Yankee prospect Brien Taylor, who shattered the bonus record after he signed for $1.55 million as the top pick out of high school in 1991. Taylor eventually flopped, never making it to Yankee Stadium. By the end of the decade, owners had figured out a way to curtail the upward spiral of signing bonuses.

In 2000, the commissioner's office recommended a slotting system for the owners to follow, which set limits on the bonus of a top-five pick. While you'd think the players union would be up in arms about such price fixing, it isn't.

Why?

An agent who thinks a certain player can get more than a slotted amount for a high draft pick simply makes it known his client won't sign with a team poised to take him in the top five. The result: The player slips down to a large-market team that's willing to meet his demands.

"It plays right into the hand[s] of the big market teams," Callis says, adding that's how the Yankees were able to draft top pitching prospects Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy.

So maybe it's no surprise that many of the top picks fizzle; they're chosen as much for economics as they are for ability.

Not that small-market teams mind such an arrangement--not when it comes complete with a generous revenue-sharing arrangement. With the draft costing the league's 30 teams some $150 million annually, the likes of Pittsburgh and Milwaukee are happy to make the trade-off.

"Most teams don't have a problem with the Yankees and Red Sox going over the slots," Callis says. "Those two teams effectively pay for their draft."

Posted by WW Staff at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)

TSN's Pinto: Rays Pitching Better Than Yanks Staff

The Sporting News' David Pinto just did not make Hank Stein's day.

Via TSN:

With the American League East pitching rotations coming into focus, the division looks to produce four competitive starting staffs. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays have a mix of outstanding veterans and talented young pitchers.

Which starting rotation is best? The projections might be surprising.

The wide range of possibilities for each team shows the difficulty in choosing the best rotation. Most teams will experience a mix of good and bad performances and probably end up near their mid point.

Tampa Bay, however, stands a good chance of becoming the class of the AL East. The Rays show strength in eqERA and innings pitched at every level. With only three-tenths of a run separating the top from the bottom, these four teams should produce great pitching matchups as they face each other 108 times during the 2008 season.

Posted by WW Staff at 12:58 PM | Comments (3)

SNY's Boorstein: Picking A 'Pen

Tom Boorstein of SNY.tv takes a look at the Yankees bullpen and thinks there are people there who can contribute this season. Let's hope he's right.

Posted by WW Staff at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)

Godzilla Gets Hitched

Via Ed Price -

Hideki Matsui has just released a statement revealing he was married yesterday in New York (the team had given him the day off).

Big news in Japan. He will hold a news conference at 10:40 a.m.

"The bride is a 25-year-old civilian and had been formerly working in a reputable position at a highly respected company," the statement said.

Matsui met his wife (whose name he declines to reveal) in the 2006-07 offseason and had been planning the wedding about six months -- successfully keeping it from getting public.

Matsui always seemed like a cool dude. I'm happy for him and his new bride.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)

It's A MAD World For Some Yankees Alumni

Thanks to Austin Trunick of Warner Brothers Entertainment Group for sharing a preview of the cover for MAD Magazine #489 (which goes on sale next month).

Click on the thumbnail below to enlarge the image:

Back in the early 1970's, I used to read MAD Magazine all the time. (That probably explains a lot.) Seeing this funny cover brought back a lot of cool memories. Thanks Austin.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:14 PM | Comments (1)

SABR Minor Leagues Database

I am having too much fun with the SABR Minor Leagues Database. (Hat tip to Dave Studeman.)

Did you know that Babe Ruth and Freddy Parent were teammates on the 1914 International League Baltimore Orioles? Go figure.

Awesome job by SABR to put this together and make it available to the public. They even included Indy Leagues as well. Man, two thumbs up for you SABR.

Posted by WW Staff at 10:27 AM | Comments (1)

Will Yankees Lack Of Defense Hurt Them This Season?

There were a couple of plays in the Yankees exhibition game yesterday against the Phillies where Worm Killer Wang could have been helped out by his fielders – but, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano muffed the plays and it turned out to cost Wang some runs.

Thinking about this led me to consider the Yankees defense this season, as a whole, and question whether or not they will be able to help a starting rotation filled guys who, for the most part, pitch to contact (as opposed to being high strikeout pitchers).

The Yankees infield, this season, defensively, does bring some cause for concern.

Jorge Posada has never been a great pitch-blocker. And, sometimes his mitt turns to stone and balls that should be caught go “Clang!” But, he’s not the worst of this infield unit. Alex Rodriguez, at third, has never been good with pop-ups, balls hit down the third base line, or on charging bunts/slow-rollers. Yet, the big concern for me, this year, on A-Rod is that he has shown signs (during spring training) of having his throwing woes (from 2006) return. If this happens, it will not be good news for Yankees pitchers. We all know about Derek Jeter at short – and his lack of range. Everyone, including Joe Girardi, agrees about Derek’s lack of range going to his left. The funny thing is that few realize that he has issues going to his right as well. Many see that Jeter “jump-pass” throw from the hole as a sign of skill. Actually, all it means is that he’s not able to get into the hole, field the ball, and plant his feet for a throw like most big league shortstops. Second base, and Robinson Cano, is vexing for me. Cano has a great arm and the quickest hands possible in the field. Robinson’s biggest problem in the field is when he falls into these lapses (for lack of a better word) where he just allows his glove-work slip. And, do we even need to discuss Jason Giambi, at first base, with the mitt?

The Yankees outfield, this season, defensively, is not as concerning as their infield – but, it does have its warts.

I’m assuming that Johnny Damon will get most of the time in left field – since Giambi playing first will allow Matsui to DH. Damon has great range for a left fielder. That’s a plus. And, in left, his wet-noodle arm is not as much of a liability as it was in center. Melky Cabrera is a tough call in center. Many have stats that say he’s not great in terms of range. And, yes, he does take some awkward routes on balls. Yet, while I think Melky is better suited for right field – where he would be a Gold Glover – I don’t think Cabrera will kill the Yankees in centerfield this year. Plus, Melky’s arm out of center is a true weapon. The real weak spot in the Yankees outfield is Bobby Abreu in right field. I laugh whenever I hear someone refer to him as being average to above-average out there. On August 27, 2007, I wrote: “Bobby Abreu plays the outfield like a pregnant camel trying to walk across a frozen lake.” And, I still stand by that – as it is true.

In summary, I can see Abreu, Jeter, and Giambi being defensive liabilities this season – because of them not reaching balls that other fielders would turn into outs. And, I could see a few situations this year where A-Rod, Cano and Posada have misplays that cost the Yankees pitchers some runs.

Of course, the trick with all of this is: Will it matter – as the bats of Abreu, Jeter, A-Rod, Cano, Posada and (possibly) Giambi will make up for whatever runs their fielding allows? During most games, in the regular season, this is probably the case. But, in games where the Yankees face good pitching, it might not always be the case.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:06 AM | Comments (4)

Igawa Can Pitch His Way On To Team Today

Via Mark Feinsand -

Kei Igawa will start Thursday against the Pirates, making his final pitch for the long-relief spot in the bullpen. Although Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner were considered the two top candidates, Igawa has moved into the race, with one Yankees official saying he would be considered the front-runner with a strong effort today.

Is someone in the Yankees front office reading WasWatching.com?

Posted by WW Staff at 09:16 AM | Comments (1)

March 26, 2008

One Way For Season Ticket Holder Relo Plans To Work

Friend of WasWatching.com Sean McNally shared with me today that he's had a half-season package for the Washington Nationals for three years and recently went through their relocation/allocation process.

The Nats started by taking a $150 deposit mid-last-season from all current holders and new customers. Then, those folks were given a 25 (or so) question survey about seating preferences (aisle, section, etc.).

Later, in early December 2007, Sean was assigned his seats. The relo-seats were assigned in decending order - longest term holders down to new customers. Those groups were then divided by type of package: full, half then partial.

According to Sean, his new seats are a little higher up (in the upper deck behind homeplate) than he requested - but, they're roughly the same spot. The new seats are $16 a piece, up from last year's cost of $14 each. All told, Sean said it was a relatively painless process to be relocated in the Nats' new park.

I have to confess, as much as I am a died in the wool Yankees fan, there's a part of me that is jealous of fans who are connected to teams like the Nationals, A's, Twins, etc., who are getting new parks and not being hassled in terms of getting good, affordable, seats (and the like).

There's no way, at all, with respect to the new Yankee Stadium relo-plans (TBA), that Yankees season ticket holders will only see a 14% increase in their ticket prices, and will also sit just about where they request, like the deal Sean got with the Nats.

I just don't see it happening at all.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:51 PM | Comments (1)

Hank Stein: Discount Canseco & A-Rod Is "Just Friggin’ Great"

Pete Caldera has the scoop -

Yanks GM Hank Steinbrenner urges fans to "consider the source" of steroid allegations against A-Rod. In his spirited defense of A-Rod on Wednesday, Steinbrenner told The Record: “Consider the source, that’s number one,” Steinbrenner said of Canseco. “He wouldn’t have been able to hit the ball out of the infield without steroids.”

“There are certain naturals. There are guys who can just do it, and Alex is one of those guys,” Steinbrenner said, during the interview in Clearwater, Fla. “He’s just friggin’ great.”

He’s just friggin’ great.

You know, Jason Varitek wears a "C" on his jersey because the team wanted him to don it, as their captain. Maybe Hank should get A-Rod to wear a "JFG" for “Just Friggin’ Great” on his jersey now?

Yes, I'm joking. But, “He’s just friggin’ great,” is an automatic classic. Thanks Hank.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:40 PM | Comments (2)

Silent Steve

I'm still having issues with respect to being able to make comments.

And, I'm still trying to correct the matter. This evening, in the interim, I found a work-around that allowed me to leave some comments. The trick was to remove the registration requirement for leaving comments to the blog. The problem with this is that, when I make this change, I have to "rebuild" every page of this site - and that takes around 10 to 15 minutes to run. And, once the requirement is lifted, then the spam programs start running through the entries like wildfire...leaving spam all over the place (which I then have to go and clean-up, one by one). Further, to prevent the spam comments from becoming a monster number, I have to restore the registration requirement when I'm done commenting - and then "rebuild" the entire blog again...which again takes 10 to 15 minutes.

That's too much work and time just to be able to leave some comments. So, I've decided to stop with the work-around and I will not be leaving comments to entries until I can do it the "normal" way. Therefore, if you make a comment and you are expecting me to answer a question, or defend a statement, etc., and you see nothing from me...it's not because I don't want to address you - it's because making comments, for me, now, is like jumping through hoops. Lots of hoops.

Hopefully, I can get this fixed soon. Until then, I'm on radio silence outside of the actual entries that I post here.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)

It Happens Every February?

I just came across this oldie but goodie from Buster Olney - from back in February of 2000. The feature discusses some young Yankees pitchers heading into that Spring Training. Some highlights:

With the Yankees' pitchers and catchers beginning workouts in four days in Tampa, Fla., the pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and General Manager Brian Cashman reviewed their list of spring training goals yesterday for each of the pitchers in camp. They had a long list of young pitchers to discuss.

Cashman and other Yankees officials are trying to stock the organization with new and talented pitchers, to fill needs and for trades.

Cashman dealt for Ed Yarnall last spring, and this year, Yarnall will open camp as the front-runner to be the No. 5 starter.

Compared with most organizations, the Yankees have a wealth of up-and-coming pitching talent.

As training camp begins, virtually all of the spots on the Yankees' major league pitching staff will be accounted for. But if an injury or two occurs, then the right-hander Ben Ford, 24, may be the first called up. Ford is 6 feet 7 inches and throws hard, and he had a decent season last year, going 6-3 with a 4.73 earned run average, permitting 69 hits and walking 39 in 701/3 innings. ''He could develop quickly,'' Cashman said.

This season will be important for the Yankee prospect Ryan Bradley. A high draft pick in 1997, Bradley, 24, blew through the minors in 1998, advancing from Class A Tampa all the way to the majors, and it seemed as if he might progress to the big leagues for good last year.

But Bradley's control suffered in spring training and never really improved during the regular season, and his confidence suffered; he went 5-12 with a 6.21 e.r.a. for Class AAA Columbus, surrendering 163 hits, 73 walks and 23 wild pitches in 145 innings.

The Yankees shifted Bradley, who has an aggressive mound demeanor, from the starting rotation to the bullpen, a role for which club officials feel he is better suited. Assigned to the Arizona Fall League, the right-hander had some success, but finished poorly. ''He moved very, very quickly through the minors, so he's probably a league ahead of himself,'' said Mark Newman, the Yankees' president of baseball operations. ''Last year challenged him, and challenged his confidence.''

Jake Westbrook, a former first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, was acquired in the deal for Hideki Irabu with Montreal. Executives from other teams raved about the right-hander and his sinking fastball; the Yankees think that he has developed a slider good enough to complement that fastball, and that he just needs some refining before he is ready for the big leagues. At 22, he has received high marks from scouts for his durability and mental toughness. He went 41-25 in his first four years in the minors and will open in Class AAA, but he could advance to Yankee Stadium by year's end.

''He's had at least 170 innings in each of his full seasons in the minors,'' Cashman said. ''You don't see that very often in the minor leagues.''

Luis De Los Santos, 22, possessed enough stuff to compel the Yankees to hold him out of the Chuck Knoblauch deal with Minnesota two years ago. Since then, however, he has sustained major elbow and knee injuries and may spend much of this year rehabilitating. Similarly, Darrell Einertson -- a right-hander once viewed as a prospect -- is still recovering from shoulder surgery.

Craig Dingman, a right-hander who turns 26 next month, is coming off a year in which he had a 1.57 e.r.a. for Class AA Norwich, and he was added to the 40-man roster in the off-season.

...Cashman and other Yankees officials are trying to stock the organization with new and talented pitchers, to fill needs and for trades...

...Compared with most organizations, the Yankees have a wealth of up-and-coming pitching talent...

Anyone else hearing "I Got You Babe" on their alarm clock radio at this moment?

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

Verducci: Restocking A Rivalry

Tom Verducci has an excellent feature up today at SI.com on how the Yankees and Red Sox have been using the draft lately to their benefit. Click here to read it. Some highlights:

The Yankees' future, meanwhile, looked even more dire in 2005. After New York blew a three-games-to-none lead to Boston in the 2004 ALCS, G.M. Brian Cashman tried to fortify his pitching by acquiring Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. None would be as good as advertised. "We had a chance to really go into an abyss," Cashman said earlier this year.

Cashman, who often clashed with owner George Steinbrenner's Tampa-based brain trust, persuaded the Boss to give him more control of baseball operations, a change he would get in writing in his new contract after the season. He promoted prospects Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano to the majors in May and gave responsibility for the draft to scouting director Damon Oppenheimer.

"[Cashman] knew my passion was on the amateur side," Oppenheimer says. "He gave us a little more specific thinking on the draft, and we started looking for high-impact talent, premier players at premier positions."

Since 2005 the Yankees and the Red Sox have continued to sink more money into scouting and the draft. Says one rival AL G.M., "They've become what the U.S. and Russia were during the cold war: There is them, and there's everybody else. My goodness, the Yankees took a guy in the first round [Andrew Brackman in 2007] who needed Tommy John surgery, and they gave him a four-year major league contract. Nobody else can do that."

In terms of the Yankees - and Cashman giving Oppenheimer "more specific thinking on the draft" - well, better late than never, right?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:22 PM | Comments (8)

Giambino's Lack Of Good Face

Jason Giambi, on this season, via the Daily News:

"Sometimes you just go on these streaks where you get hurt and it seems like one thing after another," Giambi says. "This winter, I really trained hard and I was really excited because Joe had called me and said that.

"I'm in great shape and the numbers have always been there when I've been healthy."

Giambi knows that his health will always be a question mark. He has admitted using performance-enhancing drugs before the 2004 season and he has broken down in the past because of the wear and tear of playing first base. He has been only a part-time first baseman for the last three years, playing 164 games there while being the Yanks' designated hitter in 182 games.

"You know what? In this game, as you get older, you're always proving yourself," Giambi says. "You want to show that Father Time isn't catching up to you. I've had a lot of great years and I've had a few where I've been injured, but if I stay healthy and I'm out there every day, the numbers will be there."

I’ve been debating on whether or not to share something on Giambi for the last three days. I wasn’t sure if it was ‘suitable’ (for lack of a better term). But, here goes nothing...

I saw some video footage (on YES) of an interview with Jason Giambi over the past weekend. The camera was focused just on his face. And, he looked terrible. His face was bloated and blotchy. He looked like Gwildor - badly in need of a tan. I hope this is not insensitive to say, but, he looked like he just had been fished out of the water after lying face down in the river for a week. I’m not in the medical field, but, if asked, I would say his face looked like the face of a guy who’s about to have a heart attack at any minute. He just looked very unhealthy to me.

Now, who knows? Maybe he had a touch of the flu? Or, maybe he was coming off a big night of partying or something?

But, for sure, Giambi didn’t look like a guy who had been working out, under the sun, in Florida for the past month. Giambi’s face looked like he was the love child of Rodney Dangerfield and Carnie Wilson. It did not resonate with a sense of being in “great shape” or being “healthy.”

Has anyone else seen Jason Giambi’s face lately? Am I the only one seeing this area of concern now?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:19 PM | Comments (6)

No, I'm Not Ignoring You

Yesterday, I lost my ability to make comments to blog entries. It's a MT and/or TypeKey issue - because I had too many URLs listed in a comment post that I made yesterday morning. Basically, I'm shut out from being able to comment - regardless of the PC, ISP, or TypeKey account that I'm using. I'm looking into the immediate fix and long-term solution now. Sorry to anyone who is waiting on me to answer a comment.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)

Jeter Family Down With OCP

...as in Omni Consumer Products. (See the "RoboCop" mention below.) And, yeah, this WePlay.com thing could be a cash cow for Derek too. Should we start calling him "Captain Digital" instead of "Captain Clutch"?

Via the Herald Tribune:

Late last year, Pamela Firestone, the mother of Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs point guard, went rooting through her home in Paris and dug up a VHS tape of a 9-year-old Tony on a Parisian basketball court with his two brothers.

“O.K., let’s start,” the future N.B.A. star says in French. “It’s going to be the Chicago Bulls versus the San Antonio Spurs.”

In most families such artifacts are merely heirlooms, their value measured in memories. For the Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency and the hedge fund Pequot Capital, these are assets to be exploited.

Photos and videos showing blue-chip athletes like Mr. Parker, LeBron James, Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning will be part of a new venture that C.A.A. and Pequot along with the Internet arm of Major League Baseball are expected to announce today.

The venture, WePlay.com, a social networking site for youth sports — something like Facebook for young athletes — is expected to start in mid-April. The site caters to youth athletes, parents and coaches — a vast audience. About 52 million children a year participate in organized sports leagues, according to the National Council of Youth Sports.

Young athletes will be able to set up a profile, post pictures, communicate with friends and share videos of games. Parents will be able to get practice schedules, coordinate car pools and find out which equipment to purchase. Coaches will be able to communicate with their players and parents, as well as learn about strategy and other skills.

Other athletes involved in WePlay.com have been looking for their own relics of early stardom. In a spare bedroom at her home in New Orleans, Olivia Manning collected relics from her son Peyton’s days as a child quarterback to be copied and digitized by an employee from Major League Baseball Advanced Media.

Mr. James’s mother rustled up old photos and videos of her son from a storage area in her garage. And in New Jersey, Mr. Jeter’s mother found a video of her son playing Little League — a treasure whose value was diminished 10 minutes into the film because someone in the Jeter family taped over it with the movie “RoboCop.”

So for players like Mr. Jeter, who will make about $20 million this year playing shortstop for the Yankees, being a hired promotional gun is not enough. Mr. Jeter, who in addition to receiving equity in WePlay in exchange for his involvement also invested some of his own money (he will not say how much), began filming clips for the site in mid-December. Having equity, Mr. Jeter said in a telephone interview, is “very important, because you can really feel good about something if you help build it.”

The focus of the business also fits with Mr. Jeter’s own philanthropy. “What it boils down to is, it’s a really outstanding idea,” he said. “I have my own foundation, and we are trying to get kids to be active and play sports. Kids today spend too much time playing video games, and there’s a huge obesity problem in this country.”

Posted by WW Staff at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)

March 25, 2008

A-Rod & Canseco Timeline Splits

According to the source that's out there, it looks like the reported PED dealer recommendation, that Jose Canseco made to Alex Rodriguez, happened after the 1999 season.

Mario Alejandro said that Alex and Jose trained together in 1998. And, Canseco says he met the dealer when he was with the Blue Jays - when Jose played there in 1999. So, the end of the 1999 season seems to make sense, in terms of timing.

Here's an interesting split for you, on A-Rod:

1994 through 1999: RCAA/PA = .051
2000 through 2007: RCAA/PA = .087

That may not seem like much, but, based a season of 600 PA, that's a difference of +22 RCAA...or the difference between a season of 30 RCAA and 52 RCAA. So, in reality, it's a fair difference.

Another split for Alex:

1994 through 1999: BB vs. Lge Avg./PA = -.016
2000 through 2007: BB vs. Lge Avg./PA = +.049

That's a huge difference. Based on 600 PA, that's the difference between being 10 walks less than league average and 29 walks better than league average.

O.K, last split for Rodriguez:

1994 through 1999: OPS vs. Lge Avg. = +.134
2000 through 2007: OPS vs. Lge Avg. = +.227

So, A-Rod "Before 2000" and A-Rod "After 1999" were not the same, in terms of their batting performance. A-Rod "After 1999" was more selective, more productive, and, I suppose, more feared.

Then again, Alex was very young "Before 2000" - as he didn't turn age 24 until July of 1999. So, the improvement in his offensive game could have just been natural maturity. But, without question, if someone wants to say that A-Rod was a great batter before this alleged meeting took place and he was a great batter after it, they're ignoring the facts.

Oh, and, by the way, the 2000 season was Alex's "walk year" in his contract - before he signed the mega-deal with Texas. In terms of timing, he couldn't have picked a better season to bring his game to a new level.

There is one issue here for me in all of this: 1996. That season, as a 20-year old, A-Rod was off the charts in terms of his offensive production. Of course, he had Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner batting behind him that season - and all three of those guys had great seasons. Griffey had 61 RCAA, Martinez had 71 RCAA and Buhner had 32 RCAA. That had to help Alex in 1996.

In any event, there's a lot to digest here in terms of the facts we know and the assumptions that can be made off them. And, I suspect that folks will be eating off these quite a bit in the next week or so.

It's too bad. Baseball, the Yankees, and A-Rod don't need to be dealing with this so close to Opening Day. But, if Canseco is telling the truth, then maybe the parties involved had this all coming anyway?

It will be interesting to see what Alex has to say in his statement that he's now promised. Stay tuned.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:51 PM | Comments (7)

Now Leaving Jericho...

Just for the record, I am truly bummed over the news regarding CBS' Jericho. Man, it's a good show. Too bad the network doesn't get it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:54 PM | Comments (8)

Allard: Who Is Joe Girardi’s “Man” At 3rd?

Phil Allard takes an interesting look at the Yankees third base coach this season, Bobby Meacham, with some fun memories mixed in. Click here to read it.

My funny (?) story on Meacham: I saw an interview with Bobby's wife on TV once, around 1990ish. Meacham was with the Royals' Triple-A team trying to get back to the bigs, if I remember right. I think the interview with her was to get the wife's take on life in the bushes. Anyway, in the interview, she offered this gem: "Before I met Bobby, I dated Mark Langston. I guess I married the wrong ball player?"

Ouch.

And, Mrs. Meacham has a tie to Joe Girardi too. Back in 1997, she wrote a feature on Joe coming to New York for a site called TheGoal.com - which is connected to TheGoal.org. If you follow this link, you'll find stories about many Yankees on TheGoal.com.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:56 PM | Comments (1)

What People Are Saying About WasWatching.com (Part II)

Last Thursday night, we launched the first ever WasWatching.com Reader Survey.

Thanks to all who have responded to date! And, if you haven’t taken the survey yet, please consider taking it. The survey will be up and open for a few more days, at the least.

Last Friday, we shared the first 50 “answers” to the survey question “What do you like best and least about WasWatching.com?”

Wanting to expand on that, what follows are the next 20 “answers” to the survey question “What do you like best and least about WasWatching.com?”

(Again, this type of feedback is extremely useful. Thanks to all for taking the time to share!)

I appreciate the fact that you tell it like it is. Despite what I perceive as you being a die hard fan, you present an unbiased account of what you think is going on. You lay the blame where it needs to be. (Non Michael Kay like). Thanks for the great job and keep it up.

I f**king hate you, Steve. I won't give you the satisfaction of registering for an account. God, I am so thankful I'm not you. You are such a f**king f**kass. Keep on hating Hughes. If we're lucky, you'll eat a tailpipe.

I like the excerpts from articles that I wouldn't find elsewhere and the game summaries that offer some commentary beyond the box score. I don't like the "what do you think, readers?" segments. State your piece. I'd rather you care less what we think.

Best - By far, no other blog comes close to updating as frequently. Also, enjoy writing style. Least - I don't think Steve is a basher in any way, but when he doesn't like someone (for what ever reason it may be), he seems to go out of his way to "prove" he's right about them (Hughes, A-Rod, Cashman, etc.). When he gets on a roll about these topics, it can certainly give the blog a negative/bashing kind of feel.

I like the opinions, statistical analysis, and comments. I don't like when people who comment get all bent out of shape because they disagree with an opinion, instead of debating it in a more calm fashion.

It is my favorite Yankees blog out of all of them. Keep it going!

A little too pessimistic usually but always intelligently written and updated promptly.

Personally, I don't usually read the user comments and stick to just the blog posts themselves; I come to the site to read the blog writers' perspectives, opinions, and news scoops. I like the fact that the site is updated regularly and links off to various news sources, and I do appreciate the color commentary and opinions -- if I wanted just the news I'd stick to just yankees.com and ESPN's news wire!

I enjoy the behind the scenes coverage and info that you don't get from typical sports news sources.

I find Steve's opinions very interesting and well worth reading. I don't care for the negative tone of some of the readers. Steve is sometimes bluntly honest which can have negative overtones but it’s always his honest opinion and that counts. The readers ought to respond with their opinions and defend their positions, not just knock Steve.

Best -- The author's personal views on the Yankees very much come through to a greater extent than most other sports blogs. Least -- Probably the flip side of the above - Steve is so "glass half-empty" that it can get a little depressing.

Great site, but a little negative on opinions of certain players.

Best: Facts and history. Worst: Consistently bigoted comments.

Your opinion on Yankee News.

The frequency and variety of topics posted is the best thing. Not only the news, but also research and opinion from other sources like Yankee blogs, general baseball blogs, and newspapers from around the country. The worst thing is the frequent criticism, both directly and by inference, of Cashman's pitching acquisitions, which when examined in complete context, especially at the time they were made, are not nearly as bad as portrayed.

It's so pessimistic. Sometimes that's a good thing, but I get weary after the billionth anti-Mike Mussina post.

The best part of the blog is Steve's commentary. I don't always agree, but I appreciate his viewpoint. The worst part is the overly negative and childish comments from posters who disagree with Steve. Many post just so they can hurl insults while adding absolutely nothing to the discussion.

I like the constant updates and the different posts about the Yankees. I don't like some of the player comparisons that are made.

Best: 1) The most unique stories 2) The best blend of sabermetrics, game discussion threads, and slice-of-life topics on the internet. 3) The core group of readers/commenters Worst: Author/staff has a tendency to nitpick or overreport negative slants and holds biases rooted in paranoia instead of fact or logic.

Stays current with a wide source of Yankee info.

I like the commentary everyone brings to the table. For the worst, sometimes I really don't like the blast from the past posts.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)

A-Rod On Canseco Book News: "No Comment"

Via Ken Davidoff and Kat O'Brien -

When first told Tuesday morning that Canseco had leveled accusations against him, Rodriguez asked what more Canseco had said than in previous accusations. Told that Canseco had written about introducing him to a known supplier of steroids, Rodriguez said, "I really have absolutely no reaction."

Lavin, who posted his findings on his blog, joelavin.com, also reported that Canseco accused A-Rod of pursuing Canseco's wife, the reason for Canseco's clear animosity toward the Yankees' third baseman.

When Rodriguez was told about that, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "He said that in his book?", then said, "I have absolutely no comment."

Maybe the media should go ask Hank for a reaction - I'd bet that he'd have some reaction or comments that could be interesting.

Posted by WW Staff at 01:18 PM | Comments (2)

Canseco: I Introduced A-Rod To Steroids Dealer

Via Joe Lavin with a hat tip to BaseballThinkFactory.org (who, themselves, give a hat tip to Deadspin):

As for Alex Rodriguez, Canseco says he didn't inject Rodriguez, but that he "introduced Alex to a known supplier of steroids." Canseco didn't mention Rodriguez in the first book because he "hated the bastard." He was worried that people would have "questioned [his] motives" had he included Rodriguez.

Why all the hatred, you ask. Well, Canseco claims that A-Rod was trying to sleep with Canseco's wife. Apparently, even after Canseco had been nice enough to help A-Rod find a friendly steroids supplier, A-Rod kept calling Canseco's wife.

And, in case there's any further confusion about Canseco's true feelings, he ends the chapter by saying:

So A-Rod, if you're reading this book, and if I'm not getting through to you, let's get clear on one thing: I hate your f***ing guts.

Two years ago, Canseco's wife had a book out - "Juicy: Confessions of a Former Baseball Wife." I wonder how many people are going to scurry and check that one out to see if there's any mention of A-Rod? Checking what you can see on Amazon, I noticed that there's at least one Alex reference. But, what that means, I dunno?

But, if, former-Hooters girl Jessica (Sekely) Canseco does want some life in the spotlight again, and she comes forward with some confirmation about Alex lusting after her, then you have to wonder if what Jose is saying could be true?

Then again, A-Rod has an easy out here...as he can just confirm that Canseco did introduce some guy; but, it never went any further than that.

Update, 5:20 PM ET, 3/25: While some have suggested that this story is a spoof, Joe Lavin has shared with me that it is, indeed, legit.

Update, 7:05 PM ET, 3/25: On his ESPN Radio show this evening, around 5:15ish, Michael Kay was reading the Canseco book on the air and his reading backed up everything that Lavin said was true - further evidence that this is a legit story.

Posted by WW Staff at 11:42 AM | Comments (2)

Has The Quest For A Curve Turned Phil Hughes Into A Flyball Pitcher?

Via Cliff Corcoran of Bronx Banter last night, on Phil Hughes:

Who Didn't [Pitch Well]: Phil Hughes struck out six in five innings, but also allowed three runs, two of them on a Pedro Feliz homer in the fourth. Hughes, who was targeted for 90 pitches, used up 86 of them in those five frames and seven of his nine outs on balls in play came on flies. That combination of inefficiency and fly-ball tendencies is what we were seeing from Hughes last year after he came off the DL, whereas earlier this spring he was back to being the dominant groundballing power pitcher he'd been in the minors.

An excellent observation by Cliff. This forced me to look back at Hughes' batted ball ratios in the bigs last season:

Date	Opp	IP	BF	Pit	Str	GB	FB	LD	Str%	GB/FB
Apr 26	TOR	4.1	21	91	53	7	4	4	58.2%	1.75
May 1	@TEX	6.1	20	80	50	8	3	0	62.5%	2.67
Aug 4	KCR	4.2	22	92	63	7	4	4	68.5%	1.75
Aug 10	@CLE	6.0	23	95	66	3	11	2	69.5%	0.27
Aug 15	BAL	5.0	23	94	60	4	10	3	63.8%	0.40
Aug 20	@LAA	6.1	27	92	54	9	6	3	58.7%	1.50
Aug 26	@DET	6.0	24	97	65	3	12	2	67.0%	0.25
Aug 31	TBD	4.1	24	94	59	7	5	4	62.8%	1.40
Sep 5	SEA	6.0	24	97	61	7	6	2	62.9%	1.17
Sep 11	@TOR	6.0	25	106	67	7	8	6	63.2%	0.88
Sep 17	BAL	5.2	24	96	57	6	6	7	59.4%	1.00
Sep 22	TOR	5.0	23	99	68	6	5	8	68.7%	1.20
Sep 27	@TBD	7.0	26	102	65	8	7	3	63.7%	1.14

On the whole, Hughes' groundball to flyball ratio was 0.94 last season. But, to Cliff's point, if you take out his first two starts of the season, it's closer to 0.84. This suggests that Hughes is a flyball pitcher - or, at least, he was last season.

How about in 2006? Well, according to this data, Hughes groundball to flyball ratio in 2006 was 1.42 (on the year).

So, what's going on here? Why would a pitcher who was a groundball guy in the minors turn into a flyball pitcher in the majors?

Was Carlos Gomez correct (?) back in May of last year, on Hughes, when he wrote:

[Hughes'] steeper shoulder tilt in '07 tells the story. You can also reference the first video clip. Notice how, in '07, his throwing arm finishes closer to his left leg. That is consistent with a higher slot. This article, a Q&A with Phil Hughes, makes a reference to his higher arm slot. Hughes says:

They weren't anything major, just things like staying back and getting my arm in the proper slot. I struggled a bit off the bat when I got [to Trenton], but was able to put together a few good starts and build on them. Things started clicking, with a big part of that being the improvement of my curveball... I throw more of a 12-to-6 when I'm mostly looking to get it over, and then with two strikes I throw one that has a little more plane to it; more of a 1-to-7.

In order to get a true 12-6 break on a curveball, a pitcher has to impart true 12-6 back-to-front topspin on the ball so that there is minimal lateral break. This is nearly impossible (except for Eddie Degerman, he of the highest arm slot the world has ever seen) because of the angle of release. I would call Hughes' curve a 1-7 curve. It used to be more of a 2-8 curve because of his lower release point. The point is that Hughes is trying to make it a 12-6 curve by being more over the top and has done so with all his pitches. A higher release point on his fastball translates to a fastball that is straighter with minimal lateral break. Why do the one-arm pitching machines throw the straightest fastballs? Because they come straight over the top and put perfect backspin on the ball.

And yet, even with his four-seam fastball, and such an over the top delivery, how did he get a reputation for being a groundball pitcher? Is it mostly his curveball that causes all those ground outs? His fastball in '07 is more conducive with flyouts/strikeouts... I can see the ground balls with his '06 mechanics, and I'm willing to bet that he's been getting more fly balls after the arm slot change.

...and I'm willing to bet that he's been getting more fly balls after the arm slot change...

Sounds like Carlos' and Cliff's observations are tying together here, no? Gomez predicted at the start of last season that Hughes would be a flyball pitcher because of the change in his slot, and Corcoran is confirming that change, based on last year's data and what we've seen this spring.

Now, of course, the question is: What will the change in style mean for Phil Hughes at the big league level? Will more flies mean more big flies and balls going over the wall? It might - but, we'll have to wait and see, for sure.

Posted by WW Staff at 10:59 AM | Comments (1)

Pettitte Moved Back In Rotation

The Yankees have announced that Andy Pettitte will not pitch the second game of the season - and Mike Mussina will follow Worm Killer Wang to start the year.

Actually, this line-up makes more sense. Wang and Pettitte are the guys who should take you deeper into a game. The bullpen could be better off if Mussina and the kids don't pitch three days in a row.

Posted by WW Staff at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)

Alex, Hank, Hal, & Cash - Years From Now

From John Harper today –

Alex Rodriguez looking back at his decision to leave the Mariners and go play with the Rangers:

"I went for the contract when my true desire was to go play for the Mets," Rodriguez said of his decision to ink his $252 million deal with Texas eight years ago.

And, how the past impacted his call to come back to the Yankees after 2007:

"So to make the right decision just feels really good," Rodriguez said, "versus being taken down a road where I'm like, 'Oh, my God, where am I? Oh, $400 million to play in some place I hate? Great, I'll blow my --- head off.'

"I wanted to remain a Yankee and for once I put my money where my mouth was. It felt good to make a decision on my own and execute it - to deal with Hank and Hal (Steinbrenner) on a one-on-one basis and get a deal done.

"If people want to question why I did it, I don't care because it made me happy. If I had gone to Team X, Y or Z, it wouldn't have made me happy. It would have been because Scott wanted me to go - it would have been for the most money. And then I'm always going to be known as a guy who always wanted the most money."

…It felt good to make a decision on my own and execute it - to deal with Hank and Hal (Steinbrenner) on a one-on-one basis and get a deal done…

Whether you love A-Rod or you hate him, or, if you love him now and come to hate him later, or, if you hate him now and grow to love him in time, I think it’s important that all Yankees fans remember that A-Rod is a member of the New York Yankees because the Steinbrothers elected to allow him to come back to the team, and elected to pay him extremely well, after Brian Cashman went on record with the stance of “If he opts out, he’s out.” It’s not the first time that a Steinbrenner went around his G.M. – and, it probably will not be the last. But, I could see where the Rodriguez contract becomes something, with time, that gets lost with regard to who made the call to bring Alex back to New York. If, at the end of the day, it’s a dream come true, then thank the Steinbrothers. But, say, if it’s six years from now and A-Rod’s contract is starting to look like an albatross in pinstripes, don’t blame Brian Cashman – because he had nothing to do with this deal.

Posted by WW Staff at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2008

Yanks Sign Leonid Stadnik?

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the Yankees have signed Leonid Stadnik - the world's tallest human, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, who stands 8-feet-5-inches tall.

New York sees him as having potential on the mound.

According to the report, the Yankees intend to put Stadnik into their big-man pitching prospect "fast track" program - meaning he'll be scheduled for Tommy John surgery the day after he signs. An unnamed high-ranking Yankees official, quoted in the report, had this to say about the Stadnik signing:

"Our thought process for the past few years has been to stockpile as many young pitchers as we can, so you don't have to go into the free agent market and do desperate things. My feeling is we're the Yankees and we should be very aggressive in going after the best amateur talent, even if it comes with some risk. People who know pitching, people we trust, say he has major league stuff and it's just a matter of fixing his mechanics."

The report also said the Yankees see this signing as a way to bring the Yankees-brand into the Ukraine (where Stadnik is from).

And, yes, I'm kidding with all of this.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:37 PM | Comments (5)

Phil Hughes' 5th Start Of The Spring

Here's a scoop! We have a sneak preview of Phil Hughes' next blog entry - to be posted soon after his pitching effort against the Phillies this evening. Here it is:

Hi gang! Phil here. I threw too many pitches tonight. My writing coach, Pete Abe, told me that I threw 86 pitches over 5 innings. When I was pulled from the game after five, Carl Pavano told me that I had the "Wright" stuff. That was cool. But, then he called me "Jaret." So, I think he might have been talking in his sleep. With the start tonight, I lowered my spring ERA on 7.02. To mark this achievement, I'll be signing 7,002 baseballs tomorrow with Steiner Sports. I can't wait to tell Ian about it when I'm done. P.S. - I'm going to do another contest tomorrow. The first person to name my favorite Teletubbies episode will get a PFP-used Joba Chamberlain sanitary sock. TTNF. LOL. Your pal, Phil.

O.K., seriously, after back-to-back waxings by the Red and the Pirates, Hughes was better this evening. Not great, but, better. If this was a regular season game, I think maybe Girardi would have let him start the sixth inning. And, if Hughes was able to work through a scoreless sixth, in a game like this one, then it's a pretty good start for him. But, we'll never know - because Hughes was lifted after five because of his pitch-count.

It will be interesting to see how Phil does in April. Will it be like tonight's game? Or, will it be like the two before it? Or, will it be like both, at times?

And, what happens, if, come May 1st, Hughes has an ERA that's close to the one he posted this spring (meaning way over six)? I guess a lot of that depends on how the team is doing as a whole and how guys like Alan Horne are doing down in Triple-A.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:31 PM | Comments (20)

Will The Yankees Always Draw This Way Now, Going Forward?

The Yankees announced today that they have reached 3.8 million tickets sold for 2008, already, before their first pitch of the regular season.

There's little doubt that the Yankees will draw 4 million fans this year - making it four years in a row that they do four-plus. Next season should be good for another four-mill - with the opening of the new Stadium.

And, you have to wonder how long this will last in the Bronx?

In 1990, the Blue Jays drew 3.8 million - and then followed that up with three years, in a row, of four million. But, once the Jays started playing poorly after the 1994-1995 work stoppage, the fans stopped showing up in Toronto. In fact, from 2000 to 2004, the Jays couldn't even draw 2 million a season.

In 1993, in their first season, the Rockies drew 4.4 million - and then, after a small dip, they were near 3.8 million each season from 1996 through 1998. But, since 2003, Colorado has basically been a team that draws around 2 million a season.

From mid-season 1995 through 2000, you could not get a ticket to an Indians game. They sold out every game. But, since 2003, Cleveland has been lucky to draw 2 million fans a season.

Also, once Camden Park opened in 1992, the Orioles were good for at least 3 million fans each season - many years way past that, in fact. But, around 2005 the bottom dropped out and the team has barely taken in two million fans in each of the last two seasons.

Then again, since 1977, the Dodgers are usually good for 3 million fans (or more) a season.

I'm sure that's the model that the Yankees want to follow. The trick is to make sure that you manage, most of the time, to finish first, second or third - like Los Angeles has done since 1977.

But, the Dodgers have been lucky too - because the N.L. West is nothing like the A.L. East should be this season and in the next five years to come.

Who knows? Maybe, sometime around 2013, we'll be talking about the days "back when" when the Yankees used to sell out all the time...like the fans of the Blue Jays, Indians, Rockies and O's do now...

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:18 PM | Comments (5)

Lloyd Christmas & Harry Dunne

Playing around with the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia and setting the controls for:

CAREER, 1987-2007, LEFT HANDED PITCHERS
with GAMES STARTED BETWEEN 400 AND 500, and
NEUTRAL WINS <= 210;
show WINNING PERCENTAGE, INNINGS PITCHED and ERA vs. the league average

gives us the following:

RSAA                           RSAA      ERA      GS       IP       N_W      PCT    
1    Kenny Rogers                137     0.36      444   3129        191     .595   
2    David Wells                 108     0.35      489   3439        209     .604   

Funny, I never noticed how close the relative career stats were for Boomer Wells and Kenny Rogers - two former Yankees pitchers.

Rogers is still pitching, of course. And, Wells wants to pitch again this season. Let's just hope that the Yankees don't have to reach out to someone like Wells for help this season - like they did with Clemens in 2007.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)

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